dezertbill

At this point it almost laughable the contrast between the way the Eagles D plays and the Bills. Tonight another punishing effort vs the Bears. A game littered with turnovers and hard hits. Eagles avg half the points the Bills have given up. The only downfall regarding the loss of Marrone was losing a stud D coordinator who Rex and his brother and any other stool pidgeon they've brought in couldnt hold Schwartz's clip board. By next year we'll be finally free of the Lapband Twins and get a real Defensive mind in town. One that hopefully will be as good as Schwartz.

"After news of the Bridgewater injury, Bills trainers could be seen placing bubble wrap around Tyrod Taylor"

This is why I think Foles should have waited to sign with a team. Romo, now this. Instead of being a backup he could be a starter for a legit playoff team.

The accountability is where it should be. On the players. I commend DW for stepping up and sending the message regardless if your a promising rookie coming off a great year or one of the highest paid player, if you don't come in and do the right thing and act the right way you will be held accountable. He should also be commended for the fact despite the unfortunate injuries that he has no control of the Bills still put a first team unit out there that shut down the Giants. Every year there are undrafted free agents or late round picks making the team and playing meaningful roles. That credit goes to Whaley and his staff. And after 15 years finally finding a QB that right now looks to finally give the Bills stability at that position is a credit to DW as well. Yes he took a flyer on a player in the 5th round that everyone was calling a steal a mere six months ago. if every team got one solid year from every fifth round pick in this league that would be one thing. What do you mean by accountable? You said in a later post her shouldn't be fired. Do you think he should be fined? Suspended? Because he missed on a fifth round pick. Or because one of arguably top 10 interior lineman in the league that he had the foresight to draft (and not draft a bust) missed a piss test? Are the Bills the only team to have star player suspended? Should those GMs be held "accountable" as well? Maybe if I understood what type of accountable your referring too would better help me understand your point.

Belicheat needs to be fired. He should have known Lewis and Vollmer were injury prone.

Dennis Thurman was Rex's DB coach when the Jets went to back to back AFC championship games. Allowing him to just focus on DB's seems to be his strength. Adding Ed Reed is a huge step as I see Reed showing the young players how to prepare each and every week for Rex's game plan and be a great sounding board on understanding a defense he ran like the back of his hand. Having that championship pedigree that is only two years removed from the league will hopefully help the players adapt as well. I also believe having someone like Reed in the building will teach some of the players how to be leaders, something he was great at. This is a win for Buffalo at the moment, but honestly I see Reed flying up the coaching chain and don't see an assistant title lasting very long. Hopefully that future will still be with the Bills.

After the train wreck Rex created this year I think more credit should be given to Schwartz. He lived up to his word despite taking over a defense different than his and played to the players strengths rather than trying to make them fit into his system. At the end of the day I feel this is going to boost Schwartz value due to his flexibility and ability to adjust based on talent.

It wouldn't surprise me if Pegula brings in a "consultant" to help him make decisions. That wouldn't necessarily cost Whaley his job, but that would diminish his power. It would be up to Whaley whether he wanted to accept that or not. That goes along the lines of what Joe and Sal are both saying. Whaley may still be the GM in 2016, but a "consultant" who Pegula would rely heavily on would have strongly influence Pegula on any final decisions.

He signed four days before the official free agency signing period began, but players were allowed to talk with other teams before then. I can't imagine dialogue didn't take place between Harris Agent and Buffalo before Harris signed.

