Archives for March 13, 2013

‘This is a slo-mo collision on black ice – you can visualize the wreckage long before the impact.’

‘Releasing Fitzpatrick left the Bills in excellent salary cap shape. They had about $23 million in room under their cap limit of $133 million for 2013.’

‘Fitz ultimately became the quarterback by default, because the Bills had nobody better. The fact that he held the job for 50 games says more about the prolonged dysfunction of the franchise than Fitzpatrick’s abilities as an NFL starter.’

‘The average yearly salary of $7.8 million makes Levitre the fourth-highest paid guard in the NFL behind Tampa Bay’s Carl Nicks ($9.5 million), New England’s Logan Mankins ($8.5 million) and New Orleans’ Jahri Evans ($8.1 million).’

‘In New York, the consent of at least one party to any telephone communication is required in order to record it. In Florida, it is illegal to tape or overhear a telephone conversation without the consent of all parties to the conversation.’

‘The Buffalo News reported that the Bills did ask him to restructure the six-year, $59 million contract he signed in October 2011, but he declined. The report indicated the offer was a four-year deal that averaged $3 million per season with incentives that could have increased his salary to as high as $7 million a year.’

‘Fitzpatrick, if you look at his performance, was overpaid. He wasn’t worth $59 million over six years, but that says more about the incompetence of the front office than anything else. They decided to pay a guy who showed flashes of brilliance in 2011. If they had waited until the end of the season – he struggled during the second half of the 2011 season – the Bills probably wouldn’t have given him such a contract. (Maybe they would have. I don’t know. We’re talking about the Buffalo Bills, after all.)’

‘Because the phone call crossed state lines — Nix was in New York (Buffalo), Dominik was in Florida (presumably Tampa) — and because Deadspin is protecting the identities and locations of the pranksters, there is uncertainty as to which state’s or states’ laws will take precedence.’

‘The Bucs had no comment on the recorded call, while the Bills issued a statement saying they were reviewing the situation with their legal counsel. Many states, including Florida, have laws against secretly recording phone conversations.’

Tennessee Titans add guard Andy Levitre, tight end Delanie Walker in free agency (Nashville Tennessean)

AP Source: TN agrees on deals with Levitre, Walker (AP)

‘”We just can’t afford to pay that kind of money for a guy who’s fighting for probably a backup job.”‘

‘The team announced the move Tuesday, shortly after the NFL’s free agency period opened, and a day before Fitzpatrick was due a $3 million bonus.’

‘Deadspin reports the phone call occurred Friday and was taped by two 20-year-olds whose names were not revealed. The website said the two initially attempted to reach Nix at Bills headquarters by identifying themselves as Dominik.’

‘”We kept every possible option open right down to the wire when we had to make a decision on whether to keep Ryan. In the end, we had to do what we feel is best for our football team and it was a very difficult decision,” said Buffalo general manager Buddy Nix. “Ryan did some great things as our starting quarterback. He is a class act, a terrific guy with a great family and has been involved in many charitable endeavors in our community. But difficult decisions often have to be made and so we are moving forward.”‘