st pete gogolak Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 We’re entering the most ridiculously over-hyped period of the entire NFL calendar (and no, it’s not because I’m bitter that the Bills have zero money to spend on free agents). So, when has signing a FA worked to get a team a Super Bowl championship? Clearly, it’s happened. Reggie White in Green Bay. Brady in Tampa Bay. It took a couple of years but Brees in NO. Who am I missing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills!Win! Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Moss and Welker in New England Womp Womp Womp 18-1 HAHAHAHA 1 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gregg Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 5 minutes ago, st pete gogolak said: We’re entering the most ridiculously over-hyped period of the entire NFL calendar (and no, it’s not because I’m bitter that the Bills have zero money to spend on free agents). So, when has signing a FA worked to get a team a Super Bowl championship? Clearly, it’s happened. Reggie White in Green Bay. Brady in Tampa Bay. It took a couple of years but Brees in NO. Who am I missing? Manning in Denver. Although it was Denver's D leading the way to that Super Bowl win as Manning had nothing left in the tank that season. 2 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Hill, Ramsey, and a few more in Miami in Miami Oh wait. Nevermind. 1 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FireChans Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 2 minutes ago, boyst said: Hill, Ramsey, and a few more in Miami in Miami Oh wait. Nevermind. Right, those were all trades. 10 minutes ago, st pete gogolak said: We’re entering the most ridiculously over-hyped period of the entire NFL calendar (and no, it’s not because I’m bitter that the Bills have zero money to spend on free agents). So, when has signing a FA worked to get a team a Super Bowl championship? Clearly, it’s happened. Reggie White in Green Bay. Brady in Tampa Bay. It took a couple of years but Brees in NO. Who am I missing? You could play this game for everything. What Bills draft picks have led to Superbowls? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Jokeman Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Tom Brady to Tampa Bay maybe Desmond Howard to Green Bay could be debated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bray Wyatt Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Deion Sanders to the Niners? 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleeding Bills Blue Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 3 minutes ago, boyst said: Hill, Ramsey, and a few more in Miami in Miami Oh wait. Nevermind. Hill Ramsey and Chubb were all trades. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Tom Brady to the bucks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strive_for_five_guy Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Aside from what LA did, most obvious examples were Manning and Brady going elsewhere in the twilight of their careers. Which further points to this being a QB driven league. I’d say point is don’t break the bank during FA, which the Bills can’t really do this year anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweats Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Not too long ago, the Rams blew their wad on FA's right across the board and won a SB, however, it's not really the right way to go about it, i would think. 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GunnerBill Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Andrew Whitworth was a FA signing and a key part of a Supebowl win for the Rams. DeMarcus Ware had sacks in the Superbowl he won in Denver. But it really depends on your definition of directly. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ddaryl Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 I would say the % of top FAs that did make a difference to their new team in regards to playoff and SB outcomes is smaller than the the amount of FAs that didn't have a major impact. But thats me just spit balling... I really have no data to back that theory up. The best most successful teams always do the bulk of their work in the draft IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
947 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Deion Sanders in both Dallas & San Fran is the most obvious example. He was a true mercenary for a few years. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrEpsYtown Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 (edited) There are a few I can recall. The biggest ones are probably Drew Brees to the Saints, Peyton Manning to the Broncos and Reggie White to the Packers. Brady to the Bucs and Deion Sanders to the Niners are up there as well imo. Doug Williams with the Skins was a big one as well. Nick Foles with the Eagles was huge for them and directly resulted in a championship. Kurt Warner signing with the cardinals propelled them to the Super Bowl, and even though they did not win, they almost had no business being there and he took them over the top. Dwight Freeney, Alex Mack and Mohamed Sanu were huge pieces during Atlanta’s 28-3 debacle. Again they did not win, but those were huge signings. The Bengals signing of Trey Hendrickson was big and propelled their defens einto a Super Bowl spot. Once again, they did not win. Tyrann Mathieu was big for the Chiefs a few years ago. Michael Bennett with the Seahawks signed from the Bucs. Mike Vrabel became a key cog for the Patriots and was signed as a UFA from the Steelers. Shannon Sharpe and Rod Woodson to the Ravens. Charles Woodson to the Packers. Is free agency overrated and overhyped? Yes. But it is an opportunity to improve your roster. Only one team gets to win the championship, so the majority of the moves made next week will not lead to Super Bowls. Edited March 6 by MrEpsYtown 2 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCBills Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 The most recent I can think of that comes close is Von Miller to the Rams via mid-season trade. Not exactly Free Agency, but he put that Defense over the top. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsfaninChicago Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 41 minutes ago, Bray Wyatt said: Deion Sanders to the Niners? Yeah that was my answer too. Didn’t he win one with the 9ers and then the next year with the Cowboys 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Process Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Brady has to be the clearest example of this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsPride12 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 It's not about the FA signing itself so much as it is the situation that Free Agent finds themselves in where they land. The pieces already have to be in place for a Free Agent signing to put a team over the top to becoming a Super Bowl team. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boyst Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 54 minutes ago, FireChans said: Right, those were all trades. You could play this game for everything. What Bills draft picks have led to Superbowls? and no super bowl. just a weak attempt to say that a lot of times the FA and trades don't mean as much as people make of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikePJ76 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 1 hour ago, Gregg said: Manning in Denver. Although it was Denver's D leading the way to that Super Bowl win as Manning had nothing left in the tank that season. yea in effect it was Manning and then Demarcus Ware later. Ware dominated in that championship season. He did what chris jones did this year, he impacted brady on the most important drives of the game denying them touchdowns. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikePJ76 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 56 minutes ago, Bray Wyatt said: Deion Sanders to the Niners? Deion plus like a dozen more guys. The niners cheated the cap that year and used signing bonuses and other things no one was doing to sign all these all star players. Deion, Gary Plummer, Ken Norton Jr., Charles Mann, Tim Harris, Richard Dent, Rickey Jackson, Ed McCaffery and Bart Oates. They literally signed a pro bowl team of free agents. They could not stop Dallas offense and this was their only way to win and had Dallas not been banged up they probably lose the 94 nfc championship too. after this season they were never close to this level again in that era. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCBills Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 (edited) Counterpoint, do we think there were any Free Agents last year that could have been had, who may put us over the top? My first suggestion would be, could last year have resulted in a Lombardi if Hopkins was on this team? Can't predict the Defense getting decimated before KC. Can't predict losing Gabe Davis for KC. Our Defense always lets us down in the Playoffs.. Josh Allen doesn't. And he had us right there, with Diggs predictably doing nothing against them, Shakir being our primary weapon and then nobody else at WR. We knew WR2 was an issue going into last year. This isn't revisionist history. Edited March 6 by SCBills 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethan in Cleveland Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Charles Haley Cowboys James Lofton for our very own Bills played a massive role in SB runs 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikePJ76 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 5 minutes ago, Ethan in Cleveland said: Charles Haley Cowboys James Lofton for our very own Bills played a massive role in SB runs Haley was a trade. Dallas had all the parts already, they had another excellent draft in 92 adding guys like Darren Woodson and Kevin Smith. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaBillsFanSince1973 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 n o n e Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Hindsight Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 51 minutes ago, Bleeding Bills Blue said: Hill Ramsey and Chubb were all trades. Fun Fact. The dolphins added those three guys and have the same winning percentage they did under the last two years of Brian Flores Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjt328 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Football is a team sport. Outside of the handful of times an elite Quarterback hit the market (Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady), it's going to be really tough to find any Free Agent who can be given credit for single-handedly putting his team over the top. But you can look at almost any Super Bowl winning team and come up with a legit argument how their Free Agent signings contributed. The Chiefs are almost entirely homegrown through the draft. But even they used free agency to upgrade their O-Line (Joe Thuney, Donovan Smith) and safety (Justin Reid). Both were areas that held them back in previous years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billl Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Mitchell Schwartz, Tyranny Matthieu, and Sammy Watkins all played huge roles for the Chiefs' 2019 win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PonyBoy Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Adam Vinatieri? 2006 signed with Colts leaving NE. Had 49 points and 14 FG's that post season. NFL records, He also had 3 or more FG's in 4 consecutive post season games that year. Pretty good FA signing if you ask me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Reggie White to GB? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoonerBillsFan Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 2 hours ago, st pete gogolak said: We’re entering the most ridiculously over-hyped period of the entire NFL calendar (and no, it’s not because I’m bitter that the Bills have zero money to spend on free agents). So, when has signing a FA worked to get a team a Super Bowl championship? Clearly, it’s happened. Reggie White in Green Bay. Brady in Tampa Bay. It took a couple of years but Brees in NO. Who am I missing? Reggie White. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irv Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Don Beebe => Green Bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikePJ76 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 13 minutes ago, Ben said: Reggie White to GB? Reggie White got his azz whipped as a packer playing vs Dallas in the playoffs. He lost to Dallas in the playoffs in 93, 94 and 95. He was not the difference maker. GB won the nfc in 96 because SF and Dallas were beat up and run down from years of deep playoff runs and veteran players getting old. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 1 hour ago, MikePJ76 said: Haley was a trade. Dallas had all the parts already, they had another excellent draft in 92 adding guys like Darren Woodson and Kevin Smith. Dallas didn't have Haley. A great edge rusher AND SB rings. He made as big of a difference as any single acquisition for an eventual that-season SB winner until Tom Brady to Tampa and Stafford to LAR. It's easier NOW than ever for a single great player to swing the pendulum because the disparity between rosters has never been smaller. Chris Jones could be that guy this year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikePJ76 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 2 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said: Dallas didn't have Haley. A great edge rusher AND SB rings. He made as big of a difference as any single acquisition for an eventual that-season SB winner until Tom Brady to Tampa and Stafford to LAR. It's easier NOW than ever for a single great player to swing the pendulum because the disparity between rosters has never been smaller. Chris Jones could be that guy this year. Umm. Charles Haley was traded to Dallas in 1992. He was not a free agent signing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ngbills Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 You could go down the list of every super bowl winning team and find free agents that led to a super bowl win. It may always not be in year 1 of their deal but every team is built with both free agents and draft picks. If you are trying to say a free agent that single handedly won a super bowl that is not really realistic because now it is basically an argument around QB's. But you then have Stafford, Brady, Manning in the last few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BADOLBILZ Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 8 minutes ago, MikePJ76 said: Umm. Charles Haley was traded to Dallas in 1992. He was not a free agent signing. Yeah I thought that was already established........before you went on to downplay the acquisition so I'm just pointing out how wrong you are about that. The Cowboys didn't have a pass rush. It was anemic, bottom of the league level in 1991. That's why they were an easy out for Detroit in the playoffs the year prior. Maybe you didn't live it or were a child and didn't understand.......but that trade changed everything for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billl Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 51 minutes ago, MikePJ76 said: Reggie White got his azz whipped as a packer playing vs Dallas in the playoffs. He lost to Dallas in the playoffs in 93, 94 and 95. He was not the difference maker. GB won the nfc in 96 because SF and Dallas were beat up and run down from years of deep playoff runs and veteran players getting old. Reggie White had 3 sacks in their Superbowl win. I'd say that qualifies. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsPride12 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 1 hour ago, Billl said: Mitchell Schwartz, Tyranny Matthieu, and Sammy Watkins all played huge roles for the Chiefs' 2019 win. You just love to rub it in don't ya 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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