Trying to Keep Nate

[M]

From Buffalo News:

"He's going to get a very attractive offer, whether he still wants to go elsewhere," Levy said. "He's already expressed from what I've read publicly that they are going to go out and test free agency, which is his right to do. He's also expressed to our coaches that he likes playing in Buffalo and he wants to remain a Buffalo Bill. So we'll see how it plays out."

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/teamsleagues/bills.asp

Yes, we shall see. Hopefully, Nate won't be as greedy as everybody knows he is. If so, bye bye.

[OpIv37]

someone will outbid us. In fact, I hope someone outbids us.

Sometimes I just can't understand this team. We bring in a defensive system that doesn't rely on top-flight cover corners, then we make a huge offer to a cover corner who STRUGGLED in this defense.

And people wonder why the rest of the league doesn't take us seriously.....

[gr8slayer]

If they find a way to retain Clements I will have to take back all the mean things I've said about Ralph being a cheap ass *****.

[Forward_Lateral]

someone will outbid us. In fact, I hope someone outbids us.

Sometimes I just can't understand this team. We bring in a defensive system that doesn't rely on top-flight cover corners, then we make a huge offer to a cover corner who STRUGGLED in this defense.

And people wonder why the rest of the league doesn't take us seriously.....

Nate actually didn't play too bad, once he got used to it, and Fewell used him to cover the opponent's top WR. That being said, I don't think there's a hope in hell he re-signs.

[RockStar36]

someone will outbid us. In fact, I hope someone outbids us.

Sometimes I just can't understand this team. We bring in a defensive system that doesn't rely on top-flight cover corners, then we make a huge offer to a cover corner who STRUGGLED in this defense.

And people wonder why the rest of the league doesn't take us seriously.....

He had his moments. I can remember a few games where he was a huge.

[OpIv37]

He had his moments. I can remember a few games where he was a huge.

I'll give you that, but he's looking at a contract in the $60 million range. Teams that win do pay huge contracts, but they pay them to players who show up every game.

[RockStar36]

I always found his inconsistency odd.

[BillsNick]

I think that he would stay if the Bills were somewhat close to an outside offer. Will that happen? Not a chance in hell. Get it out of your minds, he's gone.

[alohabillsfan]

BOTTOM LINE IS MARV IS NOT BURNING ANY BRIDGE... With that said we will not resign him, he is a very good corner, but we will spend our money elsewhere. Why spend 60+ million on 1 player who is not a top 5 QB when you can spend the money on 2 guards?

See what that 60 million can buy you, with some left over!!!!!!!!
1) Dockery/Cosey Coleman
2) Dielman/Cooper Carlisle

[Carlton Bailey]

Just franchise tag him! Who cares if Levy promised not to? This is a business.

[patmoran2006]

nate was possibly the best CB in the NFL the second half of last season.

Doesnt matter though, cause no CB is worth that much money in a cover two, and even if he was worth the money someone will give him more and we won't outbid him.

If you're going to pay franchise money and run a successful cover two, the strength has to be in the front seven.

Was THomas (Balt) tagged? Not that I should care or even fantasize that we'd pay for him, who by the way IMO is better than Briggs, June or ANY other FA in the market. He would be SICK on this defense.

[Saratoga Slim]

nate was possibly the best CB in the NFL the second half of last season.

Doesnt matter though, cause no CB is worth that much money in a cover two, and even if he was worth the money someone will give him more and we won't outbid him.

If you're going to pay franchise money and run a successful cover two, the strength has to be in the front seven.

Was THomas (Balt) tagged? Not that I should care or even fantasize that we'd pay for him, who by the way IMO is better than Briggs, June or ANY other FA in the market. He would be SICK on this defense.

to the best of my knowledge, Thomas has not been tagged. He's my number 1 wish list free agent. I think I would have even taken him over Briggs, were Briggs still on the market.

[njsue]

The choice is Dedication to the bills(heart) vs $$$$$ risk playing for a crappy team.

[ublinkwescore]

someone will outbid us. In fact, I hope someone outbids us.

Sometimes I just can't understand this team. We bring in a defensive system that doesn't rely on top-flight cover corners, then we make a huge offer to a cover corner who STRUGGLED in this defense.

