Peters' apologists beware...

[Kelly the Dog]

It's the Bizzaro world of the naysayers. Anything they can imagine to bolster their constant harping of Bills management magically becomes fact.

 

PTR

Okay, smart guy. Since you refuse to acknowledge what has been linked and posted numerous times... here are just a few...

 

Brandon said Peters’ absence from all offseason activities at Ralph Wilson Stadium has been puzzling because he has been unable to get a read on the situation, primarily because he hasn’t spoken to Peters and has had only brief discussions with the player’s agent, Eugene Parker.

So he says he has spoken to him more than once.

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/p...ORTS03/80725003

 

A Bills official confirmed to me the other day that talks with Peters are almost non-existent and that the team is demanding he play at least this season under the five-year contract extension that he signed in 2006 which will pay him $3.25 million in base salary this year.

http://php.democratandchronicle.com/blog/sports1/

 

Hawthorne took the roster spot of Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters, who was placed on the reserve-did-not-report list. Peters is being fined for refusing to report to training camp because he wants the final three years of his contract restructured.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/footbal...0,2380502.story

 

A big challenge in the Peters talks will be the fact that the top two veteran left tackles in the NFL have outdated contracts, so it’s a little more difficult to precisely peg Peters’ market value.

 

St. Louis’ Orlando Pace makes an average of $7.55 million. Seattle’s Walter Jones is at $7.5 million a year. Both of those deals, however, were signed in 2005.

 

The NFL salary cap was just $85.5 million in 2005. It has gone up 36 percent, or $31 million, since then to its current level of $116.7 million.

 

Peters’ Indiana-based representative, Eugene Parker, is one of the most influential agents in the game. He declined to comment on Peters’ situation when contacted by The News.

 

However, Parker is going to want Peters’ deal to reflect the current market. Pace’s deal, increased by 36 percent, would be worth $10.2 million a year.

The highest paid free-agent contract given to an offensive lineman was the $8 million-a-year deal the New York Jets gave to Alan Faneca in March.

 

Faneca, 31, is a left guard. Peters is only 26. He made the Pro Bowl as a starter last year, his first full season as a starter at left tackle. He also was a second-team All-Pro pick by the Associated Press and a first-team All-Pro pick by Sports Illustrated.

 

The Miami Dolphins just signed the top pick in the draft, Michigan left tackle Jake Long, to a five-year deal worth $57.5 million. The contract included $30 million in guaranteed money and made Long the highest-paid lineman in the NFL.

 

Peters is likely to target that deal as a benchmark for his negotiations.

 

The Bills’ front office did not comment on Peters’ negotiations, either, on Wednesday. It’s likely they will argue that Long’s deal doesn’t directly apply to Peters because the top pick in the draft annually receives an inflated deal compared with veteran players.

Nevertheless, somewhere at or between Faneca’s $8 million-a-year and Long’s $11.5 million-a-year could be an intense negotiating-table battle.

 

Peters still has three years remaining on a deal that has a maximum value of $4 million a year, less by $1 million a year than that of right tackle Langston Walker. Peters’ salary this year is $3.3 million. Schobel’s contract also had three years remaining when it was renegotiated by the Bills last summer.

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/billsnfl/story/368294.html

 

Adam Schefter also reported that the Bills are insisting that Peters play this year and he may sit out the season (although he also said players always say that and then don't).

[RJ (not THAT RJ)]

Peters will be @ SJF by Friday.

 

 

I agree... If Parker is the great agent that so many say he is, he would have no interest in Peters doing anything to mess up his seniority and the like. This holdout, I have come to believe, is their way of showing the Bills how much they miss Peters, and how he will be prepared to hold out again in the future if negotiations do not get underway for a new contract. What the result will be I can't say, but I would be shocked it Peters missed that 8 August deadline.

[Lurker]

I personally just flagged you as "trollish" and will monitor any posts you make for similarly worthless comments.

New around here, huh?

[Kelly the Dog]

I agree that they have certainly talked, it's all about money, and likely there's a huge gap between the two, which is why there is no communication.

