Clayton on the Salary Cap of Bills

[chgobillsfan]

To our Bills' cap experts...

Please tell me this is a typo.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=2004973

If not, WTF and where did all of our money go?

[Iehoshua]

:whatthe:

This would explain why we've had no visits if true.... but.. HOW?!?

[ddaryl]

hopefully its a typo. If it isn't then there are onther salary esculators and performance bonuses that kicked in that we were not aware of

[Ebenezer]

To our Bills' cap experts...

Please tell me this is a typo.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=2004973

If not, WTF and where did all of our money go?
do we have a hit by the train smilie?? I have no freakin clue. $6.2 mil I would believe (I have them about $5 mil under). A simple explanation would be a decimal point is off. Another would be a lot of escalators that we don't know about. A final, more likely possibility, is that this includes our cap adjustment and that we had a slew of NTLBE bonuses last season.

If this is true it would explain why they cut DB, let JJ and PW walk, redid Moulds deal and have no signings/visits scheduled.

Let you know when I find anything.

[Iehoshua]

hopefully its a typo. If it isn't then there are onther salary esculators and performance bonuses that kicked in that we were not aware of
If it's true, I fear we're doomed!
:dead:

[Jeff1220]

Let's see...Did Willis have a 1000 yard bonus? Number of TDs?
How about incentives for Lee Evans? T. McGee for his returns? How could we be so far off on what we figured? And, maybe it is just a typ-o.

[DMBcrew36]

f***

[OpIv37]

And everyone accused me of panicking the other day. At the very least, we need to find a way to bring in a backup QB and $652k won't do it. This also means we're starting the season with Lindell, no LG, no O-line depth, no TE, no DT...

by the way, did it every occur to anyone that lack of action on the O-line makes backup QB that much more important.

[Marvelous]

I believe it's trie :(:(:(
Makes sense why we didn't resign them. But If that's so then Prolieu & MW need to restructure asap.

[The Natrix]

WTF?

[OpIv37]

I believe it's trie :(:(:(
Makes sense why we didn't resign them. But If that's so then Prolieu & MW need to restructure asap.
If it's so, we're done- '05 is a waste.

[OpIv37]

And if it's not so, I'm on the next plane to go punch Clayton in the face.

[ddaryl]

I believe it's trie :(:(:(
Makes sense why we didn't resign them. But If that's so then Prolieu & MW need to restructure asap.
Actually if its true Prioleau would have been released IMO. Why would we restrucutre him ?

[The King]

how do the ****ing skins have more space?

[Dicknoze69]

wow...didn't expect that. Hopefully JC just screwed up. It would explain things though.

If true, we're not doomed, but we are in some trouble.

[Ebenezer]

hopefully its a typo. If it isn't then there are onther salary esculators and performance bonuses that kicked in that we were not aware of
clump has more nooks and crannies to look in than I do...I cannot find a thing...every reference (newspaper and otherwise) that I can find has us at least $5mil under.

[Dicknoze69]

Actually if its true Prioleau would have been released IMO. Why would we restrucutre him ?

I gotta agree with ya. If we had so little cap space, Prioleau would be a goner by now I'd imagine.

[Dicknoze69]

CLUMP !!!!!

Please tell us JC is a moron. :fury:

[ddaryl]

Anyone have Claytons email address I couldn't locate one. Figured we coul dask him where the heck this number came from

[Ebenezer]

Anyone have Claytons email address I couldn't locate one. Figured we coul dask him where the heck this number came from
already tried that........

[OpIv37]

Anyone have Claytons email address I couldn't locate one. Figured we coul dask him where the heck this number came from

the only thing I could find was a generic ESPN address- espnet1@espn.com. Not sure I would even bother- you'll probably just get an automated or generic response.

[mysticsoto]

And if it's not so, I'm on the next plane to go punch Clayton in the face.
:roflmao:

[Forward_Lateral]

Wow. 2 things jump out at me:

1.) Washington is 9 million UNDER the cap (seems impossible to me)
2.) Oakland is also under the cap.

I hope that Clayton got Buffalo mixed up with another team, or just made a mistake. God help us if he's right.

[Iehoshua]

Wow. 2 things jump out at me:

1.) Washington is 9 million UNDER the cap (seems impossible to me)
2.) Oakland is also under the cap.

