Bills trade Jason Peters to Eagles for Draft Picks
Well I guess that headache is gone. Let that be a lesson to you in your professional career. A contract is only as good as the relationship behind it. In this case the relationship was very sour. Left tackle Jason Peters was no longer willing to play for the Buffalo Bills for his previously agreed to salary contract. He wasn’t winning that one with the fan base either.
Face it, these guys make more money in a year than any of us make in ten years or even a lifetime. The “I’m underpaid crybaby Peters is history.” Seeeee-ya! It just really sucks but when it comes down to it, there are a bunch of NFL players out there who care less about the sport and even less about the fans. Peters is one of them. There are hundreds of thousands of Bills fans out there that dreamed of playing for the Buffalo Bills ever since elementary school. Many of them would play for free if they had the opportunity.
Then you have guys like Peters who are all about the money. I wish the league was toss these guys right out of the NFL. Let them go play in Europe or Canada. I can understand that they want to get paid what they are worth. So would I. But, a contract is a contract. The guy agreed to play for the Bills for a stated amount of coin. The Bills helped train him to become one of the best left tackles in football. Then he spits in everyone’s face and says “Screw you. I’m worth more now.” Not just a little more either. Nope. The guy wanted to be the top paid LT in pro football. Whatever dude. Seeeeee-ya!
It is unfortunate that it had to end this way. I really think the Bills made a generous offer to boost his pay way above his negotiated contract. The guy is just too damn greedy. With that attitude, he could never earn his way into the hearts of Bills fan. So be it. Go play for someone who wants to overpay you.
Now what are we going to do at left tackle?
Looks like Langston Walker is going to have the job. That is unless the Bills are able to bring someone else in. Walker did a good job early in the 2008 season when Peters was being a dick. Hopefully, he can play up to that level again. If the Bills can upgrade at least one other position on the O line, they could be just as solid if not more so than last year. We really should have been able to run the ball better behind last year’s lin. But, that is another story.
Like many other fans out there, I am a believer in spending money on the offensive and defensive lines.
Spend within reasonable limits though. It is a lot easier to find a serviceable offensive lineman then it is to find a good quarterback, running back or tight end.
Both lines are the closest guys to the ball when it is snapped. Without good play from either one, your team is almost guaranteed to suck. You won’t find an elite offense without finding exceptional play from its offensive line. You won’t find an elite defense without corresponding excellence on the D line. I just wish we could get an offensive line that would play as one solid cohesive unit. You know good teams will still get a sack here and there. Sometimes the quarterback just holds the ball too long. But, with solid play from the big guys you will get the big plays from your flashy HB, QB and WR.
Look at the Denver Broncos offensive line a few years back. For quite a stretch, they were plugging in running back after running back and still getting huge yards on the ground. It didn’t seem to matter who they used at running back. Everyone looked good. Now, if you’ve got a quarterback like Brady or Peyton Manning, an average line will appear much better. When you don’t have an elite quarterback, you had better have an offensive line that can compensate to some degree.