Let's take some guesses why OBD isn't doing anything

[Max997]

It cracks me up when people still defend this team.

 

Say what you want about teams overspending but are those teams like the Dolphins and Titans better then they were a week ago or not?

 

There has also been numerous players signing deals including one year deals that haven't broke the bank that would have helped the Bills but they are apparently can't do two things at once

Edited March 16, 2013 by Max997

[TC in St. Louis]

Waiting for the sharks to leave the pool. Then they will enter and sign a few people.

[Kelly the Dog]

There is a guy on the bills.com board with a very good track record, although 99% of that board is pretty useless. I'm not vouching for this, but I have read a lot of what he has said over some time and he very much seems to know what he is talking about. Take it for what it's worth:

 

Let me take a second and air something to those on this board so there is an understanding of this process. Ill remove all ***ueness from my statement and throw myself on the coals. The Bills contacted 6 players so far since the start of FA. 6. Out of those 6, 4 signed during their initial visits, one signed during their second visit and the other signed with Buffalo. What you are hearing from the front office after missing on 5 candidates (not including those who re-signed before FA) is face saving statements.

 

I don't know the original poster and therefor cannot validate his validity. But Ive read this post in its entirety, (something I dont normally do in regards to any post) and I can certainly validate the Bills istrong ntent during this FA. what fans need to understand is the plan, however detailed it can be, changes within minutes. Buffalo is an incredibly hard sell, especially in its current sporting and economic state. So with that said, bringing up something, even in jest, to discredit someone who is merely sharing information is not a good practice. You will find that good people, some even with sources, will join an elite group of individuals who no longer frequent this board if that type of ridicule persists. I mean no disrespect to you personally, and please know this is directed at a wide audience. Treat eachother better...

 

I think he also said two visits are scheduled for this week, IIRC.

 

There have been reports of Devito and Delanie Walker, who could be two of the six.

[ColdBlueNorth]

If the Bills came home from FA with WR, TE, LB, and OG at a fair price, which of these players would you say don't fill a positional need?

 

I agree these are need positions, many of which will be addressed via the draft, and as cap and camp casualties later on. If you are a front office with a lot of holes to fill you do not jump in and overpay for average players. They did grab a linebacker they coveted for their defense, and they will address more when teams trim their rosters and depth charts.

 

Hitting the panic button and selling the farm will certainly show a lot of activity at OBD, but more easily associated with the activity level of lemmings. How many of us strutted around and told friends how we broke the bank and made the biggest free agency splash last year with Mario and Anderson?? If it helps, I will admit I was one of them too - crowing at my fantasy draft about how things were going to turn around and taking the Bills' defense early....yeah, how did that turn out again?

 

Jeez folks, it is like dealing with collective senility.

 

Do I groan at the cycle that I have become all too familiar with over the years? Of course, but it is a necessary one for a new group of coaches trying to fill a lot of holes yet find (and have enough $$ to sign) players that fit their schemes.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

There is a guy on the bills.com board with a very good track record, although 99% of that board is pretty useless. I'm not vouching for this, but I have read a lot of what he has said over some time and he very much seems to know what he is talking about. Take it for what it's worth:

 

Quote

Let me take a second and air something to those on this board so there is an understanding of this process. Ill remove all ***ueness from my statement and throw myself on the coals. The Bills contacted 6 players so far since the start of FA. 6. Out of those 6, 4 signed during their initial visits, one signed during their second visit and the other signed with Buffalo. What you are hearing from the front office after missing on 5 candidates (not including those who re-signed before FA) is face saving statements.

 

I think he also said two visits are scheduled for this week, IIRC.

 

There have been reports of Devito and Delanie Walker, who could be two of the six.

 

Thanks for the find, Kelly. On the one hand, I hear you that Buffalo may be a hard sell. On the other hand, we do have some decent players in place. On the third hand, standard advice to ladies is "if at least one of a given group of guys doesn't find you attractive, seek out a larger group of guys". Perhaps the Bills FO needs to consider that perhaps they need to be more opportunistic in bringing in a larger number of fish in order to hook and land what they need, and not just the leftovers.

[cantankerous]

It cracks me up when people still defend this team.

