Star is OUT for Steelers game

[LabattBlue]

Echoing through the halls of the TSW castle around 4PM.  
 

“…Edmunds would have had a good game if Star was in there!”.  

[loveorhatembillsfan4life]

Star takes a year off to protect his health, family, I respect that. Then you find out he’s likely unvaccinated based on him being sent away for 5 days.. huh I have a bit of issue with that as it doesn’t seem to go hand in hand.. 

 

He has now missed a year and one game, hopefully no more. Sucks  Hopefully he makes a huge difference to our d when he returns. But Beane preaches availability more than anything, he can’t be thrilled. 

 

Anyhow I’m actually ok for this week as I don’t believe the Steelers oline is anything special. I think we will be fine. 

[atlbillsfan1975]

22 hours ago, BuffaninSarasota said:

welcome to Star's replacement 

 

https://georgiadogs.com/sports/football/roster/jordan-davis/5423

Davis is elite talent. I don’t think he will be available at pick 32. 
I’d love to have him. As a UGA fan I can tell you his character matches his play.

[Mat68]

Interior needs to step up.  They have a young oline.  I expect Pitts to run alot more than last year.  Phillips and Butler need to have good games.  

[billsfan1959]

42 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Viewing the investment they’ve made in him compared to what he’s actually given them, there is no way that they’re satisfied.

 

Link?

 

You don't have any idea what the front office or the coaching staff feels about what he has given them.

[Coach Tuesday]

3 minutes ago, billsfan1959 said:

 

Link?

 

You don't have any idea what the front office or the coaching staff feels about what he has given them.

Correct, I don’t claim to read peoples’ minds.  When they release him on June 1, 2022, please remember this take.

[billsfan1959]

Just now, Coach Tuesday said:

Correct, I don’t claim to read peoples’ minds.  When they release him on June 1, 2022, please remember this take.

 

If they release him, it will be because they feel it is in the best interest of the team in that moment. It will say nothing about what he has given the team in his past play.

[bigduke6]

best ability is.......availability.    i know Star has played for us,  sure doesnt feel like it tho.     guys in charge arent real keen on paying guys tons of money who dont play or are starting to be considered unreliable.

simple economics.

Edited September 11, 2021 by bigduke6

[NewEra]

6 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

Clearly by "the wrong way" you mean the opposite way from you, which will generally point me in exactly the right direction. 

 

There is a group on here always looking for scapegoats. Star, Tremaine and a few others are the ones that group has recently settled on, and clearly the anger is there for you using the word "boo boo" for an injury to a guy who has missed five games to injury in seven years of DL play. I'd love to see you call it a soft tissue boo-boo to his face.

 

Was he expensive? Yeah. Higher-level FAs get good deals. But McDermott knew exactly who Star was, and knew he needed him, and brought him along to Buffalo. And in 2018 our defense allowed 4.2 YPC, in 2019, 4.3 YPC and last year when he opted out, 4.6 YPC. McDermott was right that he needed him. The years Star was here the defense took a major step up to very very good in 2018 and was elite in 2019, and without him last year (yes, there were other reasons, but he was a big one), took a real step back. 

 

 

 

 

need him?  In particular….Star was the guy we needed?  
 

I think that’s a bit far fetched.  An actual 1tech DT is what we needed.  We didn’t have one player capable of being a starting one tech in the NFL last season.  Harrison and butler played the position better at the end of the year when we were playing poo poo offenses and QBs.  But they aren’t good 1techs imo.  
 

Star does what he’s supposed to do and got paid much more than most players get paid to play that role.  Now…..after sitting out a year, he’s hurt already……just as I predicted.  

[Thurman#1]

2 hours ago, Coach Tuesday said:

I think many of us understand the role Star is SUPPOSED to play.  
 

He rarely plays it.

