This is what I am trying to tell you is that Whaley wouldn't say that because it would be rather absurd for the GM to come out against the HC that they just hired, and he wouldn't ever point the finger at the Pegula's for fudging up either.
I think Whaley saw the merits of Rex Ryan, but I also think he knew that the defense would have to change. Maybe Whaley was convinced Rex would leave it intact, maybe he wasn't, but you can't deny the effect Rex had on the Pegula's, and that Hue Jackson was a top candidate.
The question you have to ask yourself is if the Pegula's were not involved at all, would Whaley have chosen Rex Ryan or Hue Jackson? The logical choice would have to be Jackson because he was more likely to do what was quoted to be the goal for 2015 - Keep the defense intact, work on the offense. And that isn't even using hindsight cause Jackson just went 1-15 with the Browns.