I really hope this is not true

[Peter]

I love Marv. I really hope that the premise of this article on Pro Football Talk is NOT true. If it is, the Bills have some explaining to do. I really, really hope that there is a good reason. I have a lot of confidence in Marv.

 

LEVY SCREWED THE POOCH ON VINCENT

 

We've gotten some more information regarding the manner in which Bills safety Troy Vincent landed on IR.  And the manner in which the situation was handled by the team convinces us that G.M. Marv Levy has little or no skill when it comes to the complexities of managing an NFL roster.

 

For starters, it turns out that there really is a "minor" Injured Reserve.  It's a procedure used in lieu of an injury settlement, pursuant to which the player is added to IR but must be released when healthy.

 

When a player is on "major" IR, he's done for the year and gets paid his normal salary.

 

But in Vincent's case, the end result is the same -- the Bills will owe him his entire salary for 2006.  Why?  Because Vincent is a vested veteran entitled to take the balance of his $2.6 million salary as termination pay.

 

And once he's healthy, Vincent can sign with another team and receive wages on top of the $2.6 million base salary he'll get from the Bills.

 

In hindsight (or if Levy had applied any foresight), the Bills would have released Vincent prior to the start of the regular season.  He then could have been re-signed after the first game, and his full salary would not have been guaranteed.

 

So while Levy might have been a very good coach, running the team is a much different endeavor.  In this specific case, Levy's failure to understand the rules has forced his boss to pay $2.6 million to a guy who was available for only one game.

 

Meanwhile, we're hearing that the injury really isn't very significant, and that Vincent could be healthy soon.  So when he's healthy (and then released), Vincent will be able to sign with any other team in the league.

 

Technically, Vincent would have to clear waivers if he's released after the trading deadline.  But it's unlikely that anyone else would claim his contract when he can be signed the next day for a lower contract.

 

So look for Vincent to be playing for another team at some point this year, even though he'll be receiving the bulk of his compensation from the Buffalo Bills.

 

 

PFT: "Levy Screwed the Pooch on Vincent"

[Kelly the Dog]

That's a stupid article. The Bills didnt know he would get injured. They wanted to keep him and knew what they were paying him. That may or may not be a mistake but that is basically a coach's decision and they not only wanted him but started him. It would be screwing a player if you cut him like that, before theseason, plus he could sign with any team he wanted. Not only that but I think they have their facts wrong. The Bills, as far as I know, can get an injury settlement with him. He doesn't have to take it if he doesn't want to. But if he wants to play this season or go to another team, I think he does. It will be half or most of his 2.6 mil but not all.

[Lurker]

The Bills, as far as I know, can get an injury settlement with him. He doesn't have to take it if he doesn't want to. But if he wants to play this season or go to another team, I think he does.

773534[/snapback]

 

A 35-year old DB with bad wheels can't expect to sit out a season--which the Bills will force him to do--and expect to get any kind of offer from another team next year. If TV ever hopes to play again, he'll agree to an injury settlement and part company with the Bills.

 

Florio's a dipsh--...

[NEEDFREDJACKSONNOW]

I love Marv.  I really hope that the premise of this article on Pro Football Talk is NOT true.  If it is, the Bills have some explaining to do.

PFT: "Levy Screwed the Pooch on Vincent"

773528[/snapback]

 

Maybe this is Marv's "4th and short" play. He probably didn't make this decision on his own anyway. Regardless of the reported length of the injury, Marv didn't want to go in to the next several games with 3 safeties. He gambled that it would take longer to heal, given that the current injury is an aggravation of an earlier one this preseason. There also was no reason to cut Vincent before the season as he was apparently healthy.

 

The article sounds like Marv-bashing....

[Peter]

That's a stupid article. The Bills didnt know he would get injured. They wanted to keep him and knew what they were paying him. That may or may not be a mistake but that is basically a coach's decision and they not only wanted him but started him. It would be screwing a player if you cut him like that, before theseason, plus he could sign with any team he wanted. Not only that but I think they have their facts wrong. The Bills, as far as I know, can get an injury settlement with him. He doesn't have to take it if he doesn't want to. But if he wants to play this season or go to another team, I think he does. It will be half or most of his 2.6 mil but not all.

773534[/snapback]

 

I have no idea how minor injured reserve works. I never heard of it before yesterday.

