BillsVet

Byrd will get what the market pays him, not what his worth is relative to another safety.

I hope Sullivan goes but it'll probably be Gaughan.

Not retaining him long term is an indication things are not good at OBD. Parker is tough in negotiations, but he's come to terms with teams on big deals before. Why then is there a problem with Buffalo and Parker's clients? Is Parker unreasonable or are the Bills. Given Buffalo's inability to sign two of his players and Parker's rep in the NFL community, I think the issue remains with the Bills.

Not much has changed since then. But they've used multiple high picks to replace Posluszny and Greer with varying results.

It is, though based on the state this team finds itself in. 5 straight seasons with double digit losses and a distinct inability to keep their better talent despite plenty of cap room. This, and now dysfunction in the front office as reported last week.

They already look weak to the rest of the league and league observers. Dealing talent like Peters, Lynch, and not coming to terms with Byrd illustrate this.

It would be interesting to see, if ever, how much of the contract was guaranteed. I haven't seen anything saying he'd walk away with 30M in guarantees and what the full terms of the contract were.

Good question. I'm interested to see if they spend in free agency and use a significant amount of that 25M (at this point) they have in cap room. History tells us they won't so we'll see.

Nothing like waving the white flag to Eugene Parker. That'll show potential free agents Buffalo means business.

I doubt he'd resign, hence Graham's story last week which emanates from the coaches and perhaps the front office types who are working with one hand tied behind their collective backs. Yes he did, but I doubt he received permission from Scott Berchtold to make this claim. After all, the tag means the team has to pay 8.4M, which is an expenditure not approved by the rest of the "old guard." This team can't even change out their training staff when they want, so paying the tag value has to probably get Littmann approval, not just the GM.

I'm sure Whaley could listen in if he wanted. But he's not involved in the negotiations. We can continue arguing semantics, but it doesn't make the situation anything but dysfunctional. The Cap guy reports to the Team president, not the GM.

The article that initiated a lengthy thread spells out that Brandon and Overdorf are in the room negotiating. Where the GM is remains unclear throughout the process. http://bills.buffalonews.com/2014/02/23/sources-disconnect-youngsters-lifers-bills-organization/ Per Graham: "Overdorf oversees all player contracts. Overdorf, not Whaley, will handle contract negotiations for Pro Bowl safety Jairus Byrd. Same as last year. Overdorf reports not to Whaley, but to CEO Russ Brandon." Disagree with Graham all you want. The GM isn't in the room during negotiations, but go on challenging Graham's reporting.

The fact that football people aren't allowed in the room during contract negotiations tells me all I need to know.

Yes. The idea any "cost savings" from not signing Byrd are spent elsewhere is garbage. That money is banked right back to Grosse Point Shores, MI. EDIT: And people wonder why the staff and possibly the football people are not happy. Their hands are tied behind their backs.

Retaining Byrd will very much be a business decision. Made by the two guys in the room negotiating a contract: Brandon and Overdorf.

Perhaps the Bills, as a prerequisite to signing Byrd, should require the player to run a 40 yard dash. If it's not 4.55 or faster they trade him for a pick and tell the world Byrd wasn't fast enough to play safety for them.

I find it ironic that those who support all things Bills and never criticize the organization still prefer to support senior management and not the coaching staff/personnel department in this issue. But, I guess the best away to avoid a report which strikes at the heart of what some believe is to merely disregard it as "trumped-up truths" from a writer we don't like. I would think the football people who get paid to, you know, win football games would be the side selected by those fans who believe in all things Bills.

If only Buffalo could take the lead in dead cap space from Carolina. Maybe the old guard can cut some players to create more dead cap and then the Bills will be first in something.

No one's refuted the report yet. Who is silent is seen to consent. At least the 49ers lied when it was reported there was discussion of Harbaugh going to Cleveland.

Well, it's time to put his money where his mouth is. Or rather, RW's money. Russ Smithers is between a rock and a hard place, but something tells me he'll slither out of it with slick marketing.

Anyone expecting major changes to result from a BN article are probably in for some disappointment. The franchise has been run this way for years and you can go back to the 70s to see things weren't much different than now in terms of organizational priorities. http://www.buffalorumblings.com/2011/7/20/2275370/buffalo-bills-ralph-wilson-john-rauch I know some will criticize Rauch because he wasn't successful, but that's not the point. While back then it was RW and his people who protected the cash flow, he has types like Littmann, Brandon, and Overdorf doing that for the Wilson family. The good 'ole boys concept is still alive and well.

What does Brandon get from siding with the Dougs by going after Littmann and Overdorf via this report? Aside from a big headache, nothing. The point is, Russ learned from Ralph, with the latter being very connected with Littmann. The announcement on 1/1/13 was nothing more than a re-arranging of the deckchairs on the Titanic. Nothing really changed that day and Russ never planned to deviate from the established management structure at OBD and in Detroit. Russ is part of the problem, not the solution.

They've tried conventional means and it didn't work. And who cares? The truth has come to light and it paints the top of the franchise as interested in profiting at the cost of on-field results. The OBD oligarchy is making decisions that are, in the opinion of veteran coaches, making it impossible to compete. And that's what I care about. The coaching staff knows what they're doing and it being unprecedented, indicates the desperation of the situation. Let's not conflate the argument. Pittsburgh has, over the past 10 years, drafted exceptionally and re-signed certain premium players while allowing others to hit UFA. Two SB wins indicate they're adept at managing personnel. Just off the top of my head they've re-signed guys like Roethlisberger, Harrison, Woodley, Timmons, Polamalu to large contracts, i.e. 30M or more deals.

Because all other options had been exhausted and, as with any franchise, the HC and then the GM are the first to go when the team doesn't win. And given that Marrone and Whaley have seen how real NFL franchises work, they know when they're not getting the resources to have a reasonable shot at winning.

That doesn't explain why the first story came out with regard to the training staff. That's got nothing to do with Parker.