H2o Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/billsnfl/story/585798.html By Mark Gaughan NEWS SPORTS REPORTER INDIANAPOLIS—Don’t expect cornerback Jabari Greer or linebacker Angelo Crowell back with the Buffalo Bills next season. Those are two of the team’s veteran players set to hit the free agent market. NFL sources said both are expected to sign with other teams once the free-agency shopping season starts on Friday. The news is no surprise. Greer, who started 13 games for the Bills in 2007 and 10 in 2008, is poised to strike it rich on the market. Cornerback has been one of the highest priority positions in free agency in recent years and salaries at the position have skyrocketed. Indianapolis this week signed cornerback Kelvin Hayden to an $8 million-a-year deal. It’s believed the Bills have made a substantial offer to Greer. However, Greer has been waiting five years for the chance to be an unrestricted free agent. Given the demand for cornerbacks, Greer can’t afford to not see what offers are out there for him. Greer missed the last six games of the Bills season with a sprained knee but is healthy now. Russ Brandon, Bills chief operating officer, had this to say about Greer on Friday: “I think Jabari knows how we feel about him. We’ve been in constant communication with his representatives as well. We’d love to have Jabari back in the mix. We’ll do everything within our power to have him in the mix. He certainly knows our feelings bout him.” The Bills, however, are positioned to replace Greer since they drafted Leodis McKelvin with the 11th overall pick in last year’s draft. Crowell has been with the Bills six seasons. He missed all of 2008 after being abruptly placed on the injured-reserve list days before the season opener. Crowell decided to have knee surgery after the final preseason game of the summer, and the Bills were not happy with the timing of the decision. Crowell subsequently had an extensive clean-up of the knee. Crowell stated at the end of the season he would be open to returning to the Bills. However, league sources said he will draw some interest in the open market, and he is expected to start fresh with another organization. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Mills Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/billsnfl/story/585798.html Bye... Go get Haynesworth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magox Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 They say we offered a substantial contract to Greer. I'm happy that we are least trying to keep him. The $$ is to much to pass up, especially with the latest humongous signings of db's recently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalonian-at-Heart Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Bye... Go get Haynesworth. He will never choose Buffalo, even if we offer the most money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magox Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 He will never choose Buffalo, even if we offer the most money. That is such a populist statement. He will go to who ever offers him the most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Mills Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 He will never choose Buffalo, even if we offer the most money. Why not? Where else could he make the kind of impact he can make in Buffalo? Obviously we need to pay for him but if we offer him enough money, we've got as good a chance as anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvermike Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 That's quite a conclusive statement for a leak - I'm guessing those "NFL sources" are at One Bills Drive. Oh well... So right now, at CB, we'll have McKelvin-McGee-Youboty-Corner? That's not terrible, they only really need to add some street free agent tot that mix. And at LB, we've got Poz, Mitchell, Ellison, DiGiorgio, and that's it, right - except for the Blake Costanzos of the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuckyFillUps Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 That is such a populist statement. He will go to who ever offers him the most. yeah, he has made that pretty clear. he's ours IF we pay for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Well seeing as this post is about Crowell and Greer, I'm glad they at least made the attempt to re-sign Greer. That was not known until today's story. Tagging makes no sense so the only other option was a sign and trade...if Greer would agree to a contract with another team and the Bills could agree to trade terms with same team. But I think Greer clearly had to see his free agency day in the sun. As far as Crowell, no big deal. Our free agent losses are pretty minimal compared to a lot of teams this year. How to replace these two? Make an offer to Jonathan Vilma. He'll probably cost about as much money as it would have taken to re-sign Greer. Maybe even less. And it's time for McKelvin, Yobouty, and Corner to step up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dhg Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 He will never choose Buffalo, even if we offer the most money. Why? Please explain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincec Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 I'm surprised that people don't think a little more of Crowell. We really have a need at outside linebacker and he was pretty good when he was healthy. He would be a huge upgrade over Ellison and with his injury history, I'll bet we can retain him relatively cheaply. Otherwise, it's just another need position to fill. We have enough of those. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwws9999 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 I'm surprised that people don't think a little more of Crowell. We really have a need at outside linebacker and he was pretty good when he was healthy. He would be a huge upgrade over Ellison and with his injury history, I'll bet we can retain him relatively cheaply. Otherwise, it's just another need position to fill. We have enough of those. Crowell is an above average linebacker and should be resigned. if you cut schobel and kelsay(they suck) and sign greer, crowell, and haynesworth, we'd be alot better off. the position that still needs an upgrade is MLB, poz sucks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Mills Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Crowell is an above average linebacker and should be resigned. if you cut schobel and kelsay(they suck) and sign greer, crowell, and haynesworth, we'd be alot better off. the position that still needs an upgrade is MLB, poz sucks Thank god you're not the GM-- Do you know anything about cap penalties? Look, if they can sign Greer, then do it. If not, oh well... just don't pay him like the Raiders just paid Asomugha... same w/ Crowell. But I'd rather see them make a serious offer to Haynesworth and let both of them go elsewhere. That said, you can't sign all three. We can't just cut a bunch of people and sign all of the free agents out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Crowell is an above average linebacker and should be resigned. if you cut schobel and kelsay(they suck) and sign greer, crowell, and haynesworth, we'd be alot better off. the position that still needs an upgrade is MLB, poz sucks This is just a guess. I too like Crowell but I'm guessing that Crowell and the Bills mutually decided to go separate ways. I say this because we now know that Greer was offered a contract and nothing was said about an offer to Crowell. That implies none was made. There were rumors here on the board which sounded credible that Crowell talked the talk and took the high road as his exit strategy. He was publicly conciliatory but at heart he had no desire to return. I think this is true. The way it went down last year between Crowell and the team was ugly. In semi-retrospect, I think neither side wanted to continue on together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsVet Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Well seeing as this post is about Crowell and Greer, I'm glad they at least made the attempt to re-sign Greer. That was not known until today's story. Tagging makes no sense so the only other option was a sign and trade...if Greer would agree to a contract with another team and the Bills could agree to trade terms with same team. But I think Greer clearly had to see his free agency day in the sun. And it's time for McKelvin, Yobouty, and Corner to step up. Sign and trade doesn't happen in the NFL, because you have the franchise tag already in place. Name the last player signed to a long term and then traded right away. Greer's play may not be stellar to fans on this board who only watch this team, but NFL personnel people have taken note of a player who continues to improve while playing a position sorely needed by many NFL teams. If the Bills were serious about re-signing Greer, they would have done it during the season when they realized what they had. Had they tagged him with an exclusive rights tag, he would have been property of Buffalo and no one could sign him with surrendering 2 1st rounders. As it stands, Greer will leave with no compensation. If Greer gets Kelvin Hayden money, it's about 2M more on average for the first season over with the tag. If we're worried about 2M, there's serious issues then. This front office blew 49M on a guard who they overestimated, with Greer you know what you've got. Opportunity lost. And BTW, I thought Dick Jauron said you can never have too many good cornerbacks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Sign and trade doesn't happen in the NFL, because you have the franchise tag already in place. Name the last player signed to a long term and then traded right away. Greer's play may not be stellar to fans on this board who only watch this team, but NFL personnel people have taken note of a player who continues to improve while playing a position sorely needed by many NFL teams. If the Bills were serious about re-signing Greer, they would have done it during the season when they realized what they had. Had they tagged him with an exclusive rights tag, he would have been property of Buffalo and no one could sign him with surrendering 2 1st rounders. As it stands, Greer will leave with no compensation. If Greer gets Kelvin Hayden money, it's about 2M more on average for the first season over with the tag. If we're worried about 2M, there's serious issues then. This front office blew 49M on a guard who they overestimated, with Greer you know what you've got. Opportunity lost. And BTW, I thought Dick Jauron said you can never have too many good cornerbacks. Well you're right Billsvet. Those sorts of trades are very rare. I agree with the idea that you're better off paying a known quantity than an unknown quantity. Probably something could have been done a lot earlier to prevent this loss (similar to the Drury and Briere Sabres situation). That said, the front office (and I know your feelings on this already) may have decided months ago that they would make him an offer to a certain limit and if he didn't sign, they'd have that