Peter

The coach who punted from OUR end of the field and also needed to win that game as well to control his own destiny - unless he got help the next day. The fact that they got beat against the Pats emphasizes why the Dolphins would not have wanted to take their chances trying to beat the Pats or hoping to get all of the help that needed from other teams. Yes, that coach.

So did the winning coach in that game on the previous drive.

That is one of the reasons I have listed the compounds the problem. If you do not think that the others matter, so be it. Nevertheless, it is entirely reasonable and understandable that the other stuff would cause potential candidates concern. It is very humorous when guys on this board or sports radio claim that "most" people wanted Rex fired etc. I was told on this board that I was only one of two that wanted Rex to continue . . . at least until that poll.

I get that you do not agree . . . but try to be open minded about concerns that potential candidates might have that the prior coach was fired in less than two years even though he was the most successful coach in the franchise's past 17 years and notwithstanding all of the injuries and suspensions and QB play while there were devastating leaks undermining the coach moments before a critical game and weeks to follow. No matter who that former coach was and who it happened to, it is both reasonable and likely that potential candidates would have concern (at a minimum).

I suspect that NFL owners do not like being embarrassed and that these owners do not like being embarrassed by the guy who convinced them to put all of their eggs in the Doug Whaley basket.

One of the things that is interesting about this is hat Polian is saying all of this so publicly -- even though he is reportedly very close to ownership.

In short, as I have posted since before Rex got fired, the Bills job would not be a desirable job because of the way the prior HC was treated and concerns that potential candidates would have about that which are now more pronounced after that PC. As a result, we will be stuck with candidates that are not particularly in demand and would be beholden to DW. As for DW not being interested in AL, I have a theory that DW did not like being overshadowed by Rex. Consistent with that, he would not want to choose AL (someone Rex brought in and recommended) and would not be interested in someone with any cache that would overshadow him. This is another reason that we are unlikely to end up with someone that we are particularly excited about unless something changes and/or the Pegulas overpay. The other concern that people are going to have is why would any candidate want to hitch their success to Whaley -- not only because of concerns about DW -- but concerns about whether the guy that may hire you will be around in a year (based on reports that DW has a year to satisfy ownership). In the end, the job has been viewed by (at least certain) people as the least desirable of the job openings - which is particularly depressing given that one of the openings is the Jacksonville job.

Thanks John.

Thanks John. It is not surprising that ownership responded to you given that you are fair. I suspected that ownership was not happy with Whaley embarrassing them and the franchise both in Buffalo and nationally. What role do you think Whaley played in getting Rex fired? Do you think that he worked behind the scenes to make Rex look bad to ownership? Do you think that Whaley was responsible for the devastating leaks to LaCanfora and others to undermine Rex? Do you have the sense that ownership is having buyer's remorse with Whaley? My view is that the answers to the above questions are yes and it looks like he outsmarted himself. I also think that it telling that a franchise icon (Polian) who also is close to the Pegulas would so readily and publicly call Whaley out.

Hmmm.

It looks like Doug is failing at three dimensional chess. He thought that all would be well if he undermined Rex with ownership so that he would not be blamed and he could keep his job. He is now in charge and made a fool out of himself and embarrassed the franchise and the owners. An Icon of the franchise (who happens to be close to the Pegulas) called him out publicly. What he did not count on is that he would have been better off if he had helped to convince ownership to keep Rex. If Rex were still around, he never would have gone through what he went through yesterday, he would not be faced with picking from the runts of the NFL coaching litter, and he would not be embarrassing the franchise around the league. I suspect billionaires do not like being embarrassed by the guy who convinced them all would be better if they would put their eggs in the Doug Whaley basket.

I had no idea you felt that way. The point is that Brutus outsmarted himself and may end up on his arse sooner than anyone could have imagined. If Rex had not been fired (whether you agree with it or not), Whaley would not be going through all of this turmoil. Whaley never realized that he would have been better off for the sake of his own career if Rex were still around. Irony.

That is consistent with what Joe C had heard. Given that Polian has gone public with these quotes and that he is close with ownership, I wonder if that timeline may have moved up a year. I wonder if the Pegulas are having buyer's remorse with Whaley after yesterday. Nobody wants to look like a fool. On top of all of the other problems that a potential HC would be concerned about, if you are now hearing that the guy who wants to hire you may be out of a job in a year, . . . . alarm bells and whistles.

He did . . . he is getting paid . . . and will be getting a stress free job in the media. Doug Whaley on the other hand outsmarted himself. Now he has Bill Polian (who is close with ownership) going public with this. Wow. Just wow. In the end, Doug may end up being a Blesto or area scout before he and Darcy shack up together in the new version of the odd couple that I mentioned the other day..

I wonder if Doug Whaley has seen the Green Mile. Doug made a mistake . . . a big mistake (if you are like me and think that he undermined Rex). Whaley would be a lot better off if he did everything he could to make sure that Rex was not fired.

My worst fears. Sadly, predictable.

If I were Doug Whaley, I would hope that this is not true . . . .

Hmmmmm. Polian: Coaching candidates have reason to be wary of Bills “The fact of the matter is that if you’re a candidate for the Bills job, you begin to say to yourself, ‘What kind of an organization am I stepping into?’ ‘’ Polian, an ESPN analyst, said on air Tuesday. .... “For one thing, Terry Pegula is a straightforward and honest guy; I know him pretty well. The sentence that said ‘based on discussions that were going on all year,’ is the operative one, within the organization,’’ Polian said. “I’m assuming Doug Whaley was involved in them, and were having those kinds of discussions, leading to the decision Terry gave to Rex. The bottom line is, it’s a little disingenuous to say, ‘I wasn’t involved in the decision.’ Terry said there was discussion and you have to assume the general manager is involved in those discussions.’’ .... “Doug Whaley said, 'The ownership has confidence in me,' ’’ Polian said. “If that’s the case, he’ll make the decision and he’ll own the decision. He’ll own the coach, he’ll own whoever the quarterback is going forward. I would argue that the waters have probably been sullied enough with Tyrod Taylor that he might not come back, but whoever the quarterback, he’s going to own him.

Deja Vu?

I have noticed other guys at TBN do the same thing. I wonder.

That is exactly what I am afraid of. I remember that empty feeling I had when some of the prior guys were hired as HC of the Bills. I am getting ready for that same feeling.

Yep. Maybe the best thing for DW to do now is to pretend that this is the "blueprint" of which he spoke yesterday, and it is their version of the tank . . . .

It may not bother many Bills fans, but I suspect that it would raise concern with guys who may be candidates for the job.

Sadly, I think you are correct about the Pats guys. I also think that they realize they do not have a chance with KS so probably are not asking. Doug may want to block caller ID when he makes these calls.

Indeed.