I hope that Clayton got Buffalo mixed up with another team, or just made a mistake. God help us if he's right.
This feels like :winkpunch

[YardRat]

Something is wrong....we can't be ranked dead last in terms of the cap.

[OpIv37]

and like someone just said, how the hell are the Skins still $9m under after all the spending last year and already signing a few people this year?

[Iehoshua]

Something is wrong....we can't be ranked dead last in terms of the cap.
I agree... It would have been more of a story than this... I can't buy it unless we secretly signed some huge name...
:crazy:

[Pride]

Tell me how a team that doesnt reach the playoffs, has 7 Million dollars of escalators kick in!

Were individual efforts so great and we didnt make the playoffs? If so... thats insane!

[Devin]

i swear to god, the bills are just being screwed with.

The skins being 9 mil under is tip of the ice berg.

[lunatic_bills_fan]

boy, this could be ugly, if any truth to it, i mean "the cap genius" obviously would not leave his middle of the pack team in a situation like this.

[dannyek71]

If this is true, we have to cut people so we can sign even our 4th round draft choice, not even considerign the rest of them....

Also if this is true, TD seriously needs to go for cap mismanagement. If all those other teams can be that far under with more big names, why cant we?

[OpIv37]

could somebody please confirm or refute this so my blood pressure can go back to normal?

[Mudflap1]

Even at $5 mill under, Tom Donahoe has some real 'splainin' to do...

Stay tuned...

Jon

[juice]

Even at $5 mill under, Tom Donahoe has some real 'splainin' to do...

Stay tuned...

JonHow do you go from $14 Million to $5 Million to $500K while at the same time missing the Playoffs and not having a single offensive Pro Bowler.

[Ebenezer]

Tell me how a team that doesnt reach the playoffs, has 7 Million dollars of escalators kick in!

Were individual efforts so great and we didnt make the playoffs? If so... thats insane!
even the $5-$7mil number that Clump and I were floating included escalators to Clements and Williams...and now Wire. There appear to be no other base salary "escalators". Whether there were NLTBE bonuses that carried over is another topic. I could see some NLTBE...Evans TDs, McGahee TD, McGee TD, McGee playing time, Evans playing time, other players playing time...could have happened.

[Devin]

our cap this year is a friggin cosmic mystery. No one can figure it out.

[OpIv37]

even the $5-$7mil number that Clump and I were floating included escalators to Clements and Williams...and now Wire. There appear to be no other base salary "escalators". Whether there were NLTBE bonuses that carried over is another topic. I could see some NLTBE...Evans TDs, McGahee TD, McGee TD, McGee playing time, Evans playing time, other players playing time...could have happened.

$5 million in bonuses for rookies though? Isn't that a little high?

[Forward_Lateral]

Maybe clayton counted Pat and Jonas' signings against Buffalo by mistake?

[Mahdi]

http://www.askthecommish.com/salarycap/numbers.asp

Don't know how reliable the source is............

17 Buffalo Bills $7.919 M
Tom Donahoe has done master job of keeping the Bills' salary cap situation under control since slashing the roster back in 2001. DT Pat Williams and LT Jonas Jennings are the team's only key unrestricted free agents. This latest number takes into account Eric Moulds' restructure and Drew Bledsoe' release. Taken together, these moves freed up over $5 M in cap space, which is important, considering the recent incentives that Mike Williams and Nate Clements earned.

[OpIv37]

Maybe clayton counted Pat and Jonas' signings against Buffalo by mistake?
if that's what he did, he deserves to be placed between those two guys and a buffet.

[Jan Reimers]

If this is true, Tom Donahoe should be tarred, feathered and ridden out of town on a rail. It's bad enough that we've missed the playoffs every year of his reign, but now we're back in cap Hell as well?

It must all be a simple mistake.

[Devin]

has to be.

[OpIv37]

If this is true, Tom Donahoe should be tarred, feathered and ridden out of town on a rail. It's bad enough that we've missed the playoffs every year of his reign, but now we're back in cap Hell as well?


agreed. :posrep:

[YardRat]

:rofl:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/s/2001/0305/1130374.html

$705,000million...