money to allocate elsewhere. I'm gonna guess that (justified or not), the Bills are comfortable with the cornerbacks they are left with. And yes, it's not only Jauron's opinion but league-wide consensus that you can't have too many cornerbacks. I would be surprised if they didn't pick one on Day Two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Why not? Where else could he make the kind of impact he can make in Buffalo? Obviously we need to pay for him but if we offer him enough money, we've got as good a chance as anyone. Jauron is a popular coach for players. I could see a very good chance of Buffalo signing him if they pony up the money. Hopefully they won't pony up anywhere near what he's asking for though. For what he wants he is past his worth by a mile. That's quite a conclusive statement for a leak - I'm guessing those "NFL sources" are at One Bills Drive. Oh well... So right now, at CB, we'll have McKelvin-McGee-Youboty-Corner? That's not terrible, they only really need to add some street free agent tot that mix. And at LB, we've got Poz, Mitchell, Ellison, DiGiorgio, and that's it, right - except for the Blake Costanzos of the world. Greer has said he wants to stay in Buffalo so it wouldn't surprise me to see a deal done before FA hits. Crowell may have just been blowing smoke but it's also possible that the Bills were able to mend fences over the year. Well seeing as this post is about Crowell and Greer, I'm glad they at least made the attempt to re-sign Greer. That was not known until today's story. Tagging makes no sense so the only other option was a sign and trade...if Greer would agree to a contract with another team and the Bills could agree to trade terms with same team. But I think Greer clearly had to see his free agency day in the sun. As far as Crowell, no big deal. Our free agent losses are pretty minimal compared to a lot of teams this year. How to replace these two? Make an offer to Jonathan Vilma. He'll probably cost about as much money as it would have taken to re-sign Greer. Maybe even less. And it's time for McKelvin, Yobouty, and Corner to step up. I have no faith Youboty can make it through a season without a significant injury. When he's healthy he's above average but when he's on the bench that doesn't matter at all. Sign and trade doesn't happen in the NFL, because you have the franchise tag already in place. Name the last player signed to a long term and then traded right away. Greer's play may not be stellar to fans on this board who only watch this team, but NFL personnel people have taken note of a player who continues to improve while playing a position sorely needed by many NFL teams. If the Bills were serious about re-signing Greer, they would have done it during the season when they realized what they had. Had they tagged him with an exclusive rights tag, he would have been property of Buffalo and no one could sign him with surrendering 2 1st rounders. As it stands, Greer will leave with no compensation. If Greer gets Kelvin Hayden money, it's about 2M more on average for the first season over with the tag. If we're worried about 2M, there's serious issues then. This front office blew 49M on a guard who they overestimated, with Greer you know what you've got. Opportunity lost. And BTW, I thought Dick Jauron said you can never have too many good cornerbacks. Not just Jauron. A lot of people in personnel have said that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kota Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Bring back Crowell. Sign Channing Crowder Switch to 3-4 done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvermike Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Bring back Crowell.Sign Channing Crowder Switch to 3-4 done. Who's rushing the passer in this scenario? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsVet Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Well you're right Billsvet. Those sorts of trades are very rare. I agree with the idea that you're better off paying a known quantity than an unknown quantity. Probably something could have been done a lot earlier to prevent this loss (similar to the Drury and Briere Sabres situation). That said, the front office (and I know your feelings on this already) may have decided months ago that they would make him an offer to a certain limit and if he didn't sign, they'd have that money to allocate elsewhere. I'm gonna guess that (justified or not), the Bills are comfortable with the cornerbacks they are left with. And yes, it's not only Jauron's opinion but league-wide consensus that you can't have too many cornerbacks. I would be surprised if they didn't pick one on Day Two. There is no position on the team with more depth than the CB position. Greer is a nice player and story, especially being a former UDFA and Tennessee track/football guy. He'd be a luxury and in the big picture the team has plenty of areas to address (all of them) above CB. Right now, the Bills need to stockpile picks to provide them options on draft day. I believe Greer would have brought a 3rd rounder with the lack of CB's available in UFA. And in this draft, it seems there will be plenty of good players who can contribute in 2-3 years available in the mid rounds. Teams do not let decent UFA's leave for nothing. Knowing that you've got limited assets is important, and with 3 7-9 seasons, the Bills need every advantage to overcome their HC who now realizes he must improve on gameday after 30+ seasons in the NFL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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