Augie Posted April 24, 2015 Posted April 24, 2015 Getting Whaley to come to the Bills was his best move IMO. I completely agree. Best and MOST IMPORTANT! A single draft pick is a roll of the dice. Choosing your replacement to build our future is more critical than anything else.
RealityCheck Posted April 24, 2015 Posted April 24, 2015 Nix's purge of the roster was necessary, and of course, a thankless duty. Bringing in Whaley while revamping the scouting department set the table for future progress. Someone had to do the dirty work, and he did it.
DrDawkinstein Posted April 24, 2015 Posted April 24, 2015 I'll just repost what I wrote last time people were ragging on Nix around here: Any disrespect around here for Buddy Nix is pathetic and an embarrassment for Bills fans. The guy took over a franchise that had been crashed on the rocks and sunk for over a decade thanks to its bumbling owner, and single handedly got the ship back in the water and in the shipping lanes. The Bills may not have been the Queen Mary when he left, but they certainly werent the Titanic anymore either. He pulled the Bills out of being a Free Agency laughing stock and to a point where we could actually sign players. It started with Merriman, and he used that momentum to eventually land Mario Williams, one of the top two Free Agents in 2012. It's slow going, if not damn near impossible, to change a culture that has been instituted by an owner happy with mediocrity for 50 years. Buddy was the first baby step in making that change to where we are now. The Pegulas and Doug Whaley are simply building on his foundation. BTW, it's thanks to Buddy that Whaley is here in the first place. You naysayers can cite the team's record over those few years, but Buddy doesnt play the games (or even coach them). I think he did the best with what he had to work with and the opportunities that were there. Sure, he wasnt 100% perfect, but no GM is. I ran into him this past fall down south, and he had a Bills jacket on. He still loves this team and is pulling for it everyday. Show the man some respect for what he tried to do for us fans.
mjt328 Posted April 24, 2015 Posted April 24, 2015 Nix's first year (2010) was a complete disaster. But everything after that was pretty good. This team's turnaround started in 2011 with the selection of Marcel Dareus. There has been a steady flow of incoming talent ever since.
Bangarang Posted April 24, 2015 Posted April 24, 2015 Gilmore, Glenn, Bradham, Dareus, Aaron Williams, Searcy, Easley, Mario Williams, Kiko, Woods, Duke Williams.....I mean, the guy failed miserably at finding us a QB but he added quite a bit of talent to the team that currently makes up majority of our core players. His tenure here will always be smeared by his QB and coaches.
GunnerBill Posted April 24, 2015 Posted April 24, 2015 I 100% agree with what DrDareustein posted above. It wasn't just that Buddy left better talent than he inherited.... it was that he left a direction. The Bills had been directionless. A Franchise that lurched from one failed method to another bumbling around for quick fixes to long neglected problems.... newsflash - there is not silver bullet, there is no magic pill.... having a franchise Quarterback on the field might cover up a lot of ills but even that doesn't solve long-standing organisational issues. Buddy Nix took over as GM and said "we are going to build through the draft first and foremost and when there is a special opportunity in free agency then sure we'll make a move." And then he went and found one of the very brightest, most highly sought after football personnel minds in all of football from an organisation that has been in the last 15-20 years a standard bearer for building through the draft. Our famed defensive front? One drafted by Buddy, one signed as the number 1 free agent on the market by Buddy, one convinced to commit to an extension with a team that couldn't win by Buddy and whilst Whaley gets most of the credit for the Jerry Hughes trade the GM at the time was? Buddy Nix. People also talk on this site (some of the same people who slate Buddy Nix) about the concern that we have 4 of our own that we need to re-sign over the next year.... Dareus, Gilmore, Glenn and Bradham...... all picked by Buddy Nix. But whatever you say the naysayers will be along soon to hate on the man who started the slowest process of turning around this organisation..... they'll say he took Troup instead of Gronk and TJ Graham instead of Russell Wilson. And, of course, he did. But if people genuinely want to look past everything else and focus on his two big misses then they are looking at this with no objectivity. I for one believe that when the glorious story of the rise from the ashes to Superbowl Champions is written (hopefully very soon) it would be negligent in the extreme to overlook the contribution of Buddy Nix.
