FINALLY PETERS MIGHT REPORT

[The Senator]

How much time does Ralph have? Do you think how much he pays Jason Peters keeps him up at night more than wondering if he will ever win a championship before he dies? He'd quadruple Peter's pay if it got us in to the playoffs.

 

For a guy who thinks Peters is a worthless, greedy, stupid crybaby, you do seem to be pretty upset with his hold out. Why do you care, we don't need him, right? Much better to make a point just in case any other UDFA on the roster makes the pro bowl this year. If it costs us a pro bowl LT, its worth it, right?

 

Oh, so he didn't play in the pro bowl, that means a lot. You are right again, he stinks, we don't need him. Still, why do you keep posting in the Peters threads if you are so sure he is so useless? After all, he didn't actually play in the pro bowl as you so keenly observed so it must follow that he is no good. Certainly explains why his hold out has garnered no attention hereabouts now doesn't it?

Wait a minute...are you saying Peters didn't play in the Pro Bowl? Why not? Was he injured? Is he OK now? Someone else said it was 'cause he stinks - I don't care about his bathing habits.

 

Jeez, everyone kept sayin' he was a pro bowl LT - I just assumed that meant he was in the pro bowl. Did he miss any games other than that one?

 

He's worked out with the team, though, or at least for the coaches, right? The front office knows for a fact he can still perform at the 'pro bowl level', yes? Even though pro bowl level doesn't mean you actually play in the pro bowl, apparently. So, for Jason, not playing is 'pro bowl level', I guess.

 

'Cause if he's demanding a whole bunch of money, lots of it guaranteed, I'd wanna know that he's OK, that he can still play at the 'pro bowl level'. That makes sense, doesn't it?

[Kelly the Dog]

Wait a minute...are you saying Peters didn't play in the Pro Bowl? Why not? Was he injured? Is he OK now? Someone else said it was 'cause he stinks - I don't care about his bathing habits.

 

Jeez, everyone kept sayin' he was a pro bowl LT - I just assumed that meant he was in the pro bowl. Did he miss any games other than that one?

 

He's worked out with the team, though, or at least for the coaches, right? The front office knows for a fact he can still perform at the 'pro bowl level', yes? Even though pro bowl level doesn't mean you actually play in the pro bowl, apparently. (Or, in Peters' case, playing at the 'pro bowl level' means you don't play at all.)

 

'Cause if he's demanding a whole bunch of money, lots of it guaranteed, I'd wanna know that he's OK, that he can still play at the 'pro bowl level'. That makes sense, doesn't it?

He was voted to start in the Pro Bowl. That's not a "pro bowl level" or "Pro Bowl caliber", that is officially a "Pro Bowl Player". Now you're just being an ass about it.

 

It's fine if you want to know if he is healthy before he is signed. Well, all you have to do is reside in the real world and you would know the team will make sure of it.

[The Senator]

He was voted to start in the Pro Bowl. That's not a "pro bowl level" or "Pro Bowl caliber", that is officially a "Pro Bowl Player". Now you're just being an ass about it.

 

It's fine if you want to know if he is healthy before he is signed. Well, all you have to do is reside in the real world and you would know the team will make sure of it.

Ah yes...the real world, also known as "The Stadium Wall"...

 

Have an evening, KTD, it's morning here!

 

Cheers

[In-A-Gadda-Levitre]

Schobel held out by skipping some off season stuff. They let him know they were going to give him a new deal so he came in. The numbers were all worked out before training camp though some details delayed the signing of it for a few weeks. I am sure that if they committed to a new deal for Peters in February, with the numbers and all to be negotiated, we wouldn't be having this discussion. The team has made it clear, he isn't going to get a new deal this year.

and you know this because? LINK? because, to me, that's pretty big news.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

The Bills own Peters' rights until he plays three seasons for us. The team holds all the cards. He can play football for the Buffalo Bills, or he can retire. Once Jason understands that reality, there's really only one choice he can make...

 

See: Williams, Ricky.

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

See: Williams, Ricky.

If he walks then he walks. Life goes on.