[OpIv37]

:rofl:

http://espn.go.com/nfl/s/2001/0305/1130374.html

$705,000million...

dammit I'm getting pissed- is it 7.05 million or 705,000? This isn't funny anymore.

never mind- those numbers are from a few seasons ago.

[Earthquake Enyart]

I say we all calm down until clump gets here. No one else knows anything.

[kgun12]

I say we all calm down until clump gets here. No one else knows anything.


:bow: :clap: Sounds like GREAT advise EE!

[Ebenezer]

I say we all calm down until clump gets here. No one else knows anything.
thanks a frikkin lot...

[The Natrix]

where's ed and chump?

[DaBillzAhDaShiznit]

Guys, Clump just said 5.5 million the other day. It must actually be about 6.2 million and good ol' Clayton misplaced a decimal.

If not, HOLY ****! We're screwed.....who on our roster can we cut with a big cap # and a low cap hit? Cause we need $ or we are f@#ked.

[THATHURMANATOR]

If this is true we are screwed.

[Ebenezer]

Guys, Clump just said 5.5 million the other day. It must actually be about 6.2 million and good ol' Clayton misplaced a decimal.

If not, HOLY ****! We're screwed.....who on our roster can we cut with a big cap # and a low cap hit? Cause we need $ or we are f@#ked.
the Bills can free up money by trading/cutting Henry and cutting Prioleau...they can also redo some contracts...but it is all speculation until we know the real number.

[OpIv37]

the Bills can free up money by trading/cutting Henry and cutting Prioleau...they can also redo some contracts...but it is all speculation until we know the real number.

if we cut Prioleau, how much does it save and how much dead cap does it create?

[Iehoshua]

if we cut Prioleau, how much does it save and how much dead cap does it create?
Savings: Ten bucks

Dead Cap: 5 million apparently :ill:

[juice]

if we cut Prioleau, how much does it save and how much dead cap does it create?PP is the only SS backup for Milloy on the roster unless you count Wire.. makes more sense to cut Coy Wire.

[OpIv37]

PP is the only SS backup for Milloy on the roster unless you count Wire.. makes more sense to cut Coy Wire.
not if the goal is to save money- Wire has a small cap number. Prioleau has a huge one. Cutting Wire won't give us enough cap space to sign any other players.

[Ebenezer]

if we cut Prioleau, how much does it save and how much dead cap does it create?


PP is the only SS backup for Milloy on the roster unless you count Wire.. makes more sense to cut Coy Wire.


not if the goal is to save money- Wire has a small cap number. Prioleau has a huge one. Cutting Wire won't give us enough cap space to sign any other players.

If the Bills cut Prioleau they would save $1.475Mil
If the Bills cut Wire they would save $1.43M
If the Bills cut/trade Henry they would save $1.25M

The Bills could also free up around $3.5 mil by restructuring Williams and Fletcher. They could also lock up Clements long term and save money. There are many ways they could do some creative bookkeeping and be fine.

Again, until we find out what the true number is there is no reason to get too panicky.

[OpIv37]

guess I was wrong- for $400k, I'd rather have Prioleau

[Ebenezer]

guess I was wrong- for $400k, I'd rather have Prioleau
that's 40K extra...

[Bert102176]

I thought TD was suppose to be helping keep us out of cap hell, well were deffinetly screwed if that is right, thanks TD

[OpIv37]

that's 40K extra...
right, that's what I said.

Actually I'm just in shock from the whole 652k thing- not thinking properly.

[Ebenezer]

right, that's what I said.

Actually I'm just in shock from the whole 652k thing- not thinking properly.
got to remember that when they put those numbers up they are generated out of a database. it is possible that somebody simply added the data incorrectly and missed a zero...would be easy to type 625000 instead of 6250000 and then the table is programed to read $625,000 instead of $6.25 mil...trust me, the $6.25 mil number would be better than I have them at right now (unless of course he does not have the Coy Wire escalator).

[Ebenezer]

got to remember that when they put those numbers up they are generated out of a database. it is possible that somebody simply added the data incorrectly and missed a zero...would be easy to type 625000 instead of 6250000 and then the table is programed to read $625,000 instead of $6.25 mil...trust me, the $6.25 mil number would be better than I have them at right now (unless of course he does not have the Coy Wire escalator).
holy crap....there are 50 people reading this thread right now!!

