San Jose Bills Fan Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 When Buddy had unquestioned authority and he needed a MLB, he drafted Kelvin Sheppard. This year we get Kiko Alonso. Two players who couldn't be more different from each other, both on the field and off. We had a different philosophy in this draft than we have in the past-- we went for guys with athleticism and a chip on their shoulder as opposed to smarts and character. Also trading down in the first round was a marked departure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 When Buddy had unquestioned authority and he needed a MLB, he drafted Kelvin Sheppard. This year we get Kiko Alonso. Two players who couldn't be more different from each other, both on the field and off. We had a different philosophy in this draft than we have in the past-- we went for guys with athleticism and a chip on their shoulder as opposed to smarts and character. we also have different coaches and schemes involved. we also had different players to choose from. we also had a personal relationship with shep from coaching him at the senior bowl. the sample sizes of one offseason vs a couple offseasons are small and its hard to totally define the identity from it. yes we took kiko, did we pass on one to get shepherd? maybe Martez who hasnt done much in his time? its tricky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San Jose Bills Fan Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 we also have different coaches and schemes involved. we also had different players to choose from. we also had a personal relationship with shep from coaching him at the senior bowl. the sample sizes of one offseason vs a couple offseasons are small and its hard to totally define the identity from it. yes we took kiko, did we pass on one to get shepherd? maybe Martez who hasnt done much in his time? its tricky. As you point out I don't know that the draft as a whole was dramatically different but certainly the head coaching search, the hiring of Pettine and the first round trade down seemed very different from the past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jauronimo Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 As you point out I don't know that the draft as a whole was dramatically different but certainly the head coaching search, the hiring of Pettine and the first round trade down seemed very different from the past. I suppose they are different but we are looking at a sample size of two coaching hires and an apples to oranges to pineapples comparison of past drafts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphadawg7 Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 This was laid out originally and was expected. Why are people surprised? They said this was the plan back when they made the announcements about Brandon. They literally said Nix would stay on through the draft where Whaley would take over full time as GM. So far, everything has gone exactly as expected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 (edited) As you point out I don't know that the draft as a whole was dramatically different but certainly the head coaching search, the hiring of Pettine and the first round trade down seemed very different from the past. but didnt we chase harbaugh and shanahan and more last go around? didnt we want an aggressive 34 when we hired gailey? and isnt there a bit of give and take with the coordinator hires once you get that HC hired. he gets to bring his guys some? edwards was supposed to be the up and coming 34 coordinator. hopefully marrones guy does better, but philosophically is it that different or just better opportunities to execute philosophies that have been discussed for several years? heck, havent we dont pretty well with our first round picks? unless we are expected to trade at a 50% or higher rate that could simply be law of averages and getting the guy you want at the spot you can. heck, the gm hire was a nix plan from 3 years ago it seems even. Edited May 13, 2013 by NoSaint Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Also trading down in the first round was a marked departure. Based on only 3 previous drafts for comparison, with their specific players, and our specific needs, I guess trading down was a bit different. But an equally valid argument would be "Nix trades down in the 1st round 25% of the time". Wonder how that compares to other teams? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Doug Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Yeah, right. We're in exactly the same spot we were in before he came on board. Pfffft! Well...what's the difference? Look, I always liked Nix. But in today's NFL GM's are mainly judged by 2 criteria: the coach and QB they pick. Nix failed with both. Sure, he certainly hit on some draft picks, but show me a totally inept organization that doesn't at least have a couple talented players on it. As for Chan, a totally uninspiring hire and we got to watch uninspiring football for 3 years. No surprise there. His QB? Fitz. Nix try to back peddle and say he was always waiting to add a QB last. Funny how we still didn't draft an NFL ready QB though. Doesn't make sense. In reality, Nix hitched his wagon to Fitz and actually believed we could win with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eball Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Interesting that Buddy's comments in the press release don't specifically mention Whaley. I guess they're going to announce that and give Doug his own press conference; probably sometime this week? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 (edited) Well...what's the difference? Look, I always liked Nix. But in today's NFL GM's are mainly judged by 2 criteria: the coach and QB they pick. Nix failed with both. Sure, he certainly hit on some draft picks, but show me a totally inept organization that doesn't at least have a couple talented players on it. As for Chan, a totally uninspiring hire and we got to watch uninspiring football for 3 years. No surprise there. His QB? Fitz. Nix try to back peddle and say he was always waiting to add a QB last. Funny how we still didn't draft an NFL ready QB though. Doesn't make sense. In reality, Nix hitched his wagon to Fitz and actually believed we could win with him. But wait, you just used only the team's Win/Loss record to judge him on the previous page?? Maybe if you keep posting in this thread, you'll eventually get to all of the hundreds of pieces of info and criteria that goes into properly observing and judging a GMs performance. Edited May 13, 2013 by DrDareustein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigK14094 Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 I like that Buddy will be around to advise....Whatley can make the calls, but grey head advice is always useful, even if you reject it in the end. Did a lot of that in my corporate career, and it never hurt me, and helped many many times. Good Luck Buddy. And, time for Whatley to "saddle up"...good for him as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.Biscuit97 Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Buffalo was maybe the worst destination in the NFL when Nix took over. He had a tough time even getting a coach to interview. Obviously, there have been mistakes along the way but he has made Buffalo much more desirable. We've done a good job of locking up our drafted talent and attracting Free Agents. You can say he missed on the coach but I think his hand was forced by how bad the job looked at the time. Ultimately, how Manuel performs will determine Nix's value as a GM. Whoever the Colts' GM is now is a genius because he picked Andrew Luck. But there is not a question in my mind that Manuel is on a much better team than any Bills' QB in 10 years. Nix deserves credit for that and I wish him the best. (Also, not to play the race card, but of the few black GMs, they seem to be running really good teams - Texans, Ravens, Giants. ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocBuffalo Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Yeah, but the Sabres got all the good tee times.. ZING!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jauronimo Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 (Also, not to play the race card, but here's the race card). Interesting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Here's what it comes down to: Would you trade the current 2013 Bills organization (Front Office/Scouting personnel, coaching staff, and roster) for the 2008 Bills organization? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HOUSE Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 (edited) Lol, I hate to say I told you so but I did...... He said he would stay till the Bills had a franchise QB and Buddy is clearly backing Whaley the last few weeks. It was all very obvious.......... Please mil me $50 for inside information Edited May 13, 2013 by HOUSE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Doug Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 But wait, you just used only the team's Win/Loss record to judge him on the previous page?? Maybe if you keep posting in this thread, you'll eventually get to all of the hundreds of pieces of info and criteria that goes into properly observing and judging a GMs performance. Strawman argument there. My first post was to show the Bills are no better off than when Nix was hired. The post you just quoted details the most important criteria, in my opinion, in judging a GM. Reading comprehension. Try it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSaint Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Here's what it comes down to: Would you trade the current 2013 Bills organization (Front Office/Scouting personnel, coaching staff, and roster) for the 2008 Bills organization? Yes, but a positive trajectory isn't the entire story either. Better than the bad spot we were in is not a good standard to set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Strawman argument there. My first post was to show the Bills are no better off than when Nix was hired. The post you just quoted details the most important criteria, in my opinion, in judging a GM. Reading comprehension. Try it. Considering the entire organization was his responsibility up to this year, and there are far more things to include than just record and QB/HC... Would you trade the current 2013 Bills organization (Front Office/Scouting personnel, coaching staff, and roster) for the 2008 Bills organization? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCOHEN13 Posted May 13, 2013 Share Posted May 13, 2013 smart move so team can move forward with same crew in place with Whaley and Nix basically helping him settle into role. When i saw that it was Whaley that introduced the draftees on team site, i figured he was either taking over this year or at worst, next year. 1st thing Whaley needs to do is plug the numbers with Overdorf, and GET BYRD SIGNED! in this day and age in video game style NFL its such a MUST to have a ball hawk safety and guy is best player on this defense and if it blossoms to what he had hoped LAST YR simply with a few draft picks and a couple of very good but not huge name signings in Lawson and Branch who i think both will have integral roles on this D, having the Byrd man back there is CRUCIAL considering he will either have a rookie or 1st yr starter or possibly a converted CB starting alongside of him at SS. I'm hoping Duke gets on field alot and not just in sub packages cuz Aaron Williams scares me back there.. I'd rather Searcy get the nod if Duke isnt ready by start of season to take over that role. Searcy may have least amount of talent of the group but its is very good in the box and is "safer" than Williams who i can EASILY see a blown assignment per game that leads to huge gain... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts