Bills announce 13 reserve/future signings

[frostbitmic]

Is there a limit to the number of players that can be signed to a futures contract ?

[CSBill]

6 hours ago, Freddie's Dead said:

Absolutely cannot wait to see Christian Wade in action again.  The NFL indentured this guy for two years, and I really want to see him succeed.  The raw talent is ridiculous, dude is world class.  He solves the speed issue that everyone is complaining about with Motor and Moss.  If he can pickup a blitz, great, but I'm more interested in the speed and quickness at RB.

 

Interesting. It would be fun if he made it. But I will miss the weekly, "Let's call up Wade" threads next season.

 

Edited January 27, 2021 by CSBill

[Doc]

I still don't know why they protected Wade last year?  I don't think he was going to be poached or that he'd leave if a team tried to sign him.

[entropyrules]

11 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

 

 

I think it's not just pass blocking, it's developing the vision to find the hole and follow his blockers.

 

That's just not part of the Rugby game at all.

I have to disagree slightly. I played fly-half for eight years on a team in Groton CT and field vision is everything in the rugby game. Not only do you have to have awareness of where the tacklers will be but you also need to be aware of teammates left and right to pass to plus take advantage when the opportunity arises to pooch kick the ball forward. i would agree that the line play is totally different but that vision and quick feet aspect is the same in both games. I've only seen Wade in one game and in that one his foot speed in pads was pretty remarkable; I did not however get to see much in terms of running through the holes and making that quick left or right step. So for those of you who have seen more of him you probably have a better take than mine. 

Edited January 27, 2021 by entropyrules

[Saxum]

41 minutes ago, Doc said:

I still don't know why they protected Wade last year?  I don't think he was going to be poached or that he'd leave if a team tried to sign him.

 

They did not protect him.  They used the extra slot for international program hence he was protected automatically.

6 hours ago, frostbitmic said:

Is there a limit to the number of players that can be signed to a futures contract ?

 

Up until you have 90 players which is number of players you can go into camp with.

[Freddie's Dead]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

I still don't know why they protected Wade last year?  I don't think he was going to be poached or that he'd leave if a team tried to sign him.

 

The NFL set the rules.  They allowed a player to be indentured to a team for two years without requiring the team to play that player.  I've argued against this, as it smacked of the "reserve clause" in baseball.  Curt Flood successfully fought against the reserve clause in the mid-70's, but at the cost of his career.  I thought one year was bad enough, but two?  Brutal.  That's one of the reasons I'm so excited to see this guy succeed, since he was essentially prevented from playing for two years.

 

And save the justifications for doing this to a human being in 2019.  It was wrong.  If he couldn't make it on his own, then fine.  For him to give up two years in his prime, without any possibility of playing, was just flat out wrong.

Edited January 27, 2021 by Freddie's Dead

[Doc]

40 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

They did not protect him.  They used the extra slot for international program hence he was protected automatically.

 

That's what I meant.  They didn't have to use the extra slot.

 

1 minute ago, Freddie's Dead said:

The NFL set the rules.  They allowed a player to be indentured to a team for two years without requiring the team to play that player.  I've argued against this, as it smacked of the "reserve clause" in baseball, for which Curt Flood fought at the cost of his career.  I thought one year was bad enough, but two?  Brutal.  That's one of the reasons I'm so excited to see this guy succeed, since he was essentially prevented from playing for two years.

 

And save the justifications for doing this to a human being in 2019.  It was wrong.  If he couldn't make it on his own, then fine.  For him to give up two years in his prime, without any possibility of playing, was just flat out wrong.

 

True but the Bills also didn't have to use the IP slot on him.  Now we have no idea what we have in him.

[Freddie's Dead]

18 minutes ago, Doc said:

True but the Bills also didn't have to use the IP slot on him.  Now we have no idea what we have in him.

 

Apologize if I wasn't clear.  While the NFL created the rules to indenture CWade, the Bills took full advantage of those rules.  Shame on both of them.

[Doc]

2 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

Apologize if I wasn't clear.  While the NFL created the rules to indenture CWade, the Bills took full advantage of those rules.  Shame on both of them.

 

No, you were perfectly clear.  The only thing I can surmise is that Wade still looked lost during training camp.

[BurpleBull]

When was Tanner Gentry signed? I think he played with Josh in Wyoming. 

 

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

4 minutes ago, BurpleBull said:

When was Tanner Gentry signed? I think he played with Josh in Wyoming. 

 

He’s been on PS for a few weeks I think

[Freddie's Dead]

19 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

No, you were perfectly clear.  The only thing I can surmise is that Wade still looked lost during training camp.

 

Then he should have been cut and allowed to try elsewhere.  It's the indenture part that is so offensive.

[Doc]

9 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

Then he should have been cut and allowed to try elsewhere.  It's the indenture part that is so offensive.

 

Well he could have refused.  There was no one holding a gun to his head.

