Report: Spikes On Trading Block

[Don't Panic]

http://www.wgr550.com/fullstory.php?id=2213

Wow... I saw people talking about some other options (release/reneg), but trading him? Would there be interest? I can't imagine getting better than a 4th, maybe a 3rd, for him. I'll tell you what... if we deal him and don't bring back Fletch, I will just about bet the farm that the #12 pick is a LB.

[Night Train]

That was the speculation last night locally. They called his agents about his contract. I think this was the plan all along.

He played like an All-Pro prior to that injury but was a shell of his former self last year. Played better the last 2 games but many of those tackles were runs straight at him.

His lateral movement was completely missing and he could not plant anymore. He'd actually hop a few times to order to stop and was easily washed out by blockers on sweeps. I saw it from the stands and knew he had to make sigmificant improvement in healing or he was Sam Cowert all over again. A damn shame.

Let's see where it goes from here. Those chanting for Patrick Willis in the draft may be getting their wish. That would keep Crowell on the strongside and Ellison weakside, with Willis in the middle.

What an interesting off-season. Jauron/Marv/Modrak are really changing the look of this team, which is common in year 2 of a new admin.

[Canadian'eh!]

I HATE this move......

It takes 2 years to come back from the Achilles injury Takeo had... throw in the Hamstring injury he had and there was no way he was gonna have a good year.... but he should be back close to his old self this year.

I would at least give him 1 mroe year before i write him off!

[Night Train]

Hello. Just picked up the morning Buff News.

" Bills Put Spikes On Trade Block "

Bills beat reporter Mark Gaughan reporting The Bills are seeking a trade partner for Spikes, according to a league source.

[LifetimeBillsFan]

After cutting Simmons, Cincy might be interested in bringing him back. They are really in need of LBs now.

[Canadian'eh!]

After cutting Simmons, Cincy might be interested in bringing him back. They are really in need of LBs now.

i think Takeo burned his cincy bridges.

[Luisito23]

So what can we actually get for him???....





GO BILLS!!!!!!

[Don't Panic]

Not much, I'm afraid. I'm torn between NT and C'eh's statements. On one end, I want to give him the benefit of the doubt and give him a chance to show he's totally healed, on the other hand, you have to put aside sentimentality and come to the realization that he may never be the player he is. Tough call... I know this much - those most capable of diagnosing his future will be the ones making the decision, so whatever it is, I can live with it.

[TacklingDummy]

I wouldn't be surprised Spikes asked to be cut or traded.

[Night Train]

Anyone else think Spikes himself may have asked the Bills for a trade, with the loss of best friend Fletcher and Clements ?

[Jeff1220]

I think they're jumping the gun on this, but if Chicago has difficulty getting a long term deal w/Briggs, maybe we could package Spikes and a pick for Briggs?

[Mr. Miyagi]

That is a damn shame. I like TKO's passion and fire. I like everything about him, even his cool ass name. I really want to keep him around.

[Dude]

The sad thing is that Takeo really wanted to be in Buffalo.

[TacklingDummy]

The sad thing is that Takeo really wanted to be in Buffalo.

When they showed they were trying to win.

When you let good players like Clements, Fletcher go and sign scrub players like Whittle, Wire, Williams, etc....it doesn't really show people that they want to win.

[Elminster]

I HATE this move......

It takes 2 years to come back from the Achilles injury Takeo had... throw in the Hamstring injury he had and there was no way he was gonna have a good year.... but he should be back close to his old self this year.

I would at least give him 1 mroe year before i write him off!
For every Julian Peterson, there're 20 Sam Cowarts....

[njsue]

Takeo Spikes is a great player! WTH no trade!

[Canadian'eh!]

Not much, I'm afraid. I'm torn between NT and C'eh's statements. On one end, I want to give him the benefit of the doubt and give him a chance to show he's totally healed, on the other hand, you have to put aside sentimentality and come to the realization that he may never be the player he is. Tough call... I know this much - those most capable of diagnosing his future will be the ones making the decision, so whatever it is, I can live with it.

my point is that we don't know yet. It takes 2 years to come back from the achillies thing. and with the hamstring problem he had, he ddn't have a lot of chance of showing anything this year.

If he isn't back after this upcoming season, the ok. it's probably not happening. But since his value isn't going to be very high anyway, we're better of risking it and hoping he comes back all the way.

I really think he can come back personally.... he is 100% dedicated to doing whatever it takes... and we're losing so many playmakers as it is..... we can't afford another one.

[Mr. Pink]

For every Julian Peterson, there're 20 Sam Cowarts....


Or Jamir Miller.

[Elminster]

Or Jamir Miller.
Indeed. Though I am not well-versed with the who of Achilles tears, it is just fact that very few pro athletes ever recover 100%...

[patmoran2006]

Spikes at 80% is better than every other LB we have minus Crowell, and he's better than any cheap fa Wilson will actually play for.

This will be a HUGE mistake to trade him for a mid round draft pick. I dont care if people get mad, if we do that, I actually HOPE that the trade comes back to bite Buffalo in the ass- I hope he wins comeback player of the year and sticks it up our front office's ass.

Now WIllis is another story.. But trading Spikes without getting max value is ****ing STUPID and cheap.

[Bill Brasky]

He played like an All-Pro prior to that injury but was a shell of his former self last year. Played better the last 2 games but many of those tackles were runs straight at him

Come on. The guy suffered a potential career-ending injury... then f'd up his hammy.

An ankle injury of that type is almost impossible to come back from the following year. It takes 2 years for most players, and add another injury to the list even longer. At worst they could keep him on the roster and if he's still strugging cut or trade before the deadline.

I'd hate to see him go, but I think he deserves more than 12 games to prove he can still play, esp after all the crap he's put up with since he came here.

[Canadian'eh!]

Or Jamir Miller.

Derrik Burgess came back pretty well.

Of course Julian Peterson.....

it isn't like it's a 90% failure rate here.

[Elminster]

Derrik Burgess came back pretty well.

Of course Julian Peterson.....

it isn't like it's a 90% failure rate here.
It ain't much worse than that. Certainly no lower than 75%...

[Tatonka]

i am praying to god this is a rumor and not fact..

we wont get **** for spikes.. why would anyone give up anything based on what they saw last year..

this is like trying to sell a car after you get into an accident.. your supposed to fix your car before you sell it.

i love this guy as a player and a leader.. not having him is bad for the team no matter how you cut it.

[Saratoga Slim]

I don't want to see him go either. Every good defense needs a fiery personality, and if we lose Spikes, who do we have? A bunch of hard working high character guys, but no real leader.

I'll be pretty disappointed if he gets the boot, but in fairness I have no idea what physical condition he's in, and if we do trade him, its clearly because the team doctors don't think he's likely to improve much over last season.

[patmoran2006]

i am praying to god this is a rumor and not fact..

we wont get **** for spikes.. why would anyone give up anything based on what they saw last year..

this is like trying to sell a car after you get into an accident.. your supposed to fix your car before you sell it.

i love this guy as a player and a leader.. not having him is bad for the team no matter how you cut it.
Great post.

Absolutely TRUE 100%

[Mr. Pink]

i am praying to god this is a rumor and not fact..

we wont get **** for spikes.. why would anyone give up anything based on what they saw last year..

this is like trying to sell a car after you get into an accident.. your supposed to fix your car before you sell it.

i love this guy as a player and a leader.. not having him is bad for the team no matter how you cut it.


i LOVED him as a player too. Problem he's no longer the player he was. Keeping him is a great nostalgic thing I guess, but keeping him for FOOTBALL purposes is bad management.

Like I said in another thread, based off the injury, and other players who have sustained it. I woulda cut or injury settlemented him last offseason if I was the one to pull the trigger on it. It wouldn't have surprised me if that happened last year nor would it have upset me.

Putting him on the block is like cutting him now only with the option of getting a 5th or 6th round pick as gravy.

[ublinkwescore]

I don't want to see him go either. Every good defense needs a fiery personality, and if we lose Spikes, who do we have? A bunch of hard working high character guys, but no real leader.



Hargrove was resigned... :idunno:

[Elminster]

I don't want to see him go either. Every good defense needs a fiery personality, and if we lose Spikes, who do we have? A bunch of hard working high character guys, but no real leader.

I'll be pretty disappointed if he gets the boot, but in fairness I have no idea what physical condition he's in, and if we do trade him, its clearly because the team doctors don't think he's likely to improve much over last season. I don't know....they play with a lot of emotion. They didn't miss any of the veteran leadership we were supposed to miss last year...I doubt we'll miss Spikes or Fletch much either.

Frankly, I'm not worried about getting much for TKO. It seemed to me that Ellison was playing as well or better...and we got Ellison in the 5th...

[Bill Brasky]

I doubt we'll miss Spikes or Fletch much either.


good grief.

[eyedog]

i LOVED him as a player too. Problem he's no longer the player he was. Keeping him is a great nostalgic thing I guess, but keeping him for FOOTBALL purposes is bad management.

Like I said in another trade, based off the injury, and other players who have sustained it. I woulda cut or injury settlemented him last offseason if I was the one to pull the trigger on it. It wouldn't have surprised me if that happened last year nor would it have upset me.

Putting him on the block is like cutting him now only with the option of getting a 5th or 6th round pick as gravy.

I think this is exactly what is going on with Spikes. Unless he wants to drastically redo his contract he will not be back at his current salary.

[DraftBoy]

I think it was NE39 who posted bout how in recent years this surgery has been really successful and he had like 10 or so examples of how successful its been in pro athletes.

[Bill Brasky]

I think it was NE39 who posted bout how in recent years this surgery has been really successful and he had like 10 or so examples of how successful its been in pro athletes.
yeah. and recovery doesn't happen overnight. guys need at least 1 season, usually 2, before they're back on par.

parting ways with TKO would be ridiculous at this point... esp if they are going to let nate and fletcher walk, then trade willis. there go the 4 biggest draws as far as "superstars" in the locker room.

they're creating more holes than can be filled. another sign of rebuilding. what is this, year 8 now? most teams can rebuild twice in that same time frame... the Bills haven't even gotten halfway there once.

[Don't Panic]

The bottom line is, we're not going to use the money we save on him, so why get rid of him? If someone offers a 2nd, I'd listen. Otherwise, there is nothing to gain by letting him go. (I'm obviously over being torn on this subject!)

[Bill Brasky]

a 2nd? are you drunk?

[madness]

The story has now hit the AP.

Bills' Spikes on trade block (http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070302.wsptskijes2/GSStory/GlobeSportsFootball/home)


ORCHARD PARK, N.Y.<!-- /dateline --> — The Buffalo Bills are seeking offers in a bid to trade Pro Bowl linebacker Takeo Spikes.
If a trade can't be completed, the Bills would consider releasing Spikes, a person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks and because the Bills have not announced their intentions for Spikes.
The Buffalo News — citing a league source in its Friday edition — and the NFL Network have also reported that Spikes is on the trade block.

[Mr. Miyagi]

Great post.

Absolutely TRUE 100%
This is the second time in two days that I agree with patmoran.

I think I'm gonna kill myself now. :hang:

[patmoran2006]

The story has now hit the AP.

Bills' Spikes on trade block (http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070302.wsptskijes2/GSStory/GlobeSportsFootball/home)


ORCHARD PARK, N.Y.<!-- /dateline --> — The Buffalo Bills are seeking offers in a bid to trade Pro Bowl linebacker Takeo Spikes.
If a trade can't be completed, the Bills would consider releasing Spikes, a person familiar with the discussions told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks and because the Bills have not announced their intentions for Spikes.
The Buffalo News — citing a league source in its Friday edition — and the NFL Network have also reported that Spikes is on the trade block.

thanks to this coming out, you can guarentee that his trade value is absolute ****.. 4th rounder at BEST.. Maybe a 5th..

This front office is run by *******s if they trade him for that.

[Bill Brasky]

If a trade can't be completed, the Bills would consider releasing Spikes

you've got to be kidding me?

what the HELL is going on?!

[eyedog]

what's going on is they are not gonna pay Spikes that kind of money when he can't play up to that kind of money.

