d_wag

we'll see how inflated it was shortly.......given the length of the deal i don't think his contract will prove to be that out of line, but the signing bonus and salary will be the meat.........

we'll find out soon enough once the terms of his deal with DET come out........

starting today, any team that signs their f-tagged player to a long-term contract loses their f-tag for the length of that contract..........this rule is lifted on july 15 and the player can then be signed to a long-term deal with no penalties....... my question is what is the point of this rule? it's not good for the player or the team, thus isn't good for the game, so what does it accomplish? any ideas?

there is a drink we have here on the island that is absolutely deadly........a rum swizzle........dark and amber rum, triple sec, pineapple juice, lemon juice, orange juice, and a dash of Angostura Bitters.........tastes like punch, but packs a whallop........i'd say you can drink them all night, but it's not a great idea......

i think josh reed is going to turn plenty of heads this year and step up his game.........unfortunately, that doesn't mean he'll be a bill in '06 given his contract year status, so he might not be the long-term answer.........

that's what i tell myself every morning as i down a flask of JD and wander into work........

and if you think that is strange, check out "best cat".......i think he needs some tuna...... http://www.cffinc.org/

how on earth did you stumble on that?

you sound like there is an alternative....... whether it's feeley's job or a competition for the starting gig, the phins are going to blow again this year........i'm still trying to figure out why they're doing so much free agent shopping when they should be rebuilding.......

here is what you will find funny -- i am a lindell fan and want him to stick around for another year........buffalo is not an easy place to kick with the elements and i think it takes time to adjust, but i do see improvement.........i trust him on short ones and with pressure kicks despite what happened with PIT....... but here is the thing -- he hasn't kicked well from distance since he arrived in buffalo and he needs to get better in that area.........it's not secret -- i know it, you know it, the coaches know it, and the GM knows it......so when a question comes in regarding distance, i expect a response that says "he needs to improve in that area, and we think he can based on the success he had from 40+ earlier in his career, especially his rookie season where he made 7 of 8 from 40-49 and all 3 of his attempts over 50"........is that really that bad? does the postive spin not negate the negative spin? yet, it still challenges the player, drives him a bit more, seeing his boss call him out for what even he knows was a weak performance in that area........but apparantly are players are a little too thinned skin and our GM shouldn't discuss any negative about them, even if it is true.......

the question was specifically about distance.......it was not about accruacy, but TD defended lindell by stating stats that are based on accruacy....... "For example, in 2003 he was 17-of-24 kicking field goals for a total of 75 points. In 2004, he was 24-of-28 on his field goals for 117 points." of course he has a good accruacy % -- that is what happens when you don't try a lot of long field goals.........if the bills did have faith in his distance and tried for more long field goals, then those %'s would likely go down......what do those stats have to do with lindell's inability to hit a +40 yarder other then the fact they are inflated by lack of attempts at that distance? he didn't answer the question there...... only after the that does TD point out that he made two long ones that were negated by penalty i.e. no pass rush and no pressure.......i'm not all that impressed he can make "practice" long ones...... i don't think he addressed the question of distance.......he addressed accuracy, which was not the question.........

there were other links, but i really don't feel like digging up old news.......wright contacted the bills to give him the opportunity to match the offer (which, by the way, was the first contract made because the bills wouldn't talk to wright)........the bills choose not to match the offer.......

minny selects Evan Mathis -- OG -- Alabama

"Buffalo offered Williams a three-year deal last summer, but the guaranteed bonus was $2million less than he received from Minnesota. Wright contacted the Bills Wednesday. "It was obvious they weren't going to be a player," Wright said. "We're over being disappointed." http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/p...370/1007/SPORTS

according to TD, they haven't even talked to nate as of yet.......

we were talking about how those teams handling those players impending free agency vs. how TD should handle NC's.......i think that group compares favorably to NC.........

so apparantly all those teams i listed are crazy for what you would call "wildly over-spending" to keep their good, young talent around...........i, on the other hand, would call it handing out fair contracts and treating their players with respect, but to each his own......... i think what many on their board fail to realize is that their are many ways to build a team.......it doesn't have to be done the way TD does it, it can be done the way MANY other GM's do it.........are they all wrong and he is right? possibly.........are they all right and he is wrong? possibly.......but at least many of those GM's are fielding playoff teams, which is more then TD can say........

i think the saints will get more then a 2nd rounder for howard.......i would not be shocked to see them get a 1st for him, given the level of interest he is generating.......cowboys are hot on his heels and have 2 1st rounders this year.........

i'm in, drafting for minny.......let me know if you want to me to take over another club or two.........

i have given him credit for these moves (as well as moorman)........i just hope i can give him credit for getting nate signed as well but based on his handling of the JJ and AW situations i have little faith he can get it done.......

the bills certainly have enough room to accomplish both goals.......they just need to get it done..........

take a look at the list of players from above who resigned with their clubs before free agency.......... are you telling me that those guys took less then they would have received on the open market?

i am talking strategy.......and the bills strategy with both players was to lowball them, correct? i.e. they offered much less then they ended up getting on the open market........ is that the strategy you want them to employ with nate? if that is the case, you can kiss him goodbye because it won't work.......just like it didn't work with JJ and AW.........

i know what your saying, but i think it's the wrong way to approach negioations........ the risk of injury does not play into the equation the way it used to because players can go out and get insurance that negates the risk of playing out their contract years.........in fact, most agents would insist on it now for their marquee clients........ we saw what happened when the bills tried to get cute with AW.......we saw what happened when the bills tried to get cute with JJ.........i just hope they don't try to be cute with NC.........he has earned a big time contract, and the bills should not hesistate to be fair with him.........

blah blah blah.........you never addressed the point...........the bills can save money on this year's cap by shifting cap hit into future years without adding an extra year to MW's contract........... you have heard the term "simple restructuring", right? that is when you convert salary to signing bonus and amortize it over the the remainder of the deal.......that doesn't add years to the contract but does move cap hit........it's really not that complicated and quite common.........