atlbillsfan1975 Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 At this late date it might be best to let him hit FA. I mean let him see what he can command on the open market. If he gets an $8+mil deal then good for him. I do not think the Bills should pay him that. If after a couple days maybe things are what they are and he take a $7mil deal. And guys we are talking about $1,000,000 not $1 so there is a big difference.
thebandit27 Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 I still think he'll fall right in between the Marshall Yanda and Josh Sitton numbers, which is fair because he's the top free agent guard, but doesn't have the resume that the other 2 have put together. Puts him right at $6M per... Average Salary for NFL Guard
4BillsintheBurgh Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 I still think he'll fall right in between the Marshall Yanda and Josh Sitton numbers, which is fair because he's the top free agent guard, but doesn't have the resume that the other 2 have put together. Puts him right at $6M per... Average Salary for NFL Guard With him being the top guard out there I don't think fair will play into the equation. It probably does for the bills and what they're willing to offer but all it takes is a couple teams to show interest. Look at Dockery/Steinbach a few years ago and those contracts were with two of them on the market - someone is going to make AL an offer he can't refuse especially with all the offensive minded coaches that were hired this year and the cap space some of these teams have.
vincec Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 I suspect that the Bills apparent willingness to let Levitre hit the FA market without even talking to him has at least something to do with Nix's obsession with size. Levitre is not the big mauler that they seem to like on the OL. Getting bigger on OL, getting bigger on DL, getting bigger at WR. Bigger. Too bad that the bigger Bills can't even match the win totals of the small, fast Jauron teams. If a player is good you try to keep him and if he doesn't exactly fit your scheme then you change your scheme to accommodate his abilities. That's good coaching. Forget someone's size. Can the guy play or not? Levitre can play.
nucci Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 I suspect that the Bills apparent willingness to let Levitre hit the FA market without even talking to him has at least something to do with Nix's obsession with size. Levitre is not the big mauler that they seem to like on the OL. Getting bigger on OL, getting bigger on DL, getting bigger at WR. Bigger. Too bad that the bigger Bills can't even match the win totals of the small, fast Jauron teams. If a player is good you try to keep him and if he doesn't exactly fit your scheme then you change your scheme to accommodate his abilities. That's good coaching. Forget someone's size. Can the guy play or not? Levitre can play. Vince, all good points but where do you draw the line? I also believe they have exchanged numbers over time and the Bills have an idea what Levitre's agent is looking for.
The Senator Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 "J.C. Tretter, who returned to Cornell on Sunday, said he met with “17 or 18” teams at the combine, including the Bills in an informal interview. “If you don’t have anything bad in your past, these interviews aren’t that bad,” he joked. Aside from the occasional oddball question like “would you rather be a dog or a cat,” Tretter said teams mostly grilled him on the mental side of the game during the interview process. “They want you to draw up plays and kind of see where your overall knowledge is. Not just what the left tackle does, but what does the left guard, the center, the right guard do? What is the quarterback looking at?” he said. “They want to know if you totally understand the play book.” As for the physical side of it, Tretter fared well. He did 29 reps of 225 pounds inside Lucas Oil Stadium, a figure that tied for the 11th most of 45 offensive linemen who lifted." http://blogs.buffalo...tereotypes.html Strengths Athletic build. Possess light feet, and has the athletic ability to mirror pass rushers. Flexible, shows the ability to bend. Moves well laterally. Plays with good balance. Quick off the ball. Recognizes stunts and blitzes well, and has the coordination to execute multiple blocks in these situations. Weaknesses Limited experience and played against weak competition. Will likely have to move to guard, due to a lack of length. Lacks core strength. While he's light on his feet, his foot quickness needs to improve. NFL Comparison Kevin Boothe http://www.nfl.com/d...tter?id=2540292 You do realize that the Bills have not won a league Championship since Pete Gogolak bolted the AFL's Bills for the NFL's NY Giants. I believe we need another Cornellian to 'reverse the curse' of Pete Gogolak. Ideally, to get even with the Mara family for the Gogolak thing, we should sign the NY Giants' current free agent, former Cornellian Kevin Boothe. The past 2-3 years, our O-lineman have dropped like flies in the late season - it seems we can never have enough depth on O-line. Personally, I'd love to steal the Giants Kevin Boothe in free agency AND draft J.C.Tretter on day 3 -- two Cornellians should be enough to 'reverse the curse'!!! GO BILLSSS!!!! 19 and 0 baby!!!!!
