Maddog69 Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 I can see it now - DW leaves for another team, makes one highlight reel next season and this board erupts with 'we should never have let him go, he is doing great with new scenery, look how great he is, this is why the Bills/FO/RW suck' The only highlight reel you'll see him on is when he is running in from off the screen after the opposing team's TE caught a TD.
Hapless Bills Fan Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 I listened to the Interview...It did not sound to me like Nix was throwing any messages out at all...They asked about Florance and he was crystal clear he wanted Drayton back and thet Drayton want to be in Buffalo...He said The Bills will definitely try to sign DF...Then his voice trailed off when he made the Whitner quote...Sounded pretty cut and dry to me...He could have said they want Donte back just like he did with Florance...He did not say that...AND he also said he thinks Whitner does not want to be here and probably wont. When you look at the comparison between the Florance and the Whitner comments there is a stark contrast...So... I agree with you on the stark contrast. But the order of the messages was the same: Florence Think he wants to be here Probably will be Whitner Don't think he wants to be here Probably won't be. You could be right to interpret it as "Whitner's gone". I think it leaves the door open...."Whitner...persuade me you do want to be here.... and you, too, probably will be". I don't think Whitner is savvy enough to do that in an effective way, so it it's probably a moot point.
mattsox Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 Donte is a child that needs to find a new place to play. Sick of hearing about this guy. I think all the hate comes from him not being the second coming of Ed Reed. He's gone. He's not coming back, and he'll never be Ed Reed. Thanks for your service Donte. Don't let the door hit you on your way out.
Brand J Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 I do have a question for those who continue to say "Donte is a good Football Player." How exactly is a SS a good Football Player when he's an obvious liability in Pass Coverage, takes bad angles, misses Tackles, etc?...Since Donte has been in Buffalo have The Bills been able to cover a TE? I know it's just a matter of words...But he's not a good NFL Strong Safety...Maybe he's average or a little better than average...But a good Football Player would make his Defense better simply by being on the field...He would not be a liability in coverage as a DB...A good Player might not lead the league in INT's or Passes Defended...But he would certainly be in the middle area for his Position... 5 Seasons...69 Games...5 INT's...19 Passes Defended at the SS Position...That's .275 Passes Defended per Game!!! Good? So Donte is a good Player? Why because he has a slew of tackles 10 yards past the line of scrimmage? He's not a good Football Player...He's an average Football Player who can be a liability at a HUGE part of his Position... Very accurate assessment with numbers to back up the argument. He has never been a good safety, he's merely average. Where he was drafted doesn't matter, but he plays like a 3rd round pick, not like the 8th overall pick of an NFL draft. Thanks Marv. Thanks Jauron.
Doc Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 I'd much rather have Florence than Whitner, even though he'll be 31 by the end of the regular season and is 4-1/2 years older than Whitner. The question is how much do you spend re-signing him? And does re-signing him and having all those drafted DB's spell the end of McGee and/or Youboty and/or Corner?
stony Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 I'd much rather have Florence than Whitner, even though he'll be 31 by the end of the regular season and is 4-1/2 years older than Whitner. The question is how much do you spend re-signing him? And does re-signing him and having all those drafted DB's spell the end of McGee and/or Youboty and/or Corner? Agreed on Florence. I think a 3 year contract is sufficient for his age. Hopefully the core of Mckelvin, McGee, Florence, Corner, and Williams will be good enough to get through the year.
KOKBILLS Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 I agree with you on the stark contrast. But the order of the messages was the same: Florence Think he wants to be here Probably will be Whitner Don't think he wants to be here Probably won't be. You could be right to interpret it as "Whitner's gone". I think it leaves the door open...."Whitner...persuade me you do want to be here.... and you, too, probably will be". I don't think Whitner is savvy enough to do that in an effective way, so it it's probably a moot point. I know it's just semantics, but he clearly stated they wanted Florence back and would be trying to sign him...He did not say that at all about Donte and he could have...But he did not...Then he added in he did not think Whitner wanted to be here...If he was looking for Whitner to step up and say he wanted to stay in Buffalo why no leave the door open a crack...Why not say "We would like Donte back at our price, but we're not sure he wants to be here..." Or something like that...Instead he was pretty cut and dry directly after clearly stating they wanted Florence back...I don't think he was sending any messages...I think they've moved on...And furthermore I think they'll look to Sign a Vet UFA SS...Probably one who does want to be in Buffalo...
