RuntheDamnBall

We are very close to cutting him. According to sources DEEP WITHIN.

As in, if you are down 4 linebackers, he'll get to play.

Dooooooomed.

Keep Fred and let him be our Kevin Faulk. If he leaves he'll join the Pats in the playoffs.

Really, we're not going to give him the same kind of money? Shocked.

I don't think we'd be getting all that excited had we just traded for Chad Henne. going by the numbers, they're not that far off. The one thing I will say that Cassel has going for him is that he has performed adequately on a team that actually has a plan. I will still say that the best shot this team has is with an improved EJ, but I'm not fanboy enough to bet on that scenario. Cassel is a better plan B than Kolb was.

really, its not like we traded Mario Haggan's busted ass to them or something. Alonso is an asset.

It was only better because another pick was invested and panned out (Brown), and Bradham had a huge year of development. And another LB (Spikes) was brought in - he's gone. Let's not act like Kiko was holding the D back. If anything, it could have been even better with him.

Is this the same Greg Cosell who forecast great things for Ryan Nassib? Sounds like a douche.

Trent Edwards was the most overrated player in franchise history. Kiko was actually decent. The defense got better because Bradham came into his own and Preston Brown was a strong addition. It's not like losing Kiko made the team better. I remain on the fence because of the financials, not because of the players -- Shady is clearly the better one at present.

Right. I do wonder how much they want to invest in the position. Logistically speaking, I also don't know how the salary cap works if you've got two $5MM / year QBs and intend to cut one before the year opens. Can you carry an "over cap" roster into camp and trim it down by season's beginning, or do you always have to remain under?

While true, they only control him for one year -- same as what would have happened with Orton, of course, unless he would have extended. They could have built in a little more cushion with a FA. That said, this trade says to me that they hope EJ can win the job, and that if he doesn't, they're going to revisit their options in 2016.

Still would have preferred only spending money on Matt Moore.

Does this mean anything, and do we have any evidence, or is this just a rant?

Oh, I don't think he was a complete player in year one, but he made a lot of game-changing plays and I don't think that can be discounted. That said, you're right, on defense it is in Rex we trust, and I don't know about you, but I take comfort in that.

I think it can be debated. Alonso shined in Pettine's defense, which is closer to Rex's than to Schwartz's. He could have been useful. Also, Alonso is worlds cheaper than McCoy. We're paying McCoy a lot wile running back is generally a cheap and expendable position in today's NFL. McCoy has a lot of tread on the tires as well - most carries the past two years, and he is just a couple years short of the timeline where most RBs start to lose their edge. At the end of the day if we get elite play from McCoy, nothing else matters. But I think it's worthy of debate.

I'd be happy to see them draft someone and have a true competition between him, EJ, and Moore, best man wins. It wouldn't be anything fancy and it would still leave open the option for looking for something better for 2016. But I think we need to be realistic in our expectations unless some QB equivalent of this McCoy trade comes along. Sanchez scares me because he will play just well enough before coughing the game up. Locker is EJ with another year of middling play under his belt. The other options are all pretty meh.

Nailed it. For me it's about cost-production ratio. The monetary cost + losing Kiko means a lot of resources are invested in McCoy. Conversely, Kiko produces a LOT at a low cost. Now, if he doesn't come back fully from the injury, maybe that's a little bit different. I don't understand, if they had the money, why they wouldn't throw it at Murray and keep Kiko. This seems at the very least to be a move that could have waited till FA opened, so they could test those waters.

Thank goodness there is yet another place for people who don't like EJ Manuel to empty their bowels.

Mmmm, turnovers.

3 year deal is ludicrous. Also, this is proof of how QB-starved the league is, and it should clarify how insane it would be to cut Manuel outright.

I have no idea how one can fully evaluate the situation without having been in any practice or gameday setting with the player. Rex and Roman haven't. You'd have to think he's worthless - i.e. cannot be a backup - to let him go right now. It's asinine considering where this team has found itself with regard to injuries and otherwise.

It makes less than zero sense. It would be TJax all over again, except about 10x worse. Please, please do not let this be true.

That figure, coupled with the fact that there is nothing better on the roster is precisely why I doubt this.

Warner was definitely dealing with injuries with the Giants. Schaub looks to me to have seriously lost arm strength - which was never his strong suit - and it's compounded by a lack of confidence out there. If I were a betting man, I would not bet on the man.