leh-nerd skin-erd

So we can agree on the hope that McDermott is the cats pajammers as a coach. I think most of the rest of what you wrote is speculation. For all we know, Pegs may have decided that Whaley needed to go, may have offered him the chance to stay through the draft and so on. Whaley may have taken the opportunity and opted to see it through. He may have been offered the chance to leave two coaches ago. Whaley may have personal issues, or Pegula might, or about a million other things. It's not a matter of being tone deaf, it's the result of the simple acknowledgement that many of your facts may not actually be factual. Let's look at "McDictator then says Whaley and staff did a phenomenal job.'. That could mean 45 different things (he stayed out of my way, he did great research, he steered me away from XXXX and we went with YYYY). Be that as it may, let's assume McDermott thought he did a horrible job. Well, who would say that? I get part of what you're saying, but some of it (Media whispers, Pegula private musings) has a decidedly reality tv vibe to it. End of the day--the NFL is not a place for the faint of heart. McDermott's job is to win football games, and if he was entrusted by ownership to do what he wanted to do, so be it.

What is it exactly that they did to Whaley (and I hoped nothing but the best for the guy, and have no hard feelings now that he is gone) in the context of the nfl that ran 'em afoul of Merriam-Webster in your eyes?

The uber driver says he put his hand in Ohers face, and Oher pushed him to the ground and kicked him? Sounds like there is plenty of blame to go around.

I think your negatives are superficial, and based on your own cursory observations. I also think the positives are substantative and based on the experience and testimony of people who have worked with him. start and stop there. he's the coach, whether you like him or not is irrelevant, and you will like him more if he coaches a winning team, less if he doesn't. maybe way less given your in initial thoughts.

"Wise up" is awesome. But seriously, 1972 or 1942?

It's virtually impossible to deduce anything from the snippets of information gleaned from reporting or speculation. Whaley has been gone 43 times in the last couple years for 18 different reasons. That's not to say people don't have inside sources, but "I" v "We" could be due to something as simple as his tendencies when he speaks. Or it could be a sign. Or there might have been a draft-by-committee with a split decision, and dw suggesting "It's your job to make this team successful, so your call.". Whatever, we took who we took, and did what we did. Next.

I get the relevance of the story, but they blister these guys with bad press and leave bodies in the wake.

What's the standard, and how many helmets does a qb cycle through in a season? Woulda guy wear two helmets in a game? Preseason any diff than regular season? Could a guy like Eli wear a helmet for 10 minutes in a preseason game? It always irritates me when news sources cite allegations in a lawsuit as any sort of evidence of wrongdoing. It's a one-sided shot across the bow of the defendant that often has little to do with anything that actually happened.

"Our HC feels this entitled"? What's that all about? If, during the evaluation process for NFL strength and conditioning assistant, you're rolling out with "Blind Runner/Buffalo Marathon" and"I'm really fun at the office Christmas Party..." you may not make it. Have faith--the new guy will probably be a heck of a guy as well. I think these guys know the risks and reality of this profession. Don't take it so personally.

Silly. Of course people can criticize him, just like you criticized them. And he IS a football player and DOES have the right to pursue that, and teams have the right NOT to pick him up even if it's soley due to sensitivity about their brand and fan base....or their concern he just ain't good enough or any combination thereof. One big part of the whole deal for me came when ESPN ran a promo for Bills/9ers and CK's protest. Some days I just want to watch football and not have some Oprahesque subdrama storyline. Your post about the prior post being the problem is part of the problem, just the other side of it. And I do mean that with respect for your position as well.

I think after 350 posts/replies and some tenacious ground and pound infighting among the buffalo faithful, it's fair to say that their IS a way to slice it where signing CK would NOT represent good value for the buffalo bills.

