Brandon talks with AP about Byrd's contract

[2003Contenders]

I thik the Bills are serious and sincere about trying to bring Byrd back. Brandon's demeanor here, I think, spells that out. In the past, when they were not intererested in meeting a player's financial demands, the MO of the team has been to vilify the player in the press. I do not see that here. If Byrd really wants to play for the Bills and he has reasonable contractual demands, a deal can get worked out.

[Coach Tuesday]

I would expect them to press the Toronoto folks to make some creative changes to the program - i.e., proactive efforts to fill the stands with fans, especially fans who are cheering for the home team. Perhaps busing in Bills fans from various places, better marketing efforts, etc. They'll pledge to try some new things out to make the games more condusive to the Bills' atmosphere. If those tweaks don't produce results next year, I'd expect they'll talk seriously about cancelling the series for 2015.

[Dorkington]

At the very least, we should have him for another year. I'd rather get him signed, so that he doesn't hold out of training camp/pre-season this year, though.

 

As far as Toronto. I don't like the series. But I don't think it necessarily costs us wins. The players still have to go out and perform, and they have failed to.

[A Dog Named Kelso]

Hope the series goes deep six, from the article;

 

"Brandon provided an update on another front. Without going into detail, he said he's had discussions with Rogers Communications regarding the team's concerns about its annual "Bills In Toronto" series.

 

Brandon questioned the benefits of the series following a 34-31 overtime loss to Atlanta at Toronto on Dec. 1. He wondered about the Bills possibly giving away a home-field edge by playing indoors.

 

Brandon has not ruled out the possibility of the Bills pulling out of the remaining four years of the series. "

 

Read more here: http://www.idahostat...l#storylink=cpy

 

 

I wonder if they will just open the roof and see how that plays out. I am pretty sure the Rogers Center has a retractable roof ... doesn't it?

I don't think Byrd wants to stay and I believe that the Bills, Rogers Communication, & NFL will come to a compromise agreement that will allow the Bills to fulfill their contract with the following changes:

 

1. The Toronto game will no longer be a home game for the Bills.

 

2. The opponent will not be a divisional team.

 

3. The game will be a regular scheduled away game for both teams played at a neutral site.

 

I thought that this was a good compromise but again one of the reasons of the deal gave buffalo the rights to Toronto ... so making it a neutral site may not be what the Bills want.

[sodbuster]

 

 

I wonder if they will just open the roof and see how that plays out. I am pretty sure the Rogers Center has a retractable roof ... doesn't it?

 

I thought that this was a good compromise but again one of the reasons of the deal gave buffalo the rights to Toronto ... so making it a neutral site may not be what the Bills want.

from what I understand, if it has a retractable roof, it must be closed under certain weather conditions.

 

As for making it a road game, that's not going to happen. How would we feel if we had to play Dallas in, say, San Antonio? Ad much as this game isn't truly a home game, it is certainly more friendly than an away game.

Edited January 28, 2014 by sodbuster

[Rubes]

I thik the Bills are serious and sincere about trying to bring Byrd back. Brandon's demeanor here, I think, spells that out. In the past, when they were not intererested in meeting a player's financial demands, the MO of the team has been to vilify the player in the press. I do not see that here. If Byrd really wants to play for the Bills and he has reasonable contractual demands, a deal can get worked out.

 

I can't recall this ever happening, but I'm old and forgetful. Any examples?

[Delete This Account]

the Rogers Centre roof is closed after baseball season, and the facility "winterized," so it remains closed throughout. lack of drainage is also an issue.

 

jw

[GG]

I can't recall this ever happening, but I'm old and forgetful. Any examples?

 

It's an old Donahoe trick. Start trickling in tidbits how a player may have lost some energy, speed, etc. Pat Williams was the first that the trick was used on. Then Moulds, Clements, etc.

Edited January 28, 2014 by GG

[GA BILLS FAN]

How did the NFL work out the London and Mexico City games? Was one team a "home" game....I don't know how that worked.

All games count as a home game for one of the team's --- the only option would be to rotate the game each year -- one year it's a Bills home game, the next year it's an opponents home game --- highly doubt that will happen as most teams covet their home games and don't want to lose any --- which is exactly why we all want this ill-fated Toronto series to end in the first place --- as for Byrd -- I agree, I don't think he wants to stay in Buffalo --- I think he's had it with the multiple DC's and multiple HC's and multiple rebuilds ---- Bills are in tough place, they either pay premium to keep him or let him walk or try to muster 2nd, 3rd or even 4th round pick via tag/trade --- I think the one thing Byrd wants Bills can't give him, consistent winner and chance for SB ----

[Canadian Bills Fan]

The dome in Toronto is not equipped for wet or cold conditions. Even in the summer if its raining they close it.

