CodeMonkey

Everyone interviewing for the HC job is not going to take Whaleys word for it when speaking of Manuel. They have eyes and can look and judge for themselves. I can't imagine Whaley would even bother saying something as petty as "EJ has been coming along great but Marrone was too stubborn to use him. It was a big mistake on the previous staff."

Exactly my thought as well.

Amen my brother, amen.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist I suppose to figure out that next season could well hinge upon Manuel becoming at least average. From the looks of things, the possibility of the Bills picking up even an average QB via draft, trade, or FA seems unlikely. That leaves Manuel as the default.

It is interesting to read this and the other Marrone related threads. Now all of the problems with the Bills ... Manuel sucking, Spiller sucking, the offense in general sucking and so on ... are now suddenly all the fault of Doug Marrone. Like a giant secret was just revealed. Somehow he must be responsible for OJ's legal problems as well I imagine I know this is a Bills homer board and a lot of fans feel like Marrone just stood them up for the prom and that's where most of the venom is coming from, but it interesting nonetheless

I suppose Whaley would be better for that as well. But I guess if the HC is going to report directly to Pegula (why I still do not know) then I guess he should be part of the interview process?

Can't really. I would assume all conversations with the Jets would have been with the agent. And I would also assume that agent represents more than just Marrone. The simple fact that they talked proves nothing.

I would be too. He would be going from a team with no QB, a ****ty offense, and a great defense to a team with no QB, a ****ty offense, and a mediocre (on a good day) defense. He would probably be getting paid well though along with the $4 mil bonus from the Bills which is nice.

Good lord this scares me most of all! Why in the world would Terry Pegula, first year owner with no football experience prior to now, presume enough to hire a head coach! The fact that he is even going on the interviews scares me! I suspect this is all just a prelude to promoting Schwartz to HC however.

People keep saying this but I keep coming back to, how in the world would anyone prove there was what the NFL considers tampering going on? Seems pretty impossible unless someone confesses. And I seriously doubt that is going to happen.

Quote bug. Put my comments in the original post quote. I added the bolding, maybe that did it? I was using a windows desktop and latest firefox browser. http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/175079-what-if-pegulas-are-geniuses-got-rid-of-him-saved-4m/?p=3410623

Yeah ESPN radio was talking about that this morning. Basically there are no "must haves" out there. Harbaugh was the closest and he signed immediately. Lots of current assistants still in the playoffs. They figured Rex would sign first with Atlanta but even that would not likely set off a feeding frenzy like in seasons past. Similar to QBs, if you need a HC now you are in dire straights and need to look long and hard everywhere to see if you can find a diamond in the rough.

I wonder how FredEX would know one way or the other. I didn't think he had a receiver in his helmet. Maybe he sat in during meetings with Hackett and Marrone?

How do I feel if I am Watkins? That's easy, ambivalent. No one that I have ever seen has said that they did not think Watkins was a good player. The only argument is whether or not Whaley got bent over when he made the trade. Even Marrone never said he didn't want Watkins, he just wanted the 2015 1st.

There are no "classic rivalries" when both teams suck.

Not in this situation, IMO. If you are not competent to make decisions you hire someone who is. Business 101, sports franchise or no sports franchise.

I hope that is not true. Would show startling bad business judgement not hiring a consultant to help him evaluate the situation just because the team was playing better than expected. He is a better businessman than that however, at least in my opinion.

Good link, thanks. Man the NFL is so not in the real world I suppose it would still depend upon the conditions of the "opt out", but assuming Marrone was still considered under contract the NFL would consider it "tampering".

Not in the "real world". That's why I'm asking. And if his agent contacts other teams?

I have no idea how "tampering" works in the NFL regarding coaches, so hopefully I will learn something here. If a coach is coming to the end of his contract or going into an opt-out like Marrone was, is it a breach of NFL rules for another team to contact him or his agent stating potential interest before the option has been exercised? Or by extension, would it be a breach of NFL rules for a coaches agent to contact other teams to gauge interest prior to exercising the option? I know that I have always had a new job lined up before quitting a current one. Seems like a restraint of trade issue if it were different in the NFL. But the NFL seems to go against "normal" laws in other ways so why not in this as well.

EJ Manuel, who Whaley certainly had input into (though we can't give him all the credit/blame to be sure), looks to be a whiff so far though the book is nowhere near closed on him yet. Plus, in my opinion, got smoked on the Watkins trade (not the player, the trade). So far I am not really seeing the magic. But for the sake of the franchise I sure hope he is able to turn things around by getting a good HC now and, hopefully, Manuel and Watkins prove worthy of Whaleys faith.

Agreed with both, not sure about it being simple though . But the original post said "actively involved", and rumors abound now that the new coach will report to Pegula and not to the GM.

Yes he would seem to have a lot of potential. I guess we won't know for a few more years though. I strongly suspect LaFontaine acted more or less as a consultant for that hire.

I believe they are lost when it comes to the Sabres, and even more so when it comes to the Bills. That's why I hope they get a quality consultant ASAP. Being able to drill gas wells and being a fan of the team (which Pegula was for the Sabres at least) does not quality you to make management or player decisions.