Maiorana and Roth: Langston Walker Not Real Happy at LT

[Mickey]

If Jauron is here I wouldn"t be so sure. Its getting near time to replace Whitner and MaGee. It's hard to visualize him drafting a LT before the 3rd or 4th round under these conditions.

 

Wrt Butler, this stint at RT should be make or break imo. All he has proven thus far is that he is a decent, if not injury prone guard. The chance of success at RT seems OK to me. And, I think that Levitre and Wood are both better players, or at least will be.

 

Walker? Imo Chambers will get a lot of reps at LT. The article claims that Walker is 345. I am betting that he is closer tp 375. A good season from him at LT would be a miracle.

You are probably right about Jauron not likely to resist adding DB's. As for how well Walker will do, I tend to agree but this is the result of the personnel moves made by the front office so all we can do is play the cards we are dealt. It won't be the first time we have had a tackle who will need to be helped out by the TE or the RB to keep our QB out of a wheelchair. Just have to hope for the best and that the no-huddle and other moves can cover up the weaknesses on the line. As much as I liked having Peters on the roster, what's done is done so all we can do is hope to get through this year. I am over it but there are still quite a few around here who start each day with a search for anything negative about Peters. Apparently they need to constantly reassure themselves that it wasn't a mistake to let him go.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

Hope you're right, JR.

 

I admit to being pizzed to hear this as it re-inforces Bills fans biggest fear this year. IMO, we have finally accumulated enough great talent to contend, with the major ? being a brand new OL that nobody knows for sure will work out. If he's just sandbaggin', then it's all good! Just scares me right now..

 

I hear ya. It seems strange that the Bills didn't bring in a vet as an insurance in case LW doesn't pan out at LT.

[Mickey]

I first thought that they were going to leave the right side alone and then try to get a stop gap player in to bridge the gap to Bell (i.e. Chambers). I never thought they'd actually sign a Levi Jones, but thought they'd go for continuity. Instead it seems like they went with the "let's get the best five guys on the field" approach. I wonder how long it takes until D. Bell gets in and somebody take a seat like in 06 when Peters moved to LT halfway through the season.

What is with all the talk about Bell?? Is there some proof out there, apart from our collective hopes, that the team projects him as an eventual starter at LT?

[ThereIsNoDog]

My point was, he knows he is out of his natural position and knows he is not suited till fill LT, he will still try his best because he is a professional. I didn't state he was focusing on his limitations, I stated he knew them. and was very aware he is simply not being put in position to succeed by the coaches.

 

This move just shows me that the Bills don't understand the offensive line positions very well, there is currently nobody in the entire Bills organization that has a clue on how to build a dominate O line, or they are just to cheap to actually pay a top LT. The very first thing Parcells did at Miami was draft a LT (Jake Long) to protect the QB. The Bills had a premier LT and they screwed it up, just like they screwed up by releasing Derrick Dockery when they could have traded him for a pick.

What pick for Dockery? Where? And they screwed-up with Peters? By giving him a new deal after 2 years and making him think that he'd get one after every 2 years? If so, I agree.

[billybob]

What is with all the talk about Bell?? Is there some proof out there, apart from our collective hopes, that the team projects him as an eventual starter at LT?

 

Huge amount of D. Bell glossing came from one Bills drive before the Peters trade- after the Peters Trade nada - at this point I think it was blowing smoke, a time honored negotiating tactic but earlier I was imagining Bell as the guy who is going to make us all forget about Peters.

[Billistic]

Its clear to me that the Bills are looking at Bell as the eventual heir apparent at LT.

I personally have some confidence in Bell I think athletic genes and pedigree count for a lot.

 

Sure, and there are many examples to prove this, such as ____ (??? fill in the blank, with very long list of examples)

 

The physical/mental/psychological attributes of starters in the NFL comprise such a complex synergy of thousands of genes, each contributing some protein whose function in producing a phenotypes such as "huge, strong, with quick feet and reactions", that the relationships producing the complex phenotypes will never be learned.

 

An NFL starter has won the genetic PowerBall lottery.

 

When the winner's nards produce his sperm, none of them will carry his team of genes, ever, ever, ever. Cannot possibly because of the process called meiosis.

 

Ever hear of the child of a PowerBall winner winning the PowerBall?

