At least one victory for the Bills this weekend: Left tackle Jason Peters, who represented the AFC in the Pro Bowl last season (if I remember correctly, he was our only Pro Bowl starter. Aaron Schobel went as a reserve, there might have been someone else, too) has reported to the team. Peters had not participated in any team activities this season because he wants to renegotiate his contract, which still has 3 years left on it.
The team refused to negotiate with him until he showed up. Peters still didn't show. The Bills didn't budge. Finally, two days before the season opener, Peters caved. I highly doubt we'll see him in uniform this weekend, since there's no telling what kind of condition he's in, and we installed a new offensive system this year so he's got some things to learn, but the return of Peters is undoubtedly good news. And good news was something we needed after starting linebacker Angelo Crowell went on injured reserve yesterday.
For the record, I think the Bills should pay the man his money. He's one of the best players in the league at one of the most important positions (arguably the second most important after quarterback), yet he's only the third highest paid offensive lineman on his own team (Derrick Dockery and Langston Walker make more).
On the other hand, I think the Bills were completely right to refuse to talk about a new deal until Peters joined the team. Peters should have handled the situation like Lee Evans. Evans also wants a new deal, but he reported on time and worked hard during the preseason, and the Bills have been negotiating with him all along. They have not reached a deal yet, but presumably they have made progress, and more importantly, Evans is still in good standing with the team. Lee Evans always stays classy.
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