And people wonder why the rest of the league doesn't take us seriously.....

If you think the rest of the league isn't taking us seriously with Marv at the helm of the FO after we went 7-9 with the league's toughest schedule with as many as 6 rookies playing on D (contributing to the #7 ranked passing D) - you truely are the biggest Negative Nancy I've ever met.

[ublinkwescore]

to the best of my knowledge, Thomas has not been tagged. He's my number 1 wish list free agent. I think I would have even taken him over Briggs, were Briggs still on the market.

I heard Adalius Thomas was in fact tagged like a week ago.

[HHURRICANE]

I'm not really sure what the discussion is about. Nate is GONE.

Nate is going to get 15-20M signing Bonus. End of discussion.

[OpIv37]

If you think the rest of the league isn't taking us seriously with Marv at the helm of the FO after we went 7-9 with the league's toughest schedule with as many as 6 rookies playing on D (contributing to the #7 ranked passing D) - you truely are the biggest Negative Nancy I've ever met.

when was the last time you've heard a fan of another team say "we have to play the Bills this weekend? ****, that's gonna be tough"?

Every day there are threads complaining about how we get no respect from the national media. Every day there are threads that talk about how hard it is to attract FA's to Buffalo.

And seriously, Marv is 80 and has never been a GM before. I'm not saying he can't do it, but do you really think anyone in the NFL is intimidated by that? Please.

If you honestly think this team is respected as much as other franchises in the NFL, you truly are the biggest homer I've ever met.

[njsue]

I'm not really sure what the discussion is about. Nate is GONE.

Nate is going to get 15-20M signing Bonus. End of discussion.

The only teams that will give him that much cash are those who are not even close to a playoff team. The bills are a few tweeks close to a playoff team.


So to nate is it take the cash to play for a crappy team or remain a bill. The bills will be in the playoffs in 2007.


Come on Nate stay a bill!

[patmoran2006]

If you think the rest of the league isn't taking us seriously with Marv at the helm of the FO after we went 7-9 with the league's toughest schedule with as many as 6 rookies playing on D (contributing to the #7 ranked passing D) - you truely are the biggest Negative Nancy I've ever met.
YOur right.. the question is are they going to go out and get MORE talent to improve on that record, or are they going to risk starting MORE rookies and MORE bargain basement free agents and expect to take that next step.

[BillsNick]

Marv is respected not only as a coach, but as a leader. Are we "intimidating" people? Hell no. Teams like Indy, and Baltimore intimidate people. I wouldn't expect to be there yet. But WE ARE respected. The Bills have what is called the "Front Office" It's not just one person doing everything. I happen to think that Buffalo has and above average front office.

I don't give a crap about national exposure until we've earned it, and I really haven't seen to many threads that. This franchise IS respected throughout the league.

Let's not split hairs here. We are an up and coming team, and it will not be long before we obtain this "intimidation" factor.

Maybe some people here should start giving a little more respect to this franchise.

[HAMMER]

YOur right.. the question is are they going to go out and get MORE talent to improve on that record, or are they going to risk starting MORE rookies and MORE bargain basement free agents and expect to take that next step.

Are you sure? Because this is the 1,400th time you have said it. Cheese and rice man, just relax, we all know what the deal is.

[RockStar36]

Few teams are intimidating. I can only remember two games last year that made me say "Oh ****, the Bills might get killed this weekend".

[Luisito23]

Few teams are intimidating. I can only remember two games last year that made me say "Oh ****, the Bills might get killed this weekend".


Ravens...Colts.....




GO BILLS!!!!!!!!

[Michael82]

cash to the cap means that Clements' number would probably take MOST of the $30 million that we have. :::

[Luisito23]

cash to the cap means that Clement's number would probably take MOST of the $30 million that we have. :::


:puke:....




GO BILLS!!!!!!!!

[OpIv37]

Maybe some people here should start giving a little more respect to this franchise.

maybe this franchise needs to earn it.

7-9 doesn't deserve respect.

Agreeing not to franchise a top player and getting nothing for him doesn't deserve respect.

Signing a top-flight CB in a defensive system that doesn't rely on top flight CB's doesn't deserve respect (especially after we cut 4 starters cuz they didn't fit the defensive system).

Signing a bunch of mid-tier free agents to medium-sized contracts and getting literally no contributions from them doesn't deserve respect.

Calling press conferences in February to basically say they are going to maintain the status quo after a 7-9 season doesn't deserve respect.

[BillsNick]

[quote=OpIv37]maybe this franchise needs to earn it. They seem to be earning more respect as we go.

7-9 doesn't deserve respect. No? I respect it. We were not far off from being 10-6. That says alot about a young team with a new coach and GM. How does that not earn respect in your eyes. Not to mention that they made things exciting again.

Agreeing not to franchise a top player and getting nothing for him doesn't deserve respect. Really? Marv is a man of his word. He told Nate that he wouldn't franchise him, and guess what. He didn't. If that doesn't earn respect, I don't know what does.

Signing a top-flight CB in a defensive system that doesn't rely on top flight CB's doesn't deserve respect (especially after we cut 4 starters cuz they didn't fit the defensive system). I'm sorry, did I miss something here? Did we sign a top-flight CB?

Signing a bunch of mid-tier free agents to medium-sized contracts and getting literally no contributions from them doesn't deserve respect. Who are you talking about here?

Calling press conferences in February to basically say they are going to maintain the status quo after a 7-9 season doesn't deserve respect. Relax, bro. Let's not cash in our chips because of one friggin press conference.

[Mr. Pink]

[quote=OpIv37]maybe this franchise needs to earn it. They seem to be earning more respect as we go.

Respect from who exactly? Nationally? Probably not. That's why a QB like VY made the pro-bowl over Losman who statistically had a better year. Locally, we got another season to garner some hope from though, which is good until a Feb press conference says we're not gonna do much to add to this team and lose our top 2 free agents.

7-9 doesn't deserve respect. No? I respect it. We were not far off from being 10-6. That says alot about a young team with a new coach and GM. How does that not earn respect in your eyes. Not to mention that they made things exciting again.

We weren't far off being 4-12 either. It says we got a few bounces to go our way and we caught some luck, not enough luck to get to the playoffs but we got some things to go our way.

Agreeing not to franchise a top player and getting nothing for him doesn't deserve respect. Really? Marv is a man of his word. He told Nate that he wouldn't franchise him, and guess what. He didn't. If that doesn't earn respect, I don't know what does.

If you say Marv is a man of his word, then you also have to admit that Marv has no idea about much of anything from the GM position. And he's mostly a feel good figurehead and RW whipping boy.

Signing a top-flight CB in a defensive system that doesn't rely on top flight CB's doesn't deserve respect (especially after we cut 4 starters cuz they didn't fit the defensive system). I'm sorry, did I miss something here? Did we sign a top-flight CB?

Of course we didn't and we won't. We can't afford to with CTC.

Signing a bunch of mid-tier free agents to medium-sized contracts and getting literally no contributions from them doesn't deserve respect. Who are you talking about here?

Josh Reed, Peerless Price, Matt Bowens, Larry Tripplett, Robert Royal ring any bells?

Calling press conferences in February to basically say they are going to maintain the status quo after a 7-9 season doesn't deserve respect. Relax, bro. Let's not cash in our chips because of one friggin press conference.

Because apparently Marv lied during the press conferece and had NO clue what he was talking about, wait he didn't really have a clue. "I didn't know Willis said that!" "I'm not sure how the cap works" etc etc etc. Who exactly is going to respect that?

So, let me ask you this...where have they earned any respect? Where do you find respect in any of this? What exactly do you respect of this organization?

[patmoran2006]

The ONLY thing I respect about this organization at this point is Wilson COULD sell the team, make a huge profit and the Bills would leave Buffalo, but he hasnt done that..

[HHURRICANE]

The only teams that will give him that much cash are those who are not even close to a playoff team. The bills are a few tweeks close to a playoff team.


So to nate is it take the cash to play for a crappy team or remain a bill. The bills will be in the playoffs in 2007.


Come on Nate stay a bill!

Nate does not give a crap about playing in Buffalo. PERIOD. If we offer him 15M in bouns and another team offers him 15.5M he's leaving. Why is this not so obvious to everyone. He's gone, bye-bye. I'll be the first to put "I'm njsue's *****" under my avatar if I'm wrong.

[BillsNick]

I'm pretty sure I just laid it out. But let me make it easier for you to understand.

I respect the quality of the front office, and the decisions that they have made up to this point.

I respect the stellar draft that we had last year.

I respect the coach, and the stability he has brought to this franchise.

I respect the decision to stick with Losman through the tough times.

I respect the fact that our GM is true gentilman and the players love him.

I like where this team is going.

I love the character this team has.


What have they done to earn disrespect?

[OpIv37]

. They seem to be earning more respect as we go. not nearly fast enough.



No? I respect it. We were not far off from being 10-6. That says alot about a young team with a new coach and GM. How does that not earn respect in your eyes. Not to mention that they made things exciting again.
Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Yes, we improved a lot last season, but most teams judge a successful season based on wins and losses, not improvement. And those teams (and their fans) don't respect teams that have to judge based on improvement (and rightfully so).



Really? Marv is a man of his word. He told Nate that he wouldn't franchise him, and guess what. He didn't. If that doesn't earn respect, I don't know what does.
um, it was WRITTEN INTO NATE'S CONTRACT, so Marv could be sued for boatloads of money if he didn't keep his word. And the mistake was making the promise in the first place because it takes an option off the table for dealing with this situation. If you can't see that, you're blinded by homerism.




I'm sorry, did I miss something here? Did we sign a top-flight CB?
well we're making Nate an offer- that's what this thread is about.




Who are you talking about here? Umm, did you watch the games last year?
Reyes (benched)
Royal (more drops and penalties than catches)
Tripplett (took 10 games to get a sack, had 3-4 good ones, then sucked again at the end of the year)
Bowen (never saw the field)
Reed (why did we give this guy such a huge contract? He'll never be a #2)
Davis (that's a lot of money for a few ST tackles)
Watson (cut in camp)
Gibson (cut in camp)



Relax, bro. Let's not cash in our chips because of one friggin press conference.

I'm sorry but I'm looking for some hope that this team is going to get better, and this press conference had the opposite effect on me.

[OpIv37]

I respect the quality of the front office, and the decisions that they have made up to this point. they had a great draft but terrible FA last year- still up in the air on the Jauron decision

I respect the stellar draft that we had last year. Fair enough

I respect the coach, and the stability he has brought to this franchise. I still have doubts about Jauron's in game coaching abilities- he seems to have the team prepared but makes dumb decisions during games

I respect the decision to stick with Losman through the tough times. agreed

I respect the fact that our GM is true gentilman and the players love him. not sure how the players' respect for the GM makes the team better. I do like Marv but he still has to prove himself as a GM.

I like where this team is going.

I love the character this team has. This has been a hallmark of the Bills for a while


What have they done to earn disrespect? Lose, questionable coaching choice, this stupid press conference, last year's FA class, but mostly losing.

[Mr. Pink]

I'm pretty sure I just laid it out. But let me make it easier for you to understand.

I respect the quality of the front office, and the decisions that they have made up to this point. You respect that we signed a bunch of second tier scrubs last year? You respect that the FO brought in a career loser at HC? You respect that the FO who complained all about we had no talent in the trenches did NOTHING significant to upgrade a pathetic O-line and didn't draft any O-linemen in the first 5 rounds of the draft?

I respect the stellar draft that we had last year.
Great, you respect we moved up into round 1 to draft a situational tackle....<golf clap> Whitner was a solid pick, Youboty another solid pick. Outside of that, it was an average draft.

I respect the coach, and the stability he has brought to this franchise.
ONE YEAR DOES NOT = STABILITY.

I respect the decision to stick with Losman through the tough times.
This I do actually agree with, considering I woulda yanked him after the Indy game and he did show some promise and why he is an NFL QB after that.

I respect the fact that our GM is true gentilman and the players love him.
I don't respect that our GM is really a figurehead and has no clue about the cap or about what any of the players have done/said in the recent past. See-McGahees' comments in penthouse.

I like where this team is going.
LA? or Toronto?

