Criticism of Nix

[ChanOverChin]

Nix has no businees being an NFL GM. He got the job because of his familiarity with Wilson. He was a long time NFL scout, but that doesn't qualify him to match wits with the top flight NFL minds that are the GMs of other NFL teams.

 

I'm afraid that the Bills will NEVER get back to their early '90s glory years until they hire a top flight NFL caliber GM. It all starts at the top. The GM is responsible for far too many decisions for him to not be very good at what he does.

 

At the very least Nix needs to find us a high quality QB to build around. That should have been his highest priority on Day 1. We have no hope without one.

 

Fitz was nothing but a tease. He was never any better than adequate before the Bills picked him. I don't understand why the Bills thought they could make him much better than that and pay the MF $10M+ per season. What a joke!!

[Kelly the Dog]

 

Spare me.

 

Yes, they know more than us because they have access to a lot more info, because of their job. The concept that many people have about sports professionals being these genius experts is so off-base that you have no idea. The main reason these guys get jobs is by making tons of connections, and hoping you kiss the right butt along the way.

Except for the fact that if someone were to put you and Buddy Nix behind a curtain and changed your voices and asked you to break down the talents and abilities of any ten players, 999 out of 1000 NFL coaches, gms, execs, agents, players, scouts and owners, without knowing who was who, would choose Buddy Nix's evaluations over yours.

[ChanOverChin]

Fitz was set to make $10M+ this year. That's not chump change for an NFL starting QB.

 

Nix finally realized that Fitz wasn't worth that kind of money and was ultimately released as a result.

 

The irony is that Fitz could have probably stayed with the Bills as the starter for about half that amount, but instead chose to go to Tenn. as the delegated backup QB for about $2M.

[Lurker]

Except for the fact that if someone were to put you and Buddy Nix behind a curtain and changed your voices and asked you to break down the talents and abilities of any ten players, 999 out of 1000 NFL coaches, gms, execs, agents, players, scouts and owners, without knowing who was who, would choose Buddy Nix's evaluations over yours.

Only 999!

 

Who'd be the holdout??

[Kelly the Dog]

Only 999!

 

Who'd be the holdout??

I actually figured there would be one of the bunch who was thinking to himself, this must be a trick question.

[freester]

While Nix is clearly incompetent and only bills apologists can defend his record. what worries me is that Doug Whaley has hitched his wagon to Buddy. This is an extremely poor choice of mentors. Furthermore, I don't understand why Buddy is still here and Whaley has not been named the GM. Brandon continues to deny that Nix is stepping down. I assumed that when Brandon took over he would replace the GM. Why has the transition not occurred? Why did Brandon not look outside the organization for a competent GM? What has Whaley done to make us think he can be a good GM?

[Kelly the Dog]

Fitz was set to make $10M+ this year. That's not chump change for an NFL starting QB.

 

Nix finally realized that Fitz wasn't worth that kind of money and was ultimately released as a result.

 

The irony is that Fitz could have probably stayed with the Bills as the starter for about half that amount, but instead chose to go to Tenn. as the delegated backup QB for about $2M.

From the reports, although it is impossible to tell, the Titans offered a little more. The Bills were said to offer 12 mil over four years, so 3m per. I think The Titans gave him 6.5 for two, at 3,25

 

But he probably has a better chance of starting the season as the starter for the Bills. It may just be that Marrone intends to start the rookie, and let him learn, whomever he might be (except, perhaps, if it's Manuel, or someone a little more raw than the 3-4 year starters, who may need a month or two on the bench.

 

While Nix is clearly incompetent and only bills apologists can defend his record. what worries me is that Doug Whaley has hitched his wagon to Buddy. This is an extremely poor choice of mentors. Furthermore, I don't understand why Buddy is still here and Whaley has not been named the GM. Brandon continues to deny that Nix is stepping down. I assumed that when Brandon took over he would replace the GM. Why has the transition not occurred? Why did Brandon not look outside the organization for a competent GM? What has Whaley done to make us think he can be a good GM?

It's quite possible for Nix, or anyone, to be a very good evaluator, and yet be a marginal selector, when it actually comes down to choosing player A versus B, C and D.

 

I'm not really sticking up for him too much, btw. I want him gone. I'd prefer Whaley to be in charge of the draft. But you guys are nuts if you think he is totally incompetent. I think Gilmore is going to be a stud. Glenn was a great pick when a lot of people thought he could only play guard. Bradham looked very good. CJ is a stud. Dareus could also be very good.

 

He's had a couple terrible ones, too. Aaron Williams looks horrible. Troup he gets a lot of criticism for but he has been unlucky more than anything. Carrington is starting to blossom.

[Adam]

I dug up an old post-draft edition of Shout! where he was ranting about how great the Lonnie Johnson pick was......

[Mr. WEO]

Except for the fact that if someone were to put you and Buddy Nix behind a curtain and changed your voices and asked you to break down the talents and abilities of any ten players, 999 out of 1000 NFL coaches, gms, execs, agents, players, scouts and owners, without knowing who was who, would choose Buddy Nix's evaluations over yours.

 

Were they in Buddy's shoes on draft day last year, "999 out of 1000" would have picked Graham in the 3rd?

 

Simply put, no.

[Kelly the Dog]

Were they in Buddy's shoes on draft day last year, "999 out of 1000" would have picked Graham in the 3rd?

 

Simply put, no.

No, of course not. But that is a stupid hypothetical.

 

He makes mistakes. Too many of them, and that's why he needs to go. But he is not totally incompetent. That is just foolish, and anyone who says that shows far more incompetence than what they're accusing Nix of.

[Coach Tuesday]

No, of course not. But that is a stupid hypothetical.

 

He makes mistakes. Too many of them, and that's why he needs to go. But he is not totally incompetent. That is just foolish, and anyone who says that shows far more incompetence than what they're accusing Nix of.

 

I would argue that he is totally incompetent. I do not say it lightly. He botched his first head coaching hire and mismanaged the hiring/supervision of two sets of defensive coaches. He allowed (or outright pursued) a horribly misguided switch to the 3-4 and then back again. He bungled the most important position on the roster, QB. He has squandered loads of draft picks including almost all picks after Round 3 made during his tenure. While Spiller is a great player, you can put me in the camp of folks who think that the pick was a mistake given what was, and wasn't on the roster at the time the pick was made. He has pursued extensions of the unpopular Toronto series. He has failed adequately to plan in advance for key departures, of which Levitre is another example. He has only marginally improved the roster during his tenure. He has whiffed on several free agent acquisitions and in-house extensions. He has fielded an NFL team for three years without a QB, LB, or #2 WR - pretty much unheard of for an NFL franchise. And he embarassed himself and the organization by falling for a catfishing scam and then proceeding to blabber on the phone about his intentions vis-a-vis the QB situation for no reason at all (which apparently is a trait of his that has caused some issues within OBD).

 

So yes, while I respect your opinion greatly, I believe he is totally incompetent. He lacks the skills for the GM job. He has shown nothing indicating that he understands how to assemble an NFL-caliber roster and coaching staff, despite blatantly arrogant comments when he was first hired about how easy it all ought to be. I can't wait for the Nix era to end, I really can't. He is a joke.

Edited March 26, 2013 by Coach Tuesday

[OldTimer1960]

Were they in Buddy's shoes on draft day last year, "999 out of 1000" would have picked Graham in the 3rd?

 

Simply put, no.

 

OMG, everyone STOP already with declaring TJ Graham a bust after one season with a QB who didn't have the arm to take advantage of Graham's greatest asset (deep speed). Graham's 31 catches were better than Eric Moulds managed his rookie year. Now, I am not saying that Graham will be as good as Eric Moulds, but it is VERY common for rookie WRs to struggle for a couple of years before "getting it" at the NFL level. Graham may be a bust or may become a good contributor, it is way too early to tell based on last year.

 

Some comparisons to Graham from the same draft:

 

Brian Quick Rams' 2nd round pick (36 picks before Graham): 11 catches

Stephen Hill Jets' 2nd round pick(26 picks before Graham): 21 catches

Alson Jeffery Bears' 2nd round pick (24 picks before Graham): 24 catches

Ryan Broyles Lions' 2nd round pick (15 picks before Graham): 22 catches

Rueben Randle Giants' 2nd round pick: 19 catches

Devier Posey Houston 3rd round pick (1 spot before Graham): 6 catches

TJ Graham Bills' 3rd round pick 31 catches

[Kelly the Dog]

OMG, everyone STOP already with declaring TJ Graham a bust after one season with a QB who didn't have the arm to take advantage of Graham's greatest asset (deep speed). Graham's 31 catches were better than Eric Moulds managed his rookie year. Now, I am not saying that Graham will be as good as Eric Moulds, but it is VERY common for rookie WRs to struggle for a couple of years before "getting it" at the NFL level. Graham may be a bust or may become a good contributor, it is way too early to tell based on last year.

 

Some comparisons to Graham from the same draft:

 

Brian Quick Rams' 2nd round pick (36 picks before Graham): 11 catches

Stephen Hill Jets' 2nd round pick(26 picks before Graham): 21 catches

Alson Jeffery Bears' 2nd round pick (24 picks before Graham): 24 catches

Ryan Broyles Lions' 2nd round pick (15 picks before Graham): 22 catches

Rueben Randle Giants' 2nd round pick: 19 catches

Devier Posey Houston 3rd round pick (1 spot before Graham): 6 catches

TJ Graham Bills' 3rd round pick 31 catches

Thank you. And I don't even like TJ Graham all that much. I would assume he had more targets than any of those guys, but still. He did have a knack for getting open, he was just a little infuriating.

[OldTimer1960]

I would argue that he is totally incompetent. I do not say it lightly. He botched his first head coaching hire and mismanaged the hiring/supervision of two sets of defensive coaches. He allowed (or outright pursued) a horribly misguided switch to the 3-4 and then back again. He bungled the most important position on the roster, QB. He has squandered loads of draft picks including almost all picks after Round 3 made during his tenure. While Spiller is a great player, you can put me in the camp of folks who think that the pick was a mistake given what was, and wasn't on the roster at the time the pick was made. He has pursued extensions of the unpopular Toronto series. He has failed adequately to plan in advance for key departures, of which Levitre is another example. He has only marginally improved the roster during his tenure. He has whiffed on several free agent acquisitions and in-house extensions. He has fielded an NFL team for three years without a QB, LB, or #2 WR - pretty much unheard of for an NFL franchise. And he embarassed himself and the organization by falling for a catfishing scam and then proceeding to blabber on the phone about his intentions vis-a-vis the QB situation for no reason at all (which apparently is a trait of his that has caused some issues within OBD).

 

So yes, while I respect your opinion greatly, I believe he is totally incompetent. He lacks the skills for the GM job. He has shown nothing indicating that he understands how to assemble an NFL-caliber roster and coaching staff, despite blatantly arrogant comments when he was first hired about how easy it all ought to be. I can't wait for the Nix era to end, I really can't. He is a joke.

 

So, who would you have hired as HC when they hired Gailey? I think that at that point, the talent level of the team was SO low (yes, much lower than now) that almost nobody wanted the job. Do you remember all of the "names" that said no? That wasn't Nix' fault, it was what he inherited. That the weak coach that he had to hire could not put together a quality assistant coaching staff led to lots of trouble, too. Agreed, it would have been great to hire a big name proven coach at that time, but none of them wanted the job for what the Bills were willing to pay (again, Nix doesn't control that).

 

The QB position is brought up again and again. You can disagree with the plan, but Nix had a plan to build the rest of the talent base to at least a sufficient level before going after his long-term QB. Fitz was never more than a veteran caretaker in Nix' view and the contract he gave Fitz was not top-shelf starters money. Admittedly, they might have thought they could survive with Fitz longer than they actually could, but as a couple year stop-gap not an egregious error, in my opinion. Beyond that, if you want to criticize him for not taking Dalton or Kaepernick, I can accept that and agree to some extent, but few thought either were the immediate answer. Beyond them, what other QB would you have drafted? Russell Wilson is the only one that comes to mind and while it looks like he is going to be very good, we don't know that defenses won't find a way to combat him (using his lack of height against him by keeping him in the pocket, for example). If it was so obvious that Wilson was going to be as good as he has looked, believe me he'd have been drafted in round 1. Yes, Nix misjudged that, but so did all the other GMs.

 

As for squandering draft picks after round 3, what do you think the league "hit rate" is on those picks? It is mighty low. Besides, he has had only 3 drafts, how do you know what the success rate will be when many think you have to wait 3 years after a draft to evaluate it?

Edited March 26, 2013 by OldTimer1960

[Lurker]

you guys are nuts

Save your breath, 'dog. You'll never convince the "Anyone with a Street and Smith's draft guide is a better judge of talent and/or a more qualified GM than Buddy" crowd of anything.

 

The only recourse is to mine the TSW archives and dig up pearls of 'wisdom' from some of these same posters about past drafts. It's a real hoot, if you have the time to waste on such things...

[Kelly the Dog]

I would argue that he is totally incompetent. I do not say it lightly. He botched his first head coaching hire and mismanaged the hiring/supervision of two sets of defensive coaches. He allowed (or outright pursued) a horribly misguided switch to the 3-4 and then back again. He bungled the most important position on the roster, QB. He has squandered loads of draft picks including almost all picks after Round 3 made during his tenure. While Spiller is a great player, you can put me in the camp of folks who think that the pick was a mistake given what was, and wasn't on the roster at the time the pick was made. He has pursued extensions of the unpopular Toronto series. He has failed adequately to plan in advance for key departures, of which Levitre is another example. He has only marginally improved the roster during his tenure. He has whiffed on several free agent acquisitions and in-house extensions. He has fielded an NFL team for three years without a QB, LB, or #2 WR - pretty much unheard of for an NFL franchise. And he embarassed himself and the organization by falling for a catfishing scam and then proceeding to blabber on the phone about his intentions vis-a-vis the QB situation for no reason at all (which apparently is a trait of his that has caused some issues within OBD).

 

So yes, while I respect your opinion greatly, I believe he is totally incompetent. He lacks the skills for the GM job. He has shown nothing indicating that he understands how to assemble an NFL-caliber roster and coaching staff, despite blatantly arrogant comments when he was first hired about how easy it all ought to be. I can't wait for the Nix era to end, I really can't. He is a joke.

I respect your opinion greatly, too, but some of that criticism, to me, is nonsense.

 

He not only has little or nothing to do with the Toronto thing, but it's great for the team and keeping the team in Buffalo no matter how much we hate the fact we lose the home game.

 

He botched the HC hire, yes, but no coach wanted to come here, and to me Chan turned out to be a better hire than Greggo, Mularkey, and Jauron, despite some bright moments and stretches for all four of them. Plus, the defensive hires are the HC's job, not Buddy's. Sure he had a say in it, and probably a big say, but the hiring of coordinator's is the coaches job, not the GM job.

 

I think the roster is substantially better than it was when he got here. I think there is ZERO chance that Mike Pettine comes here if we didn't have Mario, Anderson, Dareus and Gilmore. None. And even though the defense stunk, and we switched back and forth between 3-4 and 4-3, the players he acquired that can play in both were also the reason that Pettine came. Wanny was the big stink here (along with a rancid string of bad luck). Nix is partially responsible for Wanny though.

 

He misfired on Fitz, but like the Nix incompetence issue, Fitz is not incompetent either, and it's embarrassing to say he is. He played exactly what he was paid, the 19-20th QB in the league. Fitz himself could have been a lot better, He had a completely ****ty year and so he had to go. It could have turned out differently, it just didn't.

 

I don't think he whiffed on Levitre at all, Levitre wasn't worth the money he got signed for and there really wasn't anything Nix could do about it.

 

The fact is, he made some good acquisitions, some marginal ones, and a lot of crappy ones. And so he deserves to be let go after only three years. I wish it was done already. he's a failure and is paying for it with his job in a few months. But TOTAL incompetence? That means he made no good decisions, and everything he does is a disaster. And that's not only not true, it's far from the truth.

[mjt328]

There are many here who think Buddy Nix is "an idiot" because he has blindly not addressed the QB position in his 3 drafts and because he gave Ryan Fitzpatrick a middle-of-the-road starting QB contract.

 

I think that these criticisms are pretty much unfair.

 

First, Nix's only drafts while GM were: 2010, 2011 and 2012. While there were 2 second round QBs and one 3rd round QB drafted over that span whom the Bills might have drafted, none of them were considered such obvious "sure things" that people at the time could have blamed Nix for not drafting them.

 

Looking back the QBs who have been drafted over that time include:

 

2010:

Sam Bradford - #1 overall, gone before Bills' selection

Tim Tebow, Jimmy Clausen, Colt McCoy, John Skelton, Dan LeFevour and Tony Pike (many here wanted these last two).

Nix did select Levi Brown in round 7 and I think it could be argued that he wasn't any worse than the QBs drafted ahead of him other than Bradford.

 

2011:

Cam Newton went 1st overall.

 

Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder went after the Bills selected Marcel Darius. None of those guys has shown that they are very good starting QBs yet.

 

In round 2, Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick went after the Bills selected Aaron Williams. Now, I'll grant that it would be nice to have either of these guys (or at least it looks that way so far early in their careers). I think this is the only pick in the 3 years where you could legitimately lament that "Buddy blew it" and yet so did many other QB-needy teams.

 

Other QBs from that draft included Ryan Mallett who some might like, but I don't see teams lining up to trade for him and TJ Yates who had a nice run in his rookie year when nobody knew who he was.