 

 

CBF

[GG]

.... --- as for Byrd -- I agree, I don't think he wants to stay in Buffalo --- I think he's had it with the multiple DC's and multiple HC's and multiple rebuilds ---- Bills are in tough place, they either pay premium to keep him or let him walk or try to muster 2nd, 3rd or even 4th round pick via tag/trade --- I think the one thing Byrd wants Bills can't give him, consistent winner and chance for SB ----

 

I think this has been a common misconception about Byrd. There was nothing that he said that indicates he doesn't want to play in Buffalo. He did want the highest FA safety contract in 2013, which Bills did not want to pay. Maybe they'll be willing to pay this year. As for his commentary on the coordinator changes, that's just repeating the facts. Aaron Williams said the same thing.

 

If there's genuine enthusiasm in the locker room about where the team is heading, and there is continuity in the DB coaching with Henderson staying on, I can easily see Byrd wanting to and playing for the Bills next year and beyond.

 

If the Bills agree to pay the market rate. It's not a premium. It's what he's worth in the open market. A premium is what the Bills had to pay Mario to entice him to sign.

[GA BILLS FAN]

I think this has been a common misconception about Byrd. There was nothing that he said that indicates he doesn't want to play in Buffalo. He did want the highest FA safety contract in 2013, which Bills did not want to pay. Maybe they'll be willing to pay this year. As for his commentary on the coordinator changes, that's just repeating the facts. Aaron Williams said the same thing.

 

If there's genuine enthusiasm in the locker room about where the team is heading, and there is continuity in the DB coaching with Henderson staying on, I can easily see Byrd wanting to and playing for the Bills next year and beyond.

 

If the Bills agree to pay the market rate. It's not a premium. It's what he's worth in the open market. A premium is what the Bills had to pay Mario to entice him to sign.

If Bills pay market it isn't a premium. I think Bills will need to make him the highest paid safety to get him to resign, that would be a premium as I don't see him getting to #1 paid safety on the open market. Byrd is a solid safety with exceptional ball skills that is decent in coverage, but he is not a game changing player like a Polamalu was during his prime and he has injury questions. I think it's a really hard decision for Whaley/Brandon, if they let him go, they are painted as guys not willing to invest to keep their own, but if they overpay to keep him, they create a spending issue that might force them to cut someone else. I think it's a can't win scenario.

[GG]

If Bills pay market it isn't a premium. I think Bills will need to make him the highest paid safety to get him to resign, that would be a premium as I don't see him getting to #1 paid safety on the open market. Byrd is a solid safety with exceptional ball skills that is decent in coverage, but he is not a game changing player like a Polamalu was during his prime and he has injury questions. I think it's a really hard decision for Whaley/Brandon, if they let him go, they are painted as guys not willing to invest to keep their own, but if they overpay to keep him, they create a spending issue that might force them to cut someone else. I think it's a can't win scenario.

 

:wallbash:

 

I don't know how many times this needs to be repeated, but let's repeat it again.

 

By being the highest paid safety in 2014 will not make Byrd the best safety in the league. It simply means that he's the best available safety in free agency in 2014, and benefits from the timing. If Bills had signed him to a long term deal last year, chances are there would be a contract this year or next year that would surpass Byrd's as the highest paid. That's how things work, and is not a complicated topic. If you reset the contracts every year, Byrd wouldn't be the highest paid. But that's not the way the world works.

 

Byrd's value was set last year by the Goldson contract. Byrd is better than Goldson, and should have been paid at least as much.

 

Same story will repeat in 2014. Here are the top 20 safeties up for free agency in 2014. Who should be paid more than Byrd?

 

1. Jairus Byrd

2. T.J. Ward

3. Antoine Bethea

4. Chris Clemons

5. Malcolm Jenkins

6. Stevie Brown

7. Major Wright

8. Nate Allen

9. Charles Woodson

10. Ryan Clark

11. James Ihedigbo

12. Bernard Pollard

13. Donte Whitner

14. Usama Young

15. Kendrick Lewis

16. Mike Adams

17. Michael Mitchell

18. Chris Crocker

19. Yeremiah Bell

20. Quintin Mikell

21. Michael Huff

[808]

i like how people are saying he should want to be here and sign a modest contract. thats a sure fire way to keep on trucking down this road. only sign guys who want to be in buffalo…. you'd lose a huge amount of the players on this team if that was the case. why play in buffalo when you can play in florida or texas where you aren't taxed at the same rate and the weather is much better not to mention it not being a small town. you can also relate it to winning. until this team starts winning you won't be getting players to take a discount to stay.

[BillsVet]

i like how people are saying he should want to be here and sign a modest contract. thats a sure fire way to keep on trucking down this road. only sign guys who want to be in buffalo…. you'd lose a huge amount of the players on this team if that was the case. why play in buffalo when you can play in florida or texas where you aren't taxed at the same rate and the weather is much better not to mention it not being a small town. you can also relate it to winning. until this team starts winning you won't be getting players to take a discount to stay.

