Thank you Doug Whaley

[folz]

Thanks for everything Doug! Your hard work in stabilizing the football side of this organization and vastly improving

the roster despite it being a very difficult transition period for this franchise is not lost on many of us fans.

 

Good luck moving forward!

[BillsFanM.D.]

Seemed like a good, hardworking guy. I think he did more good than bad...and wish he could have found common ground with the new coach. He'll be employed soon. I appreciate what he did here. Wish him nothing but success unless his 'new' team is playing the Bills.

[DallasMac]

Huge fan of Doug. The constant coaching changes did him no favors. Wish him the absolute best in the future and appreciate what he did for the team while he was here. The Bills let a good one go.

[transient]

Thanks, Doug. Know that there are Bills fans who recognize you were likely never afforded the continuity or the authority to truly succeed as a general manager. I hope one day you get that chance. Until then take solace in knowing you no longer have to feign civility towards the no talent assclowns at TBN.

[CanadianFan]

Doug,

 

So many miscreants have been bashing you for your inability to make draft picks. So I did a little analysis and compared it to our esteemed rivals New England Patriots.

 

I looked at the number of players we drafted from 2013-2016, how many remained with the team, and how many are still in NFL. The latter is very important because that is an indicator of your "ability" to spot talent in the drafts. I then compared your performance to that of our esteemed rivals, New England Patriots. And the results are interesting:

 

 

In your tenure, we drafted 28 players to Pats' 36. Of the 28, 15 still remain with the team as of today. That's 54%. Looking at the pats, of the 36, 18 players are still on their roster as of today. So you have exceeded Pats' team retention by 4%. Nice.

 

Now let's look at over-all talent evaluation. How many of your players are still on NFL rosters, vs. those who are no longer NFL players. Of the 28 players you drafted, 24 are still in the league, or 86%. Of the 36 players the esteemed pats drafted, only 27 remain in the NFL. That's 75%. Here, you have outperformed World Champions by 11% points.

Doug, it is clear now. it's not your fault this team hasn't won. You can only bring them in. You aren't the one coaching them.

Edited May 1, 2017 by CanadianFan

[pimp on da' net]

Thank you DW, best of luck with your next endeavor!

[JimKellyTryouts]

Obviously the playoff drought continued during his tenure and the highly scrutinized moves can justify relieving him, but it's undeniable how much things improved as a whole for this organization before he was with us.

 

It's truly as unfortunate as it is head scratching how he seemingly didn't have the primary role of bringing in any of the THREE coaches during his mere FOUR years as GM...I hate playing the what-if game, but the Rex hiring continues to have a cascading effect on setting this team back. This just opens up more questions for the vision and direction of team before and now after he's left.

 

My gut is telling me that this is a mistake. Buffalo fans are exhausted with the mere idea of change ensuring things will become better.

 

All that said, thank you for your contributions, Doug. You were most definitely a diligent, dedicated worker for us that has improved the general status of our team. I'm positive you will have a successful future in this league, and leaving our team and city's toxic environment is needed for the sake of your own sanity.

Edited May 1, 2017 by JimKellyTryouts

[BEAST MODE BABY!]

First Buddy Nix, and then Whaley, brought back real scouting to this organization.

 

I remember the crap show of Tom Donahoe, Tom Modrak, Marv Levy and Russ "Aaron Maybin" Brandon. This team now has so much obvious talent, the Patriots (THE PATRIOTS) are snatching our players for crying out loud.

 

I don't know what kind of internal shenanigans Whaley had to deal with, but the bitter crew of Buffalo certainly didn't help...that crew being the Debbie Downers that live there, Buffalo sports media, etc.

 

In case people forget, before the Hughes/Sheppard trade, NFL teams almost never did player-for-player trades. It was a huge news story when it happened. And the roster wouldn't have had as much turn over if we didn't switch coaches and schemes every few years.

 

So, thank you Doug Whaley. The difference you made to the quality of players here was HUGE. I only hope the Pegulas and McD build on our talent level by getting a promising GM candidate who is known for being able to spot talent.

 

Good luck. Wishing you the best.

Edited May 1, 2017 by BEAST MODE BABY!

[BobDVA]

IMO Doug did his job, the coach wants a position filled, Doug got the best he could to fill it. Rex did a horrible job of coaching.

The Bills will be hard pressed to find a replacement with the upside Doug possessed.

 

Best wishes to you and your family Doug!

[GunnerBill]

I also think he was a good man who did a relatively good job. I suspect when he sits at home and reflects he will consider the moment it went wrong to be the moment the owners said "what about hiring Rex?" and he took the company line. He should have said there and then "If you want to hire Rex, fine. But you will need a new General Manager." Whaley's roster was ready to compete. Unfortunately it was coached by a moron.

Edited May 1, 2017 by GunnerBill

[Al Czervik]

I wish Doug the best too. I suspect he will resurface as a personnel guy somewhere in the league.

 

Look at Doug's tenure, he came in a "hot shot" from the great Pittsburgh organization. Unfortunately he worked for the most dysfunctional FO in the NFL with Russ Brandon and Buddy Nix at the helm. Nix was no GM, he is a good Scout and that is all Buddy Nix should have ever been. Brandon was not a football guy and never will be. We also had Tom Modrak, content to work from home in Jacksonville, a knowledgeable guy but he mailed it in. Jim Overdorf's management of the cap has been dreadful.

 

Doug did not pick Marone, he inherited him. He did not pick Rex either.

 

Doug made errors, but no more than the rest of the crew. He actually performed his job the best of the entire bunch named above. Better than the Pegula's too.

 

I bet we see him succeed in some capacity elsewhere.

 

This is my take on things as well...I believe DW was a good guy and a good GM that never got a fair shake at things. Good luck in the future and I'm sure we will see him again soon in this league.

[Original Byrd Man]

Doug if you do follow I would like you for your improvements to the team. I wish you well in your next opportunity as long as it's not in the AFC east. You were a stand up guy and took one for the team regarding the EJ pick, even though everyone who follows the Bills knows Buddy vowed to draft a franchise QB before he left. And you get crucified for the Sammy move but if he gets healthy and has the career you believe he is capable of you will be looked at a genius. Thanks also for the trades and FA signings that proved instrumental.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

Agreed on all the well wishes. Thanks for helping make this team watchable again, with actual NFL grade talent.