BarleyNY

It's totally deceptive since there'd be a lot of money paid to him that would be unaccounted for. Just because the cap hit for that $8M or so we are talking about would be kicked down the road doesn't mean it isn't important. Total money paid and guaranteed money are far more important than cap hits, especially first year cap hits that are often kept artificially low.

A first year cap hit is pretty meaningless. You are really resorting to some major deception. Tyrod is guaranteed $30.75M in March if he's retained under his current deal. Then another $9.75M the following March. That's $40.5M for two seasons. He's not worth close to that.

I'd be okay with keeping Tyrod at a reasonable contract as a bridge, but I don't think he would go for that. He will want to test the market.

Me, too. The Phish save $8.5M on the 2017 cap if they cut Mario before the 3rd day of the league year. He's gone.

The talent is there, but it's not on the field enough. Hopefully Watkins can stay healthy.

I assumed the OP meant after Watkins' contract was up after next season. He has his option year, but a long term deal is usually done prior to that. I can't see giving him a long term deal if he can't stay healthy. In fact, one season of health might not be enough - if we even get that. The dead cap is due to his salary being guaranteed next season. I don't think anyone is thinking we'd get rid of him before the end of his rookie deal.

1. Tyrod is the best on the roster, but he's not good enough or worth his upcoming contract. He's a high end backup or bridge starter, no more. Time to part ways since he won't be signing with the Bills when his options is not picked up. 2. Can't speak to this. I didn't bother watching the game. 3. Correct. I am still amazed any Bills fan could've thought EJ wasn't the answer over the last couple seasons. 4. Yup. Cardale is raw. Keep working with him and don't freaking rush him. 5. Yes again. Rex's failure to adapt his scheme to his talent was his greatest failure here. 6. I hope not - and I disagree that he's regressed. Gilmore is a quality corner. Him leaving would be a big hole to fill. 7. Dareus is a big disappointment. The team's inability to hold him accountable is on Whaley and the contract he was given. 8. Probably true. I don't think Watkins wants to be here and I don't think he'll be worth keeping I'd he can't prove he can stay healthy. Big disappointment. 9. Whaley: Producing an average roster at playoff prices. 10. Couldn't agree more. I'd love a complete housecleaning.

So close....

Sold my EJ stock years ago.

I'm looking for a QB who can be serviceable for a short time at a reasonable contract while the team looks for its future at the position. I'll stop worrying about players' contracts when there's no longer a salary cap. If the Bills retain Taylor, then it's $40.5M over two seasons taken away from the rest of the roster. This team has 23 free agents. I have no desire to watch a few of the better ones walk so as to keep Taylor. Retaining him also means that there won't be a focus on finding his replacement. Can you imagine paying him his extension and then taking a QB in the 1st or 2nd round of the draft this season? That'd be totally incompetent. No way do I want to make the leader of the 31st passing offense my QB for the next 2+ seasons. That'd be incompetent too. He had his chance. He didn't succeed at the level he needed to. It's over. The team has made its decision and he won't be here next season. Time for you to catch up to the reality of recent events.

So if I'm reading this right, King is suggesting that the Bills improve their success with first round picks by trading one for Sam Bradford. Sometimes your head just explodes.

That decision won't be impacted by this game. EJ wouldn't stay in Buffalo even if we were dumb enough to want him to.

Then I'd think that the Jest did a better job of tanking today than we did.

Find the best of a very questionable bunch to hold down the fort while you draft (or trade for) a QB every year until you find your guy. Foles is likely to be the best available FA (if his option isn't picked up by KC). Moving on from Tyrod is because he isn't good enough and he's not worth close to his upcoming contract. Moving on from EJ is because he's a total reclaimation project right now and even if he was any good he wouldn't come back to Buffalo after all that's happened here.

I tried to vote "All power to hypnotoad!" but couldn't find it.

That's really what I'm afraid of. I was hoping for a total house cleaning, but it looks like they're just going to clean up a couple of the rooms most guests see.

Obviously that's not what I mean. Some examples: If you've got CBs that play zone much better than man. then you should probably play a lot more zone than man. If you've got a defense stacked with players that excel at a penetrating, one gap, aggressive style of defense, then you probably want to run mostly that rather than run a more passive two gap, read and react style.

I'm frustrated by the mindset of many posters on this forum as well as many Bills fans in general. I understand how the playoff drought weighs on people. I really do. But it seems like that's the only goal in sight for some. I'm not interested in the playoffs unless it's an intermediate step toward a possible championship. If a player or coach is good enough to slip into the playoffs as a wildcard, but has no real hope of helping the team to a championship, then I'm not interested. I don't want a mirage. I don't want 10-6 followed by a 1st round playoff loss and then more years of mediocrity. I'd honestly rather take some chances at greatness and watch them flame out than play it safe to the point of the downside being slightly below mediocrity and upside being something just above that. Just my 2¢.

I disagree with you're main premise. Sure, players need to try to adapt to whatever they're asked to do, but that doesn't always translate to success. It's a coaches job to maximize his talent. Rex did not do that here. He ran his system and it failed with the players he had. The same players flourished under Schwartz and his system, which were obviously a much better fit.

Yup. Penalties and rewards are given out fairly and the only factor is how well the player is performing. No favoritism based on salary or who brought the player in. Dog it and you're going to lose playing time, get fined/suspended, be benched or even be traded. Commit stupid penalties or do something else that hurts the team and see the list above. If you work hard, keep your nose clean and improve, then you'll earn opportunities. A lot has been made of Rex in that he doesn't hold his players accountable. He hasn't. But he's gone now and there is some concern with Whaley in this regard. The new coach will be a bit hamstrung with some of the top paid players in this regard. Dareus' contract has been particularly concerning. With all of the guarantees and early money there's just not much the team can do when he screws up. I hope we don't see another contract like that going forward.

Thanks for digging up and posting the info in this thread, Bobby.

Dunno. I'm game to play. The stats surprise me a bit, but I don't know where he rates against the field on any of those. He gets compared to 1 or 2 other QBs on each aspect, but there's no indication of a ranking. His total stats are noticeably worse so if the link is accurate, then his outside the pocket stats must be horrible. He doesn't pass the eye test with me either. His passes are generally not accurate - and I'm not just talking about the incompletions and interceptions. Those that are caught are generally not placed where they should be. And lastly, e's not utilized as a passer nearly as much as a typical NFL QB. He's not seeing the defenses that a typical QB sees. With the Bills running so much he doesn't see defenses keying on pass coverage like most QBs do. If he threw more, his QB rating and similar stats would not be as good as they are. Lynn is aware of all of this. His lack of confidence in Tyrod has been evident. I can't tell you how many times I've seen Tyrod pass on opportunities to audible out of man coverage and 8 in the box. The throws have been there so many times, but he either didn't take the opportunity or he wasn't allowed. It was one of the most frustrating things about watching the Bills this season. Well, that and watching Tyrod take forever to get out most of his passes.

You're assuming Lynn is getting the HC job and then putting a longtime HC in as his DC. Man, that'd be rough on him. He'd always be looking over his shoulder. Fisher won't want the job anyway. He can milk his contract extension for a couple years until a primo job opens.

Gotta be honest, I see Taylor as between average and terrible. (Spoiler alert! There are also below average QBs.) He's helped by his running, but that's not sustainable and his passing game is seriously lacking. Both recognition and accuracy (except for his deep, sideline pass) are substantially below average. So is his ability to consistiently throw from the pocket.

I agree on all counts, but I don't think it's in the cards for Tyrod to be a bridge here. He's going to want to move on to the highest bidder after the Bills don't pick up his option. That's not going to be the Bills. It's very difficult for a guy who wa slimed up to be the long term answer to step back into a bridge role for the same team. Too much controversy and too many bad feelings. Just look at the reaction from many fans to what is coming to light. Honestly, it's not fair to him either.