D521646 Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 As many here, I've been racking what little is left of my brain cells to try and figure out ANY possible reason why we have been so quiet in FA, especially in a FA market that seems reasonably priced right now. The only thing I can come up with is that Nix and Co are leaving so many holes on our team come draft time that teams looking to move up could possibly target the Bills since we have so many directions we can go with our 8th and 41st pick. Think about it for a second; yes, tis true that we all know that Nix is going to select a QB in one of our first two picks, but perhaps outsiders give Buddy more credit. We could theoretically select a G, TE, WR, DE, DT almost anyone will be there for us at the 8th pick, so teams like San Fran or the Vikings if they really, really want someone could see the Bills as a willing trading partner. If we start filling holes in FA, it becomes more transparent to the rest of the league how the Bills will approach the draft, and what little leverage we have is really only left when you factor in that we need almost anyone at BPA at our 8th pick, and teams will start to get antsy as the pressure mounts. ANyone else have any other ideas why we are so lethargic this FA when, lets face it, FA are signing deals that are not out of this world. Tim-
ProbablyWrong Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 This is similar to what I have guessed at as well. Unfortunately, there is no way to really know. We will have to wait and see how things actually play out.
BillsFanForever19 Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 (edited) My gut feeling is that they have been trying to sign people - we've just been keeping all visits and dealings confidential. I think last year, they backed themselves into a corner in which they had no choice but to sign Mario at all costs because of the public fever of hearing he was in town. I think they decided to keep things on the DL this year after that. Hell, no one knew that Manny Lawson was even in town before we were all told he signed. And everything's been unusually tight lipped ever since Brandon took over. Marrone especially seems to not want to give the press ANYTHING. I just think with a new head coach, a new President/kind of Owner guy, no QB in place, and a track record of sucking - we just can't get anyone to sign for what we want to spend. I also think the way that Mario Williams was lambasted for having come here and treated like a bust for having not singlehandedly turning the team around may have scared FA's off. Edited March 21, 2013 by BillsFanForever19
Wagon Circler Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 Incompetence? I can't believe Manny Lawson is the only player they liked from hundreds of free agents available.
OldTimer1960 Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 As many here, I've been racking what little is left of my brain cells to try and figure out ANY possible reason why we have been so quiet in FA, especially in a FA market that seems reasonably priced right now. The only thing I can come up with is that Nix and Co are leaving so many holes on our team come draft time that teams looking to move up could possibly target the Bills since we have so many directions we can go with our 8th and 41st pick. Think about it for a second; yes, tis true that we all know that Nix is going to select a QB in one of our first two picks, but perhaps outsiders give Buddy more credit. We could theoretically select a G, TE, WR, DE, DT almost anyone will be there for us at the 8th pick, so teams like San Fran or the Vikings if they really, really want someone could see the Bills as a willing trading partner. If we start filling holes in FA, it becomes more transparent to the rest of the league how the Bills will approach the draft, and what little leverage we have is really only left when you factor in that we need almost anyone at BPA at our 8th pick, and teams will start to get antsy as the pressure mounts. ANyone else have any other ideas why we are so lethargic this FA when, lets face it, FA are signing deals that are not out of this world. Tim- Interesting theory, but I think you are way over thinking it. The Bills have several key players coming up to be resigned next year including Spiller and Wood. They already have huge money invested in Mario Williams and some others. I think that they feel that the early FAs were too pricey vs their production and they are waiting for some asking prices to come down. Signing some average players to above average contracts takes money away from paying to keep their own guys (and finding a QB)
Max997 Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 (edited) sorry but that just doesnt make sense...you dont leave numerous holes on your team hoping other teams will see that as an opportunity to trade up or panic bc they dont have a clue which direction you may go IMO the Bills are just the Bills. This is business as usual for them with the exception of last year when they thought they were closer then they were considering the way they started the previous year and were given the go ahead by Ralph to do whatever they felt they needed to do to make a run in 2012. Since that failed they are back to operating as they normally do Nothing changed with the fake change to Brandon...cant believe anyone bought into that crap Edited March 21, 2013 by Max997
Ozymandius Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 Why build the rest of the team if you have no QB? Use draft picks on QB and linemen to protect him. If he pans out, THEN build the rest of the team around him. Because otherwise you are just sinking your draft position and making it more difficult to find a QB.
