purple haze

Byrd wants to get paid what he believes he worth. If it’s the Bills he’ll be fine with it. If not the Bills he wants it from somewhere else. Has NOTHING to do with him not wanting to be there. He’s just not taking a discount to be there and he shouldn’t have to.

It’s not that he doesn’t see the value. He even said Russell was a good player. But scouts/organizations all have draft philosophies. Remember Whaley said last week that between two equal players he’s taking the bigger one? Nix has a similar philosophy. Also, remember Nix valued draft picks highly. In the first three rounds those picks are seen as most valuable. So Wilson did have value to Nix; just not first three rounds of the draft value. If Wilson was available in the fourth Nix might have grabbed him. Wilson was a great college player, was an obvious winner and leader. But he’s a 5’11ish QB in a league that has not seen many QB’s of that size have great success. One can argue about drafting Graham in the 3rd, but Graham brought elite speed and athleticism to the table. He wasn’t a great player, but he had great potential and based on his physical talent. In fact, his measurables made him stand out at his position. Nix liked big athletes or elite athletes. He’s not the only one. Every team passed on Wilson twice and some three times. I would have loved to have Wilson in Buffalo, but there’s no guarantee we would be seeing what we see out of him in Seattle in B-Lo or anywhere else. Many factors go into a player being successful outside of their actual talent. You think Gailey would have played Wilson?? I don’t. He seemed to prefer veterans to rookies in general. Also, keep in mind, Russell has his rough patches in games. That defense keeps scores within reach in a lot of games and gets turnovers so he has a chance to chop the wood again. Eventually having extra possessions allows his talent to show itself . He would not have had that in a theoretical year one with the Bills.

Don’t think they need to prove anything. Most prospects from the combine meet with all the teams at some point formally or informally; if not at the combine by the time the draft comes around. It’s the scouts and GM’s job to do this. Due diligence.

True. But Byrd has performed at a higher level longer than Aaron Williams. He has been consistent. So he gets paid. You’re right they can’t keep everybody and that is where your Searcy’s, Duke Williams and Jonathan Meeks’ come into play. Or whoever else they might draft to gird against the likely loss of an Aaron Williams.

I didn’t say “good” players. I said “elite” players. There is a difference. And the elite players have been few over the years, but starting with Clements, Winfield, Big Pat, Jason Peters… Those guys were elite at their positions at the time they were eligible for FA and the Bills let them walk, rightly or wrongly. The Bills have re-signed many good players. The guys who are seen as amongst the best at their position have been the ones they have a reputation for letting walk away. And all of the players I cited were drafted or UDFA the Bills developed. Kyle Williams is one elite guy the Bills have kept in the fold though. I think the real issue is that the Bills have let many of their few elite players walk, but haven’t necessarily used the money saved to sign good players to fill the roster back out in a way that would lead to wins. I liked Nix a lot and appreciated his efforts. Brandon has said he is not hamstrung in the use of money or the way business is conducted in general, etc. etc. He has shown that with coaching searches and hires. The renovations on The Ralph. Byrd is another litmus test in this regard. The Bills have to get this right, whichever way it plays out. If the Bills don’t re-sign Byrd I would be disappointed, but if they take the money they did not use on him and sign other, viable free agents as well as signing players on the verge of being elite at their position to early extensions such as Dareus, Glenn, Spiller I would be fine with that. So long as they received a first round pick OR a second and third in the 2014 draft for Byrd in a tag-and-trade.

I think the Bills have a bad reputation for letting the few elite players they develop walk away. I agree, Byrd is a difference maker. I want the Bills to re-sign him. They have money under the cap and they need to send a message to the fans that they will keep our elite players. No, they will not be able to re-sign everybody and eventually some players will be lost. I don’t think that should start with Byrd. However, if they did trade him they need to get Dareus locked up and be more aggressive in free agency. Otherwise, fair or not, they will be seen as the same ole same ole.

A good article that could be pertinent to TJ Graham. Maybe the organization is taking the approach suggested by Jerry Angelo as opposed to some fans taking the opposite approach. http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/The-battle-within.html

Nope. Go to other message boards. Over-emotional fans abound everywhere. They have no one better to replace SJ with. And if EJ doesn’t improve greatly AND stay healthy in order to develop chemistry, just like this season, NO WR the Bills have will produce consistently. Lets trade all of the bums. But wait, the Bills should be able to get something good in return even though SJ sucks, right? Yeah, right. Dude’s grandmother passes away around training camp. He gets hurt. Misses a couple weeks of camp. EJ gets hurt and misses the rest of camp just as SJ returns. SJ game winning catch against Carolina. EJ misses how many games from October to November? Stevie playing hurt. No real chemistry with Thad or EJ. Bad mistake against Falcons, no doubt. SJ’s mother passes away. The three previous seasons with less injury and a more stable QB situation 1000 yards per season, several TD’s and 100 yard games. I could see if Woods, Graham or Goodwin had great seasons, but they, like Stevie made plays here and there, but not consistently. WR isn’t the issue. If Watkins is there at 9 take him and run because he’s too elite athletically to pass up. But better QB play will lead to a rebound for SJ and a true breakout for the other WR’s.

