Archives for January 2017

'It’s all on Whaley now though, no more excuses. Or he was really clueless on everything he said he was, which seems like a stretch.'

'Meanwhile, social media blew up in and around the GLOW region as The Daily News recorded several thousand views during their live broadcast. Whaley never really gave the reporters much although he did mention that he had nothing to do with firing Rex Ryan, and instead pointed the finger directly in owner Terry Pegula’s direction.'

'From the sounds of it, Taylor isn’t happy and bridges were burned last week when The 27-year-old was benched in favor of EJ Manuel and eventually Cardale Jones because of “business decisions” in regard to his contract.'

'In 2016, the quarterbacks were average. Taylor was the starter most of the way and while he had his moments, he also had his share of struggles. The Bills could be a playoff team with him, but they also could be better with a more traditional pocket passer. Those are hard to come by.'

'So there was poor Whaley, alone at the microphone for 40 minutes. He gave it the good PR try, but failed epically at trying to explain (a) his absentee bosses’ decisions to fire head coach Rex Ryan last week without including him on the decision, and (b) his collaborative decision with the Pegulas to bench starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor for Sunday’s meaningless season finale at the Jets — ostensibly so backup EJ Manuel and never-before-dressed rookie Cardale Jones could give the Bills the worst chance to win. Or something like that.'

'Even as a backup, Bush was paid $1.5 million this season. That works out to $500,000 per negative yard.'

'Getting fired by the Bills might have been the best thing to happen to Rex Ryan.'

'Pegula based his decision on his own observations, input he's received from his front-office staff over the course of the season, and also on previous discussions he's had with Ryan regarding addressing the team's struggles.'

'"Did I believe that was fair? No, I didn't," Taylor said, adding he's hoping to get a lengthier explanation from the team during exit meetings. "Once we have the conversation and it's actually explained to me why it was done the way it was, we'll move forward from there. But we'll see when that happens."'

'Lynn is believed to be the early frontrunner to replace the fired Rex Ryan for several reasons. Perhaps first and foremost, it would be an easier transition because Lynn has been in Buffalo two years, and was the offensive coordinator for the last 14 games of the season after Greg Roman was fired.'

'Whaley claimed he wasn't even aware Ryan was being fired until owner Terry Pegula called him after the fact, and then he added that since then, he hasn't given the Ryan firing a single thought. It was further proof of the lack of cohesion in the organization.'

'"That's what it showed," Taylor said. "That's what I think it showed. But at the same time, the conversation wasn't detailed enough to know if that was the case or not. Hopefully we can have that conversation this week. Maybe it's today. I'm not sure. We haven't met as a unit yet, nor have I met with the people upstairs, so maybe it will be clear what's the direction moving forward.'

'Pegula has not answered questions from local reporters since Ryan's introductory news conference in January 2015. He issued a five-sentence statement when Ryan was fired, wishing Ryan well and expressing disappointment in a season that ended Sunday with a 7-9 record.'

'"I look at it this way: I'm the GM of the football operation. I was told by my boss that I would no longer be working with a certain person. My role is not to figure out why. My role is to take that information and go forward and put this organization in the best possible way to win football games. So for me, I did not ask."'

'As soon as the words came out of Whaley's mouth, it sounded almost unbelievable: How could the general manager of a team not know why the head coach was being fired?'