 

Say what you want about teams overspending but are those teams like the Dolphins and Titans better then they were a week ago or not?

 

There has also been numerous players signing deals including one year deals that haven't broke the bank that would have helped the Bills but they are apparently can't do two things at once

 

Great post. The Bills sit on their hands yet again, while Miami and NE make moves to strengthen their teams. Prices are way down this year, and yet the Bills are still stuck at the gate, while others are off and running.

[buffalobillsgrl]

Great post. The Bills sit on their hands yet again, while Miami and NE make moves to strengthen their teams. Prices are way down this year, and yet the Bills are still stuck at the gate, while others are off and running.

Those teams however, are going to run out of money eventually. Then what happens when guys start getting cut? They won't beable to add anyone. At this point next year, Miami will not beable to afford the guys they have signed. A lot of those contracts were back loaded.

 

I saw a crazy stat(mind you this was 2 days ago). At that point in time the guys Miami had signed counted for about $25 mil against the cap for 2013. For 2014, those same guys cost them $48 mil against next years cap. That was before they kept signing people.

Edited March 16, 2013 by buffalobillsgrl

[Hapless Bills Fan]

I agree these are need positions, many of which will be addressed via the draft, and as cap and camp casualties later on. If you are a front office with a lot of holes to fill you do not jump in and overpay for average players. They did grab a linebacker they coveted for their defense, and they will address more when teams trim their rosters and depth charts.

 

Hitting the panic button and selling the farm will certainly show a lot of activity at OBD, but more easily associated with the activity level of lemmings.

 

I understand your point, ColdBlue, but perhaps you would agree the wife bringing home "stuff we don't need" was not the best analogy? We do have a lot of needs, we all agree there.

 

Frankly, I don't quite buy the "overpriced FA and lemming teams" notion. A lot of the players who have signed, are quality players and are reported to have signed for quite reasonable salaries and moderate contracts, and Buffalo appears to have the cap space to bring in some more solid quality pieces and not wait for Torbor/Davis/Ayodele type scraps. Whether we have the organizational will to do so is another question.

 

I think Kelly the Dog may be closer to correct - we're trying and getting skunked.

Edited March 16, 2013 by Hopeful

[extrahammer]

This about sums it up.

 

[Kelly the Dog]

I understand your point, ColdBlue, but perhaps you would agree the wife bringing home "stuff we don't need" was not the best analogy? We do have a lot of needs, we all agree there.

 

Frankly, I don't quite buy the "overpriced FA and lemming teams" notion. A lot of the players who have signed, are quality players and are reported to have signed for quite reasonable salaries and moderate contracts, and Buffalo appears to have the cap space to bring in some more solid quality pieces and not wait for Torbor/Davis/Ayodele type scraps. Whether we have the organizational will to do so is another question.

 

I think Kelly the Dog may be closer to correct - we're trying and getting skunked.

I totally understand the prevailing "this franchise is inept" sentiment, and the frustration that posters have with the Bills not signing some more players, and little word on going after them. I get it and I believe it to be true myself.

 

It's literally impossible to believe, however, that the team is doing absolutely nothing, not contacting agents and players, and not "working" free agency because they are know nothing bumbling idiots. If anyone truly believes that, he or she is an idiot far worse than the brain trust they are ridiculing.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

There is a guy on the bills.com board with a very good track record, although 99% of that board is pretty useless. I'm not vouching for this, but I have read a lot of what he has said over some time and he very much seems to know what he is talking about. Take it for what it's worth:

 

 

 

I think he also said two visits are scheduled for this week, IIRC.

 

There have been reports of Devito and Delanie Walker, who could be two of the six.

 

And this would confirm many people's suspicions. The Bills are operating under an unprecedented cloak of privacy. No one heard anything about Manny Lawson until AFTER he signed.

 

It went without saying to me that they had targeted other players unsuccessfully.

 

To Hopeful's suggestion about casting a wider net, I can only say that we don't know how wide a net they've cast.

 

And is it any surprise that Buffalo is a hard sell? I love Buffalo because I grew up there and lived there for 35 years. If I was a pro athlete there's no doubt it would be one of the last places I would find desirable especially considering the suckitude of the franchise. Rebuilding a program in Buffalo is clearly not an easy task.

