Sharing the 53 man roster

[PolishDave]

 

I agree, Rex knew he was on the "hot seat", not necessarily for lack of playoffs but for the way his D and his team performed.

 

I think Rex pushed the issue, not because he didn't want to face the NY media, but because he wanted to see his son play in Clemson's championship game. How many times in a guy's life is he going to have that opportunity?

 

Yes, Rex had multiple reasons for wanting to not coach the last game:

 

* Kid playing

* Forced to sit Tyrod when he promised Tyrod otherwise

* High likelihood of losing the game gives Rex one more loss on his coaching record

* High likelihood of losing the game ends Rex's coaching career with a huge embarrassment against his former team (adds fuel to the fire as a laughing stock in NY)

* Other opportunity costs of having to coach another week for a meaningless game in which he would be handicapped

 

There are probably some other reasons too. There were simply too many reasons not to coach that game and not enough reasons to want to coach that game.

 

It makes total sense that Rex wanted out of that last game. And it makes total sense that Pegula let him leave a game early.

[Robert Paulson]

I think the "coach will have control over the 53" or "coach will share control" reports are part of the narrative that Whaley did not recommend or was against the hiring, and the Pegulas overruled it.

That seems to be what Wawrow is hinting at, though if he were confident in his sources, he would publish to that effect.

 

Others have said it isn't so (Sal for example, though his report is a day old; Leroi on this board, for those who feel his gouge is good). You are absolutely correct that if the reports about Whaley being "in the doghouse" and overruled are true (after announcing that he is leading the coaching search), the Pegulas should immediately part ways with Whaley.

It was obvious Rex had max input if not control of the roster last year. Look at the draft picks and all the ex sh!tty jets on the team. Whaley gave him all the rope he needed so el pegual could see what a mistake Rex was Edited January 12, 2017 by Robert Paulson

[Fadingpain]

It's not advisable to try to dig this deeply into the inner workings over there, because none of us was in the room and we just don't know how things played out.

 

I do not think Whaley is gone in the next few weeks as part of some clever plan enacted by Pegula. I think that is giving Pegula way too much credit.

 

I do think Whaley is, in general, on thin ice, and I continue to predict that he will be gone at the end of next season.

 

Tyrod is gone. Unless they have some miracle QB card hidden up their sleeve, we are going to be a lot worse next year.

Edited January 12, 2017 by Fadingpain

[Dragonborn10]

​The man doth protest too much, methinks

 

An NFL organization is not a military unit and many many organizations have dotted line reporting structures where multiple people and offices report to multiple different people. That is the way modern organizations are run.

Only the most high level of decisions would need to go vertically to the top. Such as who is going to be the HC. Do you think they are going to give a first time HC the power to trade a first round draft pick for Tony Romo? No. Do you think Whaley cares who is the third TE or back-up interior lineman. No. Do you think they need to compromise and work with each other when making 53 man roster decisions in terms of the draft, the salary cap, and the make-up of the team. Yes. This is not so difficult.

The media is making it sound dysfunctional because they have an agenda against Whaley and Pegula.

It's not advisable to try to dig this deeply into the inner workings over there, because none of us was in the room and we just don't know how things played out.

 

I do not think Whaley is gone in the next few weeks as part of some clever plan enacted by Pegula. I think that is giving Pegula way too much credit.

 

I do think Whaley is, in general, on thin ice, and I continue to predict that he will be gone at the end of next season.

 

Tyrod is gone. Unless they have some miracle QB card hidden up their sleeve, we are going to be a lot worse next year.

 

So if Whaley is gone if they do poorly next year why would he get rid of TT with no other option? It makes no sense. Whaley said they were close. He said Rex's defense wasn't good enough. He just hired the guy to fix the defense. Pegs knew Whaley wasn't fully on board with Rex and Pegs knows he messed up with that hire. This time he gave Whaley full control. You are correct that he is on thin ice. If the new HC doesn't fix the defense or if whatever they do at QB/OC is worse than this year then Whaley is probably gone too. But then you end up in the 49ers situation with a new GM with a HC from an old GM. My hunch is Whaley is safe if McDermott looks like a capable guy.

[JohnC]

 

 

Not for the first time this week I am 100% with you John.

 

13player suggests Terry acted suddenly in firing Rex. I submit he didn't. I submit he realised his mistake during year 1 of the shambles and came extremely close to making Rex a 1 and done coach. The ONLY and I do believe ONLY reason he didn't is because he realised it is a bad look for a new owner to make his first hire, give the guy a 5 year deal and get rid after 1 year. I think Rex had to make the playoffs or was out from the very start this year.

Your 100% agreement for this week has been busted. I've dramatically changed my position on our qb situation. (see the Kyle Posey: Debunking---topic #156 post of mine)

 

You and I agree on the scenario with a slight variation for the owner firing Rex. I do agree with you that the owner didn't want to be the type of owner with a reputation for quickly pulling the plug although his inclination was to get rid of this fool. The primary disqualifying issue for the owner wasn't so much not getting into the playoffs as it was the manner in which the defense declined. It was in a state of chaos and confusion. No amount of Rex Bullshiiit could hide the trainwreck the owners were seeing with their own eyes.

 

You've got to give Rex credit. He left two franchises in consecutive order in shambles and came out being a wealthy man with a future leisurely schedule. Sometimes the double hustle does work!

[YoloinOhio]

@tompelissero

My understanding is Sean McDermott will have shared say over the #Bills' 53-man roster. Alignment with GM Doug Whaley critical regardless.