[Iehoshua]

holy crap....there are 50 people reading this thread right now!!
50 coronaries in progress...

[Ebenezer]

50 coronaries in progress...
49...my heart hasn't increased it's pace at all...

[juice]

If the Bills cut Prioleau they would save $1.475Mil
If the Bills cut Wire they would save $1.43M
If the Bills cut/trade Henry they would save $1.25M

The Bills could also free up around $3.5 mil by restructuring Williams and Fletcher. They could also lock up Clements long term and save money. There are many ways they could do some creative bookkeeping and be fine.

Again, until we find out what the true number is there is no reason to get too panicky.Keep Henry - at this point

Keep PP - he's a solid backup at SS

Cut Wire - for cap savings

[Samphin1]

No cornary here. :) Something is up though. Perhpas this doesn't take into account top 51 salaries? Perhaps they still have Pat and Jonas as Bills so when they punched in their new salaries, it got lumped onto the Bills cap number. Misplaced decimal. Any of these seem plausible. For your sake, I hope this isn't true. For the sake of my phins...I hope it is.

[Iehoshua]

49...my heart hasn't increased it's pace at all...
I suppose you have nothing to worry about... The Cowboys have made some fine aquisitions lately...
;)

[Ebenezer]

No cornary here. :) Something is up though. Perhpas this doesn't take into account top 51 salaries? Perhaps they still have Pat and Jonas as Bills so when they punched in their new salaries, it got lumped onto the Bills cap number. Misplaced decimal. Any of these seem plausible. For your sake, I hope this isn't true. For the sake of my phins...I hope it is.
As FA, JJ and PW would have had no cost against the cap...that can't be the reason.

[Devin]

personally id cut all 3, restructure Nate and sign some OL.

[Ebenezer]

I suppose you have nothing to worry about... The Cowboys have made some fine aquisitions lately...
;)
:rolleyes:

[OpIv37]

personally id cut all 3, restructure Nate and sign some OL.

we'd need to find a backup safety or two. I'd love to see Nate restructure though- don't want him leaving next year.

[PISSCHUNK]

I'd like to take a moment to thank Ebenezer and Clumpy for the attention given to the salary cap situation. I just became active on this board and it's nice to see Bills football discussed 90% of the time. A previous board that I was using became 90% OT subjects and 10% Bills football. Hope to learn everyone's personalities on here and offer some opinions from time to time myself!


Late

[Devin]

welcome to the board!

[ddaryl]

49...my heart hasn't increased it's pace at all...
48 ... my poor heart has flat lined

[Ebenezer]

48 ... my poor heart has flat lined
48 people still reading....waiting for an update....

Ebenezer* , JoeF , siva , jherd1178 , Morgoth , Griz78 , Dicknoze69 , naugem , joecharb , jo39416 , MJbb64 , Lil Jim 1031 , Ferrygoat , CNSfootball7 , nolimit , DBam , Schobel94 , qcsabresfan84 , Samphin1 , Rhettoric , SC Bills fan , Romes , mayotm , chgobillsfan , SonOfWade , jpdex12 , hugh , williamsscott , ghz in pittsburgh , Section 130 Row 26 , Mahdi , Philly Zoner , amanstyle , CarolinaBill , czeis , EDS , theanswer74 , tkospikes4212 , awil7011 , donahoemode , BBUnit1974 , MTBillsFan , IAG , mello1 , RockyTopBill , alohabillsfan , helmetguy

[Devin]

yeah so ummmm anytime now.

[DaBillzAhDaShiznit]

come on come on come on come on.....my blood pressure is rising to dangerous levels......

[Ebenezer]

come on come on come on come on.....my blood pressure is rising to dangerous levels......
update...the signing of Mike Gandy leaves the Bills anywhere from 50 cents to $6.0Mil under the cap. :D

[Dr. Lecter]

Again, until we find out what the true number is there is no reason to get too panicky.
Panacking is fun.

[ryven]

:tap:


come on clump

[Shiny Chicken]

I honestly think this is a typo... has anyone tried writing to espn?

[Ebenezer]

:tap:


come on clump
clumpy is on vacation (:z:)...check back late tonight or tomorrow.

