Friday 4 PM Presser to Introduce Pegulas as the New Owners.

[26CornerBlitz]

Bills Focus: Terry Pegula Sitdown Interview (7:02)

John Murphy sits down with the new owner of the Bills to talk about why he got so emotional at his press conference, his connection to Ralph Wilson, and the process of buying the team.

 

Pegula moved by ownership, fans & legacy he follows

Terry Pegula wore his heart on his sleeve Friday as he was visibly moved to be the new owner and CEO of the Buffalo Bills.

[26CornerBlitz]

@RapSheet

Wow, tough to not get choked up seeing Terry Pegula’s address to #Bills fans today. So heartfelt.

[PromoTheRobot]

 

 

Yeah, you know, he actually asked one of the very few legitimate questions at the entire press conference...the sort that legitimate members of the Press are expected to ask.

 

Sullivan is hated on this board, I know. The fact is he is one of the very few big league journalists in this one horse town.

 

It's weird how many people think the press should be cheer leaders or an extension of the PR department of the team.

 

Such is the sorry state of affairs in the USA in 2014 I guess.

 

People are so used to this sort of role from "the media" it is expected I guess.

 

It's disgusting.

Yeah, disgusting.

 

I guess someone has ask the question but did Sully seriously expect Pegula to start firing people from the podium?

[Kelly the Dog]

Yeah, disgusting.

 

I guess someone has ask the question but did Sully seriously expect Pegula to start firing people from the podium?

I am no Sully fan but reporters have to ask certain questions, even if they know for sure they are not going to get straight answers. That's part of their job. It's like a White House press conference. You know the President, no matter who he is, is not going to give you a straight answer to a question like that. But it's the duty of the press to ask it.

 

There is 0.0% chance that Sully thought he would get a straight answer. Someone has to ask the question though. And he is willing to do it. I actually commend him for it, and again, I am no big fan of his.

[Deranged Rhino]

I am no Sully fan but reporters have to ask certain questions, even if they know for sure they are not going to get straight answers. That's part of their job. It's like a White House press conference. You know the President, no matter who he is, is not going to give you a straight answer to a question like that. But it's the duty of the press to ask it.

 

There is 0.0% chance that Sully thought he would get a straight answer. Someone has to ask the question though. And he is willing to do it. I actually commend him for it, and again, I am no big fan of his.

 

You're right of course. And you're also right about how the answer, even the dodge, can be illuminating (you weren't alone in waiting for that question and the stadium question just to see Terry's reaction). I came away from the press conference convinced that Russ is well thought of and Whaley is safe. You don't make an (adorably awkward) Pitt joke like that to a guy if he's on your "I'm gonna fire you" list unless you're an !@#$, and Terry doesn't strike me as an !@#$.

 

I also came away with the clear impression Terry does not like Jerry, which made me like Terry more. That probably makes me kind of an !@#$ too, but I can live with that.

Edited October 11, 2014 by GreggyT

[Kelly the Dog]

You're right of course. And you're also right about how the answer, even the dodge, can be illuminating (you weren't alone in waiting for that question and the stadium question just to see Terry's reaction). I came away from the press conference convinced that Russ is well thought of and Whaley is safe. You don't make an (adorably awkward) Pitt joke like that to a guy if he's on your "I'm gonna fire you" list unless you're an !@#$, and Terry doesn't strike me as an !@#$.

 

I also came away with the clear impression Terry does not like Jerry, which made me like Terry more. That probably makes me kind of an !@#$ too, but I can live with that.

That's exactly what I thought. You can't know for sure, and this season has to play out, but you do not immediately joke about Pitt versus Penn State about a guy you're thinking you may have to fire. You just don't do it.

[Deranged Rhino]

That's exactly what I thought. You can't know for sure, and this season has to play out, but you do not immediately joke about Pitt versus Penn State about a guy you're thinking you may have to fire. You just don't do it.

 

Absolutely, he might not be the most polished and media savvy guy in the room, but he knows enough that a sound-byte like that would come back and haunt him if it weren't the case. Of course, if the wheels fall off he has the right to change his opinion as the information changes, but it seems like Terry's at least willing to give Whaley more than one draft class.

