silvermike Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 I wouldn't put much credence in this normally, but since it's from Jason LaCanfora, I'm inclined to give it more credibility. He works for the league and isn't putting random crap out there to drive up ratings, like anyone working for a network. Anyway, the line is this: "There are some rumblings that a front office shakeup of some sort in Buffalo is not out of the question" It's buried in his round up of the week's games: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82541a13/article/teams-left-for-dead-a-month-ago-still-fighting-for-playoff-lives?campaign=Twitter_features "rumblings" that a "shakeup" is "not out of the question" is a very, very long way away from "Buddy Nix is likely to be fired," so I mean, don't go nuts. But it's the only thing I've heard yet that the Bills are considering changes this winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjmac Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 The question of the day is initiated by who? Ralph Wilson or Buddy Nix? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwight in philly Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 well, doug whaley just purchased a home on middlesex rd, a pricey neighborhood. maybe he got the word , nix stepping aside. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvermike Posted December 21, 2011 Author Share Posted December 21, 2011 well, doug whaley just purchased a home on middlesex rd, a pricey neighborhood. maybe he got the word , nix stepping aside. THis seems most likely to me. Nix is retiring/being pushed out in favor of Whaley. Can't imagine a wholesale changeover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjmac Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 THis seems most likely to me. Nix is retiring/being pushed out in favor of Whaley. Can't imagine a wholesale changeover. If that is the case, I hope he brings in players a little faster than Nix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papazoid Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 "shakeup" implies someone under Nix, like asst GM Whaley or Director of College Scouting etc......if it was Nix, then "overhaul" might be used. Buddy Nix General Manager Doug Whaley Assistant General Manager/Director of Player Personnel Chuck Cook Director of College Scouting Tom Gibbons Director of Pro Personnel Paul Lancaster Director of Player Programs Doug Majeski Coordinator of College Scouting Darrell Moody National Scout Brian Fisher College Scout Brad Forsyth College Scout Matt Hand College Scout Shawn Heinlen College Scout Tom Roth College Scout Theo Young College Scout Dave G. Smith Scout Emeritus Dave W. Smith Scout Emeritus Rob Hanrahan Pro Personnel Coordinator Kevin Meganck Player Personnel Analyst Pete Harris Scouting Assistant Jacky Kosmowski Scouting Assistant C.J. Leak BLESTO Scout Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truth on hold Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 Seems like nix has been keeping a progressively lower profile along with the losing streak. Wouldn't shock me if he's on the way out. Last years draft was a disappoint and Ralph can't be happy with all the money he wasted on his boy merriman Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 (edited) "shakeup" implies someone under Nix, like asst GM Whaley or Director of College Scouting etc......if it was Nix, then "overhaul" might be used. Buddy Nix General Manager Doug Whaley Assistant General Manager/Director of Player Personnel Kevin Meganck Player Personnel Analyst Mr Meganck...pack your stuff...wer are tired of losing! well, doug whaley just purchased a home on middlesex rd, a pricey neighborhood. maybe he got the word , nix stepping aside. Short of the Bills hiring a GM with a good track record (how many of those are there, that don't already have a job?) this is the move that would make me most happy... or Ralph announcing a change in ownership, of course! But, I will be kind of surprised if Nix is fired...maybe he retires? Only reason I say this, I don't get the impression that Mr Wilson hob-knobs a lot with other NFL folks at this point. So, if there are "rumblings" coming out, it would likely be from Nix, himself. Edited December 21, 2011 by Buftex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Tuesday Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 Put me in the camp that thinks this means Nix will be "retiring" - possibly staying on in some kind of consulting capacity, with Whaley getting promoted to GM. Good for Whaley but honestly, unless the bean counters stop getting final say over the roster, it doesn't matter much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattsox Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 I wouldn't put much credence in this normally, but since it's from Jason LaCanfora, I'm inclined to give it more credibility. He works for the league and isn't putting random crap out there to drive up ratings, like anyone working for a network. Anyway, the line is this: "There are some rumblings that a front office shakeup of some sort in Buffalo is not out of the question" It's buried in his round up of the week's games: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d82541a13/article/teams-left-for-dead-a-month-ago-still-fighting-for-playoff-lives?campaign=Twitter_features "rumblings" that a "shakeup" is "not out of the question" is a very, very long way away from "Buddy Nix is likely to be fired," so I mean, don't go nuts. But it's the only thing I've heard yet that the Bills are considering changes this winter. Sounds good to me. Nix is average at best. If he goes, I have a feeling Gailey will be right with him. Also don't look for Fitz to return either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 Seems like nix has been keeping a progressively lower profile along with the losing streak. Wouldn't shock me if he's on the way out. Last years draft was a disappoint and Ralph can't be happy with all the money he wasted on his boy merriman Uh, guh!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsVet Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 Put me in the camp that thinks this means Nix will be "retiring" - possibly staying on in some kind of consulting capacity, with Whaley getting promoted to GM. Good for Whaley but honestly, unless the bean counters stop getting final say over the roster, it doesn't matter much. This. I don't think anyone figured Nix would be around long. He'd have time to right the ship (which obviously never happened) and give way to a younger man. Whaley's promotion earlier this year and the fact he was already on-board seemed like a precursor to Nix being only temporary. At least Buddy told some great whoppers to keep us entertained. He certainly didn't get much in the way of wins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1billsfan Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 Short of the Bills hiring a GM with a good track record (how many of those are there, that don't already have a job?) this is the move that would make me most happy... or Ralph announcing a change in ownership, of course! But, I will be kind of surprised if Nix is fired...maybe he retires? Only reason I say this, I don't get the impression that Mr Wilson hob-knobs a lot with other NFL folks at this point. So, if there are "rumblings" coming out, it would likely be from Nix, himself. Losing 7 straight games after having a 5-2 record has serious ramifications. This is the second year of the Nix/Gailey regime and at this point you need to be trending upward, not a complete free fall like they've had. I've been expecting major changes because like it or not, the bottom line in the NFL is making money and you can't make money if no one is buying tickets, merchandise, or concessions. This isn't the 70's where teams and fans are patient enough to wait on a 3 or 4 year plan. Today's fans want it yesterday. This soon to be 9 straight losses is going to slaughter the Bills' ability to make a decent profit next year. It's not right or wrong, but that is the way this business works. I think that Nix is going to fall on his sword because he knows that this collapse will kill Ralph's bottom line. He seems like he'd be the kind of a guy to offer Ralph the option of him leaving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 As I look at our FA list for this year, we're less than a handful of internal signings away from being able to bring some talent through FA and the draft and have some honest to God depth on this team. 2012 will be the year of the upswing. 2013 will be the year when we finally see some traction. And if we continue on the same trajectory as we've been on the last two years, 2014 and beyond could be the most stable years we've seen in a LONG LONG time. To blow the whole thing up would be a monumental mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 Losing 7 straight games after having a 5-2 record has serious ramifications. This is the second year of the Nix/Gailey regime and at this point you need to be trending upward, not a complete free fall like they've had. I've been expecting major changes because like it or not, the bottom line in the NFL is making money and you can't make money if no one is buying tickets, merchandise, or concessions. This isn't the 70's where teams and fans are patient enough to wait on a 3 or 4 year plan. Today's fans want it yesterday. This soon to be 9 straight losses is going to slaughter the Bills' ability to make a decent profit next year. It's not right or wrong, but that is the way this business works. I think that Nix is going to fall on his sword because he knows that this collapse will kill Ralph's bottom line. He seems like he'd be the kind of a guy to offer Ralph the option of him leaving. I would agree, normally...but I also have to consider, this is the Bills we are talking about. I don't think Ralph particularly enjoys the hiring and firing process, at this point. I figured, no matter how bad the results, he would give Nix and Gailey three years to work their "magic". Buddy Nix is 72 years old, he may just be ready to hang it up. I remember when he first came back to Buffalo, as a scout...he did an interview on WGR, and at that time, he almost sounded like someone who was looking forward to retiring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Cocktosten Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 The good news is Buddy is out. The bad news is that his successor, Whaley, has a 5 year plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sllib olaffub Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 (edited) I would really love it if Whaley got a shot. He was highly touted the year before he came to Buffalo as a promising prospect for a bunch of GM positions. If he were to step up as GM - a young, vigorous man in a man's business - he'd be out to show everyone he can put a team together. There's no way he would sit back and take a slow approach to this. I mean, he'd have nothing to lose by trying to put together a winner quickly - after all, how long will Buffalo Bills be here? - and possibly a lot to lose if he was slow with it. Edited December 21, 2011 by sllib olaffub Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 If anything major is really happening, then the best case scenario is that Buddy is retiring and Whaley is being promoted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 I would really love it if Whaley got a shot. He was highly touted the year before he came to Buffalo as a promising prospect for a bunch of GM positions. If he were to step up as GM - a young, vigorous man in a man's business - he'd be out to show everyone he can put a team together. There's no way he would sit back and take a slow approach to this. I mean, he'd have nothing to lose by trying to put together a winner quickly - after all, how long will Buffalo Bills be here? - and possibly a lot to lose if he was slow with it. Since the Bills wouldn't be in contention to get a proven GM candidate (and I can't even think of one who is available at this point), Whaley is my next best choice. I like the fact that his backround, coming up, was with the Steelers, an organization that is remarkably stable, consistent and focused. I am keeping my fingers crossed, if he ever is the guy, something from his Steelers years will have rubbed off on him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UConn James Posted December 21, 2011 Share Posted December 21, 2011 Put me in the camp that thinks this means Nix will be "retiring" - possibly staying on in some kind of consulting capacity, with Whaley getting promoted to GM. Good for Whaley but honestly, unless the bean counters stop getting final say over the roster, it doesn't matter much. +2. IIRC, Buddy was bent on retiring when he was shown the door in SD, and Ralph talked him into re-upping in B-Lo. As some here said when he announced the Evans trade, it didn't seem like he was very happy with it and the decision came more from the Ralph/Littman/Overdorf squeeze-the-nickel side. We may or may not hear Buddy say "I'm gettin' too old for this stevestojan!" before he opens a chain of Hulka-Burger franchises. The Whaley hire smacked of Ralph's long-time policy of getting someone into the organization, getting comfortable with them, seeing how they work and then promoting them. Losing 7 straight games after having a 5-2 record has serious ramifications. This is the second year of the Nix/Gailey regime and at this point you need to be trending upward, not a complete free fall like they've had. I've been expecting major changes because like it or not, the bottom line in the NFL is making money and you can't make money if no one is buying tickets, merchandise, or concessions. This isn't the 70's where teams and fans are patient enough to wait on a 3 or 4 year plan. Today's fans want it yesterday. This soon to be 9 straight losses is going to slaughter the Bills' ability to make a decent profit next year. It's not right or wrong, but that is the way this business works. I think that Nix is going to fall on his sword because he knows that this collapse will kill Ralph's bottom line. He seems like he'd be the kind of a guy to offer Ralph the option of him leaving. Similar circumstances got Terry Francona fired in Boston after he won them 2 championships after an 86-year drought. Ralph is going to have to spend serious coin now if he hopes to get fans back. We're not going to be satisfied with one TO type $6M deal, either. There has to be a major commitment. And tightwads get pissed as all hell when they have to burn cash because their tightwad ways backfired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts