It's "Cash to Cap", Chan

[BillsPhan]

Coach Chan Gailey has been a breath of fresh air for we fans who have suffered listening to Gregg Williams, Mike Mularkey and DJ these past 10 years. His enthusiasm, work ethic and straight talk have been fun to watch during his first training camp. But recently he let his guard down and voiced some frustration. "We've worked hard, but we haven't always worked smart."; said Gailey when asked of his assessment after the team broke camp.

 

My assessment on his assessment is that Gailey is a little pissed off at his overall lack of talent, and using their lack of "focus" or lack of "smarts" as his convenient excuse to the media. And we've all heard that one before the last 10 years, too. I wish I had a buck for every time Perry Fewell told the media that he "had the players in the correct defenses, but they just failed to execute." And that trickled right down to the players themselves, such as after giving up over 200 yards rushing to the Jets last season, every single one of them chimed in by telling us "they were in the right calls, they just didn't make the plays." What?? Even the players were admitting they sucked. Talk about kissing up to your coaches.

 

If things go bad most of the games for Gailey, I don't think he will need to revert to defending his own coaching or his staffs coaching or calls they make. We all know the real reason why his team may lose more then their share of games this season: Ralph Wilson's "Cash to the Cap" self imposed budget. In fact, all Gailey should say in a post lost-game presser, is something like "Cash to the Cap, Boys"...and then walk away from the podium.

 

Say what you will about Wilson over-paying guys like Evans, Kelsay and Stroud (and of course Schobel before he quit the Bills but then did end up retiring), the fact remains true....Wilson would not allow Nix to sign one single high paid free agent this past year, and there were a few good ones out there that could have made a real difference this season. There weren't a lot of good free agents, but there were some good ones, and Nix went after none of them. And any team can rise out of the ashes over any off season in today's NFL, but it takes smart SPENDING by the teams' ownership and management. Anybody on this board want to dispute that this past season's prize free agent, Julius Peppers, could not have helped the Bills' defense this year? The Bears certainly thought so.

 

Anyway, Gailey's players will get "smarter" as soon as he brings some "better" players into camp over the next couple of years. In the mean time, the players on the team had better keep working on their focus and intelligence, right??

[Thurman#1]

We all know the real reason why his team may lose more then their share of games this season: Ralph Wilson's "Cash to the Cap" self imposed budget.

 

 

 

Nope. Not cash to the cap. It's bad drafting that has killed us. Look at our first-round picks over the last ten years. Shockingly bad.

 

It's been said before but more than two-thirds of the teams in the NFL use cash-to-cap. Including the Steelers and Colts, I believe.

 

 

Say what you will about Wilson over-paying guys like Evans, Kelsay and Stroud (and of course Schobel before he quit the Bills but then did end up retiring), the fact remains true....Wilson would not allow Nix to sign one single high paid free agent this past year, and there were a few good ones out there that could have made a real difference this season.

 

 

Nix himself has said that he believes teams are built through the draft, with low-to-medium priced FAs with three years or more left on their contracts filling in the gaps. That has nothing to do with Ralph.

Edited August 26, 2010 by Thurman#1

[nucci]

Ralph is cheap. We know it. There are hundreds of threads saying the same thing.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Coach Chan Gailey has been a breath of fresh air for we fans who have suffered listening to Gregg Williams, Mike Mularkey and DJ these past 10 years. His enthusiasm, work ethic and straight talk have been fun to watch during his first training camp. But recently he let his guard down and voiced some frustration. "We've worked hard, but we haven't always worked smart."; said Gailey when asked of his assessment after the team broke camp.

 

My assessment on his assessment is that Gailey is a little pissed off at his overall lack of talent, and using their lack of "focus" or lack of "smarts" as his convenient excuse to the media.

 

I could be wrong, but my feeling is Gailey is saying exactly what he means and means exactly what he says at this point. I think he expects more from his players as far as the details of how they execute a play, and the complexity of what he expects them to execute. I think there are a bunch of Bills players who aren't used to that - they expect to bring their bodies to practice and hit as hard as allowed, but they aren't for bringing their brains with them and thinking hard about what they're supposed to do and how to get better. And if that doesn't change, I expect to hear Gailey call them out, along the lines of Levy "Don't be dumb, don't be dirty".

 

I dunno, maybe what I'm saying and what you're saying are not too different. Maybe that's a fancy-ass way of saying "lack talent". What gets called "talent" really boils down to a "fire in the belly" to work smart as well as hard, and to improve because of that, on top of sufficient physical attributes. Isn't that true of many of the greats? People look at them and say "too small, lacks arm, doesn't have the physical skills" but somehow they're "the deal" while terrific physical specimens without "the fire within" don't go as far.

 

Question is if you have players who have been around a couple years where "fire in the belly" and bringing their head along into practice wasn't expected -- can a coach in this era really inspire change? So then, even if there are players here who really have the gifts, and could "have talent" (= "be driven to succeed") they revert to the "same 'ol" and don't do it.

 

Way I see it.

[JohnC]

The Ralph is cheap debate is futile. Whether it is true or not doesn't factor in when a team drafts. The Bills' bad picks have accumulated over the years and the weight of those mistakes are weighing down the franchise. Much attention is given to the first round picks because they are so high profile. The real issue is that the body of work of our drafts from top to bottom has left this team very short on talent.

 

Over the next few years the Nix drafted players won't be adding talent so much as replacing the draft mistakes of the prior regime. This roster is going to be substantially cleansed when we look back a few years from now.

 

The debates over Maybin, Hardy, McCargo, Kelsay, Lynch etc will vanish due to their being systematically culled from the roster. The Bills have a long way to go to rebuilding this very flawed roster. You begin the process by starting the process.