When Ryan took over the Jets he brought in Bart Scott and Jim Leonhard to help teach the players his defense in order to shorten the learning curve. Ryan took the Jets D from the bottom of the league to the top that year. This season it was widely known that Ryan wanted to bring in David Harris and Dewan Landry most likely for the same role. A few days after the period to speak with FA opened Harris agreed to a deal with Jets, and the Bills kicked the tires with Landry but Whaley came across as if his price was too high. Fast forward to today and the defense is a mess. I think Mario Williams said what alot of other players are thinking. While I feel Preston Brown is a good LB, he is young and I feel the job of leading this defense is over his head. There is too much confusion on the field because Brown himself is still learning Ryan's system. Whaley didn't go hard after Harris because he was on the wrong side of 30 and he viewed Brown as an up and coming player, and treated Landry the same way due to the Bills depth at his position. I have a strong feeling this is a huge point of contention between Whaley and Ryan. It wouldn't surprise me inside the walls of One Bills Drive that Ryan is furious at Whaley for not allowing him to bring in the players he needed to help the team "buy in" to his defense and be able to tutor the other players. I feel if Harris was leading the defense there wouldn't be the discontent that exists today. Also having Landry would help the secondary guys adapt. For Ryan I'm sure the 3 year $21 million dollar deal for Harris would have been well worth it. He is having a great year in NY and would have made a world of difference if he was the voice in the huddle and in meeting rooms. That's where I truly feel Whaley lost the battle in this one. For certain I would expect to see a few Ryan ex players come in next season to not only help others with his defense, but also have players on the team that "buy in". Cuz right now there aren't very many.

The only way Whaley is out if his ego gets the best of him. LaFontaine found himself out of work after trying to impose his will on Pegula. I would say that if Whaley hits the open market, they'll be about a half dozen teams lined up to hire him the next day. Be blessed we don't have to deal with a Ray Farmer or the disaster team in Tennessee. I also believe that if Whaley is shown the door it's because a seasoned football Czar will take his place, not some inexperienced pro personnel guy or AGM. With that said, I don't see Whaley going anywhere. His moves have been on point and with all the player complaints about the coaching staff some of his issues may have more merit than meets the eye. Pegula seems to have an ear for his line employees, and I'm sure that is magnified when his line employees are making seven or eight figures.

I agree. If we could plainly see it why couldn't he? That's bs This +1000

A good HC has someone upstairs to let him know if he should review. You delegate that. It shouldn't just be up to him That's on Rex. Poor organizational skills on his part.

This +1000

We could replay half a dozen losses vs pats in lieu of this crap.

Punting. Are u frickin kidding me

Same crap. Different year

Miller is done

Piece of sh!$

With Taylor we'd atleast be 5-3. Is what it is.

Making the obvious point that without Taylor, McCoy, Watkins, and Williams we don't win this speaks volumes about the team's talent level over the last two games. Watkins backed up his talk with the most yards in his short career (although he almost made a huge drop) and McCoy & Williams combo'd for over 220 yards of rushing. 397 total yards and 4 TD's from that trio. Taylor completes 92% of his passes with 2 huge completions compared to Manuel's 62% over the last two games. Along with 44 yards of rushing converting some big first downs to keep drives alive. I don't think you can discount what he means to this team. Besides his 4-2 starting record he easily opens the field for big plays with the threat of his legs. I also believe the threat of Taylor taking off opens up running lanes for RB's due to defense's hesitation. Buffalo's bend but don't break defense still has it's issues. But when the Offense is producing it takes the pressure off of Thurman and Co. Imagine that, offense taking pressure off a Rex Ryan defense. Hopefully McCoy's shoulder is OK and Watkins isn't too sore after Suh landing on him. But I expect a big helping from Rex of "That's what our team can do when we are healthy" talk in the post game. Rightly so. Not many teams win games without their starting QB, top 2 RB's and top WR. Buffalo has proven they are no different. Our playoff hopes rests on the health of those 4. The Bills will ride with them or die without. GO BILLS!

This strengthens Ryan's case for getting his team healthy. Watkins, McCoy, and Williams all have missed time the last few weeks and were huge today. Without them we don't win.

