One of two free agents that the Buffalo Bills wined and dined on Tuesday has agreed to a four-year contract with another team. Robert Meachem, a wide receiver previously with the New Orleans Saints, has agreed to a four-year, $25.9 million deal with the San Diego Chargers, per ESPN’s Bill Williamson. (Buffalo Rumblings)
Mind of Joe
I guess Meachem didn’t like sharing a meal with Mario Williams. Does it sound like someone was just trying to up his offer from other teams? Maybe. I will say, 6-million a year is pretty much what I thought he’d get in the open market. Anyone who thinks the guy was going to get 4-5 million a year is living in 1997. Do you think it would be outrageous if the Bills upped their offer to say 6.5 million? I don’t think so. I would love to know what the Bills were willing to offer Meachem. I’m not saying that all of this hoopla is just window dressing, but they better believe that they are going to have to overpay to sign some of these guys. Of course, Meachem could have just wanted to journey to Sol Cal because Phillip Rivers is much better than Ryan Fitzpatrick and San Diego is a tad bit nicer than WNY.
Frankly, I’m not crying the blues as I’m not a fan of Meachem. Yes, he’d be an upgrade over Donald Jones. Yes, he can stretch the field. Yes, he’s a former first round pick. However, he’s coming from a system in which Drew Brees made everyone look good. Brees and Sean Payton could design pass patterns for a dog to run routes in. I look at Meachem’s body of work and I’m not that impressed. I think his play is all about being in the Saints system. His career high in catches for a season is 45 and he’s only had four 100-yard games in four years. Sorry, but for a first round pick, that seems like a bust to me.
Anyways, the big fish to catch is Mario Williams. If they just signed him and used whatever money they were offering Meachem and put it towards #90, I’d be cool as a cucumber. Heck, they can close up free agency shopping and draft a WR in the first round. That’s the guy I want. Pass rush has been my biggest need for the Bills since Bruce Smith retired. If they sign Mario, it will be like a 180 for how players/league views the Bills. They will all of a sudden be a destination for players to want to play and get paid in.
I’m still in shock that Ralph would be willing to give this guy the biggest deal in NFL history for a defensive player. 50 million guaranteed, maybe? I don’t wanna say window dressing, as if you showed any sort of doubt on Twitter, you’d be met with unfollows, but that’s just a huge reversal of fortune for what the Bills have been willing to spend the last 12 years.
Hate to be a hater, but If they don’t get the job done, I’m not going to say “Oh well, they gave it the old college try. They are serious about winning.” Screw that. Finish the job and overpay. I don’t care what Buddy and Russ say on WGR. What were they suppose to say? The Bills aren’t doing anything? We want Bob Corkum? You know how many times I’ve heard someone from One Bills Drive mention unlimited resources, only to result in Andra Davis and Dick Jauron? How many times did we hear Larry Quinn on WGR make up crap about the Sabres making changes? Half these guys who go on the radio are just trying to appease the fans.
Here’s an interesting email I got about the whole hoopla as far as window dressing goes:
Interviews are public relations. They do
interviews to shape the public perception. Sometimes honesty aligns
with the smart PR move. Other times, it’s better to tell the public
what they want to hear and lie. How can anyone tell the difference?
If they’re lying, the results will expose the lies.
But how can anyone tell the difference
between a lie and a result that was out of the teams control? If the
Bills miss on Mario Williams, did the Bills not offer enough money to
sign him or he did he just choose to go someplace with a beach?
If you ask me how much value I put on Buddy Nix’s words that he
says on the radio, I’d say there is smoke. There’s smoke. It’s
interesting. But it’s not a fire. The fire (for some) is flying
Williams into Buffalo. The fire (for others) is learning that Williams
has signed the contract.
The fire for me is signing Williams.
I know, I’m a cynic. I sound like I’m just trying to cry up a storm. I didn’t expect any of this really and should probably be happy that the Bills are making the last 24 hours interesting. However, it is like being a spoiled kid who wants more, except in this case, we are just starving orphans who want a bigger piece of the bread. Jets and pictures at airports are fun, but sign on the dotted line is my meal ticket.
Trust me, I hope they sign him so I can write an apology. I want them to sign everyone. I’m begging to be proved wrong. However, I can’t let one day of Mario Williams doing his best Ric Flair by limousine riding, jet flying, kiss stealing and eating at Tempo eliminate the last 12 years of Bills disappointments. I just can’t have my moment of being Lieutenant Dan while jumping off a shrimp boat and making my peace with the football Gods. Not yet.
On that note, it is going to be an interesting Wednesday, right?
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