Edited August 26, 2010 by JohnC

[PromoTheRobot]

Chan is not pissed because he knew what he was getting into when he joined the team. It's not like it was a secret they sprung on him after he committed.

 

PTR

[nucci]

The Ralph is cheap debate is futile. Whether it is true or not doesn't factor in when a team drafts. The Bills' bad picks have accumulated over the years and the weight of those mistakes are weighing down the franchise. Much attention is given to the first round picks because they are so high profile. The real issue is that the body of work of our drafts from top to bottom has left this team very short on talent.

 

Over the next few years the Nix drafted players won't be adding talent so much as replacing the draft mistakes of the prior regime. This roster is going to be substantially cleansed when we look back a few years from now.

 

The debates over Maybin, Hardy, McCargo, Kelsay, Lynch etc will vanish due to their being systematically culled from the roster. The Bills have a long way to go to rebuilding this very flawed roster. You begin the process by starting the process.

John is correct. Being cheap has nothing to do with drafting. Players in their 3rd/4th year should be the core of this team and there are too many who have not performed well enough.

[Doc]

It's bad drafting. And this year, the FA crop was weak. Not that spending a ton on FA's ensures winning.

[CosmicBills]

It's bad drafting. And this year, the FA crop was weak. Not that spending a ton on FA's ensures winning.

Quit using logic. Sheesh.

[mob16151]

Chan is not pissed because he knew what he was getting into when he joined the team. It's not like it was a secret they sprung on him after he committed.

 

PTR

 

Russ: Congratulations Chan you got the job.

 

Chan: Thanks guy's. You can't imagine how excited I am to take over a Super Bowl winning team. This is like a dream come true.

 

Russ:(Aside to Buddy) Has he signed the contract?

 

Buddy: Yep.

 

Russ: Umm hey Chan, um hey I got something I got to tell you.

 

Chan: Go ahead Russ. Nothing can ruin this moment for me. Chan Gailey coaching the defending Super Bowl Champion Buffalo Bills.

 

Russ: Well Chan we only won like 6 games last season.

 

Chan: 6 games holy crap, how'd ya'll win the Super Bowl then?

 

Russ: Well we didn't Chan, we just really needed a Head Coach. And well,well you know.

 

Chan: Son of a

[CardinalScotts]

Ralph is cheap. We know it. There are hundreds of threads saying the same thing.

 

 

read the comment right above you from thurman just the sentence after the word nope.

then read it again

[MattyT]

[Gabe Northern]

Nope. Not cash to the cap. It's bad drafting that has killed us. Look at our first-round picks over the last ten years. Shockingly bad.

 

It's been said before but more than two-thirds of the teams in the NFL use cash-to-cap. Including the Steelers and Colts, I believe.

 

 

No team makes less use of signing bonuses than the Bills.

 

I really don't care that we don't target expensive free agents. I'd be nervous as hell if we signed Peppers, as that's a lot of eggs to put in one basket. My issue is spending on coaches, front office personnel and scouts, and depth. Cutting Langston Walker was the perfect example of what I mean. You can't pay $3 M per year for some depth?

[MattyT]

No team makes less use of signing bonuses than the Bills.

Completely false. Do a little research.

 

http://content.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/salaries/default.aspx?Loc=Vanity

[In-A-Gadda-Levitre]

the fact remains true....Wilson would not allow Nix to sign one single high paid free agent this past year, and there were a few good ones out there that could have made a real difference this season. There weren't a lot of good free agents, but there were some good ones, and Nix went after none of them. And any team can rise out of the ashes over any off season in today's NFL, but it takes smart SPENDING by the teams' ownership and management. Anybody on this board want to dispute that this past season's prize free agent, Julius Peppers, could not have helped the Bills' defense this year? The Bears certainly thought so.

Guess what, it ain't Ralph Wilson. Nix has said multiple times that he doesn't believe in signing top-tier Free Agents.

 

"I've seen it done both ways over a number of years," Nix said, "but free agency to me should be middle-priced to below-priced guys, not the high-dollar guy that's going to bring you the big bang when you sign him.

IMO, if Buddy said to Ralph, "we need to spend the money to get this guy", he would've agreed. Both Nix and Gailey believe in building through the draft. You can argue with their philosophy, but it is what it is and until you're the GM, deal with it.

[PromoTheRobot]

Russ: Congratulations Chan you got the job.

 

Chan: Thanks guy's. You can't imagine how excited I am to take over a Super Bowl winning team. This is like a dream come true.

 

Russ:(Aside to Buddy) Has he signed the contract?

 

Buddy: Yep.

 

Russ: Umm hey Chan, um hey I got something I got to tell you.

 

Chan: Go ahead Russ. Nothing can ruin this moment for me. Chan Gailey coaching the defending Super Bowl Champion Buffalo Bills.

 

Russ: Well Chan we only won like 6 games last season.

 

Chan: 6 games holy crap, how'd ya'll win the Super Bowl then?

 

Russ: Well we didn't Chan, we just really needed a Head Coach. And well,well you know.

 

Chan: Son of a

 

Gee, maybe they did spring it on him.

 

PTR

[DIE HARD 1967]

Here's what I think.........

 

Its an evaluation process, you don't just step in and waive players after watching film, you evaluate in training camp and preseason.

 

Now, if you can upgrade, you draft, trade,claim then develop.

 

When the roster is trimmed to 53 you have a lot of talent available and you grab the best to fit your needs but you continue to Upgrade.

 

Next year you draft, go to camp...... then do the same.

 

You don't need a lot of money, just need to be smart. Contracts will come later!

Edited August 26, 2010 by DIE HARD 1967

[Green Lightning]

John is correct. Being cheap has nothing to do with drafting. Players in their 3rd/4th year should be the core of this team and there are too many who have not performed well enough.

 

 

What he said.