 

You can’t evaluate a player in a vacuum. Because of scare resources and a salary cap, personnel decisions have opportunity costs.  Signing Star and paying him what they’ve paid him cost them other opportunities.  That’s a fact.  Viewing the investment they’ve made in him compared to what he’s actually given them, there is no way that they’re satisfied.  Some of it was beyond their control, but that’s what happens when you overpay.  
 

Separately I have my suspicions about whether the guy actually loves football, but that’s another matter.

 

 

Just not true. In each of his last four seasons, he's played all 16 games. So that simply is not true.

 

In his career, and counting this week as an absence, he's played 108 out of 114 games.

 

As Alpha and many others have said, McDermott and the Bills can be, and in fact are satisfied, and they have made that clear again and again and again. It's you who are not satisfied. People have to choose whether to believe McDermott and the Bills ... or you and a few guys on here. Not much of a choice.

 

 

 

Edited September 11, 2021 by Thurman#1

[galept]

3 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

... I won’t even bother because it would take too long and I’m headed to Niagara Falls today with my Fiancé and then to Waxlight A Vin for dinner later.  So gonna save my energy for that 😎 

 

Save some pennies for that while you're at it

[Thurman#1]

29 minutes ago, bigduke6 said:

best ability is.......availability.    i know Star has played for us,  sure doesnt feel like it tho.     guys in charge arent real keen on paying guys tons of money who dont play or are starting to be considered unreliable.

simple economics.

 

 

He's played 32 out of 32 games for us. This is his first injury to keep him out of a Buffalo game. His first game missed to injury since 2015.

 

And if you want to blame him for opting out for COVID, fine, but that's something we're getting from fans, not from the NFL. Coaches, players and teams understand valuing family health over football, especially last year before vaccines.  He didn't play after opting out, but he didn't get paid either, excepting a very small (compared to NFL salaries) stipend ($150K if I remember right), that is only an advance from his salary this year. 

[Thurman#1]

45 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Correct, I don’t claim to read peoples’ minds.  When they release him on June 1, 2022, please remember this take.

 

 

The word is "if," not "when." By using "when," you are indeed confusing a guess with a fact.

 

More, if they do cut him, it is likely to (unofficially) be just as much about vaccination status as performance satisfaction. If they were unsatisfied with his performance, it would only have been prudent to bring in a space eater type to get him a year in the system, either in the draft or in F.A. They didn't do that.

 

 

[Thurman#1]

30 minutes ago, NewEra said:

need him?  In particular….Star was the guy we needed?  
 

I think that’s a bit far fetched.  An actual 1tech DT is what we needed.  We didn’t have one player capable of being a starting one tech in the NFL last season.  Harrison and butler played the position better at the end of the year when we were playing poo poo offenses and QBs.  But they aren’t good 1techs imo.  
 

Star does what he’s supposed to do and got paid much more than most players get paid to play that role.  Now…..after sitting out a year, he’s hurt already……just as I predicted.  

 

 

Yes, an actual 1-tech is what we needed, most particularly a space eater for 1st and 2nd downs to get the blockers off Edmunds and Oliver, and that's what Star is. Would they rather have a guy who can also rush the passer? Yeah, that's logical. Would they rather have one who both eats space and then is able to make tackles as well? Almost surely. Would they have to pay a hell of a lot more for that kind of unicorn of a guy? Yeah, they would. 

 

Does Star do what they need him to do, to eat blocks, singles and doubles, to not be pushed back, to clog things up in the middle? Yeah, he does. Again, they knew what they were getting with Star. They'd coached the guy for years. They knew what they needed and they brought in Star to get it done. Star or a guy like him is what they needed.

 

As for injuries, if he misses a bunch of games this year, you'll have a point. Missing just one so far is not a big deal.

 

Phillips, Butler and Zimmer are all decent 1-techs, Harry and Zimmer probably more so this year, but they're not the same type as Star. They're all more capable of penetrating and filling holes and less capable of being a space eater. I wouldn't want to see them only those three all season, but in one game against an OL that doesn't appear to be very good, I think it should be a good test.

