Billy Zabka
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Posts posted by Billy Zabka
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When I have more foresight than the current Bills GM, then that is an issue.
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I hope Cornelius didn't have to hire a sitter.
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I hate this pick so much. What happened last time we picked WR high with a limited QB?
Big difference in using two 1sts and a 4th on a WR with EJ Manuel as your QB in what was thought to be one of the best WR drafts in history (it was) and....
Using the 10th pick to grab one of the two eilite WRs in the draft when your WR corp is arguably the worst in the NFL and you have a competent QB in Taylor.
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people just need to ask and answer this question.
Did the passing game pick up with our number 1 on the field healthy or did it not the last 2 years? All bias aside.
I would argue that Watkins wasn't really healthy for a single game last year so I can't answer that question. In 2015 Sammy missed 3 games, 2 of those with Tyrod at QB. In those games the Bills scored 10 and 14 points respectively including a game with only 109 passing yards.
Bottom line is that the Bills desperately need a playmaker at WR considering Watkins injury history, the current depth chart, and the fact that Williams or Davis are not a reach at 10.
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I'm a big Corey Davis guy. I think he's the better WR. If they both are there I hope the Bills go with Davis. Not to say Williams isn't very good.
Wr is the thinnest spot on this roster. Outside of Sammy none of these guys would be anything other than camp ball catchers for another team.
Exactly...Sammy off 2 major surgeries and a bunch of #4 WR's makes for a weak corp. This team needs a quality WR bad. I hope it's Corey Davis, but would settle for Williams.
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+1
Don't let facts spoil things, smh!
It is like some fans live in a vacuum and make stuff up...according to creator of Spotrac, the Bills have done a pretty good job with the cap.
If you think the Bills have been in a good cap situation the last couple years I don't know what to tell you. For a team without any playoff success or big expenditure at QB they sure have been pretty hamstrung the last couple of offseasons and that is inexcusable.
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...at the same time, if Overdorf is so lousy at his job, why did Terry retain him?.....pretty sure he could afford whoever he wants........
Terry can obviously afford whoever he wants, however it doesn't mean he is going to hire/retain the right people just because he's rich. This is a man that wanted and overpayed for Ville Leino and Rex Ryan.
Anyway, it's time for both Whaley and Overdorf to be let go.
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You just know Whaley thought EJ was going to play lights out against a Jets Defense that had quit on the season and give him some vindication. Sorry Doug.
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Sounds like Dougie has been neutered.
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Maybe I am misremembering, but didn't the Peugla's back off on this coaching search and let Whaley find the candidates and make recommendations on who to hire. So basically LaCanfora is saying Whaley went out and found the guy who would get him fired four months later. Yeah, sounds like it makes sense.
When Marrone went to Jacksonville, didn't Tuel follow him there? And wasn't Marrone involved in the selection of Manuel? Didn't Rex want Tyrod from Baltimore, but yeah okay it's all Whaley's fault.
Didn't say it was all Whaley's fault, but he bears a lot of responsibilty for the last seven years of failure, especially the last 4.
I have no idea how much Marrone was involved in the selection of Manuel. Their are reports though that Bills coaches went to Whaley after the 2013 season and said that Manuel just isn't good enough. We also have multiple reports of Marrone going nuts when they traded up for Watkins because he didn't want to trade an additional first round pick if it didn't involve getting a QB. We also have Marrone going ape crap on Whaley and Co. in training camp and then they traded for Orton so I'm not exactly sure how big of an EJ fan Marrone was. We do know from Whaley's words and actions that he was a very firm believer in EJ for years.
Thank god Rex pushed for Tyrod because if he didn't I shudder to think of the QB's that Whaley would have had out there. Without Tyrod, Whaley would have went to camp with Manuel, Tuel, Lewis back to back then Manuel, Cassel, Simms...yikes.
Whaley isn't good enough.
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Why should it?
Anyway, this is what Doug does as "part of the representation":
"We're secure with our quarterback position. Obviously we're all in with EJ, and with Thad (Lewis) and Dennis Dixon and Jeff Tuel," Whaley said from the NFL Annual Meeting in Orlando, Fla. "We're really excited with what we bring to the table at that position."
Any GM that goes into training camp with Manuel, Lewis, and Tuel as his Quarterbacks not just once, but twice shouldn't be a GM in the NFL.
Did I also mention that the GM has a losing record and zero playoff appearances in his 7 year tenure with the Bills including four as GM.
I really don't get the Whaley love from some on here...I mean he's a better GM than a 107 year old Marv Levy or marketing whiz Russ Brandon, but that is setting the bar pretty low. Dougie is a good scout especially on the D side of the ball, but overmatched in all other areas of being a GM.