 

If he's willing to walk away, his heart couldn't have been in it anyway.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

If he walks then he walks. Life goes on.

 

If he's willing to walk away, his heart couldn't have been in it anyway.

 

And if he walks then comes back, we keep him anyway.

[OCinBuffalo]

Regarding anti-trust exemptions which, as you correctly state, are routinely threatened when Sen. Specter has his period

Or when his major constituent, Comcast cable, knocks on his door and tells him it's time to pay up for all those campaign contributions and that he better get his sorry ass on the Senate floor and make the NFL look stupid = retaliation for the NFL Network debacle.

 

His period...hehe.

But your reference to the USFL jury ruling (the jury found that the NFL was a "duly adjudicated illegal monopoly"), is absolutely hysterical - thanks for the chuckle! You should have also stated that the jury found the plaintiffs so aggrieved that they actually awarded the USFL a whole dollar, which - by statute - resulted in treble damages (!!!) in the amount of 3 bucks!!!!!

With all this talk about the NFL being a monopoly, I was waiting for this to show up. The picture of the look on Donald Trump's face when he got his three dollars(like the paper boy in "Better off dead" = 2 Dollars!) is still priceless. I still wanna know what the legal fees were for that $3 windfall, and which idiot thought it was a good idea to pay lawyers to try and resurrect a fundamentally bad idea/league.

 

Lawyers are usually more trouble than they are worth and rarely prove to be a cost effective way of handling anything, for me anyway, but this thread has been genuinely entertaining.

[Mickey]

and you know this because? LINK? because, to me, that's pretty big news.

The link for the article is no longer good (Buffalo News) but I found it reproduced here: Schobel

 

 

I have excerpted the important parts. Overdorf says that they approached Schobel early and that his people did likewise. The article says the agents worked on the extension for 6 months, it was signed in the third week of August so that means they started in February. Schobel skipped the first 4 day OTA which was, I think, in March. There was an article I have cited in other posts which I don't have time to find where Aaron himself says that the basics were worked out before camp but it took awhile for some details to get done. Clearly, the team was willing to give him a new deal even though he had 3 years left just like Peters. Clearly, they started negotiating early, as far back as February and got it basically done before camp. There was no reason for Schobel to holdout because a new deal was already in the offing, it was just a matter of finding the right number. Even so, with discussions underway, he sent a signal that he meant business by skipping that first OTA. They haven't done the same with Peters. The team is not willing to negotiate a new deal, period. That is why he isn't here. There is no question in my mind that the team treated Schobel drastically different and not because of any thing Peters has done to justify the double standard.

 

 

“We value Aaron very much,” said Jim Overdorf, the Bills’ vice president of football administration and chief contract negotiator. “Obviously, we want to keep our own and this is one of the ways to do it. We approached them, they approached us and we came to a common ground. It was a long process. Obviously, it worked out pretty well.”

 

Schobel’s contract, which averages $7.2 million per year, ranks him among the highest paid defensive ends in the NFL.

 

Just before training camp, Indianapolis made defensive end Dwight Freeney the highest paid defensive player with a six-year, $72 million deal that included $30 million worth of guaranteed money.

 

Last week, New England awarded defensive end Ty Warren a five-year, $36 million extension that included $17.5 million of guarantees.

 

“I think the reason we were able to get this deal done was because of the way Aaron has handled himself during his career in Buffalo,” said Schobel’s agent, Jeff Nalley, who along with assistant Vann McElroy has been working on the extension the last six months.

[Bleed Bills Blue]

Clearly, the team was willing to give him (Schobel) a new deal even though he had 3 years left just like Peters...There is no question in my mind that the team treated Schobel drastically different and not because of any thing Peters has done to justify the double standard.

 

Seems to me the important distinction between the two cases might not be the number of years left on the original contract, but rather the total number of years of service to the team at the time of negotiations. Let's face it, Schobel had six full years under his belt when the time came to discuss a new contract. He had demonstrated durability and consistency during that time by leading the team in sacks each of those years.