I agree. As a fan I love it when a player takes a hometown discount. However, we should not expect this or get upset if a player does not want to do this. Sports is a different beast. Within that beast football stands alone. Most players won’t ever see a majority of their contracts. All they get is the guaranteed money. And with football, the risk of serious injury or for most players, the impact, years down the line of an accumulation of injuries will make having a lot of money a necessity. Surgeries, treatments and medicines cost money; especially if one needs to get them for the rest of their lives.

I like Van Noy a lot. I like Shayne Skov too. I see them as similar types. Not elite athletes, but hard core football players that makes a difference on the field.

Amen. And amen. People need to get over the “they get paid to play a game” mentality. It’s hypocritical. If most on this board got paid 75 thousand a year to do a specific job and they discovered someone at another firm got paid 125 thousand to do the same job, they would talk to their bosses about a raise; especially if they had received accolades for doing great work. And if someone who made 25 thousand a year said you were being selfish you wouldn’t think twice about it. In Byrd’s industry 7 million is NOT his market value. His market value is over 9 million based on accomplishment and peer salary. It’s that simple. It’s not personal. Nor does it mean he is not grateful to be making what he makes. That, however, does not mean he should accept below market value because “he would be rich anyway.” It’s business. And it’s his business.

I hate all of the network pre-game shows. Too much that has nothing to do with football. I’m old school. I just want game analysis, on-site reports, features about league issues and business. No more concerts. No more impressionists. I just come for the football, not the rest.

No doubt, it’s early. Combine will tell a lot, specifically about speed. If I had to guess, I don’t think any RB will go in round 1. If the Browns want Hyde they probably can get him in Rd. 2 if they pick in the top 10 of that round. If I’m them, I’m looking WR at #26. Someone to take some attention off of Gordon.

A RT could make a difference in the Bills ability to control the clock in the run game and protect EJ in the pass game. A flashy pick? No. An effective pick that leads to differences made in the win column? Yep. I like Watkins and Mack too. But you wouldn’t take Mosely if the other two were already selected? I think he could be dynamite next to Kiko. Man, if the Bills had that draft I would pass out from joy.

I don’t mind these moves. Good teams lose coaches. In the Bills’ case below average teams lose coaches. Nothing wrong with having more in-house options and people with varied experience; so long as everyone knows and adheres to the chain of command.

I love Hyde, but I don’t think he would be the first RB taken. Carey from AZ, I think, will go before him.

They should keep Spiller and draft Hyde anyway. Freddie, as great as he is, will slow down eventually. He can’t play forever. But in answer to the OP’s question my bold prediction? As another poster said, Bills future ownership group starts to come clear; a group that isn’t looking to move the team BTW.

They can get at least a 2nd for CJ. You are underestimating him drastically. He’s just entering his prime. Has shown consistent home run capability when not injured. Has shown he can help in the passing game as well. He had a leg injury most of last season and still had some highlight runs. Injury and misuse were an issue more than CJ’s skills.

Tim Graham is more simple minded by the day… Follow him at your own mental peril.

Maybe, but then again Cuomo did provide money to renovate RWS and the renovations are actually being executed as we speak. So maybe the commission has a real purpose.

I doubt they’re looking for that at all. Marrone/Hackett are looking for a coach to implement their offensive system amongst the WR group while, at the same time, helping the WR’s get better performance individually. Coaches aren’t baby sitters in the NFL. And as far as off the field I’m still waiting on someone to tell me what exactly Stevie Johnson has done? He’s a family guy; not in the middle of anything crazy that I’ve heard about. Was he arrested or accused of something criminal?

Why is it troubling? Most coaches do the exact same thing. See Mike Pettine’s staff in Cleveland or Ken Whisenhunt in Tennessee. No one is hiring anyone, friend or no, thinking they aren’t getting a good coach. Sometimes the results don’t follow, but that could be the case if a coach hired a crew of strangers. Such is life...

They are all very deserving of being HOF’s. Irvin was a beast and so was Carter although, I would have taken Andre before him.

Inglewood isn’t so bad actually. It’s different from the area around the Coliseum. Has a large middle class population. Very residential. People didn’t like going to the Forum because it was hard to get to. One has to take the streets there. Or get on the 405 and be backed up waiting to get through the off ramp. The closest 10 fwy off ramp is further away than the 405. And the forum only has 18,000 seats. Imagine a 60+ stadium? I can’t see it.

Yep. Agree with you. We, the fans are all upset about this run of foolishness, but TG takes things too far. Even when something decent happens he can’t seem to say anything positive about that. I don’t mind criticism. I mind not being even-handed. It’s like he’s trying to play a character. Much like Sully. I guess he’s angling for a spot on First Take. I don’t care for his shtick at all.