Jump to content

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 107
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted

Maybe he wasn't hanging out with the other Bills players because they don't really want him around.

Just saying.

 

There could be many reasons.

Posted (edited)

I've been around a lot of athletes and think that the "don't want to be here thing is way overblown." It's kind of one of those Buffalo insecurity things. They don't care where they play as long as they are paid. They don't have to live anywhere full-time, they can travel quite a bit and social media has made the world smaller. It may have been a big factor 15 years ago or whenever but it is less so now.

 

As long as they are being paid, work in an environment where their family and friends are treated well they really don't care. If you want to force a player out, deny his family and friends access. That's one of the main reasons that LeBron went back to Cleveland. If you start pissing off their inner circle the player won't be too happy.

 

What happened to LeBron in Miami?

Edited by Buffalo Barbarian
Posted

This is what fans say every single time a player is up for unrestricted free agency.

 

Every.

Time.

 

Without fail.

 

Off the top of my head, I can say with certainty that I've read this very statement, on this very board, about:

 

Jason peters

Lee Evans

Stevie Johnson

Jairus Byrd

Andy Levitre

Eric Wood

Cordy Glenn

Jerry Hughes

 

And now Gilmore.

 

It's silly.

 

As for the "he's not very good" crowd, well, go check the "shadow" thread--I promise he's right up there with the elites in terms of both coverage skill and tackle numbers.

Yeah, this insecure, nobody likes us mentality is nonsense. Pay they stay, whether in Buffalo, Green Bay or NY or Miami. Very few players live in the city they play in year around anyway. Gilmore is good, but 15 million good? Nah. Nobody is in today's NFL. Rather they spend that coin on a couple other players.

Posted

I don't want Gilmore for the $14-$15M per year. I think another team flush with cash will give it to him, though. He's a good player, but he's not an amazing, difference maker type player and for $15M a year, you better be getting a game changer, which he is not.

 

I'd let him walk and make sure you lock in a 3rd round compensatory pick by not signing more FA's than we lose. His contract will likely be large enough to award us a 3rd round comp in 2018. If you thought you could franchise him and then trade him to another team for a 2nd or 3rd round pick this year that would also be worth looking into. Is there some team out there that would be willing to send us a 2017 3rd round pick for Gilmore and also give him a brand new, rich contract? Perhaps, but the risk you run there is that nobody wants to trade for him and you have to pay him the franchise # in 2017. Not a horrible scenario, but if the Bills don't think he's worth $14-$15M per year K think they're more likely to just let him walk and bank the 2018 3rd round comp. pick. Let's just hope Whaley isn't dumb enough to sign more FA's than we lose thus costing us the 3rd round comp. pick.

Posted (edited)

With a large signing bonus spread over 5 years , his 1st year salary could be very low to fit the cap space.

 

or

 

2016 tag Projected franchise tag
Cornerback $13,952,000 $14,297,000
Note: Projections assume 2017 salary cap is $168 million.
Buffalo Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore seemed destined for a franchise tag prior to the start of season. It seems unnecessary now since he has been struggling with inconsistency this season.
Edited by ALF
Posted

Yeah, this insecure, nobody likes us mentality is nonsense. Pay they stay, whether in Buffalo, Green Bay or NY or Miami. Very few players live in the city they play in year around anyway. Gilmore is good, but 15 million good? Nah. Nobody is in today's NFL. Rather they spend that coin on a couple other players.

If they let him go and spend money on other teams' players they will not get the 3rd round comp pick. If they let him go and resign their own players they would. I think that might be the better path.

Posted

And they were right on many of them if they did. Most fans felt Byrd was overpaid and not worth resigning. Levitre was massively overpaid for a guard as a FA . The consensus was that Glenn and Hughes should be kept or at least a good attempt made to retain. Jason Peters was not an UFA, he was traded. These situations weren't at all like Gilmore, so you're generalizing too much. Gilmore isn't liked by a lot of fans , mostly due to his lack of fiery play and shying away from the physical parts of the game. He also doesn't make a lot of game changing plays . So it's not surprising many fans feel he should be allowed to walk in FA and replaced by a less expensive player. He's not a pass rusher, QB, or LT so he's a good candidate to be replaced by a less expensive draft pick or FA . You may disagree but FA requires teams to lose some players. A CB isn't getting this team to the playoffs.

 

Some fans perhaps. Many of us like the Bills to retain critical players; guys will get paid. But a team has to decide WHO to pay at FA time and many fans feel he isn't the kind of CB that you would pay at that juncture. You can't keep all of them.

Feeling that the team should let Gilmore walk is fine; banging the all-too-familiar drum that he doesn't want to be here is silly IMO.

 

As to the previous examples, if Peters was traded, and Evans, Johnson, Wood, Hughes, and Glenn all re-signed long term deals in Buffalo, then I would argue that fans were quite literally proven wrong about the majority of those guys "not wanting to be here".

 

As others have said (and I'm sure you know--you're a good poster), it's simply a money issue. If Gilmore gets a number he's happy with he'll re-sign. If he doesn't he'll hit the market.

Posted (edited)

Transition tag.

 

Just to check my understanding - that guarantees him the average of the top 10 CBs rather than top 5 under the franchise tag, but allows other teams to make him offers whilst retaining the Bills ability to keep him by matching those offers - correct?

 

If my understanding is right then this feels like a reasonable place for the Bills to start.

Edited by GunnerBill
Posted

Losing Gilmore would be a very big setback. He's a top 10 CB in this league and really the only bright spot currently in the Bills' secondary. But, you know, carry on......

 

That's like admiring the prettiest turd in the grass at the dog run...

Posted

 

Just to check my understanding - that guarantees him the average of the top 10 CBs rather than top 5 under the franchise tag, but allows other teams to make him offers whilst retaining the Bills ability to keep him by matching those offers - correct?

 

If my understanding is right then this feels like a reasonable place for the Bills to start.

issue with the tranny tag imo is that if another team makes offer the Bills can't or won't match, and he leaves, the Bills do not get a comp pick. Otoh I believe the Bills can pull the tranny tag if they sense that will happen.
Posted

I've been around a lot of athletes and think that the "don't want to be here thing is way overblown." It's kind of one of those Buffalo insecurity things. They don't care where they play as long as they are paid. They don't have to live anywhere full-time, they can travel quite a bit and social media has made the world smaller. It may have been a big factor 15 years ago or whenever but it is less so now.

 

As long as they are being paid, work in an environment where their family and friends are treated well they really don't care. If you want to force a player out, deny his family and friends access. That's one of the main reasons that LeBron went back to Cleveland. If you start pissing off their inner circle the player won't be too happy.

 

agreed...nicely put.

Posted

issue with the tranny tag imo is that if another team makes offer the Bills can't or won't match, and he leaves, the Bills do not get a comp pick. Otoh I believe the Bills can pull the tranny tag if they sense that will happen.

 

Ah okay. Cheers Yolo.

×
×
  • Create New...