 

For all his remarkable ability, Peters simply has not had the same time to prove that he can be a similar, long-term force. I think he did get some playing time at the end of the season in '04 on special teams, but that means only three full seasons in total compared to Schobel's six. I don't think it's too much to ask of him to honor his existing contract and prove himself for one more season; to ask him to play healthy and at the same high level for one more full season at Left Tackle before giving him the kind of contract he wants. In the end I think this is exactly how it will all sort out.

[Kelly the Dog]

The link for the article is no longer good (Buffalo News) but I found it reproduced here: Schobel

 

 

 

“We value Aaron very much,” said Jim Overdorf, the Bills’ vice president of football administration and chief contract negotiator. “Obviously, we want to keep our own and this is one of the ways to do it. We approached them, they approached us and we came to a common ground. It was a long process. Obviously, it worked out pretty well.”

...

“I think the reason we were able to get this deal done was because of the way Aaron has handled himself during his career in Buffalo,” said Schobel’s agent, Jeff Nalley, who along with assistant Vann McElroy has been working on the extension the last six months.

The most interesting point in that article is this:

 

The Bills really had no choice but to give Schobel a raise after signing fellow defensive end Chris Kelsay to a fouryear contract that includes $14 million in guaranteed money and will pay him an average of $5.75 million. That put him above Schobel, who was scheduled to make $3.8 million per year over the last three years of his previous contract.

 

Schobel was not happy with that arrangement, especially considering Kelsay’s body of work pales considerably to his.

 

Oh, so Schobel wasn't happy that a guy playing his position was making more, so they renegotiated with him and for him before training camp, from February to July, and had almost all of the deal done, with him sitting out the OTAs? Now wait a minute, didn't.... wasn't.... didn't they say.... did people here post.... nah... just show in camp Jason and you will get your deal. Yeah, right.

[GG]

They haven't done the same with Peters. The team is not willing to negotiate a new deal, period. That is why he isn't here. There is no question in my mind that the team treated Schobel drastically different and not because of any thing Peters has done to justify the double standard.

 

I think it's obvious. Schobel is white. Right, counselor?

[Mickey]

I think it's obvious. Schobel is white. Right, counselor?

Only they know why. Could be anything but I highly doubt that is the case. They might have decided that Schobel's extension was a mistake they don't want to repeat. It doesn't really matter anyway, they are treating him differently and I don't know how they could ever convince Peters or his agent that they aren't. The domino effect that everyone is worried about avoiding started last year with Schobel.

 

I am sure the team has their reasons. Could be just simply that they want to reap the benefit of the good bet they made on Peters. An extension would be hugely expensive. I don't have a clue why people hereabouts see these remarkably similar situations as so drastically different and heap praise on Schobel while they have nothing but scorn for Peters.

 

The most recent article finally makes clear what Kelly and I have been arguing for weeks, that his absence from camp isn't why he doesn't have a new deal. He doesn't have a new deal because the team won't give him one this year. That doesn't mean that Peters and Parker are right or that they are going to win this fight in the end. It does however put an end to the uncountable posts that greedy peters would get a new deal if he only showed up at camp.

 

"The Bills are taking a hard-line approach, demanding that Peters play under his current contract this season before they consider negotiating a new deal."

 

As Kelly and have said (and been raked over the coals for) the money, not his absence from camp or alleged is the problem here. The bottom line is Peters is underpaid but the team has him by the short hairs. Thus, you have a stalemate with Peters using the only leverage he has, withdrawing his services. It might not be enough, but its all he has and so far, I don't think it has cost him anything despite the mounting fines, none of which he has had to pay.

[Mickey]

Seems to me the important distinction between the two cases might not be the number of years left on the original contract, but rather the total number of years of service to the team at the time of negotiations. Let's face it, Schobel had six full years under his belt when the time came to discuss a new contract. He had demonstrated durability and consistency during that time by leading the team in sacks each of those years.

 

For all his remarkable ability, Peters simply has not had the same time to prove that he can be a similar, long-term force. I think he did get some playing time at the end of the season in '04 on special teams, but that means only three full seasons in total compared to Schobel's six. I don't think it's too much to ask of him to honor his existing contract and prove himself for one more season; to ask him to play healthy and at the same high level for one more full season at Left Tackle before giving him the kind of contract he wants. In the end I think this is exactly how it will all sort out.

