d_wag

i believe salaries effect the f-tag value, not the salary cap charge....... for instance, winfield woudn't even qualify as top 5 because he only made 600K in salary last year........his high cap charge is due to a roster bonus.........

i have to disagree with this.......he certainly wasn't right when he condemned the willis pick........and he was even more wrong when he called lee evans a "bust" early in the season......

why don't you spend less time bitchin about people bitchin and more time checking your facts? fletcher and milloy are both signed through 2006......

just like they knew what they were doing when they failed to address the LG situation last off-season, instead deciding to stick with pucillo/smith/tucker? sorry man, but they're not always right......

i agree -- i'd do the one for one before ARZ picks up the phone and deals for another back or addresses it in the draft.......

i think it's hilarious the way shelton's stock has risen and fallen on this board over the past 3 months.........he has gone from "decent player" to "potential all-pro" to "bench player" by the masses -- and it's all based on TD's smoke filled comments......

gandy as starting LT sounds like a train wreck......can't see it happening.......

that does sound a little hypocritical of old sully, seeing he was still calling willis an "ill-conceived draft pick" last summer.......

it was the 24th pick in the 2nd round, not the last........

i would be hesitant to give willis a long-term extension and here is why: 1) i think his best years in the league will be his first 5.......of course that is common for most RB's, but given his injury history, i think this is even more so the case for willis...... 2) RB's can be replaced more easily then other positions (i.e. CB, LT, etc.).....productive runners can be found later in the draft and represent better value......... 3) even if willis is given an extension, he may still cause problems down the road.......rosehaus is delivering incrediable results for his clients, while at the same time screwing over team after team.......a contract means nothing to a rosenhaus client, so willis could still make waves even after getting a big money extension..... 4) removing willis from the roster will allow for adequate cap space to resign losman and evans long-term (pending their expected development) and keep the defense near the top of the league.......although all 3 could be signed long-term and the cap maintained, this would have a negative effect on the talent level on defense........ willis is signed through 2007......as mentioned before, i doubt he will play out that contract without causing a stir, which i expect will start next off-season........i would keep him for the '06 season and then deal him at "peek" value for all the compensation you can get......the signing bonus acceleration would be minimal and i believe the compensation level would be comparable to the "portis" trade of a year ago (which i think was excellent value)........

easier said then done - i believe i read recently he now has the highest client base in the sport....... anyone who thinks willis will play out his entire current contract is a fool.......

huh? you hearing those voices in your head again?

i certainly got the point.......i expect (and hope) this is the case as well, although it has never been documented........much like mcgee, the price has certainly climbed in the past half year........ if they are both declining offers, while both philly's corners are accepting, one has to question what the real stumbling block is -- the players or the management? is it possible that both clements and mcgee are being unreasonable while both sheppard and sheldon are being reasonable? possible, but not likely.........

it certainly would have been a risk -- just like the eagles took a risk by offering those contracts to lito and sheldon after only half a season starting.......but if your not willing to take that risk you lose good young players because all of a sudden they have priced themselves out of your market......good GM's identify good, young players early and get them locked in early, before the temptation of free agency gets stronger.......if you don't, there gone OR your over paying to keep them, simple as that....... i hear what your saying about the agent, and that is a possibility, but obviously the strategy worked with sheldon and lito and many, many other players who ink extensions.......i don't think it's far fetched to think that it would have worked with nate as well.......

correct.......i certainly wish the bills could have got that deal hammered out as obviously the price has now come up given mcgee's excellent 2nd half and pro bowl bearth.......hopefully they are still working hard at it as his price will continue to go up in my opinion, as i expect him to exceed expectations again..... so do you have a guess for how much it would have took to get NC signed a year and a half ago? can we not agree he would have jumped at 4-5M/year with a 7-9M signing bonus?

how much do you think it would have took to lock clements up 2 and a half years before the expiration of his contract, like the eagles did with sheldon and lito? i would think it would have been considerably cheaper then the numbers you just threw out there.........

