Everson Griffen & the rising cost of FAs

[thebandit27]

 

 

Signing McKelvin was a given. He was going to be cheap. The Bills overpaid him by nearly $2M per year thinking the market was going to be stronger. There were people on here trying to say that the Bills had to pay him extra for his special teams ability.....perhaps you were one of them.....but that was a goofy notion IMO. He wasn't even a starting CB.......but you know what....I was in favor of signing him to that deal. I applauded it. Because years of bad decisions gotta' be paid for either with more losing or more money. I choose the latter.

 

And what exactly would happen if the Bills had two good CB's under contract for less than one great one makes? How would it harm the Bills in the future? The answer is that it wouldn't. The Bills are light years from being in any cap difficulty.

 

You don't get it. I understand this is the case. I guess 14 years isn't enough evidence for you but fortune does not favor the timid.

 

The interesting thing is that for all the people here who BUST on the Dolphins for spending a lot in free agency, the Fish actually got closer to the playoffs last year than the Bills have been all but one time in the last 14 years. The Bills beat them twice and somehow finished behind them. But hey.....keep thinking the Bills couldn't have beaten NE or the NYJ early in the season with a little better coverage and blocking.....and then rode that momentum to improbable victories over juggernauts like Pittsburgh, Tampa or Atlanta later in the season to finish with a 10 win season. Couldn't happen. Not to the Bills. Not the team that beat the NFC's eventual #2 seed during the regular season. Never.

 

I don't get it because I don't agree with you?

 

Okay man, we're done here.

[Kirby Jackson]

 

 

Signing McKelvin was a given. He was going to be cheap. The Bills overpaid him by nearly $2M per year thinking the market was going to be stronger. There were people on here trying to say that the Bills had to pay him extra for his special teams ability.....perhaps you were one of them.....but that was a goofy notion IMO. He wasn't even a starting CB.......but you know what....I was in favor of signing him to that deal. I applauded it. Because years of bad decisions gotta' be paid for either with more losing or more money. I choose the latter.

 

And what exactly would happen if the Bills had two good CB's under contract for less than one great one makes? How would it harm the Bills in the future? The answer is that it wouldn't. The Bills are light years from being in any cap difficulty.

 

You don't get it. I understand this is the case. I guess 14 years isn't enough evidence for you but fortune does not favor the timid.

 

The interesting thing is that for all the people here who BUST on the Dolphins for spending a lot in free agency, the Fish actually got closer to the playoffs last year than the Bills have been all but one time in the last 14 years. The Bills beat them twice and somehow finished behind them. But hey.....keep thinking the Bills couldn't have beaten NE or the NYJ early in the season with a little better coverage and blocking.....and then rode that momentum to improbable victories over juggernauts like Pittsburgh, Tampa or Atlanta later in the season to finish with a 10 win season. Couldn't happen. Not to the Bills. Not the team that beat the NFC's eventual #2 seed during the regular season. Never.

I'm not trying to pee in anyone's Cheerios but it would have taken more than a little better coverge, blocking, and momentum to win the Pittsburgh, and Tampa games. The Bills were buried in those 2 games and were pathetic. The Jets committed like 20 something penalties in that game and still won. I buy Atlanta and KC for 2 other victories but it would have been tough enough to get to 8 wins let alone 10.

[NoSaint]

I'm not trying to pee in anyone's Cheerios but it would have taken more than a little better coverge, blocking, and momentum to win the Pittsburgh, and Tampa games. The Bills were buried in those 2 games and were pathetic. The Jets committed like 20 something penalties in that game and still won. I buy Atlanta and KC for 2 other victories but it would have been tough enough to get to 8 wins let alone 10.

 

I don't expect 10 with just those moves but it certainly would've been more achievable. Swap that jets game where brown and Rogers combined for a pair of the worst individual performances I've ever seen and that's 7.

 

Add a guard that can help protect our rookie qbs health, as well as help him trust his pocket and Atlanta could've been flipped by a small talent change. That's potentially 8 without any real stretching.

