TheFunPolice Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 (edited) Incognito and Tyrod were 100% Rex Does he deserve credit? What's the point, really? This is the 2017 Bills Edited October 24, 2017 by TheFunPolice
White Linen Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 There's times when our mindset as a fanbase is as bad as the teams we've had. Who cares to think about someone getting credit who's no longer a part of the organization?
Foreigner Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 I am not going to bother reading the other 61 replies to this, but when Whaley gets another GM job, then start this thread over. Until then, which I predict will be never, you are insulting all the intelligent people on this board.
BmarvB Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 Many of those Whaley guys who are not on the team are starting for other teams. He did bring some good value players. He wasn't as bad as so many haters try to make him out to be. He just missed on some players in the draft even though there were a couple of hits.
BuffBillsForLife Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 Will Whaley fans ever give it up? I can't wait to read threads on here 5 years from now talking about how Whaley is to thank for laying the groundwork for our continued playoff success
blacklabel Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 I admit that I was a Whaley fan and felt like he tried to provide the coaches he had with the players they were looking for. Marrone wanted giant OL, so Whaley picked Kouandjio and Henderson. Rex wanted players to fit his 3-4 scheme, so Whaley gets him Ragland. I can't say Lawson and Washington were good fits for Rex's defense but the feeling must have been that Rex would find a way to get production out of guys that weren't perfect fits in his system. And he did a decent job at finding depth and finding players during the season that he could plug in. I really felt like the guy was in a no-win situation regardless of what he did or didn't do. Before him they had guys like Nix and friggin' Marv/Brandon, etc. Those GMs never did any trading/moving around in the draft and would get heavily criticized for it. Whaley came in and made it well-known that he was always open to trades whether in the draft or elsewhere. So he does the opposite of what his predecessors did and still gets criticized. Some of that criticism is fair, for sure, but just the fact that fans were clamoring for a guy who would do more than just stand pat on his picks, they get a guy like that and they still aren't happy. He was also in a no-win situation regarding contract extensions and keeping their cornerstone players. After Dareus' monster 2014 season, people were flipping out that it'd be yet another case of the Bills letting a premiere player walk in free agency. Whaley gets a deal done and at first it's all, "Yay, they didn't let a player walk for nothing and locked him up long term!" And now it's, "Aw what a horrible move." Same could be said about Hughes but I think most agree that they gave him a very fair deal and so far he's lived up to it. His production hasn't been what it was but that happens when you move a player into a position they're not a good fit for. So, I think the guy had a good eye for talent. I think where he lacked was his methods on how to build a winner. He felt like if he drafted kids from schools that constantly won, that winning nature would rub off on all the other players. But it takes more than that. And as confusing as some of the McBeane moves have been, it's becoming much clearer now that their method of team building is finding a collection of players that have each others backs. At this point, they don't have the most talented roster out there but they may have the roster with the most heart. And if they can keep that up while adding high level talent then this team might finally be on their way to being a consistent contender.
Coach Tuesday Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 Whaley was bad overall. He does seem to have some good attributes, and was probably somewhat of a victim of the organizational "group think" that took place.... although, him landing that position was a result of his willingness to work with the "group think" which makes him complicit. I also don't think he is wired to run an effective football program from the top, and his inability to get along with coaches was catastrophe, and media missteps bad. For years, decisions were made from murky places. Nobody could put their finger on it. Was it Wilson, Pegula, Brandon, Jauron, Overdorf, etc... nobody could really assign blame and people/fans/media would assign blame or absolve it based on their predetermined positions (such as giving Whaley credit for this draft, but absolving him from "Nix's last draft". Whenever the heat got too much for the Bills to handle, they would just throw another log on the fire and outsource all the blame, whether it was Donahoe, Levy, Nix, Marrone, Jauron, Gailey, Wilson himself, Brandon himself, etc... This management (I suspect has been driven from Brandon and Overdorf) has failed over and over again. Now, I it seems that ownership has truly handed over the reins of the franchise as well as accountability to McDermott and Beane. To me that is healthy, and it probably marginalizes the numerous voices from past management. They can craft their cohesive vision for a football team. I like how detail oriented and positive McDermott is. They are going to get the right personalities in, and McDermott is going to show them how to prepare. I still think this season will fall into the crapper eventually, mainly due to depth and not enough weapons on offense, but I am still very encouraged that these guys will get this team into the top third or so of the league on a perennial basis Great post.
Fadingpain Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 He was also one the first gms that was fond of Wentz. Wentz even said that the Bills had scouted him far longer and harder than anyone else. Notice that Wentz is emerging as the next top QB in the NFL...and that he went in that crazy, impossible to predict draft spot of First round, No. 2 overall. For all the anti-tankers out there who think you have to stumble into a good QB in the 5th round by mistake.
Utah John Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 The biggest lesson I am taking from this season, so far, is that character and heart are far more important than people have been thinking. Most teams and fans focus on the measurable factors (speed, time in agility drills, weight lifting, jumping, etc) and no one pays attention to the intangibles. Whaley drafted some real locker room cancers. Young kids coming in at 21 thinking they're God's gift and just entitled to show up and get rich. Some of them outgrow this, learn to take their craft seriously, take care of their bodies, and work hard every day to improve. Some don't do this. The guys who work hard must shake their heads or throw up in their mouths at how much the lazy slackers make. The guys who have the intelligence to figure out how plays really work or don't work, must have the same reaction about the dotards. I look at guys like Hyde, Poyer, TT, Kyle Williams, and Eric Wood as examples for how players should approach the game. Not all of these guys are the most talented at their position in the NFL, but they are all strivers. I look at Jerry Hughes and I see a guy who's grown up and become one of the leaders. I look at Marcel Dareus and I see a tremendously disappointing, highly talented but lazy prima dona. Hughes and Dareus are buddies, so why did one guy turn around his game and the other guy just piss away his chance? Put aside for a moment all of Watkins' injuries, which clearly affected his performance. He was just a bad guy to have in the locker room. Why didn't Whaley find out about that? Why on earth did he give up so much to get him, without finding out what kind of man he is? Whaley spent a pick on Karlos Williams, probably the most egregious waste of talent I can think of. So he had a good rookie year, big deal, he couldn't act like a professional, take care of his body, stay in shape. Gone. Chris Hogan would fit in great with this year's team. So would Gillislee. The fact that they're not here is a major failure of Whaley. The "loss" of Gilmore is an example of addition by subtraction. The Bills are simply better off without him, and it's just great that NE is paying so much for his services. McDermott and Beane are clearly much more in tune with what kind of person a player is. Also McDermott's style of leadership is helping the players become leaders themselves, and when that happens in any organization, the whole place gets better results.
cba fan Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 (edited) Whaley had a few good picks the same way a broken clock can have the correct time twice a day. The fact that most of the people he brought in are no longer on the team is a sign that he wasn't the best GM. respectively.........are you even paying attention? McDerma and beano hate Whaley Rex guys... they don full body protective gear every time one of them enter the room. Many of those Whaley guys who are not on the team are starting for other teams. thank you some people never look at that. How can you say this. Whaley was the best GM ever. Only a hateful hater with an agenda like yourself would think otherwise. Sincerely The koolaid crowd And those players are whom exactly? Watkins Stephon Gilmore Mike Gillislee Darby when healthy Zach Brown Woods Goodwin Seymour Graham Bradham Nickell Robey-Coleman EJ Manual Bryson Albright Leger Douzable if Bills still had Gillislee Watkins ZBrown Seymour and R-Coleman they would be playoff lock. This has to be a NFL historical record for # of players to end on one team roster get cut or traded and start next yr for new team. Numbers don't lie here. best response here from you would be.........crickets. Edited October 25, 2017 by cba fan
Scott7975 Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 Whaley got the credit he deserved when he got fired.
Foxx Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 (edited) respectively.........are you even paying attention? McDerma and beano hate Whale Rex guys... they don full body protective gear every time one of them enter the room. thank you some people never look at that. Watkins Darby when healthy Woods Goodwin Seymour Graham Bradham Nickell Robey-Coleman EJ Manual Zach Brown This has to be a NFL historical record for # of players to end on one team roster get cut or traded and start next yr for new team. Numbers don't lie here. speaking of which... how is Zach Brown playing this year? Edited October 24, 2017 by Foxx
Kirby Jackson Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 speaking of which... how is Zach Brown playing this year?The Redskins seem high on him.
Real McClappy Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 speaking of which... how is Zach Brown playing this year? On par to have a equal or better year with Wash this year than last year with the Bills.