Maddog69 Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 I suspect that the Bills apparent willingness to let Levitre hit the FA market without even talking to him has at least something to do with Nix's obsession with size. Levitre is not the big mauler that they seem to like on the OL. Getting bigger on OL, getting bigger on DL, getting bigger at WR. Bigger. Too bad that the bigger Bills can't even match the win totals of the small, fast Jauron teams. If a player is good you try to keep him and if he doesn't exactly fit your scheme then you change your scheme to accommodate his abilities. That's good coaching. Forget someone's size. Can the guy play or not? Levitre can play. I would not necesarily make anything out of the fact that the Bills haven't made an offer to Levitre yet. Most team wait until the last minute to sign them Impending UFAs. I saw a comment last week from the Dolphins GM stating that he would start negotiations with his UFA;s on March 5 (coincidentally today) and they supposedly are close to re-signing Hartline). Teams like to get their roster in order, get the contract restruxctures done or at least identified and release the cap casualties. They also like to see who is cut by other teams and determine who might be available before signing their own. Its all business as usual. I feel very confident that the Bills will talk to Andy's agent and will be in the bidding for his services. (although my gut tells me we will get outbid for him).
NoSaint Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 I suspect that the Bills apparent willingness to let Levitre hit the FA market without even talking to him has at least something to do with Nix's obsession with size. Levitre is not the big mauler that they seem to like on the OL. Getting bigger on OL, getting bigger on DL, getting bigger at WR. Bigger. Too bad that the bigger Bills can't even match the win totals of the small, fast Jauron teams. If a player is good you try to keep him and if he doesn't exactly fit your scheme then you change your scheme to accommodate his abilities. That's good coaching. Forget someone's size. Can the guy play or not? Levitre can play. again, nix was head scout for the bills when they drafted him, and openly said he was in his top 3 interior lineman that year. certainly cant be relied upon as gospel, but i dont think its a case of not being a nix guy.
jaybee Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 My useless tidbit of the day: "I don't know," Nix told The Associated Press when asked if the team had reached any decisions regarding Levitre and Fitzpatrick. "We're still in the process of working on it." read the full story here http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9019900/buffalo-bills-mulling-futures-ryan-fitzpatrick-andy-levitre jb
KOKBILLS Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 My useless tidbit of the day: "I don't know," Nix told The Associated Press when asked if the team had reached any decisions regarding Levitre and Fitzpatrick. "We're still in the process of working on it." read the full story here http://espn.go.com/n...ck-andy-levitre jb Interesting...I don't know what gave me this feeling after I read that...But for some reason I'm wondering if The Bills had assumed Fitz would agree to a pretty big re-structure and pay-cut in order to clear the money for Levitre...And instead Fitz is saying no...forcing their hand...And they still have not decided what to do... Just a thought...
NoSaint Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 Interesting...I don't know what gave me this feeling after I read that...But for some reason I'm wondering if The Bills had assumed Fitz would agree to a pretty big re-structure and pay-cut in order to clear the money for Levitre...And instead Fitz is saying no...forcing their hand...And they still have not decided what to do... Just a thought... its certainly possible that this is the sequence the dominos need to fall.
