Pegula gives Whaley,Ryan 1 year to fix Bills? (BN retracts!)

[YoloinOhio]

Vic doubles down on his story on shredd and Ragan interview this morning, trusts his source implicitly, and insists it isn't in contradiction with Whaley's new deal. He sayd the Bills "conveniently" leaked the info on Whaley to keep pushing a Kum-ba-ya message.

 

http://bills.buffalonews.com/2016/01/06/audio-vic-carucci-talks-pegula-whaley-and-rex-with-shredd-regan/

[YoloinOhio]

 

He also insinuates that this meeting and its timing is why Rex took on his new "subdued" tone, said he won't be making any more big statements, and why the defense started looking different starting with Dallas - he started asking the players what they wanted to do and feels he was told to make these changes.

[eball]

He also insinuates that this meeting and its timing is why Rex took on his new "subdued" tone, said he won't be making any more big statements, and why the defense started looking different starting with Dallas - he started asking the players what they wanted to do and feels he was told to make these changes.

 

Yeah -- like that's a recipe for prolonged success (trying to change Rex's personality). Vic is a joke. I think his source is Tim Graham.

[Wayne Cubed]

Vic doubles down on his story on shredd and Ragan interview this morning, trusts his source implicitly, and insists it isn't in contradiction with Whaley's new deal. He sayd the Bills "conveniently" leaked the info on Whaley to keep pushing a Kum-ba-ya message.

 

http://bills.buffalonews.com/2016/01/06/audio-vic-carucci-talks-pegula-whaley-and-rex-with-shredd-regan/

 

I think the problem is, if this meeting took place between the Washington and Dallas games then it probably should have been reported then or Carruci should have made reference to the fact that that's when it happened. In the original article he says that this took place a week ago, before the Jets game. So his timeline doesn't add up.

 

It is quite possible that this meeting did happen and that Terry made some very stern remarks but it's also possible he saw a bit of a turnaround in the Dallas and Jets games. And since then has toned it down a bit. Vic either got this information too late or held onto it to creating a nice, click-happy, end of the year article. Add some drama to the offseason.

[papazoid]

i still say russ brandon is the source. who else has the inside info and balls to leak stuff.

 

the going "rogue" leak smacks of russ being upset over screwing M&T out of their big AD campaign with fred......without advanced notice.

 

maybe T Pegs told russ that rex and whaley have a year to get it right or they are gone, but never told doug & rex the "gone" part, just gave them a kick in the ass to get it together......allowing T Pegs to call BS on Vic's story of him personally giving them an ultimatum. again, russ Brandon getting a message out to sponsors & season ticket holders that we are not going to put up with losing for long (selling hope).

 

 

russ brandon is pretty much the only source high enough in the food chain left at OBD with a history that dates back to Vic's earlier days at the BN.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Either that or the Bills are sick of the leaks themselves and were on a mole hunt. As was noted, there would only be a couple people in those meetings who would know what was said exactly. Not to hard to put some false stuff out there to your leak suspects and to see what comes out the other side knowing that it takes zero effort to have Pegula issue an official denial (via text no less) to kill the issue while the people who actually matter already know what was and wasn't said.

 

Pay attention to any administrative staff changes in the near future.

 

It is a time-honored leak detection technique to share different versions of a "confidential" story with different subordinates, the same base story but with different "catchy" wording, then see what comes out in the press. Match up the wording and you've got your leaker.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

i still say russ brandon is the source. who else has the inside info and balls to leak stuff.

 

the going "rogue" leak smacks of russ being upset over screwing M&T out of their big AD campaign with fred......without advanced notice.

 

maybe T Pegs told russ that rex and whaley have a year to get it right or they are gone, but never told doug & rex the "gone" part, just gave them a kick in the ass to get it together......allowing T Pegs to call BS on Vic's story of him personally giving them an ultimatum. again, russ Brandon getting a message out to sponsors & season ticket holders that we are not going to put up with losing for long (selling hope).

 

 

russ brandon is pretty much the only source high enough in the food chain left at OBD with a history that dates back to Vic's earlier days at the BN.

 

I really doubt that Russ is the source. For one thing, a TBD poster who has some cred and respect as having straight gouge at times, has said that Brandon and Whaley are genuinely close. For another, Russ is sitting in the catbird seat. The Pegulas love him, he is now "Managing Partner and President" of two professional sports teams - he's into a good thing, why would he play stupid games that might damage his credibility and stature with his bosses?

