Cannot believe the lack of respect for Levitre from this board

[bills_believer]

I was hoping the Bills would resign Levitre, but when I heard them talk about analytics or whatever it is I thought that meant they would be unwilling to shell out the big bucks for a guard. It makes sense from that viewpoint. Quarterback, Left tackle, pass rusher, cornerback, maybe wide receiver are the positions you pay the big bucks for.

 

I was one of the few that thought they should have kept Peters. Where I think the Bills really shot themselves in the foot there was they had Peters under contract and then they went out and paid the big bucks to Dockery. I think that was a part of the reason Peters thought he should be making more money.

[ny33]

At the risk of further offending the faithful, I think Brandon Flowers is better. Now, I know he plays between two Pro Bowlers, but when I isolate him I see a more dominant player at the POA more often than I do Levitre.

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

Flowers is a CB

[Chicago_Mike]

I once heard a very good defnition of the term "overpaid." Essentially, if signing a player means you won't be able to sign others to help your team, then that player is overpaid. In the Bills case that's what it meant. Perhaps it didn't mean that to the Titans given the respective conditions of both teams.

 

And your point about supply and demand is spot on. Andy couldn't have had better timing to cash in. And good for him, too.

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

Very good point.

[eball]

Flowers is a CB

 

So he's a two-way player?

[Pete]

Flowers is a CB

if we let go Levitre to sign Flowers I am ok with that

[Kelly the Dog]

Flowers is a CB

I think he obviously meant Brandon Moore.

[Big Turk]

I once heard a very good defnition of the term "overpaid." Essentially, if signing a player means you won't be able to sign others to help your team, then that player is overpaid. In the Bills case that's what it meant. Perhaps it didn't mean that to the Titans given the respective conditions of both teams.

 

And your point about supply and demand is spot on. Andy couldn't have had better timing to cash in. And good for him, too.

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

Titans needed to plug the hole created by G Steve Hutchinson retiring, and he was scheduled to count $6.75 million against the cap next year including $5.25 million in salary, so basically they just replaced Hutchinson's salary and added about $2 million to it, so it wasn't really that much of a cost to the Titans since they already had that penciled in anyway for Hutchinson, although they do have a $3 million dead cap hit for this year from his retiring...

[K-9]

Flowers is a CB

 

Haha. Nice catch. Obviously I meant Brandon Moore.

 

But Flowers is a good comparison in that both he and Levitre were second round picks who've been solid pros with no Pro Bowl or All Pro recognition. Flowers cashed in nicely when he came up for FAgency, too.

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

I'm not sure if you have ever listened to the guy that started/runs PFF but he basically says the same thing. He says those guys you're talking about should still be the one you listen to, and you should never mistake what he does for the human element of watching film on a player, and to only use what he does as a further tool to expand on what you see on film and in person.

 

I've never listen to the guy, but I'm happy to hear this. I like PFF in those terms just fine. They DO add to the fans' enjoyment of the game. I like their analysis of QBs and the "deep ball" as defined by those passes that travel more than 20 yards in the air, for instance.

 

GO BILLS!!!

Edited March 13, 2013 by K-9

[mattsox]

So only pro-bowlers get paid top-5 money ? Do we have a replacement in mind or will we now depend upon Wood alone to handle pressure up the middle ?

 

Wood's not worth all that money either if he's hurt every season. Shouldn't have to spend 100 Million for a decent O-Line

[KOKBILLS]

Except for the fact that there are 300 guys on the street who can play guard in the NFL and there are only about 30-40 decent NFL-caliber Tackles in the whole world..... you make a great point.

 

^^^ This...

[BillsCelticsAngelsBama]

And how long ago was it that Ruben Brown and Jim Richter were Bills?

Back when you were attending the Draft in your diapers.

[metzelaars_lives]

who was the last great Bills guard before Levitre? Reggie McKenzie? For all the talk about how easy it is to find a guard- the Bills have not found a good one for 30 years. Offensive line is all about continuity. And our offensive line WAS finally coming together. I think the only person more pissed about the Levitre !@#$ up is CJ Spiller

 

Jim Ritcher was pretty damn good if you ask me.

