Fair to say that Spikes is gone and maybe others...

[HHURRICANE]

If Spikes goes on TV and says he's 100% than his play on the field is really not good. He has been non-existant.

In fairness, since coming to Buffalo, he has never, ever, delivered in a big game.

I'll guarantee that our D gets absolutely owned. I'm so tired of people saying that Kelsay isn't that bad. Watch what happens on Sunday when, as usual, we have no paas rush. Peyton is going to have a field day against our secondary.

[OpIv37]

He had a great game on the road against Cincy in 04 and against Miami in 04 as well.
I think whether or not we should keep him depends on how strongly he finishes out the year and his willingness to renegotiate if he doesn't get back to true TKO form.

And you're right about our D getting owned- it's gonna be embarrassing. I hate these games because they always make it painfully obvious just how far the Bills have to go before they are competing with the NFL's elite like Chicago, Indy and NE.

[bigbub2352]

I agree and wrote a thread about this like 2 games ago and people negged me, but i agree, we are rebuilding do u really want a 30 OLB with one leg, who is eating alot of cap space, all other teams around the league cut players like him we need to do the same, as use that money to sign his replacement and an OL/DL impact player

[OpIv37]

this may come down to choosing between Spikes and Fletcher. We can't have two 30+ year old LB's eating a combined $10+ million of cap space.

However, if Peters can play well at LT and eliminate the need to shell out for that position, we'll have a lot more leeway with the cap.

[TacklingDummy]

I'll guarantee that our D gets absolutely owned.

The Bills D won't be the first D that Manning has made to look bad. Denver has one of the best D's in the league and Peyton destroyed them.

The Bills will not lose by 12. Everyone is going to be betting the Colts and the Bills will be good with the points.

[ICE74129]

Its an issue of performance vs. what he is getting paid. he isn't worth his contract at this point and wont' get any better.

Now I fully expect him to have a good game or two which will prompt some idiots saying we were all wrong about him and just need to give him time blah blah blah. All the time ignoring the FACT that in other than 3 games out of 16 he was non existant.

[BillsNick]

this may come down to choosing between Spikes and Fletcher. We can't have two 30+ year old LB's eating a combined $10+ million of cap space.

However, if Peters can play well at LT and eliminate the need to shell out for that position, we'll have a lot more leeway with the cap.


At this point, I would definitely have Fletcher on the team. Atleast we can count on him being in on almost every play.

[HHURRICANE]

I agree and wrote a thread about this like 2 games ago and people negged me, but i agree, we are rebuilding do u really want a 30 OLB with one leg, who is eating alot of cap space, all other teams around the league cut players like him we need to do the same, as use that money to sign his replacement and an OL/DL impact player

Dude, before the season started I said Ronnie Brown, a Miami player, was overrated and I got negged by some of our most prominant posters here, at a Bills site.

I also got negged when I said that Moulds had to go. Of course he's gone.

TKO has 8 games to prove that he is worth a roster spot. A ROSTER SPOT!! It is already a "for sure" that we aren't going to pay him 5.5 million dollars. Let him go play for the Redskins. They love are "over the hill" defensive players!!

[HHURRICANE]

The Bills D won't be the first D that Manning has made to look bad. Denver has one of the best D's in the league and Peyton destroyed them.

The Bills will not lose by 12. Everyone is going to be betting the Colts and the Bills will be good with the points.

Can I use your money to place that bet!!

[Saratoga Slim]

He had a great game on the road against Cincy in 04 and against Miami in 04 as well.
I think whether or not we should keep him depends on how strongly he finishes out the year and his willingness to renegotiate if he doesn't get back to true TKO form.

And you're right about our D getting owned- it's gonna be embarrassing. I hate these games because they always make it painfully obvious just how far the Bills have to go before they are competing with the NFL's elite like Chicago, Indy and NE.

Yup, I'm in your camp on this one. You can't take anything away from Takeo over the past years, he's been a great player. And whether or not he's ever the same player he used to be, I do think he'll get back to playing at a much higher level than he is now.

If he finishes strongly, then we keep him, as he'll probably only get better with another offseason to recover, and a guy like Takeo is always worth having in the locker room and on the field.

