Off-season predictions

[Ingtar33]

The general consensus in the NFL is for a team to use FA as the guide for their draft. You pursue aggressively and smartly in FA, don't overspend, and fill your remaining holes with the draft. For the Bills, the process has been used masterfully by Tom Donahoe over the last two years, as the Bills have avoided expensive gambles in FA, and defaulted to the draft to provide filler for their needs. Using this formula it is fairly predictable how TD will operate this off-season.

Price, will be resigned IF TD can get him for less than 4mil per season.

JR will be gone unless he resigns for less money (2mil per season).

Centers will be cut unless he takes the vet min.

Spikes et al will only be in Buffalo if their cap number stays under 4.5mil per LB.

Donahoe will not spend more than 3.5mil per season on a free agent DT, unless he's measurably better than Big Pat.

Every FA he can't get for this blueprint will become a draft need in April, dictating the positions that the Bills draft.

Put those piece together and you'll see a Bills 'team' blueprint which will make all your off-season predictions come true.

Feel free to agree, disagree, whatever with this, since I’m currently “half in the bag,” and probably wish I can retract half of this come tomorrow morning.

[shelby]

Great post, as usual, Ingtar.:up:

Do you think Price would be satisfied with less than 4 mil/season? i doubt he would.

[Bufftp]

Excellent post Ingtar-are you really TD aka Ingtar? I think your anaylasis hits how TD will do it on the head.

[WG]

"Feel free to agree, disagree, whatever with this, since I’m currently “half in the bag,” and probably wish I can retract half of this come tomorrow morning."

LOL

Let's just hope you didn't put yourself in a position so as to have to chew your arm off! :D

[LtBillsFan66]

Would TD then abandon the "best player available no matter what position" philosophy on draft day?

[TigerJ]

Your post is worthless, Ingtar. The last line should read ". . .probably will wish I can retract half of this come tomorrow morning." I'm kidding off course. Great summary of the situation. I'm not sure that TD will take quite that hard a line with Centers, but I'm not sure he won't either. I think the transition # for LB is right at 4.5 mil isn't it. That would mean if Spikes is transitioned TD will pass.

[mybills]

I've never been sober & drunk at the same time before, but I must be now, because I agree with most of this! :D

<b>Price, will be resigned IF TD can get him for less than 4mil per season.</b>

I think he'll stay here. My gut feeling goes against what many fans have been saying lately. Other teams fear the duo, and intimidation can play a big role for a team. Combine that with their talent, and that I'm pretty sure Price would rather have the ring than to argue about being the #2 man and the money that comes with it! I think these Bills players know where their headed. They are S.B. bound!

<b>JR will be gone unless he resigns for less money (2mil per season).</b>

This one I'm not sure about, something tells me that he's gone.

<b>Centers will be cut unless he takes the vet min.</b>

He'll take it.

<b>Spikes et al will only be in Buffalo if their cap number stays under 4.5mil per LB.</b>

I have a feeling that they will make sure to keep it under.

<b>Donahoe will not spend more than 3.5mil per season on a free agent DT, unless he's measurably better than Big Pat.</b>

Tough shoes to fill/overfill!

[Tatonka]

stop stealing my thunder... i do a nice long write up.. and cant get any responses.. and you come in an hour later and do one, and everyone loves yours.. :violin: :rofl:

there is a maximum of ONE offseason prediction per day.. and i got dibs on this day!

no really.. i agree with most of what you said.. i think JR is gonner for sure.. td is still urked about him not taking a pay cut last year.

i dont think any LB out there is way above 4.5 mill a year, so we should be ok.. but i still think it is a forgone conclusion that spikes gets tagged.

td drafts based on best talent available... at least i thought he did.. but i guess when the day is done, he does get all the holes filled. i guess i really say that, because with a glaring need at DL/DE, with a high second round pick, we took josh reed... and shocked every bills fan out there.

also, i dont think price will be back.. and dont think that TD makes a big push to try to bring him back.

[colin]

I think they might drop some cash on Spikes/Douglas.

[colin]

Oh, another thing Ing, every year TD has made big moves with us. He has had a big signing and done some work with coaches every year.

He signed Moulds, Bledsoe, Willimas, Fletch, and Trey all in his first 2 years.

I think he is gonna cut the dead weight and sign the best FAs out there. We are going to add at least 3 impact players to the D, probably more.

