Tim Graham was on Sirius radio this morning.

[Tipster19]

I caught it a few minutes in as he was finishing up about Byrd. After that here was some of the "highlights". He had no problem airing the dirty laundry of our division in the front office between the Old Timers and the New Breed. He is a big advocate of Marrone and he is NOT a player for EJ at all! Matter of fact he actually kind of gave a little snicker when he brought up Manuel. Made it a point to mention our lack of play-offs, which is fair but when he finished Zig Fracassi and Amanti Toomer had a pretty good har har as they were appalled from the realization of our play-off absence. He also talked about sending the wrong message to the rest of lockerroom. Not only are the Bills not taking care of our own home grown players but they are also allowing one of our playmakers to just leave which in turn makes it harder to be a winning team. Graham wasn't wrong in what he was saying but I can't say that I enjoyed hearing what I heard. I guess sometimes the truth really does hurt.

[mrags]

Graham is an asshat.

 

 

Thanks for the update tho

Edited March 3, 2014 by mrags

[Ronin]

Graham is an asshat.

 

 

Thanks for the update tho

 

Yeah, that's the trend and has been for years, anyone that doesn't blow smoke is an asshat.

 

The Bills are a case-study in self-fulfilling prophecies. Then the team scratches their little oatmeal shrouds and wonder why their team sucks.

 

Unfortunately, asshat or not, Graham speaks the truth regarding how the team has handled its better players. Meanwhile, they dote over overpaid role players like Mario, guys that they just had to have like Manuel, and now overrely on guys like Spiller, another role-player.

 

At least Whaley and Marrone aren't being cowards and are sticking by their "Manuel's our man" foolishness, so we can give them credit for not backtracking there, although I suspect that they will during or after this forthcoming season. If reports are to be believed however, they won't have anyone behind Manuel to step in should that happen however, leaving them to rebuild once again, at least from the QB spot, next season.

 

As a result, Marrone's days are already numbered despite most not realizing it yet.

Edited March 3, 2014 by TaskersGhost

[YoloinOhio]

I caught it a few minutes in as he was finishing up about Byrd. After that here was some of the "highlights". He had no problem airing the dirty laundry of our division in the front office between the Old Timers and the New Breed. He is a big advocate of Marrone and he is NOT a player for EJ at all! Matter of fact he actually kind of gave a little snicker when he brought up Manuel. Made it a point to mention our lack of play-offs, which is fair but when he finished Zig Fracassi and Amanti Toomer had a pretty good har har as they were appalled from the realization of our play-off absence. He also talked about sending the wrong message to the rest of lockerroom. Not only are the Bills not taking care of our own home grown players but they are also allowing one of our playmakers to just leave which in turn makes it harder to be a winning team. Graham wasn't wrong in what he was saying but I can't say that I enjoyed hearing what I heard. I guess sometimes the truth really does hurt.

I disagree completely. They ARE taking care of him by offering him a ginormous deal esp for a FS. Then by not tagging him again if he doesn't want it, so he can sign somewhere he wants to be. They aren't allowing him to leave, he is choosing to leave. The 2nd tag just stretches it out and delays the ability to get his replacement in there. They know he wants to be a FA. The locker room will not look at this as a poor move on the Bills. Players come and go. Coaches come and go. It is business. They want to win, and if Byrd doesn't want to play there, I am sure they would rather he not do so so that they can get the players on the field who do. You don't think they aren't p*ssed he sat out 5 games last year until he was "100%" when they were all playing at 80% or less? Edited March 3, 2014 by YoloinOhio

[xsoldier54]

Can't say I can complain about the Bills not doing enough to keep Byrd. Three years and $30 Mil for a FS is a fair offer. He obviously wants to leave, so there is not much the FO can do about that. Time to find a replacement and move on.

[billsfan_34]

I caught it a few minutes in as he was finishing up about Byrd. After that here was some of the "highlights". He had no problem airing the dirty laundry of our division in the front office between the Old Timers and the New Breed. He is a big advocate of Marrone and he is NOT a player for EJ at all! Matter of fact he actually kind of gave a little snicker when he brought up Manuel. Made it a point to mention our lack of play-offs, which is fair but when he finished Zig Fracassi and Amanti Toomer had a pretty good har har as they were appalled from the realization of our play-off absence. He also talked about sending the wrong message to the rest of lockerroom. Not only are the Bills not taking care of our own home grown players but they are also allowing one of our playmakers to just leave which in turn makes it harder to be a winning team. Graham wasn't wrong in what he was saying but I can't say that I enjoyed hearing what I heard. I guess sometimes the truth really does hurt.