 

And as for his pay, there just aren't that many guys who can do a really good job as a space eater. Those guys do get paid, and not much less than Star. Second contract FAs who go in the first week or so do tend to get overpaid a little bit. If you need a guy to come to Buffalo after a mediocre year when Tyrod was your QB, you settle for that.

 

 

[Solomon Grundy]

4 hours ago, machine gun kelly said:

Dawg, have a great time with you’re gal.  I honestly don’t understand the skewed takes on Star.  I’m not happy he’s unvaccinated., as you’d think a guy who opted out for his health would make a better choice, and yes that’s my bias.  He’s coming back after a year off, is leaner (people speculated he would be fat), he’s a 1 tech guy so he’s a space eater that held up well in 19.
 

I don’t want to go this far, and will not personally make a comment on a specific poster, but it’s almost like some don’t understand or played organized football.  His role is to clog up lanes, allow guys like Oliver to penetrate, keep the lanes from opening by opposing RB’s.  He’ll never be the guy with a ton of sacks.  It’s really the unsung hero job.  I played LB and RB over time, and my buddy in front of me who was this DT In HS, used to tell me he hates he doesn’t have to get the glory as we played a 4-3.  I kept reassuring him and others too, it’s ok, because he makes it easier for us to make those tackles mid field, my other bud to get the interior pressure, and so on.  This is how I coached my defenses as well, as that was youth ball so limited.  I could never make the commitment to coach in HS.  It’s too much when you have a career that requires you to travel.

 

Anyway, ask Edmunds, Oliver, Harry, and Milano if they are happy he’s back.  Ask Frazier what it means to have him back.  A minor calf injury is enough to keep you off the field for a game, but it’s not like he tore his ACL.  As to cutting him last year, it was just said above, anyone feeling that way needs to look at Spotrac again or OTC.  It costs more to cut him than keep him and he can contribute on this team.

 

So I guess Harry practiced Friday, so he’ll probably get 50-55% of the snaps tomorrow.

 

Tomorrow, let’s not get wrapped in the weeds and just Go Bills!

I don’t think many of us question his role, just his availability. The two greatest abilities are responsibility and availability. We know Star was brought in to clog up the lanes, but he hasn’t been on the field to perform such duties. He’s only clogging up the salary cap at this point in time. This is where the frustration lies.

[Deadstroke]

2 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

Yes, an actual 1-tech is what we needed, most particularly a space eater for 1st and 2nd downs to get the blockers off Edmunds and Oliver, and that's what Star is. Would they rather have a guy who can also rush the passer? Yeah, that's logical. Would they rather have one who both eats space and then is able to make tackles as well? Almost surely. Would they have to pay a hell of a lot more for that kind of unicorn of a guy? Yeah, they would. 

 

Does Star do what they need him to do, to eat blocks, singles and doubles, to not be pushed back, to clog things up in the middle? Yeah, he does. Again, they knew what they were getting with Star. They'd coached the guy for years. They knew what they needed and they brought in Star to get it done. Star or a guy like him is what they needed.

 

As for injuries, if he misses a bunch of games this year, you'll have a point. Missing just one so far is not a big deal.

 

Phillips, Butler and Zimmer are all decent 1-techs, Harry and Zimmer probably more so this year, but they're not the same type as Star. They're all more capable of penetrating and filling holes and less capable of being a space eater. I wouldn't want to see them only those three all season, but in one game against an OL that doesn't appear to be very good, I think it should be a good test.

 

And as for his pay, there just aren't that many guys who can do a really good job as a space eater. Those guys do get paid, and not much less than Star. Second contract FAs who go in the first week or so do tend to get overpaid a little bit. If you need a guy to come to Buffalo after a mediocre year when Tyrod was your QB, you settle for that.

