Mark Anderson released.

[eball]

As mentioned somewhere yesterday in an article on TBD. Overdorf still has final say in negotiations. And setting the scale in Bills world. My take is he can override what Whaley wants or anyone really.

Better question might be. What has changed Russ? Well other than a fancy new title and a huge pay bump.

 

Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop the clock. Where was this written? Which article?

[CountDorkula]

Did anyone think maybe Anderson and the Bills staff had a conversation about scheme and fit, and They came to an agreement that it is better for all parties that he be let go?

[Coach Tuesday]

I'm pretty sure you're mistaken about this. Gailey never seemed to like Evans and was very lukewarm about the receiver any time he was asked to publicly comment on him.

 

Also Nix seemed to go out of his way for the most part as far as accommodating Gailey's personnel desires so I seriously doubt the Bills traded Evans away against Gailey's wishes.

 

According to Kelly the Dog (where is he these days??), his source at OBD told him that Gailey was told late in training camp that he had to pick a player out of a list, and Evans was on the short list. Gailey wasn't happy but grudgingly went along with it. I may be misquoting but that was the gist of it. Kelly wasn't/isn't known to make stuff up.

[Cash]

Ian Rapoport ‏@RapSheet1h

On #Bills & Mark Anderson: I'm told he passed his physical, then was cut. We'll see how it's listed. Knee believed to be good enough to play

 

 

 

Yes he did. http://blogs.buffalo...ack-practicing/

 

Ah, now this makes more sense. Anderson would've been cut back when Wilson & Barnett were, but he wasn't healthy. As soon as he passed a physical, he went out the door.

 

 

I think you answered your own question -- "supposed to be productive." He wasn't, because he got hurt and because the coaching was horrid. New staff, different role...there really is very little to be surprised about, other than the fact the Bills just cut a guy knowing it will cost them money. And THAT's something different.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2

 

It's important to differentiate between cap room and actual money. Cutting Anderson costs the Bills cap space, but saves actual money. As uncle flap pointed out, hopefully the Bills accelerate all of the $4.5 million of dead money into this year's cap, because they're WAY under it. (Spotrac - scroll to the bottom) But in terms of actual payroll, all the dead money was part of Anderson's signing bonus -- the Bills don't need to cut him a check. Instead, they avoid paying his $2.4 million base salary. Whomever takes Anderson's roster spot will almost certainly make less than that.

 

Again, I don't think money was the primary motivator for Anderson's release, but it was definitely part of the consideration. That doesn't make the Bills unusual -- if you don't think a guy will fit into your scheme, why pay him $2.4 million? But let's not pretend that this move ran counter to the Bills' financial interests. They have cap room to spare, so there's no competitive penalty to absorbing Anderson's dead money, and this move will cut costs this year, probably by $1.5 million to $2 million.

[uncle flap]

Prior Regimes?

 

They are one of the same. Don't let Russ Brandons BS Fool you. Nothing has changed. Just a few shuffling of chairs in the front office. The people running this organization has remained the same for the most part.

 

Even if what you say is true, how do you account for the success of the late 80s and early 90s? Dumb luck? Polian and Levy somehow thrived despite Overdorff & Co's best efforts to stifle them, right?

 

Isn't it then well within the realm of possibility that the bumbling FO could have a good GM, Coach, and QB fall into their lap again? I mean, it's been almost 30 years. Ralph himself said during the SB years that we better enjoy this team because we won't see another like it for 30 years. Hmm. Makes ya think.

 

I will gladly grant that habitually running an organization "on the cheap" will certainly limit the opportunities for success, but at the same time, that model doesn't guarantee failure.

 

That said, I still think you're ignoring a preponderance of evidence that things are changing. A coach has far more to do with the performance of the team than any other single factor.

 

Therefore, even if what you say is true, it is still possible for Marrone to get this team competitive and even win a championship down the line.

 

I'm not predicting that Marrone will win a SB, but I'm not automatically dismissing his chances solely based on some perception that the team's accountant is a tightwad.

 

Practicing skepticism is a virtue, no doubt. And one can certainly look objectively at facts, and then decide to be optimistic or pessimistic. I'm not questioning your (or anyone's) fandom, but it just makes no sense to me to ignore all the seemingly positive developments in the recent past, when I think it's safe to assume we all want the Bills to win.

 

Different strokes, I guess.

Edited July 24, 2013 by uncle flap

[mattsox]

I'm sure we'll miss you generic named guy

[Best Player Available]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, stop the clock. Where was this written? Which article?

Read it on my phone and wish I could have linked it then as it hit a nerve. Now I'm thinking it was a espn article?

The article was on organizational changes within the Bills. The reference to Jim Overdorf was something along the lines of

He still has the power to sway any contractual signings. My take was he can reject and does indeed to do the contract numbers not a GM.

[BillsVet]

It's amazing that Brandon and Overdorf get the benefit of the doubt so easily. They are in a select group who have been on the payroll during this era of losing, specifically since 2006 when Brandon moved into a more executive role. No matter how poorly they do as a team, both the president and chief contract negotiator will never be let go.

 

If winning were the priority here that it is in other franchises, change would not be reserved to only the HC, GM, and a couple front office types.

[eball]

Read it on my phone and wish I could have linked it then as it hit a nerve. Now I'm thinking it was a espn article?

The article was on organizational changes within the Bills. The reference to Jim Overdorf was something along the lines of

He still has the power to sway any contractual signings. My take was he can reject and does indeed to do the contract numbers not a GM.

 

I've heard/read some media types opining about who controls negotiations now, but I've seen nothing that leads me to believe anyone actually knows since Nix stepped down and Whaley took over.

