BillsVet

The Bills are like the bully from A Christmas Story who gets beat up himself. And Rex is like the kid weakly telling Ralphie to stop. Buddy and Doug just love fast injury prone skill position types from Clemson.

I'm not going to totally disagree with this post, although with Whaley, I don't see what he's trying to do aside from avoid the media. He's more adept at drafting defensive players because on offense he's been poor. There isn't much skill giving up draft picks to move from 9 to 4 to take the best WR. Aside from Robert Woods, what decent offensive starters has he selected from 2013-15? Most of the offensive group was acquired via free agency or trade. Where I disagree is how Whaley could do a good job and have the roster foundation outdated. His predecessor had no plan aside from get a better player here, get a faster or stronger guy there. So I guess Whaley is better there. Still, he doubled down on Manuel and that decision is significantly damaging his career. Because after yesterday, we're another step closer to declaring Manuel a bust. And the Bills are trying to cover up the one position that cannot be.

Whaley is in a tough spot because he didn't hire the 2 HC's during his tenure and whatever players he's acquired aren't necessarily going to play under the latest coaching staff. The owner is not doing them any favors either considering that Whaley does not have the job security Rex enjoys. The idea it's as simple as Whaley having control over the 53 and Rex playing whom he wants on game-day is wrought with major issues. This was evidenced by the handling of the QB situation. Whaley was high on Manuel whereas it appears Rex and the staff were not. And so Whaley traded the guy in the way of Manuel playing. But the strategy building this roster has been something based on the 1970s because teams don't win with great defense and a strong run game. For those who think Seattle does this, well, they have Russell Wilson which allows them to throw when they have to. Buffalo doesn't have that capability and therefore gets into trouble when that situation presents itself.

Whaley's been in Buffalo as a leading personnel type for this his 6th season. He may have drafted or contributed to the drafting of some solid defenders, but his record offensively isn't good. And right now, you win with offense in the NFL. His decision or the one for which he invoked the word "blame" this past January on Manuel is clearly not going to produce the guy they said he'd be. Rex's defensive scheme needs work and perhaps he'll do that. What I don't see an immediate answer is at QB, where the personnel people, i.e. Whaley, have not been so hot fixing. You're not going far in the NFL trying to make up for less than a good talent at QB either, and that falls on Whaley more than anyone else.

Those Bills teams in the Marv and Brandon GM years were so thin in terms of talent that a few injuries seemed to undo the roster pretty quickly. IIRC, that was the year after Clements, Fletcher and Spikes were allowed to hit UFA and McGahee traded. It was bad that year, but they set themselves up for it when talent wasn't adequately replaced.

Correct Dave. I made the correction.

A HC needs to define the identity of the team, work with the GM to acquire talent to support that identity, and use that talent effectively on gameday. In Buffalo the GM and HC haven't worked well enough together to build a winner since the Marv/Polian years. Each HC/GM combination since then seems to have been running in different directions and making decisions to support their ego and/or out-dated identity they wanted to establish. Of late, that could be Whaley trading up to draft a WR without a decent QB to throw them the ball. Or Nix taking a RB with his first draft pick to run behind an offensive line that was plodding and immobile. Or Nix deciding to go defense heavy in 2010-12 on draft day when the league is shaded toward permitting offense. Or, the last 4 GMs since 2006 combining to take (EDIT: 2 QBs) in the top 3 rounds when other teams were persistent addressing the position. I know what Rex wants to do. I'm just not sure if he knows how to go about doing it. And what complicates everything is that Whaley's trying to survive as GM with a coach he doesn't agree with on the 53 man roster. Something's gotta give soon, but if I was a betting man it'd be the GM would go before the HC.

It's hard to win in the NFL...then again the same tired excuses come out on TBD every year when this happens. Almost like a broken record.

The modern NFL does not reward teams who try to win predominantly with defense and a run first offense.

Best wishes on a speedy recovery Bill. An outstanding poster and even better person.

Did Bortles' career end already? Because it sure looks like the Jags have a better prospect at QB for the future than Buffalo does. And Caldwell didn't need to spend huge resources on receiving options to support the QB. As for present regime, Nix and Whaley are inexorably linked. Not deciding to take a QB in 2011-12 and perhaps 2014 is why the team is signing low to medium cost options in free agency. Hoping it works is not a strategy worthy of a legitimate NFL franchise.

How much did Dave Caldwell invest in TE's and WR's his first 3 drafts on the job? (2013-2015) Two 2014 2nd round picks in Marqise Lee and Allen Robinson, the latter of whom is playing exceptionally well. Allen Hurns is also productive, a UDFA. And sure, so far the Julius Thomas UFA signing hasn't been great. Meanwhile, the Bills have invested 2 1sts (Watkins), a 2nd (Woods), and a 3rd (Goodwin). Not to mention signing UFAs Harvin and Clay. Caldwell prioritized getting the QB in the draft and didn't make excuses. In Buffalo, it's "QB purgatory."

And all this time I thought Eugene Parker was done embarrassing Buffalo. Then again trading up for WRs without a QB doesn't keep the former satisfied when the latter offerings can't read the whole field and go through all their progressions. And where are the veterans on offense to tell Sammy to keep it in house? FJax would be that guy....

Or Whaley advised the coaches that Cassel wasn't worth a roster spot. And being a good soldier, Rex compromised with the GM on that.

When a team hasn't contended for so long, their decisions, even athletic training ones, will be more heavily scrutinized. There's too much competition in the NFL for stuff like this, if true, to go wrong and expect the team to win. It doesn't look good that two highly paid players returned only to have the same or similar injuries that prevented or hindered them from playing previously.

Maybe Marrone wasn't wrong in wanting to hire new athletic training staff. Maybe it has nothing to do with this either. EJ's injury at the end of the 2013 season kept him out longer than the coaches originally anticipated, or so Marrone made it seem.

I guess the issue here is whether you can lay blame on the GM based on loads of circumstantial evidence. I won't repeat each side's case here, but if Manuel has to play and struggles, then the staff was correct to make him third string and off the game-day roster. And eventually it'll leak out what happened, because most at OBD know this was a go for broke season. We will see.

No conspiracy. But why would Whaley seek to get Manuel on the field if he wasn't at least partially responsible for the pick? And why would Whaley make this statement on the Manuel pick if it was wholly on someone else's shoulders: "You guys can assign blame wherever you want, but when we're in draft meetings it is a consensus recommendation for our whole organization of where this guy's valued and where we should pick him in the draft." http://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2014/12/buffalo_bills_gm_doug_whaley_on_ej_manuel_pick_assign_blame_wherever_you_want.html You can believe whatever you want to support your narrative. Whaley had significant input into the pick and when it didn't go his way under a new staff, angled everything to get his guy at least dressed.

Just say hater. It's easier and shorter to spell. Do you think, with Whaley waiting in the wings, that he would agree to let the guy about to retire pick a QB for him (EDIT: if he wasn't on-board with the pick)? And, IIRC, the Manuel pick was made after Buffalo traded out of the 8th pick. When precisely did Buddy Nix ever make a trade out of a draft slot? Nix was well-known for (EDIT:not) trading down and choosing to let the draft come to him. To that point, from 2010-2012 he didn't once trade down despite being in a major rebuild. http://espn.go.com/blog/afceast/post/_/id/26280/buffalo-gm-unlikely-to-shop-no-3-pick Now attack the article because Tim Graham wrote it.

The issue is bigger than just Matt Cassel and what armchair types think of him. It's about a coaching staff that identified him as the backup who was traded for nothing to help them this year. And how that transaction puts in the guy that same coaching staff said was the 3rd stringer. Player personnel is a nuanced subject owing to its inherent shared responsibility between front office and coaching staff. The issue is whether the trading of Cassel was conducted to permit Manuel to dress, and in case of injury, play. That leads directly to the GM who needs his most noteworthy draft pick on the field to save face. If Manuel doesn't play well Whaley should be held accountable.

Every GM is judged in large part based on their (QB) decision(s) and if they draft one high, that pick is going to be scrutinized. And I highly doubt Whaley was high on acquiring direct competition for the 1st round pick he made at QB. The Bills have gone out of their way over the years to avoid QB controversies like the plague. I've heard nothing about the Pegula's extending the GM, which presumably is based on how the team performs in 2015 after so much was spent this off-season. The idea that Whaley should be immune from criticism, especially for QB moves remains absurd.

Is it reasonable to conclude that Whaley, by virtue of selecting Manuel, had more interest in him playing that the current coaching staff who did not pick him? I would think it logical. Is it reasonable to conclude then that Whaley was not as eager to sign clear starting competition to Manuel in Taylor and Cassel? I would think it logical. Is it reasonable then that Whaley, whom I believe is not signed beyond the 2015 season, would want his guy Manuel, on the game-day roster? This after Manuel was not dressed in weeks 1 and 2. I would think it logical. Therefore, it's logical that handling of the QB position has been done in a way so as to ensure the GM's QB had an opportunity, even if the primary backup, to get playing time should Taylor be injured. I also realize it's an exercise in futility to discuss logic with those for whom fan-hood will always supersede debate. We don't know for sure what happens behind closed doors at OBD, but drawing conclusions based on known facts is reasonable. What's not is going to bat for the team rain or shine, particularly with the track record this team has in recent years. That's not logical.

If you're Whaley and much of your reputation rides on Manuel, it makes perfect sense to trade the one guy standing in his way. I recognize the homer crowd won't admit/understand the team is political behind the scenes, but Whaley's defining move was taking Manuel. And that player was buried on the draft chart when Taylor and Cassel were acquired, neither of whom seemed like Whaley decisions. I say this because Whaley was talking up Manuel during HC interviews in January and felt he just needed more coaching. Clearly the new HC (not hired by Whaley) and his staff disagreed. It is a puzzling move with so little certainty at QB, particularly 2 weeks into the season, to trade your most experienced QB. That is, unless there are other motives at play. I just find it funny that so many moves this off-season seemed Rex drive like McCoy, Harvin, Felton, and Clay. Now, it seems Whaley is trying to show his authority when the game-day roster doesn't meet with his approval and which is the HC's domain.

You could make this case in 2006, 2010, and 2013, at least at GM and HC.

This was in an ESPN article on 10/8 outlining how Indianapolis doesn't adequately protect Andrew Luck: Then there's this: Since the time Luck arrived in Indianapolis, the Colts' average annual cash value of its offensive line has been $17.2 million -- with only the Lions ($13.4 million), Bears ($15 million) and Bills ($16.2 million) spending less. http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/13816829/andrew-luck-injury-no-accident Buffalo's approach too frequently is to draft OL when in need. In 2009 it was select Wood and Levitre high when their guards were so poor in 2008. Same can be said in 2013-14, prompting the selection of Miller. Meanwhile, Kouandjio, taken to presumably to start at RT in 2014, is quickly headed toward bust status. The one bright spot has been Incognito, no doubt motivated to get back into the NFL. Some will say the Bills tried to sign free agents this off-season in an attempt to improve the unit, but that's only because their drafting has been so poor for so long. The other veteran Bills OL starters acquired via the draft, Glenn (2012), Wood (2009), and Henderson (2014) are essentially stuck between mediocre to average. At least at this point. Jim McNally was renowned as one of the better OL coaches and was with the Bills from 2004-07. The point is, good coaching rarely if ever makes up for bad talent and McNally, save for one player specifically, couldn't elicit great results from those OL units during his tenure. Which goes to show not drafting better combined with some more savvy UFA signings is a big issue in Buffalo, as it has for many years.