Good article on Bills front office purge

[ddaryl]

Hard to build a team when you have a different head coach and system to build for every 2 years. Like or hate Whaley, ignoring the fact that he wasn't allowed to pick his own coach and had 3 different coaches in his short time here is just wrong.

 

 

Yep I throw 100% of the blame for the new era Bills mess on the Pegulas shoulders same goes for the Sabres

 

if they weren't going to let Whaley pick the coach then they shoudl of fired him right after they let Marrone go..

[K-9]

How do you leap to a conclusion like this? What is your source? No way do I believe that the Pegulas have just blindly handed over the team to McDermott. Nobody would run their business that way, especuially people as successful as the Pegulas are in the business world.

And they didn't, regardless of what some may imagine. McDermott was highly recommended by the league's own internal search committee as well as Polian.

[Shaw66]

"Whaley was all about scouting players; McDermott is about building a team. Scouts don’t always know how to build teams. They know only how to pick players. And a scout focused primarily on scouting players can succeed only in a fantasy draft."

Not to sound like BADOL - but this is what I have been saying about Whaley for YEARS...

I'll say, without any sarcasm intended, good for you. It's an old fashioned notion that the GM picks the players and the coach assembles the team. The best teams do it more cooperatively now, and there's plenty of evidence/rumor that Whaley didn't agree with the head coaches.

[starrymessenger]

Whatever the reason its pretty clear that the Bills have lacked a consistent vision for what they want to be and a recognizable identity year over year. The good, winning teams all have that and the best ones have it most. So I have no problem with the notion of fastening onto a consistent model, having a vision for the kind of team you want to be and adhering to it.

It also obviously makes perfect sense therefore for the head coach and the front office to be on the same page (along with everyone else for that matter) but I wouldn't want a GM who was subordinate to the HC and who basically had nothing to add. You want a strong personality in that role and at the end of the day there is a division of functions/responsibilities that needs to be respected. I don't know anything about Beane but I'm not sold on the idea of having the GM owe his job to the HC. He should owe it to the owner who actually hired him. And I also have a concern about the Pegulas falling too hard too fast. Can only hope that they struck gold this time because they were definitely "buffaloed" by Rex the last time.

Edited May 4, 2017 by starrymessenger

[Dr. Who]

Whatever the reason its pretty clear that the Bills have lacked a consistent vision for what they want to be and a recognizable identity year over year. The good, winning teams all have that and the best ones have it most. So I have no problem with the notion of fastening onto a consistent model, having a vision for the kind of team you want to be and adhering to it.

It also obviously makes perfect sense therefore for the head coach and the front office to be on the same page (along with everyone else for that matter) but I wouldn't want a GM who was subordinate to the HC and who basically had nothing to add. You want a strong personality in that role and at the end of the day there is a division of functions/responsibilities that needs to be respected. I don't know anything about Beane but I'm not sold on the idea of having the GM owe his job to the HC. He should owe it to the owner who actually hired him. And I also have a concern about the Pegulas falling too hard too fast. Can only hope that they struck gold this time because they were definitely "buffaloed" by Rex the last time.

Solid post. I have the same concerns. Pegulas are great folks, but they seem to need a football czar/hockey president to help prevent "infatuation errors."

[Saxum]

 

So was Belichick.

 

Biilicheat learned to cheat and get away with it most of time - Has Lombardi?

[yungmack]

Great article, thanks.

 

In this day and age where fantasy football is the rage, i think this article does help to explain why some of the less-savvy posters would think Lil Doug was a good GM. No doubt he was in WAY over his head, but if he had been here a decade earlier, he would've been a big upgrade over John friggin' Guy.

This raises the question: Was Whaley incapable of "building a team" or was he handicapped by decisions made by owner/management? For the sake of argument, let's say he indeed had a strong vision of the kind of franchise he wanted to build, which by all accounts was along the lines of Pittsburgh. And what has made the Steelers a decades-long success? A philosophy strongly held to by ownership, management and coaching about what the elements are that make up a perennial winner. This shared approach dates back roughly to the days in the 60s when Dan Rooney took charge of the team and continues to this very moment. That's a period of about 50 years of stability and success, something unimaginable to Bills fans who have a few years in the 60s and a few in the 90s to fondly remember. The rest is mostly dismal.

 

You cannot have ownership believing in one path to success, a GM building a team along another path, and a coaching staff with a third. The Bills appear to have been following this latter "program" for years, if not forever, going first in one direction then jettisoning that one for another cool idea then replacing that with something else. "Let's go with Tampa Two...No, let's go with the 4-3...wait, the 3-4 is better." "Let's go with light, fast players...No, we need heavy road graders...But the West Coast hybrid's the best...Or maybe a run-first approach with a skittish QB is the way." Out with Chan, in with Marrone...Out with Marrone, in with Ryan...Out with Ryan, in with McDermott...

 

One reason DW was reduced to little more than Super Scout Dougie appears to be precisely the absence of a coherent vision of how a successful franchise is constructed that is shared across all areas. His inability to prevail in selling this vision (if he did have one) is then his true failure. His well-reported clashes with Marrone and Ryan suggest they for certain weren't "sharing" DW's approach and this further indicates they likely weren't the coaching hires he'd have made, which circles back to his failure to convince Brandon, and later, the Pegulas, that his way was the best way to proceed, and he should have the authority to bring it into existence.

 

For those who expect "the right solution is finally at hand because McD is here and DW is not, I'm not so sure. Think about the Pittsburgh model. It took several years of mediocrity before the Steelers we now know emerged. Yet the Rooney family didn't replace Dan, and Dan didn't fire Nolls. They believed in what they were doing and stuck to making it happen until "suddenly" it blossomed. They've been reaping the benefits for decades since. Frankly, I'm not seeing anything similar with the Bills. Pegula seems clueless in that regard. I can't imagine he'll be patient with McD is the team remains mediocre the next three years. Then it will be on to the latest "cool idea." Yada yada yada.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

This raises the question: Was Whaley incapable of "building a team" or was he handicapped by decisions made by owner/management? For the sake of argument, let's say he indeed had a strong vision of the kind of franchise he wanted to build, which by all accounts was along the lines of Pittsburgh. And what has made the Steelers a decades-long success? A philosophy strongly held to by ownership, management and coaching about what the elements are that make up a perennial winner. This shared approach dates back roughly to the days in the 60s when Dan Rooney took charge of the team and continues to this very moment. That's a period of about 50 years of stability and success, something unimaginable to Bills fans who have a few years in the 60s and a few in the 90s to fondly remember. The rest is mostly dismal.

 

You cannot have ownership believing in one path to success, a GM building a team along another path, and a coaching staff with a third. The Bills appear to have been following this latter "program" for years, if not forever, going first in one direction then jettisoning that one for another cool idea then replacing that with something else. "Let's go with Tampa Two...No, let's go with the 4-3...wait, the 3-4 is better." "Let's go with light, fast players...No, we need heavy road graders...But the West Coast hybrid's the best...Or maybe a run-first approach with a skittish QB is the way." Out with Chan, in with Marrone...Out with Marrone, in with Ryan...Out with Ryan, in with McDermott...

 

One reason DW was reduced to little more than Super Scout Dougie appears to be precisely the absence of a coherent vision of how a successful franchise is constructed that is shared across all areas. His inability to prevail in selling this vision (if he did have one) is then his true failure. His well-reported clashes with Marrone and Ryan suggest they for certain weren't "sharing" DW's approach and this further indicates they likely weren't the coaching hires he'd have made, which circles back to his failure to convince Brandon, and later, the Pegulas, that his way was the best way to proceed, and he should have the authority to bring it into existence.

 

For those who expect "the right solution is finally at hand because McD is here and DW is not, I'm not so sure. Think about the Pittsburgh model. It took several years of mediocrity before the Steelers we now know emerged. Yet the Rooney family didn't replace Dan, and Dan didn't fire Nolls. They believed in what they were doing and stuck to making it happen until "suddenly" it blossomed. They've been reaping the benefits for decades since. Frankly, I'm not seeing anything similar with the Bills. Pegula seems clueless in that regard. I can't imagine he'll be patient with McD is the team remains mediocre the next three years. Then it will be on to the latest "cool idea." Yada yada yada.

 

.....the ORGANIZATION as a whole has been handicapped by the patchwork philosophy of the FO and Administration over the last 17 years........it's been DOA since Littmann orchestrated the Polian firing (some kudos to Butler but he left club in cap jail).....look at the critical decision making positions and who has filled them during the "drought".....people installed with no qualifications for position(s), short term fixes with oldtimers on the downside......too painful...you know thr gory details..........

[yungmack]

 

.....the ORGANIZATION as a whole has been handicapped by the patchwork philosophy of the FO and Administration over the last 17 years........it's been DOA since Littmann orchestrated the Polian firing (some kudos to Butler but he left club in cap jail).....look at the critical decision making positions and who has filled them during the "drought".....people installed with no qualifications for position(s), short term fixes with oldtimers on the downside......too painful...you know thr gory details..........

What are your feelings going forward? To me, based on how Pegs has handled both of his franchises so far, I'm not very hopeful anything much will change.

[WotAGuy]

........... "infatuation errors."

Sounds like the story of my love life.

[davspo]

As of last year, I gave up listening to all the promises. It is what it is. Right now they are a 7-9 team with a new head coach. The lost a key player on defense (Gilmore) and a key player on offense (Wood). They have drafted players to replace them. We will see how this ends up.

[WhoTom]

 

Biilicheat learned to cheat and get away with it most of time - Has Lombardi?

 

My point is that a lot of coaches and GMs sucked in Cleveland. Some of them, at least, didn't suck with other teams.

[oldmanfan]

Solid post. I have the same concerns. Pegulas are great folks, but they seem to need a football czar/hockey president to help prevent "infatuation errors."

They had a bunch of them with the league's advisory committee

[MTBill]

Whaley didn't get along with Rex either. Note: he didn't seem to have had input there either. I suspect he was resentful of the fact he couldn't hire 'his' guy - and that made it tough.

 

I feel a little bad for the guy - I don't do well being micromanaged, and this is more than micromanagement. He handled it poorly though and that is a problem. My biggest issue with the whole thing is timing. I think he should have been out the door with Rex - especially after his going to the media whining that he wasn't in the loop on it. That's a slap in your bosses face. Insubordination, buh bye now.

 

All that said, I really think we are going to be better off moving forward, and that we will get someone in here who shares McD's philosophy. Gone are the days when the GM is the true 'architect' of the team who builds a roster and selects a coach 'his way'. How many teams are run that way today? Whaley wanted to be the GM from a bygone era. Coaches are wielding the power now, for better or worse. We can't be behind that curve and have a bickering organization hold us back. The next GM is going to be the "GM" - but in a different manner than the traditional GM who holds all the cards.

 

From that article - parse the words that McD said about one voice. There is one voice, his. Pegs gave him that power until such time he proves incapable of the task. Right now we don't know how much time he has, but I suspect it is longer than 3 years and we'll see improvement.

 

Just my .02

[DrDawkinstein]

They had a bunch of them with the league's advisory committee

 

But who is advising now?

 

With Pegula's flat structure, when there is a healthy disagreement between the HC and GM peers, who settles it? Who is making that ultimate decision so you can go forward even if you have to "disagree and commit"?

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

What are your feelings going forward? To me, based on how Pegs has handled both of his franchises so far, I'm not very hopeful anything much will change.

 

...Pegulas have a definite learning curve......I'd bet they wanted both ownership transitions to be seamless, giving them time to assess the FO/Admin structures.....seems like that was how the Sabres went but hiring of LaFontaine and his hiring of Murray with Pat's quick exodus was hardly the plan.....now they've seen Murray and Blysma in action and do not like the results...can't blame them.....not afraid to spend money to get it right....proud people want proud clubs....as far as Bills, same thing.....Marrone was probably a decent hire and he did profess "culture change"....problem was he tried to be General Patton and pissed off players, coaches and brass including Brandon & Whaley.....I'd bet they orchestrated his exodus so he took the 4 mil and ran....Pegula never saw this upheaval coming and kept Whaley and Brandon, both under contract..more holes would have been disastrous.......Wrecks was an aberration hire only to sell tickets with Brandon's fingerprints on that one....Pegula wises up to that mistake and boots Brandon upstairs into a SOLE administrative role as Prez of business/marketing ONLY...smart move.....McCoach hire?......we will see..on the surface, he appears to be a gritty, no nonsense all business football guy, not seen in the last 17 years of abysmal patchwork be it FO, Administration and/or sidelines.....don't think he wants the incoming GM to subordinate...if these guys cannot work in tandem, 17 years could easily become 22....look at the Kraft article about the "elite 8 organizations" which you could easily boil down to four perennial contenders....solid FOOTBALL organizations run by FOOTBALL people...no unqualified "patches"...the GM hire and necessary interaction between GM/HC will dictate my optimism......Lee Iacocca said, "lead, follow or get the hell outta the way"...stay tuned............

[ndirish1978]

You need a strong leader in the organization. Whaley was not a leader, he was a competent scout. Even if the new organizational philosophy is poor I think you're going to see an end to the dysfunction at OBD. McDermott is clearly an actual leader of men and people will have to either get behind him or get canned.

[oldmanfan]

 

But who is advising now?

 

With Pegula's flat structure, when there is a healthy disagreement between the HC and GM peers, who settles it? Who is making that ultimate decision so you can go forward even if you have to "disagree and commit"?

You have your GM and HC work it out like adults.

 

I confess I do not understand how adding yet another management layer helps in terms of a "czar". To me it seems like the GM and HC would never truly have responsibility and would be looking over their shoulder all the time. I think the owner did the right thing by using the league committe as a guide for a HC. Now get the GM, get out of the way, and let them do their jobs.

[DrDawkinstein]

You have your GM and HC work it out like adults.

 

I confess I do not understand how adding yet another management layer helps in terms of a "czar". To me it seems like the GM and HC would never truly have responsibility and would be looking over their shoulder all the time. I think the owner did the right thing by using the league committe as a guide for a HC. Now get the GM, get out of the way, and let them do their jobs.

 

That's not going to always happen with two strong personalities who both have a lot on the line in high pressure, high profile jobs. Someone has to be the leader. If they are truly going with McD's vision, then it should be him.

[Maynard]

can we never use the term, "had me/him/them at hello" ever, ever again?

You had me at hello you sexy orange monster