BarleyNY

No, it would still go on 2016 accounting - even the first prorated portion of the signing bonus. If they did something for him during the year they could give him a split signing bonus though. That'd mean he'd get a portion of it (something the Bills could afford) immediately and then the rest at the start of the league year. He'd have the security of his long term deal, some extra cash in hand and the knowledge another big chunk of cash was coming in a few months.

While I agree that the NFL minimum salary should be raised, it would have to be phased in over time. Those huge deals that assume current minimum salaries can't be redone. If league minimum became $1M overnight a slew of teams would move over the cap and into cap hell immediately. It would have to be raised a little bit each year until it got to where they wanted it.

14th is about right IMO. That's where they finished last season if you go by draft slotting (they're 14th if you count draft order from 32 to 19). WTF is the Hogan BS, though? Why does the entire Bills write up have to be about the Cheatriots?

I'd want something more than giving TT warm and fuzzy feelings for a salary bump. It's not like the Bills can't tag him - or that his 2016 salary plus the 2017 tag isn't less than what he's looking for with a new deal. I'd think the Bills would be inclined to give him a moderate deal, but it seems like he wants a big contract. I respect the man for betting on himself because you don't get it both ways. If he does, well, then I'd wager all the bad feelings will be gone when he signs his big deal and gets his big signing bonus in the offseason. If not, then he lost that bet on himself and he signs somewhere else for backup money - and the Bills saved some money.

They could probably find a way to fit an extension under the 2016 cap since first year cap hits often can be minimized, but they still shouldn't do it. I'm not sold on Taylor and even if I was I still wouldn't want him extended yet. He's very cheap this season and even if he earns a big contract in 2016 the money saved by only paying him $3M in salary this season will go a long way toward any increases he earns for a long term deal.

This thread has turned into pure gold

Imagine what those same media personalities would be saying in 9 months if the Bills paid Taylor large only to find out that he showed his ceiling in 2015. Just know this: The national media's perception of a team or player is almost solely based upon the success of that team or player. Teams that do precisely the same things are looked at very differently and the reason is solely their track record. The perception of the Bills will change only when they start winning. Every team (with the exception of some of the large market teams) is treated the same in this regard.

Benjamin Allbright ‏ @ AllbrightNFL 23m 23 minutes ago Not exactly popular opinion on Twitter to right now, but I'll stake my rep on Wentz being the best QB from this class. Cardale might be #2 Here are his QB rankings: Benjamin Allbright ‏@AllbrightNFL Feb 27 QB Spreadsheet will remain pinned for duration of draft season. My work 2008-2016: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1_-SienfT3umX0HKxRyQqyXM9BqHrotdcQA6W-V_pDiY/edit?usp=sharing… That spreadsheet goes back for a number of years. Interesting opinions from a guy who still does his own work and doesn't just parrot the prevailing opinion. (And, yes, Tyrod is on there from the 2011 draft.)

Exactly, Yolo. It's best to go into a draft with as few glaring needs as possible. Biermann isn't going to the Pro Bowl, but he can be useful to an NFL team.

I didn't see them either. Just trying to figure out who this guy is. There's not much out there on him.

Dug this up on him. Looks like a depth and run package guy: http://www.sportstalkatl.com/the-good-and-the-bad-atlanta-falcons-season-pff-ratings/ Kroy Biermann (58.4) #80 Edge Defender overall- Biermann has been another guy Falcons fans love to hate. He is nothing special as a pass rusher, but actually graded out really well as a rush defender at (87.6). However, Atlanta is starving for guys who can get after the quarterback, and Bierman is clearly not that. I doubt Bierman is in a Falcons uniform to start next season.

It's a logical change IMO. I always thought having to designate at the time of IRing a player was kinda dumb.

Not worth what the FO should have been able to do with those picks, but definitely worth what the FO would have done with those picks. Why keep obsessing? It's over. Move on.

Doesn't the defense getting themselves off the field and preventing opposing offenses from having sustained drives matter precisely as much as the Bills offense sustaining drives (if not more)? Last season the Bills offense improved from the previous season and the defense got worse from the previous season. Also, I agree that 28-32 minutes TOP is basically a wash.

Right now there's less talent on the Bills defense than there was last season. There's still the draft ahead - and maybe some cutdown pickups - but I highly doubt that there'll be as much talent on defense as last season. Any improvement over last season will have to come from the development of players, better luck with injuries, better fit of players to scheme and familiarity of players with the scheme. A net improvement is possible, but my money is on seeing everything net out to a middle of the pack defense again.

I'd like to see the Bills trade EJ, too. McCown would be a good backup and I'm sure he's on the trade block, but I don't see Cleveland having any interest in EJ. They have RG3 as their reclaimation project and will draft a rookie QB. There's just no room for another QB project on that roster. Maybe EJ somewhere for a pick and a pick to the Browns for McCown though. Probably talking late rounders in both cases.

Agree on a trade being a good idea if the Bills are looking for a RT. It seems like the guys who could be expected to start right away will be gone by the time the Bills pick in the second. A trade up in the second might be the ticket. 19 seems like a nice spot for a LB. 49 is close enough that an OT might fall or only require a slight trade up.

Very true. But you'd like your guys to be serviceable. An upgrade is sorely needed.

Hue wanted him. People make too much of analytics and the Browns. It's a fun and easy narrative for the media to put forth, but thinking they're run by a room of nerds crunching numbers isn't accurate.

Dalton and the Bengals would have likely done well in the playoffs last season had Dalton not been injured. The dropoff when he was out of the lineup last season was telling. His stat totals were down due to being out with injury, but his QB rating was 106.2 last season, which was Hue's second with him. Prior to that it never broke out of the 80s. Seems like that improvement in Dalton certainly could have been due in part to Hue. And I made a point to say there were no guarantees that this group would pull it off, only that their strategy of a ground up rebuild was correct. Care to comment on what I actually wrote? The previous regime was at fault for not extending players when they still had time on their contracts. Mack should have been hit with the exclusive rights tag instead of transition tag two years ago. That would have led to a long term deal with the Browns instead of them having to match a contract with an opt out. Schwartz, Benjamin and Gipson could have all been extended last offseason as well.

You don't think Dalton improved under Jackson? I sure do. Simply from a choking/not choking in big games perspective it seemed huge. Now maybe that was just him growing up and Jackson happened to be there, but he seemed vastly improved last season. The Browns are doing a full, ground up rebuild with a big focus on building through the draft and retaining players. Notably, the players lost this offseason were largely due to the failings of the previous regime. Expect to see good players getting extended prior to reaching free agency with this regime. It will take time and there's no guarantee it'll be executed well, but it's the right way to try to turn the Browns around.

Yup. And waiting is the right move anyway. I hope TT earns that big deal, but if I am Whaley there's no way I'd give him the deal he wants until/unless he earns it. If TT regresses - or even fails to progress - this season, then the people calling for a big extension will be singing Whaley's praises for avoiding what would have been an incredibly damaging contract.

He turned the Bengals offense around. He did it in large part by turning Andy Dalton from a scared, bottom tier starting QB into a very successful one. Dalton's injury was what held that team back from doing more in the playoffs. Oh, and the Bengals built their team precisely like the Browns are planning on rebuilding theirs. The big question is whether or not the owners, Dee and Jumpsuit Jimmy Haslam, will have the patience to see it through.

Oh, yeah. That's totally realistic.

That is outstanding work.