Archives for January 3, 2017

'So there was poor Whaley, alone at the microphone for 40 minutes. He gave it the good PR try, but failed epically at trying to explain (a) his absentee bosses’ decisions to fire head coach Rex Ryan last week without including him on the decision, and (b) his collaborative decision with the Pegulas to bench starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor for Sunday’s meaningless season finale at the Jets — ostensibly so backup EJ Manuel and never-before-dressed rookie Cardale Jones could give the Bills the worst chance to win. Or something like that.'

'Even as a backup, Bush was paid $1.5 million this season. That works out to $500,000 per negative yard.'

'Getting fired by the Bills might have been the best thing to happen to Rex Ryan.'

'Pegula based his decision on his own observations, input he's received from his front-office staff over the course of the season, and also on previous discussions he's had with Ryan regarding addressing the team's struggles.'

'"Did I believe that was fair? No, I didn't," Taylor said, adding he's hoping to get a lengthier explanation from the team during exit meetings. "Once we have the conversation and it's actually explained to me why it was done the way it was, we'll move forward from there. But we'll see when that happens."'

'Lynn is believed to be the early frontrunner to replace the fired Rex Ryan for several reasons. Perhaps first and foremost, it would be an easier transition because Lynn has been in Buffalo two years, and was the offensive coordinator for the last 14 games of the season after Greg Roman was fired.'

'Whaley claimed he wasn't even aware Ryan was being fired until owner Terry Pegula called him after the fact, and then he added that since then, he hasn't given the Ryan firing a single thought. It was further proof of the lack of cohesion in the organization.'

'"That's what it showed," Taylor said. "That's what I think it showed. But at the same time, the conversation wasn't detailed enough to know if that was the case or not. Hopefully we can have that conversation this week. Maybe it's today. I'm not sure. We haven't met as a unit yet, nor have I met with the people upstairs, so maybe it will be clear what's the direction moving forward.'

'Pegula has not answered questions from local reporters since Ryan's introductory news conference in January 2015. He issued a five-sentence statement when Ryan was fired, wishing Ryan well and expressing disappointment in a season that ended Sunday with a 7-9 record.'

'"I look at it this way: I'm the GM of the football operation. I was told by my boss that I would no longer be working with a certain person. My role is not to figure out why. My role is to take that information and go forward and put this organization in the best possible way to win football games. So for me, I did not ask."'

'As soon as the words came out of Whaley's mouth, it sounded almost unbelievable: How could the general manager of a team not know why the head coach was being fired?'

'Much of that, of course, has to do with his health and his usage. Watkins has played in 37 games in his three-year career and he's been targeted 7.4 times per game. Last year, Rex Ryan admitted that his offense needed to do a better job featuring Watkins and when they finally began targeting him more frequently, Watkins' numbers skyrocketed.'

'He had no answers and only created many more questions, particularly with his assessment of Rex. Whaley said he hasn't the first clue why Rex was fired, had nothing to do with Rex being fired and hasn't bothered to think about it since.'

'Whaley went on to say that he assumed no responsibility in Ryan’s hiring in February 2015 and added that he hasn’t “even thought about” if he agreed or disagreed with the former head coach’s firing.'

'Taylor’s benching shows a lack of confidence on the part of the coaching staff and front office. He has an option that the team can pick up in the offseason, which would cost the Bills more than $30 million in guaranteed money. Considering how expensive that is, Buffalo is likely to move on from him.'