Regarding the general direction of the Bills and Doug Whaley

[VaMilBill]

I don't understand how people are hating on Whaley for not drafting Carr. We drafted EJ a year earlier. There is no way we would spend our first round draft pick on a QB two years in a row. People need to think things through before they use that argument

Edited December 8, 2016 by VaMilBill

[TPS]

2014 the Bills have a top 5 D and bottom half O.

2015, Bills hire a defensive genius for a coach, so Whaley works on the O, bringing in shady, clay, Harvin, incognito, and Taylor. O moves to upper half of league, D to lower half.

2016, Defensive genius didn't have the players he needed, so Whaley uses top 3 picks on D.

O scores 31 against jets, but D gives up 37. O coordinator fired. O ranks in top 10, D regresses from previous year.

 

Blame Whaley...

Edited December 8, 2016 by TPS

[BillsFan130]

I don't understand how people are hating on Whaley for not drafting Carr. We drafted EJ a year earlier. There is no way we would spend our first round draft pick on a QB two years in a row. People need to think things through before they use that argument

That is part of being a GM though. He drafted the wrong guy, and passed on a franchise QB.. Just because he took EJ, why couldn't he draft Carr? Redskins traded like 3 first round picks to get RG3 and still drafted cousins in the same draft. Turned out to be their smartest draft pick

[Sisyphean Bills]

That is part of being a GM though. He drafted the wrong guy, and passed on a franchise QB.. Just because he took EJ, why couldn't he draft Carr? Redskins traded like 3 first round picks to get RG3 and still drafted cousins in the same draft. Turned out to be their smartest draft pick

 

If you run your team based on feedback from the internet, drafting Cousins was the worst thing any team ever did—at the time.

[BaaadThingsMan]

Whaley has been adequate. Other than QB, which he's tried and failed to acquire, he's done a pretty good job of building the roster. Injuries happen every year and the Bills have been able to have decent, not great, depth to fill those holes. Is he perfect, no but imo he's been adequate.

 

If you run your team based on feedback from the internet, drafting Cousins was the worst thing any team ever didat the time.

!@#$, i wanted cousins bad that year. And wanted to trade for him since!

[Fadingpain]

Whaley has been adequate. Other than QB, which he's tried and failed to acquire, he's done a pretty good job of building the roster. Injuries happen every year and the Bills have been able to have decent, not great, depth to fill those holes. Is he perfect, no but imo he's been adequate.

!@#$, i wanted cousins bad that year. And wanted to trade for him since!

This is like saying "Other than the fact that I lost one eye, both arms, and am paralyzed from the waist down, I emerged from the car accident relatively unscathed."

[vorpma]

Hate, panic, anger. It's what we do.

Or deal in reality; 1999! Lousy first round picks by all! Look for more of the same next year! Next December will be the same and the same posters will be posting the same BS about how we "are really close."

[BaaadThingsMan]

This is like saying "Other than the fact that I lost one eye, both arms, and am paralyzed from the waist down, I emerged from the car accident relatively unscathed."

theres more to the body than the parts you mentioned just like theres more to a team than quarterback.

[vorpma]

Whaley has done ok.

 

We have talent, but we lack at the two most important positions.

 

Head coach(not sure who is responsible, but I tend to think it was the Pegulas decision) and QB(this is on Whaley).

Where is this talent may I ask?

[fridge]

My quick hits on Whaley, who I think is mostly alright as GM, but not without his faults:

 

PROS

• Late Round Draft Talent
• Not Afraid to Trade (Kiko for Shady was a monster trade, but bum LSU MLB for Hughes was a steal)
• Willing to Let Bullsh*t Walk (see: Byrd, Jarius)
• Free Agent Acquisitions (Has a knack for getting guys ready to perform [this year: Z. Brown, L. Alexander])

 

CONS

• Public Speaking
• No Backbone (pretty sure he didn't want Rex Ryan as his hire, should have spoken up about this or put his job on the line with a different hire)
• Rex Ryan (even if he may not have wanted Rex Ryan, he's got him - no need to let him influence the draft as much as he has)
• QB Assessment (I don't hate the EJ pick at all, it happens. He has missed a lot of talent and hasn't taken many chances here)
• Overvalues HB (Keeps drafting HB's, but street HB's perform just as well [see: Gillislee], I love McCoy but he is a luxury)
• Lack of Foresight (Injuries are going to happen, but went into the season shockingly thin at WR)
• Percy Harvin, Reggie Bush (Deserve their own spot. Terrible moves. Could have had Boldin)

[CommonCents]

Whaley has done a fair job of evaluating talent at the pro and college level. Outside of that, he has failed to show any semblance of a long term plan. He spent to the cap in Rex's first year and left the team very little maneuverability in FA. This cost him and the team, the cast of WR's is deeply flawed. Throwing money at TT in the short term, could prove to be smart if they are willing to walk away after this year.