I love the character this team has.
A runningback who thinks the team shouldn't be here anymore? A Corner who isn't bright enough to keep his finances in order so he has to sue? Great character there. Otherwise on this team though I'd pretty much agree, but character only gets you so far. Notice when we had guys who were of questionable character...Bruce, Andre, Jimbo we actually WON something.


What have they done to earn disrespect?

Ask that to many other fans here in WNY when we did sell out our last 4 home games while in the middle of the wild card chase. If that doesn't give you a big enough answer, nothing will.

[BillsNick]

Ask that to many other fans here in WNY when we did sell out our last 4 home games while in the middle of the wild card chase. If that doesn't give you a big enough answer, nothing will.


This is your argument after all of that? :rolleyes:

[BillsNick]

I will say that overall, I am not thrilled with last years FA class.

But I think that you and I will just have to agree to disagree.

I am not making blind claims here. The fact is, I like where we are headed. One press conference is not going to make or brake this teams future, and frankly, I don't really care about it. We haven't even begun free agency yet, I mean come onnnnn. Can we atleast let the team go through that and the draft before we hit the fire alarm?

[Mr. Pink]

This is your argument after all of that? :rolleyes:


It's a pretty big hint that MOST fans in this area don't respect this franchise. Or else they'd go out to the games. In years past under Donahoe, blast him all you want, we actually sold out games. This year, we're in the thick of a wild card chase and people stay home. We were 4 of the I believe 7 non-sell out games during the year and have the cheapest on average pricing in the NFL.

That's not enough for you to realize that even people here in WNY don't care about this team? Let alone the nation. If they were "respected" people would come out to see them.

[BillsNick]

It's a pretty big hint that MOST fans in this area don't respect this franchise. Or else they'd go out to the games. In years past under Donahoe, blast him all you want, we actually sold out games. This year, we're in the thick of a wild card chase and people stay home. We were 4 of the I believe 7 non-sell out games during the year and have the cheapest on average pricing in the NFL.

That's not enough for you to realize that even people here in WNY don't care about this team? Let alone the nation. If they were "respected" people would come out to see them.

:blah:

Well, to be honest with you, I attribute a lot of that to the Sabres. But non the less. We are talking about now. I'm done talking about the 4 non sellouts. Sounds more like fairweather fans than anything. If I were up there I would go to every single game as I did when I was living up there. I even flew up for the home opener. But go ahead and talk about how nobody respects them up there, but don't talk to me about it, cuz it's just not true.

[Michael82]

:blah:

Well, to be honest with you, I attribute a lot of that to the Sabres. But non the less. We are talking about now. I'm done talking about the 4 non sellouts. Sounds more like fairweather fans than anything. If I were up there I would go to every single game as I did when I was living up there. I even flew up for the home opener. But go ahead and talk about how nobody respects them up there, but don't talk to me about it, cuz it's just not true.
Excellent post, man! I have been saying this all along. :bf1:

[Forward_Lateral]

It's a pretty big hint that MOST fans in this area don't respect this franchise. Or else they'd go out to the games. In years past under Donahoe, blast him all you want, we actually sold out games. This year, we're in the thick of a wild card chase and people stay home. We were 4 of the I believe 7 non-sell out games during the year and have the cheapest on average pricing in the NFL.

That's not enough for you to realize that even people here in WNY don't care about this team? Let alone the nation. If they were "respected" people would come out to see them.

They also have to sell, on avg, 9000 tickets more per game to sell out.

[feelthepain]

I think he's going to be disappointed in the offers he gets. He will show his true colors here shortly, he will either take a modest offer and move on or he will return to Buffalo.

[Devin]

I think he's going to be disappointed in the offers he gets. He will show his true colors here shortly, he will either take a modest offer and move on or he will return to Buffalo.

It will be interesting to see. I personally think he will end up a 49er.

[BillsNick]

I think he's going to be disappointed in the offers he gets. He will show his true colors here shortly, he will either take a modest offer and move on or he will return to Buffalo.

:rofl:

[Mr. Pink]

They also have to sell, on avg, 9000 tickets more per game to sell out.