jaybee Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 Interesting...I don't know what gave me this feeling after I read that...But for some reason I'm wondering if The Bills had assumed Fitz would agree to a pretty big re-structure and pay-cut in order to clear the money for Levitre...And instead Fitz is saying no...forcing their hand...And they still have not decided what to do... Just a thought... Actually you've probably nailed it right there. jb
PromoTheRobot Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 Interesting...I don't know what gave me this feeling after I read that...But for some reason I'm wondering if The Bills had assumed Fitz would agree to a pretty big re-structure and pay-cut in order to clear the money for Levitre...And instead Fitz is saying no...forcing their hand...And they still have not decided what to do... Just a thought... its certainly possible that this is the sequence the dominos need to fall. Actually you've probably nailed it right there. jb . http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/156111-levitre-hasnt-heard-anything-from-the-bills-yet/page__st__40#entry2740704 PTR
1B4IDie Posted March 5, 2013 Posted March 5, 2013 (edited) You do realize that the Bills have not won a league Championship since Pete Gogolak bolted the AFL's Bills for the NFL's NY Giants. I believe we need another Cornellian to 'reverse the curse' of Pete Gogolak. Ideally, to get even with the Mara family for the Gogolak thing, we should sign the NY Giants' current free agent, former Cornellian Kevin Boothe. The past 2-3 years, our O-lineman have dropped like flies in the late season - it seems we can never have enough depth on O-line. Personally, I'd love to steal the Giants Kevin Boothe in free agency AND draft J.C.Tretter on day 3 -- two Cornellians should be enough to 'reverse the curse'!!! GO BILLSSS!!!! 19 and 0 baby!!!!! I fear that a double Cornellian would reverse the curse than reengage the curse. Everyone knows a double Cornellian makes a positive. Edited March 5, 2013 by Why So Serious?
ganesh Posted March 6, 2013 Posted March 6, 2013 Well Levite is a better guard than wood is a center. So it stands to reason that if you're planning to let Levitre walk, why would you sign Wood. Plus the time to sign Levitre was 2012 and the time to sign Wood is 2013. You don't wait until your studs are free agents. You sign your franchise p,ayers prior to them becoming free agents. Wood is definitely (albeit injured often) a better player than Levitre. Wood dominates the line of scrimmage. Whenever Wood for injured, Fitz game was not the same. He never had time to step in the pocket and throw.
vincec Posted March 6, 2013 Posted March 6, 2013 Vince, all good points but where do you draw the line? I also believe they have exchanged numbers over time and the Bills have an idea what Levitre's agent is looking for. You and others on this board say that they have talked. I hope that they have and are just waiting for a last second, save the day cavalry charge to resign him. I'm not losing any sleep over anyone else that they have cut, including Nelson, and wouldn't miss Fitz too much but Levitre would hurt. He is a good player just entering his prime. again, nix was head scout for the bills when they drafted him, and openly said he was in his top 3 interior lineman that year. certainly cant be relied upon as gospel, but i dont think its a case of not being a nix guy. Yeah but that draft certainly did not have the look of Nix drafts when he was GM or follow his philosophy. Maybin in round 1? Levitre, Nelson, Nic Harris? 4 DBs out of 7 picks? These are Jauron's picks through Levy, IMO. Small and fast. Nix didn't draft a small OL, DL, LB or S in any of his drafts as GM.
Ramius Posted March 6, 2013 Posted March 6, 2013 For what its worth, this year agents and teams for UFAs are allowed to talk on March 9th, but players can't speak to any teams until the 12th. Its entirely possible that Levitre's agent can find out what teams are willing to pay and see if the Bills will match it before UFA starts.
Bill from NYC Posted March 6, 2013 Posted March 6, 2013 Wood is definitely (albeit injured often) a better player than Levitre. Wood dominates the line of scrimmage. Whenever Wood for injured, Fitz game was not the same. He never had time to step in the pocket and throw. As they say, let's agree to disagree. And I am a fan of Wood. He is a bruiser, and he has a great work ethic. But Levitre would be harder to replace imo. He is a great pass protector and gets good angles on running plays. It would be awful to lose him.
Peter Posted March 6, 2013 Posted March 6, 2013 Interesting...I don't know what gave me this feeling after I read that...But for some reason I'm wondering if The Bills had assumed Fitz would agree to a pretty big re-structure and pay-cut in order to clear the money for Levitre...And instead Fitz is saying no...forcing their hand...And they still have not decided what to do... Just a thought... Could be. If that is the case, cut Fitz. I do not think that he is as bad as some here, but he certainly is not anywhere close to being the QB that his contract would suggest. He should be happy that they Bills signed him at the apex of his football value. It was like buying a stock at its historical high only to see it lose about 50% of its value. The Bills did him a solid. He should do the same -- or be prepared to play somewhere else as a back up.
QCity Posted March 6, 2013 Posted March 6, 2013 (edited) What you are hearing from Levitre is called lip service, and a fair amount of people are eating it up. Regardless of what is being said, it was his intent to test FA all along. And no, we couldn't have "locked him up" last year either without overpaying. Edited March 6, 2013 by QCity
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