 

 

Let's not forget that in Phillip's rookie year, after just a few games, he was taking 50% of the 1-tech snaps.  That is that in his rookie year he was already on the verge of taking the lion's share of snaps.  After the serious injury he suffered, last year was just about getting healed and adding to his strength and learning.  Reports say that he is a bit bigger and stronger than ever before. This year it appears that he just might be fully healthy and as such IMO he just might be a step up from Star.

[bigduke6]

1 hour ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

He's played 32 out of 32 games for us. This is his first injury to keep him out of a Buffalo game. His first game missed to injury since 2015.

 

And if you want to blame him for opting out for COVID, fine, but that's something we're getting from fans, not from the NFL. Coaches, players and teams understand valuing family health over football, especially last year before vaccines.  He didn't play after opting out, but he didn't get paid either, excepting a very small (compared to NFL salaries) stipend ($150K if I remember right), that is only an advance from his salary this year. 

thats all fine and well,   but the NFL is more about, what have u done for me lately,  and lately,  he hasnt played.    he puts in nearly a full season,  plays well,  then peeps will stop with the doubting.    its really on him.  until then...

[BigDingus]

I don't doubt that his impact on the defense will be felt, but at this point, Star is becoming just a headache. 

 

Opt out of last season due to COVID, then refuse to get vaccinated to prevent that same COVID (and worse variants) because....reasons(?), and after alllll that, he's out opening day & for god knows how long thereafter...

 

But yeah... I'm sure the guy is doing absolutely everything in his power & busting his a** to get back on the field for the good of the team 🙄

 

[machine gun kelly]

52 minutes ago, Solomon Grundy said:

I don’t think many of us question his role, just his availability. The two greatest abilities are responsibility and availability. We know Star was brought in to clog up the lanes, but he hasn’t been on the field to perform such duties. He’s only clogging up the salary cap at this point in time. This is where the frustration lies.

Solly, fair take from you, amd Im sure some others.  There are a lot of takes that just don’t understand his role.  It’s like my senior, senior dad, who wants to fine every player when they don’t make a pro bowl play.  I listen and say yes sir, given the man served in Korea and more of course.

 

I don’t know what the deal is with his calf, but it could be simply a one week deal, and he plays the rest of the season.  Solly he missed 3 games over two years early in his career.  Give a 7 year history prior to 20, sounds like people are angry he opted out.  I’m not from a medical position, but I was p..seed off he didn’t get vacc.  Separate that from his calf as that is normal. He was a durable player in 18-19 for us, and certainly before us in Car.. To be clear bud, I’m ticked he didn’t get vacc., but I do respect a persons choice.  I just found it hypocritical he opts out and then doesn’t get vacc.  This is about availability mods to football.  I could care less about health privacy issues, and feel I need to say it.

 

I believe it’s possible he’s there fir Miami and we don’t miss him again for the next 16 games.  I think that is more plausible.

[Seoulofstone]

14 hours ago, Dopey said:

As for the expectations, he's met them. They're the coach's expectations, not yours. 

Oh cool. You can see inside Sean's brain. Nice trick. Try not to be so sanctimonious when you're speculating.

[billsfan1959]

8 minutes ago, Seoulofstone said:

Oh cool. You can see inside Sean's brain. Nice trick. Try not to be so sanctimonious when you're speculating.

 

https://www.cover1.net/buffalo-bills-training-camp-brandon-beane-takeaways-vaccine-cody-ford/

 

Quote

Beane expressed excitement when asked about Lotulelei’s return and said that the entire defense is better with Star in the lineup.

 

“We’re excited to have him back. He’s been an integral part of our success. I can tell you our linebackers are glad to have him back. He does a great job of letting those guys run free and I’m sure Ed Oliver is glad to have him back as well, you know, as he’ll see a few less double teams.”

 

Beane elaborated a bit on the struggles of the linebackers, but made sure to explain that those shortcomings were largely due to injuries and not having a nose tackle, than their actual talent level.

 

“He (Star) does a great job of eating up blockers and keeping guys from getting to the second level so those guys can roam to the ball. Tremaine and Matt had some injuries early in the year, but it was also dealing with not having Star in there.”