 

2012:

Andrew Luck, RG III and Ryan Tannehill all went before the Bills' first pick

 

Brandon Weeden and Brock Osweiler went after the Bills' pick and then Seattle took a chance on the "too short" Russell Wilson and appears to have struck gold - however note it is still early in his career. It is possible that defenses will find schemes to keep him in the pocket and make his height work against him.

 

Nick Foles and Kirk Cousins are "folk heroes" on this board for very brief flashes of good play early in their career. Maybe they will become very good, but the odds are not in their favor based on past drafts.

 

So, for those that can legitimately say that they KNEW that Kaepernick, Dalton and Wilson were going to be very good, I say you had a good eye. I don't however see where Nix passed on any great QBs in round 1. Those 3 from after round 1 fooled most or all of the NFL GMs, too otherwise they'd have gone in round 1 instead of Brandon Weeden, Christian Ponder and Blaine Gabbert.

 

If we EVER want to compete for a Super Bowl, our expectations need to be much higher than this.

 

Enough with the excuses.

 

Either a guy has an eye for talent, or he's throwing darts at a wall. Over the last 3 years, Nix has bypassed (several times) Pro Bowl talent at need positions. He's bypassed (several times) solid starters at need positions. And almost every player he's taken has either underperformed badly or been a complete and utter bust.

 

It's not just that he passed on Dalton and Kaepernick, when we desperately needed a quarterback. It's that he pounced on Aaron Williams instead, then boasted that he was a guy who "fell" out of the first round. Nix thought he got a steal. But the majority of reports I read that day said that Williams dropped because MOST teams saw him as a safety in the pros. Nix thought he knew better. But after two horrible seasons at cornerback, Williams looks like a player better suited for...(drum roll)...safety.

 

Same thing last year. Passing on Wilson was one thing. But passing on him for TJ Graham was quite another. Most of the experts said we reached for a speed guy with poor route running skills and bad hands - who may have still been available 1-2 rounds later. Nix thought he knew better. After an unimpressive rookie season, Graham looks EXACTLY like how the rest of the league had him pegged.

 

Bottom line, the GM's job duties include:

1) Hiring Head Coaches

2) Adding Talent

3) Managing the Salary Cap

 

>> Nix's first head coaching choice was a complete bust.

 

>> When Nix arrived, we had major holes at roughly 11 of 22 starting spots (QB, WR2, TE, LT, RT, C, LE, RE, DT, SLB, CB). Now entering his fourth draft, we still have holes at roughly 8 of 22 starting spots (QB, WR2, LG, RE, MLB, WLB, CB, SS). At that rate, we may be competitive by 2017 or 2018.

 

>> Even after cutting 4 veteran starters (Fitz, Barnett, McGee, Wilson), watching a couple retire (Kelsay, Merriman) and letting Levitre walk, we still don't have enough money to be players in free agency. He's done a terrible job of managing the cap.

Edited March 26, 2013 by mjt328

[4BillsintheBurgh]

 

As for squandering draft picks after round 3, what do you think the league "hit rate" is on those picks? It is mighty low. Besides, he has had only 3 drafts, how do you know what the success rate will be when many think you have to wait 3 years after a draft to evaluate it?

I think it should be pointed out that now that the scouting department has been remade, all picks except our 7th rounder were on rosters at the end of last year. When Asper was waived by the vikes last year four teams put a claim in on him, including the bills.

I will also say that players do not agree to resign with teams without believing in what the gm stands for. So changing gm's every three years will NEVER lead to a playoff team because not enough players will want to stay.

[Simon]

Only 999!

 

Who'd be the holdout??

Probably Buddy Nix....

[Mr. WEO]

No, of course not. But that is a stupid hypothetical.

 

He makes mistakes. Too many of them, and that's why he needs to go. But he is not totally incompetent. That is just foolish, and anyone who says that shows far more incompetence than what they're accusing Nix of.

 

Mine was the "stupid hypothetical"? I was just extended your....hypothetical to its logical conclusion (making an actual pick instead of prattling on about a propsects strengths and weaknesses, which takes less skill than actually making a decision). I'm standing by my position that ore than 1 in a thousand GMs, owners, players, scouts, etc...thought that pick was a reach/poorly thought out/flat out dumb. To claim otherwise is just....foolish.

 

Buddy's not the "Head of Scouting" anymore. He's the decision maker. When faced with key decisions, he's consistently whiffed.

 

If you want to hang your hat on "at least he's not totally incompetent", you can have that. Not sure how it helps.