No Comp Picks; 7th rounder for Holcomb? As expected the Bills were not awarded any compesatory picks by the league. That is because they gained more free agents then they lost last year. That means the team has eight picks in the upcoming draft. They added a pick in the 2008 draft in yesterday's trade. Chris Brown for the Bills official website reports he heard that pick is a 7th rounder and is for Kelly Holcomb not Takeo Spikes.
Need For DT Facilitates Trade: Marv Levy called the departing Takeo Spikes a good person but felt the need to upgrade the defensive tackle position made this trade worth making. Reports say Spikes had grown unhappy in Buffalo and asked for a trade because of the constant flux in the organization. He reportedly wasn't happy with the team losing both London Fletcher and Nate Clements in free agency.
Wilson Pleased With Revenue Sharing: Ralph Wilson said the new revenue sharing plan approved by the league's owners yesterday would not have been possible without the help of Chuck Schumer. The Bills owner is pleased with the deal and says it gives the Bills a chance to stay competitive in a small market. He feels the team would not be able to survive without it but cautioned it wasn't a total solution. He called it a Band-Aid situation that will help clubs. The deal is retroactive to 2006 and will include $430 Million in aid over the four years of the agreement to small market teams.
Monday March 26, 2007
Bills Trade Spikes, Holcomb: The Bills made what would be considered a major trade by NFL standards as three people and a draft pick were involved. The Bills sent Takeo Spikes and Kelly Holcomb to the Philadelphia Eagles for DT Darwin Walker and a conditional draft pick in next year's draft. Walker has started all but five games in his five year career and has 26 career sacks. He had 36 tackles last year and immediately upgrades the middle of the Bills defensive line. Spikes no longer fit in the Bills plans as his $4.6 Million paycheck this year wasn't feasible considering his Achilles injury two years ago. Holcomb didn't fit in the Bills plans this year as Craig Nall is expected to move up to the number two spot. What do you think of the trade? Take our poll on our homepage and let us know.
Plan Passes: The new revenue sharing plan that came out of the qualifying committee passed today by a vote of 30-2. The Bills voted for it, while small market teams Cincinnati and Jacksonville voted against it. Not all the details are known at this time but one of the qualifiers states that team's with stadiums less then 10 years old will get penalized some money in the plan. That is likely the reason why the Bengals split from the Bills and voted against it. The plan is retroactive to 2006 which means the Bills should get a decent amount of money, since they voted for it hopefully Ralph Wilson will be happy and optimistic about the long term survivial of the franchise in Buffalo.
Revenue Sharing Plan On The Table: WIVB-TV is reporting that the qualifying committee has agreed to a revenue sharing plan that would balance the power and give small market teams relief under the new collective barganing agreement. Ralph Wilson was part of the eight member committee and said it is imperative that a plan be reached for the long term survival of the Bills. Now the hard part, the proposal goes to the vote of the entire league at the owners meeting as early as today. If a 2/3 majority doesn't pass it, it goes to the commissioner's desk.
News Archives index
Latest News Section
Archives Library
Back to Bills Daily Homepage
Free Agent LB May Visit This Week: A report out of the Orlando Sentinel says that Dolphins free agent LB Donnie Spragan will visit the Bills this week. Spragan has some starting experience but was pushed out of Miami when they signed Joey Porter. He started for Miami the past two seasons and has had surprising little interest on the free agent market. His best year was three years ago in Denver when he played 16 games and had 88 tackles.