BillsVet

Wait, Barnwell's not a Bills fan?

I'm still amazed Mat Castle didn't make it.

Not surprising the amount of straw man arguments used to defend the organization. I could just as easily claim the Bills (EDIT: the Pegula's) haven't extended his (EDIT: Whaley's) contract because he's not won them over. But the trades speak for themselves the past 2 years: A 6th for Mike Williams in early 2015 Brown for a 4th in May 2014. Trading a 1st and 4th to move up 5 spots to draft Watkins in the best WR class since 1996. Trading down from 41st to 44th in the 2014 draft, which netted Kouandjio and Cyril Richardson. A 5th for Matt Cassel this year It's been hit or miss.

Excellent post. Whaley's contract most likely expires after the 2015 season and his decisions need to work out quickly. And now that he's sharing power with Rex, it's interesting to see who stays and who goes. A lot of the guys he's drafted/signed/extended are either not here or not starting.

He'd better be thinking up how he can explain dealing a 4th for Brown and a year later rumored to be trading him. Since the Hughes trade, Whaley's pro personnel decisions have been very questionable.

Brown is a guy Whaley liked long before they made that trade with Philadelphia. And now they're working on dealing him? Chip Kelly is probably laughing over this news.

How about an announcement he's getting a Bryce Brown tattoo?

Kennesaw Mountain Landis rolled over in his grave after this decision. At this point the courts have completely undermined how pro leagues discipline players. What need is there for a commissioner if they cannot discipline players for compromising the integrity of the game? Litigation and people in robes all too often have become the arbiters of everything in society. This was a league issue, not a federal court case. Edit: Landis is not an admirable figure in sports history.

I think a lot of respected journalists over the years knew/know there's been plenty of dysfunction at OBD. Reporting on it would probably not endear them to fans, and so that knowledge is kept under wraps. But with the attention to the NFL growing tremendously over the last decade plus, we're seeing it more than ever. Whaley's worked in a NFL front office for going on 20 years, 5+ of which have been at a more senior level in Buffalo. If he still needs OJT, then I further question his capacity to be a NFL GM.

Does this mean Kryk is on the TBD bad reporter list now? Seriously, the Pegula's were reportedly interested in hiring a football person to oversee that side of the franchise not long ago. Sounds like that individual would come in on matters like this. But what's clear is that a lot of moves this off-season were pushed by Rex: Harvin, Clay, Incognito. You've got to wonder if Whaley feels like his influence is diminishing with Rex the HC.

If by short time you mean 3 years than yeah, Whaley's made them better. All the way from a 6 win team in 2012 (the year before he became GM) to essentially 8 wins in 2014. I'm not sure why you wouldn't expect some measure of criticism on the top personnel guy after this fact. Except it's not that black and white. You can choose to believe that to fit your opinion or look beyond the surface to understand other issues are in play here.

Shouldn't someone with going on 20 seasons in NFL personnel be more savvy than what Whaley is now? Especially the part about understanding how different departments must work together in a NFL Front Office? I'm sure Pittsburgh does things differently in some ways than Buffalo, but DW has been here through 6 off-seasons now.

And let's not forget that Whaley got up on Monday and delivered quite a performance at the press conference. If what Fred is saying is correct, Whaley felt inclined to appear saddened over the decision, yet knew all along what he wanted to do. I guess if this football thing doesn't work out he can try some casting calls in Hollywood.

He's a career minded executive who knows ownership is looking at his decisions building their football team since 2013. And he's contending with a HC more accomplished in the NFL that has ownership's ear because the HC doesn't report to the GM. Why wouldn't he be focused on ensuring his future? This isn't the dichotomy you suggest: That either Whaley is selfish or is going full out for the team regardless of his acquisitions. Every single executive level individual is always focused on securing the future. Some go to further extremes than others. And you know that.

Whaley's most likely thinking extension, and if I were a betting man would say his deal runs through the 2015 league year. People have already forgotten the comment from January when Whaley inadvertently used the term "blame" in discussing the Manuel pick. This is a GM who knows his career hangs in the balance and he's going to go down with the players he's acquired.

So do Bills fans attack FJax or Whaley now? No one knows how Buffalo will fare this season, but I can't imagine if they don't make the playoffs that this will help Whaley get a contract extension. And let's not forget, Whaley gave Fred a contract extension last year for 2015.

All the way from starting QB to perhaps 3rd string. In less than 1 year. EJ may develop. He may not, but he's not developing fast enough to supplant a guy who's thrown less than 40 regular season passes.

Will McCoy be the same runner in his 7th season as he was in say, 2013? Who knows. But what is apparent for guys that rely on speed is they struggle when the wheels aren't there. Pretty much what BADOL already said. McCoy has 1400+ carries on those legs. He'll be the featured guy but I'd assume someone else will be getting decent carries as well in that offense.

That's the main issue. He's been a featured back for 6 seasons now and the shelf life is so short for the position. McCoy is not going to gain yards after contact, at least not the way Fred did so well in his prime. That said, they've identified their guy and he's going to grt his chance to prove Chip Kelly wrong.

Whether plays a role like John Schneider does in Seattle. The HC tells him what he's looking for and Whaley provides options. I think more often than not Rex is making decisions, notably the trade of a Whaley pick (Alonso) for their starting RB (McCoy). The team is being built to Rex's standards not Whaley's.

I don't think you can underestimate this point. Whaley's made some curious moves since he became GM and Jackson isn't a Whaley guy. At the same time, I think Rex has final say and he's not a FJ guy either. Still stinks. Bad

I remember Schopp hosing on 107.7 WNSA a number of years ago. That show's tagline was "sports talk for smart people." A lot has changed since the early 2000s, but I think he, like other local sports media, are tired of watching the organization fumble in the darkness for the light switch for 15 seasons. I don't agree with he or Bulldog all the time, but I sense that they realize it's not going to be the "same old Bills" this year for the first time in forever.

Ever hosted a radio show, college, local, national? Nearly every on-air talent needs to be acutely aware of their words and being deliberate isn't a bad thing in that context. You can't just be a stream of consciousness type and let it all out, especially when it's charged issue. It's so absurd reading this thread. I guess some people are completely intolerant of anyone who doesn't share their opinion...and...they then seek to silence the opposing view instead of just ignoring it. I don't understand why, when someone doesn't like what another says the first person just can't go somewhere else and not be offended. Essentially, this is a digital temper tantrum. And there's no appeasing those throwing the tantrum until the other side absolutely capitulates.

GG: Your signature may never be more appropriate and timely than it is to this thread.

The rampant cheerleading going on shouldn't be surprising on a message board. At the same time, it all but eliminates debate save for a few snide posters covertly defending the organization while giving the appearance of being objective. If the media observes EJ not getting snaps, it's not an anti-EJ crusade, but merely them reporting a reality occurring on the field. I recognize that conflicts with certain fans' worldview, but there isn't some big conspiracy going on among the media. It's just that EJ isn't good enough and the new coaches are admitting that with his playing time.