BillsWatch Posted September 1, 2013 Posted September 1, 2013 It's been 13 years since this team made the playoffs --- THAT'S GETTING OLD -- the fact that Ru$$ is still in charge is an embarrassment -- the fact that Bills fans sit and take it is sad. I've been a fan my entire life and constantly have defended the FO to friends and fellow Bills fans --- the proverbial straw broke this camel's back when I saw a post of this message board a couple weeks ago with a link to the salary cap space site --- the fact that the Bills have $25M and chose to let Levitre walk, not to sign FA CB's or ILB's is just wrong --- it's not about being a hater or complaining, it's about WAKING UP and trying to do the same to the inept FO that we fans have been stuck with. We (Bills fan) deserve better and we need to hold Ru$$ accountable to his words If it WAS the straw which broke the back you would not be on this board other than changing name to TXNONBILLSFAN Maybe it was not a straw but just a twig up your a$$ using your substitution.
gobillsinytown Posted September 1, 2013 Posted September 1, 2013 "It's been 13 years since this team made the playoffs --- THAT'S GETTING OLD -- the fact that Ru$$ is still in charge is an embarrassment -- the fact that Bills fans sit and take it is sad. I've been a fan my entire life and constantly have defended the FO to friends and fellow Bills fans --- the proverbial straw broke this camel's back when I saw a post of this message board a couple weeks ago with a link to the salary cap space site --- the fact that the Bills have $25M and chose to let Levitre walk, not to sign FA CB's or ILB's is just wrong --- it's not about being a hater or complaining, it's about WAKING UP and trying to do the same to the inept FO that we fans are left with" You know, I used to be angry about it also. I've been a Bills fan for 45 years. I used to get angry about it, but then I realized that it's entertainment. I also realized the simple fact that if I was so angry about it, I could stop supporting the team. I still support them, and I do it not because I'm stupid with my money, but because it's entertainment and therefore occupies the correct proportion in my life. I can choose to spend discretionary income on whatever I would like. The point here is that you also have the ability to choose. Express your anger by not supporting the team. You might feel a little less angry.
GA BILLS FAN Posted September 1, 2013 Posted September 1, 2013 If it WAS the straw which broke the back you would not be on this board other than changing name to TXNONBILLSFAN Maybe it was not a straw but just a twig up your a$$ using your substitution. I've been fortunate to live in several other NFL cities and when you "live with the enemy" your resolve and loyalty is strengthened, not weakened it -- what I find astonishing is how much Ru$$ and the Bills FO can get away with in Buffalo, that would never fly in other cities --- Look, I was born and raised in WNY and my heart will always be a Bills fan (unless they move, of course). Venting on the board is therapeutic. I don't like when I read things that make it sound like fans are rationalizing some of the ineptness --- I use to do that -- I also don't want to come across as a "hater"; I'm not one --- I pluck down my money every year for a new jersey (EJ this year, Dareus last year), the Sunday ticket and at least one trip up north for a game --- I'm not a hater, but I can't get past Ru$$ lying to our collective faces on how he was going to repair the tarnished reputation --- it's wrong -- he should go, not me.
uncle flap Posted September 1, 2013 Posted September 1, 2013 --- Here's a short list of 2013 FA's that the Bills DID NOT sign... Gilmore wasn't hurt then, and at the time they were (and likely still are) confident enough with McKelvin and Brooks, and at least hopeful Rogers or someone would step up/ further develop. I get that it's important to have depth, but I don't think it's some crime against humanity to decide against throwing a ton of money at a CB2 at best. Plus, it's a two-way street. FAs have to agree to sign here. Without bashing Buffalo, there are dozens of reasons why a player might sign with another team. If your answer is "just pay the man," well, you just can't do that for every position. Out of that list, the only guys I would've looked at are Sean Smith and Greg Toler. It's not like all those CBs are dirt cheap Pro Bowlers just waiting by the phone for the Bills to call.
Shouldaplayedflutie99 Posted September 1, 2013 Posted September 1, 2013 https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/09/01/cut-tracker-defensive-backs/ Why this guy over Butler? I thought cutting butler was odd, but what you just posted makes it REALLY odd. Makes it look like a really bad move too.
nikuman Posted September 1, 2013 Posted September 1, 2013 Good to see the roller coaster is in full swing today. Burton isn't being brought in to be a full time starter for the Bills, he's a stop gap/developmental players who is s perfect fit for Pettine's system. Pettine's defense is all about distruption and one thing Burton does well is press coverage. Sometimes a change of scenery makes a huge difference for a player. Any of you riders remember Jim Leonard? Or, more recently, Jerry Hughes?