 

I've heard McDermott echo the same sentiments...

[Rico]

Looks like the spread hasn’t changed 12 pages later since the OP yesterday, still Bills -6.5, go figure.

[BADOLBILZ]

10 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

Oh please.  That's such an overreaction.  Derrick Dockery, Langston  Walker, and Larry Tripplett say hi.  I wish Dareus was a free agent signing so I could justify taking a shot at him in this thread. 

 

We were a top 5 defense in terms of yards allowed his first two seasons here despite an underwhelming offense.

 

 

Like I said........if he goes on IR that will be $40M down the tubes on Star Lotulelei for two unproductive seasons of 45% snaps from the 1 tech position.

 

Larry Triplett cost the Bills like $11M in bonus and salary over 2 seasons before he was cut so do your homework or stay out of the comp business........that's an embarrassing effort.

 

Dockery is literally the only competition..........but he was cut because of salary and was immediately signed for good money elsewhere.

 

As @Coach Tuesday said...........Star Lotulelei is an albatross..........a burden.........if he were cut he's out of the league.

 

People expecting this guy to elevate the games of 2 former first rounders?   It's utter nonsense.   A fairy tale.

 

A half interested Damon Harrison is far better than whatever Star has been for Buffalo...........and Snacks is a free agent and was on practice squads last year.

 

[BADOLBILZ]

2 hours ago, BigDingus said:

I don't doubt that his impact on the defense will be felt, but at this point, Star is becoming just a headache. 

 

Opt out of last season due to COVID, then refuse to get vaccinated to prevent that same COVID (and worse variants) because....reasons(?), and after alllll that, he's out opening day & for god knows how long thereafter...

 

But yeah... I'm sure the guy is doing absolutely everything in his power & busting his a** to get back on the field for the good of the team 🙄

 

 

 

You should also doubt his impact on the defense.

 

But the rest of your post illustrates the laundry list of issues with Star.

 

Last year people were chastised for questioning why he opted out.........getting covid could easily kill a man with such underlying conditions!.......even though the proof of such was one seemingly false test he had in the draft process that showed something irregular with his heart that subsequent tests did not.

 

OK sure,  you might have an underlying condition......okay what are you gonna' say?

 

Then he blows off all non-mandatory OTA's......displeasing the organization that supported him and welcomed him back..........well, ya' know can't risk getting Covid right?

 

Finally shows up.......unvaccinated..........making the fears for his life or that of family members seem like a load of BS.

 

As the list goes on his defenders keep backpedaling to defend each lack of availability..........they are running out of real estate at this point.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

5 hours ago, BigDingus said:

I don't doubt that his impact on the defense will be felt, but at this point, Star is becoming just a headache. 

 

Opt out of last season due to COVID, then refuse to get vaccinated to prevent that same COVID (and worse variants) because....reasons(?), and after alllll that, he's out opening day & for god knows how long thereafter...

 

But yeah... I'm sure the guy is doing absolutely everything in his power & busting his a** to get back on the field for the good of the team 🙄

 

I don't want to "Debbie Downer" a good rant, now

 

I would like to point out we really don't know if any of the players who were placed on reserve/covid as contacts have "refused to get vaccinated" (except for Beasley, who seems to have a crusade to tell us all about it)

 

If a player decided to get vaccinated on 27 July when camp started or afterwards, and chose a 2 dose vaccine, he would have received has 2nd dose on either 17 August (Pfizer) or 24 August (Moderna).  Neither would not count as "fully vaccinated" August 22 or 23 when the close contact must have occurred (for them to be back for the 3rd game)

 

We now return you to your regularly scheduled Rantations

 

 

[Mr. WEO]

1 hour ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

You should also doubt his impact on the defense.

 

But the rest of your post illustrates the laundry list of issues with Star.

