BillsVet

He's talked about QB purgatory during the summer of 2015, football not being a game for humans, how that they want to build a foundation (after 4 years of him at the helm) at the end of season post-mortem PC, schmoozed the new owners, traded down for his franchise QB, traded up for a WR without having a QB, undermined the previous HC, with front office leaks to the media, didn't get along with another HC, traded a backup QB to ensure his first round (and then 3rd strong) QB was on the game day roster, said his 2016 first rounder would be fine for the season (and was then injured in non-contact drills), declared the first 3 picks of that draft as off the bus starters, and used the word "excited" in every one of the 3 comments he gives each season to the media. Oh, and shared in the team's 30-34 combined record since he became GM in 2013. He's a keeper!

When does their honeymoon phase end? 5 years? 10 years? Or whatever is convenient to deflect criticism off them. They've owned the team 2 full seasons and are 15-17 during that time despite massive spending on UFA's and retaining other players. Being just under .500, given the resources used, is underachieving. At the very least they share in the fault for the team's lack of results with their now fired first stab at a HC and the GM they elected to keep upon purchasing the team.

Perhaps they're finally investing in the concept of real competition at the most crucial position. As opposed to providing "competition" to EJ through acquiring Kevin Kolb.

He had a 1 year prove it deal...and some foolish team will sign him based on his 2016 season. Not a significant loss, but on a team with thin depth all around and not much cap space it could get tough to find other low cost UFA's to fill the void. And it's not wise to expect rookies to start and play well.

Doing things the same assumes the players don't regress at all. I find it hard to believe, especially the offense, that there wouldn't be a fall off. Incognito is 34 next season, Wood's had a few serious injuries, the RT spot is a black hole, they'll likely lose Woods to UFA, McCoy is a 29 year old back, Tyrod has more film on him, etc. Things never stay the same from year to year. Rosters churn and coaches are fired.

Fans blame players and coaches because it's easier to observe on-field events than try and understand a GM who largely works behind the scenes. The GM should be, in concert with the HC, an architect of the organizational strategy. That includes creating an identity, which in this age must include finding a QB. Finding a QB comes down more on the GM. He's been great at making excuses or deferred (as he did with Rex) to someone's idea. Now it's time to get the decision right. There is no more "QB purgatory."

Overdorf and Whaley have Buffalo's cap situation among the bottom quarter of the league with poor depth across the board. I doubt regardless of who the HC is they can continue the spending pace they started in 2015 and still be a .500 team. Something's gotta give and it'll likely happen this season.

"Whaley" and "productive draft?" The GM seems to be in win-now mode every year trying to prove everyone wrong that his method of spend big, trade picks, and not address the QB position will work. He's been successful because ownership actually believes Whaley knows what he's doing despite the results over the 4 seasons he's run the team.

Lil Doug... The roster is so thin, top heavy, and in need of serious improvement (QB, WR, OT, S, CB, LB, perhaps DT) that it shows the past 4 years have been DW spinning his wheels desperately trying to win now. Except they didn't win now. But hey, that Jerry Hughes trade!

And with the 7th least amount of cap space before any cuts and several expiring contracts.

He's impressed ownership though and that's all that matters. They will have to learn the hard way that their GM is all hat and no cattle. And if it's the GM who wants to start Cardale, then perhaps he thinks his leash on life is a lot longer than many would like it to be. I have a feeling McDermott is going to fight the same battles his two predecessors did with Whaley on the roster. A good GM is focused on winning down the road without taking his eye off the present day. A HC is more concerned with the now. The roles in Buffalo place the incumbent GM in more of a win-now mode to save his job, while the HC enjoys what I would think is greater latitude to begin changing the team. I'm very interested to see how that relationship plays out.

The GM has been with the team for this now his 5th off-season in that role. The HC is entering his first. The coaching staff is set and the personnel group hasn't changed. I could see the front office trying to win-now and the HC saying rebuild now that the later has completed player evaluations. McDermott has no allegiance to the people Whaley has acquired and proven incapable of winning with. Blame that on the previous HC, but the roster is thin at multiple positions due to bad drafts picks, trading of picks, and bad contracts. It will be interesting to see how Whaley gets along with his 3rd HC and if he can suddenly work well with one.

That's a lot of holes for a GM to address in one off-season. Probably time to start rebuilding, accumulating draft picks, and developing younger players. Then again, it's Doug Whaley, and trusting him to get most if not all the key decisions correct is folly. This is where the Bills find themselves after 4 off-seasons of his stewardship.

He worked wonders with EJM.

This is where the apologists step in and proclaim that Whaley could never have known that Prescott would be selected where he was and therefore the GM is absolved. And furthermore, no one in the NFL knew Prescott would play as well as he did. The trade for Ragland is a microcosm of what's wrong with the franchise. Moving up for ILB's when your QB situation is not good and then taking a huge project QB so as not to disturb EJ's roster spot. Not taking QB's in the draft almost ensures you don't ever find a worthwhile QB. If there's one common denominator to the Nix/Whaley years it's an under-investment in the QB position and over investment at positions like LB and WR.

Who are "the Bills" that are happy? The only holdovers are the front office types who picked him last year and of course they're "happy" as they were with EJ at the end of 2013. If they weren't "happy" it'd be quite an admission their decision wasn't right. Saying something enough doesn't make it true. Point is, he's not close to starting in his second season and doesn't make them better at the position in 2017.

1. Whaley acknowledged Manuel had issues by trading up for Watkins. No GM (and let's not even say Dimitroff in 2011) trades up for a WR after a 6-10 season. 2. Drafting a player with an injury history that actually revealed itself is not the best thing to do. Doubling down and saying the shoulder was fine days before the injury really made him look clueless. 3. The contract was ill-advised because they needed to sit the guy for the regular season finale. They didn't want him getting hurt and refused to dress him. It was an awkward place to be in benching the starting QB to ostensibly see what they had in the other two options, neither of whom showed anything. 4. Semantics. The statement at the season ending autopsy and weeks later show he's changed his tune.

http://buffalonews.com/2017/01/26/whaleys-biggest-lesson-bills-gm-light-feet/ Like: 1. Not admitting quickly enough Manuel couldn't play after 2013 and subsequently doubling down on that pick by trading for Watkins the following season. And not subsequently drafting a QB until 2016. 2. Drafting an injured player in the 2016 first round, saying he'd be good for the coming season, then reversing course when that player was injured in non-contact drills. 3. Signing Tyrod to a show me contract in August 2016, which now is an albatross around the team's collective neck going into the 2017 off-season. 4. Stating the team was "close" at the 2016 season ending press conference. Now stating "We want to build a foundation (so) that we consistently compete" I'm sure the usual suspects will parse these points to death, but it stands to reason he's consistently backed himself into corners. It's how you go .500 (24-24) over the past 3 seasons.

Quarterback purgatory.

It's how you remain in "quarterback purgatory" which the GM described during 2015 training camp.

And the current GM 3 years ago traded up to draft a WR in hopes his first round QB pick from the previous year would improve.

Been here 10 years. I'm very well aware.

There is a real inferiority complex going on here if we derive relevancy from our coordinator hires.

What better way to start a rebuild than by having someone in the thick of the last one "leading" the way? The GM has his finger up in the air to gauge the wind and it's blowing toward rebuild. Not surprisingly he's modified his message. Whaley's learned so much from Brandon over the years.

What is Jeff George doing these days?