My thoughts on Spikes and McGahee.

[Patrick76777]

We signed Spikes to a huge FA contract because he was one of the best LB’s in the NFL. At this point, the larger portion of the back-ended contract is in effect and Spikes is probably an average LB at best. So we’re paying huge bucks to an average LB! For this reason, even though I love Spikes and wish it had gone better, I’m totally cool with cutting the guy. He’ll probably sign somewhere for a modest contract and have a decent year, which is great, but that same decent year would have cost us a fortune.


As for McGahee, he’s on the last year of his relatively modest and incentive laden rookie contract. Besides for attitude issues (not so much a bad attitude so much as a lazy attitude), there’s no reason not to keep this guy on the team. In a trade you’re only going to get at best a 3rd rounder and you’re not saving a ton of cap money. But by keeping him, I think it could benefit us. Based on the fact that it would be a contract year for Willis I would assume the following:

-He won’t hold out because it could cost him Millions.
-He’ll suddenly care. He’ll have a little passion and sure that passion will be based on anger for us making him play the last year of his contract and that he needs to show his skills in order to be an attractive free agent, but it’s passion nonetheless.

So now you have a back playing hard ever week (for himself) but getting us results on the field.

Then after his great year, we have options, Resign him, Franchise him and keep him for another year, Franchise him and trade him, or just let him walk.


So I’ve got not problem losing Spikes, but don’t really see the value in dumping Willis.

[Talk0fNewYork]

Once he see's how mutch Nate made in free agency that S.O.B better play his ass off!

[gr8slayer]

I agree with you for the most part except for getting rid of Spikes this year. Our LB corps is already a ? but I don't even want to think about it without some veteran leadership.

[Patrick76777]

I agree with you for the most part except for getting rid of Spikes this year. Our LB corps is already a ? but I don't even want to think about it without some veteran leadership.


I'd much rather keep him, but I can see why they'd dump him.

[Saratoga Slim]

I honestly don't know what to think about Spikes.

But regarding McGahee, the arguments for trading him are that 1) we're clearly not going to resign him after next season, so might as well try and get something for him now, and 2) that his moderate production could be replaced by another, perhaps less expensive back or even a rookie.

I think its kind of a crapshoot, but I'm inclined to agree that we should keep him for this season. As you note, he has to try hard this season, or he won't get paid in the FA market next year. And I really like the idea of not having to fill a hole at RB this year, as we've already got to deal with LB, DT and CB. Add in the fact that next year's draft is supposedly better for RBs, and it just makes a little more sense to me.

The wildcard is of course the stuff we can't see from out here: whether he's truly unhappy, likely to hold out etc.

[gr8slayer]

I'd much rather keep him, but I can see why they'd dump him.
Unless he'll restructure.

[HHURRICANE]

Unless he'll restructure.

I think the Bills medical staff knows something we don't or that would have already been in the works.

I would keep McGahee and try and trade Spikes which will be all but impossible. I think both trade options are just to go back to the players and say "there's no market for you losers".

[justasportsfan]

but don’t really see the value in dumping Willis. If he's not gone today, he'll be gone tomorrow. Build our future today by bringing in our rb for years to come. Find someone who got great work ethic and most especially , wants to be here. He'll be doing it for the money or himself and not because he wants to win. I doubt he'll ever put the team ahead of himself.

Willis may tear it up but he'll cause problems one way or another if not in the locker room, off the field. If above average rb's were hard to come by, by all means keep him. They're a dime a dozen and almost anyone these days can run for 900 yds even Ralphy himself.

[Earthquake Enyart]

I would give Spikes every opportunity to come back, but if the doctors tell me that he'll never be 100% again, I'd probably let him go.

I agree with Pat 100% about McGahee. Nothing wrong with keeping him and letting him play his way into FA. I don't see a better alternative right now.

[jpdex12]

We signed Spikes to a huge FA contract because he was one of the best LB’s in the NFL. At this point, the larger portion of the back-ended contract is in effect and Spikes is probably an average LB at best. So we’re paying huge bucks to an average LB! For this reason, even though I love Spikes and wish it had gone better, I’m totally cool with cutting the guy. He’ll probably sign somewhere for a modest contract and have a decent year, which is great, but that same decent year would have cost us a fortune.


As for McGahee, he’s on the last year of his relatively modest and incentive laden rookie contract. Besides for attitude issues (not so much a bad attitude so much as a lazy attitude), there’s no reason not to keep this guy on the team. In a trade you’re only going to get at best a 3rd rounder and you’re not saving a ton of cap money. But by keeping him, I think it could benefit us. Based on the fact that it would be a contract year for Willis I would assume the following:

-He won’t hold out because it could cost him Millions.
-He’ll suddenly care. He’ll have a little passion and sure that passion will be based on anger for us making him play the last year of his contract and that he needs to show his skills in order to be an attractive free agent, but it’s passion nonetheless.

So now you have a back playing hard ever week (for himself) but getting us results on the field.

