shelby
03-05-2010, 05:31 AM
When NFL free agency kicked off at 12:01 a.m. today, I half envisioned new Buffalo Bills general manager Buddy Nix kicking up his feet in his office and sipping coffee.
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That's not to suggest Nix would be relaxing on the job. The guy's been working it hard, trying to map a course for a team that hasn't seen the playoffs since Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed and Bruce Smith still wore the charging buffalo on their helmets a decade ago,
It's just that Nix is feeling no pressure to fix the Bills quickly through the magic bullet called free agency.
For one, the existence of an uncapped season for 2010 — it means no limit on what teams can spend on players — has personnel departments around the league reminding each other to be fiscally responsible with such an uncertain future on the labor front. Collusion? The lawyers and agents can tackle that one.
Furthermore, because players with four years experience who would've been unrestricted free agents have been gleefully designated "restricted," there are now more than 200 players a lot less likely to change teams. That's because the compensation to their clubs, in some cases, first- and third-round draft picks, will turn other teams off to their services.
Lastly, in Nix's case, the owner has his back.
Ralph Wilson has seen enough of his money spent since the early 1990s to form the valid opinion that spending big money on experienced players doesn't guarantee championships.
"You build a football team through the draft," Wilson said. "You can go out in free agency and sign a few that fit your team, but you can't just sign free agents and do it overnight."
read more.... (http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100305/SPORTS0103/3050324/1007/SPORTS/Buffalo-Bills-cautious-as-NFL-free-agency-kicks-off)
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That's not to suggest Nix would be relaxing on the job. The guy's been working it hard, trying to map a course for a team that hasn't seen the playoffs since Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed and Bruce Smith still wore the charging buffalo on their helmets a decade ago,
It's just that Nix is feeling no pressure to fix the Bills quickly through the magic bullet called free agency.
For one, the existence of an uncapped season for 2010 — it means no limit on what teams can spend on players — has personnel departments around the league reminding each other to be fiscally responsible with such an uncertain future on the labor front. Collusion? The lawyers and agents can tackle that one.
Furthermore, because players with four years experience who would've been unrestricted free agents have been gleefully designated "restricted," there are now more than 200 players a lot less likely to change teams. That's because the compensation to their clubs, in some cases, first- and third-round draft picks, will turn other teams off to their services.
Lastly, in Nix's case, the owner has his back.
Ralph Wilson has seen enough of his money spent since the early 1990s to form the valid opinion that spending big money on experienced players doesn't guarantee championships.
"You build a football team through the draft," Wilson said. "You can go out in free agency and sign a few that fit your team, but you can't just sign free agents and do it overnight."
read more.... (http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100305/SPORTS0103/3050324/1007/SPORTS/Buffalo-Bills-cautious-as-NFL-free-agency-kicks-off)