T master Posted March 11, 2014 Posted March 11, 2014 At first it looked all but a done deal & all we had to do was say By By Byrd- y when his new team shoveled the money in front of him . It started with the hype of the Browns & Pettine which i thought was legit , then the Dolphins & Bucs & St Louis . But to this point it looks like at least a couple of them are out of the Byrd stakes . The Dolphins have with drawn they signed the guy from Detroit , the Browns have signed Donte to a home coming & are talking about bringing in Revis which along with Haden already back there will be really good secondary almost second to none in Pettines scheme .. St Louis could still be in there along with the Bucs but as it has been said the Bills are still in the hunt & by not using the F Tag i think seeing as Byrds options are slowly but surely dwindling the longer it takes him to find the highest bidder the more likely he could stay a Bill . Then with all the other FA's coming around & the talk of the Bills needing another DE in Schwartz scheme i was thinking how much i like pepper & a little more Peppers on our D could really spice things up if you know what i'm saying as long as it wouldn't cost to much . Well once again it could very well prove just how much this fan doesn't know about the inner workings of the NFL & It's FA stuff . I ain't afraid to say when i spoke out of line & i think i just may have done that , this is all part of the new me nicer less brash & more considerate !! Well i can try can't I ??
FireChan Posted March 11, 2014 Posted March 11, 2014 Not franchising Byrd could have been smarter than I thought.
Peter Posted March 12, 2014 Posted March 12, 2014 I would have preferred if we had tagged him and used that leverage. The Dolphins got something for J. Martin. I have to believe that we could have got something from a team like the Saints given that they are willing to pay JB all that money (and at the same time piss off Graham and some of their other unsigned free agents). Perhaps this will help the Bills in that the Saints are unlikely to have the money to re-sign Charles Brown. I am glad that we were able to extend Williams and re-sign Carpenter. This was just the first day of free agency. Accordingly, it is not the time to give them a final grade. Reading the tea leaves (thinking of Silver Linings Playbook - pun intended), I had prepared myself for losing Byrd so it did not have as much of an effect on me when it was made official. Let's hope we can upgrade the offensive line and linebacking corp, and pick up some other impact players at DE, LB, and FS either in free agency or the draft. Go Bills!!!!
Estro Posted March 12, 2014 Posted March 12, 2014 Hell the Jags got something for Blaine Gabbert. I never bought the idea that the Bills were trying to sell, which was it's not all that easy to trade a guy. Byrd is the best or one of the best S's in the league and I don't understand why 1 team out there wouldn't have flipped us a mid round pick for his services. Now we have to hold our breath and hope we have a net loss in FA to secure a 3rd round compensatory pick in the 2015 draft. I think had we tagged him and used our leverage to trade him we could've received a similar pick in this years draft, w/out worrying about whether or not we'll qualify for the comp. pick a year from now.
vegas55 Posted March 12, 2014 Posted March 12, 2014 It's somewhat comforting to see the Bills front office making intelligent football decisions. Case in point - signing Aaron Williams instead of Byrd. Much cheaper, much younger and more upside. After struggling for two years, Williams 2013 season was an eye opener. Great job at safety, great attitude and when injury forced him to play corner, he did a great job there as well. Byrd a good player, but if push comes to shove he cannot play the cornerback - AW can. Versatility and talent. The Bills made a wise investment giving Leodis a nice extension last year. They gave AW an affordable but lucrative extension this year. They have a talented number one pick in Gilmore. There is only so much money you can spend on a defensive backfield, and if the Saints want to pour that much money into a good but not great safety, so be it. The Bills did the right thing here.
Dean Cain Posted March 12, 2014 Posted March 12, 2014 I would have liked the Bills to tag Byrd 1 more year. His market value would be lower given he turns 29 next season. If we told him he was going to get tagged or sign a long-term deal maybe he would have taken our offer. Logically this makes sense given his age next year working against him on the open market.
mrags Posted March 12, 2014 Posted March 12, 2014 Well Vegas, I do agree with what you say about AW. I can't agree regarding Byrd though. He is the best safety in the league and when all is said and done, he could be a HOF player. IMO, he is worth every penny that he was asking for. Which was actually less than what is reported the Bills offered. So it wasn't all about money, he wanted a chance at a winner now.