 

The implication is that the Bills do not save any money by this designation (as opposed to "regular" injured reserve), still have to pay TV's entire salary (in the likely event he clears waivers), must let him go after 6 weeks, and after he clears waivers, TV can sign with any team he wants to (including the Pats or Dolphins for example) and know that he we will receive the full amount that the Bills owe him regardless of how much he signs for with another team.

 

My hope is that the Bills are taking a calculated risk that no one will pick him up on waivers and that TV will want to stay with the Bills in some capacity (or some scenario beneficial to the Bills). I would hate to think that the Bills outsmarted themselves and will be stuck paying TV's entire salary only to see him play for another team after 6 weeks.

[Crap Throwing Monkey]

In hindsight (or if Levy had applied any foresight), the Bills would have released Vincent prior to the start of the regular season.  He then could have been re-signed after the first game, and his full salary would not have been guaranteed.

 

 

Never mind that he's accusing Levy of not being prescient in knowing Vincent would get injured...is this dumbass actually saying that, because the dilemma is "obvious" [sic] in hindsight, it should have been obvious with foresight, too? That's why it's called "hindsight", you !@#$ing twit!

[Peter]

      Never mind that he's accusing Levy of not being prescient in knowing Vincent would get injured...is this dumbass actually saying that, because the dilemma is "obvious" [sic] in hindsight, it should have been obvious with foresight, too?  That's why it's called "hindsight", you !@#$ing twit! 

773540[/snapback]

 

I have no idea, but he may be referring to the fact that TV's hamstring injury initially occured in preseason.

 

There has got to be an explaination. If Marv is one thing, he is smart. Moreover, Russ Brandon (if I recall his name) really seems to know his way around the league rules.

 

There has got to be something more to this.

[keepthefaith]

I have no idea, but he may be referring to the fact that TV's hamstring injury initially occured in preseason.

 

There has got to be an explaination.  If Marv is one thing, he is smart.  Moreover, Russ Brandon (if I recall his name) really seems to know his way around the league rules.

 

There has got to be something more to this.

773543[/snapback]

 

Exactly. We don't know what discussions may have occurred already with Troy. Maybe something has been worked out.

[Eric/Hawaii]

here's a thought!

 

Maybe he is in on this with the bills. The bills get to sign another healthy safety, TV gets to heal up. after he is healed he re-signs with the bills.

 

I remember Steve Tasker doing something like this. Where he was release only to re-sign with the Bills. Can't remember all the circumstances around it but it was done just to benefit the team.

[GG]

And that's exactly why TV went on the local airwaves as soon as he was put on IR to trash the organization.

 

(where's that Dumass avatar, when you need it?)

[Zona]

Cap hits and IR rules aside for a moment, I think there is more to this than we know and the Bills are letting on. As I am getting older, I can say with certainty that the Human body takes longer to heal. If TV has had a nagging injury for several weeks now, and he injured it more in week 1, than I think it is safe to say this may have been a hamstring injury that will hamper him all season long. Moulds had a similar injury one season and he was in and out of the lineup all season. If that were to be the case this season, and the rookie wasn't too bad, then you make this move.

 

I will reserve judgement on this for a while and see what happens. But I think the wily old codger has made a hard but fair decision....

[HurlyBurly51]

There has got to be an explaination.  If Marv is one thing, he is smart.  Moreover, Russ Brandon (if I recall his name) really seems to know his way around the league rules.

773543[/snapback]

 

Brandon has nothing to do with the football operations - he is strictly there for the business (read marketing) side of the house.

[Eric/Hawaii]

And that's exactly why TV went on the local airwaves as soon as he was put on IR to trash the organization.

 

(where's that Dumass avatar, when you need it?)

773559[/snapback]

 

 

"I understand the nature of the business," a poised Vincent said. "I understand injuries come along with the business. I'm a big boy. I understand the ins and outs and what's best for the team and it's not to be selfish."

 

The classy Vincent, president of the NFL Players Association, came quickly to grips with the events of the day.

 

"Right now, we have to do what's best for the team," he said. "That's getting healthy bodies in here, giving young guys an opportunity to come in and play. This is what's best, especially for a team in transition, trying to learn a new system. We're fighting here with two more divisional games coming up, and we've got to get on the right track."

 

 

 

not sure how this is blasting the bills!?!?!?

[bbb]

This is such a stupid article. I can't believe Brad was making a big deal about this tonight.........The Bills were really stupid last year, too. They should have cut Takeo before the season - he got hurt after a few games anyway, so why not cut him before that!

