I think once they get Lee taken care of, they can turn their attention to JP. No, not the Terrorist Bear, the holdout LT we’ve discussed ad nauseum. Like Brandon, I’d like to see Evans in a Bills uniform for the rest of his NFL career. He’s a valuable part of this offense.

Schouman and Fine may be getting more attention right now, but I’m convinced that Royal will be the starting TE for at least Week 1 of the regular season. He seems to have answered his wake-up call this off-season. Hope he keeps it up, for his sake.

Liked seeing Stroud’s interview of Spencer Johnson over on the buffalobills.com site. Especially liked Johnson’s diplomatic assessment of his defensive line coach, Bill Kollar. You could tell he was trying not to say too much about his coach. Funny. Nice change of pace from Brownie’s usual fare…

The more I’ve thought about it, the more I think Peters will be reporting soon. Once camp breaks, there is a good chance he’ll show up and see if negotiations can be had. I think Dockery’s ‘message’ and as you mentioned, the fact we didn’t sign a OT replacement, seem to be good signs potentially pointing to Peters coming in soon. Once he held out for that long, there was no reason, other than the fines and to get in better game shape, for Peters to show up before camp breaks. Once the team returns to Buffalo, I’m really hoping Peters makes his way in. I can hope can’t I?

Hopefully, an Evans deal gets done ASAP as well. This will also pave the path for Peters’ possible negotiations. I’m still dreading the $$$ Evans gets because I think it’s going to be even more than we would all expect/hope. In fact, I’m guessing if a deal is done soon, Evans will be one of the 5 highest paid WR’s, maybe top 3. That would be ridiculous, but such is the nature of the biz currently. Would he be worth that much? No way, but he’s a quality individual, quality player and a guy with room to grow still. We know he’s one of the best deep threats, if not the best, in the league. I won’t totally criticize any deal he gets because he is a guy that deserves to be in Buffalo and a guy who represents the organization quite well.

I really think Reed could be in for a surprising year if he stays healthy. Assuming he stays in the slot all season and continues the strong rapport w/Edwards, I think he can catch 60-70 balls this year. Edwards really, really loves him and I think with Schonert’s quick decision O, Reed should really benefit. I almost want to say he’ll catch more balls than Evans, but I’m not sure I want to go there yet. I know he’s not a great threat, but he is a good fit for our O. He isn’t likely to score more than 2-3 TD’s, but he should be a major target between the 20’s. Eat your heart out Nick.

I’m wondering why Greer hasn’t seen any time in the slot yet. If McKelvin wins the 3rd CB role, I think he belongs on the outside and Greer should slide inside. He seems to be a better matchup there with his quickness, and he’s unlikely to get overpowered by big WR’s in the slot. Just a thought.

If Reed catches 60-70 balls that would be amazing. But I see what you are saying. It seems this offense is trying to get the ball out very quickly. A lot of deep ins, and then underneath routes with slot WR’s, TE’s and RB’s.

On the Jason Peters note, what I am most interested to see is what he would do to the Chemistry of this team. He will be way behind on terminology, play calling, audibles and presumably game shape. Not to mention there will be an awkward silence among him, his teammates and the coaching staff. I think it greatly prevents him from playing at a Prow Bowl level again. IN fact, I have never been awed by his play on the field. In fact, i was schocked to see him a Pro Bowler last year. That said, he has great natural ability, but he needs OTA’s, training camp and being around his teammates to get better to really help this team.

$15,000 a day not per practice

The Bills can’t waive the fines or it will just bite them in the end when the next unhappy player comes along thinking that a hold-out will help his cause. They also have to negotiate a new contract with Peters once he shows up (assuming they still want him around, which of course they do). The resulting contract will essentially repay Peters over time for any fines he paid to the franchise—just don’t expect to find that in writing anywhere.

about the position battles instead. What’s the scoop on the DT job next to Stroud? Who has the edge? What about the WR#2 position? Is SF82 shocked that his favorite player has a legit shot at the #2 WR job? Omon! Is Wright done as a Bill?

Note that the fine is actually up to $15K/day, not a set amount. So the Bills can charge anything they want – the maximum seems to be just for players who really annoy management. (Ashley Lelie…)
I’m guessing they’ll cut the fines in half if he signs a new contract; that’s similar to what the Giants did for Strahan’s half-million in fines last year.

I am jacked about my chance to blow up Brett Farve AND Tom Brady twice a season. How’s that for the glass half full? I am happy to see the coaching staff is paying extra attention to the rookie.

I was surprised how big Ellis looks in pads. He seems to lack the pure strength he needs to overpower some Tackles, but he has nice speed and agility. I think the kid has some promise.

It’s nice that McKelvin and Ellis can be role players. Everybody wants to catch lightening in a bottle with rookies, but the more natural route is for them to learn and contribute behind starters, and then make BIG steps in year two. This team would have had to start those guys in the past. Marv hated starting rookies and Jauron is the same way.