Estro Posted March 12, 2014 Posted March 12, 2014 My only reservation is Byrd has produced all 5 years, no matter what defense he was in. Aaron Williams had his struggles, and then finally seemed to blossom under Pettine last year. I understand it was his first season at S, so I hope his production continues....but Byrd was a proven commodity. Williams still has to prove he can be a producer year after year. Not saying he won't but time will certainly tell.
bbb Posted March 12, 2014 Posted March 12, 2014 Not Franchising Byrd Could Have Been Smarter Than I Thought !! Actually, it turns out you were right the first time.
Deranged Rhino Posted March 12, 2014 Posted March 12, 2014 The Bills did the right thing here. The only way you can argue the Bills did the right thing in this situation is if your idea of success is to continually shoot yourself in the foot. The Bills did not do the right thing here in my opinion. They should have tagged and traded Byrd, end of story. Teams do not let 28 year old, multiple probowl selections walk out the door for nothing when they are sitting on 20+ million in cap space. You're an abused spouse, making excuses to make yourself feel better about an organization that is enjoying taking your money.
djp14150 Posted March 12, 2014 Posted March 12, 2014 If I am not mistaken ----compensatory picks are given for lost drafted players by the NFL. they usually appear at the end of the 2nd round, end of thirsd round, etc. based ona formula where the player was drafted and what he was signed for.
NDBUFFCUSEFAN Posted March 12, 2014 Posted March 12, 2014 If I am not mistaken ----compensatory picks are given for lost drafted players by the NFL. they usually appear at the end of the 2nd round, end of thirsd round, etc. based ona formula where the player was drafted and what he was signed for. You are very mistaken. End of 3rd is the highest assigned, the formula to determine picks combines contracts along with players gained/lost. Where they were drafted or if the player was drafted by the team losing the player have no impact.
bbb Posted March 12, 2014 Posted March 12, 2014 I'm still waiting for our compensatory picks for Will Wilford
NDBUFFCUSEFAN Posted March 12, 2014 Posted March 12, 2014 I'm still waiting for our compensatory picks for Will Wilford Colts are giving up their 1998 first round pick. Bills can redeem in 3 years.
Pete Posted March 12, 2014 Posted March 12, 2014 I'm still waiting for our compensatory picks for Will Wilford !@#$ing escalator clause. And our oline has sucked ever since. Was Wilford the last time we used a first round pick on oline? holy ****. Thats right, back then we drafted CB every year to replace the previous one
bbb Posted March 12, 2014 Posted March 12, 2014 Colts are giving up their 1998 first round pick. Bills can redeem in 3 years. LMAO!! !@#$ing escalator clause. And our oline has sucked ever since. Was Wilford the last time we used a first round pick on oline? holy ****. Thats right, back then we drafted CB every year to replace the previous one We did pick MIke Williams with the fourth pick. Eric Wood, too. That escalator clause was such dirty pool!
NDBUFFCUSEFAN Posted March 12, 2014 Posted March 12, 2014 !@#$ing escalator clause. And our oline has sucked ever since. Was Wilford the last time we used a first round pick on oline? holy ****. Thats right, back then we drafted CB every year to replace the previous one Wood, Reuben Brown, Fina, Fat Mike were all 1st rd picks, none of it matters but I'm bored so I looked it up.
MDH Posted March 12, 2014 Posted March 12, 2014 So then it's better to draft a player and have him struggle for years and then have one solid year than to have a guy produce right out of the gate and want to be paid like one of the best at his positions? This is your philosophy? Well, you're in luck because your favorite team also has that philosophy. People and their rationalizations.
FluffHead Posted March 12, 2014 Posted March 12, 2014 So then it's better to draft a player and have him struggle for years and then have one solid year than to have a guy produce right out of the gate and want to be paid like one of the best at his positions? This is your philosophy? Well, you're in luck because your favorite team also has that philosophy. People and their rationalizations. Agreed. The decisions they make on who to pay is baffling.
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