Census Data of Buffalo.....as of 2000. I'm sure these both have dropped.<TABLE cellSpacing=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#e5edff><TD>Buffalo Population:</TD><TD align=right>292648</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Rochester
<TABLE cellSpacing=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#e5edff><TD>Rochester Population:</TD><TD align=right>219773</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Meanwhile, Erie County population, as of 2000, as well was 950,625

Median household income (Buffalo): $24,536 (year 2000) With inflation and cost of living adjustments this has probably gone up a little.

Median household income in Erie County: The median income for a household in the county was $38,567, and the median income for a family was $49,490.

Bills Season Ticket Price.....350-600 as of today.

So we're pooling about 450K, rough estimate on decling population that we experience here, people from just Buffalo and Rochester, seeing this is a REGIONAL franchise as has been stated numerous times....that can't/won't come to games who can obviously afford to. Into a stadium that holds 75,339 or 74,000 depending on which website is correct, people with 900k + to pool from in Erie County alone to fill it, with cheap seats. And that isn't accomplished how, exactly? Besides the fact that the people around are done with supporting a loser. Call it fairweather if you want, but some people would like to see some positive results for a change before ponying up the greenbacks.

And yes the average amount of seats per NFL stadium is 65,120. So you are correct there are more seats to fill here than elsewhere. But Ralph is who wanted the stadium as large as it, so if you wanna blame the size on anyone, blame him. He wanted that big so he could bring in more money if he sold more seats. It's simple economics.

So you can't say Joe Schmoe and his wifey and rugrat can't afford to pay 1050-1800 dollars out of their pocket for season tickets in a group of 3 when they make 49,490.

[BillsNick]

Census Data of Buffalo.....as of 2000. I'm sure these both have dropped.<TABLE cellSpacing=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#e5edff><TD>Buffalo Population:</TD><TD align=right>292648</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
Rochester
<TABLE cellSpacing=1 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR bgColor=#e5edff><TD>Rochester Population:</TD><TD align=right>219773</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Meanwhile, Erie County population, as of 2000, as well was 950,625

Median household income (Buffalo): $24,536 (year 2000) With inflation and cost of living adjustments this has probably gone up a little.

Median household income in Erie County: The median income for a household in the county was $38,567, and the median income for a family was $49,490.

Bills Season Ticket Price.....350-600 as of today.

So we're pooling about 450K, rough estimate on decling population that we experience here, people from just Buffalo and Rochester, seeing this is a REGIONAL franchise as has been stated numerous times....that can't/won't come to games who can obviously afford to. Into a stadium that holds 75,339 or 74,000 depending on which website is correct, people with 900k + to pool from in Erie County alone to fill it, with cheap seats. And that isn't accomplished how, exactly? Besides the fact that the people around are done with supporting a loser. Call it fairweather if you want, but some people would like to see some positive results for a change before ponying up the greenbacks.

And yes the average amount of seats per NFL stadium is 65,120. So you are correct there are more seats to fill here than elsewhere. But Ralph is who wanted the stadium as large as it, so if you wanna blame the size on anyone, blame him. He wanted that big so he could bring in more money if he sold more seats. It's simple economics.

So you can't say Joe Schmoe and his wifey and rugrat can't afford to pay 1050-1800 dollars out of their pocket for season tickets in a group of 3 when they make 49,490.

Jesus. You just wasted a bunch of time on this load of crap.

[Mr. Pink]

Jesus. You just wasted a bunch of time on this load of crap.


Of course you'll refer to it as "crap." Because it doesn't back up your viewpoints on things. But that's ok. It's simple truth and fact as opposed to opinion. And I didn't really waste my time, because you bothered to read and comment on it. :dance:

[feelthepain]

It will be interesting to see. I personally think he will end up a 49er.


I just think FA is winding down, it's not what it once was. Teams don't want to spend money on FA, they would rather pay the players they have and build through the draft. He will probably get more money somewhere else, but just like Branch last year leaving the Pats and hitting the market he had high expectaions and was disappointed, he git a nice number, but not what he wanted.

[BillsNick]

Of course you'll refer to it as "crap." Because it doesn't back up your viewpoints on things. But that's ok. It's simple truth and fact as opposed to opinion. And I didn't really waste my time, because you bothered to read and comment on it. :dance:

:yap: