BillsVet Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 I'd expect a guy like Rivers to be depth and a spot starter in case of injury. Over the years Buffalo hasn't had a lot of veteran depth and it shows when injuries inevitably occur. One thing totally inconsequential at this point is when the player was taken on draft day. Neither Williams or Rivers lived up to their draft status and it's in the distant past. If they had, they'd be commanding more than the lower tier contracts Buffalo gave them.
boyst Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 Hard to get excited about the Buffalo Bottom Feeders (aka Bills). Seriously, how does signing part time starters from non-contenders make the Bills contenders? It doesn't make sense. Welcome to Buffalo "Home of the Last Big Contract" for UFA's. I have to agree. There is nothing to get excited about with how bad we suck, I mean nothing at all. It's not even worth signing up for a message board to post 15,059 grievances! To think, it took all this effort and all we do is complain!
Webster Guy Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 (edited) Uh... 13 years of experience of seeing the same song and dance? He's talking about free agent pickups. Last year we got two LB's in free agency that were game changers for us and people were saying the same things they're saying here about Rivers when we signed Lawson and Hughes. This is like bitching about a draft pick-- until you see him play on your team in your system with your personnel and coaches, all griping is meaningless. We could have underpaid for all three guys we got today. Edited March 13, 2014 by Webster Guy
MarkyMannn Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 I have to agree. There is nothing to get excited about with how bad we suck, I mean nothing at all. It's not even worth signing up for a message board to post 15,059 grievances! To think, it took all this effort and all we do is complain! To be fair, not all 15059 were gripes. Many are in the "off the wall" so they don't count
Dragonborn10 Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 (edited) He's talking about free agent pickups. Last year we got two LB's in free agency that were game changers for us and people were saying the same things they're saying here about Rivers when we signed Lawson and Hughes. This is like bitching about a draft pick-- until you see him play on your team in your system with your personnel and coaches, all griping is meaningless. We could have underpaid for all three guys we got today. To be fair Hughes was obtained in a trade when the Bills gave up on yet another draft bust Sheppard(Nix 3rd round pick)and got a guy that can maybe rush the passer but can't defend the run nor drop in coverage. Edited March 13, 2014 by Dragonborn10
Mark Vader Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 BTW, what did everyone think of Jerry Hughes last year? Everyone dissed him as a former first rounder that would not contribute. The way I remember it, most people here were fine with the trade because they were glad to be rid of Kelvin Sheppard.
Malazan Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 What were the big name blockbuster free agents signed by Seattle last season?
Beerball Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 This is a well edited piece. http://www.cincyjungle.com/2014/3/12/5502208/keith-rivers-signs-with-buffalo-bills
808 Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 What were the big name blockbuster free agents signed by Seattle last season? cliff avril and micheal bennet were pretty big signs
Buffalo Barbarian Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 We have now spent 6 million on 2 players who probably won't contribute much. Why not just sign an impact player, like keeping Byrd. Why do that, it would make sense.
filthymcnasty08 Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 (edited) This is a total garbage signing... I watch a lot of Giants football here in NYC. Rivers is injury prone, invisible in games and rarely ever will make a standout play. Nobody here cares that he's gone. If people here don't like negativity around scrap heap signings, the Bills need to stop with the scrap heap signings. This one is a classic. Hope its for depth. Edited March 13, 2014 by filthymcnasty08
bschmoove Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 This is a well edited piece. http://www.cincyjungle.com/2014/3/12/5502208/keith-rivers-signs-with-buffalo-bills "Should we look over this one more time?" "Ah, just go with it."
BuffaloFan68 Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 I'd like to see us sign Chandler to a long term deal & then draft Mike Evans & then LB - Anthony Barr (big kid with a high ceiling).
bladiebla Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 Why the hell did we sign this guy, his last name does not fit the team at all.
NoSaint Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 (edited) I don't mind this. Quietly productive and miscast guys are a market inefficiency that Whaley can exploit, and they can do it with players that aren't getting heavy traction elsewhere. They showed this last year by turning Sheppard into Hughes, and by picking up Branch and Lawson. A lot of times these guys just need two things - the right system and to be needed by somebody. NE does this all the time - and of course it is easier for them to attract players now, but the fact remains that they pick up a mix of a few flashy players who have been cast to the curb, and a bunch of effective role players. While I agree with targeting those market inefficiencies - The odd dynamic is that we don't seem to be getting the value out of rivers and Williams like many expect. Beat writers at both former cities pegged them as 1 year vet minimum guys. If that was accurate, granted a big if, we might've found guys that should've been really cheap, and paid them fair market instead of taking advantage of the situation like you point out. For reference they are coming off 1 year deals that combined are less then we gave rivers this year for 2014 alone (though I think Williams hit some snap count escalators that bumped him into the 2s) Graham is a different story and the type I'd compare to Lawson, branch etc.... though. Edited March 13, 2014 by NoSaint
KOKBILLS Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 While I agree with targeting those market inefficiencies - The odd dynamic is that we don't seem to be getting the value out of rivers and Williams like many expect. Beat writers at both former cities pegged them as 1 year vet minimum guys. If that was accurate, granted a big if, we might've found guys that should've been really cheap, and paid them fair market. For reference they are coming off 1 year deals that combined are less then we gave rivers this year for 2014 alone (though I think Williams hit some snap count escalators that bumped him into the 2s) Graham is a different story and the type I'd compare to Lawson, branch etc.... though. I don't disagree that the money seems a bit much...But lets face the facts we all seem to want to sweep under the rug at times...The Bills are going to have to overpay a bit until they can prove they are a Playoff contending team...That's just the way it is...It sucks...But it is what it is...
RyanC883 Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 I'd expect a guy like Rivers to be depth and a spot starter in case of injury. Over the years Buffalo hasn't had a lot of veteran depth and it shows when injuries inevitably occur. One thing totally inconsequential at this point is when the player was taken on draft day. Neither Williams or Rivers lived up to their draft status and it's in the distant past. If they had, they'd be commanding more than the lower tier contracts Buffalo gave them. You are exactly correct about drat status. Some people lable these guys as a "bust," which connoates that they are terrible players. They are only a "bust" as to where they were picked. Both Rivers and Williams are solid players. Either could start if needed. I still see the Bills taking a MLB and G/OT somewhere in the latter rounds of the draft whom they believe can start. At worst, these guys are starters. And they would still be upgrades over last year.
TakeYouToTasker Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 how does the 10 mil claim pass the smell test when he signed for less in fa and the bills had the option franchise tag him and match that offer? He didn't want to be here.
Billy in 4C Posted March 13, 2014 Posted March 13, 2014 This is a total garbage signing... I watch a lot of Giants football here in NYC. Rivers is injury prone, invisible in games and rarely ever will make a standout play. Nobody here cares that he's gone. If people here don't like negativity around scrap heap signings, the Bills need to stop with the scrap heap signings. This one is a classic. Hope its for depth. I don't disagree with you - I just think their threshold with this one is "is he equal to or better than Moats" and I think the answer is yes. They clearly aren't "going for it" with these signings. These just keep us in the 5-8 win range.
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