Source: Bills Still Deciding on Watkins' 5th Year Option

[Scott7975]

Might not be necessarily a no brainer to pick up his option, but not getting him another contract and letting him walk would be a huge fail. It was already a bad move moving up to get Watkins. Letting him walk after his rookie contract would be the ultimate Whaley/Bills blunder. I already feel Whaley is a terrible GM. That would just seal it.

[GunnerBill]

To prove Whaley can't win check the last two posts in this thread.... both Whaley haters.

 

1 says not cutting his losses on Watkins would be a fail.

 

1 says not doubling down and extending would be a fail.

 

Whaley is a punchbag for fan ire whatever decision he makes.

[Pbomb]

Agreed. A good GM is able to acknowledge a mistake, cut his losses, and move on. Of course, it's easier to do that when you had some successes to compensate for the failures, but Lil Doug knows nothing but fail. We've already seen how long he held on to a major blunder like EJ, so (unless overruled) there's no way he lets someone who has shown flashes of greatness leave the team.

so doug hasnt made any good moves, all bad?

[Cripple Creek]

I dont extend him. Play this year out and see if he can stay healthy. If so franchise and workout a deal

 

 

If he cant, franchise and see if someone wants to trade for his off injured butt.

This isn't about extending him, this is about picking up his 5th year option. Reading is fundamental, but, apparently comprehension isn't.

 

If there is any question in the organization about whether to pick up the option or not then there is much, much more to this story that we don't know.

[dave mcbride]

The only issue that should be in play here is possible concern about long term effects of the foot injury that will affect him going forward. If the foot is better, this isn't even a debate: anyone who watches NFL football and who understands the game can see that he is about as talented as it gets. He hasn't put up the stats of Beckham etc., but he plays on a team that has run the ball more than any other team the past two seasons. He is as good as those guys without question. And he's had some unfortunate injuries (high ankle sprain, hip, and rib injuries) that will knock any player out of a game but which are COMPLETELY unpredictable and simply bad luck. They can happy to anyone playing in the NFL -- and they do.

 

The bottom line: if the foot is OK, the Bills would cement their status as the worst franchise in the NFL if they let him go. The option payment is not being paid for past performance, by the way: it is being paid for future performance. And if he is healthy, the choice is about as simple as it gets. If the foot is a real problem, though, the choice is less simple.

[klos63]

 

Sure, I'm speculating.

 

But trading up for a WR then failing to retain him would be a big black mark on his resume for future employment. Doesn't mean he'll absolutely do it - just that it'd be pretty surprising if he didn't. It'd be an admission of failure, at least in the media's eyes.

 

Sometimes optics matter.

Who cares what the media thinks. And if he signs Waktins and he's not productive, you think other team owners wouldn't notice the draft pick didn't work out, regardless of signing him or not. Your logic makes no sense in the NFL world, only in the bloggers world.

[PromoTheRobot]

From Sal Capaccio, who wrote the Watkins article. He must be reading this thread:

 

(from Facebook) "Here is the story I wrote on the Bills deciding on Samy's 5th year option. Unfortunately, too many people simply read a headline and jumped to conclusions that aren't true. I'll summarize, but please still read it. Summary: the team just wants to make sure he's on schedule with no setbacks medically before doing it (they have until May 2) because it's guaranteed against injury. Otherwise, I am confident they'll do it. But again, please read. It's all in there, including the reasons and all their options."

Edited April 16, 2017 by PromoTheRobot

[Kirby Jackson]

To prove Whaley can't win check the last two posts in this thread.... both Whaley haters.

 

1 says not cutting his losses on Watkins would be a fail.

 

1 says not doubling down and extending would be a fail.

 

Whaley is a punchbag for fan ire whatever decision he makes.

That's the point I was trying to make the other day. Someone said something about him being good at finding depth RBs and a poster said "that will be the first thing that he ever got right." Then a bunch of examples of his successes were laid out but they apparently don't count. I don't know why Bills fans insist on usually absolutes all of the time? Like with anything there is some good and some bad. The Bills are .500 over the last 3 years, or average. If they were 0-48 I would agree.

 

I guess though Bills fans just want to hold someone accountable. This thread is a great example. There are a section of Bills fans that want to move on from Sammy Watkins because he has only started 77% of the Bills games since coming here.

Edited April 16, 2017 by Kirby Jackson

[Buffalo Boy]

Yeah, the weenie couldn't even play with a fractured foot, what a baby. Funny, hardly missed a game in college, I guess he was tough then and suddenly not tough when he came here. Makes sense.

Just anothe Clemson player

[Buffalo86]

To prove Whaley can't win check the last two posts in this thread.... both Whaley haters.

 

1 says not cutting his losses on Watkins would be a fail.

 

1 says not doubling down and extending would be a fail.

 

Whaley is a punchbag for fan ire whatever decision he makes.

To prove Whaley can't win, check out our team's performance over the last 7 years while he was the #1 or #2 in the front office. Better than our last few GMs (Levy, Brandon, Nix), but not cutting it against current day GMs leaguewide. IMO, better to hire a new GM & let him decide what to do with a player to whom he isn't bound.

[CommonCents]

That's the point I was trying to make the other day. Someone said something about him being good at finding depth RBs and a poster said "that will be the first thing that he ever got right." Then a bunch of examples of his successes were laid out but they apparently don't count. I don't know why Bills fans insist on usually absolutes all of the time? Like with anything there is some good and some bad. The Bills are .500 over the last 3 years, or average. If they were 0-48 I would agree.

 

I guess though Bills fans just want to hold someone accountable. This thread is a great example. There are a section of Bills fans that want to move on from Sammy Watkins because he has only started 77% of the Bills games since coming here.

You know the buisness. Until a GM wins he is going to be second guessed on a regular basis. Whaley hasn't done enough to ward off the naysayers and on multiple ocassions he has been his own worst enemy. The longer the team goes without winning the harsher the critics get and that is true in any sports town. Buffalo has a rabid fanbase, saying Whaley can't win is only true because his teams don't win.

 

The folks that were a part of the success in the 90's won over the fans, heck they did it without ever winning the SB. Look at the ovation Norwood got, Kelly's support, Reed, ETC. Bills fans are knowledgable and after nearly two decades of ineptitude it's pretty easy to pick out a failure. Whaley has been that. Perhaps some of that can be attributed to the new owners mistakes with the Ryan hire, but as the GM he is and has been the face of a lot of it. He is well paid and has a job many folks would kill for, I don't think it's an impossible position by any means.

[jimmy10]

Hasn't the FO been very tight-lipped since McDermott and the new PR guy came on board? I'm even more wary than ever what a "source" says.

[Kirby Jackson]

You know the buisness. Until a GM wins he is going to be second guessed on a regular basis. Whaley hasn't done enough to ward off the naysayers and on multiple ocassions he has been his own worst enemy. The longer the team goes without winning the harsher the critics get and that is true in any sports town. Buffalo has a rabid fanbase, saying Whaley can't win is only true because his teams don't win.

 

The folks that were a part of the success in the 90's won over the fans, heck they did it without ever winning the SB. Look at the ovation Norwood got, Kelly's support, Reed, ETC. Bills fans are knowledgable and after nearly two decades of ineptitude it's pretty easy to pick out a failure. Whaley has been that. Perhaps some of that can be attributed to the new owners mistakes with the Ryan hire, but as the GM he is and has been the face of a lot of it. He is well paid and has a job many folks would kill for, I don't think it's an impossible position by any means.

I get it but even here "his teams don't win." They have won half of their games since his first draft as the GM. No one is saying that he is perfect but has been okay. If you analyze each and every decision that he has made as the GM you are going to find a lot of good. Reading TBD you'd think that the roster looked like 2006.

 

In terms of a "job that people would kill for" he earned it with the work that he did in Pittsburgh. I know for a fact that he could go back there tomorrow if he were fired. Kevin Colbert thinks very highly of him. The conversation is much better on here when we deal in reality. No one is saying that he is great but a lot of people are saying that he is awful. The truth lies somewhere in between.

