Alaska Darin Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 he is? That team is LOADED. 555893[/snapback] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orton's Arm Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 It doesn't matter how old the guy is whatsoever, it only matters how sharp they are and what they sound like. To me, listening very closely, looking for signs, he doesn't sound anything like the astute football man he sounded like 10 years ago. He answered most everything with bromides and pre-packaged one-liners and with all the clarity and specifics of a politician avoiding taking a stance. All that talk about building a consensus is great, if you can build consensus with a doddering old owner, an out of touch former head coach, a sharp draft guy who doesnt spend much time here, and a lame duck coach everyone here thinks is an incompetent fool. 555778[/snapback] Hey, since when did you become this eloquent? I really don't know what's going to happen here. Let's see . . . The Glass is Half Empty - Marv has no experience as a GM, assistant GM, scout, or any other related position - Marv talks about finding character players, while admitting to lying in an interview (he said he was 58 when he was 61) - As a coach, Marv didn't always surround himself with a talented coaching staff. His only real offensive coordinator was Ted Marchibroda, his only defensive coordinator was Wade Philips. Now he has the final say in building the management/football side of the organization. - Marv is 80 years old. He may not have the mental flexibility he once did, and he might not have the same energy level. The Glass is Half Full - Marv has been around football for a very long time. Presumably he's gotten a feel for what makes a player successful. - Tom Modrak did a pretty good (but not great) job in Philly, and he can hold the fort while Marv gets up to speed. - Marv said he would bring an emphasis on character. That is certainly something this team needs. - It looks like the offensive and defensive coordinators will be replaced. Hopefully this will solve most of the team's coaching problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buford T. Justice Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Race cars do not have salary caps. Gibbs is currently a coach, who doesn't deal with salary caps. Vinny Cerrato manages the cap for Gibbs. Hire Vinny Cerrato as our GM, make Marv the President and I'd be jumping for joy. 555869[/snapback] I'm sure Marv will be expected to manage the cap all on his own. I doubt he'll receive any help. Just like I'm sure Donahoe did it all on his own. No input or help from anyone in the organization. I'm sure every GM in the league is a one man crew when it comes to managing the cap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RkFast Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Listen, guys, call me crazy (wait, I call myself crazy) but Marv did coach his way to 4 Superbowls. Maybe, JUST MAYBE, he has an idea in mind of what types of players can get us there? Too hard? I'll break it down: He draws on his lifetime of experience to align the current roster with what he believes a winning team should be doing. Tomorrow isnt promised to anyone young or old. Give him his chance. 555883[/snapback] Is he 45 years old, a lifelong WNYer, speak well, have blue collar working experience and most of all NOT WEAR A HEADBAND? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sound_n_Fury Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 No, the reason we lost Pat Williams is not because Tom Donohoe hates linemen and doesnt think run stoppers are important. It;s because he felt he cost too much money on the cap. It screwed our entire season. The reason Mike Williams is messing with the Bills is because he cost too much on the cap. The reason we're in trouble at WR is because Moulds costs too much on the cap. The reason we didn't sign a free agent guard better than Bennie Anderson last year was because they were asking too much on the cap or because TD thought they were asking too much on the cap. 555875[/snapback] Gee, and I thought it was "you don't give DTs north of 30 years old big signing bonuses" that caused us to pass on Pfat Pat... From what I can see, only 13 teams have more cap space than the Bills. Deciding on a player's value is not the same as knowing the intricacies of capology. If that were true, Clumpy would be an NFL GM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Ummm... that's what people mean by the CAP! Player evaluations under the cap. Ostroski was a bad player because he wasnt worth his cap figure. Because we couldnt get other players because a slob was taking up too much of our cap. That's as much a cap problem as a talent problem. How can you argue otherwise? All players are worth it or not worth it because of their cap figure. 555886[/snapback] come on, dog. the bills cap problems from the late butler era (which were overhyped in any event) had to do with the truly unique qb issue they faced. they would have been fine without it. as for, ostroski, who was probably paid more than he was worth, he had nothing to do with the bills' cap problems (he averaged around $2 mill a year, which was a pittance vis a vis the cap). in any event, the cap is going way up this season, and the bills are in fine shape in any case. moreeover there is no cap (as of yet) for 07. so the potential problem you're raising is merely theoretical. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orton's Arm Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 As has been pointed out, there is no great mystery to the salary cap. If you give a guy a signing bonus, that gets amortized over the life of the contract. Simple math. The mystery comes in when deciding what a player's worth would be in free agency. Butler clearly messed this up by giving Fina a big contract. The next year, Fina was released, and played for someone else at close to the minimum salary. So you don't want to overestimate what someone else will pay for your players, as Butler did. But you don't want to underestimate it either. TD's best OL draft choice was Jonas Jennings. But Jennings walked after just four years because TD let him hit free agency instead of signing him to an extension after year 2 or 3. When your GM makes this kind of mistake too often, your cap situation will be good, but your team won't be. The key to managing your cap well is knowing which players you want to keep, and offering them just enough money to keep them from hitting free agency. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 As has been pointed out, there is no great mystery to the salary cap. If you give a guy a signing bonus, that gets amortized over the life of the contract. Simple math. The mystery comes in when deciding what a player's worth would be in free agency. Butler clearly messed this up by giving Fina a big contract. The next year, Fina was released, and played for someone else at close to the minimum salary. So you don't want to overestimate what someone else will pay for your players, as Butler did. But you don't want to underestimate it either. TD's best OL draft choice was Jonas Jennings. But Jennings walked after just four years because TD let him hit free agency instead of signing him to an extension after year 2 or 3. When your GM makes this kind of mistake too often, your cap situation will be good, but your team won't be. The key to managing your cap well is knowing which players you want to keep, and offering them just enough money to keep them from hitting free agency. 