 

Which I believe is the prudent choice regardless of the outcome of the season, and since it's "our" team now I think I should get a vote dammit!

[Kelly the Dog]

Absolutely, he might not be the most polished and media savvy guy in the room, but he knows enough that a sound-byte like that would come back and haunt him if it weren't the case. Of course, if the wheels fall off he has the right to change his opinion as the information changes, but it seems like Terry's at least willing to give Whaley more than one draft class.

 

Which I believe is the prudent choice regardless of the outcome of the season, and since it's "our" team now I think I should get a vote dammit!

Ha. I'll give you a vote.

 

FWIW, I think Brandon is very good at his job but I don't believe a word he says in public, even when I know it's true. Today he made it a point to say that Whaley has only had one draft. Now, granted, before he has said (and I didn't believe him for a second) that Buddy Nix was in charge of the 2013 draft. So it's not totally inconsistent. But I think what he was doing today is separating Whaley from the EJ pick, which I personally think was 100% Whaley's choice or he was 100% behind it.

 

But that's what Brandon does.

 

I think 2013 was Whaley's draft, more than Nix's, and while Nix had a huge hand in it and was probably on board with EJ or else he wouldn't have done it, I think Whaley made the picks. I would love to know for sure but I would bet on it. Kiko was surely not a Nix type pick. Woods really wasn't either after his senior year.

[PromoTheRobot]

 

I also came away with the clear impression Terry does not like Jerry, which made me like Terry more. That probably makes me kind of an !@#$ too, but I can live with that.

I didn't catch that. What did he say?

[JohnC]

Ha. I'll give you a vote.

 

FWIW, I think Brandon is very good at his job but I don't believe a word he says in public, even when I know it's true. Today he made it a point to say that Whaley has only had one draft. Now, granted, before he has said (and I didn't believe him for a second) that Buddy Nix was in charge of the 2013 draft. So it's not totally inconsistent. But I think what he was doing today is separating Whaley from the EJ pick, which I personally think was 100% Whaley's choice or he was 100% behind it.

 

But that's what Brandon does.

 

I think 2013 was Whaley's draft, more than Nix's, and while Nix had a huge hand in it and was probably on board with EJ or else he wouldn't have done it, I think Whaley made the picks. I would love to know for sure but I would bet on it. Kiko was surely not a Nix type pick. Woods really wasn't either after his senior year.

 

I agree with you that Whaley was substatively involved with the EJ pick when Nix was the GM. In Nix's last year he made it clear that selecting a qb was the priority of that draft. There is no doubt in my mind that Whaley was on board if not the most instrumental person in that selection. Most draft analysts stated that there were no elite prospects in that particular class. Was the EJ selection a mistake? At this point you can't say for sure. The draft book on Manuel was that he was a qb with tools who fell in the category of being a developmental qb. Although it is obvious he struggled with immediate playing time it is fitting that he is now in a role that was intended for him i.e. learning as a backup. (To be frank from what I have seen of EJ I have major concerns (accuracy and feel for the position) about him.)

 

Putting aside the qb issue, although the Orton pickup was a good insurance move for the qb position, Whaley has demonstrated that he is not a passive GM. Nix took a more conservative approach to drafting while Whaley is much more aggressive. The Watkins selection was a demonstration of that, as was the willingness to draft Henderson, a player taken off of most draft boards. Anyone who has eyes recognizes that Watkins can be a special player. That doesn't mean that those who argue that too much was given up to get him don't have a valid point. I'm confident that Nix wouldn't have considered such a move.

 

The new owner is very wise in his retention of Brandon. In my view it was Brandon who was most responsible for steering this franchise from being a backwater franchise to being a more normally and progressively run operation. What his critics don't factor in is that he was still a Wilson employee and was required to follow the owner and his busineness advisors' (mostly Littman) directives. Not only was Brandon a good from an operational standpoint he was very smart from a strategic standpoint. By regionalizing the franchise he made it more viable to remain in the western NY market.