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Hey old time. What's past is past. I am one who believes people should be judged in what they actually do and not what someone thinks they do.
OK. Lets ignore the gossip "or reporting" of Whaley clashing with 3 separate coaching staffs, the battle over whose responsible for EJ Manuel, the horrendous public speaking and questionable cap management and draft strategy.
Doug Whaley has been Assistant GM and Director of Pro Player Personnel from 2010 to 2012 and GM from 2013 to current. In his position of great power as either the 2nd most powerful figure in the front to office to currently the most powerful the Bills have a record of 46-66 with 0 playoff appearances.
Strictly speaking as GM, the Bills have a record of 30-34 and 0 playoff appearances despite Whaley going for it, by going to the cap and making several trade ups and mortgaging the future.
Sorry, but that simply isn't good enough, especially when he doesn't have to operate under the budget and meddling constraints of Ralph C Wilson.
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Honest question
THere are many that want to see Whaley gone
To those that do...what do you think will change with the new GMS that is brought in....specifically?
I don't know what would change, but here is what I hope would change...
Hopefully the new GM would handle the draft differently. More standing pat and trading down to stockpile picks instead of targeting players for trading up and losing picks. I would hope the new GM would put more resources into finding that elusive franchise QB. Taylor is a nice placeholder, but this team needs a franchise guy.
The new GM should be able to do a better job of cap management and putting together a complete roster that isn't as top heavy, with improved depth, and has less holes with more character guys that put football and team first. The new GM should also be better at massaging the free agency process to get valuable compensatory picks, this goes hand in hand with drafting better and having more picks. Also the new guy should be a better leader than Whaley, get along better with the coaching staff, and have much better communication skills and presence.
Also with a new GM the power structure should change with the coach reporting to the GM who reports to ownership. No more of this crap where they both report to ownership independently. Anyway thats my 2 cents.
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LaConfora wasn't necessarily wrong in his reporting at the end of last season...
That Rex was dead man walking and that the Bills would move on from Tyrod Taylor. Well Rex was dead man walking and Whaley made Lynn bench Tyrod Taylor week 17.
Circumstances change though...Pegula is smitten with McDermott and he is hired as HC with direct line to Pegula. Both McD and the OC Dennison want to keep Tyrod Taylor and Tyrod is willing to restructure so situation and plans change. Doesn't mean that LaConfora's initial reporting was wrong or "made up" like some contend.
If Whaley clashed with the previous two Head Coaches then I don't think it's far-fetched that it is happening again. What I find most amazing is that Whaley who has had zero success in this league is working with his third different Head Coach as GM. It defies belief.
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We got Jeremy Butler, Philly Brown, and Andre Holmes for the same price the niners got Goodwin for.
FIRE WHALEY!!!!! Meanwhile teams like the Ravens are still looking for a #1 WR for Flacco before he retires and they become a tire fire. Who do they have in their WR core? Injury prone bust Perriman, old man Wallace and ???
Once again, we don't know what we have until we take a peak over the fence guys. The biggest knock on our GM is finding a franchise QB. The same thing 20+ other franchises are also struggling with when 50% of those that are in a good spot either got super lucky and the other 50% selected 1st overall.
We haven't selected first overall and have yet to get lucky.
I like how you are dissing the Ravens to try and prop up Whaley and the Bills. Since the Bills playoff drought the Ravens have 9 double digit win seasons, 10 playoff appearances, and 2 Super Bowl rings...But yeah, what a bunch of dumbasses that can't find a #1 WR.
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According to Doug Whaley, EJ is an elite backup QB. According to OBD paid shill and donut lover John Murphy, Manuel is a top 10 backup.
Still awaiting EJ's contract numbers from Oakland, but top end backup QB's make upwards of 3.5 to 5 million dollars a year, so I am sure EJ is in that salary range.
So, he got 800K none guaranteed. This makes no sense if I am to believe Mr. Whaley and Mr. Murphy that EJ is a top backup. Maybe EJ took a lot less money because he wanted to live in Oakland.
Or...
Could it just be that Doug Whaley is just plain delusional when it came it EJ Manuel and John Murphy has become the equivalent of Baghdad Bob for OBD. Tough one to decide....
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I think it has to be CB or WR. RT is a big need, but I don't want to use a top 10 pick on one. CB is supposed to be deep in this draft, but if you can get a Lattimore who may come in and be a #1 corner right off the bat I say do it.
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According to Doug Whaley, EJ is an elite backup QB. According to OBD paid shill and donut lover John Murphy, Manuel is a top 10 backup.
