Dawgg

Great post -- and your 100% correct. Of course, you can't expect the "herd mentality" fans on this board to grasp this. They will side with the organization regardless of the situation.

He was never going to come back to Buffalo after they put him on IR. He was simply using them for negotiating leverage.

If the Bills had a credible replacement, he's have no leverage. Because they don't, he has plenty of leverage... and the Bills know it.

He's 27, hardly old for an OT.

He probably won't see a day of jail. Our society prefers to punish people who mistreat/kill dogs

Can't disagree with that. Peters is simply asking to be treated the same way as the team treated Schobel. As for extending Kelsay, that was a boneheaded move... and it's what forced the Bills to extend Schobel to begin with.

Schobel was nearing 30. Peters was just coming of age. Not only was Peters more valuable in terms of age, Peters was occupying a position (LT) that has been a major achilles heal for the Bills for the past decade. Your perspective is a nice one and it would be nice if it were a practical one... but that's just not how this business works. Just like the Bills can cut an underperforming player without honoring his entire contract (see: Dockery), a player can hold out if he feels he needs to use that leverage to improve his compensation. Is it good for the team? No. But sometimes, it's the only way to get your point across. The Bills took a gamble on Willis McGahee. They didn't take a gamble on Jason Peters. He skipped all voluntary workouts and was incommunicado the entire offseason. They knew what was coming, yet Marv opened the vault for Dockery. You see where that took the team! "Trying" doesn't count in football. The Bills gave Dockery the richest contract in Buffalo Bills history and he was a miss. Where's the accountability? Oh yeah, the entire front office was promoted.

He had no choice but to sit out because the Bills weren't even planning to entertain the notion of redoing his deal. By sitting out minicamps and all of training camp, he finally got the Bills to phone his agent and promise that they'd look into extending him after the season. He had no other leverage other than to hold out. See, the Bills voluntarily took care of Schobel with 3 years left on his deal. They didn't do the same for Peters. So Peters did the only thing he could do -- hold out. As for why he didn't sit out the season, why would he? He has a salary to collect and he's under contract. But he knew that he could sit out all of training camp, make the team sweat and not be penalized (the Bills probably wiped out his fines once he returned). Prices go up over time. That makes sense. I don't think Peters is holding out because "some guy" got more than him. The whole point is that Peters was signed when he was an up and coming right tackle. Now he's one of the better LEFT tackles in the league with 2 Pro Bowls. The compensation that he deserves is a multiple of his salary... not just a few bucks more. Is that why they cut Dockery 2 years later? The Bills were just flat out retarded to pay $100M to 2 average o-linemen. Could you not see this coming from a mile away? Of course Peters is going to be pissed! The Bills chose the wrong strategy. They should have drafted good linemen and taken care of Peters. Instead, they went on a spending spree and are caught off guard when Peters is upset with his level of compensation? They took care of Schobel in the exact same situation. I see no reason why they shouldn't take care of Peters. Schobel had 3 years left on his deal and was 30 years old when they invested $50.5M in him. It's an absolute no-brainer in terms of where you invest your dollars. It was a poor business decision by the Bills and they are now paying for it, as it blew up in their face. Dockery is gone despite a huge investment. Schobel couldn't even get on the field last year. Peters is unhappy. Like I said, they should have drafted his replacement last year if they were going to just sit on this contract. They didn't and they really have no choice but to pay up. They have too much invested in this year to suddenly go cheap at the most critical position on offense besides QB.

Nope. I trust Tim Graham's reporting. He wouldn't say that the bridge has been burned if he didn't have confirmation from his sources.

Thanks to Marv for a lot of things. Dick Jauron John McCargo Chris Kelsay... the list goes on.