BillnutinHouston Posted April 24, 2015 Posted April 24, 2015 (edited) Keep in mind, Buddy left after the 2013 draft and upgraded the scouting staff on the way out. By my count, 23 of the current 53 (over 40%) are Buddy draftees, acquisitions or extensions: Robert Woods Aaron Williams Mario Williams Craig Urbik (waiver acquisition) Duke Williams Garrison Sanborn Nickell Robey Jonathan Meeks Leo McKelvin EJ Manuel Manny Lawson Fred Jackson (extension) Chris Gragg Marquis Goodwin Cordy Glenn (Hell no he's not a guard) Stephon Gilmore Marcus Easley Marcell Dareus Stefan Charles Dan Carpenter Corbin Bryant Ron Brooks Nigel Bradham Not chicken feed. Edited April 24, 2015 by BillnutinHouston
major Posted April 25, 2015 Posted April 25, 2015 Buddy should have kept fitz around a year or two longer
Big Turk Posted April 25, 2015 Posted April 25, 2015 Buddy did a lot of the ground work, which unfortunately for him was always going to be a thankless job. Yeah Buddy did a lot of the heavy lifting in formulating a roster with some talent
Buffalo Barbarian Posted April 25, 2015 Posted April 25, 2015 I remember we the Bills announced Buddy as the new GM and I said here we go again, but its time for me to say thanks for starting the turn around! I know a lot of people did not like buddy and think he has little to do with where we are today, and I was one of them but he made some pretty serious moves that we are benefiting from today. Anyways, I was wondering if anyone has reflected on the moves he made, like signing Mario Williams and getting Whaley to leave the Steelers. Please this moron left so many QBs on the table it was ridicules and his drafts sucked. Feeling nostalgic today?
ganesh Posted April 25, 2015 Posted April 25, 2015 (edited) Except when he signed Mario Williams Buddy was a good Gm. He inherited an awful situation full of mistrust and subpar players. He left the Bills with a far better team then when he started. +1. GMs don't hit on all draft picks or drafts. Where he probably didn't do a good job was getting a good HC. Of course that might have been tie with the situation. Edited April 25, 2015 by ganesh
rfk Posted April 25, 2015 Posted April 25, 2015 The jury is still out ..EJ was his guy...and he made a number of misses...he aint going to the hall
2020 Our Year For Sure Posted April 25, 2015 Posted April 25, 2015 He was awful. Quality execs turn things around and WIN GAMES in a year or two in the NFL. A fine scout in way over his head as the trigger man.
Coach Tuesday Posted April 25, 2015 Posted April 25, 2015 Decent scout, horrible GM, and there is a big difference. Team building is about more than hitting on draft picks - it's about implementing a functional system, from the scouts to the coaches down to the trainers. Buddy had zero expertise in this area and it showed. Yes he made some decent draft picks - he's a lifelong scout, so that's not too surprising. He failed miserably at building a team, finding the right coaches and schemes, etc. His two head coaching hires were awful, and he gave both of them too much rope (and not enough $$) in hiring assistant coaches. Those assistant coaches were allowed too much say in implementing schemes and drafting players to fit those schemes. All of this set us back 5 years at least. Sorry but I don't need to re-visit this issue = Buddy was a good scout but not a real GM and he never should've been given the title.
vorpma Posted April 25, 2015 Posted April 25, 2015 Getting Whaley to come to the Bills was his best move IMO. I reserve my opinion on Whaley until after the completion of the 2015 season; still not sold but willing to accept I was wrong. TBD!
