Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.
John Fox and Marty Hurney headed into 2008 with their jobs on the line after an underwhelming 2007 that featured a whole lot of Mittens and not a lot of excitement in Charlotte. They decided to throw caution to the wind and play for "now" by trading their 2009 first-round pick for a chance to pick up both Jeff Otah and Jonathan Stewart in the first round of the draft.
With a healthy Jake Delhomme, Julius Peppers finally deciding to care, a road-grading offensive line and a rejuvenated Smash and Dash running game that featured DeAngelo Williams and Stewart, the Panthers surprised some people by winning the NFC South and looking like a Super Bowl-caliber squad.
Walker was due a $5.2 million bonus, a ridiculous notion after he spent most of the season laid up on the sidelines with knee and elbow injuries. Acquired from Buffalo to solidify the middle of the line, Walker was a bust even when healthy and the Bears shouldn't find it all that hard to replace him next season.
Miller will be even easier to replace. For most of the season the team would have gotten the same production from an immobile block of granite that jumped offsides from time to time. Miller's play at right tackle hurt the running game and the passing game and is a big reason why the Bears will be searching free agency and the combine for new blood on the offensive line. Since Ruben Brown needs to be replaced as well, they'll probably end up with new faces from each place.
In the last frenzied hours of shopping before the kiddies ramble downstairs and start tearing the wrapping off their gifts, the Dallas Cowboys will have to venture to the mall and pick out one last present. The Chicago Bears are worthy of a new bike or a Wii after beating the Packers 35-7 and clinching home field in the NFC for the 'Boys. As strange as it sounds, though, it might have been a gift for Brett Favre as well.
Favre looked completely unable to handle the elements and completed just 17-of-32 passes for 153 yards. He had just nine yards in the first half and had a passer rating of zero halfway through the third quarter. He also threw a pair of interceptions in the blistering wind and bonechilling cold, two things that are more likely to rear up at Lambeau Field than at Texas Stadium in late January.
He wasn't the only Packer to suffer in the wind. If they had punter ratings, Jon Ryan's would be in negative numbers. He had two kicks blocked, fumbled a snap on a third and had a fourth travel nine yards in what will probably go down as the worst performance in the history of punting. Unlike Favre, through, Ryan doesn't really have much else to prop up his resume.
Darin Walker's short tenure in Buffalo is officially over. After failing to agree on a new contract, the Bills shipped the disgruntled defensive tackle off to Chicago in exchange for an undisclosed 2008 draft pick.
If Chicago can find a common ground with him, they'll add another talented piece to their already dominating defense. Buffalo, on the other hand, essentially trades away a quality back-up quarterback and an All Pro linebacker for two late-round draft choices.
It looks like the Buffalo Bills will be moving ahead without defensive tackle Darwin Walker. Contract talks between the two sides have officially broken down and there appears to be little chance of them patching things up.
"Whether we're done talking, I don't want to go that far," Walker's agent, Albert Irby, said. "I've got to hope they change their mind, because I can tell you we're not changing ours."
These talks have been doomed from the very beginning thanks to Walker and Irby's stubborn attitude toward the whole thing. While Walker is quite a talented player, he's not worth much more than he's making. Frankly, I believe it's in the Bills best interest to let him walk. It's obvious he doesn't want to play in Buffalo and his attitude could potentially harm moral in the clubhouse.
If the two sides remain at a stalemate, which it appears they will, Walker will be shipped back to Philadelphia for sixth-round pick. Irby then expects his client to be released by the Eagles, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Comcast Sportsnet in Philadelphia is reporting that former Eagle and now Buffalo Bill Darwin Walker could end up being sent back to the Eagles in turn for a 6th round draft pick. Apparently the Bills were aware of Walker's desire to get a better deal and added the 6th round pick as a stipulation to the tremendous trade that landed the Eagles Takeo Spikes and Kelly Holcomb.
Walker has failed to report to any of the Bills off season workouts and as pointed previously at the FanHouse, Marv Levy and the Bills are ready to let Walker.. uh, walk.
If something is not agreed before August fifth then he will return to Philly and perhaps then be released. The upstate New York franchise will receive a sixth-round 2008 pick in return.
Dan Benton, the FanHouse's local cranky New Yorker, thinks Darwin Walker belongs in Philly anyway, "As far as I'm concerned, they should just send him back to the Eagles. He clearly has a Philadelphia-like attitude and that kind of negativity is not needed." See that picture of me up there next to the post title? That's me rolling my eyes.
With it looking increasingly more likely that Walker will be sent back to Philly, the question now becomes will he even have a spot on the revamped defensive line? Mike Paterson and Brodrick Bunkley are clearly the future and the Birds went out in the off season and acquired Montae Reagor and Ian Scott and drafted rookie DT Jeremy Clark to go along with LaJuan Ramsey. Doesn't look like there will be any room for D-Walk.
This Darwin Walker saga is starting to become a bit of a bore. It's the same old song and dance day after day. He wants this and he wants that, while Buffalo continues to stand firm -- as they should.
I thought for sure this was moving forward the other day when they increased communications, but apparently that's not the case at all. Walker is still skipping camp (without penalty for some reason) and Marv levy is growing ever tired of the situation. He feels the Bills made him a generous offer and that unless he comes to camp and proves himself, he won't be with the team.
"We've made a proposal to eliminate the last year of his contract and he has two years to go," Levy said. "That is a fantastic concession. Let him come in and if he blows us away and he performs, then we'd do it (a new deal). But we need to see some performance from him before we do that.
"So, right now, unless there's an acceptance of that as a tremendous concession on our part, I don't see him (here)."
At this point I think the Bills should look to the future without him. As each day passes, it seems less and less likely that he'll play a single down in Buffalo this season.
As far as I'm concerned, they should just send him back to the Eagles. He clearly has a Philadelphia-like attitude and that kind of negativity is not needed.
"We've had dialogue and we're still hopeful," Walker's agent, Albert Irby, told The Associated Press on Friday. "We've got to be hopeful because Darwin wants to play there and sees it as a wonderful opportunity. He wants to be a Bill in the worst way."
Not bad enough to play under his current contract, obviously. But you know how these spoiled athletes and their salesman agents are. They say what you want to hear and get nasty during negotiations.
Either way, it's nice to see they are finally taking a step in the right direction. I'm sure this is going to cost the Bills more than it's worth in the long run, but hopefully Walker can come in and have a monster year this season.
For the Bills, time is running out on Walker. While August 5th may seem like a long way away, it's going to come quickly. If they really want him to remain in Buffalo, they had better offer him a contract soon. If not, they should just let it be known and collect a sixth-round pick from the Eagles.
When it comes to Schobel, your guess is as good as mine. One day he's here, another day he isn't. Perhaps the 2006 defensive MVP is growing tired of hearing his name in trade rumors. Either way, Chris Brown from "Inside the Bills" expects him to return next Monday.
Notes: Wide receiver Scott Mayle was also missing in action today.
It looks like Darwin Walker's got a decision to make: since coming to Buffalo from Philly (he was part of the deal that sent Takeo Spikes and Kelly Holcomb to the Eagles), he hasn't spent much time at the Bills' facility. In fact, he hasn't showed up at all. He's unhappy about his contract, wants a new one, and is holding out in the meantime.
But here's the thing: 178-year-old general manager Marv Levy is nobody's fool. Everybody suspected he was senile when Buffalo made some at-the-time suspect draft picks in 2006. (In hindsight, the picks were solid, Levy looked like a genius and the rest of came off as jerks.) Now, if Walker refuses to show up for work, Levy's got an out:
If recently acquired defensive tackle Darwin Walker doesn't report to Bills training camp by Aug. 5, he will be traded back to Philadelphia for a 2008 sixth-round pick, NFL Network's Adam Schefter reported Friday.
According to Schefter, Buffalo included the clause in the original trade ... because they knew Walker was unsatisfied with his current contract.
Cue Nelson Muntz.
So, Darwin, when can the Bills expect to see you? Next week, at the OTAs? Great. Oh, and Marv says don't be late ... or it's coming out of your salary.
Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.
It was time to pay the piper in Chicago yesterday and the veterans fell fast and furious. 
It looks like the Buffalo Bills will be moving ahead without defensive tackle 
Comcast Sportsnet in Philadelphia is reporting that former Eagle and now Buffalo Bill 
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The Buffalo Bills and defensive tackle 
Defensive linemen Darwin Walker and Aaron Schobel 
It looks like Darwin Walker's got a decision to make: since coming to Buffalo from Philly (he was part of the deal that sent Takeo Spikes and Kelly Holcomb to the Eagles), he hasn't spent much time at the Bills' facility. In fact, he hasn't showed up at all. He's 