 

This strategy kept Chris Kelsay in the house. What more should a Bills fan desire than a hard-working, high motor, blue collar type of player?

 

Of course, the Bills felt they were paying CK market rate, but his contract seemed awfully high when compared to his counterparts with similar metrics.

[nucci]

It's an old Donahoe trick. Start trickling in tidbits how a player may have lost some energy, speed, etc. Pat Williams was the first that the trick was used on. Then Moulds, Clements, etc.

Yeah, but Donahoe's been gone for a while...Bills usually don't bash their own potential FAs.

[papazoid]

 

 

:wallbash:

 

I don't know how many times this needs to be repeated, but let's repeat it again.

 

By being the highest paid safety in 2014 will not make Byrd the best safety in the league. It simply means that he's the best available safety in free agency in 2014, and benefits from the timing. If Bills had signed him to a long term deal last year, chances are there would be a contract this year or next year that would surpass Byrd's as the highest paid. That's how things work, and is not a complicated topic. If you reset the contracts every year, Byrd wouldn't be the highest paid. But that's not the way the world works.

 

Byrd's value was set last year by the Goldson contract. Byrd is better than Goldson, and should have been paid at least as much.

 

Same story will repeat in 2014. Here are the top 20 safeties up for free agency in 2014. Who should be paid more than Byrd?

 

1. Jairus Byrd

2. T.J. Ward

3. Antoine Bethea

4. Chris Clemons

5. Malcolm Jenkins

6. Stevie Brown

7. Major Wright

8. Nate Allen

9. Charles Woodson

10. Ryan Clark

11. James Ihedigbo

12. Bernard Pollard

13. Donte Whitner

14. Usama Young

15. Kendrick Lewis

16. Mike Adams

17. Michael Mitchell

18. Chris Crocker

19. Yeremiah Bell

20. Quintin Mikell

21. Michael Huff

 

TJ Ward

 

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000289608/article/earl-thomas-jairus-byrd-top-list-of-nfls-best-safeties

[GG]

TJ Ward

 

http://www.nfl.com/n...s-best-safeties

 

Then why do you link an article that ranks Ward below Byrd?

[BigBuff423]

My thoughts on Byrd: I understand that the BILLS don't get better by letting good players walk to other teams. But, this team is also not just one or two positions away from being a perennial contender, they need at least five or six signficant upgrades in talent. This overhaul has taken years and by paying Byrd too much - say $8 or $9 mill in guaranteed money the next couple years - they would commit a huge investment into two players, which I'm not a fan of Super Mario's contract either - when others need to be addressed. They would essentially, IMO, place themselves in a golden wheelchair...really nice looking, but still crippled by over-extending money into just two positions, neither of them the QB and one of them at least potentially mitigated by either a Rookie Draft or another player already on team, i.e. Searcy. I have no qualms with Byrd as a player, business man I'm not so happy with, and if he can get that money somewhere else, God Bless him...but IMO, if he doesn't play for the $6.5 mill average, I would rather see the BILLS tag him and trade him...and use that money on the Offensive line and maybe a Corner where a Defense really relies on someone to stick to the WR like wallpaper......

[Buffalo13]

:wallbash:

 

I don't know how many times this needs to be repeated, but let's repeat it again.

 

By being the highest paid safety in 2014 will not make Byrd the best safety in the league. It simply means that he's the best available safety in free agency in 2014, and benefits from the timing. If Bills had signed him to a long term deal last year, chances are there would be a contract this year or next year that would surpass Byrd's as the highest paid. That's how things work, and is not a complicated topic. If you reset the contracts every year, Byrd wouldn't be the highest paid. But that's not the way the world works.

 

Byrd's value was set last year by the Goldson contract. Byrd is better than Goldson, and should have been paid at least as much.

 

Same story will repeat in 2014. Here are the top 20 safeties up for free agency in 2014. Who should be paid more than Byrd?

 

1. Jairus Byrd

2. T.J. Ward

3. Antoine Bethea

4. Chris Clemons

5. Malcolm Jenkins

6. Stevie Brown

7. Major Wright

8. Nate Allen

9. Charles Woodson

10. Ryan Clark

11. James Ihedigbo

12. Bernard Pollard

13. Donte Whitner

14. Usama Young

15. Kendrick Lewis

16. Mike Adams

17. Michael Mitchell

18. Chris Crocker

19. Yeremiah Bell

20. Quintin Mikell

21. Michael Huff

 

It's not that any of them should be paid more than Byrd, it's how much do you want to pay your free safety? I like Byrd and want him to stay but I don't like him for 9 mil/year. I like him for 7.

 

If they pay Byrd 9 mil then what happens when Darius comes up? Arron Williams? They can't pay everyone.