 

On the M&T thing, if you look at the Bills FO list, you can see a couple of EVPs involved in marketing or media relations with a couple of SVPs under them. In particular, Senior VP of Communications Scott Berchtold is one of those reportedly referred to as "lifers" in a derogatory sense by Whaley and coaches and called out in a Feb. 2014 Tim Graham article as being a barrier to those who want to fix the teams "way we've always done it" losing culture (the other two were Littman and Overdorf - Littman is gone, and the reporting structure around Overdorf has changed, though he still reports to Brandon I believe. If Graham's article had any meat to it, someone around one of these marketing or media relations execs might be a candidate for Deep Throat. Carrucci is an old-timer and could well be friends with other old-timers.

 

Anyway, it's easy to picture Whaley, coming in from a winning organization in Pittsburgh, trying to change things he sees as necessary to turn the culture around and ruffling feathers or even making some enemies along the way who are happy to try to make him look bad in the press when they can, especially if one of them has a certain personality type that combines self-importance in having the "inside scoop" with a bit of an uncontrolled temper (if something happens that gives them a bad day) and a tendency to hold a grudge. I mean, it's not as though someone who has been in the organization since 1989 has had much accountability to buy in to a "everything subordinate to winning" culture for the last 20 years or so or to ensure that his staff buys into it - plenty of time to build fiefdoms and become entrenched in playing politics.

 

Whether or not it was intentional, it would definitely behoove the Pegulas to "stop the leaking".

[Rico]

Vic doubles down on his story on shredd and Ragan interview this morning, trusts his source implicitly, and insists it isn't in contradiction with Whaley's new deal. He sayd the Bills "conveniently" leaked the info on Whaley to keep pushing a Kum-ba-ya message.

 

http://bills.buffalonews.com/2016/01/06/audio-vic-carucci-talks-pegula-whaley-and-rex-with-shredd-regan/

Thanks!

[Hapless Bills Fan]

He also insinuates that this meeting and its timing is why Rex took on his new "subdued" tone, said he won't be making any more big statements, and why the defense started looking different starting with Dallas - he started asking the players what they wanted to do and feels he was told to make these changes.

 

Something doesn't add up here, Yolo. The original article on 5 Jan said the meeting took place about a week ago, eg after the Dallas game and before the Jets game.

Now we're saying it changed Rex's demeanor leading up to the Dallas game which would place it perhaps just after the Washington game? But that's 2, almost 3 weeks ago?

 

That might come down to a semantic quibble regarding what "about a week" means but it does suggest a secondary source, one who was told about the meeting but not necessarily privy to the exact details such as exactly when the meeting took place.

russ brandon is pretty much the only source high enough in the food chain left at OBD with a history that dates back to Vic's earlier days at the BN.

 

I don't think that's true, Papazoid

[YoloinOhio]

 

Something doesn't add up here, Yolo. The original article on 5 Jan said the meeting took place about a week ago, eg after the Dallas game and before the Jets game.

Now we're saying it changed Rex's demeanor leading up to the Dallas game which would place it perhaps just after the Washington game? But that's 2, almost 3 weeks ago?

 

That might come down to a semantic quibble regarding what "about a week" means but it does suggest a secondary source, one who was told about the meeting but not necessarily privy to the exact details such as exactly when the meeting took place.

 

 

I don't think that's true, Papazoid

i think the source is "secondary" as well. Someone told Vic's source who told Vic. Everything is a little too muddy when it comes to exact details. The overarching theme that a meeting took place toward the end of the year with both guys, with Pegs laying down both displeasure and demands to get it right -- while simulateously supporting more time publically and extending Whaley so he's not lame duck status? I do buy that general scenario. Edited January 6, 2016 by YoloinOhio

[eball]

Bottom line? The Bills don't need to shake up the front office; they need to seal the leaks. I'm perfectly fine with El Petulante laying down the law in private meetings with Rex and Whaley, and I don't need to know what he tells them. The organization doesn't need the content of those meetings leaked (often erroneously) to overzealous, over-the-hill beat writers.

Edited January 6, 2016 by eball

[26CornerBlitz]

Vic's reaction was something like this once other media members contradicted his reporting.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nACHQselCx0

[TheFunPolice]

maybe Rex and Whaley really are buddies and sit there and laugh at all of these stories about how they hate each other.