Dragonborn10 Posted September 2, 2013 Posted September 2, 2013 I did a little research and here are some highlights: Dallas - $51,000 under the cap. Record 8-8 Baltimore - 7.2 million under Super Bowl Champs Cincinnatti - 28.9 million under Record 10-6 Indy - 11 million under Record 11-5 Not exactly a complete sample, but does show that salary cap room and record aren't always joined at the hip. If these are last years cap numbers then everything is explained by the money spent on the QB position. Indy and Cinci had rookie or second year QB's. Baltimore had not resigned Flacco to his huge contract yet. And Dallas had already given big money to Romo and incredibly would give more this offseason. The Bills cut Fitz because they didn't want to pay him his money due. That is fine but the could and should have spent that money elsewhere. I'm ok not breaking the bank for Levitre but they could have signed Byrd last year. I would have spent the money on Mike Wallace.
vincec Posted September 2, 2013 Posted September 2, 2013 I thought cutting butler was odd, but what you just posted makes it REALLY odd. Makes it look like a really bad move too. Did anyone pick Butler up? If not, get his butt on the practice squad.
Lurker Posted September 2, 2013 Posted September 2, 2013 Disappointing. Absolutely...that on a MB supposedly filled with knowledgeable fans, we're four pages into this thread and not one bit of objective background has been added on the guy. Just bellyaching by the usual suspects. He sounds like a guy who can play in Pettine's scheme: http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/brandon-burton?id=2495498 "Burton could become a great starting corner for a team with a press-heavy scheme..." http://min.scout.com/2/1068689.html Burton is at his best in man coverage, showing the speed and quickness to run with any receiver. At the line of scrimmage, he shows tenacity when pressing the receiver and is willing to challenge anyone that lines up opposite him. Once the ball is in the air, Burton uses his exceptional height and timing skills to compete for the football... http://www.vikings.com/media-vault/videos/Brandon-Burton-Draft-Profile/8772ca1f-df1f-436a-8eaa-1c2433803fcc Burton is projected as a second round pick...
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted September 2, 2013 Posted September 2, 2013 What's funny is that this guy is probably our no. 1 CB this Sunday.
Best Player Available Posted September 2, 2013 Posted September 2, 2013 Former 5th round pick. Could be worse Quality dumpster dive no UDFA's corners for this coming Sunday. final cut castoffs is the way to get rid of the "Tarnish" on OBD.
gobillsinytown Posted September 2, 2013 Posted September 2, 2013 If these are last years cap numbers then everything is explained by the money spent on the QB position. Indy and Cinci had rookie or second year QB's. Baltimore had not resigned Flacco to his huge contract yet. And Dallas had already given big money to Romo and incredibly would give more this offseason. The Bills cut Fitz because they didn't want to pay him his money due. That is fine but the could and should have spent that money elsewhere. I'm ok not breaking the bank for Levitre but they could have signed Byrd last year. I would have spent the money on Mike Wallace. Those are this year's cap numbers.....from the NFL website. I realize this is a quick survey and certainly not complete. The one that really caught my eye is Cincinnati at 28 million under the cap this year....and they went 10-6 last year. I think the whole cap situation is enormously complicated for every team and too much is placed on it by fans. NFL contracts are very complicated. Most teams have a separate legal staff dedicated to them. I've been fortunate to live in several other NFL cities and when you "live with the enemy" your resolve and loyalty is strengthened, not weakened it -- what I find astonishing is how much Ru$$ and the Bills FO can get away with in Buffalo, that would never fly in other cities --- Look, I was born and raised in WNY and my heart will always be a Bills fan (unless they move, of course). Venting on the board is therapeutic. I don't like when I read things that make it sound like fans are rationalizing some of the ineptness --- I use to do that -- I also don't want to come across as a "hater"; I'm not one --- I pluck down my money every year for a new jersey (EJ this year, Dareus last year), the Sunday ticket and at least one trip up north for a game --- I'm not a hater, but I can't get past Ru$$ lying to our collective faces on how he was going to repair the tarnished reputation --- it's wrong -- he should go, not me. I live exactly one hour between Pittsburgh and Cleveland, with most of the media coverage in my town tilting towards the Browns. All of your complaints about the Bills front office are echoed by Browns fans about their front office. The same for Cincinnati....until they started winning. The Bengals are 28 million under the cap this year. Don't you find it strange how you don't hear Bengals fans complaining about how cheap Mike Brown is now? The exact same thing will happen if the Bills start winning. The same Jeff Littman was handling the team's finances in the 1990's. Very few people complained about him then. The Steelers also run a tight ship financially. But now that the Steelers are beginning to falter, the complaints are starting to get a little louder. This is a very simple equation: Win and everything is fine. Lose.......................
3rdnlng Posted September 2, 2013 Posted September 2, 2013 Those are this year's cap numbers.....from the NFL website. I realize this is a quick survey and certainly not complete. The one that really caught my eye is Cincinnati at 28 million under the cap this year....and they went 10-6 last year. I think the whole cap situation is enormously complicated for every team and too much is placed on it by fans. NFL contracts are very complicated. Most teams have a separate legal staff dedicated to them. I live exactly one hour between Pittsburgh and Cleveland, with most of the media coverage in my town tilting towards the Browns. All of your complaints about the Bills front office are echoed by Browns fans about their front office. The same for Cincinnati....until they started winning. The Bengals are 28 million under the cap this year. Don't you find it strange how you don't hear Bengals fans complaining about how cheap Mike Brown is now? The exact same thing will happen if the Bills start winning. The same Jeff Littman was handling the team's finances in the 1990's. Very few people complained about him then. The Steelers also run a tight ship financially. But now that the Steelers are beginning to falter, the complaints are starting to get a little louder. This is a very simple equation: Win and everything is fine. Lose....................... Youngstown? Ever play softball on an Erie team?
HurlyBurly51 Posted September 2, 2013 Posted September 2, 2013 (edited) Absolutely...that on a MB supposedly filled with knowledgeable fans, we're four pages into this thread and not one bit of objective background has been added on the guy. Just bellyaching by the usual suspects. He sounds like a guy who can play in Pettine's scheme: http://www.nfl.com/c...rton?id=2495498 "Burton could become a great starting corner for a team with a press-heavy scheme..." http://min.scout.com/2/1068689.html Burton is at his best in man coverage, showing the speed and quickness to run with any receiver. At the line of scrimmage, he shows tenacity when pressing the receiver and is willing to challenge anyone that lines up opposite him. Once the ball is in the air, Burton uses his exceptional height and timing skills to compete for the football... http://www.vikings.c...aa-1c2433803fcc Burton is projected as a second round pick... Hmmm...disappointing this is all pre-draft hype. How's he performed in the NFL? "A fifth-round pick in 2011 out of Utah, Burton has struggled mightily through two NFL seasons but the Bills are desperate for corners after losing Stephon Gilmore potentially until midseason. Burton will open the season low on the depth chart, however, and is unlikely to help early in the year. Sep 1 - 5:10 PM" "In two seasons with the Vikings, Burton appeared in only 14 games and was buried on Minnesota's depth chart, failing to ascend in his first two seasons. He is not practice squad eligible, meaning that he's the first of three expected additions to the Bills' 53-man roster, where he becomes the sixth cornerback on the active list. He has a chance to suit up on game days and play special teams while Stephon Gilmore is sidelined with his wrist injury." "As a Bills Fan Living in MN Burton is unimpressive. He’s had multiple opportunities to earn a role in MN (esp with Chris Cook and Winfield both missing multiple games each of the past two years) and never took advantage of those opportunities. There was a decent amount of buzz on him two training camps ago, but that was about the highlight of his time with the Vikes. The local media gave him a pass his rookie season (that was the lockout year, when training camps were shorter and there were no mini-camps, and many rookies struggled). But he’s now had two full off-seasons to put it together, and hasn’t." Edited September 2, 2013 by HurlyBurly51
Buffalo Barbarian Posted September 2, 2013 Posted September 2, 2013 The issue is not that we "dumpster dive," but the fact that many of our breakout players come from such a source, and not our draft picks. In aggregate, our talent level would be far higher with better drafting combined with our solid knowledge of the waiver/UDFA wires. and our own guys, uhm like Jabari Greer, who would be great for us right now. 5 signed to the PS so far: Thad Lewis, Izaan Cross, Mark ASPER (he's baaaack!), Jamie Blatnick and Tommy Streeter. If they got Burton - he's on the 53 man squad. Cool liked, Streeter when he came out. Glad to have Blatnick back too. I'm a Utah Utes fan(where Burton went to college) so I've seen him. He's an average CB at best in the NFL. He does play smart and had some speed, though I don't know if his speed translates to the NFL. Bills could do worse. could we do better?
beerme1 Posted September 2, 2013 Posted September 2, 2013 and our own guys, uhm like Jabari Greer, who would be great for us right now. That is the past. Let the new coaching staff determine who is great for us now. What the hell man? sour grapes or what?
