more on Schobel

[Gabe Northern]

What is so hard to understand here? He's got 4 years and $27.5M remaining on his contract with an $8M payday due this year, he'll be 33 when the season starts, will have missed at least a week, if not 2 before he reports to a new team, and is an undersized 4-3 DE who has never played OLB in a 3-4. There is no market for someone like that.

 

I agree that there is no market RIGHT NOW. My argument concerns whether a deal could have been done in Jan-April 22 time horizon. Maybe a deal couldn't be done because of age/money. But your other points highlighted above don't make sense.

 

He doesn't HAVE to be traded to a 3-4 team. Indeed, I would suspect only 4-3 teams would have been interested. So this is a reason he doesn't fit with the Bills, not why he couldn't be dealt.

 

And the "missed at least a week, if not 2" is a reason why he can't be traded NOW. What's that got to do with whether he could have been dealt in, say, February?

[Gabe Northern]

That's if he reports. According to the bills.com article I linked this afternoon, AS isn't going to do that to the team. He's retired.

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

Yep.

 

My argument is directed at those who think he'll be traded. Nonsense.

[Delete This Account]

John -- love your work and depend on you for much of my info about the team.

 

You are correct. But I am suggesting that if Schobel plays hardball and reports the team has no choice but to release him or pay the $8 million.

 

If Schobel reports, the choices are (a) fulfill your contractual obligation with $2 M roster bonus after physical, and $6 M base salary; (b) transfer contractual obligations to another team via trade; or © relive yourself of contractual obligations by releasing him.

 

If Schobel decides to play football in 2010 and you believe that it will be impossible to trade a 32 year old due $8 M, you either believe (a) or © will occur.

if he reports and passes the physical, he "could" be due a part of the $2 million, but not his 2010 salary, which doesn't start kicking in until season begins. as noted in my story, Schobel was informed the Bills would cut him if he reported.

i would lean toward d) releasing him if he reports and he retires or signs with another team; e) retires.

 

jw

[Gabe Northern]

This thread is hilarious...I especially love how some negative nancies on here are trying to make it about Ralph being cheap again because they feel they havent spun that broken record enough. This clearly had nothing to do with that, but some of you just cant help yourselves.

 

I would expect some interest from some contenders, especially the Texans, for a possible trade at some point if he doesnt stay retired. I seriously doubt we will cut him, especially since Nix said there was no plan to outright cut him.

 

I just find it funny that so many of the regular negative posters on here want to spin this into something about Ralph being cheap or as evidence this organization is a joke. Because this was the right move and a big statement to the team of the no nonesense approach that Nix and Chan are trying to install. Everyone needs to put the work in and show the commitment or the bus is leaving without them.

 

The team didn't say "report tomorrow or be released." As JW reports, they told him he didn't have the option of reporting!

 

This spin about Nix being a non-nonsense guy is ridiculous. Someone made the decision that they didn't want to pay the $8 million contract (a reasonable decision) and they moved on. Now there's no way out other than hoping he stays retired, or cutting him if he doesn't.

 

My argument -- which many people on this board reasonably object to as unreasonable (others not so reasonably) -- is that we should have identified Schobel being released and playing somewhere else in 2010 as a worst case scenario and been more active in the offseason in an effort to move him.

 

Now we're in the untenable position of pretending he'll be traded when everyone knows that's impossible.

[K-9]

I agree that there is no market RIGHT NOW. My argument concerns whether a deal could have been done in Jan-April 22 time horizon. Maybe a deal couldn't be done because of age/money. But your other points highlighted above don't make sense.

 

He doesn't HAVE to be traded to a 3-4 team. Indeed, I would suspect only 4-3 teams would have been interested. So this is a reason he doesn't fit with the Bills, not why he couldn't be dealt.

 

And the "missed at least a week, if not 2" is a reason why he can't be traded NOW. What's that got to do with whether he could have been dealt in, say, February?

 

Gabe, why would the Bills or ANY team want to trade a player they genuinely were hoping would come and play for them? The Bills WANTED Schobel. They felt he could help them THIS year. They acted professionally and cut a long-time contributor a lot of slack while he took the time to ponder a very difficult decision.

 

This idea that they should have traded him months ago just doesn't make sense except in the light of 20/20 hindsight.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[Gabe Northern]

if he reports and passes the physical, he "could" be due a part of the $2 million, but not his 2010 salary, which doesn't start kicking in until season begins. as noted in my story, Schobel was informed the Bills would cut him if he reported.

i would lean toward d) releasing him if he reports and he retires or signs with another team; e) retires.

 

jw

 

No we're spilitting hairs. He's due the balance of the $6 million as termination pay if he's on the Week 1 roster.

 

So he either retires or is released before week 1.

[DarthICE]

Yep.

 

My argument is directed at those who think he'll be traded. Nonsense.

 

 

Then he retires. Chris Brown has updated to confirm Nix isn't going to release him. Its get traded or retire and retain his rights in case he ever plays again.

 

Damn good to have a GM with Balls again

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Maybin

 

I stopped reading your post right there, and I'm a PSU fan.

 

Maybin was a tragic error of the past regime on par with Erik Flowers.

[Gabe Northern]

Then he retires. Chris Brown has updated to confirm Nix isn't going to release him. Its get traded or retire and retain his rights in case he ever plays again.

 

Damn good to have a GM with Balls again

 

Schobel holds the cards here. Hopefully he stays retired. Good for Nix that he's not going to make it easy on him. But, at the end of the day, Schobel can show up and force us to release him or pay him what he's due.

[vincec]

Believe what you want to believe.

 

PTR

Doesn't everybody on this board?

[Doc]

I agree that there is no market RIGHT NOW. My argument concerns whether a deal could have been done in Jan-April 22 time horizon. Maybe a deal couldn't be done because of age/money. But your other points highlighted above don't make sense.

 

He doesn't HAVE to be traded to a 3-4 team. Indeed, I would suspect only 4-3 teams would have been interested. So this is a reason he doesn't fit with the Bills, not why he couldn't be dealt.

 

And the "missed at least a week, if not 2" is a reason why he can't be traded NOW. What's that got to do with whether he could have been dealt in, say, February?

You mean when he would have been due a $2M roster bonus (on March 1st), to go along with the 4 years and $27.5M remaining on his contract? Again, no market for him, period.

[Doc]

Schobel holds the cards here. Hopefully he stays retired. Good for Nix that he's not going to make it easy on him. But, at the end of the day, Schobel can show up and force us to release him or pay him what he's due.

Not quite. The roster bonus if I'm not mistaken was for him being on the roster as of March 1st. Since he wasn't, because he didn't report, he's not due that bonus. So the Bills could take him back, tell him they're trying to trade him, not even bother, and release him the day before the season starts/the last day before his 2010 salary is fully guaranteed.

 

If the Bills really wanted to, they could stick it to him good.

[Gabe Northern]

You mean when he would have been due a $2M roster bonus (on March 1st), to go along with the 4 years and $27.5M remaining on his contract? Again, no market for him, period.

 

I get the "too old; too highly paid" arguments. Fair enough.

 

Just wouldn't hang your hat on the "never played 3-4" or "would be 2 weeks late to camp if traded in March" arguments 'cause they ain't too compelling.

[Gabe Northern]

Not quite. The roster bonus if I'm not mistaken was for him being on the roster as of March 1st. Since he wasn't, because he didn't report, he's not due that bonus. So the Bills could take him back, tell him they're trying to trade him, not even bother, and release him the day before the season starts/the last day before his 2010 salary is fully guaranteed.

 

If the Bills really wanted to, they could stick it to him good.

 

A team looking for him to get in a 3 point stance on third down and get the QB is not going to be all torn up about him missing time in their system.

 

He'd miss maybe one paycheck. Probably not even that.

[Doc]

I get the "too old; too highly paid" arguments. Fair enough.

 

Just wouldn't hang your hat on the "never played 3-4" or "would be 2 weeks late to camp if traded in March" arguments 'cause they ain't too compelling.

 

A team looking for him to get in a 3 point stance on third down and get the QB is not going to be all torn up about him missing time in their system.

 

He'd miss maybe one paycheck. Probably not even that.

Forget everything else. It's his contract that makes him untradeable. The other stuff like his age, size, lack of time with a new team and possibly having to learn a new position just further make him untradeable.

[Bill from NYC]

Yawn. I suppose we're going to have to hear your asinine "Spiller was drafted to sell tickets" spiel repeatedly until when? About next january when you start your annual, "the bills are going to draft a first round DB" whining?

 

I find your overall testy demeanor to be rather funny. I don't blame you per se for driving a great poster like AKC off of the board with you incorrect rantings, because this was ultimately his decision.

 

What I do wonder is what makes you so naive? To answer my own question, it is probably your lack of life experience. You have been busy with school, etc. but at some point, you will surely have a clearer picture in terms of recognizing things that are staring you in the face.

 

Be well!

[Nanker]

Why don't they start fining his azz for not showing up to camp.

What - they're worried about hurting his feelings?

[Nuncha]

hey mark,

 

i think the Bills "announced" it a while back, with their plans to turn Kelsay into an OLB as well. Obviously, nothing is set in stone, but IIRC everything out of the new regime has always referred to Schobel as an OLB. not so much a fan conclusion as much as that's what we've been told.

 

 

This JACKASS needs to retire and disappear already. He isn't going to come back and play LINEBACKER for one season with the Bills.

[C.Biscuit97]

Really like Schobel and wanted him to return. And I get where AS is coming from because football is a grind like no other sport and he probably isn't sure about returning. That said, at some point, you have to make up your mind. And unless a team blew the Bills away with an offer, then let him retire as a Bill. good job Nix.

 

And Schobel was a really good Bill during a crappy period who never got the respect he should have. I wish him well in retirement.

[Quester74]

We could've gotten one more season of production...

 

 

and what would the point of that be? By the time this team is in a position to be competitive (2-3 seasons, optimistically), he'll be WAY past his prime. Cut ties now, and give the reps to a kid. It's been a long time since Schobel was any kind of a consistant disruptive force, anyways.