Then after his great year, we have options, Resign him, Franchise him and keep him for another year, Franchise him and trade him, or just let him walk.


So I’ve got not problem losing Spikes, but don’t really see the value in dumping Willis.

Who's gonna need a RB next year though?

[Forward_Lateral]

I think it's been reported that Spikes is the one who requested to be traded or released. If he doesn't want to be in Buffalo, then let him go.

[mybills]

We signed Spikes to a huge FA contract because he was one of the best LB’s in the NFL. At this point, the larger portion of the back-ended contract is in effect and Spikes is probably an average LB at best. So we’re paying huge bucks to an average LB! For this reason, even though I love Spikes and wish it had gone better, I’m totally cool with cutting the guy. He’ll probably sign somewhere for a modest contract and have a decent year, which is great, but that same decent year would have cost us a fortune.


As for McGahee, he’s on the last year of his relatively modest and incentive laden rookie contract. Besides for attitude issues (not so much a bad attitude so much as a lazy attitude), there’s no reason not to keep this guy on the team. In a trade you’re only going to get at best a 3rd rounder and you’re not saving a ton of cap money. But by keeping him, I think it could benefit us. Based on the fact that it would be a contract year for Willis I would assume the following:

-He won’t hold out because it could cost him Millions.
-He’ll suddenly care. He’ll have a little passion and sure that passion will be based on anger for us making him play the last year of his contract and that he needs to show his skills in order to be an attractive free agent, but it’s passion nonetheless.

So now you have a back playing hard ever week (for himself) but getting us results on the field.

Then after his great year, we have options, Resign him, Franchise him and keep him for another year, Franchise him and trade him, or just let him walk.


So I’ve got not problem losing Spikes, but don’t really see the value in dumping Willis.

Agree on both counts.

[mybills]

Who's gonna need a RB next year though?
We will, of course.

[raphael120]

i think we need to bring in a rookie RB to push mcgahee...imagine a rookie RB comin in, showin up mcgahee...think that'll light a fire under his ass

[mysticsoto]

If he's not gone today, he'll be gone tomorrow. Build our future today by bringing in our rb for years to come. Find someone who got great work ethic and most especially , wants to be here. He'll be doing it for the money or himself and not because he wants to win. I doubt he'll ever put the team ahead of himself.

Willis may tear it up but he'll cause problems one way or another if not in the locker room, off the field. If above average rb's were hard to come by, by all means keep him. They're a dime a dozen and almost anyone these days can run for 900 yds even Ralphy himself.

It is better to get one of the glut of rookie RBs that will be available next year. Did you see how much the Texans gave Ahman Green who is past his prime? There's no logic to getting rid of McGahee and having to pay Dillon, Lewis or another soon to be has-been that kind of money when we can have McGahee under contract for one more year, playing his ass off to try and get crazy money next year, and then have our choice in the glut of RBs in next year's draft and grab a young guy at a much cheaper rate that these old guys would want.

It just makes perfect sense to keep McGahee for one more year - it makes perfect sense from a financial POV and from a out-of-all-years-this-is-the-year-he-will-definitely-produce POV!!!

[OpIv37]

I could go either way on McGahee. The guy has a bad attitude and puts up mediocre numbers, and we should get what we can for him while we can. On the other hand, he will have to play hard this year to get paid next year, and it would be nice not to have to use a 1st day pick on an RB so we can address some of the team's other needs.

As far as Spikes, we're REALLY short on LB's. If we trade him, fine, but we're going to need an experienced replacement.

And if they both get traded, I'm out of jerseys of current players :fit:

[justasportsfan]

It is better to get one of the glut of rookie RBs that will be available next year. Did you see how much the Texans gave Ahman Green who is past his prime? There's no logic to getting rid of McGahee and having to pay Dillon, Lewis or another soon to be has-been that kind of money when we can have McGahee under contract for one more year, playing his ass off to try and get crazy money next year, and then have our choice in the glut of RBs in next year's draft and grab a young guy at a much cheaper rate that these old guys would want.

It just makes perfect sense to keep McGahee for one more year - it makes perfect sense from a financial POV and from a out-of-all-years-this-is-the-year-he-will-definitely-produce POV!!!
So when Willis deicdes to leave next year, that's when we draft a rb and wait for another year for him to develop? BY the time he develops, JP and Evans contract will be up and they may want to leave the bills because we can't make playoffs because we keep putting our running game on hold.

This has been the same thing during TD's time which is why we were never successful. Now we've seen guys like Moulds, Spikes, Fletcher, Pat Williams get old waiting for a playoff spot.

Na, there are several decent rb's in this years draft. Some of them could easily run for 1,000 yds. The only way we keep Willis is if no one wants to trade for him for a 1st day draft pick. Not because he's good which he isn't.

[mysticsoto]

So when Willis deicdes to leave next year, that's when we draft a rb and wait for another year for him to develop? BY the time he develops, JP and Evans contract will be up and they may want to leave the bills because we can't make playoffs because we keep putting our running game on hold.