White Linen Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 Why build the rest of the team if you have no QB? Use draft picks on QB and linemen to protect him. If he pans out, THEN build the rest of the team around him. Because otherwise you are just sinking your draft position and making it more difficult to find a QB. Winner
HOUSE Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 (edited) Try this....its been on NFL.com Collusion in the NFL ??? Gregg Rosenthal March 20, 2013 You could ask this question another way: Are teams getting smarter in free agency? It's remarkable how many teams "set a price" on a free agent and stuck to it. The teams usually nailed the player's value, whether it was Jake Long, Wes Welker, Sean Smith or Greg Jennings. That has some agents wondering aloud if collusion was going on between teams ahead of time. We don't think it was anything that nefarious. First, there were some wacky contracts handed out. (Hello, Desmond Bryant, Phillip Wheeler and Erik Walden.) Second, teams always will act in their own best interest. Ian Rapoport explains why cornerback salaries are plummeting. Plus, a potential Geno Smith suitor nobody's talking about. More ... Sure, some "McContracts" were handed out at cornerback once the market was set, but that was for a reason. There was too much supply out there, and none of the free agents was a difference maker. It was a deep group, but it wasn't top heavy. No one got Cortland Finnegan money because Finnegan easily was better than anyone in this cornerback crop. The handful of deep positions in free agency (offensive tackle, cornerback, running back) also look pretty deep in the draft. The middle class of NFL veterans got squeezed. Guys like Avril, Welker and Jennings who passed on contract extensions a year ago lost out in the process. The flat salary cap ultimately forced teams to make smarter decisions in free agency. A league full of general managers acting more like Ted Thompson simply is good business. Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal. http://www.nfl.com/n....ency-questions Edited March 21, 2013 by HOUSE
VADC Bills Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 (edited) Why build the rest of the team if you have no QB? Use draft picks on QB and linemen to protect him. If he pans out, THEN build the rest of the team around him. Because otherwise you are just sinking your draft position and making it more difficult to find a QB. Just like the Ravens built the Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata defense around Flacco? Oh wait, those guys were there before Flacco. So much for the wait for the QB theory. Edited March 21, 2013 by VADC Bills
Maddog69 Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 Incompetence? I can't believe Manny Lawson is the only player they liked from hundreds of free agents available. It is possible that: 1.) that some of the players they liked and wanted to sign decided to sign elsewhere (Delaney Walker, Mike Devito, Levitre, Landry Jones and Donald Thomas were all reportedly of interest to the Bills 2.) some of the players they would like to sign are still available and have not chosen a new team yet so we just might get some of them
Floridabillsfan1 Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 I really think that obd figured out how many openings there are in the NFL at every position and then filled them with the higher priced FAs and rookies . When they were done filling the spots on this hypothetical board ( projections) they saw what level of players were left over . All of which were upgrades compared to last years Bills that left with a couple of exceptions ( ie Andy L ) . All of which are going to come Dirt Cheap !!!!!! This is my guess ?
Chicago_Mike Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 It's probably a combination of factors: 1) OBD being conservative in their approach and not wanting to over spend; 2) the FA's they have approached are not sold on the new administration, especially on the offensive side and 3) OBD will see what holes they after the draft and will address them afterwards b/c there are still a ton of FA's out there.
CodeMonkey Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 As many here, I've been racking what little is left of my brain cells to try and figure out ANY possible reason why we have been so quiet in FA, especially in a FA market that seems reasonably priced right now. The only thing I can come up with is that Nix and Co are leaving so many holes on our team come draft time that teams looking to move up could possibly target the Bills since we have so many directions we can go with our 8th and 41st pick. Think about it for a second; yes, tis true that we all know that Nix is going to select a QB in one of our first two picks, but perhaps outsiders give Buddy more credit. We could theoretically select a G, TE, WR, DE, DT almost anyone will be there for us at the 8th pick, so teams like San Fran or the Vikings if they really, really want someone could see the Bills as a willing trading partner. If we start filling holes in FA, it becomes more transparent to the rest of the league how the Bills will approach the draft, and what little leverage we have is really only left when you factor in that we need almost anyone at BPA at our 8th pick, and teams will start to get antsy as the pressure mounts. ANyone else have any other ideas why we are so lethargic this FA when, lets face it, FA are signing deals that are not out of this world. Tim- This not only makes no sense to me at all, but it would also presuppose that Nix is some master of manipulation and throwing a smokescreen for the draft ... like anyone cares what the Bills are going to do with their #8. The only thing that makes sense to me is that the Bills are now trying, and probably have been all along, to sign free agents. They just have not been able to. .
xsoldier54 Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 sorry but that just doesnt make sense...you dont leave numerous holes on your team hoping other teams will see that as an opportunity to trade up or panic bc they dont have a clue which direction you may go IMO the Bills are just the Bills. This is business as usual for them with the exception of last year when they thought they were closer then they were considering the way they started the previous year and were given the go ahead by Ralph to do whatever they felt they needed to do to make a run in 2012. Since that failed they are back to operating as they normally do Nothing changed with the fake change to Brandon...cant believe anyone bought into that crap Guys it is March! With the exception of Miami, nobody is doing much in free agency. I know it's hard to be patient, but the roster as it stands today will look nothing like it will look in September. If, after training camp you still feel we have too many holes and didn't do enough to address them, then fine. Until then, there is plenty of off season left.
2003Contenders Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 I also think that the Bills' front office as a whole is in single-minded "Find-a-rookie-QB" mode.
thewildrabbit Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 Interesting theory, but I think you are way over thinking it. The Bills have several key players coming up to be resigned next year including Spiller and Wood. They already have huge money invested in Mario Williams and some others. I think that they feel that the early FAs were too pricey vs their production and they are waiting for some asking prices to come down. Signing some average players to above average contracts takes money away from paying to keep their own guys (and finding a QB) Yea, and the longer they wait the cheaper, and more desperate the free agents get. Last season was a fiasco with all the hype of super Mario with everyone thinking a DE will change the fortunes of an NFL team. This team needs a franchise QB more then any other position of need on the team. Hoping they find him this year or next.
BillsVet Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 I also think that the Bills' front office as a whole is in single-minded "Find-a-rookie-QB" mode. Gotta have something to hype for 2013. Coaching changes and last year's big ticket UFA probably don't carry over into 2013.
Chris in Syracuse Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 It is apparent to me they want to wait till after the draft to sign anyone. A lot of the offense depends on their qb. Why sign DHB if you draft Barkeley who isn't that strong or Nassib. They are hoping to draft a starting OG probably in the 3rd or 4th round. They are also thinking ahead to locking up Spiller and Wood and really only focusing on players that will be part of their future not someone who will be beaten out by a rookie in camp. We have to see how the draft shakes out and then they will be very active in filling in the holes with good but affordable 2nd tier free agents. I think they will go qb with their first pick unless the 2 franchise qb's that Nix believes in are both gone. If that is the case they will probably trade down a few times and take the next best qb at the bottom of round one.
mattsox Posted March 21, 2013 Posted March 21, 2013 Incompetence? I can't believe Manny Lawson is the only player they liked from hundreds of free agents available. Agreed. It just blows my mind. I have no Idea any franchise could be so incompetent. Leave it to the Buffalo Bills to lead the way in this department.
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