TheFunPolice Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 (edited) Give credit to whoever you want, but the guys who are around when the team wins will get all the "visible" credit. "Look at the turnaround the new front office and coaching staff have engineered in Buffalo" will be the story. Not the ex GM who everyone in the national sports media made fun of for his debacle of a press conference. The Bills getting hot and going to the playoffs (if it happens this season) is the story the NFL would LOVE to see happen. And the story isn't going to be about Doug Whaley. Edited October 24, 2017 by TheFunPolice
corta765 Posted October 24, 2017 Posted October 24, 2017 Notice that Wentz is emerging as the next top QB in the NFL...and that he went in that crazy, impossible to predict draft spot of First round, No. 2 overall. For all the anti-tankers out there who think you have to stumble into a good QB in the 5th round by mistake. A pick which the Eagles mortgaged a lot to trade up. Yes it's working and good for Philly but your blatantly ignoring it was a risk to move up. Second are you actually bringing up a tank discussion at this point in the season? The single best thing about the current coach and GM is the fact they seem to have a true plan, have excellent attention to detail, and are doing a very sound job at creating a team. You can tank all you want but as the Sabres and Colts have shown if you don't have the organization surrounding to support your guy it will not matter. You can point out your examples like Wentz who was once again traded for pick wise, but your ignoring the fact the best organizations are run well from top down. Yes you still need to find a QB, but this mindless zombie like obsession of being the worst solely for the reason of getting the pick of the QB litter is just insanely stupid and not well thought out.
cba fan Posted October 25, 2017 Posted October 25, 2017 speaking of which... how is Zach Brown playing this year? Good.
PABillsfan23 Posted October 25, 2017 Posted October 25, 2017 Which trade involving Watkins? Draft day or this year? Whaley was long gone when the LA trade happened
KD in CA Posted October 25, 2017 Posted October 25, 2017 You get judged on your biggest and most important moments. EJ Watkins Dareus contract 3 strikes and youre out.
Rob's House Posted October 25, 2017 Posted October 25, 2017 The biggest lesson I am taking from this season, so far, is that character and heart are far more important than people have been thinking. Most teams and fans focus on the measurable factors (speed, time in agility drills, weight lifting, jumping, etc) and no one pays attention to the intangibles. Whaley drafted some real locker room cancers. Young kids coming in at 21 thinking they're God's gift and just entitled to show up and get rich. Some of them outgrow this, learn to take their craft seriously, take care of their bodies, and work hard every day to improve. Some don't do this. The guys who work hard must shake their heads or throw up in their mouths at how much the lazy slackers make. The guys who have the intelligence to figure out how plays really work or don't work, must have the same reaction about the dotards. I look at guys like Hyde, Poyer, TT, Kyle Williams, and Eric Wood as examples for how players should approach the game. Not all of these guys are the most talented at their position in the NFL, but they are all strivers. I look at Jerry Hughes and I see a guy who's grown up and become one of the leaders. I look at Marcel Dareus and I see a tremendously disappointing, highly talented but lazy prima dona. Hughes and Dareus are buddies, so why did one guy turn around his game and the other guy just piss away his chance? Put aside for a moment all of Watkins' injuries, which clearly affected his performance. He was just a bad guy to have in the locker room. Why didn't Whaley find out about that? Why on earth did he give up so much to get him, without finding out what kind of man he is? Whaley spent a pick on Karlos Williams, probably the most egregious waste of talent I can think of. So he had a good rookie year, big deal, he couldn't act like a professional, take care of his body, stay in shape. Gone. Chris Hogan would fit in great with this year's team. So would Gillislee. The fact that they're not here is a major failure of Whaley. The "loss" of Gilmore is an example of addition by subtraction. The Bills are simply better off without him, and it's just great that NE is paying so much for his services. McDermott and Beane are clearly much more in tune with what kind of person a player is. Also McDermott's style of leadership is helping the players become leaders themselves, and when that happens in any organization, the whole place gets better results. I agree, but I think that's why Whaley became such a fan favorite. After years of "lunch pail" guys who had "high motors" but not a ton of talent, it was a breath of fresh air to see some world-class ahletes on the roster. He made the moves we would have made on Madden. Unfortunately, it takes more than talent. Apparently you need a good combination of talent, smarts, and character. FWIW, I think the Jauron teams would have done ok with a good QB. Those teams had high-character guys who played hard and kept it close. They just never had a QB that could sustain drives or come through with the game on the line. Of course, some NFL talent on the O-line might have helped too.
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