Edited October 11, 2014 by JohnC

[bowery4]

I agree with you that Whaley was substatively involved with the EJ pick when Nix was the GM. In Nix's last year he made it clear that selecting a qb was the priority of that draft. There is no doubt in my mind that Whaley was on board if not the most instrumental person in that selection. Most draft analysts stated that there were no elite prospects in that particular class. Was the EJ selection a mistake? At this point you can't say for sure. The draft book on Manuel was that he was a qb with tools who fell in the category of being a developmental qb. Although it is obvious he struggled with immediate playing time it is fitting that he is now in a role that was intended for him i.e. learning as a backup. (To be frank from what I have seen of EJ I have major concerns (accuracy and feel for the position) about him.)

 

Putting aside the qb issue, although the Orton pickup was a good insurance move for the qb position, Whaley has demonstrated that he is not a passive GM. Nix took a more conservative approach to drafting while Whaley is much more aggressive. The Watkins selection was a demonstration of that, as was the willingness to draft Henderson, a player taken off of most draft boards. Anyone who has eyes recognizes that Watkins can be a special player. That doesn't mean that those who argue that too much was given up to get him don't have a valid point. I'm confident that Nix wouldn't have considered such a move.

 

The new owner is very wise in his retention of Brandon. In my view it was Brandon who was most responsible for steering this franchise from being a backwater franchise to being a more normally and progressively run operation. What his critics don't factor in is that he was still a Wilson employee and was required to follow the owner and his busineness advisors' (mostly Littman) directives. Not only was Brandon a good from an operational standpoint he was very smart from a strategic standpoint. By regionalizing the franchise he made it more viable to remain in the western NY market.

Good post I agree for the most part but I think Nix "gave" Doug the EJ pick as a parting "gift", which Whaley may or may not of been all on board with (I say this of course in hindsight, with the fact he told HCDM it was up to him if he benched him). The rest of the draft I agree has GMDW written all over it.

[JohnC]

 

Good post I agree for the most part but I think Nix "gave" Doug the EJ pick as a parting "gift", which Whaley may or may not of been all on board with (I say this of course in hindsight, with the fact he told HCDM it was up to him if he benched him). The rest of the draft I agree has GMDW written all over it.

 

No one outside the organization can be sure if EJ was Whaley's selection. But there is no doubt that Whaley was intimately involved in ranking that qb draft class. Maybe he didn't want to select him in the first round but odds are that Whaley and the scouting staff considered EJ as the best long term prospect.

 

Many people consider the EJ benching as controversial. I don't see it that way. The EJ issue was a concern prior to the season. Whaley and the coaching staff recognized very early on that Manuel had issues as a potential starter. He simply was very erratic as a passer. That was clearly evident in the offseason workouts, training camp and preseason. There was a good reason why Whaley aggressively pursued Orton in the offseason. The Bills don't have a history of paying backups very well. Yet Orton got an offer much more generous than he could have gotten anywhere else.

 

Whaley said prior to the season that he felt that this team was a playoff team. With EJ taking the snaps it was painfully apparent to all to see that this season would be lost if he continued as the starter. When you have no other choice you go to that choice. You can bet that Whaley was just as on board as Marrone was with the qb change. That topic of discussion wasn't a new discussion that only happened during this season, it had to be an ongoing discussion even prior to the season.

 

 

[LabattBlue]

For those who follow the Sabres, Pegula's PC yesterday came as no surprise in regards to his emotions and or his "average guy" persona as evidenced by his public speaking. There is not doubt that Pegula will spend and spend and spend(especially in terms of coaches and other off the field staff, which RW was never renowned for). The question is can his willingness to spend be turned into Super Bowl victories and/or Stanley Cup championships?

 

There are plenty of owners throughout the Big 4 sports that cannot bridge that gap between spending and success.

 

That being said, we'd all rather have an owner with deep pockets, ties to the communities and a desire to win, than one that does not. The chances of success will go up because of this.