LGB Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 Donte gets a lot of grief, but he did not pick himself in the first round - so now this thing has run its course and the Bills are likely to say goodbye. Once Donte is gone, maybe the focus will turn to players drafted about as high but don't play on game days (Maybin and McCargo).
eball Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 Donte gets a lot of grief, but he did not pick himself in the first round - so now this thing has run its course and the Bills are likely to say goodbye. Very good way to put it. Donte has earned a superstar's salary for five years, when he "should" have been paid like a 2nd or 3rd round pick. Now that "this has run its course" he has convinced himself he is due a raise, when in fact a pay cut would be in order.
Captain Caveman Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 (edited) What is the purpose of tendering an offer (besides the fact that it allows you to match offers depending on the CBA)? If they play under the old rules I believe another team would have to give up a 1st round pick in order to sign him if we do not match the offer. Or, we keep him for another year at a relatively low salary. Edited May 3, 2011 by Captain Caveman
KOKBILLS Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 Very good way to put it. Donte has earned a superstar's salary for five years, when he "should" have been paid like a 2nd or 3rd round pick. Now that "this has run its course" he has convinced himself he is due a raise, when in fact a pay cut would be in order. I'll give that thought an a-freaking-men... But I would change it to a BIG pay cut...
DrDawkinstein Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 I know it's just semantics, but he clearly stated they wanted Florence back and would be trying to sign him...He did not say that at all about Donte and he could have...But he did not...Then he added in he did not think Whitner wanted to be here...If he was looking for Whitner to step up and say he wanted to stay in Buffalo why no leave the door open a crack...Why not say "We would like Donte back at our price, but we're not sure he wants to be here..." Or something like that...Instead he was pretty cut and dry directly after clearly stating they wanted Florence back...I don't think he was sending any messages...I think they've moved on...And furthermore I think they'll look to Sign a Vet UFA SS...Probably one who does want to be in Buffalo... Because the Whitner negotiation is a much trickier negotiation then the Florence deal. Florence is an aged veteran who has already bounced around the league once. He's a "Buddy guy" going back to their relationship in San Diego. Buddy can say that, knowing there is really a MAX that Florence is even expecting. Whitner is coming out of his high-priced rookie contract. He expects, as ALL players around the league do, that his pay will only increase as he is about 26 and heading into his "PRIME". We already have him a bit by the short and curlies in that we tendered him as a RFA. That helps us retain him, or get something if he leaves, but it actually makes contract negotiations that much tougher. If Buddy comes out and says ANYTHING about MAYBE wanting Donte back, he completely loses his negotiation position. Now, I believe Buddy would truly like to have Whitner back at the right price. But that is why he didnt leave the door open. He put it all on Donte, like a good negotiator.
Grimace Posted May 3, 2011 Posted May 3, 2011 This smells like negotiation more than a public declaration. The motivation is not only for Donte to show interest, but also to settle the fans' minds and give the Bills leverage to not bring him back. Regarding his play: Donte had put up big tackle numbers. Most of those tackles are downfield. A major part of that is due to the front 7 not stopping the run or short pass and the nature of our defensive playcalls. I'd love to see him better cover tight ends, but the very nature of a tight end is that they create mismatches by being too big for defensive backs and too fast for linebackers. He's been good, not great. Regarding his salary: As fans, the only reason we should care about a player being overpaid is if it puts the team in salary cap trouble, preventing us from signing better talent. If there is no better talent out there, pay them whatever can be paid to keep the best talent we have. When negotiating a salary, the most important factor is not your ability; it is how much leverage you have. The quality / $$ ratio only matters to the person writing the checks. From a fan perspective, I want them to retain talent. If there is no equal or better safety to point to and say "this guy will play for less, so we're not paying you," then I want to see him signed and playing.
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