[Dicknoze69]

There's no way we would have signed Gandy if JC's numbers are right.

If Clayton's right, this would probably put us right up against the friggin' thing.

[Ebenezer]

There's no way we would have signed Gandy if JC's numbers are right.

If Clayton's right, this would probably put us right up against the friggin' thing.
$625K was enough to sign this guy...you sign him and you bump off the bottom guy who is making $205K...thus, Gandy could have a cap number as high as $800K and the Bills would still be under the cap...IF THE $625K figure is correct.

[Ebenezer]

$625K was enough to sign this guy...you sign him and you bump off the bottom guy who is making $205K...thus, Gandy could have a cap number as high as $800K and the Bills would still be under the cap...IF THE $625K figure is correct.
Now...to show you that the same source can have contradictory information. Here is an article on ESPN posted just yesterday. From the Associated Press (pretty reputable)...check out the paragraph in bold...

Bills lose DT Williams to free agency; LT Jennings likely gone, too
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Pat Williams became a free agent when the Buffalo Bills failed to re-sign him before the start of the free agency period, the defensive tackle's agent told The Associated Press.

Angelo Wright said he expects his client, a four-year starter with the Bills, to sign with another team now that the NFL's free-agency period opened Wednesday.

The Bills were also expected to lose starting offensive tackle Jonas Jennings, who said Tuesday he was convinced there was no chance the team would re-sign him.


The Bills will only be modestly strapped by the NFL salary cap, projected by several publications to be about $8 million once the new cap comes into effect Wednesday.

They could free up more space by cutting or restructuring the contract of defensive back Pierson Prioleau, who's scheduled to count $1.67 million against the cap next season.

---truncated---

[Mr. Cynical]

.

[DaBillzAhDaShiznit]

update...the signing of Mike Gandy leaves the Bills anywhere from 50 cents to $6.0Mil under the cap. :D


SUM*****!

[shotgun]

THE BILLS ARE 6.52 MILL NOT 652.000 IT WAS A TYPE O

[Ickybaluky]

Anyone have Claytons email address I couldn't locate one. Figured we coul dask him where the heck this number came from

**********

[The_Philster]

49...my heart hasn't increased it's pace at all...

mine either...I have more faith in Clump and Eb's cap-reporting than John Clayton's

[ddaryl]

*********** (jaclayton@worldnet.att.net)
is this the real McKoy are am I being duped ??

expected @espn.com email

[Ickybaluky]

is this the real McKoy are am I being duped ??

expected @espn.com email

That is his email from back when he covered the Seahawks. I've emailed him before at it, and it is still active. I know it worked last season.

[jamze132]

We can always go iron man style. It's kewl

[Samphin1]

As FA, JJ and PW would have had no cost against the cap...that can't be the reason.


My point was perhaps they inputed the new contract numbers but didn't switch Jennings and Williams to their new teams. Essentially, keeping them on the Bills' roster with the new numbers instead of taking them off all together. I odubt it, but that is what I meant. Personally, I think it is just a misprint.

[ddaryl]

That is his email from back when he covered the Seahawks. I've emailed him before at it, and it is still active. I know it worked last season.

I sent our a quick Q+A for him.

[ddaryl]

received a quick response from John Clayton




I'm going off management council numbers. There were at $650,000 on Thursday. They cleared $1.6 million of room Friday morning, so they are at $2.265 million. That's no misprint. They don't have much room.

[OpIv37]

received a quick response from John Clayton

there are a whole bunch of words I want to use, but they're all going to be censored

TD can kiss my ass

[Italian Stallion]

Thats BS.... nice try ddaryl i wont billieve that for a second....

Lets see the actual email

[Jersey1031]

what the hells going on...is that a legit email or what? where the hell did all the money goo?

[Italian Stallion]

what the hells going on...is that a legit email or what? where the hell did all the money goo?


No he's obviously messing around to get attention...Why would Clayton just give some guy a "quick response" with all that he's probally up to? and also why would he divuldge where he got the info to just some guy??

FAKE

[Jersey1031]

No he's obviously messing around to get attention...Why would Clayton just give some guy a "quick response" with all that he's probally up to? and also why would he divuldge where he got the info to just some guy??

