BarleyNY

I don't know about that. Why is it automatically assumed that Wood can play guard well? Also that isn't the whole equation. Mack is going to get a huge contract. How are the Bills going to afford all of those players? Mack is looking at $10M per year, RI is in line for $5M-$6M per year and Glenn is looking at $11M+ per year. How the hell would the Bills make that work? And, yeah, first year hits can be minimized somewhat, but how about everything beyond that? Plus there is the very real possibility that Wood can't be effective at RG.

As a lifelong Browns fan and much more recent Bills fan I'd say you're probably correct. But it really all comes down to what's worse for you personally. Is it the illusion of hope and opportunity for improvement or the despair of hopelessness? The Browns used to be the best of the best (worst of the worst?) in the former category. I used to joke that hope was part of the curse because without it there could be no soul-crushing letdown and fall into despair. But those days are gone. Now it just seems hopeless for the Browns. Even with the very real possibility that Hue Jackson can be a force of positive change and help turn the team around. No, it's believe-it-when-I-see-it time in Cleveland. The Bills still give their fans hope, but they really havent delivered anything beyond mediocrity (or worse) in a long time. Still, there's such a close margin between 8-8 and making the playoffs at 10-6 I don't blame the fans for getting excited. But I've seen that in Cleveland and I'm admittedly jaded. I no longer look for what could go right for a team or what genius I'm missing in their plan. I no longer assume competence or functionality. But I don't assume the worst either. I'm pretty emotionless about it all, except on game day when just about anything can happen. I really try to see the logic in situations and work through them that way. Usually there's a lot of grey and I've had my mind changed a number of times recently. I guess my takeaway is this: What's worse? Seeing things as so bad that you really don't get worked up about them anymore or getting excited and hopeful only to have those hopes and dreams repeatedly crushed? Make that choice for yourselves.

Mack wants to be the highest paid center in the NFL - and he likely will be with his next deal. Thats way too rich for the Bills and, quite frankly, why would the Bills go after someone to replace the best offensive lineman they have signed for the 2016 season?

I don't think that's correct. Where are you seeing that rule? This is all I found that addresses repeated tags of the same player. It says it is allowable and gives a 3 year running example: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/02/15/nfl-franchise-tag-rules-and-the-top-candidates-to-be-tagged-in-2016/

I think he might be yanking everyone's chain.

I was really impressed by Darby. He was a steal that I didn't see coming, but Whaley knew it. Williams looks like an excellent find in the fourth as well. The article way overrates Miller though. He's only a year in, but he hasn't shown me he will stick in the NFL. Still, with no first round pick Darby and Williams make it an excellent draft all by themselves.

Thanks. Yes. They could release higher priced players, but the lowest paid ones roll out of the Top 51 automatically. Until final cut down day at least. Then all players count.

His original post (and some others) were a little confusing. I was just trying to clarify that teams actually can't go over the cap. They can be set up to go over in a future year, but have to be in compliance before that league year starts. Not trying to nitpick, just clarify.

Rhino (and others) are correct. The Bills Rookie Pool will be about $5M (unless some major wheeling and dealing is done). But they don't need $5M to sign them. Each rookie will displace another player (Rule of 51). Each displaced player's salary will be about $500k and the Bills have 6 picks. $5M-(6x$500k)=$2M. The Bills will need to have $2M in effective cap space to sign their rookies. http://overthecap.com/draft/

Anyone else think that Mathis' one year, $2.5M deal with Denver just MIIIIIIGHT have been a little bit about ring chasing?

No, teams can't. Teams are PROJECTED to be over the cap for the following league year, but must be under the cap prior to the official start of league year. That date is March 9th this year. The only exception is that if a player is released and the termination of the contract puts a team over, then that team has 7 days to get back under. The team cannot sign any additional players until it does.

If he had 16 sacks I think he'd have been very happy with the scheme. That's true. It's a crying shame to see so much talent wasted under Rex & Co.'s scheme. That's the cause of decline for Mario and most of the rest of the defense. The only thing worse than watching that would be to watch the team pay players astronomical amounts of money and then waste their talents. If Rex isn't changing his scheme and he isn't going anywhere, then players like Mario have to go. The problem is that some other vey talented players that are making huge money, but don't fit the system can't be let go for years. It's like watching a trainwreck in slow motion.

All OL are grouped together as one position for tag purposes.

You can theoretically tag a player indefinitely, but it quickly becomes unrealistic. A player gets either the average of the top players at his position or a 20% raise over their previous season's pay, whichever is GREATER.