[warrior9]

12 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Good question.  I think you'd have to say "no one knows"

Draft profile

Drafted by the Giants in the 3rd round in 2017

Cut and put on the practice squad the following (2018) season after a Regime Change

Cut and put on the Jets practice squad in 2019

 

I don't believe he's taken a snap in the NFL

 

I think it's fair to say that if he were viewed as talent/potential-less he wouldn't still be on a roster

I think it's also fair to say that if he snapped anyone's head around he'd have been given a snap or two by now

 

He hasn't but he did start over Pat Mahomes in college before getting hurt and transferring to Cal.

 

Also Jamal Adams said he's "no doubt a starting QB in the league" (for what it's worth, coming from the most overrated player in the league)

[Freddie's Dead]

Just now, Doc said:

 

Well he could have refused.  There was no one holding a gun to his head.

 

<sigh>  He agreed to the indenture, so that makes it OK.  That's the other argument I've seen here.  

[TBBills]

16 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

Per Sal C - 

RB Christian Wade will not be exempt next year. But signing this contract means he will most likely be back at camp and gives him a chance to make the team, or practice squad again

He has a show to host weekly so of course.

[Doc]

Just now, Freddie's Dead said:

<sigh>  He agreed to the indenture, so that makes it OK.  That's the other argument I've seen here.  

 

 

Yes.  And it's not even close to being servitude.  He's making an investment in his future.

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

25 minutes ago, BurpleBull said:

When was Tanner Gentry signed? I think he played with Josh in Wyoming. 

 

 

January 4th, same time as Stills.

 

 "I think he played with Josh in Wyoming" is a bit of an understatement.  In Gentry's Sr year 2016, he was Josh's "Guy".  1326 yds from Josh, 14 TDs, and enough highlights to get signed to the Bears PS as an UDFA.

 

You know that TD Josh threw low and away to Diggs to go ahead in the AZ game?  There's a clip of that same throw from Allen, wearing gold and brown, to Gentry.

 

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

34 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

Then he should have been cut and allowed to try elsewhere.  It's the indenture part that is so offensive.

Yet he’s making goofy coffee talk videos with teammates and seems to be have a grand old time so you might need to look for someone else to be offended on behalf of. 
 

indenture... what nonsense he’s made 300k in 2 years and just signed an 850k contract that he will have a chance to earn after two years in the program that is designed to do exactly what it’s done for him teach him 8 or 10 years of football nuance in 2. 

22 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

 

<sigh>  He agreed to the indenture, so that makes it OK.  That's the other argument I've seen here.  

You clearly don’t know what it means either..

 

 

“Indentured servitude is a form of involuntary laborin which a person who took out a loan (an indenture) agrees to work without salary for the lender for a specific number of years. Historically, it has been used to pay the cost of the person's transportation to a job location, such as from Europe to North America.”

 

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indentured_servitude

 

is it fair to be offended that people get offended without educating themselves on what they are offended about? 

man the entitlement crowd just gets offended anyone needs to earn anything. 

Edited January 27, 2021 by Over 29 years of fanhood

[Hapless Bills Fan]

50 minutes ago, Freddie's Dead said:

Then he should have been cut and allowed to try elsewhere.  It's the indenture part that is so offensive.

 

I don't understand what you find offensive. 

 

"Indenture" started life as a positive arrangement - a raw kid, usually without relevant skills, was promised clothes, room, and board and possibly transportation to a new country in exchange for learning a trade - sometimes a skilled trade such as blacksmith, cooper etc - sometimes field or household skills.  In an age where most people were living at a subsistence level, there was something to be said for food and housing security.  Of course it might not be the best food - I believe in MA a law was passed that you couldn't feed your servants lobster more than 3x/week.

 

But the IP program isn't an "indenture" by the usual meaning.

 

The International Pathway program offers the players the chance to be kept on a team's PS for the entire season, giving them a chance to learn the trade of NFL football without the stress of being cut and having to audition for different clubs and master different playbooks and schemes or go from $8,400/wk salary to nothing in a heartbeat.

 

For 17 weeks, they get paid $142,800 plus food, training facilities, and medical care for 16 weeks work, plus training camp which I believe is ~$7,200 for 6 weeks plus housing.  $150,000 for half a year's work is pretty good remuneration.

 

In return, the team gets an extra player to work on the Scout Team, which is not insignificant when you hear that players like Scout Team QB Davis Webb may play other positions just to help give the active roster the best "looks", and the "long shot" that one of these players will develop and be able to be signed.

 

This article does a good job of explaining why the security of knowing you will be kept on the PS for 17 weeks is helpful:

Quote

The problem is, while they’re playing, practice squad players have no sense of how much of that [2018] $88,000 they’ll actually make; most have to move at some point during the season, whether they’re signed to a new team or get cut and have to move home, which adds another impossible-to-plan-for expense.