FAKE


haa, okay...thats a mean trick. cant be jokin around wit this stuff

[Ickybaluky]

I've emailed Clayton 3-4 times before and he always sends a quick reply. He actually seems like a pretty good guy.

I've emailed Len Pasquarelli several times as well, and he always ignores me.

As for the cap figure, I'm willing to bet that NLTBE incentives earned last year carried over as an adjusment this year, which reduced the Bills cap (that adjustment occurs for each team, either increasing or decreasing their cap limit).

The other part is escalators. The Bills seem to build escalators into a lot of their contracts. This helps them sign guys cheaper, but means it could be more expensive if those players perform well. Several examples of this have already been reported, like Mike Williams, Nate Clements and Coy Wire.

One that hasn't been reported is Willis McGahee. When Willis signed, I remember Rosenhaus being quoted as saying it "will allow him to be paid like a top-10 pick if he performs like a top-10 pick." At the time I thought it was kind of silly for the Bills to agree to that (why should he get the chance to get paid like a top-10 pick if he wasn't one?), but they likely did so because McGahee would have been a top pick if not for the injury. They had some pressure to sign, as he probably wasn't going to pay and could have held out and re-entered the draft. My guess is Willis hit on some of those incentives last year. Maybe Evans did as well.

That said, the amount of room the Bills have is pretty fluid. Some of these guys with high cap numbers could agree to contract extensions, which would free up a ton of dough this year. They have the ability to create a lot of cap room this way, just because they have so many players that have hit on excalators.

The trade-off is they probably will have to pay a lot of money out in signing bonus when they agree to extensions with some of those players (McGahee, Clements, Williams, etc.). That might explain why they didn't want to give big bonuses to Pat Williams or Jonas Jennings. It probably had less to do with the cap than the amount of cash they have to pay out in signing bonus.

[Dozerdog]

Sounds logical.


The Bills, with the lowest ticket price in the league, aren't swimming in a ton lof loose cash.

[Jersey1031]

damn...the pats fans is a smartyy. good work bro

[clumping platelets]

:ontome:

[Dicknoze69]

I also emailed Clayton earlier today, but I didn't get a response.

It's entirely possible that he's received tons of Bills emails about the cap, and got sick of answering them.

[Mr. Cynical]

Suggestion to the BZ - if that email really works, we should designate a representative from the Zone to be the primary point of contact (I nominate Clump since he is the cap guy). That way Clayton might be more apt to respond, given we'd come off as a "legit group" as opposed to a bunch of knuckle-dragging, rabid fans. :;

[Ickybaluky]

I'll say something else, since we are on the subject.

Cap room doesn't matter. There I said it.

What really matters is cap flexibility. That is the difference between the Bills and the Redskins. The Bills have a lot of cap flexibility, the Redskins do not.

Basically, the Bills have a ton of room they can clear by restructuring or extending key players. They don't have a lot of bad contracts, which are players with big signing bonus spread into the future who aren't playing well.

The Redskins cleared a bunch of room, but they have paid out huge signing bonuses which are spread far into the future. They are spending their future. The problem is, if those guys don't perform the Redskins can't cut them, because that bonus money will accelerate and result in a huge hit right now. If the player is underperforming, they can't threaten to cut him because he knows the team can't do so. That is why they can't trade Coles.

The problem with that, is eventually those players are going to get older or injured, and the team is faced with having to cut them. When that happens, the huge dead money hits will keep them from signing anyone decent as a replacement. You can't keep throwing money at them, in the form of a signing bonus, unless they are performing.

[Italian Stallion]

So ne39, you believe the Bills can really sign anyone they choose to, as long as they clear some room...obviously being smart about it tho

Have I ever told you your my favorite Patriots fan???

PS- what do you think about our signings today?

[ddaryl]

Suggestion to the BZ - if that email really works, we should designate a representative from the Zone to be the primary point of contact (I nominate Clump since he is the cap guy). That way Clayton might be more apt to respond, given we'd come off as a "legit group" as opposed to a bunch of knuckle-dragging, rabid fans. :;
actually I would edit out that email address... Its not cool to have it posted for everyone to use.

