d_wag

off the top of my head: todd heap marcus stroud santana moss jamal williams joe horn mike minter chris hoke eric heitmann all within the past two months........

and my thesis is, oh unfair and biased dog? i said i am not surprised he is unsigned AT THIS POINT in the off-season.........why? because TD during his tenure with the bills has never had a resigning of a potentially major free agent AT THIS POINT in the off-season........it's a fact, not an opinion, even if you hate to hear it.......on another note, he resigned schobel in the late summer........that has absolutely nothing to do with my original statement.........

i think it's the lack of depth that will cost them.........they've cut/lost a lot of vets the past two years and replaced them on the roster with 2nd day draft talent.........tons of holes all over that roster........

early last summer when they announced that PW, AS, and JJ all received contract offers that were valid until training camp........and shortly after when they announced that talks had been halted with all 3 and offers were revoked BEFORE training camp.........

with the salary cap taking a major bump with a new CBA (or if no CBA, the potential for an uncapped year in '07) i don't think teams will stop paying anytime soon........makes it even more important to get good, young players signed long-term well in advance of their free agency date.......

i'm far from surprised.......in all of TD's time he has never had a major resigning of a player entering the last year of his deal in the spring or early summer months........love to see clements locked up as a long-term bill, but i would be surprised if anything gets done........

pats certainly have loaded up on KR/PR.......timmy dwight, bethal johnson, troy brown, and now chad morton.......typical BB strategy of overloading at a position and letting the best player emerge........they all won't make the team......

agreed......o-line is in much more desperate need of an upgrade at LT and depth in other positions........we can get by with our current defensive backfield, but i'm not convinced that is the case with the current o-line.......

i doubt the bills get him because i doubt gandy will be cut (saints have denied they made the request and would have a "bills-like" void at LT if they did cut him)....... if you want a vet LT, verba has been cut and would be an excellent addition at the right price.........he's two years younger and in the same class.......

the bills backed pat williams into a corner and gave him no option but to look elsewhere...........they gave him ONE "take it or leave it" offer in the summer and never made another offer, right up to the day he signed with the vikes.......no contact from when the season ended until he turned a free agent - zilch........what was pat williams supposed to do? despite being disrespected like that, he still gave the bills the opportunity to match the offer he had, which they declined to do......... it's funny how almost everyone that leaves the bills is considered some kind of a**hole by the masses around here......pat williams did nothing wrong and if you want to assign blame for why he isn't a bill, look no further then bills management who decided they didn't want to invest in the cost it would have taken to keep him here.......he did what he had to do, and that being said, i respect his "insider" opinion on the current team.......

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/stor...d=2086730&num=0 worth a 5th round pick.......guy has loads of potential and the bills have no need at the WR position........let him play some special teams and he could be a player once moulds and reed move on.......

the more sense it makes for the bills to sign him.......he will be signing a one-year deal at this point in free agency, with any long-term offers that are out there surely not close to meeting his asking price.......bills don't have a pressing need at the position, but when you can add a guy of law's caliber at a discount price you get him and his leadership on the team.......i would much rather see mcgee concentrate on his KR duties and slide into the nickelback role......obviously the milloy angle could help the bills here, but the revenge factor could be huge for law as well.........seems like a great fit to me, and the bills certainly have the flexability to make room for law......

coaches make mistakes.......for instance, they made a mistake with their assessment of the LG spot last year and it cost us.......they may also be making a mistake in regards to the LT spot this year........

1) cost 2) age 3) personal issues 4) injury concerns 5) skill all that being said, i'd make the guy a solid 1 year offer (or a 2 or a 3 year deal which allows for a cut next spring with minimal cap damage if necessary) but only IF he finds the market for his services lukewarm...... the more i think about it, the more i believe he already had a deal lined up before all this contract stuff even came up with the browns........we'll find out soon enough.......

why can't they do both? the bills can create enough room to accomplish both goals.......clements is only looking at a bump of around 1 million over his current 3.5M cap charge if he signs a long-term deal.........

based on the way the 2006 draft pool is shaping up at LT, i have no problem addressing that need next year........could be as many as 6 or 7 first round LT's from what i'm hearing.......

in my opinion, he has too many question marks (age, character, injury history) to warrent a big money 4 or 5 year deal........max would be 3 years, although i'd prefer a 1 year deal, which he may choose to do if he finds the market as lukewarm as shelton did......given the timing of his release, that is entirely possible, and a 1 year deal will allow him to become a FA again when the market is more ripe....... all that aside, he would make a great addition to the club and would solidfy the LT spot and serve as a stop gap until the bills can find help elsewhere........players of his quality are few and far between at that position........

the only excruciating pain around here is the TD sheep who "bah" at every move (and non-move) that is made.....critical thinking seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur for many......... but hey, i guess we'll find out just how smart the moves (and non-moves) were once the season start..........

truth hurts, huh?

not always -- pete kendall looked pretty good to me last year........

i haven't seen a number in the press either.........very curious to find out.........

http://www.cleveland.com/browns/plaindeale...8360.xml&coll=2 "Ross Verba will be released by the Browns today when he agrees to repay a $465,000 roster bonus to the club. That option was presented to Verba and agent Tom Condon in a letter last weekend. Verba also can seek a team willing to trade for him, but that option is riddled with obstacles. A source close to Verba said Tuesday that Verba would give back the roster bonus to gain his freedom. He wants a contract better than the one that pays him $2.9 million in 2005 and 2006. Verba's exit was in the works after he told owner Randy Lerner he wanted out of Cleveland." here is hoping the bills show interest.......he will not find nearly the demand for his services he is expecting, and as a result, will not get near the numbers he desires.......he may choose to sign a 1 year deal and test the market in '06, like shelton did......bills can create room using the MW contract and verba would certainly be a huge upgrade given the current mess at LT.......character issues? i'm sure it will be a factor in the bills eyes, but i'm more concerned with what happens on the field.......he would make an excellent addition.......

actually, a franchise player is entitled to an average of the top 5 at his position OR 120% of the previous year's salary (whichever is greater).......that is why it is so detrimental to tag year after year....... the reason this happened with jones and pace the last few years is simply because they couldn't get long-term deals done -- nothing to do with position.........in fact, it's cheaper to tag a RB then an OL, and QB is only around half a millon more....... side note -- the OL number should go down next year now that jones and pace have reduced their cap numbers for the upcoming season.......

Jaguars deny Alexander report The Jaguars scoffed at a report by The NFL Network that they had discussed a trade with Seattle for disgruntled running back Shaun Alexander but had balked at the Seahawks' demand for a third-round pick. "It's a bunch of nonsense,'' Jaguars pro personnel director Charlie Bailey said. "Where do these things get started?'' http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stor..._18939441.shtml

pats haven't had injuries in their playoff runs?? of course they did, and they overcame them.......heat couldn't and they lost to the better team..... bottom line -- winners win