 

However, The Buffalo News quotes Brandon as saying it's it's difficult to have discussions with someone who's not here.

 

NFL.com, USA Today, and ESPN all confirm Brandon has said he's open to negotiating a new contract with Peters, but only if the player begins attending team functions.

 

and Chris Brown quotes Brandon as touting their record of renegotiating existing contracts as long as those guys are honoring their existing deals. Translation: they're here, working hard, taking part in what the team is trying to do.

 

I'm not sure how you can insist that the FO won't redo his current deal this year. Brandon never says or even hints that a new contract is only possible after this season. He only says show up first and then we'll talk.

A Bills official confirmed to me the other day that talks with Peters are almost non-existent and that the team is demanding he play at least this season under the five-year contract extension that he signed in 2006 which will pay him $3.25 million in base salary this year.

http://php.democratandchronicle.com/blog/sports1/

 

That's the Bills beat writer. I have seen three people say this specifically. I will look for the others. I think Wawrow reported it. I know Schefter did. That's why the agent is saying why come in if you're not going to talk about this year. Sure they may renegotiate, just not for this year or now. And again, I am on the Bills side here, not Peters and Parker.

[KnightRider]

LA, do you think that Peters is the first NFL player to do this?

 

Bill, a google search on holdout "three years" left on contract and came up with a lot of threats to hold out. Though they had three years (Marshall Faulk and Plaxico Burress) left, but no one else has actually gone through with it except Mike McKenzie, and his agent quit when he did. Please correct me if I am wrong and sorry if you have in another thread.

 

I think a new contract agreement should be done, but holding out isn't the way to get it done. It's the way to get traded.

[Kelly the Dog]

I agree... If Parker is the great agent that so many say he is, he would have no interest in Peters doing anything to mess up his seniority and the like. This holdout, I have come to believe, is their way of showing the Bills how much they miss Peters, and how he will be prepared to hold out again in the future if negotiations do not get underway for a new contract. What the result will be I can't say, but I would be shocked it Peters missed that 8 August deadline.

I think it will be after the game. It's a small gamble but chances are that Walker and Chambers will not look all that great in the few series they play. And then Parker can get Peters into camp and say, "See? This is why he needs to be paid now, but we'll do what's best for the team." (Yeah, right). Walker will, I think, be going against Jason Taylor for a series or two. ;

[The Senator]

I think it will be after the game. It's a small gamble but chances are that Walker and Chambers will not look all that great in the few series they play. And then Parker can get Peters into camp and say, "See? This is why he needs to be paid now, but we'll do what's best for the team." (Yeah, right). Walker will, I think, be going against Jason Taylor for a series or two. ;

Helluva gamble, don't you think, KTD? What if Walker does just fine against JT?

[rafter]

If Walker performs well on the left side, we can just put JP back on the right and tell him he is not underpaid.

[The Senator]

If Walker performs well on the left side, we can just put JP back on the right and tell him he is not underpaid.

[In-A-Gadda-Levitre]

http://php.democratandchronicle.com/blog/sports1/

 

That's the Bills beat writer. I have seen three people say this specifically. I will look for the others. I think Wawrow reported it. I know Schefter did. That's why the agent is saying why come in if you're not going to talk about this year. Sure they may renegotiate, just not for this year or now. And again, I am on the Bills side here, not Peters and Parker.

I looked up both Wawrow and Schefter. Schefter did say in 1 video that the Bills gave him a contract 2 years ago and wasn't budging, but didn't say specifically that they wouldn't redo his current deal now or in the future. Wawrow, as far as I can tell, hasn't said anything different from what's been reported elsewhere.

 

The quote from a Bill's official in Sal's blog is interesting, but you have to agree that could be a negotiating tactic or simply feeding the press. My gut tells me the team is open to give him a new deal now, but it's off the table until he shows up. They've done it before with Schobel. They want to get Evans resigned first, and maybe Crowell, but it's entirely possible that they show him the money this season.