[billybob]

Sure, and there are many examples to prove this, such as ____ (??? fill in the blank, with very long list of examples)

 

The physical/mental/psychological attributes of starters in the NFL comprise such a complex synergy of thousands of genes, each contributing some protein whose function in producing a phenotypes such as "huge, strong, with quick feet and reactions", that the relationships producing the complex phenotypes will never be learned.

 

An NFL starter has won the genetic PowerBall lottery.

 

When the winner's nards produce his sperm, none of them will carry his team of genes, ever, ever, ever. Cannot possibly because of the process called meiosis.

 

Ever hear of the child of a PowerBall winner winning the PowerBall?

 

That why the Bills need to set up a cloning program ASAP

[Billistic]

It seems strange that the Bills didn't bring in a vet as an insurance in case LW doesn't pan out at LT.

 

That's about as strange as there being nothing good to watch on television. How do you think the Bills manage always to have losing seasons? Hint: It ain't merely bad luck.

[Billistic]

That why the Bills need to set up a cloning program ASAP

 

They'll have to do it offshore, or they'll catch hell from the Inquisition.

[cåblelady]

Most people in this world are asked to do things in their jobs that make them less than happy. And most of us aren't paid millions for the pleasure of it. Suck it up fatso.

[BillsVet]

Huge amount of D. Bell glossing came from one Bills drive before the Peters trade- after the Peters Trade nada - at this point I think it was blowing smoke, a time honored negotiating tactic but earlier I was imagining Bell as the guy who is going to make us all forget about Peters.

 

The Bills talk about Bell as if he's close to ready. People like eball, who disappeared from the board during the latter part of the 2-8 finish actually believe Bell could start right now. No doubt he's athletic, but plenty of guys can't play the LT position. Bell was a two year project when he was drafted, and he's probably a year away. I'm sure he's much stronger than he was when drafted, but he's never taken an NFL snap.

 

Perhaps Buffalo wanted to try to make it through 09 with Langston "Beerbelly" Walker and hope Bell is ready in 2010. That's fine if you're rebuilding, but this franchise can't afford to hope someone will be ready while hoping to get by with an inferior athlete at the positon this season.

[thewildrabbit]

What pick for Dockery? Where? And they screwed-up with Peters? By giving him a new deal after 2 years and making him think that he'd get one after every 2 years? If so, I agree.

The Bills had a trade in the works with the Lions for trading Dockery and it didn't go through because they screwed it up.

 

The only Bills player named to the pro bowl the last two years was LT Jason Peters, irregardless of how Bills fans view him now he is highly thought of around the NFL, in fact Andy Reid the HC of the Eagles stated Peters was the best LT in the NFL, which is why they gave up a first round draft pick for him.

 

The average life span of a player in the NFL is THREE years, so IMO every player has a right to obtain the best pay he can get, while he can get it. The team will cut a player when they feel like it no matter what his contract states!

 

A few years ago the Bills brought in Dockery and Walker and paid them both more then Peters, although Peters was clearly better then both of them. The Bills should have re upped Peters contract right then and there, they didn't and the result was an unhappy player.

 

Had the Bills renegotiated his contract and paid him accordingly they would still have one of the premier left tackles in the NFL and all these posts about the O line would be moot

[Billistic]

The Bills had a trade in the works with the Lions for trading Dockery and it didn't go through because they screwed it up.

 

The only Bills player named to the pro bowl the last two years was LT Jason Peters, irregardless of how Bills fans view him now he is highly thought of around the NFL, in fact Andy Reid the HC of the Eagles stated Peters was the best LT in the NFL, which is why they gave up a first round draft pick for him.

 

The average life span of a player in the NFL is THREE years, so IMO every player has a right to obtain the best pay he can get, while he can get it. The team will cut a player when they feel like it no matter what his contract states!

 

A few years ago the Bills brought in Dockery and Walker and paid them both more then Peters, although Peters was clearly better then both of them. The Bills should have re upped Peters contract right then and there, they didn't and the result was an unhappy player.

 

Had the Bills renegotiated his contract and paid him accordingly they would still have one of the premier left tackles in the NFL and all these posts about the O line would be moot

 

EXTREME WARNING!!! These topics were previously discussed by the elite insider crew. Retract this post at once, or you may be labeled "troll" or "idiot". This is your only warning before action is taken against you. That is all.

