Does Darwin Walker become a headache?

[X-Era]

If we fight to sign the guy, do we then find out that hes a locker room problem?

Hes fighting like hes a pro-bowler, the Bills are willing to keep working at it, Jauron acts like he REALLY wants hm here.

You have to wonder if this guy is a bit of a baby. He fighting tooth and nail for what he thinks he deserves rather than proving himslef on the field and it makes you think he could be the mouth that roars if he ever does land here.

[OpIv37]

I doubt it. If he gets a long term contract- which is what he wants- he has no reason to be disgruntled.

If he gets a short term contract, he'll need to prove himself on the field, and hopefully he'll understand that after this negotiating process.

That being said, I'll be surprised if he ever puts on a Bills jersey.

[Goobylal]

That being said, I'll be surprised if he ever puts on a Bills jersey.
That's what I was thinking...until I heard the Bills gave him a counteroffer. I'm actually pretty confident something will get done.

[X-Era]

I doubt it. If he gets a long term contract- which is what he wants- he has no reason to be disgruntled.

If he gets a short term contract, he'll need to prove himself on the field, and hopefully he'll understand that after this negotiating process.

That being said, I'll be surprised if he ever puts on a Bills jersey.

So the length at which his camp will fight this one in no way shows what type of character he is?

[X-Era]

That's what I was thinking...until I heard the Bills gave him a counteroffer. I'm actually pretty confident something will get done.

I agree, Im very optimistic now. I hope the contract details come out so we can see what the damn big deal is

[OpIv37]

That's what I was thinking...until I heard the Bills gave him a counteroffer. I'm actually pretty confident something will get done.

a counter- counter offer? The last I heard, it was the other way around- the Bills made an offer and he was making a counter offer.

[Goobylal]

That's the way negotiations go. You make counter-offers until you're both reasonably happy.

[PECKERWOOD]

I doubt it. If he gets a long term contract- which is what he wants- he has no reason to be disgruntled.

If he gets a short term contract, he'll need to prove himself on the field, and hopefully he'll understand that after this negotiating process.

That being said, I'll be surprised if he ever puts on a Bills jersey.

Me too.

[SABURZFAN]

he's been a headache since he got here. :down:

[Wys Guy]

If we fight to sign the guy, do we then find out that hes a locker room problem?

Hes fighting like hes a pro-bowler, the Bills are willing to keep working at it, Jauron acts like he REALLY wants hm here.

You have to wonder if this guy is a bit of a baby. He fighting tooth and nail for what he thinks he deserves rather than proving himslef on the field and it makes you think he could be the mouth that roars if he ever does land here.

Moreover, you have to wonder if he's even nearly as good as many seem to think he is. What has he done?

First of all he has the knock that he's in his 30s, and while not in and of itself not a problem, he clearly won't be any better than he's ever been in the past.

Which takes us to the next issue; how good has he been in the past?

Well, going back to last season, much for the same reason that it was unlikely for either Vincent or Milloy to play to "former levels," so too it is unlikely that Walker will even if he does play here.

So what did he bring last season?

Well, he helped "anchor" the league's 26th?? rushing D? Boy howdy, a whopping step or two above ours on paper.

Was he a force in sacking opposing QBs?

Well, let's see; he logged six sacks last season.

1: Sacked Eli Manning in a game that the Eagles lost to the Giants
2-4: Sacked Bledsoe three times in a game, and we all know how difficult that is via direct experience, in a game that the Eagles won nonetheless and in which their D dominated via 7 sacks of Bledsoe shortly before he got replaced and retired.
5: Sacked Gostkowski starting in his third game as a rookie on a very poor team with the second worst scoring O in the NFL and in which the Eagles lost anyway by allowing 23 points, twice the Bucs scoring average last year.
6: Sacked Tony Romo, whom many of you here thinks stinks, in his 9th career start.

So let me ask anyone in this thread that seems to think this is relevant;

Do we really need another player like Darwin Walker on this team? Isn't our roster already full of players that "can play" against the worst dozen teams in the league or against poor offenses, rookie and/or first time starting QBs?

The status of Walker might be relevant if we were talking about a player here with a recent history of performing well against top-half teams/Os at least without mitigating circumstances for all of their "stats" and accomplishments.

IMO we'd have been better off putting whatever money we offered Walker to Spikes while restructuring his contract if he would have done that, cutting Holbomb outright, and having had not nearly as many LB issues. Spikes this season probably could have outperformed Walker if he had had one leg amputated.

Instead all of this hoopla and hype over a backup DT?

Which brings up another point McCargo's future Pro Bowl status aside, what qualifies this front office to find a DT that can play well? Have they found a ringer yet? Certainly they've brought more DTs on than any other single position in their brief tenures, one a four-year vet.

It is in the Bills' interests for Walker to disappear and go back to the Eagles to cause problems there. We can just chalk up the loss of Spikes for a 6th rounder and pin it to the litany of other inequitable moves where we've gotten the raw shorted end of the deal by Levy.

[Goobylal]

Compare Walker last year to Spikes. Case closed.

