Luxy312

Good article Yolo. It will be interesting to see how opposing teams adjust. I would have to imagine having a spy somewhere near the line and trying to take away the over the top long ball that Tyrod was so good at last year.

For me, it has to be Jim Kelly. His ability to tough it out was unmatched. I loved Bruce Smith, but he missed PLAYOFF games because of the flu. Sorry, but the flu should not stop a player from a playoff game.

If he could stay healthy, I do think he would be worth that much. None the less, my understanding is that Norman has missed just as many games as Gilmore has and is in that range. So why wouldn't he be in that discussion? Hard to say IMO. When he's on the field, he's an every down corner you want on your opponent's #1 WR.

You know that unless the salary cap ceases growing that this is basically going to happen every year, right? With roster sizes constant; a CBA agreed league minimum based on experience; and a requirement for teams to spend 97.5% of whatever the cap is; they're going to keep signing bigger and bigger contracts for talented players at key positions. Is Fletcher Cox better or more valuable than Marcel Dareus? It's debatable of course, but last year's $95m with $60m guaranteed seemed big at the time for Dareus. Cox now getting $102.6m with $63.3m to me is simply that escalation taking the expected form. At the end of the day, I think 9-figure contracts with $50m+ guaranteed are going to be the norm for teams best players. It's what the market is paying.

Watkins, obviously, is the #1 if he's healthy. There isn't another WR on the team even close to his ability. Based on the rhetoric right now in OTA's and mandatory camp, Robert Woods appears to be the clear #2. Is Dez White's stock rising? Given that we're hearing about him and almost nothing of many of the other guys, I would say so. We're hearing about him from the coaches. Little, Boykin, Hankerson, and Salas, not so much noise. Not a whole lot for the rookie and Goodwin is only in the news as an Olympic hopeful. If Lewis is he #3 right now, that's great news. It's further than he was last year for sure. I'll take all the positive reports though with a grain of salt. Let's see them suit up in the preseason before we pass judgement.

My perspective on this is pretty simple. If he were somewhat middling in his performance in the long jump, I would say cut him. Why would you keep a player on the roster that you know isn't likely to medal, that's not fully participating in offseason work? He's not though. He's made the two longest jumps so far this year of anyone that has hopes of winning Gold for the U.S. Is he going to be behind in terms of learning plays, calls, etc.? Absolutely. He's not going to compete in the Olympics and then simply take the field. I feel here though that Rex is making the right call.

There is insurance available to athletes to cover their lost compensation in the event that they're hurt. It's expensive, but it's available. Perhaps the most famous NFL player that cashed in on the same was Mike Utley when he was paralyzed in a freak accident on the field. He got paid by insurance instead of being paid by the team.

In the case of BOTH of these guys, they're not even doing that. They're refusing to sign a franchise tag tender. They're not holding out on a contract that they already signed in the past. I understand the purpose of the franchise and transitional tags, but maybe it's time the NFL thinks about getting rid of it. Negotiate the extension before your deal is up or the player goes to free agency. A little more of supply and demand.

Love the slip up. "He didn't learn sh-- from me". LOL

I've wondered why they don't run more 2 TE sets as well. Even if we're not running the ball, the old "block and release" as a receiving option would at least give Tyrod more target options when Watkins is being doubled or worse. I get that about Clay and blocking, but you don't pay him that amount of money for that. That's all.

Get out of my head C.Biscuit.....lol.

The question of why not Clay always pops into my head. Isn't he getting a pretty fat check, such that he should be more than a 50 for 500 and 3 TD guy?

They're not so different. Today, Von Miller posted "I love my Teammates, Coaches, and My Fans" but there is "No Chance" I play the 2016 season under the Franchise tag." on Instagram. Guess we will see what happens.

I think you're spot on C.Biscuit. If I'm playing against the Bills, I have a safety deep over Sammy on every play. I probably mix up having a linebacker (quickest one possible) spy Taylor for the potential run.

He's not complaining about the system at all. He's operating within the parameters of it. He can hold out until Week 10 and then sign it and get full credit for the season if he wants to. He would make $6.9m as a pro-rata salary, but that's an option afforded by the parameters of the CBA. Any of us fans that selectively suggest that he should just "shut up, sign and play" are simply ignoring the CBA. The Jets have options as well. They can elect to see what their defense looks like without their best player last season for the first 9 games of the season or maybe even the entire year. They can give him a new deal and move on. Many in the history of the NFL have held out in the last year of a contract that they've significantly outperformed. Most have gotten a deal done. Some have played under their tag and others have been traded. The Jets can give him a new deal, but will they? Time will tell.

I've often wondered what a guy like Bobby Knight would have done if he had applied his coaching acumen to football. I would say the same thing about Phil Jackson at the pro level. Of course if you have to keep it football, I'm taking Knute Rockne. 122 games coached and he won 105. That's pretty ridiculous.

Wrong. He can and is. He hasn't signed his tender, which he doesn't have to do. That's party of the CBA that he agreed to as well.

The salary cap has been rising 7-10% per year. It's directly tied to total NFL revenue. Teams are REQUIRED to spend 97.5% of the salary cap. Fletcher Cox just signed a 6-year extension for $102.6 million with $36.3 million fully guaranteed. $63.3 million is guaranteed for injury. Can you blame Wilkerson for wanting a contract in lieu of the franchise tag at $15.7 million? At the end of the day, it comes down to the NFL being a business. The average lifespan of an NFL player's career is less than 3 years. Their goal is (and should be) to make as much money as possible as quickly as possible. Wilkerson is one of the best 3-4 DE's in football and in the prime of his career. He's more than due for a big payday.

You mean like Peerless Price did? His first 3 seasons in the NFL he had 138 total catches for 2,050 yards (average 46 for 683 yards) and then went for 94 and 1,252 and 9 TD's. To be fair, that was Drew Bledsoe slinging the ball all over the place in 2002 and I think he had 1,000 more passing yards than Taylor did last year. There's obviously a limited number of guys that can be 1,000 yard receivers when your QB is only throwing 3,300 yards for the entire season.

I'm with JohnC here. I do believe the Jets are comfortable with Geno Smith. Every indication from mandatory minicamp and OTA's support this as well. They're not splitting first team reps among the three QB's. Geno is getting all the first team work while Hackenberg and Petty are splitting the rest. Bowles has come out and said he doesn't have a deadline and that he'll just get the other guys ready to play. His actions (not lip service) support his statements. As far as Tyrod being the same as Fitzpatrick, that's complete nonsense. A guy that just signs a 3 year deal and starts his first year in the NFL is not the same as a guy that's played 10 average seasons in the NFL before having 1 good year that's a free agent.

I will say he's a solid #2 and a heck of a #3 when you need a CB in nickel or dime packages though.

I like McKelvin, but if he's your #1 CB, your secondary is in trouble. I don't care if he's familiar with Schwartz system or not.

I would be surprised if they simply cut him. If kept, he's counting $8.7M against the cap this year. If they simply cut him, they immediately eat $6.6M in prorated guaranteed money, saving only $2.1M in cap space. If they trade him, he has 3 years left on his deal for $6.50M, $6.75M, and $6.75M over the next 3 years. I'm not sure that I would make him a priority if I'm Buffalo. Right now, getting a new deal done for Gilmore and thinking about the potential to have to pay Tyrod next year is what I would focus on.

Bruce Smith showed up overweight every Spring. I'm not going to sweat it all that much until it's an issue on the field.

That is a hilarious WIN!