Bills still making Bad Contract decisions

[Doc]

Just for some perspective, Wood was going into the final year of his contract this past season and was scheduled to have a $4.125M base salary.  The Bills figured they could lower the cap number for 2017 and extend him for a couple more years, figuring they could get out of the deal after the 2108 2018 season. 

Edited January 29, 2018 by Doc

[26CornerBlitz]

15 minutes ago, Call_Of_Ktulu said:

I can see both sides of it. It would be like signing Bridgewater to a 3 year 50 million contract with 20mil guaranteed with no injury clause. I love Eric Wood as a player and team leader but I don't see why you would extend a player when you know he has a high injury risk. How does the team not put writing in the contrat to protect itself from things like this.

 

Good point! After the previous leg injuries I have no idea why they didn't see the neck injury coming. 

[Batman1876]

The team knew they would be dealing with a lot of dead cap space in 2018 and that there would be a lot of new players in 2017.  As a result keeping a pillar around, who was also a good player was important. Wood's hit was mostly going to come into play in 2018 and for 2019 he could be cut with minor cap implications. Until the injury those factors make his extension a logical choice, turn over the roster now with a few leaders kept around for continuity and work towards a wide open cap in 2019 when the previous regime's choices are done hurting us. 

 

[corta765]

2 hours ago, MAJBobby said:

This team has a history of making bad and player friendly contracts (Williams and Darues). I thought maybe they turned to corner with the way TT contracts have been handled. 

 

However, the Eric Wood extension comes. As much as I like Wood I didnt like the extension because of his age and fit with the offense type we were trying to build last year. However with his neck and retirement more issues come to mind. 

 

1.  How is a degenerative issue missed in the last couple exit physicals? (Doubt it was). 

 

2.  So if it wasnt how are you going to give guarantees in out years of a contract when essentially the players health at that point is year to year?

 

Unless MAJBobby you have a copy of Eric Wood's medical reports from last year before the extension your grossly speculating here. Any medical professional will tell you you cannot predict how fast the body breaks or why it acts the way it does. If that were the case Kevin Durant would've been drafted by the Portland Trailblazers not Greg Oden 1st overall.

 

Regarding contracts the NFL guarantees the least amount of money then any league and at some point you do have to spend it. Wood has been a Pro Bowl caliber guy and team/community leader so it made sense they wanted to keep him for a few more years. If you really want to start playing the "should we sign this guy due to _______ reasons" you will end up like the Cleveland Browns who have tons of cap space yearly andddd a lack of talent all over.

 

I do understand you post and you are correct that the Bills have had a laundry list of contract mistakes over the past bunch of years. But I won't say that yet about Beane and his willingness to trade Sammy/Darby for picks rather then contract them shows me at this point he will not be nearly as trigger happy compared to DW.

[hondo in seattle]

2 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

There was no good reason to extend his contract.

 

 Because NFL teams don't need good centers?

[teef]

20 minutes ago, cd1 said:

 

I think both Wood and K Williams were signed not only for their talent but to provide GLUE/cohesiveness for the team.  

agreed.  they love stability/leadership on the lines.

[RochesterRob]

10 minutes ago, Batman1876 said:

The team knew they would be dealing with a lot of dead cap space in 2018 and that there would be a lot of new players in 2017.  As a result keeping a pillar around, who was also a good player was important. Wood's hit was mostly going to come into play in 2018 and for 2019 he could be cut with minor cap implications. Until the injury those factors make his extension a logical choice, turn over the roster now with a few leaders kept around for continuity and work towards a wide open cap in 2019 when the previous regime's choices are done hurting us. 

 

 

18 minutes ago, Doc said:

Just for some perspective, Wood was going into the final year of his contract this past season and was scheduled to have a $4.125M base salary.  The Bills figured they could lower the cap number for 2017 and extend him for a couple more years, figuring they could get out of the deal after the 2108 season. 

  I agree with both statements.  I think sometimes peoples' memories are short on matters such as the Wood extension.

[cba fan]

2 hours ago, teef said:

these things happen.  my brother in law as a pro athlete.  he signed a 5 year guaranteed contract, and had to retire this year because of concussion issues, (team still has 3 years left to pay).  he had had concussions before this contract was signed, but after this season, he had taken more, and it was determined that he shouldn't play anymore.  he felt he could still play, but the team doctors didn't want him to continue.  it's life.

 

i get this team has done a lot wrong, but people try far to hard to be angry about something.

Apples and oranges.

 

Brain injury CTE etc etc......is almost impossible to diagnose and predict future effects especially considering players routinely try to scam the system as they admit they give dumber and less clear info on the baseline concussion e v a l to then hopefully be able to answer concussion protocol questions well enough to pass to play when put in concussion testing during a game. Virtually all players admit to lying about concussion effects in order to keep playing.

[Heitz]

18 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

Good point! After the previous leg injuries I have no idea why they didn't see the neck injury coming. 

 

You're bad at anatomy - just sing the song:

 

- The ankle bone's connected to the Spleen bone

- The spleen bone's connected to the neck bone

- The neck bone's connected to potentially degenerative conditions that could cause a pro athlete to retire

 

Or something like that...

 

[BigBuff423]

Only in a Bills fan's world could a guy who has held the Center position for going on ten years, done wonderful works in the community he has learned to call home, been by all accounts a terrific teammate and a decent but not great player, while enduring nearly a decade of misery on God-awful teams, be called out for a "bad contract" while simultaneously bashing the Bills for doing the deal. 

 

So, it's the Bills' fault for not knowing, or it's their fault for knowing and offering him a contract anyways, or it's Wood's fault for taking the contract knowing he had a degenerative disease....wtf?? 

 

Seriously Bills fans, what has happened to some of you? This man has played through TWO gruesome leg injuries, reached the Pro Bowl, been a gentleman in the local community, has been a good teammate and professional all the while showing moments of transparency during one of the all-time worst playoff droughts in all of American sports, and there's questioning of a contract?? 

 

Count me among the ones who will take Wood at his word and say he didn't know, his family didn't know and for f-in sure the Bills didn't know when they made the contract extension that Wood had a degenerative disease such as this. I'm no doctor - obviously - but I'm going to say that if by now there is no counter medical opinion to Wood's statements thus far, then this is all possible and therefore based on credibility earned by Wood, probable.

 

I also find it hard to believe that Wood, and maybe more to the point his wife (would allow without much protest), would willingly take the field knowing his entire life as he knows it could be over with one damaging hit...and he doesn't play WR, he gets hit on every.....single.....play. Folks, lighten up...it's unfortunate for the Bills and their cap situation, but the bigger issue is Wood's health and his family and the fact that we now get to see another side of Beane and his staff: can they adjust to major changes otherwise unforeseen. 

Edited January 29, 2018 by BigBuff423

[BADOLBILZ]

10 minutes ago, hondo in seattle said:

 Because NFL teams don't need good centers?

 

 

Because at his age and with his history.......you let his contract play out and go from there.   

 

Especially with a potentially solid replacement like Groy under contract for 2018.  

 

Wood is a nice guy but he was not missed one bit when he was out in 2016 so extending him the following summer was a head scratcher.    

[Rico]

I would’ve looked to replace him in 2018 instead of extend him because I don’t think he was all that good. That being said, it all happened during McBeane’s 1st year for which I had already assigned them a mulligan... only they didn’t need it because they broke the drought. They get a big pass from me on all their moves to date, including this one.

 

Good luck EWood.

[cba fan]

1 hour ago, Big C said:

As I said in the main Wood thread, it was a questionable extension before we knew about the medical issue. Just hope that the FO revisits how they write up these contracts. 

Agreed. 

I love Eric Wood and all he gave to Bills and wish him best of luck. Happy as hell he walks away while still walking. He has a family to take care of now. Great for him really. He arguably could go on the Wall of Fame. Everyone loves him and rightfully so.

 

As for Bills business side opinion:

I was on record that 8 mill+ per season with injury guarantee was way too much for an at best avg center on the clear downside of his career. Groy would have been better option.

