BillsVet

A consultant is going to review the organizational chart and make recommendations on improving management, specifically the football people. After a review of the organization, they'll make recommendations on who stays and who should go to the owner. At this point, ownership can take that advice or decline, but this is a high level review of Bills management.

Neither did today's game...particularly for the home team who chose to play their JV team in the second half.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap2000000366156/article/doug-whaley-bills-planning-to-be-a-playoff-team Do you disagree with the GM on their goal for 2014?

The most recent rebuild started in 2010 when Whaley and Nix were hired, and since then most of the players on this team were acquired. Did anyone highlight the 4 to 6 win improvement in 2010-11? That meant nothing when they won 6 games in 2012 and then 2013. If there's one thing that should be fact, it's that success doesn't translate from one season to the next, particularly when you don't have a top QB. If there's an agenda, it's people who make excuses when the team doesn't live up to expectations. I already see the goal-posts being moved to get some critical fans away from declaring it was a playoffs or bust season as described by the GM, among others.

Nice straw-man argument there talking about a Super Bowl win. No one expected that in 2014. But a playoff appearance was a reasonable expectation. My question to you is: Would you brief the new owner and highlight winning 2 more games? Do you think that's good enough when you trade up for Watkins, then bench Manuel and sign Orton?

How can a fan be negative if the cumulative record since 2010 is 30-49? Ironically, that's about the same record Donahoe had from 2001-05. Progress and potential are the same thing to me...it means you ain't done anything yet.

5 non-playoff seasons between them. They get credit for that. Who started the narrative of improved talent? The same guy who said the HC had changed the culture. BTW, where's that baby?

What about the strategy to build the Panthers in 1994-96? That said, the NFL has changed tremendously since Polian signed Kelly in 1986 and drafted Peyton in 1998.

I highly doubt whomever the Pegula's hire for a consultant will advocate keeping any of the major players on the football side at OBD. Consultants have a reputation to maintain just like those who hire them, so recommending cosmetic changes or not removing anyone isn't happening. If it's Polian, so be it. But he's not coming in and pushing to keep a GM and HC who don't get along, nor a non-football guy who still finds time to stop by practice and chat with the HC. I just hope if Trader Bill shows up, he won't arrive at a conclusion that involves his son.

Used to say it in the Army. What if some of the secretaries are men?

Officially, Russ no longer has anything to do with football decisions. Unofficially, he's making some bold statements and publicly supporting the people he hired. So the question is whether or not Russ can stay in his lane and only handle team financial matters. From afar, it seems like Russ isn't ready to let go of the power he held as quasi-owner. The Pegula's have to determine whether the previous lead guy for the team (who hired other high ranking people in non-football roles) won't divide the organization.

I'm not enthused about his play. For a team that puts pressure on QB's (at least earlier this season) I don't see Williams making many significant plays. And in the last two weeks he's been poor in run support. He's definitely not close to the worst, but the Bills talked him up so much last off-season and it's not there for me.

A HC interview is as much for a team to interview the candidate as it is the candidate interviewing the team. No one wants to go to a team that doesn't have a solid plan, particularly at QB. Buffalo is short there going into 2015. In hindsight and after reading Polian's book, I'm skeptical that Russ Brandon being involved and the leader to interview HC candidates in 2013 could work without a huge dose of luck. Nix and Whaley were better, but I don't think they had as much input on the decision to hire Marrone. The big difference today is that everyone knows the franchise is in better hands. We'll see if there are further changes with new ownership, but I wouldn't discount the Bills under the Pegula's from getting better HC options if it comes to that.

No team is ever perfect in personnel evaluation, and the Bills haven't shelled out big dollars on their own guys or UFA's, but the bigger money signings haven't been impressive. Wood has been talked about here. Aaron Williams seems to get beat in coverage and takes bad angles to the ball. The good has been trading for Jerry Hughes, re-signing Dan Carpenter, and to a lesser extent, UFA Corey Graham. Mike Williams was released and Bryce Brown hasn't seen much of the field. The other lower-cost signings/re-signings like Alan Branch, Lawson, Chandler, McKelvin, Chris Williams, Rivers, Spikes, and Dixon have been so-so.

He had some great soundbites though.

He also has answers to questions they don't ask. Like the time he told GR that the HC he hired had "changed the culture."

As crazy as Doug Whaley predicting playoffs after trading up for Watkins without having a QB on the roster with more than 10 starts in the NFL.

It makes you wonder why Russ feels obligated to discuss parts of the team he has no responsibility for. And it's also strange because the people who should be most concerned (above the coach-player level) with winning are the GM and Owners who have remained silent since the sale was approved in October. Excellent post.

Reminds me of Dick Jauron more now than ever. The plan isn't flawed, the players didn't execute. I expect a HC and coordinators to have a healthy ego. But not so much that they're unwilling to adapt to an opponent, even a 2-11 team playing for nothing but pride.

Every Bills fan has to ask, after these past two years is whether or not this team is ascending, treading water, or descending. It'd be hard to say they're on the up or down at this point, but they do very well treading water coming in comparison to the previous GM/HC. A probable +2 in wins from 2013 to 2014 is nice, but not answering the QB question, seeing a regression of the OL, and not winning games like home versus NE, KC, and at OAK isn't enough. New owners are in the building and God rest Mr. Wilson, but the team had stagnated. I hope and believe their expectation is to be better than average, which is what the 2014 Bills are. We'll see in the next few weeks.

Are you from Oneonta perhaps?

Maybe Whaley can trade a first round pick for Lynch now that he's not happy in Seattle. Oh wait...scratch that.

Need better football people at all levels of management in order to identify the right players. Somehow Whaley is escaping criticism, but it's his responsibility to build a better OL and not be in July/August looking for a veteran backup QB. If they haven't figured out how to win by now...then there aren't any excuses left.

That's all you have? Lol I guess when you can't debate the natural reaction is to attack people. Nice try Hondo.

The team president and his personal PR campaign has become a joke. Do you believe his claim that Marrone has changed the culture? That is the point here and it should not be surprising given that Marrone was hired by Brandon and Nix. This narrative that Brandon is an innocent bystander to this non-playoff season is so hilarious.