RuntheDamnBall

What a sad metamorphosis for this once-heralded talent. YEATS JUST WINS. THE SECOND COMING. That's precisely what we're hoping for. Keep Mao in football.

Would you come to work and risk injury on the premises without a contract (or at least some agreement regarding your employment)?

Also - could we see some of these reports of Russell Wilson overwhelming everybody at OTAs? My memory is that it was a pretty neck and neck (and neck) race among the three contenders until the preseason games came along, and even after that it was Flynn's injury that sealed the deal. Sounds like revisionist history to suit a narrative to me (which PFT is no stranger to).

Let me agree that he is not necessarily top 10, but I think he's easily top 18 and he gets good marks for the health and consistency. You simply need guys you can depend upon, and I think he has been that without a whole lot else happening around him (consistently).

Consistency and health (like SJ) are being underrated here. At least, that's what I'm arguing. I do agree that that's a bit of an arbitrary standard, but say we factor in those three guys. Still puts him in the company of 10 great receivers despite playing with the worst QB of the lot.

Some team is going to pay Byrd very, very well. I haven't heard a good argument yet about why it shouldn't be the Bills. What we forget about these "highest paid" contracts is that: 1) most players don't see the end of them without - getting cut for not living up to them (worst case), - restructuring (best case, means they want to fit others under the cap and he's a team player) - extending (also a good case) 2) somebody else will eclipse it in a matter of time. He is not going to cripple the team, given what we know about their financial and cap position. People want to say that bringing past signings like Mario or Fitz into this is folly; I disagree. What these show is that a big, perhaps even a bad contract can be offered and it won't set the team back any more than anything else. Good teams are the product of good drafting, re-signing your own, and shrewd FA pickups. The Bills need to continue on this track.

Could we actually best these guys in the division before enjoying a nice tall glass of Schadenfreude? Give me a !@#$ break. It is in our best interests to see Geno be just good enough to beat the Pats and Dolphins now and then, and I hate both teams exponentially more than the Jets. Maybe some of this is Smith's own doing, but I sincerely believe the media is locked and loaded for this guy because the Jets have been such an easy target the past few years and they don't want to give up the fun.

Jerry Rice was great until the end. These guys are both great receivers and Andre is actually only 32. Judge them on the merits. I do think Smith is getting up there in age but he is elite until proven otherwise.

I would LOOVE Garcon as a #2 here, for one. But this list is a dumpster fire. None of these guys biglukes listed could hold his own with Revis. Decker is a nice receiver but who doesn't look a little better with Peyton Manning throwing them the ball? I wouldn't take any of Torrey Smith, Randall Cobb, Jordy Nelson, Percy Harvin or Hakeem Nicks ahead of Stevie. Personally, I'd put Stevie below Wallace and in the neighborhood of Bowe and Cruz. Drop Nicks, Harvin and Nelson down, and call SJ somewhere between #16-18, which is where he belongs. I'll add that Steve Smith is really getting up there, Dez Bryant is always a step away from his next suspension, and Greg Jennings can't avoid injury. Colston is another good comparable for Stevie, and give Stevie the edge with youth. Can you imagine SJ on the Saints? Add about 4-500 yards per season and 4 TDs to his numbers.

All Dude wanted was his rug back.

I gotta hand it to you on that one. You knocked it out of the park.

Was Bruce Smith a me-first selfish bum? I wholeheartedly agree.

So all the receptions that a receiver makes that keep the team in the game, or all the ones that he accumulates in a decisive victory, are meaningless because of a couple of magnified missed opportunities?

We really need someone to start a photoshop meme of Branch and Lawson on a rollercoaster, Branch and Lawson whitewater rafting, Branch and Lawson at the Eiffel Tower, Branch and Lawson drinking from coconuts on the beach, etc.

Bruce Smith held out a few times if I recall correctly. He also had suspensions for substance abuse, DUIs, and didn't show up until he had to. He hated signing autographs for kids. Do we hate him? Is / was he a thug? Prima donna? Or, was he just kind of the best, at which point you deal with the idiosyncrasies when you have the best? Didn't realize Peters played quarterback or called offensive plays. One player can make some difference. Can't make all the difference. He does his job very well at a premium position. Could we get over it? I'm happy we have Eric Wood, just let it go.

Herein lies the problem. He is terrible at his job. I'll offer the same service for a tenth of the price, and I won't even come to work drunk or in sweats.