Fair enough but that is not a huge difference and you could just as easily argue that a number of factors would cause one to lean in favor of Peters. He made the pro bowl quicker and is already a more dominant player than Schobel ever was and he will get even better while Aaron is likely on the downside of his career. The basics are there. Both had recently signed new contracts, both had pro bowl years and both could argue they were underpaid, especially given what lesser players on the team (Kelsay and Walker) are getting. Both had 3 years left.

 

Overdorff negotiated Schobel's extension while Marv was still the GM. Maybe Brandon is the difference that accounts for the disparate treatment, not anything Peters or Shobel has done. No way to know that.

[The Senator]

Looks like someone is getting settled in his WNY home...

 

"At Peters' home, about 5 miles from Ralph Wilson Stadium, there was a red pickup truck with Texas license plates and a van from a local cleaning service parked in the driveway Thursday. No one, however, answered the doorbell."

 

Link

 

Maybe Peckerhead is coming to grips with his self-inflicted conundrum - expect to see him no later than Wednesday, after the Bills sign another OT or 2 from next Tuesday's cuts.

[SwampD]

I got nothin' new to add here, just an observation. What's with the title of this thread...FINALLY PETERS MIGHT REPORT. That doesn't say anything. And all caps no less...like there was some important new news we didn't know about. That doesn't tell us anything. It's like saying,"There is a 100% chance that I might get cancer." It doesn't mean that i will, but boy is it sure sounds important.

[WildBills]

peters sucks

[BillsVet]

Overdorff negotiated Schobel's extension while Marv was still the GM. Maybe Brandon is the difference that accounts for the disparate treatment, not anything Peters or Shobel has done. No way to know that.

 

For all the speculation concerning Peters' absence, Brandon's immersion into the front office is the only big change. Could it be that Brandon is further attempting to prove himself on the personnel side by taking a hard stance in this situation? It's speculation, but having been in positions when new people move into a new job, the first instinct is to show they're not a pushover.

 

Or it could be that the Bills have budgeted a certain amount for salaries, and a new Peters deal won't wash considering they've committed to re-signing Evans. I believe it's a combination of both, especially considering RB is heading the front office, and wants to keep salaries down to prove he's capable to act as a GM type.

[Bleed Bills Blue]

Fair enough but that is not a huge difference and you could just as easily argue that a number of factors would cause one to lean in favor of Peters. He made the pro bowl quicker and is already a more dominant player than Schobel ever was and he will get even better ...

 

Fair enough, also. However, that last phrase, "he will get even better", tends to get repeated as though it were set in stone. The truth is something closer to "he may/should get better"; and this goes to my point, as past performance is the best indicator of future results. The NFL playing field is littered with sure things who never reached their potential. I think the most prudent course is to find the right balance between "promise" and "track record" (with the emphasis on track record).

 

Also, if Schobel is on the "downside of his career", my guess is the Bills' brass is rightly confident that, in our system, the slope will be a long, gradual one. This will allow them to focus on other areas of need for a few years. I'm giving the FO some latitude in judging our own players here, of course...just ask Baltimore how that McGahee thing is going.

[GG]

Only they know why. Could be anything but I highly doubt that is the case. They might have decided that Schobel's extension was a mistake they don't want to repeat. It doesn't really matter anyway, they are treating him differently and I don't know how they could ever convince Peters or his agent that they aren't. The domino effect that everyone is worried about avoiding started last year with Schobel.

 

I am sure the team has their reasons. Could be just simply that they want to reap the benefit of the good bet they made on Peters. An extension would be hugely expensive. I don't have a clue why people hereabouts see these remarkably similar situations as so drastically different and heap praise on Schobel while they have nothing but scorn for Peters.

 

Interesting how you cast the team as the one in the wrong. Interesting how the team has been able to work out extensions for other players. Yet, for Peters it's different and the onus is on the team? Or could it be that Peters hired an a-hole for an agent and he's the one that's the leading cause for this stalemate?