 

Last year people were chastised for questioning why he opted out.........getting covid could easily kill a man with such underlying conditions!.......even though the proof of such was one seemingly false test he had in the draft process that showed something irregular with his heart that subsequent tests did not.

 

OK sure,  you might have an underlying condition......okay what are you gonna' say?

 

Then he blows off all non-mandatory OTA's......displeasing the organization that supported him and welcomed him back..........well, ya' know can't risk getting Covid right?

 

Finally shows up.......unvaccinated..........making the fears for his life or that of family members seem like a load of BS.

 

As the list goes on his defenders keep backpedaling to defend each lack of availability..........they are running out of real estate at this point.

 

 

Yeah, the logic of his decision making escapes me:  no vax available last year so he holds out--that's a decision at tiny number of players made, but he said he was concerned for the health of his family.  Now with Delta and an available fax, he chooses not to get it.

 

Makes no sense.  

[3rdand12]

13 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

Yeah, in seven years of playing and including this game tomorrow, he'll have missed five games, three in 2014, two in 2015, and the one tomorrow.

 

He's a workhorse.

 

 

 

Yeah, it should be. During the offseason there was a lot of discussion that these two were playing against each other for a spot. It'll be nice to see them both play and see how they do, though the Steelers OL is not what it used to be.

Hope the Guys are licking their chops over Steelers O line and Ben's lack of mobility at his age. An opportunity for the young guns to build a foundation of excellence.
Go Bills

 

[WideNine]

It's the optics of Star's decisions that is creating the churn fans have regarding his commitment to the game and value to the team.

 

1-tech is normally a thankless role, but a good chunk of Bills fans understand that his role is to take on doubles and free others for the glory of sacks and TFLs - I think most of us are savvy enough to appreciate a player that brings that to the team.

 

Star received a ridiculous signing deal, but did bail Beane and Co. out by restructuring the deal in a more cap-friendly way.

 

If Star wants to resurrect his player stock he has this year to show teams what he has left in the tank before the idea of cuts or trades becomes more of a reality.

 

If he wants to hang up the cleats after this season I hope he goes out with a roar and a SB ring rather than fade into retirement with a whimper.

 

None of us are in his head and know what is going on there so we will see how this plays out and trust to our DT depth and hope for the best for both the team and all our players.

 

Decent breakdown on the numbers stuff:

https://thebuffalofanatics.com/defending-the-star-lotulelei-contract/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[billsfan1959]

16 minutes ago, WideNine said:

It's the optics of Star's decisions that is creating the churn fans have regarding his commitment to the game and value to the team.

 

1-tech is normally a thankless role, but a good chunk of Bills fans understand that his role is to take on doubles and free others for the glory of sacks and TFLs - I think most of us are savvy enough to appreciate a player that brings that to the team.

 

Star received a ridiculous signing deal, but did bail Beane and Co. out by restructuring the deal in a more cap-friendly way.

 

If Star wants to resurrect his player stock he has this year to show teams what he has left in the tank before the idea of cuts or trades becomes more of a reality.

 

If he wants to hang up the cleats after this season I hope he goes out with a roar and a SB ring rather than fade into retirement with a whimper.

 

None of us are in his head and know what is going on there so we will see how this plays out and trust to our DT depth and hope for the best for both the team and all our players.

 

Decent breakdown on the numbers stuff:

https://thebuffalofanatics.com/defending-the-star-lotulelei-contract/

 

 

What decisions (plural) are you referring to?

[WideNine]

4 minutes ago, billsfan1959 said:

 

What decisions (plural) are you referring to?

 

Not to beat a dead horse, but if you have read through the many pages of this post....opting out last year due to Covid concerns for himself and his family then showing up this year yet unvaxed against a more contagious strain...

 

Such "decisions" are head scratchers for anyone trying to understand what is really going on in Star's head about his motivation and commitment to playing.

 

 

 

 

 

[BADOLBILZ]

19 minutes ago, WideNine said:

It's the optics of Star's decisions that is creating the churn fans have regarding his commitment to the game and value to the team.