[Cntrygal]

Originally posted by Tatonka
stop stealing my thunder... i do a nice long write up.. and cant get any responses.. and you come in an hour later and do one, and everyone loves yours.. :violin: :rofl:

there is a maximum of ONE offseason prediction per day.. and i got dibs on this day!

lol.. yours was too long. ;)

:jk:

[Tatonka]

Originally posted by Cntrygal


lol.. yours was too long. ;)

:jk:

cntrygal:chair: tatonka

but you all read wys stuff.. :cry:

i can tell people dont read the whole thing when they ask questions about stuff that i talk about in the first paragraph.

oh well.. just trying to contribute...

IM NOT AN ANIMAL:flush:

[RedEyE]

Originally posted by Tatonka


i can tell people dont read the whole thing when they ask questions about stuff that i talk about in the first paragraph.

:eek:
Hey ! I know a shot at me when I read it. How 'bout if I just delete my comments in your post altogether????:redgun:


:) Just kidding ~ as I posted earlier in your thread Tatonka, I'm sorry for not initially seeing the comment about Boss. I'm at work and trying to do too many things at once.

[shelby]

don't post and work, BAMF.....:shakeno:
;)

[Tatonka]

not a problem red.. i am just whinning because i felt like it was alot of work (more than i thought when i started) to organize all those thoughts... so of coarse you want to see that people read your stuff and enjoy it, or at least give you something to talk about by commenting on it...

i have to admit.. i have just skimmed a few of wys's novels before.. :lol:

[shelby]

i thought you did a very nice job, Tatonka.
:up:

[Cntrygal]

Originally posted by Tatonka
cntrygal:chair: tatonka

but you all read wys stuff.. :cry:

i can tell people dont read the whole thing when they ask questions about stuff that i talk about in the first paragraph.

oh well.. just trying to contribute...

IM NOT AN ANIMAL:flush:

:lol:
Who told you that I read everything wys writes?!?! :laughter:


You did a great job. :)

[RedEyE]

Originally posted by shelby
don't post and work, BAMF.....:shakeno:
;)

It's definitly not an easy task. I especially need a personal BFZ editor. ;)

[Tatonka]

Originally posted by RedEyE


It's definitly not an easy task. I especially need a personal BFZ editor. ;)

you need to just take a week off to read my post.. and give me some feedback.. or at least tell me what a great job i did, and how smart i am, and write td to tell him that they need to creat a position to fit me in.. so i can get buffalo a superbowl win! :rofl:

[RedEyE]

:lol: You definitly did a great job, Tatonka.

[Tatonka]

you are the fastes post responder in the history of post responding.. that is like the third time you have done that.. simply amazing :smile:

[Ingtar33]

Just had a chance to read this post (that was some hangover I had ;) ). And while I don't want to retract anything, I certainly would like to clarify a few of the things I wrote.

TD will keep the OLBs to fewer than 4.5mil per LB... Should read he won't spend more than an average of 4.5mil per LB... so if we get Spikes for 5.5 or 6mil we wouldn't spend more than 3 or 3.5mil on the other OLB... furthermore, I think the probability that there are two must have LBers who we can justify spending 9mil on is fairly small when you consider all of the holes that need filling.

When I wrote that TD would sign Price for less than 4mil, what I meant to say is that I highly doubt he'll break the 4mil per season barrier for PP. Simply put, TD doesn't like back-loading contracts, so if he signs Price for 4mil per season, that will probably translate into 3.5-4mil against this year's cap.

Furthermore, JR will have to take a pay cut to stay, not a restructuring, but a pay cut... as will Centers.

TD has carefully navigated the quagmire that is the NFL salary cap, sailing the Bills out of the river Styx... he isn't going to put us back there for a one or two year shot... he's trying to build toward a perennially competitive franchise, not toward the model of the 2000 Balt. Ravens.

Remember, it can take time for FA to adjust to their new team, and we have so many needs, that it is very likely that half our starting D will be new next season... that’s not the situation which will translate into a super bowl championship... so anything TD does this off-season will have to be fiscally solid years down the road.

[Earthquake Enyart]

Originally posted by RedEyE


It's definitly not an easy task. I especially need a personal BFZ editor. ;)

I'll settle for an intern.

The front page needs all the editing it can get. :eek: