26CornerBlitz Posted February 22, 2018 Posted February 22, 2018 NFL free agency: Why Bills signing DT Star Lotulelei would be an epic mistakeThere’s been a lot of speculation regarding Buffalo potentially signing Carolina Panthers nose tackle Star Lotulelei. Sure, he was a starter in Sean McDermott’s defense. But after a stellar rookie season, Lotulelei has seen his play decline drastically while his linemate, Kawann Short, dominated and earned a big contract.As a rookie, Lotulelei looked like a gem, recording 42 tackles, three sacks, nine tackles for loss and four quarterback hits. He generated 24 quarterback pressures and registered a staggering 37 run stops, per Pro Football Focus.However, in the last three seasons combined, he’s recorded 73 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and 12 quarterback hits. He registered 54 pressures and made only 32 run stops – five fewer than his rookie total – in that time.
JohnBonhamRocks Posted February 22, 2018 Posted February 22, 2018 Yeah, I thought Lotulelei was a lock as an offseason target, but I've seen other articles indicating the same negative feelings towards his play. Maybe that means we can get him on a cheaper prove-it type deal and have him battle it out with a rookie? Williams/Lotulelei/Nnadi in the 2nd?
Rigotz Posted February 22, 2018 Posted February 22, 2018 The counter-point is ... when a player is a dominant force inside, defenses adjust and their stats take a hit. Haven't watched the Panthers much, but you'd bet he was doubled and schemed against significantly after a monster first year. 1
26CornerBlitz Posted February 22, 2018 Author Posted February 22, 2018 1 minute ago, Rigotz said: The counter-point is ... when a player is a dominant force inside, defenses adjust and their stats take a hit. Haven't watched the Panthers much, but you'd bet he was doubled and schemed against significantly after a monster first year. Playing next to Kawann Short should have boosted his production. 4
billsredneck1 Posted February 22, 2018 Posted February 22, 2018 i hope we don't spend the money on him.
DCOrange Posted February 22, 2018 Posted February 22, 2018 I'm fine bringing him in cheap, but it seems like he still has the reputation of being a good player despite his recent play and that scares me.
YoloinOhio Posted February 22, 2018 Posted February 22, 2018 How much is he projected to get? He would still be a huge upgrade to what we have now. McBeane doesn’t seem like the type to overpay just to do it so I assume they would take him on a reasonable deal. If not, other fish in the sea.
Buffalo_Stampede Posted February 22, 2018 Posted February 22, 2018 (edited) 3 minutes ago, DCOrange said: I'm fine bringing him in cheap, but it seems like he still has the reputation of being a good player despite his recent play and that scares me. Cheap would be like $12 million. His age is the only thing that turns me off. If I'm the Bills I'm saving my money and building a young team this year. Jump into free agency next season. We will be loaded with cap space. 2 minutes ago, YoloinOhio said: How much is he projected to get? He would still be a huge upgrade to what we have now. McBeane doesn’t seem like the type to overpay just to do it so I assume they would take him on a reasonable deal. If not, other fish in the sea. At least $12 million per. Edited February 22, 2018 by TheTruthHurts
DCOrange Posted February 22, 2018 Posted February 22, 2018 (edited) 13 minutes ago, TheTruthHurts said: Cheap would be like $12 million. His age is the only thing that turns me off. If I'm the Bills I'm saving my money and building a young team this year. Jump into free agency next season. We will be loaded with cap space. At least $12 million per. I don't think he'll get anywhere close to $12 mil per year but we'll see. If anyone touches that, it'll be a mistake. The last projection I had seen for him was around $8 million per year. Edited February 22, 2018 by DCOrange
YoloinOhio Posted February 22, 2018 Posted February 22, 2018 19 minutes ago, TheTruthHurts said: Cheap would be like $12 million. His age is the only thing that turns me off. If I'm the Bills I'm saving my money and building a young team this year. Jump into free agency next season. We will be loaded with cap space. At least $12 million per. How could he get that much if his film isn’t good. Cleveland?
VirginiaMike Posted February 22, 2018 Posted February 22, 2018 29 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said: Playing next to Kawann Short should have boosted his production. Maybe playing next to Star boosted Short's numbers?
Virgil Posted February 22, 2018 Posted February 22, 2018 33 minutes ago, Rigotz said: The counter-point is ... when a player is a dominant force inside, defenses adjust and their stats take a hit. Haven't watched the Panthers much, but you'd bet he was doubled and schemed against significantly after a monster first year. This is the Sammy argument. Stars make plays no matter what. I don’t buy these excuses anymore
DCOrange Posted February 22, 2018 Posted February 22, 2018 2 minutes ago, VirginiaMike said: Maybe playing next to Star boosted Short's numbers? Even ignoring the raw numbers people look to like sacks, systems like PFF say Star was awful this past season and below average the two years before that. Short has been elite every year along with all the other guys that "demand the O-Line's attention".
dollars 2 donuts Posted February 22, 2018 Posted February 22, 2018 27 minutes ago, TheTruthHurts said: At least $12 million per. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Please no.
BigBuff423 Posted February 22, 2018 Posted February 22, 2018 I have to agree with this, and more to the point: DT is one of the deepest positions in a Draft the Bills have a wealth of picks. Use 2 on DT and pick a DT in FA, ala Poe.
Chuck Wagon Posted February 22, 2018 Posted February 22, 2018 I would rather spend the money on Ziggy Ansah if he doesn't get tagged. Edge rushers are more important that DTs.
YoloinOhio Posted February 22, 2018 Posted February 22, 2018 7 minutes ago, DCOrange said: Even ignoring the raw numbers people look to like sacks, systems like PFF say Star was awful this past season and below average the two years before that. Short has been elite every year along with all the other guys that "demand the O-Line's attention". So again I ask how he is going to get a huge contract somewhere.
Mr. WEO Posted February 22, 2018 Posted February 22, 2018 Is the same Rob Quinn who said the Bills "failed upward" by, among other moves, trading Ragland and Cardale Jones--thus "seemingly forgetting about the present and building up for the future"?
CommonCents Posted February 22, 2018 Posted February 22, 2018 (edited) 39 minutes ago, TheTruthHurts said: Cheap would be like $12 million. His age is the only thing that turns me off. If I'm the Bills I'm saving my money and building a young team this year. Jump into free agency next season. We will be loaded with cap space. At least $12 million per. 12 million isn't even close. Spotrac projects 6M per for 4 years. He has been a failure in Carolina. I think people see the need and a cool looking gargantuan that could fill the hole but don't even know what he brings or fails to bring to the table. Edited February 22, 2018 by Commonsense
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