 

1-tech is normally a thankless role, but a good chunk of Bills fans understand that his role is to take on doubles and free others for the glory of sacks and TFLs - I think most of us are savvy enough to appreciate a player that brings that to the team.

 

Star received a ridiculous signing deal, but did bail Beane and Co. out by restructuring the deal in a more cap-friendly way.

 

If Star wants to resurrect his player stock he has this year to show teams what he has left in the tank before the idea of cuts or trades becomes more of a reality.

 

If he wants to hang up the cleats after this season I hope he goes out with a roar and a SB ring rather than fade into retirement with a whimper.

 

None of us are in his head and know what is going on there so we will see how this plays out and trust to our DT depth and hope for the best for both the team and all our players.

 

Decent breakdown on the numbers stuff:

https://thebuffalofanatics.com/defending-the-star-lotulelei-contract/

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Important to note he didn't bail Beane out........he took a modest pay cut to stay with the team in exchange for guaranteeing salary...........which blew up in Beane's face when the league decided months later to let players opt out and have their 2020 contract terms extended to the 2021 season and 2021 into 2022 etc..   

 

In pushing him into a pay cut it was made pretty clear that he was not in the plans for 2021.........but here we are with $12M in cap hit still unamortized.

 

He didn't report to any activities this offseason because he had already been paid for that part of his contract in 2020..........including workout bonuses that he didn't actually earn but the league and NLFPA agreed to pay.

 

That total was about $900K.   Then he got $350K in found money for opting out.  

 

He milked the system for all he possibly could.......showed bad faith this past offseason staying away until attendance was mandatory.......and has done the bare minimum to get all of his remaining money. 

[billsfan1959]

Just now, WideNine said:

 

Not to beat a dead horse, but if you have read through the many pages of this post....opting out last year due to Covid concerns for himself and his family then showing up this year yet unvaxed against a more contagious strain...

 

Such "decisions" are head scratchers for anyone trying to understand what is really going on in Star's head about his motivation and commitment to playing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I've read through the thread. Star opted out last year at a time when we knew far less about Covid than we do now. That is a personal health decision and I don't quite understand why people would question his "commitment" because of it. I feel the same about vaccination status. Regardless of what my personal opinion might be on the subject, I don't question a players "commitment" because of it.

[WideNine]

Just now, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Important to note he didn't bail Beane out........he took a modest pay cut to stay with the team in exchange for guaranteeing salary...........which blew up in Beane's face when the league decided months later to let players opt out and have their 2020 contract terms extended to the 2021 season and 2021 into 2022 etc..   

 

In pushing him into a pay cut it was made pretty clear that he was not in the plans for 2021.........but here we are with $12M in cap hit still unamortized.

 

He didn't report to any activities this offseason because he had already been paid for that part of his contract in 2020..........including workout bonuses that he didn't actually earn but the league and NLFPA agreed to pay.

 

That total was about $900K.   Then he got $350K in found money for opting out.  

 

He milked the system for all he possibly could.......showed bad faith this past offseason staying away until attendance was mandatory.......and has done the bare minimum to get all of his remaining money. 

 

 

Fair enough... I will never claim to be a capologist by any stretch.

 

The team will be better with a healthy motivated Star in the middle this year.

 

I hope they get that out of him.

 

 

 

[BADOLBILZ]

50 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

 

Yeah, the logic of his decision making escapes me:  no vax available last year so he holds out--that's a decision at tiny number of players made, but he said he was concerned for the health of his family.  Now with Delta and an available fax, he chooses not to get it.

 

Makes no sense.  

 

 

Yeah, it makes no sense if you buy his reason for opting out.

 

But it makes a lot of sense if you are talking about someone who was embittered by being coerced into a pay cut and decided he could take or leave ever suiting up for that team again and was only concerned about getting every penny he can without having to earn it.

