Delete This Account Posted January 12, 2017 Posted January 12, 2017 what's also true, is there were numerous concerns within OBD regarding Whaley's performance in the hours leading up to the press conference. yes, BEFOREHAND. so either he muffed the script or ignored it and allowed the whole thing to veer of the rails. he could have mitigated some of it in November upon addressing the Percy Harvin signing. instead, the media was limited to Harvin questions only, and a three-minute availability. he could have mitigated it a week earlier, by answering questions about the coaching change, rather than let Anthony Lynn dangle in the wind. he could have mitigated it had he at the very least established any sort of working relationship with regular beat writers over the course of the season, rather than spend the media portion of practices hiding in the off-limits area of the weight room. GMs deal with the media. it's something Whaley had done irregularly in the past. that he waited so long, and declined several opportunities beforehand, led to a heaping pile of questions left at his feet, be it Rex's dismissal, Lynn's promotion and the Tyrod benching. he had few answers for any of them. managers, highly-paid ones, are employed to have foresight into preparing for times of crisis. and with each decision he made in punting, the more questions built up. it was a tire fire much of his own making. jw What I heard was someone who wasn't ready to answer every question thrown at him...sometimes multiple times. Was he unprepared? Was he covering for his boss? You think it's the former. I think it's the latter. Either way, they have a guy whose job is to communicate in Scott Berchtold. Where was he that day? yes, it's always someone else's fault isn't it with you. a communications person is only as good as the person willing to work with him. the Bills in fact had their two most senior PR people in the media room during the news conference. what did you expect them to do when things started going off the rails, jump up on the podium and rescue GM by waving their arms "No Mas! No Mas!" or, perhaps, they could have threatened to kick reporters out of the room because that went over swimmingly in Philly. !@#$ me. jw jw
Rico Posted January 12, 2017 Posted January 12, 2017 1) McDermott and his camp came in fully aware of the dysfunction inside OBD. It stands to reason that they came in and asked for some additional authority and clarity. 2) Though Whaley headed the coaching search and scheduled McDermott first, it's clear based on text from Pegula to AP that he needed to be very comfortable and have a connection to the new coach. 3) The reports coming out of OBD drive before coaching search began officially calling Anthony Lynn as the clear front-runner didn't materialize out of thin air, or at the very least in the AP's reporting. That Anthony Lynn wasn't selected indicates the Bills didn't follow a pre-planned agenda that was initially laid out. 4) Numerous people within OBD were unpleased with Whaley's performance during the so-called "news conference." It did not reflect well on Whaley, the Pegulas or the organization as a whole. It begs the question how that performance could not have led to a reduction in confidence in Whaley's ability to perform his duties as a GM. 5) The Pegulas aren't in the business of going through yet another coaching search any time soon now that the Bills have have hired McDermott. So if there is a shift in the power structure based on optics alone, Whaley is the one on thinner ice moving forward. jw Thanks so much for making everything crystal clear once again.