 

The Harvin move and Big Puff's contract are the most noteworthy embarrassments as of late. Whaley had a chance to be a good GM but I'm afraid that went out the window when the coaching hire was made. My impression of the front office structure is that the Pegula's are overly involved. I hope this was their hands on learning experience and the next GM is allowed to operate at his own will. Whaley finally figuered out the benefits of the compensatory picks, if he stayed put and started properly valuing all his draft picks he could very well be a successful GM.

[Dorkington]

Most objective observers will say the Bills have a talented football team, so I can't really fault Whaley for the coaches not putting it together. That being said, he has failed to get us a franchise QB in the 7 years he's been here. While it's not the only position that matters, it's certainly close. If he doesn't get us a good QB within the next couple of years, I fully support moving on from him.

[BringBackOrton]

 

My quick hits on Whaley, who I think is mostly alright as GM, but not without his faults:

 

PROS

• Late Round Draft Talent
• Not Afraid to Trade (Kiko for Shady was a monster trade, but bum LSU MLB for Hughes was a steal)
• Willing to Let Bullsh*t Walk (see: Byrd, Jarius)
• Free Agent Acquisitions (Has a knack for getting guys ready to perform [this year: Z. Brown, L. Alexander])

 

CONS

• Public Speaking
• No Backbone (pretty sure he didn't want Rex Ryan as his hire, should have spoken up about this or put his job on the line with a different hire)
• Rex Ryan (even if he may not have wanted Rex Ryan, he's got him - no need to let him influence the draft as much as he has)
• QB Assessment (I don't hate the EJ pick at all, it happens. He has missed a lot of talent and hasn't taken many chances here)
• Overvalues HB (Keeps drafting HB's, but street HB's perform just as well [see: Gillislee], I love McCoy but he is a luxury)
• Lack of Foresight (Injuries are going to happen, but went into the season shockingly thin at WR)
• Percy Harvin, Reggie Bush (Deserve their own spot. Terrible moves. Could have had Boldin)

 

Pros:

-Yes

-kiko trade was offered by a drunk Chip, props for Hughes

-tried to re-sign Byrd and Spiller for gross numbers, just not as gross as the dopey Saints

-both solid signings but more dumb luck than anything, also has had his share of no brainer blunders, Chris Williams over Incognito in 2014

 

Cons:

Agreed.

Edited December 8, 2016 by jmc12290

[C.Biscuit97]

That is part of being a GM though. He drafted the wrong guy, and passed on a franchise QB.. Just because he took EJ, why couldn't he draft Carr? Redskins traded like 3 first round picks to get RG3 and still drafted cousins in the same draft. Turned out to be their smartest draft pick

Cousins was a 4th round draft pick.

 

And there is zero problem drafting EJ. They should spend more draft picks on qbs. The problem is when you draft a guy in the 1st round and give up on him after 14 games.

 

And getting rid of Whaley would be such a Bills move. But I'm sure a fossil like Polian will magically fix everything.

<p>

 

My quick hits on Whaley, who I think is mostly alright as GM, but not without his faults:

 

PROS

• Late Round Draft Talent
• Not Afraid to Trade (Kiko for Shady was a monster trade, but bum LSU MLB for Hughes was a steal)
• Willing to Let Bullsh*t Walk (see: Byrd, Jarius)
• Free Agent Acquisitions (Has a knack for getting guys ready to perform [this year: Z. Brown, L. Alexander])

CONS

• Public Speaking
• No Backbone (pretty sure he didn't want Rex Ryan as his hire, should have spoken up about this or put his job on the line with a different hire)
• Rex Ryan (even if he may not have wanted Rex Ryan, he's got him - no need to let him influence the draft as much as he has)
• QB Assessment (I don't hate the EJ pick at all, it happens. He has missed a lot of talent and hasn't taken many chances here)
• Overvalues HB (Keeps drafting HB's, but street HB's perform just as well [see: Gillislee], I love McCoy but he is a luxury)
• Lack of Foresight (Injuries are going to happen, but went into the season shockingly thin at WR)
• Percy Harvin, Reggie Bush (Deserve their own spot. Terrible moves. Could have had Boldin)

Public speaking? Come on with this BS. Belichick mumbles every word he says in the press. Who gives a crap?