Buffalo Barbarian Posted September 2, 2013 Posted September 2, 2013 The corner position was also extremely weak in FA. Furthermore with Gilmore as the #1 CB and McKelvin re-signed to be #2 CB, and some promise at the nickel spot, no FA was going to accept a small contract to be #3 or lower CB. tru but there is thing called the draft were we didn't draft a CB when we desperately needed one. The Pats just signed former Bill and ST'er Chris White. Your point? the Pats are smarter. That's before Wood's extension, but also before yesterday's cuts and more than likely injury settlements for Br Smith and Kolb -- I suspect, we'll be right around $23M when season starts, barring something unusual --- It's amazing how fear (fear of losing the team) AND love (western New Yorkers have more true love for their team than virtually EVERY other NFL city) can motivate people to "look the other way" and continue to buy seats --- great fans, horrible front office and sad to see Ru$$ take advantage of them (us) --- Here's a short list of 2013 FA's that the Bills DID NOT sign, pulled these from an old post back in March --- they aren't available now, I guess you snooze you lose, or you pinch pennies, you get to draft high every year -- 1. Brent Grimes, Atlanta Falcons 2. Sean Smith, Miami Dolphins (UPDATE: Agreed to terms with the Kansas City Chiefs) 3. Aqib Talib, New England Patriots (UPDATE: Agreed to deal with the New England Patriots.) 4. Chris Houston, Detroit Lions (UPDATE: Agreed to re-sign with the Detroit Lions) 5. Antoine Winfield, Minnesota Vikings 6. Keenan Lewis, Pittsburgh Steelers (UPDATE: Signed with the New Orleans Saints)7. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Philadelphia Eagles (UPDATE: Rodgers-Cromartie and the Denver Broncos agreed to a one-year deal on Wednesday night, according to NFL.com's Ian Rapoport. 8. Nnamdi Asomugha, Philadelphia Eagles 9. Bradley Fletcher, St. Louis Rams (UPDATE: Agreed to terms with the Philadelphia Eagles) 10. Derek Cox, Jacksonville Jaguars (UPDATE: Cox agreed to a four-year congtract with the San Diego Chargers late Wednesday, U-T San Diego reported). 11. Cary Williams, Baltimore Ravens (UPDATE: Agreed to terms with the Philadelphia Eagles) 12. Dunta Robinson, Atlanta Falcons (UPDATE: Signed with the Kansas City Chiefs) 13. Greg Toler, Arizona Cardinals (UPDATE: Agreed to terms with the Indianapolis Colts) ==== I guess Ru$$ was too busy remaking the Bills brand to let Whaley spend the money yeah those guys are horrible, glad we didn't sign them
Buffalo Barbarian Posted September 2, 2013 Posted September 2, 2013 That is the past. Let the new coaching staff determine who is great for us now. What the hell man? sour grapes or what? sour grapes? seriously? how about sick and tired of the same BS every year letting good guys go. Not even talking to Levetri was a slap in the face to him and us and now they're dicking around with Byrd. They don't need overspend for guys like Mario but at least give a decent offer and players might start taking this club seriously and wanting to stay and come here. The only smart player move they have made so far is Wood.
jumbalaya Posted September 2, 2013 Posted September 2, 2013 Jeeze - they recognize the issue at CB and are trying to aggressively fix it by purging the non performers and turning over rocks to find talent. Why is this objectionable? Agressively fix what? It was obvious before the preseason started that we had zero veteran CB leadership and if Gilmore went out we had nothing behind him. Now he's out and we have nothing behind him. Picking up a cast off is not aggressively addressing anything. Same thing at QB, they get rid of a decent back up in TJ, so instead of having two vets and EJ then putting Tuel on the practice squad where he belongs, we are in a heckuva fix and have to play EJ in an at risk situation coming off knee surgery. Keeping Fitz and passing on Kolb would have been a good idea too. At Guard they let Rhinehart and Levitre walk. Should have kept one of the two. So they bring in Legursky a below average replacement that could not crack the Steelers pitiful Oline. Now he's banged and there is zero depth. If Chandler goes down again they will be 0 for 4 in addressing positional needs and planning for injuries at G, QB, TE and CB. The only areas they shored up this year was WR & Dline. It's not like we are cap strapped as we had plenty of room to add a couple of quality vets at these spots. So many on this board just blindly agree with anything this team's management does.
Recommended Posts