[Rob's House]

If I may share a moment of honesty:

 

!@#$ Andy Levitre. Nothing personal, because I don't know him personally, but as a fan, I couldn't care less about his future or well being. In fact, I hope he goes down as one of the great FA busts & is out of the league in 3 years. I hope he thinks back to his glory days in Buffalo where despite playing for a losing team, people held him in high regard. I also hope yesterday was the high point of his professional life.

Edited March 14, 2013 by Rob's House

[purple haze]

who was the last great Bills guard before Levitre? Reggie McKenzie? For all the talk about how easy it is to find a guard- the Bills have not found a good one for 30 years. Offensive line is all about continuity. And our offensive line WAS finally coming together. I think the only person more pissed about the Levitre !@#$ up is CJ Spiller

 

Levitre is not a great player. He's a good player. And the Bills had John Davis, Jim Ritcher, Ruben Brown. All good OG's, not great ones and the Bills were fine with them. Levitre is a loss, but not someone who is irreplaceable. He is very replaceable.

[billsfan89]

The sense on this board about Levitre is similar to what I felt about losing Nate Clements. It was tough to lose a good player and make no bones about it Levitre was a very good player. But its hard to pay top dollar for a guy who wasn't by far one of the best at his position. Unlike Pat Williams who was willing to take a very reasonable deal somewhat below what he would have gotten on the market to play with the Bills, this was a case of the Bills making a sensible but hard decision.

[ndirish1978]

Whoa, slow down OP. Exactly who am I required to respect? Athletes should be thought of as stocks. They are commodities to be bought low and sold high. Emotionally investing in anything other than a team is ridiculous. The moment Levitre left town I stopped caring about him altogether and I certainly never owed him any regard or consideration. He got paid to play a game to entertain me, now he entertains other people.

[K-9]

Whoa, slow down OP. Exactly who am I required to respect? Athletes should be thought of as stocks. They are commodities to be bought low and sold high. Emotionally investing in anything other than a team is ridiculous. The moment Levitre left town I stopped caring about him altogether and I certainly never owed him any regard or consideration. He got paid to play a game to entertain me, now he entertains other people.

 

Been rootin' for the laundry since the advent of free agency.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[mob16151]

When we lost 2 left tackles, Peters and the guy who could decide how to spell his name (so why should I look up the spelling), everyone was going crazy. We all said Peters was the best left tackle since Ballard. (that was crappola)

Neither of those guys could stay on the field, but Levitre since day one walk on the field into position and stayed there.

We have significantly weakened our team because of Brandon's budget. We do not have a cap issue, only a Ralph spending issue.

Now not only do we need to fill our LB positions, and QB now we begin the tearing down of the Oline. We have a poor D line to start thanks to money man Mario deciding not to play with his limp wrist.

How can a team get better when it tears itself apart every year.

We should all be irate about Levitre.

I cannot find one strength for this team...except the fans.

 

This should be a nominee,for lamest post of the year. Congratulations,it's only March. You are a true poster of genius.

[dave mcbride]

This should be a nominee,for lamest post of the year. Congratulations,it's only March. You are a true poster of genius.

 

Why? What's your actual take on his point about Levitre and his quality as a player as well as the value of mobile interior linemen in today's NFL? If you're going to be so negative toward a longtime and good poster, it's always good to have some substance.

[Nitro]

I wanted them to resign Levitre but it is a business decision. They did not make him an offer, that says alot. I will opine that the team saw no upside and knew that Levitre wanted more money than what they wanted to give. I watched Pollian talk about how a team slots salaries. He made the point that that you let good players walk because it makes budget sense. Does it hurt the team? Yes. It was a wise choice. If you met his salary demands in a finite budget, you would have to cut some where else. He is not a top 5 guard and I wish him well.