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

It's amazing that Brandon and Overdorf get the benefit of the doubt so easily. They are in a select group who have been on the payroll during this era of losing, specifically since 2006 when Brandon moved into a more executive role. No matter how poorly they do as a team, both the president and chief contract negotiator will never be let go.

 

If winning were the priority here that it is in other franchises, change would not be reserved to only the HC, GM, and a couple front office types.

 

When did Russ Brandon become President again?

 

Who ran the football operation prior to Russ Brandon's promotion to President?

Edited July 24, 2013 by J-Gun Boone

[uncle flap]

Read it on my phone and wish I could have linked it then as it hit a nerve. Now I'm thinking it was a espn article?

The article was on organizational changes within the Bills. The reference to Jim Overdorf was something along the lines of

He still has the power to sway any contractual signings. My take was he can reject and does indeed to do the contract numbers not a GM.

 

No one denies that Overdorf does the contract negotiations, and that he answers to Brandon, not Whaley. Wawrow even mentioned it today.

 

1. THE DOUG AND DOUG SHOW: Whaley spent the past three seasons in Buffalo groomed to replace Buddy Nix, who stepped down in May. It’ll be on him to oversee a young roster and have input in a front office that still includes Jim Overdorf, who handles contract negotiations and has sway over salary cap-related decisions.

http://www.oleantimesherald.com/sports/article_a7b07e6c-f46b-11e2-a271-001a4bcf887a.html

 

However, I don't think that is that strange from a structure standpoint regarding a typical NFL FO. Overdorf isn't making decisions in a vacuum. While he answers to Brandon, Brandon seeks input from Whaley. Why else would they even have a GM? Sure, Brandon (and by extension Overdorf) can say, "Hey Doug, we respect your opinion, but we aren't gonna pay X for Byrd." But I refuse to believe it's as cut and dry as many here think. There's a cap floor, and the Bills aren't hurting for cash. There has to be a plan. It may not include overspending on Byrd, and it may limit Whaley's input to an extent, but I still think we're conflating making mistakes in FA and coaching choices with being cheap.

 

The cheap factor may lend itself to uninspiring coaching hires, which lead to poor FA pick ups, but Overdorf managing the cap is independent of both.

[eball]

It's amazing that Brandon and Overdorf get the benefit of the doubt so easily. They are in a select group who have been on the payroll during this era of losing, specifically since 2006 when Brandon moved into a more executive role. No matter how poorly they do as a team, both the president and chief contract negotiator will never be let go.

 

If winning were the priority here that it is in other franchises, change would not be reserved to only the HC, GM, and a couple front office types.

 

Don't worry, as long as you're around to keep reminding us how much everything about the Bills sucks there's nothing to fear.

 

Thanks, Mr. Reality Check!

[Lurker]

Don't worry, as long as you're around to keep reminding us how much everything about the Bills sucks there's nothing to fear.

 

Thanks, Mr. Reality Check!

Amen...

[jahnyc]

No one in the Bills front office deserves the benefit of the doubt. Brandon has been a part of the decision making team for too long to escape responsibility for the state of the Bills over the last ten years. Even Whaley has a lot to prove given his prior roles with the Bills.

 

Doug Marrone and his staff have a clean slate. Let us all hope that they are excellent coaches to help overcome some of the front office and personnel decision making deficiencies.

[GG]

 

 

Don't worry, as long as you're around to keep reminding us how much everything about the Bills sucks there's nothing to fear.

 

Thanks, Mr. Reality Check!

 

Until this team can deliver a winning record, I think that reminder is appropriate for some people.

[JohnC]

According to Kelly the Dog (where is he these days??), his source at OBD told him that Gailey was told late in training camp that he had to pick a player out of a list, and Evans was on the short list. Gailey wasn't happy but grudgingly went along with it. I may be misquoting but that was the gist of it. Kelly wasn't/isn't known to make stuff up.

 

Paul Hamilton from WGR a couple of years ago stated that it was a common practice for the finance boys to tell the football decsion-makers that a certain amount of salary had to be cut from the roster. According to PH they wouldn't dictate who was to be cut but what they would do (as you noted) is provide a list of players whose salary fell into the range that needed to be cut. The football people would then make the cut, whether they liked it or not. It was not a secret around the organization or even the league that the owner was financially squeezing his franchise at the expense of fielding a competitive team. . Ralph's piggy bank business model shamelessly took advantage of the system. That is why Ralph was resented by many of the owners, especially the newer and more modern owners

 

 

Under the new CBA that type of fiscal stringency is going to be mitigated because all teams will be required to spend up to 95% of the cap. The rule was instituted because of owners such as Ralph. There is nothing unusual for owners in all pro sports to consider salaries in relationship to player productivity. It is a business after all. But Ralph took it too another level.

[billsfan89]

Makes me think they really like Hughes, not missing much but I didn't see the harm in keeping Anderson to see how he does in camp. I mean they had to pay him some money this year (I think) so why not keep him.

[BillsWatch]

Then, please, for the sake of the rest of our sanity, STOP BEING _PRETENDING TO BE_ ONE.

 

Corrected,

[Best Player Available]

Even Whaley has a lot to prove given his prior roles with the Bills.

Hard to argue that point. His previous responsibilities with the team, showed little if any signs of excellence. In fact has he ever been credited for any personnel choices? Good or bad?

He does have the experience to be a good GM. And, everyone wants him to succeed. But, to date it's hard to point to anything he's done other than the heir apparent OBD dribble and the never ending media and team Steelers references.

[BADOLBILZ]

Why would you cite one of the best moves in recent Bills history to bolster your point?

 

The Evans trade was an absolute home run from the Bills' perspective.

 

When Lee Evans didn't catch that pass in the endzone from Flacco that would have sent the Ravens to the Super Bowl........that was the highlight of the Bills season for you. Admit it.