[Rubes]

I would expect that we should have some idea by the end of training camp and preseason if Walker can handle the LT spot. He certainly did not generate any alarms when he played there last year, but I imagine the coaching staff would thoroughly test him with outside speed rushes to see if he can deal with them.

 

My concern, as people have noted, is what happens if he stinks up the joint? People who think Bell can step right in this year are deluding themselves. I would have thought Chambers would be given the task, but that doesn't seem to be the plan, nor does it make me all warm and fuzzy inside.

[zazie]

Sure, and there are many examples to prove this, such as ____ (??? fill in the blank, with very long list of examples)

 

The physical/mental/psychological attributes of starters in the NFL comprise such a complex synergy of thousands of genes, each contributing some protein whose function in producing a phenotypes such as "huge, strong, with quick feet and reactions", that the relationships producing the complex phenotypes will never be learned.

 

An NFL starter has won the genetic PowerBall lottery.

 

When the winner's nards produce his sperm, none of them will carry his team of genes, ever, ever, ever. Cannot possibly because of the process called meiosis.

 

Ever hear of the child of a PowerBall winner winning the PowerBall?

Howie Long Chris Long

Nelson Piquet Nelson Piquet Jr.

Mohammed Ali and daughter

Griese and Brian Griese

 

Those are within one second of thinking I am sure that there are hundreds of examples.

 

Genes do count, a lot. It is not just hair color that is inherited.

[PromoTheRobot]

From seconds ago..Mark Gaughan's Live Chat:

Q: The guys at the D&C suggested Langston Walker is not pleased to be playing LT. What's your take? Are the Bills hoping to get Demetrius Bell ready to take over sooner rather than later?

 

12:33 Langston is a smart guy and he's very cautious about all his comments on left tackle. This was an organizational decision that he not only can play left tackle but thrive there. So if he fails it's Wilson-Brandon-Jauron all to be blamed.

 

I take it that Mark agrees that Walker less than thrilled to be at LT.

 

PTR

[thewildrabbit]

The Bills talk about Bell as if he's close to ready. People like eball, who disappeared from the board during the latter part of the 2-8 finish actually believe Bell could start right now. No doubt he's athletic, but plenty of guys can't play the LT position. Bell was a two year project when he was drafted, and he's probably a year away. I'm sure he's much stronger than he was when drafted, but he's never taken an NFL snap.

 

Perhaps Buffalo wanted to try to make it through 09 with Langston "Beerbelly" Walker and hope Bell is ready in 2010. That's fine if you're rebuilding, but this franchise can't afford to hope someone will be ready while hoping to get by with an inferior athlete at the positon this season.

When the team completely overhauls the offensive line and every player at each position is changed, 2 rookies penciled in at guard and one didn't even play guard in college, then a back up player from another team to start at center...I'd say that constitutes a rebuilding.

 

Fans don't want to acknowledge the fact that the Bills are rebuilding again, they rebuilt after Greg Williams and again after Mike Mularkey... and now Jauron knows he didn't get it right in his first three years soooo, he started rebuilding again.

[Dan]

The Bills had a trade in the works with the Lions for trading Dockery and it didn't go through because they screwed it up.

 

The only Bills player named to the pro bowl the last two years was LT Jason Peters, irregardless of how Bills fans view him now he is highly thought of around the NFL, in fact Andy Reid the HC of the Eagles stated Peters was the best LT in the NFL, which is why they gave up a first round draft pick for him.

 

The average life span of a player in the NFL is THREE years, so IMO every player has a right to obtain the best pay he can get, while he can get it. The team will cut a player when they feel like it no matter what his contract states!

 

A few years ago the Bills brought in Dockery and Walker and paid them both more then Peters, although Peters was clearly better then both of them. The Bills should have re upped Peters contract right then and there, they didn't and the result was an unhappy player.

 

Had the Bills renegotiated his contract and paid him accordingly they would still have one of the premier left tackles in the NFL and all these posts about the O line would be moot

I'm just curious, should the Bills' FO re-up every player's contract when they have a good season and demand top 5 money? We have multiple players primed to be in exactly that position. Where do you draw the line? Or do you propose we allow the players to dictate their salary each year?