That wasn't more than his market value. It was his market value. He simply got a raise. He was paid like a free agent undrafted tight end prospect and they brought his compensation in line with a starting right tackle. How is that above his market value? Bringing stability to the LT position that has been the achilles heal of the franchise for years? Going to 2 straight Pro Bowls? His play hasn't been perfect, but he's been an O-Lineman for a whole 3 years. He has a high ceiling and he's more athletic than most NFL tackles. He had no choice but to hold out. I find it funny that the Bills took care of Schobel even though he had 3 years left on his deal. Why did they do that? Because they re-signed Kelsay and the front office realized that they can't have Kelsay making more than Schobel. In the exact parallel situation, the Bills spent big money on inferior players like Dockery and Walker and didn't take care of Jason Peters when he, just like Schobel, had 3 years left on his deal. Why wouldn't he hold out? It's the only leverage he has. If the Bills were smart, they would have drafted Ryan Clady last year and painted Jason Peters in a corner. Instead, they made their bed. This is not the year to be f-ing with the LT position. He deserves to make the same money that Jordan Gross is making. End of story. This is the Bills' fault that they're in this position and it's time to pay up.

Yes, such as Tim Graham. Who does he think he is??? He's using Buffalo for leverage.

He will do it again when he is underpaid. It was the Bills who signed Dockery to a $67M contract despite the fact that he's not an elite player. It was the Bills who handed Schobel a huge contract extension (note: he had 3 years left on his deal). It was the Bills who paid Kelsay like a future star. All that money would have been better spent paying Peters, whose contract is significantly below the market value for tackles. I can't blame the guy for holding out given the kind of money the Bills spent on the O-Line for less capable players.

I agree that Peters is vastly overrated, but The Bills should have recognized that and drafted Ryan Clady last year. At this point, Peters has all the leverage in the world. Not only will no give up 2 first rounders for him, he now 2 Pro Bowls under his belt. The best option at this point is to cut Kelsay and use the savings to give Peters a sizable raise. The Bills made their bed with Jason Peters and now have to live with it. And BTW, though Peters is responsible for missing his block on that play, there's no excuse for JP not securing the ball!

Lead by example.

I guess that in and of itself is a reason to avoid drafting a safety in the Top 10 when you have other needs. Ed Reed would not look average on the Bills defense... that guy is a straight up freak. But I do agree that Whitner would benefit strongly with better talent around him. Thanks. Also have you heard anything on whether T.O. is going to get to wear #81? James Hardy currently wears that number for the Bills.

Tim, certainly agree that this is borderline obsessive and it's not nearly as big a deal as some make it. Having said that, I think what irks fans the most is that Mortensen was full of praise for Wilson during the Donahoe regime, but then suddenly reversed course and has been taking shots at the owner ever since his friend was fired. Any thoughts on Donte Whitner?

It sells more papers and boosts ratings when TO is painted in a negative light. I think TO will be a pleasant surprise for the Bills.

Tim, thanks as always. Does the Bills' brass realize that Donte Whitner has contributed more with his rhetoric than with his play on the field? Or are they still smitten by him as they were on draft day when they reached for him at #8 overall?

And that's why it was smart not to jump the gun in free agency. Thank you very much.

Right on. It feels weird to say this... but wow, the front office is doing a nice job for a change! Aside from signing Ryan Fitzpatrick, they have hit on all their offseason moves!

$6.5M isn't much for a receiver of TO's caliber. The Bills know that this move will pay for itself and then some. Let TO mania begin. Jerseys will fly off the shelf, media attention for the team will go through the roof, and the Bills will probably earn a few more primetime slots because of TO. The risks are minimal. Could they have forced his hand and gotten him for $1M cheaper? Sure... but why bother, particularly with a head case like Owens? You want him to be happy and you want him to play his as$ off. This deal is structured perfectly for him to do just that. Nice work, Brandon. Now don't F up the draft (again).

Agreed. It would be so nice to have a safety who doesn't get bowled over by the likes of Sammy Morris.

I love it. He'll put people in the seats.

They should have extended him. Had they approached it seriously a year before he hit the market, it would have been cheaper than 8yrs/$80M. Also the numbers for that contract are misleading and it's backloaded with money Nate will never see. Considering what they spent on a fatas$ like Dockery, Nate was well within the budget and should have been retained.