Edited October 11, 2014 by LabattBlue

[TXBILLSFAN]

I'm not a Sully fan, most of the time I find him to be too negative too quickly, unfortunately, he's usually been proven right especially over the past decade. However, his question at the presser was legitimate and was asked in a respectful way, he didn't press the issue with a follow up and I'm sure he wasn't expecting some great revelation by TP.

 

I was surprised that TP said he'd never met Ralph and i was also a bit disappointed we didn't get to hear from Kim.

 

Other than that, what's not to love about TP, wears his emotions on his sleeves and has his heart in the right place. I know he's a very competitive person and wants nothing more than to win, so I trust he'll do what it takes to get this franchise on the right path.

Edited October 11, 2014 by TXBILLSFAN

[Dirtbag]

No one outside the organization can be sure if EJ was Whaley's selection. But there is no doubt that Whaley was intimately involved in ranking that qb draft class. Maybe he didn't want to select him in the first round but odds are that Whaley and the scouting staff considered EJ as the best long term prospect.

exactly. there is literally 0% chance that nix somehow drafted ej without whaley's consent. there's no way the entire organization would allow an outgoing gm to just draft whoever he wanted against the wishes of the heir apparent. and if they did, they should all be fired.

 

when nix retired two weeks after the draft, i remember some reporters (graham? wgr?) talking about how the move would effectively give whaley cover if the picks didn't pan out. given brandon's recent comments, that seems to be the case.

[Kelly the Dog]

 

exactly. there is literally 0% chance that nix somehow drafted ej without whaley's consent. there's no way the entire organization would allow an outgoing gm to just draft whoever he wanted against the wishes of the heir apparent. and if they did, they should all be fired.

 

when nix retired two weeks after the draft, i remember some reporters (graham? wgr?) talking about how the move would effectively give whaley cover if the picks didn't pan out. given brandon's recent comments, that seems to be the case.

Right. I guess he doesn't get credit for Kiko then. Or Woods.

 

That was Whaley's draft.

[Dirtbag]

That was Whaley's draft.

yup, and from this clip, it certainly sounds like whaley agrees. i particularly like the end where he admits that if ej doesn't work out within 3 years, he (whaley) is toast:

 

Edited October 11, 2014 by Dirtbag

[K-9]

For those who follow the Sabres, Pegula's PC yesterday came as no surprise in regards to his emotions and or his "average guy" persona as evidenced by his public speaking. There is not doubt that Pegula will spend and spend and spend(especially in terms of coaches and other off the field staff, which RW was never renowned for). The question is can his willingness to spend be turned into Super Bowl victories and/or Stanley Cup championships?

 

There are plenty of owners throughout the Big 4 sports that cannot bridge that gap between spending and success.

 

That being said, we'd all rather have an owner with deep pockets, ties to the communities and a desire to win, than one that does not. The chances of success will go up because of this.

 

That's because there is no correlation between spending and success.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[Kelly the Dog]

That's because there is no correlation between spending and success.

 

GO BILLS!!!

There is, however, a correlation to spending smartly and success, which is something the Bills have not been able to do in the last 15 years. The last couple have been a little better (although no one is perfect of course and there have been some blunders).

 

The most interesting element of the new regime, to me, will be who negotiates the contracts. Does Overdorf stay. Does Whaley take over as being solely responsible for how much we may FA and our own guys. Nothing will probably change for at least a year and maybe not until the end of next season, but it will be interesting. For too long, the Bills have had non-football guys deciding how much football players should be paid. It's not as bad as it used to be but it still exists to a degree.

[Kirby Jackson]

 

There is, however, a correlation to spending smartly and success, which is something the Bills have not been able to do in the last 15 years. The last couple have been a little better (although no one is perfect of course and there have been some blunders).

 

The most interesting element of the new regime, to me, will be who negotiates the contracts. Does Overdorf stay. Does Whaley take over as being solely responsible for how much we may FA and our own guys. Nothing will probably change for at least a year and maybe not until the end of next season, but it will be interesting. For too long, the Bills have had non-football guys deciding how much football players should be paid. It's not as bad as it used to be but it still exists to a degree.

So you don't think that the Dockery & Walker contracts were money well spent?