555934[/snapback] good points. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan III Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 now THAT would be a popular move.! that guy is a complete disaster! 555876[/snapback] Cerrato is an example I used to make a point about the difference between a coach and a GM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoachChuckDickerson Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 this is my bugaboo, so i'll jump in -- knowledge of the intricacies of the cap is the most overrated thing in football. draft and sign good players, hire good coaches, and things will take care of themselves. you have to remember that the bills aren't going to have cap problems anyway, because they have virtually no money invested in the qb postion, which is the greatest cap space eater. and they won't have money invested in it for some time to come. same goes for running back. the biggest space eater, mike williams, is gone. to reiterate what i said elsewhere, the notion that there is their is this mysterious and arcane knowledge of the cap reserved for the chosen few is absolutely ridiculous. it's simple freakin' arithmetic, not theoretical physics. also, recall that the recently fired high thetan of cap management and all of its arcana had a goddamn BA in english from indiana college in PA and spent a good amount of time afterward as a high school english teacher. 555843[/snapback] If only it were as easy as Madden, life would be so much simplier eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seq004 Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Old GM speak: Save your postage New GM speak: two things happen when you get old 1) you forget things 2) i can't remember the other 555633[/snapback] I don't think that's going to happen with Levy. The guy is still smart, knows football, personality's and is in great health. He runs 3 miles a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyDingo Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Let me be the first to officially refer to our new President, Ralph, and new GM, Marv, as our new Throwbacks! HA! Alright Jerry Sullivan and Ed Kilgour you lurking thieves that one is mine and will cost you a nickel each time you use it. The new GM says Protest Signs will be allowed back in the stadium as long as they are spelled correctly and footnoted. (Backoff you lurking bums, thats mine, too) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAST MODE BABY! Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 The cap is not just a budget. It is not simple accounting. The only way to manage the cap is to understand a players worth in cap dollars. If you don't, you'll have guys like Sam Rogers, John Holocek and John Fina dragging you into "cap jail". This is something Marv knows absolutely nothing about, but don't worry people will once again be free to bring in protest signs.. 555846[/snapback] Listen, Marv is a manager. He has people do the dirty work (figuring out the numbers). He makes the decisions based upon the information he's given. He's not sitting there with a freakin' calculator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seq004 Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Did Marv die his hair? 555638[/snapback] I think so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orton's Arm Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Listen, Marv is a manager. He has people do the dirty work (figuring out the numbers). He makes the decisions based upon the information he's given. He's not sitting there with a freakin' calculator. 555974[/snapback] Actually, daninator makes a good point. The salary cap isn't dirty work, it's big picture thinking. You need to have an awareness of whether your team is good enough that you should mortgage the future for the present by getting into cap jail. You need to know what a given player could get if he were to hit free agency, and to compare that against the dollar value of what his play would bring to your team. You also have to weigh in the value of continuity, such as the chemistry between a QB and a WR, or having offensive linemen that have worked together for a number of years. You delegate the detail work to some guy with glasses, but ultimately the GM needs to be the one to do the big picture cap management. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 I'm sure Marv will be expected to manage the cap all on his own. I doubt he'll receive any help. Just like I'm sure Donahoe did it all on his own. No input or help from anyone in the organization. I'm sure every GM in the league is a one man crew when it comes to managing the cap. 555896[/snapback] I think people are complaining that not only does he not have any experience in it, he said he's not going to bother with it. That is a disaster, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Actually, daninator makes a good point. The salary cap isn't dirty work, it's big picture thinking. You need to have an awareness of whether your team is good enough that you should mortgage the future for the present by getting into cap jail. You need to know what a given player could get if he were to hit free agency, and to compare that against the dollar value of what his play would bring to your team. You also have to weigh in the value of continuity, such as the chemistry between a QB and a WR, or having offensive linemen that have worked together for a number of years. You delegate the detail work to some guy with glasses, but ultimately the GM needs to be the one to do the big picture cap management. 556001[/snapback] Right, and Marv basically said I'm gonna let everyone else worry about that. That's not what I want my GM in 2006 thinking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buford T. Justice Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 I think people are complaining that not only does he not have any experience in it, he said he's not going to bother with it. That is a disaster, IMO. 556011[/snapback] Why? Many people around here were begging for Modrak to be the next GM. If Modrak were to oversee the cap, what's the difference? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Right, and Marv basically said I'm gonna let everyone else worry about that. That's not what I want my GM in 2006 thinking. 556015[/snapback] but why worry when the cap won't be a problem at all for the next couple of years? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted January 5, 2006 Share Posted January 5, 2006 Gee, and I thought it was "you don't give DTs north of 30 years old big signing bonuses" that caused us to pass on Pfat Pat... From what I can see, only 13 teams have more cap space than the Bills. Deciding on a player's value is not the same as knowing the intricacies of capology. If that were true, Clumpy would be an NFL GM. 555901[/snapback] Marv said he's not bothering with either, he's letting other people do those pesky little things like negotiate contracts and work the cap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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