While I think this is fairly well-stated, I think Byrd is potentially a more important player than Mario Williams in this defense. If he gets the contract he is likely looking for, he would earn half of MW's salary, and that's if either of them even play out the length of the contract. Think about this for a minute. I don't think it's as simple, either, as to whether or not Byrd cares about that extra million more than he cares about the team. I am sure that every single one of his teammates would like to see him get the best deal possible, as lucrative deal precedents are good for all players. It's not like he has not earned this, that he's a guy like Maybin coming in on a big time rookie salary after having held out. Byrd had a decent, not outlandish rookie contract and has earned a big payday. Levitre did the same and moved on. The Bills do have a number of guys to think about in the future and I hope that part of their tactic will be to get Byrd to see the big picture including Wood (who has never been as healthy as Byrd, through no fault of his own), Spiller (who took time that Byrd didn't require to get up to "pro" speed) and these other guys they want to keep together. But if $8MM will get it done when they sit $2MM apart, wouldn't it be a giant shame for them not to come to an agreement? Hopefully both sides will budge to where they need to go. I'll add that it's often the guaranteed money that is a sticking point in these negotiations. Again, they gave Mario lots of it. But what do you do for your own guys who have already given you so much? Do you reward them? I think you should. PS: I wasn't devastated when we lost Peters. He was long gone by that point. They really needed to have come to an agreement a year earlier when a good-faith bargain was possible. Given how acrimonious the situation was, the haul they received in return was pretty good, and I like trading an All-Pro LT with some injury concerns for the possibility of a true leader on the OL at center. It hasn't quite worked out to plan for either side, but I think it's a fairer trade than most see it to be. To me, though, it's more of a situation where the Bills like to exhaust the value out of great cheap finds, and hope they can continue to have that combo of good fortune and foresight.

Nobody is saying that you can, man. That's my point. Nobody is saying that. I am saying we've already seen they didn't want to pay Levitre. You want to make the same case, I.e. they can't pay them all, with regard to Byrd, and I'm asking "when does it stop?" One can make the same argument over and over again. If they will only pay when desperate to make a splash and to reward good soldiers, they will continue down the same path of failure. Byrd is a piece this defense can use and he hasn't been demanding to this point. Without him they are backing themselves into another hole or starting another green player. Meanwhile, they wasted more than enough money on Ryan Fitzpatrick this past season to make up the difference between their position and Byrd's on this contract. While we're chatting, remind me who the affordable replacement for Levitre is? They might have him on the roster but you can't tell me they aren't taking a risk where one didn't exist before. $AVING$ I love the Bills, but they need to move on this one eventually, and to not retain another terrific player that they drafted is a pretty poor way to go about it.

Nice straw man.

:lol: :lol:

That stance would sit better with me if it were clear that the Bills had a budget and they were sticking to it - i.e. they would let Byrd go, but sign a competent replacement on the market for less while allocating their resources smartly. But the Bills have let very productive guys like Winfield, big Pat, and Greer go while giving raises to the likes of Kelsay and contracts to players like Merriman. This is something that needs to change if you're going to be competitive. They aren't saving money by letting these guys go, they're squandering it elsewhere. I'm sorry but the Bills are already selling a line by saying that they couldn't meet Levitre's price and afford their other players. Levitre is gone, and with him, the salary he would have commanded. In his place, we have... um, what, exactly? Hopes that someone else steps up, and $aving$! Tell me it won't be more of the same if they move Byrd. At least they haven't made a very special promise not to franchise him, so this is a step up from the Marv show. Aren't you getting a little tired of seeing the best talent leave this team, though?

Forget it, he's rolling.

I am not sure about the Bible, but it seems pretty reasonable to base one's opinions on those of Chuck Norris.

May have been shared already, but Pro Football Focus called him the 25th best player in the LEAGUE. (link from BB.com / Chris Brown) Weddle is the only safety ahead of him on the list (based on 2012 performance).

Actually, if Byrd played for the Pats, he'd be a superstar and probably have a couple of rings. They could have used a player like him. But carry on as a contrarian if it makes you feel better. It would just be nice to see you back it up with some evidence. Just about any serious NFL analyst with a pulse believes Byrd to be at the very least a very good, possibly great safety with potential to be in the upper echelon. Warren Sapp was a very good player in his day (which has past) and is a man whose judgment is suspect, to put it kindly. I think with a real DC calling the shots and evaluating the talent, the sky is the limit for Byrd. He is about to enter his prime. That is something you pay for. If he can be had for $8MM the Bills should do it.