3rdand12 Posted January 12, 2017 Posted January 12, 2017 It's a lot easier to believe that Whaley and Monos are tight than it is to believe that Monos is grappling for more power over Whaley. Hapless felt the same. so i will let that thought rest. Thanks KtD
Peter Posted January 12, 2017 Posted January 12, 2017 (edited) 1) McDermott and his camp came in fully aware of the dysfunction inside OBD. It stands to reason that they came in and asked for some additional authority and clarity. 2) Though Whaley headed the coaching search and scheduled McDermott first, it's clear based on text from Pegula to AP that he needed to be very comfortable and have a connection to the new coach. 3) The reports coming out of OBD drive before coaching search began officially calling Anthony Lynn as the clear front-runner didn't materialize out of thin air, or at the very least in the AP's reporting. That Anthony Lynn wasn't selected indicates the Bills didn't follow a pre-planned agenda that was initially laid out. 4) Numerous people within OBD were unpleased with Whaley's performance during the so-called "news conference." It did not reflect well on Whaley, the Pegulas or the organization as a whole. It begs the question how that performance could not have led to a reduction in confidence in Whaley's ability to perform his duties as a GM. 5) The Pegulas aren't in the business of going through yet another coaching search any time soon now that the Bills have have hired McDermott. So if there is a shift in the power structure based on optics alone, Whaley is the one on thinner ice moving forward. jw Thank you John. This became obvious to some of us before the press conference. As people know here, I defended the guy until I concluded that he threw Rex under the bus with the Pegulas, Jason LaCanfora, and others (my opinion and judgment). I concluded that the guy was a weasel who undermined the head coach and the team for selfish reasons and did so just before the team was about to play the most important game to that point (Pittsburgh) and even though Rex defended Whaley's most controversial decision (overpaying for Sammy). If my opinion about him is correct and he did what I think he did (people here have a different conclusion about this than I do), I have no use for him . . . or, at a minimum, the Bills should put him on very short leash. I cannot imagine that the Pegulas liked the leaks or how Whaley embarrassed them and the team on the national stage. As embarrassing as that press conference was, I am glad that it happened if that is what it took for the Pegulas to realize what they had in Doug Whaley. Karma is a B word. Deer meet headlights: Edited January 12, 2017 by Peter
Rico Posted January 12, 2017 Posted January 12, 2017 what's also true, is there were numerous concerns within OBD regarding Whaley's performance in the hours leading up to the press conference. yes, BEFOREHAND. so either he muffed the script or ignored it and allowed the whole thing to veer of the rails. he could have mitigated some of it in November upon addressing the Percy Harvin signing. instead, the media was limited to Harvin questions only, and a three-minute availability. he could have mitigated it a week earlier, by answering questions about the coaching change, rather than let Anthony Lynn dangle in the wind. he could have mitigated it had he at the very least established any sort of working relationship with regular beat writers over the course of the season, rather than spend the media portion of practices hiding in the off-limits area of the weight room. GMs deal with the media. it's something Whaley had done irregularly in the past. that he waited so long, and declined several opportunities beforehand, led to a heaping pile of questions left at his feet, be it Rex's dismissal, Lynn's promotion and the Tyrod benching. he had few answers for any of them. managers, highly-paid ones, are employed to have foresight into preparing for times of crisis. and with each decision he made in punting, the more questions built up. it was a tire fire much of his own making. jw yes, it's always someone else's fault isn't it with you. a communications person is only as good as the person willing to work with him. the Bills in fact had their two most senior PR people in the media room during the news conference. what did you expect them to do when things started going off the rails, jump up on the podium and rescue GM by waving their arms "No Mas! No Mas!" or, perhaps, they could have threatened to kick reporters out of the room because that went over swimmingly in Philly. !@#$ me. jw jw Friggin' Lil Doug.
ndirish1978 Posted January 12, 2017 Posted January 12, 2017 IMO Whaley is probably either a bit of a jerk or simply socially awkward and ill-suited to handle the media. I lean towards the former. That said, I'd probably disagree with JW and the media's assessment that interacting with the media is a significant part of his job. As long as the people in the building have a clear picture of the team's hierarchy I'm not so sure why it's so crucial that everyone in the world know it. Would it be nice to have everyone be professional and forthright? Sure. Do I think the way he handled the PC makes Whaley a crappy GM? Not really. Honestly, if the guy were knocking it out of the park every year with FA acquisitions and the draft I wouldn't care if his end of the year PC consisted of him sitting at the table and ignoring reporters while he plays Sudoku on his phone. Unfortunately for him, we haven't been to the playoffs during his tenure with the team so it would behoove him to employ a little bit of humility and deal with the press until he's built up enough credit where he can act like Bellichick and dismiss reporters...he's not there yet.
Reed83HOF Posted January 12, 2017 Author Posted January 12, 2017 Friggin' Lil Doug. Stop being so negative and grinding your axe!
Delete This Account Posted January 12, 2017 Posted January 12, 2017 (edited) IMO Whaley is probably either a bit of a jerk or simply socially awkward and ill-suited to handle the media. I lean towards the former. That said, I'd probably disagree with JW and the media's assessment that interacting with the media is a significant part of his job. As long as the people in the building have a clear picture of the team's hierarchy I'm not so sure why it's so crucial that everyone in the world know it. Would it be nice to have everyone be professional and forthright? Sure. Do I think the way he handled the PC makes Whaley a crappy GM? Not really. Honestly, if the guy were knocking it out of the park every year with FA acquisitions and the draft I wouldn't care if his end of the year PC consisted of him sitting at the table and ignoring reporters while he plays Sudoku on his phone. Unfortunately for him, we haven't been to the playoffs during his tenure with the team so it would behoove him to employ a little bit of humility and deal with the press until he's built up enough credit where he can act like Bellichick and dismiss reporters...he's not there yet. there are two ways to avoid being second-guessed and being the focus of criticism. 1) winning. that gets you off the hook on just about everything. 2) having a good relationship with those in a position of influencing public opinion. a few bon-mots go a long way in having a few mis-steps forgiven, allowing for a bit of slack. it won't save a person once things begin spiraling, but it can ease the slopes when the valleys come. (it's human nature. when someone's nice to you or goes out of their way to do something for you, you tend to give them more of a benefit of the doubt than those who ignore you.) trouble here is Whaley lacked both 1 and 2 this season. jw Edited January 12, 2017 by john wawrow
Kelly the Dog Posted January 12, 2017 Posted January 12, 2017 IMO Whaley is probably either a bit of a jerk or simply socially awkward and ill-suited to handle the media. I lean towards the former. That said, I'd probably disagree with JW and the media's assessment that interacting with the media is a significant part of his job. As long as the people in the building have a clear picture of the team's hierarchy I'm not so sure why it's so crucial that everyone in the world know it. Would it be nice to have everyone be professional and forthright? Sure. Do I think the way he handled the PC makes Whaley a crappy GM? Not really. Honestly, if the guy were knocking it out of the park every year with FA acquisitions and the draft I wouldn't care if his end of the year PC consisted of him sitting at the table and ignoring reporters while he plays Sudoku on his phone. Unfortunately for him, we haven't been to the playoffs during his tenure with the team so it would behoove him to employ a little bit of humility and deal with the press until he's built up enough credit where he can act like Bellichick and dismiss reporters...he's not there yet. Normally it is part of his job. In this case, IMO, these last two years, when he was officially the GM it was a little different simply because we had a HC in Rex Ryan that was a media slut and loved the camera and watching himself talk. So Whaley, who doesn't like talking to the media, didn't have to. Rex had a lot of power, a direct line to the owner, and a lot of mouth. Whaley also works for an owner who hates TBN and isn't really comfortable in front of a camera, although he wants people to love him. Something which is somewhat contradictory. jw, who I will defend to no end, is a member of the media. So he is, perhaps rightfully, pissed off at Whaley for not making himself available like a normal GM would do, during the season. And especially pissed off at him for his non-answers at the press conference. I don't feel the same way as jw because I think the answers were already glaringly obvious before the press conference even started. And guys rarely if ever tell the truth at those things anyway. The media, jw included, felt slighted. A lot of fans were pissed, too.
Rico Posted January 12, 2017 Posted January 12, 2017 Stop being so negative and grinding your axe! This **** is just so obvious! smh. "must be great?" he didn't even manage a level of "poor" in the press conference. it was an unmitigated disaster, such that the Bills had to scramble out the Pegulas to clear up many unanswered questions. that a person at such an executive level is unable to answer basic questions such as whether he was aware his team's head coach's job was in jeopardy is unpardonable.a GM has a variety of functions, and one is to deal with the media, which is an NFL requirement to do so within 10 days following the end of a season and in the weeks leading up to the draft. it's clear based on numerous questions you've raised either on this board or on twitter, that you either are incapable of understanding how things work or are merely naive to that reality. i mean, geezus. jw Merely naive.