[OpIv37]

Moreover, you have to wonder if he's even nearly as good as many seem to think he is. What has he done?

First of all he has the knock that he's in his 30s, and while not in and of itself not a problem, he clearly won't be any better than he's ever been in the past.

Which takes us to the next issue; how good has he been in the past?

Well, going back to last season, much for the same reason that it was unlikely for either Vincent or Milloy to play to "former levels," so too it is unlikely that Walker will even if he does play here.

So what did he bring last season?

Well, he helped "anchor" the league's 26th?? rushing D? Boy howdy, a whopping step or two above ours on paper.

Was he a force in sacking opposing QBs?

Well, let's see; he logged six sacks last season.

1: Sacked Eli Manning in a game that the Eagles lost to the Giants
2-4: Sacked Bledsoe three times in a game, and we all know how difficult that is via direct experience, in a game that the Eagles won nonetheless and in which their D dominated via 7 sacks of Bledsoe shortly before he got replaced and retired.
5: Sacked Gostkowski starting in his third game as a rookie on a very poor team with the second worst scoring O in the NFL and in which the Eagles lost anyway by allowing 23 points, twice the Bucs scoring average last year.
6: Sacked Tony Romo, whom many of you here thinks stinks, in his 9th career start.

So let me ask anyone in this thread that seems to think this is relevant;

Do we really need another player like Darwin Walker on this team? Isn't our roster already full of players that "can play" against the worst dozen teams in the league or against poor offenses, rookie and/or first time starting QBs?

The status of Walker might be relevant if we were talking about a player here with a recent history of performing well against top-half teams/Os at least without mitigating circumstances for all of their "stats" and accomplishments.

IMO we'd have been better off putting whatever money we offered Walker to Spikes while restructuring his contract if he would have done that, cutting Holbomb outright, and having had not nearly as many LB issues. Spikes this season probably could have outperformed Walker if he had had one leg amputated.

Instead all of this hoopla and hype over a backup DT?

Which brings up another point McCargo's future Pro Bowl status aside, what qualifies this front office to find a DT that can play well? Have they found a ringer yet? Certainly they've brought more DTs on than any other single position in their brief tenures, one a four-year vet.

It is in the Bills' interests for Walker to disappear and go back to the Eagles to cause problems there. We can just chalk up the loss of Spikes for a 6th rounder and pin it to the litany of other inequitable moves where we've gotten the raw shorted end of the deal by Levy.

I agree that he's not exactly the answer to our DT problems, but I'd still like to see him here because he's a definite upgrade over Tim Anderson and/or Jason Jefferson.

[ddaryl]

I also believe he'll never sign. He wants to be overpaid, and he wants to be overpaid long term IMO.

If we do find away to foce him in here he'll just become a distraction and a locker room cancer... again IMO.


remember Philly didn't think highly enough of him ot consider giving him a raise or even trying to keep him.

[Wys Guy]

And that's exciting how now?

Jefferson is nothing and will should consider himself fortunate if he has a career getting bounced around on practice squads for more than three seasons total.

Anderson is well on his way to an encouraging career as a journeyman bubble DT whose career may also be over in a year or two.

Interestingly, much of the talk on Anderson was very similar a couple of seasons ago as to what much of it is by some here regarding other players in varying positions.

Walker will be a below average player as soon as this season, next at the latest. He's been a role player in spite of being a starter for a good chunk of his career. Our staff likes him b/c he's pure pass rusher and little else and coupled with their wanting mentality that no DT over 300 lbs. can "fit their system," it's their last ditch attempt at grasping at straws for what's left to help them this year in spite of their glaring shortcomings in building a DL.

BTW, DTs over 300 lbs. wouldn't fit their system because it might actually make our DL solid. :D

[Wys Guy]

I also believe he'll never sign. He wants to be overpaid, and he wants to be overpaid long term IMO.

If we do find away to foce him in here he'll just become a distraction and a locker room cancer... again IMO.


remember Philly didn't think highly enough of him ot consider giving him a raise or even trying to keep him.

IMO the contract he had was overpaying him. Really, everyone overrates his value and where he is in his career. He actually began to fall off a couple of seasons ago and he's been oft injured.

His 6 sacks last year, apart from being against no one special as documented just now, were a misleading statline. And that was as a starter. What's he gonna do for us in a backup role?

How long will he be with the team, a year, two stringing it out.

We need players here that will be with the team down the road, not for half a season in a backup role.

His walking would be a blessing in disguise. I'll take my chances on a 6th round selection that may be around Buffalo for a number of years, even if only in role playing status.

Anyone upset with the compensation at that point take it up with the FO.

[Goobylal]

Um, McCargo and Williams are 307# and 306# respectively. Maybe you meant over 308#?

As for Walker, yes he fits the 3-tech DT they're looking for, probably moreso than the 4-tech he played in Philly. Whether he does remains to be seen. But he's had a productive career and I'd rather he give it a shot than Jefferson or Anderson (who is only here because he hand-fought Krumrie well). But I'd have to see what he's asking for and getting offered.