What a Tuel

It is a $15.4 million option bonus. You don't roll all 5 years into 2 years and make the assumption we cut him after 2. Yes, they would owe that money if they cut him after 2 years, but when picking up the contract they will owe him: 2017 $15.9 (including $3.1 option bonus) (+ possible incentives) 2018 $16.7 (including $3.1 option bonus) (+ possible incentives) 2019 $17.3 (including $3.1 option bonus) (+ possible incentives) 2020 $17.6 (including $3.1 option bonus) (+ possible incentives) 2021 $17.6 (including $3.1 option bonus) (+ possible incentives) If you are going to say we are cutting him after year 2 then why not say we are cutting him after year 1, and will owe him $30 million for 1 year? That's awfully misleading, especially for the masses who don't look too deep into it. (Edit: And by "owe him" I fully realize they pay him the bonus money upfront, but in the eyes of the salary cap, it is spread out)

Where do you see $40.5 million? I see $15.9 million in 2017 and $16.7 million in 2018. That is a very reasonable salary for a starting QB, and like I said, if there is no alternative, then why wouldn't we? Unless we plan to tank. Are you rolling 2019, 2020, and 2021 signing bonus into that assuming we cut him after 2018? Even then, I believe there is some cap relief in spreading it out to 2019. http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/tyrod-taylor-7899/

Because you have to take a look at the field with your coach and look at alternatives. If Tyrod is the best available QB, we need to put the best available on the field. The contract itself isn't even awful or overbearing. So yes, they probably already saw what they need to see but that isn't the whole of the decision, unless they plan on tanking.

Even if it is a "source", it could be as simple as an employee of the Bills looking at it and saying "I don't think they are going to pick up the option, no". Great we got some unknown schlubs opinion on Tyrod's contract situation. Awesome.

You can just as easily say Pegula turns to Whaley and says "Ok, I think that went well, who do you like the most?".

Not to mention, they will just as likely go the other direction if we pick up the option with stories like "Are the Bills making another ridiculous investment?" and "Is Tyrod Taylor really a franchise QB like the Bills think they are?"

If the defense held up in even just 3-4 of these games where they got relentlessly blown up, I'd say we are in the playoffs. Not even considering the Pats blow out game, I'm thinking allowing the Raiders to run up 29 points in basically 1 quarter, allowing Ajayi to run all over us for 400+ yards, not tackling Le'Veon Bell. Just brutal.

The media would love to think that the front office is basing their decisions on their reporting. The funny thing is out of all of the hate for Brandon, if this were true, we should truly hate the media for trying to GM the team, and the Pegula's for allowing it.

I'd say if TT is not resigned they better have another option lined up. Or else tank. Cardale Jones is not the answer in 2017 and neither is one of the nomad QB's drifting about the league.

It would be pretty hilarious. I envision quotes like "Are the Pegula's so out of touch and unable to run a Professional football team that they think a letter will help 17 years of bad football?"

Especially after coming off a coach who said stuff and people flipped out over. "You just don't say that stuff, keep your fat mouth shut Rex" Are you not aware of the treatment and temper tantrums the media threw because Whaley wasn't out there one week prior when they demanded? To the point of calling Ownership "bozos". So why are you surprised that the organization doesn't want to give this crappy media any information.

He also leaves every engagement on a high note to ensure that he always leaves the Pegula's and Bills executives thinking he's great.

But has anyone asked if the GM knew of this and when?!?!? Also did he have conversations with anyone about it? What did those conversations entail? When did they take place? Shouldn't he be involved in these decisions? #dysfunction #laughingstock Who will ever work for Bowles now? With this type of environment?

He doesn't have to be right, and being wrong doesn't mean it is malicious. He is just wrong. Again, why is it troubling that the Bills started EJ? It makes perfect sense. Starting Tyrod Week 17 with that injury clause would have been far more troubling.

It all started with Whaley not holding a press conference when the media wanted him to. It snowballed from there when he didn't give them the answers they wanted. For example they were looking for either a "I was not 100% behind the Rex Ryan hire", or an "I was 100% behind the Rex Ryan hire" quote. They were also looking for a "Yes, I convinced Pegula to fire Rex" quote, or an "despite poor performance I wanted to give Rex Ryan and this organization continuity" quote. All the while calling the Pegula's bozos on the side.

You are mixing the media's perception and reality, and that is understandable because the media likes to portray its perception as reality. The point was that Whaley's short answers were not a sign of dysfunction but hitting two birds with one stone. They aren't telling the media anything, and they aren't throwing their former HC under the bus which imo would have been more dysfunctional for the HC search. I can agree on that. To let Tyrod go without another plan such as trading for Romo or another QB would be ridiculous.

Let me ask you, in the midst of a head coaching search, do you think it is prudent for a GM to discuss the reasons and conversations about the previous HC and why he was bad for the organization? I realize Whaley could rephrase his answers to be more PR friendly to the media while still saying nothing, but honestly I don't think he thinks the people calling the Pegula's bozos deserve it.

I'm not saying Polian's an idiot. I'm saying I disagree with his points. I think the Bills reasons for doing what they did are very clear and not dysfunctional. I think sitting Tyrod was very reasonable. Most fans would think after the defensive performance, firing Rex was very reasonable. Starting EJ was reasonable since he was on his way out. The dysfunction comes when talking to the idiot media, and that has little to do with the football aspect of the organization. But who is really being the sycophant if I can't disagree with Polian because he was great?

Is it too much for his "troubling" thoughts to make sense? Why would we start Tyrod? Why wouldn't we start EJ? How is that an "awkward way of firing Rex"? Rex always reported directly to Pegula. Rex confronted Pegula directly. If someone wants to argue the Bills front office is dysfunctional with the media, then sure, but I say who the heck cares. I think the media is being just as dysfunctional.

JW asked him similar questions to what these guys asked them....so yeah. He explained what happened exactly as Whaley had. Your only sticking point is that Whaley lied about what he thought was going to happen with Rex and how he felt after it happened. So freaking what? And I don't even think he was lying about considering Rex's future until after the season. I mostly believe him when he says he was focusing on the season. They seem to have a pretty straight forward routine for evaluating performance.

You are again missing the point that when they asked about Whaley's feelings about Rex's job security he gave them nothing on purpose. Terry Pegula going to the AP with an exclusive interview should tell you a lot. You will just call it damage control but in reality it was another FU to local media.

Exactly. He didn't give the media much, and now they are ripping on his limited answers trying to make him pay for it.

You are mixing the two. They were asking about the final decision. We know the way the decision was made. Pegula did not get the chance to talk to Whaley about it during their normal evaluation process. Rex went to Pegula and it unfolded from there. Why are we digging into Whaley having input on this decision? Is it because you think he should? Is that the way the power structure was said to be set up back in 2015? Q: You said you are the voice of ownership, but you said you were not privy to information about them firing Rex Ryan, I guess I feel it should be information they should share with you for you to come out here? A: They put out a statement. Q: What did the statement say that shed any light on the situation? A: You have it. Q: Repeatedly saying the owners put out a statement does not answer why you were not privy to ownerships decision. We hear you were shut out of the process, so square that because saying they put out a statement doesn’t answer that? A: Well that is the way you think. I look at it this way. My boss gave me a directive. He said that we will not be having Rex Ryan as our head coach anymore. Q: With no explanation to you? A: I didn’t need any. I am trying to tell you the way I approach my job and it may be wrong to you guys, and you can write how you want. My thinking is when I get a directive from my boss it doesn’t matter how he came up with that directive, I am here to execute the directive.

I think EJ would tell you he absolutely welcomed the opportunity. In hindsight it was probably a mistake, but only because he was awful.

He did not talk about the decision to fire Rex at all. He identified the point in which Pegula decided to fire Rex (When Rex asked to talk privately) and that was it. Every other question was phrased about the decision to fire Rex and he referred it back to that first sentence. When they finally got around to asking his personal opinion of the decision, he said screw you. I mean yeah it was a jerk move when you have Jerry Sullivan (I think) mockingly asking you what you !@#$ing do around here then, right to your face. They deserved the answers they got. He wasn't pretending he was shocked at all. And you say we have pretzel logic lmao.