Archives for February 15, 2016

'With Smerlas using brute force to control the middle of the line of scrimmage, freeing up Haslett and Nelson to make plays, “The Bermuda Triangle” was a formidable challenge for opposing offenses. “He was a beast,” Nelson, in his Texas drawl, said of Smerlas. “Baddest man on the planet.”'

'But from every indication I've received from those at the top of the Bills' organization, there is virtually no desire to move forward at any time in the foreseeable future with plans to build a downtown palace of their own. Despite considerable speculation on that front, the idea hasn't been met with a whole lot of enthusiasm from the Pegulas — league pressure or not.'

'Carpenter is set to make over $2 million in 2016 and will count over $2.8 million against the salary cap. He has a roster bonus of $250,000 that kicks in on March 15. If the Bills are going to release him and move on to a free agent or a drafted rookie, they’ll maximize their savings by waiting until after June 1 when they’ll only be charged $537,500 in dead money and save $2.3 million against the cap. However, they’ll have to decide if they can wait that long before saving that money or instead save roughly $500,000 less against the cap (just over $1.76 million) by releasing him before June 1. Given their current cap situation, the team may choose to get as much relief as they can as quickly as possible. Free agency begins March 9 and that’s when all teams must be under the league’s 2016 salary cap.'