Still awaiting EJ's contract numbers from Oakland, but top end backup QB's make upwards of 3.5 to 5 million dollars a year, so I am sure EJ is in that salary range.
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So 4 yrs of college behind a jimbo fisher pro style offense 897 passing attempts couldnt somewhat get that bad footwork corrected. What about a year of training with Todd, or David? How about training with the renowned steve calhoun in offseason of college? What about training in that elite qb training facility both offseasons? Cmon man.
Actually 5 years at FSU under Jimbo. If there ever should have been a QB more ready for the NFL and been less of a "project" it should have been a fully mature 23 yr old EJ Manuel with all that great coaching, starts in college, and training.
The argument that the Bills ruined him is total bunk, he just wasn't a good QB. The Bills fell in love with his measurables, attitude, and politeness and reached badly for him when they backed themselves into a corner. We know through the Cowboys leaked draft board that they had a 4th round grade on him and that the Pats simply had EJ rated as "Athlete" to be moved to another position.
The excuses are ridiculous.
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could we please stop with the Whaley was not involved in the EJ pick
How people still can argue this is beyond me.
Whaley said on tape repeatedly that EJ was his pick, he set the draft board, was point man on Bills QB search that year, said that if EJ didn't work out he would be looking for a new job, made the Watkins trade because he said he had his QB and that Sammy was the missing piece to playoff puzzle, told coaching candidates in 2015 that EJ was a good QB that wasn't properly developed by previous coaching staff, and all his actions since Formally taken over GM duties have shown nothing but unwavering belief and support in EJ.
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Whaley is a below average drafter, has horrific cap management skills, has clashed with both coaching staffs he's worked with, has demonstrated poor leadership and communication skills, has failed to help find a franchise QB in 7 years here, has a record of 46-65 in his tenure here including 30-34 as GM despite going for it all by getting Bills in cap trouble and trading up for targeted players. I won't even get into EJ Manuel.
On a positive note he is a better GM than 1st time GM Marketing whiz Russ Brandon, 1st Time GM 105 year old Marv Levy, and arguably better than 1st time GM 72 year old Buddy Nix...all of whom had to operate under the restrictive budget and meddling of Ralph Wilson and Jeff Littman, so Doug has that going for him at least.
Whaley is a good pro scout especially on the D side of the ball, but overmatched as a GM. This has been proven.
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Whaley and Nix didn't whiff. They had to take a QB. They all sucked. If they didn't take a shot on one of them that year the fans would of went nuts. Most QBs that get drafted even in the first round are busts. Do you hear all the fans even this year saying we need to draft a QB, but as soon as they do and it doesn't work out, they all scream for Whaley's head. Getting a QB worth a crap is like shooting darts blind folded. Most GM's get it wrong.
Nix and Whaley did whiff on Manuel, there is no disputing this. Lots of teams do whiff on QB's though, but Whaley compounded the mistake by being unable to admit his mistake early enough, doubling down on EJ with the Watkins trade, and trying to shove EJ down the throat of two seperate coaching staffs that didn't want him.
I didn't want any of the QB's from that draft early on and many other fans didn't either. If Nix/Whaley just came out and said that there were no QB's in this draft worthy of a high selection and that they would still be looking for that future franchise QB through free agency, trade, and next year's draft, I think the fans would have been fine with it. Saying the fans forced them into this is a ridiculous excuse in a post full of them.
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Hopefully Whaley's strategy of signing a bunch of fullbacks and #4 WR's pays off.
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I wonder if TT came to the bills right out of college . In the same situation as EJ with no QB coach and no veteran QB to talk to. And EJ got drafted by the Ravens and got to sit a couple years behind Flacco and learn from Kubiak. I wonder if TT would still be in the nfl right know. McCoy wasn't here EJ first two years. TT might had to throw the ball more.
EJ Manuel had an incredible advantage of 5 years at Florida State in a pro style offense, getting a ton of starts under one of the best offensive staffs in the country and entering the NFL at a fully mature 23 years old. If he still, 4 years later can't complete basic passes regularly, blows basic fundamentals like setting his feet when he throws, and locks onto WR's like Maverick from Top Gun then I don't think it was ever meant to be. Hell even Jimbo Fisher knew it when he admitted they had to scale stuff back for EJ, but could go full bore with Winston.
Sorry I don't buy that EJ was a good QB railroaded by bad coaching and circumstance. He just never was good enough to begin with and a major whiff by Nix and Whaley.
Whaley = Donahoe
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
At least Donahoe was constricted by the budget/meddling of Ralph. I think Whaley is worse.