Why? Take a little looksee at his contract and tell me what he's worrying about - and be sure to read the text with all of the guarantees he got. The man got paid ridiculously well and he got it guaranteed: http://overthecap.com/player/marcell-dareus/1830/

They might even get disinvited to the annual owners' sleepover.

There is no luxury tax in the NFL. Penalties include fines and forfeiture of draft picks. Washington and Dallas lost cap space for violating the NFL "guidelines" in the one uncapped year we had recently. That was really just to try to make up for what they gained though. Furthermore a team that is already over the cap couldn't sign any addition players since all contracts have to be approved by the league. And then there is the draft. Every team must have the league minimum salary available in cap space for each pick it makes, or it doesn't get to make the pick. (That draft rule is old, but I think it is still in effect. I'm positive on the rest.)

Yeah, I agree on everything except I still think it's a real possibility that RI signs before free agency starts. Word was that he did a good job burning through what he made previously so he's looking for the money that's going to last him for the rest of his life right here and now so, yes, guaranteed money will certainly be huge. Also the tag on Glenn seems like it is inevitable. Hopefully they get a long term deal done after they tag him. I think he meant donut hole like at Dunkin Donuts - the little donut bite. Yeah. It could be for a lot of reasons: - they're far apart and he wants teammates, friends, etc. to put pressure on RI to drop his demands - they're close and Whaley wants to get the deal done now and on his terms I don't think it works well in this case either way. RI needs the money so I think that rules the day - besides, this is what agents are for. He does seem to be an emotional guy at times and public negotiating can push those buttons, though. It'd be a shame to lose RI as he's the Bills' best offensive lineman right now. I'll say it again, the Bills only had three OLmen that really should have been starting in the NFL last season - Glenn, RI and Wood. They have to keep those three together if reasonably feasible.

Actually it's difficult to argue that it wasn't a combination of scheme and his contract. Statistically the defense as a whole took a big step back. Individually that was the same case. I haven't seen one decent argument that refutes it.

I didn't think either played particularly well, but I didn't see much of Cro. I'm assuming Rex thinks he can perform well in his defense, which he is very familiar with. You never know with players unless you have real inside info. Cro still seems a bit too young for that big of a fall off. Maybe he played dinged all year. Maybe he didn't fit the defensive scheme. Obviously if he's done, then he's done. You do him a favor and feign interest and leave it at that. Leo was awful at times, too. I saw him make some very nice plays at times though. I remember rewinding (at least twice) to double check to make sure it was him after some nice plays when he was starting due to injuries. So there is potential there, but his inconsistency was troubling. Of course, all of the disclaimers for Cro go for McKelvin as well. Was he dinged? Did he just get down on himself for his absolutely abysmal performance returning kicks (may we never see that again!)? Dunno. I will leave it to the people with the pertinent information to make the decisions on these two. I was just trying to see the possible paths that might get taken and why.

That's fine, but that is probably about where the situation stands. He's made $44M over his career so I can't see him taking some low rent deal unless he is ring chasing. (And just so I'm clear, Buffalo is not a destination for that in 2016.) Word is that McKelvin will take a pay cut, but I have no idea whether his idea of a pay cut and Whaley's are in the same ballpark. If you'd be upset paying Cromartie $4M for a year, just look at what McKelvin is marking. That'll really make you queasy.

It's common practice for teams to assign money/cap ranges or limits for position groups. How strictly they adhere to those ranges/limits varies.

QBs are very rarely built the same as your typical safety, WR, etc. 215 pounds can look very different on different people and I can't think of one successful QB who had the musculature of most NFL safeties. Brady Quinn did, but after he bulked up he couldn't throw a pass.

He was set to make $8M this season with the Jets. He's certainly not worth that, but he's going to get a lot more than vet minimum (just under $1M). $1M is nothing for a CB, especially considering he'd be a top 3 CB on the team. Heck, why would he even play for that? He can just wait around and see what playoff bound team needs a CB late in the season for that kind of money.

Been thinking on this. I stand firm on the vet minimum being way too low for Cromarte. Relationship or not, he's not giving up millions of dollars at the end of his career to play on the Bills for Rex. But maybe that isn't it at all. McKelvin's release would free up $3.9M in space. I could see Cromarte coming in for about that. That'd be a hell of a trio of CBs with Gilmore and Darby. It isn't going to hurt negotiations with Gilmore either.