 

[WideNine]

3 minutes ago, billsfan1959 said:

 

I've read through the thread. Star opted out last year at a time when we knew far less about Covid than we do now. That is a personal health decision and I don't quite understand why people would question his "commitment" because of it. I feel the same about vaccination status. Regardless of what my personal opinion might be on the subject, I don't question a players "commitment" because of it.

 

Ok.... so he knows more now and what he learned is that it is better now to surround himself in close quarters with heavily-breathing team mates unvaccinated...

 

Like I said, the optics are sketchy.

 

 

 

[billsfan1959]

4 minutes ago, WideNine said:

 

Ok.... so he knows more now and what he learned is that it is better now to surround himself in close quarters with heavily-breathing team mates unvaccinated...

 

Like I said, the optics are sketchy.

 

 

 

 

It might not be a smart decision, but to to question his commitment to the game because of it doesn't seem very sound either.

[WideNine]

30 minutes ago, billsfan1959 said:

 

It might not be a smart decision, but to to question his commitment to the game because of it doesn't seem very sound either.

 

We will see. I used "optics" because no one knows for sure it just looks sketchy.

 

BadOl seems pretty convinced whereas there are others that defend Star's decisions or are on the fence - the fan "churn" and grumbling I referenced earlier.

 

It is in Star's wheelhouse to work to change fan perceptions and have a great year.

 

That would be best for him and the team, so that is what I am hoping for.

 

 

 

 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

50 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

That total was about $900K.   Then he got $350K in found money for opting out. 

 

Back in May, someone pointed out there is not evidence that Star received the higher payment for a high-risk opt out

*rummage*  *rummage* here it is:

 

The $150,000 "opt out" payment was an advance on this year's salary.  I'm not sure how a salary advance constitutes "found money":

https://www.si.com/nfl/giants/news/explaining-the-nfl-opt-out-options-and-the-salary-cap-impact

 

 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, BADOLBILZ said:

Important to note he didn't bail Beane out........he took a modest pay cut to stay with the team in exchange for guaranteeing salary...........

 

58 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

But it makes a lot of sense if you are talking about someone who was embittered by being coerced into a pay cut

 

Now I'm confused.  Did Star take a "modest pay cut" in exchange for getting something that benefited him - increased guaranteed salary, something all players seem to want because they understand it's the only money they're sure of?

 

Or was Star "coerced" into  a pay cut which left him so"embittered"  that he "decided he could take or leave ever suiting up for that team again" and "was only concerned about getting every penny he can without having to earn it"?

 

Seems like "Either Or, not Both". 

Either he took only a modest pay cut and received generous guarantees in exchange - Win-Win, no reason to be embittered

Or he was "coerced" into a deep paycut for which he received so little personal benefit that he's now toting a huge personal grudge against Beane and the Bills and is out to "stick it to them"

[BADOLBILZ]

6 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

 

Now I'm confused.  Did Star take a "modest pay cut" in exchange for getting something that benefited him - increased guaranteed salary, something all players seem to want because they understand it's the only money they're sure of?

 

Or was Star "coerced" into  a pay cut which left him so"embittered"  that he "decided he could take or leave ever suiting up for that team again" and "was only concerned about getting every penny he can without having to earn it"?

 

Seems like "Either Or, not Both". 

Either he took only a modest pay cut and received generous guarantees in exchange - Win-Win, no reason to be embittered

Or he was "coerced" into a deep paycut for which he received so little personal benefit that he's now toting a huge personal grudge against Beane and the Bills and is out to "stick it to them"

 

 

A pay cut in exchange for guaranteeing his salary wasn't a win for Lotulelei.........he was coerced into taking less money(most likely with the threat being release).

 

Guaranteeing his salary was basically a good faith assurance that they would not then still release him at a later date........because it wouldn't benefit the team to do so.  

 

By opting out he took his ball and went home on the age 31 season the Bills were willing to accept at a discount.........and instead gave them the option of taking his age 32 season........which they clearly were not planning to have.