[Bill Brasky]

how do they know he can't play? nobody was questioning his ability after the first play of the season in NE. are they basing this on his first games back from a possible career-ending injury, on top of a pulled hamstring?

that seems like a pretty raw deal to me, considering he was brought here during the "rebuilding" process and the team is still apparently stuck in that mode. on top of the fact that when healthy he's the best player on the entire team.

they want to release him with nothing in return? seems logical.

[The Spaz]

how do they know he can't play? nobody was questioning his ability after the first play of the season in NE. are they are basing this on his first games back from a possible career-ending injury, on top of a pulled hamstring?

that seems like a pretty raw deal to me, considering he was brought here during the "rebuilding" process and the team is still apparently stuck in that mode. on top of the fact that when healthy he's the best player on the entire team.

See Sam Cowart.

[Forward_Lateral]

The thing I don't really agree with, is Spikes was hurt ON THE FIELD while in uniform for the Buffalo Bills. He's a warrior, rehabbed his ass off, and probably came back too soon. So, he's going to be punished (cut by the sounds of it) because he had a freak injury, and tried to come back as quickly as he could. I dont' know, I think Buffalo owes him at least one more shot.

[Elminster]

The thing I don't really agree with, is Spikes was hurt ON THE FIELD while in uniform for the Buffalo Bills. He's a warrior, rehabbed his ass off, and probably came back too soon. So, he's going to be punished (cut by the sounds of it) because he had a freak injury, and tried to come back as quickly as he could. I dont' know, I think Buffalo owes him at least one more shot.
Life and football ain't fair. In this case, "fair" would probably cost us...

[eyedog]

The first play of the season he came unblocked. he obviously didn't play up to his contract last season. I can't see them keeping him at that type of money hoping at best that he will be close to what he was. I'm just telling you what the bills are thinking. If they do let him go they had better be using some of that money.

[Bill Brasky]

See Sam Cowart.

Right, so now everybody with an ankle injury is useless.

Spikes had 70+ tackles in 12 games last year... and he played the entire season hurt.

He still has gas in the tank. But if the FO wants to continue their cheap ways and rid themselves of useful players, it's their box office funeral, not mine.

[The Spaz]

Right, so now everybody with an ankle injury is useless.

Spikes had 70+ tackles in 12 games last year... and he played the entire season hurt.

He still has gas in the tank. But if the FO wants to continue their cheap ways and rid themselves of useful players, it's their box office funeral, not mine.

I said Sam Cowart because he had the same injury as Spikes. I like Spikes just was answering your question as why this could happen.

[Bill Brasky]

Oh I misunderstood your post. My appologies! :up:

[Canadian'eh!]

The thing I don't really agree with, is Spikes was hurt ON THE FIELD while in uniform for the Buffalo Bills. He's a warrior, rehabbed his ass off, and probably came back too soon. So, he's going to be punished (cut by the sounds of it) because he had a freak injury, and tried to come back as quickly as he could. I dont' know, I think Buffalo owes him at least one more shot.

Nah... let's just give one of our few true leaders and great players away because he had a serious injury, cam back as fast as he could and played hurt a whole year.

6 mill is a lot, but we have the space and can't attract replacements who require big bonuses thanks to are cheap ownership and "cash to the cap"

He deserves 1 more year before we go giving him away.

[raphael120]

It seems like there is something deeper to this story...

Take this, for example...

When they had the Little Troy Vincent fiasco...Spikes was the most pissed off I've ever seen him, and he's usually a high character guy...then you have his boy Fletch pissed off and wanting to leave...you don't think that Spikes, although maybe not as vocal as Fletch, shared the same feeling? I think he wants out...

Also, Marv was verrrrrrrry coy and didn't really sound like Spikes was coming back...kinda just said it was an area they would have to look at but nowhere in his voice or in his verbage did he sound like Spikes was going to be a good fit here anymore...

It's very depressing, because the past few years he was my favorite player, he was one Buffalo Bill out of the past few years that had a fire, had a passion for playing, and in the days when the Bills made very few big plays, and had really no excitement, he was the energy on the field...

I remember a few years ago going to a game, wearin my Spikes jersey, and he comes doin the TKO dance onto the field....gave my goosebumps. He can go, and I wish him good luck, but I want a highly motivated guy like that on my team again.