 

 

I love how everyone was so happy with the FO for locking up this great potential talent to a reasonable contact. Then 2 years later, when the player complains, everyone is pissed at the FO for not re-upping his contract like he wanted. I suppose in hindsight, the FO shouldn't have given him a nice raise and insist he earn it at LT first. But, then again, I imagine everyone would be pissed because they didn't lock him up to a longer term, reasonably priced contract when they had the chance.

 

The FO handled the Peters situation as well as could be expected. Just face it, some people you cannot make happy. They just don't want to be here. Or worse yet, all they care about is the money. And those are usually the ones that drop off considerably once they get it.

 

Now, did the FO handle replacing Peters properly? That's the point of this thread, and one worth discussing. For me, I'll wait to see a little of Walker's play on the field in the preseason before I get too worked up about a few comments; especially, knowing Walker's sense of humor and conversation style.

[Billistic]

Howie Long Chris Long

Nelson Piquet Nelson Piquet Jr.

Mohammed Ali and daughter

Griese and Brian Griese

 

Those are within one second of thinking I am sure that there are hundreds of examples.

 

Genes do count, a lot. It is not just hair color that is inherited.

 

Let's add Duke Preston, Ruth Ruth and Willa Mays.

[PromoTheRobot]

When the team completely overhauls the offensive line and every player at each position is changed, 2 rookies penciled in at guard and one didn't even play guard in college, then a back up player from another team to start at center...I'd say that constitutes a rebuilding.

 

Fans don't want to acknowledge the fact that the Bills are rebuilding again, they rebuilt after Greg Williams and again after Mike Mularkey... and now Jauron knows he didn't get it right in his first three years soooo, he started rebuilding again.

 

What does "rebuilding" mean anyway? Every team is rebuilding some aspect of their team every year. Would you call T.O & Evans a rebuilding set of WRs?

 

PTR

[The Big Cat]

Just when I thought Leo and Sal's hate mongering couldn't get more out of control, they spiral into a five minute diatribe about all the pieces of the Bills puzzle which are destined to fall apart two years down the road when the OLine finally plays right. Talk about negative Nancies.

 

I'm willing to bet they're both on a steady regiment of cranberry juice these days, if you know what I mean.

[thewildrabbit]

What does "rebuilding" mean anyway? Every team is rebuilding some aspect of their team every year. Would you call T.O & Evans a rebuilding set of WRs?

 

PTR

no, bringing in one new player at a position isn't called rebuilding

 

The term rebuilding is often phrased when a team changes the head coach and it starts the rebuilding process, you know kinda like what Jauron did to the O line this year...

[ThereIsNoDog]

The Bills had a trade in the works with the Lions for trading Dockery and it didn't go through because they screwed it up.

 

The only Bills player named to the pro bowl the last two years was LT Jason Peters, irregardless of how Bills fans view him now he is highly thought of around the NFL, in fact Andy Reid the HC of the Eagles stated Peters was the best LT in the NFL, which is why they gave up a first round draft pick for him.

 

The average life span of a player in the NFL is THREE years, so IMO every player has a right to obtain the best pay he can get, while he can get it. The team will cut a player when they feel like it no matter what his contract states!

 

A few years ago the Bills brought in Dockery and Walker and paid them both more then Peters, although Peters was clearly better then both of them. The Bills should have re upped Peters contract right then and there, they didn't and the result was an unhappy player.

 

Had the Bills renegotiated his contract and paid him accordingly they would still have one of the premier left tackles in the NFL and all these posts about the O line would be moot

What was the offer for Dockery that the Bills "screwed up?" And how did they screw it up?

 

Regarding the bolded part, Peters has been in the NFL for 5 years. So if the average life span of a player is three years, giving him a gigantic contract, when he's missed 2 games due to injury the past 2 years, isn't exactly smart is it? And as of this moment, he's on the PUP list for the Eagles. Nevermind the utter lack of professionalism he showed last year, which, if the Bills "lowballed" him, was probably the reason they didn't go as high as he thought he deserved.

 

And the Bills must think highly of Bell, if Clark Judge saw fit to write about it.

[Buftex]

Sorry, I haven't read the entire thread, but Walker let it be known he wasn't comfortable playing LT last season.... another reason that many were wondering wtf the Bills were/are thinking, with this O-line. I hope it all works out, that Wood and Levitre are studs, Hangartner becomes an anchor at center (as opposed to a utility man), and that the tackles, as mediocre as they have been thus far, suddenly play like the Ballard and company, with the interior line so strong...but the Bills are banking an awful lot of things to go right, to just assume all of this will happen...and if it doesn't, we Bills fans will be left, wondering, again, if the Bills would be any good if they had an O-line...