Miami has owned run off tackle all day

Oh what a few months does to a fickle fan base. Fans were on cloud nine this summer with all the moves Whaley made. Winning the war to obtain Charles Clay. Obtaining LeSean McCoy and Percy Harvin. Resigning Jerry Hughes. But at 3-4, people are going "rogue". Buffalo's failures you ask? "It's Whaley's fault" some say. Why isn't Doug making trades? Why did he cut Cassel? Why did we cut Freddie? Why...why...why??? To those who feel Whaley is on the hot seat, or doing a poor job, your clueless. History proves it. Buddy Nix resigned as GM in May of 2013. Safe to say Whaley had more of an impact on that draft than Nix, since it was probably in the cards for Nix to walk away when he did. But one thing Buddy always said, was that he wasn't going to retire until he found the QB of the future for the Bills. Pretty strong words for an exiting GM. So in 2013, the Bills swung a deal in what turned out to be for EJ Manuel: WR Tavon Austin for QB J Manuel LB Kiko Alonso. Prior to 2015, Austin had amassed 660 yards receiving and 4 TD over his first two seasons. In 2015 he is on pace for 651 yards and 8 TDs. Zero Pro Bowls. We all know the type of player Alonso (a 2nd round find) became. Alonso turned into McCoy. So the trade turns into Austin for Manuel McCoy. Even McCoy for Austin is a steal without Manuel. ....oh, and that Manuel guy? Harkin back to Nix's pledge to find a Bills future QB before he retired. That was a poor QB draft class, and its not like the Bills "missed" on another QB. Plus, many feel Marrone did more harm than good for Manuel, and having his side-kick in a clown car Hackett running a pro offense fresh off the sidelines of Syracuse didn't help Manuel either. I feel if the Bills had a veteran that could have stayed healthy and allowed Manuel to learn the game, and if Marrone didn't drill crap into Manuel's head that made him doubt his ability as a runner and play the game more natural, Manuel would be a different player. He was playing great before his injury in Cleveland his rookie year, and right now he is mentally damaged goods. When the dust cleared do you honestly believe that Whaley had a choice of walking out of that draft without picking a QB in the first round? NOPE. It was a simple case of choose your poison. Now back to Whaley's body of work. Three weeks before Nix retires, Bills get Jerry Hughes for Kelvin Sheppard. Based on Nix's past and how Whaley has wheeled and dealed since, I have a good idea who was behind that one. Other 2013 selections; 2nd Round- Robert Woods- Solid WR whose 2014 stats exceeded Austin's first two seasons combined. Will be a huge contributor in the future. 4th Round- Duke Williams- Fringe starter who has already shown he can play 3 years in. Should continue to develop into a good one. 6th Round- Dustin Hopkins- Whaley had little choice but to let Hopkins go with the red hot Carpenter on board. He's currently 11-12 in FG attempts and having a great year in Washington. 7th round- Chris Cragg- Has shown flashes and can make plays. Jury is still out, but for still being on the team as a 7th rounder is a plus for Whaley. 2014 was Whaley's first solo draft. His contribution to the 53 were as follows: 1st round Sammy Watkins- Traded up for what turned out to be CB Justin Gilbert (bust), OL Cameron Irving (non-existent his rookie season and honestly someone I saw the Bills taking with their OLine needs had they had the pick) and SS Ibraheim Campbell (another non-factor). Even with injuries Watkins amassed almost 1000 yards receiving and 6 TD's his rookie year in a deep receiving class. We all know that Beckham is the elephant in the room and the player Buffalo could have had at 8 without trading down. But it's not like Sammy has played like Tavon Austin. He has shown #1 wideout skills and has played like a starting WR. He also doesn't have Eli Manning throwing to him. Watkins with Eli and he may have mirrored Beckham's stats. With all things considered, I feel Watkins has a huge future in the league and I like Whaley's guts to go after a player he wanted. 2nd Round- Cyrus Kouandjio- Another player that Marrone tried to destroy mentally . It was reported that Marrone got into a heated discussion with Whaley and Jim Monos over his treatment of Kouandjio. Seems the latter were right, and with Marrone gone Cyrus was in competition for a starter position right until the end of camp and has improved greatly in a year without Marrone around. 3rd Round- Preston Brown- Stud ILB who is football smart beyond his years and the QB of Buffalo's defense. Another example of Whaley finding quality talent outside the first round. 