[Lori]

This is such a stupid article.  I can't believe Brad was making a big deal about this tonight.........The Bills were really stupid last year, too.  They should have cut Takeo before the season - he got hurt after a few games anyway, so why not cut him before that!

773574[/snapback]

That'll be PFT's next article...

 

Eric: check your sarcasm detector. Thanks.

You're right about Tasker, and I believe it was exactly the same injury. They released him September 20 1997 to sign Mitchell Galloway, beat the Colts the next day (Todd Collins' big comeback), then re-signed him on Monday.

"It made sense. That way someone else didn't have to be exposed (to waivers). And let's face it, I was a free agent for five months in the offseason and didn't get any offers."

 

(As always, thanks to Sal Maiorana for the reference in Relentless II.)

[jjsiepierski34]

Why are we so concerned about Troy Vincent? He has totally sucked since he has arrived, and has not stayed healthy. Part of being a productive player is the ability to stay healthy. He hasn't done it. Although he is classy, and says all of the "right" things, he has been made of glass since his arrival. Let's move on. Ko Simpson is our guy now. Out with the old, in with the new. TKO should shut up as well. Troy Vincent being in the lineup on Sunday was not going to win us the game vs. the Dolphins. I have never watched a Bills game the past three seasons and said, "boy, if we had Troy Vincent in the lineup, we'd have won that game..." and none of us are certainly going to be saying that come Sunday. He's entirely washed up. I wish him luck, but he doesn't need luck in what he's going to be doing. He heads the Players' Assn, has a financial services firm in Trenton, and probably has 20-25 Million in the bank. Let's stop feeling sorry for Troy Vincent, and concentrate on Ko Simpson, and beating Miami.

 

This article is retarded. The Bills can't cut him bc he's hurt. They put him on mini IR with plans to cut him. I laughed when I saw him in qtr 1 with a hammy ice pack. It was par for the course for his career as a Bill. Pittsburgh (the rumor I am hearing) would be stupid to pick him up in 6 weeks.

 

Who cares anyway.

[Peter]

Brandon has nothing to do with the football operations - he is strictly there for the business (read marketing) side of the house.

773562[/snapback]

 

You are correct. I meant Jim Overdorf.

[Lori]

Why are we so concerned about Troy Vincent? He has totally sucked since he has arrived, and has not stayed healthy.

773583[/snapback]

Yup. We'll just ignore the fact that he played all sixteen games last year and tied Terrence McGee for the team lead in INTs.

 

I'm fully on board with the decision to move on without him, but I've got this pet peeve about revisionist history...

[Peter]

Although there are some interesting items on PFT now and again, one of the things that I cannot stand is PFT's unrelenting crusade against the Bills, Ralph, and Marv. It seems as though, every chance they get, they try to take pot shots at the Bills in general and Ralph and Marv in particular. For example, when Ralph voted against the agreement with the NFLPA and then lobbied for better revenue sharing, they made gratuitous comments about his age etc. As it turns out, Ralph was correct all along.

 

Very rarely does one find anything positive about the Bills on PFT. (It is a bit like reading some of the posts on this board by people who have their particular crusades against individual Bills, e.g., WM).

 

I have to believe that the Bills knew exactly what they were doing and what the ramifications were and that there are no surprises here.

[Pyrite Gal]

Everytime one cocludes tbat PFT cannot sink any lower in making claims that are far beyond what they or any "insider" who does not have an agenda that they would clearly lie to youor at least selectively tell the truth, her comes PFT with yet another crazy theory that does not even fit the knowable facts.

 

Clearly the two sides had researched the issue of how best to deal with TV not being able to perform exhaustively as they responded quickly with placing him on minor injury IR.

 

Clearly they have something planned, and the most reasonable guess is that they moved quickly to make sure the six weeks comes as quickly as possible.

 

Though there is no outside info or inside sources to suggest that there is an agreement between TV and the Bills to give him six weeks of non-trauma to his hammy and then hope that he has healed enough to reactivate him once he clears waivers.

 

If this is the case the Bills clearly are risking that TV will no one will pick up TV om waivers (good luck to someone if they do because they will assume the rest of TV's salary without a medical exam and hope he can play or spemd countless hours negotiating an FA deal with him.

 

TV could in theory screw the Bills and signs with the Fins or whomever for peanuts but he will also be screwing his Bills teamates and earn the label upon retirnng of being a mercenary me guy after years of building a rep as a class act,

 

The PFT theory about this is simply stupid.