If he does not finish strongly, OBD will have some leverage to renegotiate his deal. If he's unwilling, then maybe it'll be time to wish him the best and cut him loose.

[Bill Cody]

You guys can't be serious or you're all just dumb. It's takes time to come back from achilles tendon surgery. I'm no doctor and neither are any of you but I think you'll see the explosion come back gradually. Spikes is a great player and a leader. By year's end he will be making a lot more plays.

[HHURRICANE]

You guys can't be serious or you're all just dumb. It's takes time to come back from achilles tendon surgery. I'm no doctor and neither are any of you but I think you'll see the explosion come back gradually. Spikes is a great player and a leader. By year's end he will be making a lot more plays.

I'm totally serious and unlike you I know the situation intimately. He will never, ever, be 100%. PERIOD.

I have nothing against Spikes but many great players go through injuries that shorten or change their career. It's life. With that said I am a Bills fan who wants to win. Last I looked Spikes has been getting paid millions of dollars to play the game so excuse me if I'm not as emotional about all of this.

[Elminster]

I'm totally serious and unlike you I know the situation intimately. He will never, ever, be 100%. PERIOD.

I have nothing against Spikes but many great players go through injuries that shorten or change their career. It's life. With that said I am a Bills fan who wants to win. Last I looked Spikes has been getting paid millions of dollars to play the game so excuse me if I'm not as emotional about all of this.
I agree with you. I can't really tell any difference between him and Ellison...oh, wait...I can! Ellison is in on more plays! We keep Fletch so long as he continues to play well and behaves himself as the veteran leader, maybe draft a replacement later on if they feel said replacement isn't already on the roster, and cut Spikes. Step up, or pack your bags, I say! We shouldn't pay ANYONE $5.5 million to miss tackles and be non-existant.....especially after such a serious injury.

And I have read it was a very messy tear, unlike....say, Julian Peterson. He isn't expected to make a full recovery.....ever....

[Inetpub]

I'm totally serious and unlike you I know the situation intimately. He will never, ever, be 100%. PERIOD.

I have nothing against Spikes but many great players go through injuries that shorten or change their career. It's life. With that said I am a Bills fan who wants to win. Last I looked Spikes has been getting paid millions of dollars to play the game so excuse me if I'm not as emotional about all of this.
That is your BEST POST EVER!

You can go overboard and say this yet you criticize us for saying the same about JP. Last time we looked, JP has been getting paid millions of dollars to play the game also. Whats your excuse now? You dont want to hear excuses for Spikes but its ok for JP? Its ok JP gets paid millions but for Spikes its not. LOL.

[Night Train]

I'm not sure we've had 2 big games in the last 6 years. The Steelers 2004 finale may be the only one. My only memory of that is Bledsoe completing 12 passes to the turf. Supposedly, a slug named Willie Parker had his first and last big game against us. I do remember some pretty good followup efforts after that one. Like the SB last year.

Bottom line is Spikes looks like he can't plant or move like he used to. He may yet regain more ability but history usually proves most players do not. The 5.5 cap figure for 2007 tells us the $$ could go towards 1-2 frontline starters at other positions of need, while Ellison steps in to play OLB.

I think we all know the score but the tough talk suggesting he never played big in big games is silly. He was a damn good player, prior to the injury. We, as a team, would actually have to be in several big games for that opinion to prove out. As of now, it's baseless.

[ICE74129]

That is your BEST POST EVER!

You can go overboard and say this yet you criticize us for saying the same about JP. Last time we looked, JP has been getting paid millions of dollars to play the game also. Whats your excuse now? You dont want to hear excuses for Spikes but its ok for JP? Its ok JP gets paid millions but for Spikes its not. LOL.

JP gets paid millions? How much was his original contract worth? I bet not too much off what spikes will make next year alone. Lets not even get into spikes performance to date vs the HUGE Signing bonus he got.

As usual leave it to a non bills fan / JP hater to bring JP into a thread that had NOTHING to do with him.

[PECKERWOOD]

Why does every thread have to turn into a JP thread??

My thoughts about TKO is, he needs the whole season. If we start seeing our old TKO again, we obviously need to resign him. However, if his play is the same at the end of the season, its even more obvious its time to let him go. There are alot of big players in FA that are to be had. We need to resign Fletcher for one, and we will need OL and DL help.