7th Round- Seantrel Henderson- Labeled damaged goods out of college, Henderson honed in & became a solid starter his rookie season. He even earned honors through the NFL's performance based incentive system, being the highest compensated player in the league. He is continuing his strong play this year and is coming off injury set to return this week. 2015 draft 2nd Round Ronald Darby- A head scratcher when the announcement came, another gem by Whaley outside the first round. While the entire fan base was wanting a OL or TE, Darby has quietly established himself as a well-respected protector of the perimeter. He and Gilmore are the future of the Bills secondary. A bright future. 3rd Round John Miller- Need a starting OG? No worries, Whaley pulls this guy in the third round and he is plug and play from day one after losing out on some big name FAs. Great selection and another value pick. 5th Round Karlos Williams- I didn't think we needed another RB when they took Williams, but there is nothing not to like about this guy. A downhill stud who has made the league wonder how he fell to the 5th round. Character questions (ala Henderson) came with him, but he has done the right things to have a very effective rookie campaign. Coming off a concussion, we hope his style of running doesn't change. Let's not forget undrafted guys that Whaley picked up off the street. Nickell Robey, Mario Butler, Bacarri Rambo, Stefan Charles, Corbin Bryant. Guys who have made starts and didn't miss a beat at their respective positions when they did. Colton Schmidt is a stud who crushes the ball every kick. It seems Whaley hasn't missed on any pricey free agents either. Charles Clay is a stud. When on the field Percy Harvin has played great, and his contract makes it a 1 yr 4 million deal if injuries become too much for him. I feel that's worth his production. LeSean McCoy long term is a great move. Tyrod Taylor and Ritchie Incognito may go down as the FA steals of the year. Graham has been well worth the money over two seasons. Whaley has done a great job keeping our key DL under contract on long term deals. Tough to do in this salary cap era. I think it was shrewd to get value for Cassel. I admire his moxey for letting Fred Jackson go. It was a key factor in inking Dareus long term. Although I love Fred, he isn't doing anything in Seattle (54 rushing yards, 152 receiving, 1 TD in 8 games). Hindsight, the move worked. Whaley was instrumental in putting together one of the best defenses in the NFL over the past two seasons. Because the same players aren't performing in 2015 is not his fault. Just ask the players. They say injuries are part of the game, but the stud moves that Whaley has made have not come to fruition because the players haven't been on the field. Besides Harvin, there isn't anyone who is injury prone that we took a gamble on. It's just bad luck. Buffalo's 3-4 start is not on Doug Whaley. The job he has done has been spot on. Whaley is one of the best young minds of the game. He has built through the draft, and waiting for the right time to add key pieces that have made major contributions. I guarantee if he were on the market today half the teams in the NFL would chase after him. I am as frustrated at Buffalo's shortcomings as the next fan. But I think perspective is in order here. Reading Buffalo's media tear apart Whaley over the trade of Cassel is laughable. Everyone was in love with Rex Ryan selection, including the MAIN PERSON who wrote the check, which was Terry Pegula. I like Rex, and I'm not ready to bail on him as our coach. But let's not kid ourselves, the Pegulas were more in love with Rex than anyone. The season is young, and I feel he can turn this around. There are alot of teams who were predicted to be playoff contenders who wish they were 3-4. When you don't have your starting QB, 2 starting RB, 2 starting WR for stretches at a time, 3-4 is a solid job.. Just ask the 2-5 Dallas Cowboys, who some predicted to reach the SB. When we get healthy is the true measure of what Rex Ryan's team can do. That's where the Bills mettle will be tested. But one thing I know for sure, is that the Bills have enough talent on the field to win games and reach the playoffs. They have a coach who thus far has shown he can win games with this team, whether they are blow out wins, or come backs. For now, everyone take a deep breath and stop the "Fire Whaley" talk. It's ridiculous. Let's see how this plays out before we start chanting Bucky Gleason for GM.

Multiple reports that the Browns want to much so Whakey is being shrewd like a good GM does and doesn't make panic moves like the OP would. We were a drive away from being 4-3 without our starting QB two RB, and 2 WR. I don't see us being that desperate for a bunch of mediocre high paid lineman. We just need to get healthy.