With due respect--You're wrong on several levels. Most folks that get offended tend to see a disconnect between their value system and that of the offending party. That could be for a variety of reasons, fair, unfair, misguided or whatever, but the simple fact is they see the world differently than someone else. As for the impact on their life, well, that's subjective. If you're a fan of the team, and the team signs a guy who you have serious disagreements with, well the impact is immediate and real. Finally, the fact that some 'hates' CK for his protest is the exact opposite of blind hate. What strikes me as funny is that the average football fan is passionate about the team they cheer for. Its an industry built on emotion. The NFL's model relies on that passion, and there are many, many people who become wealthy beyond their wildest dreams being involved in the game. Why would anyone think a subsection of the whole would not have an intense, visceral response to this sort of thing? Football is entertainment. I'd think the Bills and every other team interested in CK as a contributor to the team would way all the pros/cons out and make an informed decision from there. I'd pass, and probably not pay to see CK play, based on the way I see the world. As for the Bills--well, it's important to know your audience too. I guess we'll see.

I get what you're saying, but after 4 decades of mostly pain I'm convinced the bills would have drafted brady and seen his promise as a long snapper.

fair points. my opinion is not objective, I think most good teams get the 'good non-call' treatment while most average/below-average teams do not. that said, I'm hard-pressed to think of a game where I've seen a situation where a receiver goes to the ground in that fashion, head being turned in the opposite way he's running, and a flag not be thrown. you could argue that the receiver grabbed the defensive players facemask, and maybe at full speed that's what would be called. I don't think so, just based on receiver running north and face going south. or west. my point still is that any reasonable football fan looks at that play down the sidelines and knows it's a play with penalty by someone, and the penalty is enforced because face mask = potential for serious injury. throw the flag. blame someone. it's a bad idea for the league to selectively penalties, especially on the biggest stage possible where there is little dispute that somebody did something to somebody. btw, in the video I noticed hands to the face on levitre. this was not the cleanest play in sb history.

first--congrats on your victory. here's the problem with your analysis. to assume that an official can watch a game, at full speed, and make judgment calls on both guys grabbing facemasks and decide "I'm gonna let that go" is simply too much to ask. if both guys are grabbing a facemask, blatantly, it's a penalty, throw the flag. offset. "A good non-call" simply means it's called in other games, but should be let go, but isn't always, but sometimes is. I don't know how a flag is not tossed on that, but inconsistency at the officiating level is a concern.

conventional wisdom suggests you wait it out and give rr time to build it. problem was, the issues that plagued him in ny continued to plague him in year two in wny. big mouth, big promises, and a consistently incomplete package on the field. he brought his brother in to help coach and it seemed at times to go from bad to worse. in that sense, I respect the Pegula's decision to eat the remaining contract and rip the band aid off. when I read this story--and seeing how rr really looks at the world, I wonder what cracks there were in the façade behind the scenes. for what it's worth, had he stayed, I'd have supported him. when he left, I wished him well. when I read this, I thought "what a small-minded, petty and bitter man.". now I'm going to get a g-d snack.

"Not that many people with options would choose to live in Buffalo...". What a d-bag.

that's fair. it's part of the story. how one chooses to see that in relation to everyone else out there is up to them. the guy is an exceptional qb anyway you slice it. he'll be ok.

I loaned Ralph Wilson $12,500 in the early 60s. He told me he was getting a mcdonalds franchise but you know Ralph, a real silly heart.

apparently someone has been talking *^%$ behind their back for almost twenty years.

this should be a time of excitement and optimism for bills fans. the press will likely want to get into whether or not whaley was involved, not involved or neutered, but it would be nice to welcome a guy with--good luck, what are your plans, and whoa re you bringing in?

many, many, many, many people, properly motivated, willing to commit to the good/bad/ugly can be a teacher. most people, even properly motivated and willing to commit to the good/bad/ugly cannot tyrod a taylor. it's a function of math. and excitement. and people.

The league is littered with go-to coordinators who screwed the pooch as hc's. you could argue we just fired one. I was listening to all short list of names a week or two ago, and invariably, they come from teams with above average qb play. I think you can argue that A. Lynn's performance, in the context of how his year played out, showed the type of leadership qualities you would want in a head coach. Obviously, you can go the other way and point to his lack of experience over the long haul. I don't see a lot of sense in handwringing once the decision is made. Whomever it is, nothing else matters until they get back in the playoffs.

He's not a fan, he's a professional journalist, and his question was deliberate. It's hostile, intentionally so, in hopes of prompting a quotable response. To be clear, if the reporter doesn't like the answer, or the answer prompts him to write his opinion piece trashing Whaley, so be it. There are plenty of reasons to be concerned about the Bills, and plenty to write about, but have some class.