Edited December 8, 2016 by C.Biscuit97

[BillsVet]

Cousins was a 4th round draft pick.

 

And there is zero problem drafting EJ. They should spend more draft picks on qbs. The problem is when you draft a guy in the 1st round and give up on him after 14 games.

 

And getting rid of Whaley would be such a Bills move. But I'm sure a fossil like Polian will magically fix everything.

 

Public speaking? Come on with this BS. Belichick mumbles every word he says in the press. Who gives a crap?

 

When you make a statement that needs to be walked back the following day about football not being a game for humans, well, that is little different than Billy B. mumbling through a presser. This in an era when concussions lawsuits are so frequent.

 

Giving up on EJM was necessary after 14 games. But they gave him a 15th game last year and he reinforced quite clearly that he can't play. The only reason he dresses is because Whaley traded people away or drafted complete projects to protect his roster status.

 

The Bills with Doug Whaley as GM from 2013-present are 29-31 despite the most resources any GM in club history has had to work with.

 

[fridge]

Cousins was a 4th round draft pick.

 

And there is zero problem drafting EJ. They should spend more draft picks on qbs. The problem is when you draft a guy in the 1st round and give up on him after 14 games.

 

And getting rid of Whaley would be such a Bills move. But I'm sure a fossil like Polian will magically fix everything.

 

Public speaking? Come on with this BS. Belichick mumbles every word he says in the press. Who gives a crap?

That was most certainly a joke... he's bad at press conferences, thought it was funny to put it in the "Cons" column.

[KOKBILLS]

 

Yes, and then Carroll took Russell Wilson, who Whaley had to have some input in the Bills passing for a horrible college WR.

 

 

Why listen to your "gut"? Go back and read Whaley's own words as to how Rex was hired.

 

This gets posted here over and over. Whaley was totally on board and part of this pulling the trigger on Rex. He has made that abundantly clear in no uncertain language.

 

Meh...I don't care what he said surrounded by his new owner/boss and Brandon...I don't believe all of it...The same way I did not believe all of it when he talked about Shaq's shoulder...He's a company man first and foremost...And a good one at that...He gains nothing by showing anything other than a unified front...

 

Don't get me wrong, I don't think he was vocally against it at all either...That would be a stupid career move and Whaley's not an idiot...I just think if it was his decision, and his alone, no way Rex is here...There was some seriously shaky logic in the Rex hire from a football standpoint...Especially concerning the differences in the solid Defense Whaley had built, and the one Rex likes to run...And Doug is a football guy...Pegula and Brandon not so much... I think Pegs was blown away with Rex and they all went along for the ride...

[bobobonators]

Or deal in reality; 1999! Lousy first round picks by all! Look for more of the same next year! Next December will be the same and the same posters will be posting the same BS about how we "are really close."

You cant let the past (at least not 15yrs ago) affect your analysis of the present. If we go .500 or above itll be another season of not being in the playoffs but certainly being competitive. You start stringing some of those seasons around for a few years and the loser mentality starts to go away. You know you have a chance. You start to believe it. Now if under the same regime we go backwards to 6-10 or 5-11 then id say panic should start creeping in.

 

Jauron's teams could never get over the 7-9 hump. Thats the closes we've come to stability in Buffalo in over a decade..until Whaley took over. Whaley has brought more respectability to the Bills than we've had in a long time. A lot of non-bills fans dont laugh at the current Bills like they did in the past. We've started earning some respect under Whaley.

 

Our next hump we need to get over on a consistent basis will be the 9-7 mark. I believe Whaley will get us there.

Edited December 9, 2016 by bobobonators

[Billznut]

Hate, panic, anger. It's what we do.

It also might have something to do with this franchise being embarrassingly mired in losing and ineptitude going on 17 seasons and counting. Just possibly the fans anger is WELL earned by this franchise. Has Whaley found a franchise QB or gotten this team to the playoffs? No he hasn't, criticism justified for most.

[TANK2]

Compare him to Reggie Mckenzie in Oakland and then remind me why hes so great. Hes average. Something too many of you are willing to accept. Dont worry. Hell be back next year. If he doesnt get this team to the playoffs next year he should be fired.