[Kelly the Dog]

Helluva gamble, don't you think, KTD? What if Walker does just fine against JT?

I'm betting on Taylor.

 

No matter what happens, however unlikely that Walker looks good against Taylor, do you not think the Bills know what they have in Peters, Walker and Chambers? The strengths and weaknesses? The difference in a Bills OL that reads Peters-Dockery-Fowler-Butler-Walker instead of Walker-Dockery-Fowler-Butler-Chambers? I think the odds favor Parker on this one.

[Kelly the Dog]

I looked up both Wawrow and Schefter. Schefter did say in 1 video that the Bills gave him a contract 2 years ago and wasn't budging, but didn't say specifically that they wouldn't redo his current deal now or in the future. Wawrow, as far as I can tell, hasn't said anything different from what's been reported elsewhere.

 

The quote from a Bill's official in Sal's blog is interesting, but you have to agree that could be a negotiating tactic or simply feeding the press. My gut tells me the team is open to give him a new deal now, but it's off the table until he shows up. They've done it before with Schobel. They want to get Evans resigned first, and maybe Crowell, but it's entirely possible that they show him the money this season.

The other point, which is illustrated in the linked Buff News article, is the amount they are asking for. Maybe the Bills will start negotiating for him this year if he comes to camp -- at 7-8 mil a year instead of the 10-11 Parker is almost assuredly asking for, and why wouldn't he? It's completely incomprehensible IMO for anyone to believe that Parker and the Bills haven't spoken in parameters. There is ZERO chance that the Bills are willing to pay Peters 10 mil a year right now but want him into camp before signing the deal, and yet ARENT telling Parker that is how high they will go and we are close. Why? So the next guy that outplays his contract by three years and goes to the Pro Bowl and becomes one of the very best at his position comes to camp instead of holding out? They are going to risk the cohesion of the offensive line for that? That is impossible. You just have to put all the pieces together I think, and it's very clear what this is all about.

[The Senator]

The other point, which is illustrated in the linked Buff News article, is the amount they are asking for. Maybe the Bills will start negotiating for him this year if he comes to camp -- at 7-8 mil a year instead of the 10-11 Parker is almost assuredly asking for, and why wouldn't he? It's completely incomprehensible IMO for anyone to believe that Parker and the Bills haven't spoken in parameters. There is ZERO chance that the Bills are willing to pay Peters 10 mil a year right now but want him into camp before signing the deal, and yet ARENT telling Parker that is how high they will go and we are close. Why? So the next guy that outplays his contract by three years and goes to the Pro Bowl and becomes one of the very best at his position comes to camp instead of holding out? They are going to risk the cohesion of the offensive line for that? That is impossible. You just have to put all the pieces together I think, and it's very clear what this is all about.

I don't think they have to risk it - I still think Peters will report Friday, and that the Bills are already in 'spin control' mode to find a face-saving way out for Jason -

 

(from the PFW article linked on TBD's home page)

 

"But the issue is deeper than the time he has left on the deal. The Bills also know Peters as a person. He’s a polite, soft-spoken, team-first guy who they know won’t go all Terrell Owens on them. The fact that the public hasn’t heard so much as a whisper of complaint out of Peters isn’t surprising to those who know him best. In fact, there’s a line of thinking from sources close to the team that Peters never wanted to hold out in the first place, and that everything’s being orchestrated by his agent, Eugene Parker. It only stands to reason that eventually, Peters is bound to override his overzealous agent’s advice, and report."

 

 

There's your face-saving spin for Peters right there - 'The bills have known all along that Jason's a great guy and never wanted to hold out - his agent's an overzealous jerk, and Jason finally overruled the jerk.'

 

Sounds like the Bills have their own Ari Fleischer!

[IDBillzFan]

The only ones acting like babies are the posters here who whine incessantly because Peters isn't doing what they want. “That Peters is STUPID, he doesn’t do what I want him to do!!!”

 

Peters is just sitting at home playing the waiting game like his agent has suggested he do. He’s not whining, complaining or taking his case to the media. Yeah, what a baby.