 

Any story about them is NOT a story about Rex's defense BTW

[Hapless Bills Fan]

i think the source is "secondary" as well. Someone told Vic's source who told Vic. Everything is a little too muddy when it comes to exact details. The overarching theme that a meeting took place toward the end of the year with both guys, with Pegs laying down both displeasure and demands to get it right -- while simulateously supporting more time publically and extending Whaley so he's not lame duck status? I do buy that general scenario.

 

I also buy the general scenario. This does not meet expectations, it's unsatisfactory, no excuses, just fix it. To whom much is given, much is expected. We believe you can do it, go get it done.

 

There's no need to say "playoffs next year or you're fired" and back oneself into a corner that way.

 

Bottom line? The Bills don't need to shake up the front office; they need to seal the leaks. I'm perfectly fine with El Petulante laying down the law in private meetings with Rex and Whaley, and I don't need to know what he tells them. The organization doesn't need the content of those meetings leaked (often erroneously) to overzealous, over-the-hill beat writers.

 

I also agree they need to seal the leaks. Pegula needs to be able to have whatever conversation he deems appropriate in private and the Bills need to be able to disagree and hash things out in private, without every skid-marked skivvy showing up in the news. And if heads need to roll in the Bills FO to achieve this, I'm fine with that.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

@moriartysports

.@TyDunne joins us next on @WHTK talking Doug Whaley, ultimatums & more. listen at http://FoxSports1280.com/listen

Edited January 6, 2016 by 26CornerBlitz

[jester43]

go figure.

 

Vic doubles down on his story on shredd and Ragan interview this morning, trusts his source implicitly, and insists it isn't in contradiction with Whaley's new deal. He sayd the Bills "conveniently" leaked the info on Whaley to keep pushing a Kum-ba-ya message.

http://bills.buffalonews.com/2016/01/06/audio-vic-carucci-talks-pegula-whaley-and-rex-with-shredd-regan/

I don't know why any of this is so hard to believe.

Edited January 6, 2016 by jester43

[YoloinOhio]

Saw a tweet that Ty Dunne was going to be interviewed about this on 1280 Rochester. Ty said his sources confirmed there was no ultimatum issued. He said things got heated for ownership after the Washington game after it appeared guys weren't trying and the season was effectively lost. But that they believe it is not a good decision to let Whaley make huge personnel decisions for the organization while on a lame duck contract. They feared his vision would be too myopic. Thus the extension now vs waiting, and they do believe in him. This doesn't mean they can't walk away from either or both next year.

Edited January 6, 2016 by YoloinOhio

[26CornerBlitz]

@moriartysports

.@TyDunne joins us next on @WHTK talking Doug Whaley, ultimatums & more. listen at http://FoxSports1280.com/listen

 

Good interview with Dunne. He stated that there was no ultimatum and that there is an extension in the works for Whaley. Will post a link once available on demand.

[eball]

Saw a tweet that Ty Dunne was going to be interviewed about this on 1280 Rochester. Ty said his sources confirmed there was no ultimatum issued. He said things got heated for ownership after the Washington game after it appeared guys weren't trying and the season was effectively lost. But that they believe it is not a good decision to let Whaley make huge personnel decisions for the organization while on a lame duck contract. They feared his vision would be too myopic. Thus the extension now vs waiting, and they do believe in him. This doesn't mean they can't walk away from either or both next year.

 

The Twitter dynamic with Dunne and Vic is interesting. Vic thinks Dunne is sticking up for him and Dunne is clearly being a good TBN "teammate" -- but Dunne must be muttering under his breath.

[Nihilarian]

Vic doubles down on his story on shredd and Ragan interview this morning, trusts his source implicitly, and insists it isn't in contradiction with Whaley's new deal. He sayd the Bills "conveniently" leaked the info on Whaley to keep pushing a Kum-ba-ya message.

 

http://bills.buffalonews.com/2016/01/06/audio-vic-carucci-talks-pegula-whaley-and-rex-with-shredd-regan/

Good stuff, thanks for posting.

 

I'm really hoping Vic's source is correct and Terry Pegula said one more year. Then I'm hoping Rex Ryan gets his head permanently removed from his posterior and plays every game next year like he did against the Patriots in that second game.