Hapless Bills Fan Posted April 25, 2015 Posted April 25, 2015 (edited) I remember we the Bills announced Buddy as the new GM and I said here we go again, but its time for me to say thanks for starting the turn around! I know a lot of people did not like buddy and think he has little to do with where we are today, and I was one of them but he made some pretty serious moves that we are benefiting from today. Anyways, I was wondering if anyone has reflected on the moves he made, like signing Mario Williams and getting Whaley to leave the Steelers. Buddy drafted some good players, and signed some good players. He should get credit for that. And he started out having to work with Modrak and his Merry Men scouting for him, which IMO was a huge handicap. But if you look at his drafts and signings, overall - maybe better than we had, but....I think the reason Nix doesn't get more credit as a GM is that he doesn't deserve it. IMO as a GM, Nix showed himself to be a capable scout and talent evaluator overall, especially once we got rid of Modrak. But strategically, he didn't guide the team into having available several good choices at the most important position, QB. -Buddy was "National Scout" when we drafted Aaron Maybin. How much he had to do with that, who knows. We also drafted Byrd, Eric Wood and Levitre that draft, so hit on 3 of 4 top picks. -2010 1st year as GM. Modrak still here for the draft board. Whaley on board as assistant GM. Spiller, Troup, Carrington, Easley - Easley as a ST ace from the 4th round should be counted a "win". Spiller did not, on the Bills, develop into the difference-maker that was hoped. 2 of the top 4 were injured and took years to contribute/washed out. Carrington is a decent player and still in football. Contributions from 3 of the top 4 players, but too little too late. -2011 2nd year as GM. Modrak fired after the draft, and presumably had less influence on the draft board. Dareus, A Williams, Sheppard, Searcy, Hairston. I would call that a good draft. Hairston played and showed promise until forced out by injury. Dareus is a beast, Aaron Williams is a good player, Searcy is a star, and Sheppard was able to be swapped for Hughes. -2012 3rd year as GM. Gilmore, Cordy Glenn, TJ Graham, Nigel Bradham. 3 out of 4 strong players. I would give that a B, only because by then it was clear we needed a backup plan to Fitzpatrick as QB and Nix didn't pull the trigger. One certainly can't fault Gilmore over Weedon or Osweiler, but Wilson, Foles, and Cousins were all on the board when we picked in the 3rd and Cousins went 3 picks above us in the 4th - close enough for a trade-up to be feasible. -2013 4th year as GM, but on the way out. Manuel, Woods, Alonso, and Goodwin. Woods and Alonso are strong players. Manuel TBD. Goodwin, was puzzling to me since we'd taken TJ Graham the year before, but I can't look at that round and say "Player X wasn't higher on our board? Seriously? Seriously?" Overall, I would say once Modrak was gone, Nix succeeded at drafting some great talent and at least finding NFL-capable players in the 1st 4 rounds. 3 out of 4 players able to contribute is good drafting for any team! Overall, he tended to draft players with health problems and gave players too much time to develop, but that's presumably also a coaching decision. All that pales before his fatal flaw, which was failure to draft and develop a QB for his first 3 years. In particular, 2012 was a deep year for QB talent and I can not forgive Nix for trading up to take TJ Graham with Wilson, Foles, and Cousins all available. Edited April 25, 2015 by Hopeful
Dorkington Posted April 25, 2015 Posted April 25, 2015 Definitely missed on a couple picks, and FA pickups, but he was a big part in changing the culture of the roster imo... Whaley has continued and improved upon it, so far. Still, until we get a QB, I doubt any Bills GM will get much in the way of real credit.
Hapless Bills Fan Posted April 25, 2015 Posted April 25, 2015 Nix's first year (2010) was a complete disaster. But everything after that was pretty good. This team's turnaround started in 2011 with the selection of Marcel Dareus. There has been a steady flow of incoming talent ever since. Modrak was still scout then, which was a difficult handicap to overcome. 3 of the 4 top picks can still play football (Spiller, Carrington, Easley), which IMO does not qualify it as a complete disaster. Please this moron left so many QBs on the table it was ridicules and his drafts sucked. Feeling nostalgic today? Sorry, Barbarian, but when a draft hits on 3 out of 4 players who can play at the NFL level in the 1st 4 rounds it does not suck - it's actually better than league average.
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