 

You mention kc could've been different. Could've been 9. 9 wins got in last year.

 

Heck, plug in a good LG last year and think it might help prevent one of ejs knee injuries, or kolbs concussion or Thad going down? Even one keeps tuel off the field.

 

If we were still in it does the team come out strong instead of flat late in the season?

 

It's frustrating because we just don't know, but I know we had the cap space and guys that could've made a difference were readily available without stressing our cap at all. I hate what ifs because with great blocking maybe that ugly sack ends up with a pick 6 on a dumb unrushed throw, so by no means am I saying we obviously get there but I don't think it was as far away as our record says at first glance and a few small changes might've made a big difference

Edited March 11, 2014 by NoSaint

[Kirby Jackson]

 

 

I don't expect 10 with just those moves but it certainly would've been more achievable. Swap that jets game where brown and Rogers combined for a pair of the worst individual performances I've ever seen and that's 7.

 

Add a guard that can help protect our rookie qbs health, as well as help him trust his pocket and Atlanta could've been flipped by a small talent change. That's potentially 8 without any real stretching.

 

You mention kc could've been different. Could've been 9. 9 wins got in last year.

 

Heck, plug in a good LG last year and think it might help prevent one of ejs knee injuries, or kolbs concussion or Thad going down? Even one keeps tuel off the field.

 

If we were still in it does the team come out strong instead of flat late in the season?

 

It's frustrating because we just don't know. I hate what ifs because with great blocking maybe that ugly sack ends up with a pick 6 on a dumb unrushed throw, so by no means am I saying we obviously get there but I don't think it was as far away as our record says at first glance and a few small changes might've made a big difference

I hear you. I guess that the point is that every fan base probably has those what ifs. I bet the Carolina fans look to the Bills game and think the same thing.

 

I really believe that the Bills are heading in the right direction. The talent on this roster is far superior to 4-5 years ago. However, they have had a hard time closing out games for a while. If that changes they will be a playoff team sooner than later.

Edited March 11, 2014 by Kirby Jackson

[dave mcbride]

 

 

Signing McKelvin was a given. He was going to be cheap. The Bills overpaid him by nearly $2M per year thinking the market was going to be stronger. There were people on here trying to say that the Bills had to pay him extra for his special teams ability.....perhaps you were one of them.....but that was a goofy notion IMO. He wasn't even a starting CB.......but you know what....I was in favor of signing him to that deal. I applauded it. Because years of bad decisions gotta' be paid for either with more losing or more money. I choose the latter.

 

And what exactly would happen if the Bills had two good CB's under contract for less than one great one makes? How would it harm the Bills in the future? The answer is that it wouldn't. The Bills are light years from being in any cap difficulty.

 

You don't get it. I understand this is the case. I guess 14 years isn't enough evidence for you but fortune does not favor the timid.

 

The interesting thing is that for all the people here who BUST on the Dolphins for spending a lot in free agency, the Fish actually got closer to the playoffs last year than the Bills have been all but one time in the last 14 years. The Bills beat them twice and somehow finished behind them. But hey.....keep thinking the Bills couldn't have beaten NE or the NYJ early in the season with a little better coverage and blocking.....and then rode that momentum to improbable victories over juggernauts like Pittsburgh, Tampa or Atlanta later in the season to finish with a 10 win season. Couldn't happen. Not to the Bills. Not the team that beat the NFC's eventual #2 seed during the regular season. Never.

In the last 8 games of 2012, McKelvin played lights-out ball. The guy was ALWAYS obviously extremely talented; the question was whether he could be consistent on the field. It was a great re-signing regardless of the cost - particularly since the cap is irrelevant to the Bills.

[BADOLBILZ]

In the last 8 games of 2012, McKelvin played lights-out ball. The guy was ALWAYS obviously extremely talented; the question was whether he could be consistent on the field. It was a great re-signing regardless of the cost - particularly since the cap is irrelevant to the Bills.

 

He did play well but he had been benched early in the season and that run was really the only sustained stretch of good play he had on defense since his rookie year when he had some nice games late that season. If he hadn't played even better last year it's hard to imagine how bad the first couple months of the season would have been with Justin Rodgers as the vet of the CB group. When his mom is in town for games she sits next a large contingent of our group and she is a character and a sweet lady by all accounts so there has always been a rooting interest there....he's been a Bill for a long time....and it was nice to actually be able to say something good about his cb play at the postgame tailgate instead of sheeeeeeesh. I hope he has many more good years, he is a special athlete so it's possible he could play 10-12 years. But people who think the Bills are all set at CB should realize that they basically have 2 boundary corners and a nickel.....if one of them is out, they have no depth and neither Leodis or Gilmore has been without their injuries. Wouldn't hurt them IN THE LEAST to add another starting quality CB to the team and at a $6M range asking price even that is OK. CB is a matchup position.....it's important to have quality if you are playing man coverage.....but at the same time, the Bills have proven they do not value the position enough to pay a high end dollar for it in FA so it shouldn't warrant much consideration in the first couple rounds of the draft if that is the way it's going to be.

[billsfan89]

He is a very versatile player seems like he played a lot of DT and DE for the Vikings he wasn't put into a pass rushing situation due to playing behind Jared Allen. I saw the contract and thought the same thing that this was a gross overpay, I talked to a couple of die hard Viking fans I know and they said he is a very good player but that his stats were not indicative of his play.

[BADOLBILZ]

I hear you. I guess that the point is that every fan base probably has those what ifs. I bet the Carolina fans look to the Bills game and think the same thing.

 

I really believe that the Bills are heading in the right direction. The talent on this roster is far superior to 4-5 years ago. However, they have had a hard time closing out games for a while. If that changes they will be a playoff team sooner than later.

 

We shall see. I think last year was a missed opportunity and it was very easy to see coming. Just not aggressive enough under the circumstances. Like I said......3 year plans are for college teams......the formula is to bring in new coaches with a new message combine them with a lot of talent accumulated thru years of high drafting and an aggressive approach in free agency that offseason and get into the playoffs.

 

Losing accumulates.

 

We saw that last season.......the team ABSOLUTELY let up after that KC game. Up until that point they had been consistent. After that, they became periodically lethargic and disinterested. It shouldn't be that way.....a team like that should be getting BETTER as the season goes on....but they decided they were out of the playoff race and gave intermittent effort from there on out.

 

I don't expect 10 with just those moves but it certainly would've been more achievable. Swap that jets game where brown and Rogers combined for a pair of the worst individual performances I've ever seen and that's 7.

 

Add a guard that can help protect our rookie qbs health, as well as help him trust his pocket and Atlanta could've been flipped by a small talent change. That's potentially 8 without any real stretching.

 

You mention kc could've been different. Could've been 9. 9 wins got in last year.

 

Heck, plug in a good LG last year and think it might help prevent one of ejs knee injuries, or kolbs concussion or Thad going down? Even one keeps tuel off the field.

 

If we were still in it does the team come out strong instead of flat late in the season?

 

It's frustrating because we just don't know, but I know we had the cap space and guys that could've made a difference were readily available without stressing our cap at all. I hate what ifs because with great blocking maybe that ugly sack ends up with a pick 6 on a dumb unrushed throw, so by no means am I saying we obviously get there but I don't think it was as far away as our record says at first glance and a few small changes might've made a big difference

 

Last years Bills were different, they were the first in many years that could physically compete with playoff teams. It wasn't the Jauron era....where Dick sought to deflate the ball and keep games close and hope the other team makes a mistake of aggression. That gave the false impression that the team was close to being competitive. These Bills attacked on D and were willing to risk the big play. That only works with talent. That was a different team and they had a window where the losing of the past didn't really matter. Now...it's another hurdle to jump again this season.

[NoSaint]

I hear you. I guess that the point is that every fan base probably has those what ifs. I bet the Carolina fans look to the Bills game and think the same thing.