[HHURRICANE]

That is your BEST POST EVER!

You can go overboard and say this yet you criticize us for saying the same about JP. Last time we looked, JP has been getting paid millions of dollars to play the game also. Whats your excuse now? You dont want to hear excuses for Spikes but its ok for JP? Its ok JP gets paid millions but for Spikes its not. LOL.

I believe I was the one who ripped JP after the Lions game. You can pretty much ask ICE, Philster, Devin. Unlike the JPHaters I don't believe we have a better alternative than letting him play out the year and see if he is our guy going into the off-season. I have been very objective which is something you are not.

In regards to Spikes, which is what the thread is about, we also don't have a better alternative sitting on the bench. So, like JP, he is going to get the rest of the season to make his case for 5.5 million next year.

[bflojohn]

The sad portion of this talk is the seemingly heartless decisions that get made when a player sustains an injury. The cold, hard truth is that the front office is evaluating Takeo every week and see exactly what fans see... his burst is gone! Most Bills fans will understand that business overrides loyalty in sports, and I would say that the Bills will spend the $5.5 million on players who simply CAN perform! If "you" as a fan can detach the way a General Manager can, then the wisdom of spending that money on say, an OLB like Lance Briggs becomes a NO-BRAINER!! Cold, Hard reality!

[L.A. Playa]

probably fair to say several high price players will be let go and replaced by either rookies or inexpensive FA's, the Bills are becoming the Kansas City Royals of the NFL

[raphael120]

That is your BEST POST EVER!

You can go overboard and say this yet you criticize us for saying the same about JP. Last time we looked, JP has been getting paid millions of dollars to play the game also. Whats your excuse now? You dont want to hear excuses for Spikes but its ok for JP? Its ok JP gets paid millions but for Spikes its not. LOL.

and at least spikes' excuse is an injury

[Marvelous]

I'm frustrated as well with Spikes so i have no difference of oppinion there.
but
I like Kelsay and i hope he continues to be solid. Guess i'm from the Phil Hansen era we're a LE doesn't need to be "elite" to be wanted & welcomed..

[Saratoga Slim]

Spikes is a great player and a leader. By year's end he will be making a lot more plays.

I'm not seriously advocating letting him walk at this point. All I'm saying is that if at the end of the year he's still not showing signs of regaining his form, there'll be some risk involved in keeping him for another year at the big salary--we'll have no basis for assuming that he'll be one of the guys who does recover from this major injury. and neither will anybody else, so the Bills may have some leverage to renegotiate the contract. If he refuses, whether we keep him will be a tough call that will depend very heavily on a) if we resign Fletcher, b) how Ellison and Crowell are looking at season's end, c) what our other offseason needs are and d) who is available in FA or draft to replace him.

That said, he's one of my favorite players, I sincerely hope he gets his game back and earns that 5.5 M. Or alternatively, accepts a salary commensurate to whatever reduced level of play he can put on the field. Either way, I'd greatly prefer to have him in a Bills uni for next season and beyond.

[onceproudbillsfan]

Give the TKO isnt the same player crap a rest already. The guy comes back from missing almost all of last season and some of this season and people are ready to send him packing. Are you people forgetting that this guy comes to play every bit of 100% every week. I mean the first play on defense of this year he comes out and sacks Brady making him fumble and we get a td. Did you forget that he pulled his hammy. There is two injuries and boy he should be lights out in week 9. Come on. This guy makes the defense better as a whole when he is on the field. Everybody is always looking to make someone a scapegoat around here when things arent goin very good. Its either Mcgahee or Spikes. Heck even a couple of weeks ago ive seen people wanting us to get rid of Fletcher. Yeah lets get rid of all of our veterans so we can go even further back in rebuilding. If you want to complain about a guy making to much money that should be gone after this season is Nate Clements not Spikes who is our defensive leader.

[SABURZFAN]

getting rid of losman would be best for this team too.

[ParanoidAndroid]

I'm frustrated as well with Spikes so i have no difference of oppinion there.
but
I like Kelsay and i hope he continues to be solid. Guess i'm from the Phil Hansen era we're a LE doesn't need to be "elite" to be wanted & welcomed..

Kelsay is no Phil Hansen, not by a long shot.