This has been the same thing during TD's time which is why we were never successful. Now we've seen guys like Moulds, Spikes, Fletcher, Pat Williams get old waiting for a playoff spot.

Na, there are several decent rb's in this years draft. Some of them could easily run for 1,000 yds. The only way we keep Willis is if no one wants to trade for him for a 1st day draft pick. Not because he's good which he isn't.

RBs don't really take long to develop. In fact, out of all the positions, it is the easiest to adjust to in the NFL coming out of college and easiest to contribute immediately - provided we pick well (which is the FO's job to evaluate). I have no doubt, we could get a spectacular RB next year in the 2nd rd or even in the 1st if we needed to...

[justasportsfan]

RBs don't really take long to develop. In fact, out of all the positions, it is the easiest to adjust to in the NFL coming out of college and easiest to contribute immediately - provided we pick well (which is the FO's job to evaluate). I have no doubt, we could get a spectacular RB next year in the 2nd rd or even in the 1st if we needed to... If Rb's don't take a long time to develop, what's up with Willis? Why are we even disscussing our rb situation?

Aside from the qb position, the rb position hasn't been settled since the Kelly/Thurman days.

Anything can happen in the next year. Heaven forbid should another Spikes injury happen to any of our key players we'll be looking to replace him in next years draft, again?

Using your Ahman Green and deep draft class next year example , who's gonna want to pay for Willis if they can draft one next year? Are we gonna franchise tag him then?



Get rid of the tumor before it becomes a cancer. willis is NOT our future so,I say we move forward and get our future players in place NOW if someone is willing to part with a 1st day pick so he can grow together with the rest of the team. If the rb position is the easiest to learn then let's grab one now so he get's experience and build chemistry with the rest of the team.

If there is a rb that Marv and Dick wants, grab him now or wait forever.

[YardRat]

I'd like to keep Spikes, maybe tinker with his contract a little bit.

I have my doubts as to whether or not McGahee will ever give 100% effort 100% of the time for this team, unless we're playing the Jets. Even though Willis may 'play his ass off' for a contract, I can see him going full-bore for three quarters, then taking the fourth easy.

[Slim]

I could go either way on McGahee. The guy has a bad attitude and puts up mediocre numbers, and we should get what we can for him while we can. On the other hand, he will have to play hard this year to get paid next year, and it would be nice not to have to use a 1st day pick on an RB so we can address some of the team's other needs.

As far as Spikes, we're REALLY short on LB's. If we trade him, fine, but we're going to need an experienced replacement.

And if they both get traded, I'm out of jerseys of current players :fit:

Val might have an extra Coy Wire if your intrested.

[ParanoidAndroid]

It's not a development issue with Willis. It's an attitude issue.

[mysticsoto]

If Rb's don't take a long time to develop, what's up with Willis? Why are we even disscussing our rb situation?

Aside from the qb position, the rb position hasn't been settled since the Kelly/Thurman days.

Anything can happen in the next year. Heaven forbid should another Spikes injury happen to any of our key players we'll be looking to replace him in next years draft, again?

Using your Ahman Green and deep draft class next year example , who's gonna want to pay for Willis if they can draft one next year? Are we gonna franchise tag him then?

Get rid of the tumor before it becomes a cancer. willis is NOT our future so,I say we move forward and get our future players in place NOW if someone is willing to part with a 1st day pick so he can grow together with the rest of the team. If the rb position is the easiest to learn then let's grab one now so he get's experience and build chemistry with the rest of the team.

If there is a rb that Marv and Dick wants, grab him now or wait forever.

I don't think Willis is underdeveloped at all. I think he has motivational issues and doesn't like being here - which is why he will play his ass off to try and show other teams that he is worth something.

What happens to Willis next year is irrelevant to us. His contract is up and he's a free agent. Ultimately, it'll come down to coaches wanting veteran leadership at the position...some coaches will feel that is more important than others - for certain positions like QB I agree that it is important...but for RBs...you can get an Arizona/James like situation.

I'm all for grabbing a young RB, but given that we have holes on the DL and MLB I much rather fill those out 1st - which in turn means that we end up with a lower ranked RB. If Michael Bush is there in the 2nd, I may not object - as long as our MLB is filled with a Patrick Willis. But if we were to grab Okoye (DT) in the 1st, I'd want a Siler or Harris in the 2nd for the MLB and then maybe a RB if necessary...perhaps someone like Pittman or Kolby Smith in the 3rd...

But they would likely be our future backup RB...

[justasportsfan]

It's not a development issue with Willis. It's an attitude issue.
whether it is or not, the rb position hasn't been settled since Thurman. Let's get this ball rolling. The sooner we settle it, the better JP is off.

We have our OL set in place for years. It's time we grab our RB who can grow together with the OL , JP and Evans.

I'd rather keep Spikes and his cap no over Willis.

[DynaPaul]

Well how about this? Make McGahee play out his final year of the contract. Hopefully he'll run like hell and then we can tag and trade him.