 

I really believe that the Bills are heading in the right direction. The talent on this roster is far superior to 4-5 years ago. However, they have had a hard time closing out games for a while. If that changes they will be a playoff team sooner than later.

 

Every fan base certainly does, and I hate projecting if we got every break because we won't but I do think its possible we steal a couple of those close games and a few of the bad losses end up being tough losses if we had been more aggressive last year. I thought we were a 6-7 win team going into last year and with 1-2 more pieces might have been an 8-9 win roster, and at that point it's just one extra lucky bounce and your in.

 

The guard thing really sticks with me on a few dimensions - yea it was a train wreck with regards to talent, yea there was an abundance of moderately priced vets and perhaps what irked me the most is yea we took a project qb with our first pick and didnt do everything we could to make sure he had what he needed to succeed despite an opportunity being readily available and making perfect sense.

Edited March 11, 2014 by NoSaint

[Kirby Jackson]

 

 

Every fan base certainly does, and I hate projecting if we got every break because we won't but I do think its possible we steal a couple of those close games and a few of the bad losses end up being tough losses if we had been more aggressive last year.

 

The guard thing really sticks with me on a few dimensions - yea it was a train wreck with regards to talent, yea there was an abundance of moderately priced vets and perhaps what irked me the most is yea we took a project qb with our first pick and didnt do everything we could to make sure he had what he needed to succeed despite an opportunity being readily available and making perfect sense.

The guard situation was ridiculous. Someone like Brandon Moore should have 100% been signed to fill that role. I believe that there were over 100 guys in the NFL that were better guards than Colin Brown. That is a problem.

[NoSaint]

 

 

The guard situation was ridiculous. Someone like Brandon Moore should have 100% been signed to fill that role. I believe that there were over 100 guys in the NFL that were better guards than Colin Brown. That is a problem.

 

It's amazing how many good vets were on the market too. It seemed like it couldn't have worked out better to fill the levitre loss (there were what, 5 good starters out there not even counting Moore and levitre?) and then.... nothing.

Edited March 11, 2014 by NoSaint

[KD in CA]

"Allowing" a majority of your hits to depart? Did you seriously want them to throw more money at Poz? They allegedly offered Byrd a deal that would make him the highest paid safety in the league.

At some point GMs and money guys have to say we sign this player for x amount, what will that do to future contracts of upcoming free agents? Anyone else think it was coincidental that Williams was re-signed after Byrd decided to hit the open market?

 

I agree with this in general (esp Poz), but my issue with the Byrd fiasco is their timing. I would think a top player's price is going to up the closer they get to FA, meaning they had little chance to sign him this off-season. It just doesn't make sense for Byrd to agree to anything in the ballpark when he's on the doorstep of FA. He'll get at least what the Bills were offering, and he gets to see if he can get more. The time to have offered Byrd a significant contract was two years ago.

[dave mcbride]

He did play well but he had been benched early in the season and that run was really the only sustained stretch of good play he had on defense since his rookie year when he had some nice games late that season. If he hadn't played even better last year it's hard to imagine how bad the first couple months of the season would have been with Justin Rodgers as the vet of the CB group. When his mom is in town for games she sits next a large contingent of our group and she is a character and a sweet lady by all accounts so there has always been a rooting interest there....he's been a Bill for a long time....and it was nice to actually be able to say something good about his cb play at the postgame tailgate instead of sheeeeeeesh. I hope he has many more good years, he is a special athlete so it's possible he could play 10-12 years. But people who think the Bills are all set at CB should realize that they basically have 2 boundary corners and a nickel.....if one of them is out, they have no depth and neither Leodis or Gilmore has been without their injuries. Wouldn't hurt them IN THE LEAST to add another starting quality CB to the team and at a $6M range asking price even that is OK. CB is a matchup position.....it's important to have quality if you are playing man coverage.....but at the same time, the Bills have proven they do not value the position enough to pay a high end dollar for it in FA so it shouldn't warrant much consideration in the first couple rounds of the draft if that is the way it's going to be.

I don't disagree with this.