ndirish1978 Posted January 12, 2017 Posted January 12, 2017 there are two ways to avoid being second-guessed and being the focus of criticism. 1) winning. that gets you off the hook on just about everything. 2) having a good relationship with those in a position of influencing public opinion. a few bon-mots go a long way in having a few mis-steps forgiven, allowing for a bit of slack. it won't save a person once things begin spiraling, but it can ease the slopes when the valleys come. (it's human nature. when someone's nice to you or goes out of their way to do something for you, you tend to give them more of a benefit of the doubt than those who ignore you.) trouble here is Whaley lacked both 1 and 2 this season. jw Yep, I completely agree with this. You can't be a jerk unless you're winning. Do you have an impression that he doesn't LIKE talking to the media or is there a chance he's just socially awkward? Cause the latter would make a lot of sense and go a ways towards explaining why he apparently constantly has interpersonal conflicts.
Peter Posted January 12, 2017 Posted January 12, 2017 Yep, I completely agree with this. You can't be a jerk unless you're winning. Do you have an impression that he doesn't LIKE talking to the media or is there a chance he's just socially awkward? Cause the latter would make a lot of sense and go a ways towards explaining why he apparently constantly has interpersonal conflicts. I think that he LOVES talking to at least certain members of the media . . . just not for attribution.
dave mcbride Posted January 12, 2017 Posted January 12, 2017 What I heard was someone who wasn't ready to answer every question thrown at him...sometimes multiple times. Was he unprepared? Was he covering for his boss? You think it's the former. I think it's the latter. Either way, they have a guy whose job is to communicate in Scott Berchtold. Where was he that day? Promo, man, give it up.
FireChan Posted January 12, 2017 Posted January 12, 2017 what's also true, is there were numerous concerns within OBD regarding Whaley's performance in the hours leading up to the press conference. yes, BEFOREHAND. so either he muffed the script or ignored it and allowed the whole thing to veer of the rails. he could have mitigated some of it in November upon addressing the Percy Harvin signing. instead, the media was limited to Harvin questions only, and a three-minute availability. he could have mitigated it a week earlier, by answering questions about the coaching change, rather than let Anthony Lynn dangle in the wind. he could have mitigated it had he at the very least established any sort of working relationship with regular beat writers over the course of the season, rather than spend the media portion of practices hiding in the off-limits area of the weight room. GMs deal with the media. it's something Whaley had done irregularly in the past. that he waited so long, and declined several opportunities beforehand, led to a heaping pile of questions left at his feet, be it Rex's dismissal, Lynn's promotion and the Tyrod benching. he had few answers for any of them. managers, highly-paid ones, are employed to have foresight into preparing for times of crisis. and with each decision he made in punting, the more questions built up. it was a tire fire much of his own making. jw yes, it's always someone else's fault isn't it with you. a communications person is only as good as the person willing to work with him. the Bills in fact had their two most senior PR people in the media room during the news conference. what did you expect them to do when things started going off the rails, jump up on the podium and rescue GM by waving their arms "No Mas! No Mas!" or, perhaps, they could have threatened to kick reporters out of the room because that went over swimmingly in Philly. !@#$ me. jw jw there are two ways to avoid being second-guessed and being the focus of criticism. 1) winning. that gets you off the hook on just about everything. 2) having a good relationship with those in a position of influencing public opinion. a few bon-mots go a long way in having a few mis-steps forgiven, allowing for a bit of slack. it won't save a person once things begin spiraling, but it can ease the slopes when the valleys come. (it's human nature. when someone's nice to you or goes out of their way to do something for you, you tend to give them more of a benefit of the doubt than those who ignore you.) trouble here is Whaley lacked both 1 and 2 this season. jw jw just came into PTR's house and chokeslammed him. Pinning this thread for future :lol:'s
PromoTheRobot Posted January 13, 2017 Posted January 13, 2017 there are two ways to avoid being second-guessed and being the focus of criticism. 1) winning. that gets you off the hook on just about everything. 2) having a good relationship with those in a position of influencing public opinion. a few bon-mots go a long way in having a few mis-steps forgiven, allowing for a bit of slack. it won't save a person once things begin spiraling, but it can ease the slopes when the valleys come. (it's human nature. when someone's nice to you or goes out of their way to do something for you, you tend to give them more of a benefit of the doubt than those who ignore you.) trouble here is Whaley lacked both 1 and 2 this season. jw Lesson learned. Don't get on the bad side of the press.