[Michael82]

And if it's not so, I'm on the next plane to go punch Clayton in the face.
Can I join you? :snicker:

[Michael82]

:roflmao: This thread is ****ing hilarious! I'm so upset that i missed it today. :snicker:

[Dozerdog]

actually I would edit out that email address... Its not cool to have it posted for everyone to use.
Done

[clumping platelets]

I would like to thank NE39 for his last 2 posts :D

I just said some of the same things in another thread

[Mr. Cynical]

actually I would edit out that email address... Its not cool to have it posted for everyone to use.
That was the jist of my suggestion....i.e., have only one zoner contact him via that email address so that he doesn't get bombarded. If the questions are well articulated there is a chance he will respond most of the time.

[Ickybaluky]

So ne39, you believe the Bills can really sign anyone they choose to, as long as they clear some room...obviously being smart about it tho

Have I ever told you your my favorite Patriots fan???

PS- what do you think about our signings today?

The Bills have a lot of flexibility and can clear a lot of room. Of course, that means they are paying out a lot of actual cash in the form of signing bonuses. That is really where the cash-rich teams like the Redskins have an advantage over the small-market teams. They have a ton of cash to spend on signing bonuses to play games with their cap.

As for the signings, I think the following:

Gandy - If the guy stays healthy, then it isn't a bad signing. He provides depth and is probably signed for the minimum. His big problem has been avoiding injury. He has had one injury after another since entering the league.

Holcomb - I think this is a steal, especially since he took less money to come here than Cleveland was offering to start. I think he got spooked because he felt Cleveland was just going to use him for a year and then cut him when they found something better. He may be a backup with Buffalo, but he has more security and can probably see the full contract. He is making decent coin, and probably has incentives that kick in if he has a chance to play extensively.

Holcomb was a team leader, very popular among his teammates in Cleveland. He is tough, but that has led to his getting injured a lot. He can throw the ball pretty well and will stand in a take a hit. He isn't a guy that is going to run around a lot, but he is comfortable in the pocket. Cleveland had a crap OL, so he got beat up pretty bad, but the impressive thing was he didn't let it effect him. He always came back and played. He will throw the occasional interception, but he can throw for a lot of yardage as well. If something were to happen with J.P., you can win with this guy. I think he is better than Bledsoe at this point. Really, this is the perfect guy to have as a backup in Buffalo situation.

[Ebenezer]

received a quick response from John Clayton


Thats BS.... nice try ddaryl i wont billieve that for a second....

Lets see the actual email

The $2 mil of which he speaks sounds like the Schobel bonus was guarenteed and spread over the remainder of the contract...sounds legit.


As for the cap figure, I'm willing to bet that NLTBE incentives earned last year carried over as an adjusment this year, which reduced the Bills cap (that adjustment occurs for each team, either increasing or decreasing their cap limit).

The other part is escalators. The Bills seem to build escalators into a lot of their contracts. This helps them sign guys cheaper, but means it could be more expensive if those players perform well. Several examples of this have already been reported, like Mike Williams, Nate Clements and Coy Wire.

One that hasn't been reported is Willis McGahee. When Willis signed, I remember Rosenhaus being quoted as saying it "will allow him to be paid like a top-10 pick if he performs like a top-10 pick." At the time I thought it was kind of silly for the Bills to agree to that (why should he get the chance to get paid like a top-10 pick if he wasn't one?), but they likely did so because McGahee would have been a top pick if not for the injury. They had some pressure to sign, as he probably wasn't going to pay and could have held out and re-entered the draft. My guess is Willis hit on some of those incentives last year. Maybe Evans did as well.

I can forsee alot of NLTBE from last year. As I said in an earlier thread there were some unexpected things that happened last year...WM # of plays, WM # of TD, LE # of plays, LE # of TD, McGee's Returns...all add up if there were bonus money tied to them. Bonus money that Clump nor I could account for in our figures.

As far as an escalator for McGahee...if he has one other than for the last year of his contract I have not seen it...his base salary numbers have not changed since his rookie deal was signed (saying that the numbers from the NFLPA will change soon...lol)


I'll say something else, since we are on the subject.

Cap room doesn't matter. There I said it.

What really matters is cap flexibility. That is the difference between the Bills and the Redskins. The Bills have a lot of cap flexibility, the Redskins do not.

AMEN. As clump and I have been saying, there are many ways in which the Bills can find money. The 'Skins are working with what they got, they cannot create any more.