[zazie]

What was the offer for Dockery that the Bills "screwed up?" And how did they screw it up?

 

Regarding the bolded part, Peters has been in the NFL for 5 years. So if the average life span of a player is three years, giving him a gigantic contract, when he's missed 2 games due to injury the past 2 years, isn't exactly smart is it? And as of this moment, he's on the PUP list for the Eagles. Nevermind the utter lack of professionalism he showed last year, which, if the Bills "lowballed" him, was probably the reason they didn't go as high as he thought he deserved.

 

And the Bills must think highly of Bell, if Clark Judge saw fit to write about it.

I wish people would realize that Peters did exactly what his agent told him to do and thats why he hired the agent.

 

The result was he got the huge contract and with a perennial contender in the NFC east.

 

I just don't see how he could have done anything else really you hire a pro, you listen to them. Like you listen to your dr. or your lawyer or your acct.

 

The detroit trade was a 7th rounder I thinkg that the Bills FO failed to get to the league office in time.

[Thoner7]

Langston is worried about getting exposed on the left side and falling out of favor with the coaches and fans. Lang was great at RT, leave him there. I really hope with Wood now signed the coaching staff starts getting Chambers some reps at LT. Bell is not close to being ready from what I saw at camp and Im not holding my breath for Walker to succeed. Chambers did well in spelling Peters at the end of last season, lets see what he can do.

[thebandit27]

I'm just curious, should the Bills' FO re-up every player's contract when they have a good season and demand top 5 money? We have multiple players primed to be in exactly that position. Where do you draw the line? Or do you propose we allow the players to dictate their salary each year?

 

 

I love how everyone was so happy with the FO for locking up this great potential talent to a reasonable contact. Then 2 years later, when the player complains, everyone is pissed at the FO for not re-upping his contract like he wanted. I suppose in hindsight, the FO shouldn't have given him a nice raise and insist he earn it at LT first. But, then again, I imagine everyone would be pissed because they didn't lock him up to a longer term, reasonably priced contract when they had the chance.

 

The FO handled the Peters situation as well as could be expected. Just face it, some people you cannot make happy. They just don't want to be here. Or worse yet, all they care about is the money. And those are usually the ones that drop off considerably once they get it.

 

Now, did the FO handle replacing Peters properly? That's the point of this thread, and one worth discussing. For me, I'll wait to see a little of Walker's play on the field in the preseason before I get too worked up about a few comments; especially, knowing Walker's sense of humor and conversation style.

 

I don't mean to be disrespectful, Dan, but that's BS. Peters had no problem playing here, he liked it here, he just didn't like (and I'm fairly certain that not only have you seen this mentioned on this board, but that you'd also feel the same way in your line of work) that a guy who hadn't played a snap in the NFL was making literally 10x more than him, while his own organization touts him as a top-5 NFL LT. It was money, plain and simple.

 

EDIT: Sorry, I missed the next sentance in your post. Yes, Peters was about the money, but to be honest I can't begrudge his stance considering the deals that unproven rookies get.

[thewildrabbit]

I'm just curious, should the Bills' FO re-up every player's contract when they have a good season and demand top 5 money? We have multiple players primed to be in exactly that position. Where do you draw the line? Or do you propose we allow the players to dictate their salary each year?

 

 

I love how everyone was so happy with the FO for locking up this great potential talent to a reasonable contact. Then 2 years later, when the player complains, everyone is pissed at the FO for not re-upping his contract like he wanted. I suppose in hindsight, the FO shouldn't have given him a nice raise and insist he earn it at LT first. But, then again, I imagine everyone would be pissed because they didn't lock him up to a longer term, reasonably priced contract when they had the chance.

 

The FO handled the Peters situation as well as could be expected. Just face it, some people you cannot make happy. They just don't want to be here. Or worse yet, all they care about is the money. And those are usually the ones that drop off considerably once they get it.

 

Now, did the FO handle replacing Peters properly? That's the point of this thread, and one worth discussing. For me, I'll wait to see a little of Walker's play on the field in the preseason before I get too worked up about a few comments; especially, knowing Walker's sense of humor and conversation style.

Show me another player on the Buffalo Bills that out performs his contract and then makes the pro bowl. Should the Bills look into redoing his contract if he out performs his old one, even if its only one year old? I look at it from the stand point you never know when and injury can end a career. I'll state it again, the average lifespan of an NFL player is THREE years.

 

I dunno, perhaps I favor the players views rather then the views of the front office. But in my view any time a player is clearly better then others on the team at the same position and he is under paid and he knows it,then you pay him!

 

So lets look at what happened, the Bills bring in Dockery and Walker as free agents and over pay them and it gets their best player upset. So what do they do, instead of simply paying Peters a dollar more then either. They screwed it up and lose him.

[zazie]

I don't mean to be disrespectful, Dan, but that's BS. Peters had no problem playing here, he liked it here, he just didn't like (and I'm fairly certain that not only have you seen this mentioned on this board, but that you'd also feel the same way in your line of work) that a guy who hadn't played a snap in the NFL was making literally 10x more than him, while his own organization touts him as a top-5 NFL LT. It was money, plain and simple.

 

EDIT: Sorry, I missed the next sentance in your post. Yes, Peters was about the money, but to be honest I can't begrudge his stance considering the deals that unproven rookies get.

Very few people anywhere in our society are NOT about the money.

 

What else is there?

[Dan]

Every year there's a new highest paid player in the league. And most of the time its a rookie. That's just the way. Yet, not all players hold out and demand a new contract. You simply cannot re-work contracts every year based upon the players' previous year's performance. If so, do you give players pay cuts, when they get injured and miss half the season or just play poorly for whatever reason?

 

Peters wanted more money. His agent laid out a plan to get that money. That plan had a complete disregard for the Bills' interests. It worked. Yeah, for Peters and his agent. But, you cannot expect the FO to give in to each player's demands. You can't.

[thewildrabbit]

What was the offer for Dockery that the Bills "screwed up?" And how did they screw it up?

 

Regarding the bolded part, Peters has been in the NFL for 5 years. So if the average life span of a player is three years, giving him a gigantic contract, when he's missed 2 games due to injury the past 2 years, isn't exactly smart is it? And as of this moment, he's on the PUP list for the Eagles. Nevermind the utter lack of professionalism he showed last year, which, if the Bills "lowballed" him, was probably the reason they didn't go as high as he thought he deserved.

 

And the Bills must think highly of Bell, if Clark Judge saw fit to write about it.

At the end of the Bills negotiations with Peters they finally said they would pay him what he wanted, and he said after all this I just want out, so they were forced to trade him.

 

The Bills are notoriously cheap (RW) and will fight tooth fang and claw rather then pay certain players what they truly deserve, they screwed up with Peters and they know it.

[zazie]

At the end of the Bills negotiations with Peters they finally said they would pay him what he wanted, and he said after all this I just want out, so they were forced to trade him.

 

The Bills are notoriously cheap (RW) and will fight tooth fang and claw rather then pay certain players what they truly deserve, they screwed up with Peters and they know it.

 

Where are you getting this info from?

[bananathumb]

I'm going with the coaches on this one, though I am probably dumb to do it, given their years of failure.

Walker has a decent chance of playing well at LT, based on his experience and smarts. If he looks bad there, he won't be the only LT to get beat in the NFL. If he's really bad, we can move him back to RT and try Chambers, then Bell at left tackle. Chambers has played there before and played well. The coaches "love" Bell's progress, so it seems he is the long-term hope.

 

I am as much concerned about Butler at RT, so if Langston goes back there and Kirk plays the left side, that leaves Butler as one of the guards until Wood or Levitre is ready. In short, I think we have a decent bunch of O-linemen

and the coaches will sort out who works best where.

 

I'll start panicking if and when Edwards runs for his life every 3rd play.

[thewildrabbit]

Where are you getting this info from?

Think I read it in PFW,have to go look it up now.

[zazie]

I'm going with the coaches on this one, though I am probably dumb to do it, given their years of failure.

Walker has a decent chance of playing well at LT, based on his experience and smarts. If he looks bad there, he won't be the only LT to get beat in the NFL. If he's really bad, we can move him back to RT and try Chambers, then Bell at left tackle. Chambers has played there before and played well. The coaches "love" Bell's progress, so it seems he is the long-term hope.

 

I am as much concerned about Butler at RT, so if Langston goes back there and Kirk plays the left side, that leaves Butler as one of the guards until Wood or Levitre is ready. In short, I think we have a decent bunch of O-linemen

and the coaches will sort out who works best where.

 

I'll start panicking if and when Edwards runs for his life every 3rd play.

Or flat on his back with career concussion #2

[thewildrabbit]

Every year there's a new highest paid player in the league. And most of the time its a rookie. That's just the way. Yet, not all players hold out and demand a new contract. You simply cannot re-work contracts every year based upon the players' previous year's performance. If so, do you give players pay cuts, when they get injured and miss half the season or just play poorly for whatever reason?

 

Peters wanted more money. His agent laid out a plan to get that money. That plan had a complete disregard for the Bills' interests. It worked. Yeah, for Peters and his agent. But, you cannot expect the FO to give in to each player's demands. You can't.

Peters has two more years left on a contract he signed in 2006. He would have been paid an average of about $4 million, well below market value for an elite left tackle. The Miami Dolphins signed last year's No. 1 draft choice, Jake Long, to a five-year deal worth $57.5 million and $30 million in guarantees. The Carolina Panthers in February kept All-Pro tackle Jordan Gross from hitting the open market with a six-year contract worth nearly $60 million.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afceast/0-7-83/...for-Peters.html

 

Jeez, he was only being underpaid around 6 mill a year. Yea that greedy bastage should have played out his contract and been happy to do so...

 

Can you really blame a player for wanting what he deserves, what loyalty is there in the NFL when the Bills outright cut Thurman Thomas, Bruce Smith and Andre Reed to stay under the cap.

[The Senator]

I'm going with the coaches on this one, though I am probably dumb to do it, given their years of failure.

Walker has a decent chance of playing well at LT, based on his experience and smarts. If he looks bad there, he won't be the only LT to get beat in the NFL. If he's really bad, we can move him back to RT and try Chambers, then Bell at left tackle. Chambers has played there before and played well. The coaches "love" Bell's progress, so it seems he is the long-term hope.

 

I am as much concerned about Butler at RT, so if Langston goes back there and Kirk plays the left side, that leaves Butler as one of the guards until Wood or Levitre is ready. In short, I think we have a decent bunch of O-linemen

and the coaches will sort out who works best where.

 

I'll start panicking if and when Edwards runs for his life every 3rd play.

Walker played fine in the games that FatBoy sat out last year.

 

Not really worried about the o-line at all - there's no way Walker could be any worse than that stupid lazy POS Peters was on this play...

 

[Mickey]

Every year there's a new highest paid player in the league. And most of the time its a rookie. That's just the way. Yet, not all players hold out and demand a new contract. You simply cannot re-work contracts every year based upon the players' previous year's performance. If so, do you give players pay cuts, when they get injured and miss half the season or just play poorly for whatever reason?

 

Peters wanted more money. His agent laid out a plan to get that money. That plan had a complete disregard for the Bills' interests. It worked. Yeah, for Peters and his agent. But, you cannot expect the FO to give in to each player's demands. You can't.

If anyone was arguing that, I would agree but I don't know anyone who is. For example, I don't think they should have given Schobel a new deal a year after he signed what was the biggest in team history. Arguing that they should have paid Peters is not the same as advocating that the always renegotiate. Rational people can disagree on whether Peters was ultimately worth it. Respectfully though, this notion of opening the flood gates is tired and false. Peters wasn't "every player", he was our only pro bowler. Overall, I just don't see a team getting better by losing the best players on their roster. Seems like a simple notion to me. But by "getting better", I am talking about wins and losses, not the salary cap or the team's balance sheet.

[dollars 2 donuts]

You must be wrong because in January and February we will be playing in the playoffs and Superbowl.

 

 

 

YEAH BABBBBBYYYYYY!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ah, that felt good.

[Captain Caveman]

I look at it from the stand point you never know when and injury can end a career. I'll state it again, the average lifespan of an NFL player is THREE years.

 

Likewise, the team never knows how many years they'll get out of a player, so when they give him a decent signing bonus (which is guaranteed) they expect him to play out his contract assuming he's healthy. Especially after renegotiating his contract once already.