Malazan Posted January 13, 2017 Posted January 13, 2017 smh. "must be great?" he didn't even manage a level of "poor" in the press conference. it was an unmitigated disaster, such that the Bills had to scramble out the Pegulas to clear up many unanswered questions. that a person at such an executive level is unable to answer basic questions such as whether he was aware his team's head coach's job was in jeopardy is unpardonable.a GM has a variety of functions, and one is to deal with the media, which is an NFL requirement to do so within 10 days following the end of a season and in the weeks leading up to the draft. it's clear based on numerous questions you've raised either on this board or on twitter, that you either are incapable of understanding how things work or are merely naive to that reality. i mean, geezus. jw Was there media at that press conference?
Hapless Bills Fan Posted January 13, 2017 Posted January 13, 2017 "must be great?" he didn't even manage a level of "poor" in the press conference. it was an unmitigated disaster, such that the Bills had to scramble out the Pegulas to clear up many unanswered questions. that a person at such an executive level is unable to answer basic questions such as whether he was aware his team's head coach's job was in jeopardy is unpardonable.a GM has a variety of functions, and one is to deal with the media, which is an NFL requirement to do so within 10 days following the end of a season and in the weeks leading up to the draft. Whaley's press conference certainly sucked. I didn't have the impression that Whaley was unable to answer 'basic questions' - more that he was unwilling to give meaningful answers or the answers he gave struck reporters as unbelievable. Didn't your article on the interview with the Pegulas essentially confirm, for the most part, Whaley's answers?
Delete This Account Posted January 13, 2017 Posted January 13, 2017 Lesson learned. Don't get on the bad side of the press. you act as if this is some great new revelation. so naivete it is, then. jw
Peter Posted January 13, 2017 Posted January 13, 2017 (edited) you act as if this is some great new revelation. so naivete it is, then. jw John - I agree with you. Especially relating to Whaley. By the same token, the reason why you got that interview with Terry is that you are fair. It is a two way street. That is why some journalists get the interviews and stories and others are left to their snark fest. Edited January 13, 2017 by Peter
Mr. WEO Posted January 13, 2017 Posted January 13, 2017 Normally it is part of his job. In this case, IMO, these last two years, when he was officially the GM it was a little different simply because we had a HC in Rex Ryan that was a media slut and loved the camera and watching himself talk. So Whaley, who doesn't like talking to the media, didn't have to. Rex had a lot of power, a direct line to the owner, and a lot of mouth. Whaley also works for an owner who hates TBN and isn't really comfortable in front of a camera, although he wants people to love him. Something which is somewhat contradictory. jw, who I will defend to no end, is a member of the media. So he is, perhaps rightfully, pissed off at Whaley for not making himself available like a normal GM would do, during the season. And especially pissed off at him for his non-answers at the press conference. I don't feel the same way as jw because I think the answers were already glaringly obvious before the press conference even started. And guys rarely if ever tell the truth at those things anyway. The media, jw included, felt slighted. A lot of fans were pissed, too. Is there any evidence in jw's writing that indicates he is "pissed off" that Slow Doug "didn't make himself available" during the season? Or, for that matter, that jw was "especially pissed off" at Whaley's disastrous press conference? As for the second bolded part, you predicted that the Whaley press conference would go the way it did, because you already knew every answer to every question before it was answered? Absolutely nothing he said in response the questions he was asked surprised you? I'm going to give you a lot more credit that you probably deserve and say you are just being disingenuous here with this stuff.
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