A Lesson for OBD

by CBATL32 on Jul 27, 2011 9:41 AM EDT

Let me tell you a lesson that I learned a long time ago that I think applies to being the GM of the Buffalo Bills. I play rotisserie baseball, so we have a salary cap of $280 to bid on players and fill our roster. One year, I had a lot of cheap players that I kept going into the auction. So I had a LOT of money to spend compared to the other 11 owners. Inflation was really high and players were going for way too much money. So, I sat back and waited for the values to start dropping. I kept saying to myself "I am not going to overpay for players."

Well, by the end of the auction I didn't overpay for any players. I did manage to get a few values on some guys, but I also ended up not using my entire $280. It was wasted. And you know what, my team stunk that year. The lesson I learned is that sometimes, given market conditions and the player involved, you have to overpay. If you don't, your team will stink. And if you follow that strategy every year, your team will stink for a long time.

On the flip side, you have to be careful not to overpay for the wrong player. That is an even worse situation to be in. The name Derrick Dockery comes to my mind. But, you have to trust your talent evaluators and if you feel a player is going to produce well for you, and you have to overpay a little for his services, then I think you need to be prepared to do that.

I don't know if Poz was worth overpaying or not. For now, I am trusting OBD. But, I can't say that I am not very concerned that it was so clearly stated that they wanted to keep him but they weren't willing to overpay a little bit for his services. If he was so highly desired by OBD, then they should have spent a little over their budget to keep him.

I just hope they learn the lesson that sometimes you do have to overpay for players that you want. Not to overpay by crazy amounts, but if you want to build a winning team then you need to invest in the core players to build around.

Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.

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Poz isn't and wasn't worth overpaying for

The league is full of LB that make tackles after the ball carrier crosses the line of scrimmage and find it near impossible to drop into coverage.

by Winnie33 on Jul 27, 2011 10:09 AM EDT reply actions

Well its a good thing

This isnt fantasy baseball. I consistently leave money on the table in my rotisserie league and have won 2 out of the 3 last years. You gotta ask yourself was an average middle linebacker who didn’t fit our system and was a serious liability in coverage worth Patrick Willis money? They tried to re-sign him to a reasonable deal and someone else went over the top. That is how it works. Come on Bills fans don’t cry over spilled milk. We handled 4 straight super bowl losses I think we buck up and take the loss of a slightly better than average, when healthy, player.

by ATF on Jul 27, 2011 10:29 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Kirk Morrison made a lot of tackles

for the raiders before he joined the Jags. He led the league in tackles when with the raiders. and now he was released in favor of Poz. Maybe he can be a chepar stop-gap for us.

by Fernando brazil on Jul 27, 2011 10:35 AM EDT reply actions

Only overpay for the sure thing.

Don’t overpay mediocre talent like Poz and Flo, or Whitner for that matter. Go spend your dollars on Joseph, Asomugha, Barnett, Heap/Miller,etc.

by Sluss88 on Jul 27, 2011 11:41 AM EDT reply actions

barnett is equal to poz or the packers wouldnt of cut him

Calling anybody a "career Redskin" when Dan Snyder is the owner is laughable. That dude make moves like he's some kid trading football cards. -greenwood1921

by Gpluehri on Jul 27, 2011 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Seems so simple, doesn't it?

But heck, what do we everyday joes know about running a football team (sarcasm)? Do I think overpaying for Poz was worth it? No, I don’t. So in that respect I agree with the move. The kick to the groin will come when Nix sits back and waits until there is nobody left worth overpaying for, and either a) he is left with a pile of money on the table like you had, or b) he panics and overpays for some sap off the scrap heap that is worse than Poz (like your Dockery scenario, or more recently C. Green). I hope I’m wrong, but I’d be lying if I don’t see this coming.

by billskk69 on Jul 27, 2011 1:39 PM EDT reply actions

Won't happen......

……… Buddy will spend the money by extending contracts of our current players (Kyle, Steve, Freddy, etc).

"There is not a loser in this room." Marv Levy.

by SERGEANT MAJOR THOR on Jul 27, 2011 7:45 PM EDT up reply actions

Bills made the right decision

It’s easy to say they should have offered more and we have the benefit of something OBD doesn’t, hindsight. It has been stated publicly that Poz wanted to play in a 43 defense and not a 34. I give our staff credit for realizing that he wasn’t happy with his role in the Bills defense and not overpaying for what would have been a disgruntled player. The last thing we need is a player with an attitude, like Haynesworth. The team wisely spent the money on someone who wants to be here (Florence), and we still have room under the cap to pursue others.
At the end of this year, we will be in contention for a wildcard slot and Poz will be kicking himself for jumping to a team that is going in reverse.

"Being a Bills Fan is a Tough Job for Tough People…" – Luther6

by Montel on Jul 27, 2011 8:32 PM EDT reply actions