Other posters mentioned that Wood and K Williams are like "GLUE" that hold teams together.

Well that all sounds nice, but to win in todays NFL Bills need less "Elmers"......Wood, K Williams, Tolbert, Colt Anderson, (all on downside of careers) and need more Gorilla glue types on upside of careers.

 

It will be interesting to see what K Williams gets if he wants to play another year or two. He has had chronic back condition issues and lets hope he does not get a Wood contract.

Edited January 29, 2018 by cba fan

[BillsFan4]

1 hour ago, SaviorPeterman said:

 

You're right. Again he's a certainly a top 10 - 15 center just like Cordy Glenn is/was at LT, but you still can't pay a guy premium money for that and that's where this team has gotten themselves into trouble during the drought years.

Wood's current contract pays him as the #10 (highest paid) center in the NFL. Seems about right to me... 

 

Plus it was only a 2 year extension (for a 31yr old team leader and guy who calls out more defensive coverages than our QB does).

 

It's not like it was a massive 5 year deal like Glenn or Dareus. 

[teef]

32 minutes ago, cba fan said:

Apples and oranges.

 

Brain injury CTE etc etc......is almost impossible to diagnose and predict future effects especially considering players routinely try to scam the system as they admit they give dumber and less clear info on the baseline concussion e v a l to then hopefully be able to answer concussion protocol questions well enough to pass to play when put in concussion testing during a game. Virtually all players admit to lying about concussion effects in order to keep playing.

i was really just referring to how a know issue and suddenly turn into something that ends a career...not so much the injury itself.   it's funny you mentioned the e v a l.  on thing that kept my brother in law from getting back to playing was that he did so stellar on his initial test, he had trouble getting back to the score, (i think he had to match or better the score).

[Royale with Cheese]

So it was week 5 when he found out about the stinger and after the season he knew about the disc getting close to his spinal cord?

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

3 hours ago, PIP said:

Good teams (Pats) don't make this mistake.

It happens ALL THE TIME!!!!

[buffalostu2]

4 hours ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

 Was the team supposed to know in advance that he was going to sustain a career ending neck injury?

Maybe Wood knew.   He just said he has stingers mid season and then he gets re upped.   Seems pretty timely.    Also look at the structure of the contract.  4.8 per year with a 4.33 mil bonus.  

 

Are we sure Wood and his agent didn't know something?  Beane may have been taken to the cleaners.

[26CornerBlitz]

Just now, buffalostu2 said:

Maybe Wood knew.   He just said he has stingers mid season and then he gets re upped.   Seems pretty timely.    Also look at the structure of the contract.  4.8 per year with a 4.33 mil bonus.  

 

Are we sure Wood and his agent didn't know something?  Beane may have been taken to the cleaners.

 

It would have been up to the team to make the effort to to go beyond the X-Rays after the stingers.  He continued to play the remainder of the season with no issues, so I don't think anything was amiss.

[SoTier]

3 hours ago, DriveFor1Outta5 said:

I could make the arguement that we needed an upgrade at that position. Giving Wood an extension was a poor choice simply based on that. Kudos to Wood for all he did in this community and organization. He will be missed, but I’m not certain that Wood was much more than a McD “locker room guy”. The injury was likely unforeseen, but the quality of play speaks for itself. Wood isn’t a guy I would have offered an extension to begin with. 

 

I'm not going to argue that the Bills didn't/don't need an upgrade at center because I agree that they have needed that for a while.   I have been arguing since last summer that the interior of the Bills OL needs upgrading and/or better depth because of age and talent level not to mention how frequently OLers get hurt, as Glenn has shown. 

 

That Wood was never as good a center as Glenn was a left tackle doesn't mean he wasn't worth extending.   There may have not been any better options either on the team or available on the FA market.   His deal might very well be the going rate for a starting NFL center. 

 

My argument is simply that complaining that Wood's contract was "bad" because of his injury is nothing more than hindsight. 

Edited January 29, 2018 by SoTier