How is 30 mil of guaranteed money over 3 years not taking care of your own?

[Green Lightning]

 

 

Yeah, that's the trend and has been for years, anyone that doesn't blow smoke is an asshat.

 

The Bills are a case-study in self-fulfilling prophecies. Then the team scratches their little oatmeal shrouds and wonder why their team sucks.

 

Unfortunately, asshat or not, Graham speaks the truth regarding how the team has handled its better players. Meanwhile, they dote over overpaid role players like Mario, guys that they just had to have like Manuel, and now overrely on guys like Spiller, another role-player.

 

At least Whaley and Marrone aren't being cowards and are sticking by their "Manuel's our man" foolishness, so we can give them credit for not backtracking there, although I suspect that they will during or after this forthcoming season. If reports are to be believed however, they won't have anyone behind Manuel to step in should that happen however, leaving them to rebuild once again, at least from the QB spot, next season.

 

As a result, Marrone's days are already numbered despite most not realizing it yet.

 

Even if all that were true, it doesn't mean Graham isn't an asshat.

[YoloinOhio]

How is 30 mil of guaranteed money over 3 years not taking care of your own?

Exactly.

[FLFan]

I disagree completely. They ARE taking care of him by offering him a ginormous deal esp for a FS. Then by not tagging him again if he doesn't want it, so he can sign somewhere he wants to be. They aren't allowing him to leave, he is choosing to leave. The 2nd tag just stretches it out and delays the ability to get his replacement in there. They know he wants to be a FA. The locker room will not look at this as a poor move on the Bills. Players come and go. Coaches come and go. It is business. They want to win, and if Byrd doesn't want to play there, I am sure they would rather he not do so so that they can get the players on the field who do. You don't think they aren't p*ssed he sat out 5 games last year until he was "100%" when they were all playing at 80% or less?

Completely agree. Graham is doing what Graham does - stir up crap based on no inside knowledge, just his own uninformed opinions, because that gets him noticed. He is a clown and carries no credibility. In the meantime, the Bills have made every effort to keep Byrd, who obviously, simply does not want to be here. He is totally focussed on free agency and grabbing the maximum deal. Time to let go and move on from that jerk too.

[Tipster19]

Whoa boys, I didn't say that we're not taking care of our players, Graham did. In all fairness to Graham he didn't state it as his opinion, he just insinuated that that's the lockerroom perception.

 

Ok, now commence tearing each other apart.

[dave mcbride]

How is 30 mil of guaranteed money over 3 years not taking care of your own?

 

Where are you getting 30 million guaranteed? I never saw that. Here is what Wawrow said: "Without revealing the full value and length of the offer, one person said Byrd would have been paid about $30 million over the contract's first three seasons."

Edited March 3, 2014 by dave mcbride

[Bill from NYC]

 

 

Yeah, that's the trend and has been for years, anyone that doesn't blow smoke is an asshat.

 

The Bills are a case-study in self-fulfilling prophecies. Then the team scratches their little oatmeal shrouds and wonder why their team sucks.

 

Unfortunately, asshat or not, Graham speaks the truth regarding how the team has handled its better players. Meanwhile, they dote over overpaid role players like Mario, guys that they just had to have like Manuel, and now overrely on guys like Spiller, another role-player.

 

At least Whaley and Marrone aren't being cowards and are sticking by their "Manuel's our man" foolishness, so we can give them credit for not backtracking there, although I suspect that they will during or after this forthcoming season. If reports are to be believed however, they won't have anyone behind Manuel to step in should that happen however, leaving them to rebuild once again, at least from the QB spot, next season.

 

As a result, Marrone's days are already numbered despite most not realizing it yet.

 

Ya know Ghost Man, I wish I could disagree with the above.

[The Big Cat]

Whoa boys, I didn't say that we're not taking care of our players, Graham did. In all fairness to Graham he didn't state it as his opinion, he just insinuated that that's the lockerroom perception.

 

Ok, now commence tearing each other apart.

 

I wonder if Graham got that from our captains Wood Williams and Jackson. Three homegrown taken care of guys.

 

May be he heard it from SJ. Leodis.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

 

 

Yeah, that's the trend and has been for years, anyone that doesn't blow smoke is an asshat.

 

 

 

That's all the guy does is blow smoke. Everyone covering the bills can and has been critical, save staff pr mouthpiece Chris Brown. Graham tries to agitate stories of of thin air, and transparently folds in as much controversy as possible to shamelessly generate clicks, knowing his writing, investigative reporting and critical thinking won't get the job done.

 

He exemplifies classic small man syndrome.

[maryland-bills-fan]

Come on. I can not believe that the Bills would be so stupid to offer Byrd $10M a year for 3 years- the guy is not worth that much $6-7M per on a 3 year is more like it. Please consider: Byrd did share the Bills lead for interceptions last year with 4 interceptions. He was tied with the 67 year old Leohard, who is now asking for an exception to be able to take his walker out on the field..........Have you ever heard of a team being scared to play the Bills because "the Bills have Byrd as their safety"? (That is what a 10 million dollar man should get you)...........Have you ever heard of a wider receiver getting the droppsies or short arms because he was about to get nailed by Byrd downfield? (That is what a 10 million dollar....)....................Did you every wonder why so many tight ends earned a living against our defense by running away from the linebackers (who should not be expected to cover the TE all over the field) and not being bothered by a safety until after a long gain. Missing in action and responsibility was......(da $10M man).........................Did you ever wonder on the replays of so many of the long yardage pass gains against the Bills, why is the cornerback all alone? ($10M.....)...............Did you ever wonder, on so many of Byrd's interceptions, how the Bills could have so many players in the region of the football- did we have an extra player on the field, or was some other area left undefended on a gamble by the $10M man.......................No I think Byrd is a good safety, but is more of a $6-7M guy at best. He is a bit of a gambler,, who will get some picks for his resume but be missing on other plays, but not blamed because he is so much out of the camera shot, so it is not even funny. He DOES NOT have the speed to make up for the freelancing. He makes a living on gambling on overloading zones. He does not have the speed to cover the top speed receivers, nor the size or will to pop receivers with hard tackles for intimidation and dropped passes. He is getting older, slower and greedier. PLEASE REMEMBER who drafted this guy.

 

[

Edited March 3, 2014 by maryland-bills-fan

[mrags]

 

 

Yeah, that's the trend and has been for years, anyone that doesn't blow smoke is an asshat.

 

The Bills are a case-study in self-fulfilling prophecies. Then the team scratches their little oatmeal shrouds and wonder why their team sucks.

 

Unfortunately, asshat or not, Graham speaks the truth regarding how the team has handled its better players. Meanwhile, they dote over overpaid role players like Mario, guys that they just had to have like Manuel, and now overrely on guys like Spiller, another role-player.

 

At least Whaley and Marrone aren't being cowards and are sticking by their "Manuel's our man" foolishness, so we can give them credit for not backtracking there, although I suspect that they will during or after this forthcoming season. If reports are to be believed however, they won't have anyone behind Manuel to step in should that happen however, leaving them to rebuild once again, at least from the QB spot, next season.

 

As a result, Marrone's days are already numbered despite most not realizing it yet.

believe whatever you want. The past gas absolutely nothing to do with our future. Just because there were players in the early 2000s that weren't resigned doesn't mean we won't resign them now. Freddy Jackson, Stevie Johnson, Eric Wood, Craig Urbik, Kyle Williams, Leodis McKelvin, Terrance McGee would all disagree with your argument.

 

Players that have not been resigned, many of them fall under the category of overpaid for their services, much like the Mario Williams argument that your bring up about the Bills. Levitre, Pozlusny come to mind. They were not worth being paid top pay at their positions and I don't know about you, I'm glad we didn't overpay for their services. I couldn't imagine the hysteria of paying a guy like Poz or Levitre $50million when we all complain about Stevie Johnsons $36m.

 

On that note, you can't have it both ways. Complain about players that we did resign for too much that aren't worth it (Stevie for example) and yet complain that we didn't overpay and lost a player "again because were cheap" (Pozlusny). Me personally, and I think many here can agree that the Bills have been pretty level headed about who we didn't resign, even though we would have liked to, are glad we didn't overpay.

 

Then there are other players we didn't resign because they were just too damn old or constantly injured. Pozlusny also falls under this category. The guy missed more games than he played in whole he was here. I don't want to overpay for a player that we can't rely on, on game day. Tikeo Spikes, London Fletcher, Jason Peters also fall under this category. Although they have or did play for years after their release from this team, doesn't mean they weren't risks because of their ages or injury history. London Fletcher is an enigma. He doesn't make sense in the NFL. It's about on point with how long Brett Favre played. Again, I think many people here would agree not to pay, or overpay for a player that is on the wrong side of 30 or has many questions with stating healthy.

 

Then there's the trading players for minimal reimbursement. If you are one of the people that really wanted to keep Marshawn Lynch, then you won't care what I say anyway. But a man that had 2 run ins with the law in 2 years, Already suffered a 4 game suspension, and was on track for another (which he is still fighting in Seattle now) is not the kind of guy yiu want in your team. The stupidity factor is no different from the injury aspect. You cannot rely on your player to be there on Sunday because of stupidity. Other players that fall under this would surely be Jason Peters. Site he was good, but at the end of the day, if you can't rely on him to be there on game day (injury, holdout, etc.) then you don't overpay for him or count on him. You get what you can get for him. Which we did.

 

And then on to the argument that only the Bills suffer from these instances. Any person who thinks only the Bills have troubles with these issues is being silly. Every team loses players. Players they draft and homegrow for thier futures only to lose them. Jay Cutler, Payton Manning, Brandon Marshall, Mario Williams, Julius Peppers, Clinton Portis, Richard Seymour, Alex Smith, Matt Flynn, Anquan Boldin, Wes Welker, Reggie Bush, Terrell Owens, Champ Bailey, Randy Moss, Ronnie Brown, Tyson Clabo, Tony Gonzales, Antonio Cromartie, Santonio Holmes, Nnamdi Asomugh, Derrell Revis. And those are just off the top of my head over the past recent years.

 

But if you and Tim Graham want to keep going on thinking that only the Bills are guilty of this, then have at it.

 

Enjoy your Monday.

 

 

 

Even if all that were true, it doesn't mean Graham isn't an asshat.

and then there's that.

[Bill from NYC]

Players that have not been resigned, many of them fall under the category of overpaid for their services, much like the Mario Williams argument that your bring up about the Bills. Levitre, Pozlusny come to mind. They were not worth being paid top pay at their positions and I don't know about you, I'm glad we didn't overpay for their services. I couldn't imagine the hysteria of paying a guy like Poz or Levitre $50million when we all complain about Stevie Johnsons $36m.

 

Two comments about the above:

1) Mario Williams is the most productive players on the Bills. His stats are great, and he takes blockers away from other defenders.

2) I would take Levitre over Stevie Johnson any day of the week. There are far more better receivers than SJ, and not so many OGs better than Levitre. Factor in a rookie qb and it's a no-brainer.

 

Jmo Ragman.

[stuckinny]

Sometimes you have to over pay a guy to not create another hole to fill. If we kept even some of those guys our FA and draft moves may have been vastly different.

[Kellyto83TD]

Yeah he is an asshat, but he told the truth. Fans think anyone is crap that doesn't drink the kool aid

[mrags]

 

 

Two comments about the above:

1) Mario Williams is the most productive players on the Bills. His stats are great, and he takes blockers away from other defenders.

2) I would take Levitre over Stevie Johnson any day of the week. There are far more better receivers than SJ, and not so many OGs better than Levitre. Factor in a rookie qb and it's a no-brainer.

 

Jmo Ragman.

fyi I wasn't arguing Mario. I was simply stating my argument using Mario because TaskersHhost was using him as a point that we overpay for players.

 

My opinion on Levitre, Is that he is very good and he was definitely missed this season. But he didn't do much this season on his new team.

 

You may take him over Stevie and that's fine. The love for Stevie on this board is definately not shared. That's another thread all together (and there's a new one usually every other week). I won't take away from how good Levitre is. I wanted him, but am very pleased we didn't overpay for a guard. Stevie on the other hand is not being paid like he's a top 5 or 10 player of his position either.

 

It seems people have an issue personally with players like Stevie , Chad Johnson, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens, Ray Lewis, Darrell Revis, Phillip Rivers. These players are cocky and they are vocal about it. Everyone loves to throw it in their face when there's failure but never give them praise when they succeed. It's human nature. We want our heroes, sports players, politicians, etc to be humble. Everyone loves to say they want the flamboyant leader but when they get him, they always wish he would just shut his mouth. You know what changes how we feel about these people in any position??? Winning.

Edited March 3, 2014 by mrags