 

And as the other poster said, it sets no president other than if you're one of the best players in the league at one of the most important positions then the Bills will pay you what you deserve. I prefer that president to the one the Bills currently have of paying average players above average money.

Nothing has the potential to happen until he comes to camp. Nothing. Why is that so hard for anyone to understand? And why is it so hard for Peters to understand? It's not like he's in the last year of his contract. He has NO leverage here. NONE. If he doesn't show up, his three years just keep rolling over. The only difference is, he doesn't get paid at all.

 

And just because he's at one of the most important positions does not mean that a precedent won't be set. What happens if Marshawn Lynch goes to the Pro Bowl this year after helping get the Bills to the playoffs? I guess if we buckle to Peters and Marshawn decides to sit out next year, it'll be okay because the Bills brass can simply say "Well, hey, it's not like you're a left tackle so piss off." You want to run the offense without Lynch? Would you like special teams to tell Moorman to piss off if he decides to sit out? I mean, it's not like he's a left tackle or anything. All he does is punt a piece of leather.

 

He's a man. Not a team. And this team will move forward, for better or worse, without him. What Peters is doing (or what his agent is making him do, which is still Peters' doing) is the equivalent of trying to teach a pig to sing: in the end, it frustrates you and pisses off the pig.

[In-A-Gadda-Levitre]

The other point, which is illustrated in the linked Buff News article, is the amount they are asking for. Maybe the Bills will start negotiating for him this year if he comes to camp -- at 7-8 mil a year instead of the 10-11 Parker is almost assuredly asking for, and why wouldn't he? It's completely incomprehensible IMO for anyone to believe that Parker and the Bills haven't spoken in parameters. There is ZERO chance that the Bills are willing to pay Peters 10 mil a year right now but want him into camp before signing the deal, and yet ARENT telling Parker that is how high they will go and we are close. Why? So the next guy that outplays his contract by three years and goes to the Pro Bowl and becomes one of the very best at his position comes to camp instead of holding out? They are going to risk the cohesion of the offensive line for that? That is impossible. You just have to put all the pieces together I think, and it's very clear what this is all about.

well, d'oh, of course. I'd bet serious money that's what's happening. It's also totally possible to make up a chunk of that difference in incentives. The issue between us is whether the team will negotiate this year or after the season. We're on the same page with everything else...

[Stevie Ray]

Just to clarify, unless Walker winds up starting in his normal RT spot, he wont be facing Jason Taylor. JT plays Left DE, Andre Carter is the Right DE in Washington's D.

[Kelly the Dog]

Just to clarify, unless Walker winds up starting in his normal RT spot, he wont be facing Jason Taylor. JT plays Left DE, Andre Carter is the Right DE in Washington's D.

You're right. So Carter will school him instead of Taylor. Beside, the ultimate result will happen anyway, with Taylor going against Chambers and the Bills thinking to themselves, "Uh oh, we can't go into the season like this." ;

[Kelly the Dog]

well, d'oh, of course. I'd bet serious money that's what's happening. It's also totally possible to make up a chunk of that difference in incentives. The issue between us is whether the team will negotiate this year or after the season. We're on the same page with everything else...

But that's exactly my point. It's obvious by the fact he's not there now that they won't do it this year for the large amount. Otherwise he would be in. It doesn't matter at all to Parker whether the Bills will negotiate right now for 8 million, that is an insult to him. If they are willing to go 10 per, they would let him know.

[apuszczalowski]

But that's exactly my point. It's obvious by the fact he's not there now that they won't do it this year for the large amount. Otherwise he would be in. It doesn't matter at all to Parker whether the Bills will negotiate right now for 8 million, that is an insult to him. If they are willing to go 10 per, they would let him know.

You assume

[Adam]

If Walker performs well on the left side, we can just put JP back on the right and tell him he is not underpaid.

Will you be sliding protection towards Walker and putting a TE on his open side, like we had to do on the right side last year?