we shall see very soon bill.......the draft is fast approaching and that is the time a deal will get done, if it does get done.......i think woodson does have motivation being that a signing bonus would exceed his f-tag value and he has gone on record stating he wants out of oakland..... if oakland does pull this off a lot of people on this board need to tip their cap to them, as many have called them out for this move........if it pays dividends, it looks even better then the peerless tag and trade........if they don't, the critics are justified.........

lito sheppard -- $25M over 5 years - $9M signing bonus sheldon brown -- $30M over 6 years - $7.5M signing bonus so you believe clements will sign a deal averaging $10M a year with a $16.5M signing bonus?

so do you believe the eagles are foolish for locking up their good, young CB's with big money deals?

excellent point and comparison.......a's are making the best of an uneven system, but the NFL cap does level the playing field and their is no reason for the bills not to retain their good, young talent.........nate has earned his contract and deserves to be paid, and the bills should not hesitate to do so (in fact, they should have done it a year ago and got him at a cheaper rate, as the eagles do with good, young talent)........

no team would have to pay clements 10M........they simply would sign him to a long-term deal and his cap charge drops 50-70% to the 3-5M range........same would apply to the bills if they signed him long-term....... the charles woodson situation is far from over.......they are waiting for the best deal to emerge (much like the bills are with travis henry, and i don't see many on this board being critical of that strategy).........when all i said and done they will trade him for SOMETHING and they will recoup all their cap space........i would not be shocked at all to see a trade go down on draft day involving darren howard/charles woodson, as that is where the rumours are headed now......and whoever does trade for woodson will work out a long-term deal with him to get that cap charge down......

if your getting the bulk of compensation in next year's draft, why not just wait until next year to do the deal and get another season of high caliber play out of him?

i think all 4 can be locked up long-term, if the bills choose that path.........other teams have done that with their good young core and i don't think it's unreasonable for the bills to do the same.........for example, SD gave LT a huge extension last year, are paying brees over 8M for the '05 season, have rivers on the roster at another large cap charge, and also have jammer at CB on his rookie deal (which, if it's designed like MW's contract, is getting very hefty right now).......despite all of these large contracts, they are in excellent cap shape AND fielded a playoff team last year.......paying out large contracts to core players can be done and SD proves that......... back to the original point, i was questioning the poster on his statement that just because nate wants to be paid he has to go.......is that due to an attutide that any player that becomes one of the best at his position with the bills and wants to be paid as such has to go? or is he weighing the position value and deems it expendable?.....there are a lot of variables at play, but i believe NC should be resigned (in fact, he should have been resigned "ala the eagles" two to three years before the expiration of his contract) because i believe physical young corners are hard to find......counter to that, i think willis should be tagged and traded at the expiration of his deal (although i don't think he'll see the end of his deal given his agent and his way of making trades happen) because i think RB's are easier to replace and i believe mcgahee's best years are his first 1-5 in the league.........many on this board would disagree with that, but i think TD would agree...... it's not about what he is NOW -- it's about what he will be........and i think over the life of that deal he will be a top 5 corner......and that is what he is being paid for in those seasons......... i don't think he will either, but i'm also not willing to call it impossible.......if he does end up resigning comments like this will make you look very foolish......... based on the premise TD won't be able to resign him, i would keep him for another year and work out a trade next season......i think it's foolish to bring in another player now who won't measure up to NC at all with this team on the brink of a playoff season...........but then again, i also think it's foolish to let him go at all when the bills have the cap room to resign him........ i think the lines are always open, on every player.......every GM in the league listens.........i would be shocked if any GM didn't listen to every offer.........

why not pay him? he's one of the best in the game at his position and i want to keep guys like that around........ will you have a similar attitude with willis in a few years? lee evans? jp?

transition year? clements will do us no good this season? sorry, this is a playoff ready team......that is the expectation and anything less is another failure.........clements is needed this year and beyond, and i would certainly rather have him on the team then some raw, untested rookie who will take 4 years to get to the level of play that clements is currently at.........