 

Those teams however, are going to run out of money eventually. Then what happens when guys start getting cut? They won't beable to add anyone. At this point next year, Miami will not beable to afford the guys they have signed. A lot of those contracts were back loaded.

 

I saw a crazy stat(mind you this was 2 days ago). At that point in time the guys Miami had signed counted for about $25 mil against the cap for 2013. For 2014, those same guys cost them $48 mil against next years cap. That was before they kept signing people.

 

Jeff Ireland signed Karlos Dansby to a mega-contract in 2010 and cut his ass two years later. Expect more of the same. It looks like the Fish have hired Mike Tannenbaum to help build their team.

[Solomon Grundy]

 

 

Someone gets it. Thank you.

 

Just to add, I am sure they targeted some players, and have gauged interest. Now they wait.

 

++

[3rdand12]

I'm sick of New England being involved in every decent FA out there.

like donald Jones ?

 

Great post. The Bills sit on their hands yet again, while Miami and NE make moves to strengthen their teams. Prices are way down this year, and yet the Bills are still stuck at the gate, while others are off and running.

Consider that Miami is trying to sell tickets this year. And will pay for it down the road.

They have very big holes still.

Bills have been known to do the same, say last season.

 

Patience with a new group is my advice. after the second year we can get riled up again and shift to the "one more season of poo and we clean house " , we all know that routine eh?

[Pete]

OBD isn't doing anything because the Bills are so talented and have been for decades. They are damn near a perfect football team. Why mess with success? We can idly rest because this team is poised for yet another stellar season

[Fan in San Diego]

Could be because the FA pool is loaded with overpriced veterans that they do not feel is a good fit for what they are trying to achieve. I always marvel at folks that act like rabid women shoppers on black Friday. My wife comes home with 50 things we don't need because they were on sale, I feel the same way about the FA rush each year.

Except this year we have more holes to fill than I can ever remember at this time of year.

[tennesseeboy]

1. Everything is fine with the Bills just the way it is.

2, most of the valuable free agents were people we actually let go and got snapped up early.

3. We are saving money to buy back Fitz.

4. We are busy studying the possible undrafted free agent market after our lackluster draft

5. WE are like a duck...under the water we are swimming hard- furiosly trying to attract free agents, but we can't get them drunk enough to consider us

[Meathead]

Could be because the FA pool is loaded with overpriced veterans that they do not feel is a good fit for what they are trying to achieve. I always marvel at folks that act like rabid women shoppers on black Friday. My wife comes home with 50 things we don't need because they were on sale, I feel the same way about the FA rush each year.

 

THANK YOU

[TC in St. Louis]

Give it another week or so. I think part of my frustration, personally, is that I want to read some good news. It has been said that no news is good news. In this case, not so much. I want them to sign some people. Give us some reason to believe.

[707BillsFan]

Waiting for the sharks to leave the pool. Then they will enter and sign a few people.

 

So we're bottom feeders? We're just waiting for some scraps to fall to the bottom so we can snatch them up? Sounds about right...

[Meathead]

every year its like groundhog day all over again around here

 

i think buddy has handled free agency perfectly since hes been here. not that everything has worked out, but his system is excellent. most of the time he just waits for guys to become free due to other teams inability to keep everyone and/or stay under the cap. then after most of the money around the league has already been (over)spent hes there to offer reasonable contracts to solid but unspectacular players when he can get good value

 

merriman was a little different and was a gamble that didnt pay off, we all know that, but they got him for no draft picks spend during a time when they had a lot of money available. if he had worked out it would have been a massive bargain, but even though it didnt im glad he took that shot

 

and of course super mario was very different, but that was an all-in move to try to go to the next level. little did we know that the entire defense would be epic bad around him, and that fitz would regress instead of rebound. but it was a reasonable sound move at the time. we are probably at least a season away from that kind of move again bc you only do that when you think you are on the cusp and its unlikely this pimply faced staff can right the ship that fast

 

so for all non-QB related moves i would give buddy a B+ at least. of course he gets an F for his QB position management bringing his final grade down quite a bit. but this idea that he has been generally inept at free agency is just silly