 

I guess that I am just kind of exhausted by the Bills hate amongst Bills fans. The last year or so has gotten really bad. There used to be some things that we liked and some that we didn't. Now, to Gunner's point, no matter what they do the vocal majority hates it. It is guilty until proven innocent. They sign a guy that 90% of us have never seen play but automatically he sucks, because Bills. I just long for the days when things would be discussed and stand on their own merit. As an example, I loved the Hyde signing but thought they should tendered TD MG higher. I would say that is 1 good and 1 bad.

Edited April 16, 2017 by Kirby Jackson

[PromoTheRobot]

I get it but even here "his teams don't win." They have won half of their games since his first draft as the GM. No one is saying that he is perfect but has been okay. If you analyze each and every decision that he has made as the GM you are going to find a lot of good. Reading TBD you'd think that the roster looked like 2006.

 

In terms of a "job that people would kill for" he earned it with the work that he did in Pittsburgh. I know for a fact that he could go back there tomorrow if he were fired. Kevin Colbert thinks very highly of him. The conversation is much better on here when we deal in reality. No one is saying that he is great but a lot of people are saying that he is awful. The truth lies somewhere in between.

.500 is the new 0-48.

[Roundybout]

Anyone who WOULDN'T resign Sammy, considering what he has shown he can do and what we gave up for him, is insane.

 

 

Jesus, what 17 years does to people.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

From Sal Capaccio, who wrote the Watkins article. He must be reading this thread:

(from Facebook) "Here is the story I wrote on the Bills deciding on Samy's 5th year option. Unfortunately, too many people simply read a headline and jumped to conclusions that aren't true. I'll summarize, but please still read it. Summary: the team just wants to make sure he's on schedule with no setbacks medically before doing it (they have until May 2) because it's guaranteed against injury. Otherwise, I am confident they'll do it. But again, please read. It's all in there, including the reasons and all their options."

/thread

 

They will pick up his 5th year option. They would be absolutely moronic not to.

[Pbomb]

That's the point I was trying to make the other day. Someone said something about him being good at finding depth RBs and a poster said "that will be the first thing that he ever got right." Then a bunch of examples of his successes were laid out but they apparently don't count. I don't know why Bills fans insist on usually absolutes all of the time? Like with anything there is some good and some bad. The Bills are .500 over the last 3 years, or average. If they were 0-48 I would agree.

I guess though Bills fans just want to hold someone accountable. This thread is a great example. There are a section of Bills fans that want to move on from Sammy Watkins because he has only started 77% of the Bills games since coming here.

because they would rather be able to see the bills move on from watkins just so they could use it as an argument against whaley instead of him being good and helping the bills win. Its almost as if some "fans" want to see the bills fail so they can continue to complain about everyone and everything

[Dorkington]

ITT: People confusing resign, re-sign, extending, and picking up an option.

[BarleyNY]

From Sal Capaccio, who wrote the Watkins article. He must be reading this thread:

(from Facebook) "Here is the story I wrote on the Bills deciding on Samy's 5th year option. Unfortunately, too many people simply read a headline and jumped to conclusions that aren't true. I'll summarize, but please still read it. Summary: the team just wants to make sure he's on schedule with no setbacks medically before doing it (they have until May 2) because it's guaranteed against injury. Otherwise, I am confident they'll do it. But again, please read. It's all in there, including the reasons and all their options."

That makes sense. No need to rush it and pick up his option until just prior to the deadline. Nothing to be gained and waiting hedges against the slim possibility of something going horribly wrong medically. Can you imagine the backlash if Whaley picked up his option a month early and then Watkins came down with a career threatening staph infection? Waiting until the last minute to pick up the option a non-story.

[Rico]

To prove Whaley can't win check the last two posts in this thread.... both Whaley haters.

 

1 says not cutting his losses on Watkins would be a fail.

 

1 says not doubling down and extending would be a fail.

 

Whaley is a punchbag for fan ire whatever decision he makes.

Yes, he is extremely weak on many levels.