[Kelly the Dog]

You are over-thinking the situation to the extent that it borders a conspiracy. With respect to the Rex firing I don't doubt that Rex initiated the phone call and asked if it was true that the owner was considering firing him he should do it before the final game. You are making it seem that it forced the owner to do something that he didn't want to do. That in my opinion is a wrong interpretation of the situation.

 

Rex isn't usually the smartest person in the room, unless he is in the room with his brother. But he isn't so stupid that he doesn't know how the business he is in works. The reality is that Rex knew that there was substance to the swirling rumors that he was going to be fired soon after the season. It's understandable that he didn't want to face the NY media and the media in general before and after the game dealing with the questions pertaining to his coaching demise.

 

Let's look at this issue from Pegula's perspective. He is the owner who watches the games. He sees a defense led by a self-proclaimed defensive guru being shredded. He sees a team with a high payroll for players and coaches playing with a lack of intelligence and discipline. The longer Rex coached this team the more chaotic and ineptly it performed. The remedy is simple for the owner: Get rid of the fool that I mistakenly hired. After every season there is an organizational meeting to review the status of the team and the performance of the staff. It's not difficult to conclude that Rex was going to be fired for cause i.e. hideous incompetence.

 

The issue of Whaley's authority on whether it diminishing or not with the new HCing hire is a manufactured issue not grounded on the reality of how Whaley and this franchise functions. Whaley is not a dictatorial GM who foists his decisions on people. His approach to managing is emphasizing collaboration. Let's look at how he treated Rex? He gave him everything he needed to succeed. He dedicated a draft and free agency to bring in his kind of players. Whatever staff Rex wanted (including his sloppy brother) who added another layer of confusion and incompetency to the mix the braggart HC got. My central point is that there is no authority issue between the GM and HC because this GM is one of the most accommodating bosses in the league. There is no need for a HC to demand an expansion of his responsibilities/authority because it isn't an issue.

 

 

 

 

The issue of job security for Whaley is the same as it is for all GMs. If you don't win at a satisfactory level that meets the owners' expectations you will be gone. The belief that Whaley will be gone in the next 8 weeks or so is ridiculous.

Excellent post, JC. Exactly what happened as I see it and very easy to imagine, as well as what the people that were actually there say, as well as common sense, as well as the way things work. The only thing that says otherwise is bitter conspiracy theory.

[iinii]

A two headed snake can never find its way. Someone is going to have to give in and or admit they don't have a say or just ask Kim what to do.

[Kelly the Dog]

A two headed snake can never find its way. Someone is going to have to give in and or admit they don't have a say or just ask Kim what to do.

This is where the Magic 8 Ball really comes in handy.

[ndirish1978]

It was posted in Sully's story on the new hiring.

 

I would have agreed with you before the hiring, but this are starting add up, Rex was a reactionary firing, We know he wanted to fire him but from all accounts Rex wanted to speak with Pegula privately after a conference call with Pegula, Whaley and Rex, next thing you know Rex is gone and Pegula telling everyone that that was not the plan at that moment and Whaley knew nothing about it.

 

That to me tells me Pegula was forced to react for a very specific reason, Guys like Pegula just don't stray from a plan without a very good reason.

 

Again strictly speaking from a cooperate executive point of view.

 

Something is going on at Bills drive this whole thing went down to fast, there has to be at least one more ball to drop here.

 

Sully is not a reporter, he is a columnist with a tenuous relationship with logic and sanity. If you learned something from him flush it down the toilet

[JohnC]

Excellent post, JC. Exactly what happened as I see it and very easy to imagine, as well as what the people that were actually there say, as well as common sense, as well as the way things work. The only thing that says otherwise is bitter conspiracy theory.

I really believe there is another element to the story. Rex wanted out. He was in over his head and the ship was not simply slowly sinking it was rapidly plunging toward the bottom. He insisted that his NFL history demonstrated that he knew what he was doing on the defensive side of the ball. The reality of his claim to fame on his favored side of the ball that he couldn't cloud was that his defenses were dismally failing.

 

Anyone who watched him at his last couple of post game press conferences saw that this once ebullient and confident man was now depressed and at a loss for words. It was apparent to me that he lost his desire to coach. Bringing in his sloppy looking brother to teach his perplexing system demonstrated that he was no longer interested in getting down and dirty to coach players. He was so out of touch with his players that he even wasn't aware that Clay was not making the trip to Oakland because of a maternity situation. That's ridiculous!

 

The bottom line is that Rex was a coach who clung to his outdated scheme in an environment of constantly changing NFL offenses. He lacked the discipline and the attention to detail to survive in this grinding profession. The happiest person on the line with Pegula when he was fired was Rex. A man who was fatigued and befuddled before the phone call was ecstatic, energized and liberated to do whatever he wanted to do with his time after the call. In the right circumstances failing can result in having a good outcome. For him it worked out well.

Edited January 12, 2017 by JohnC

[iinii]

This is where the Magic 8 Ball really comes in handy.

I wish I could find mine.

[Kelly the Dog]

I really believe there is another element to the story. Rex wanted out. He was in over his head and the ship was not simply slowly sinking it was rapidly plunging toward the bottom. He insisted that his NFL history demonstrated that he knew what he was doing on the defensive side of the ball. The reality of his claim to fame on his favored side of the ball that he couldn't cloud was that his defenses were dismally failing.

 

Anyone who watched him at his last couple of post game press conferences saw that this once ebullient and confident man was now depressed and at a loss for words. It was apparent to me that he lost his desire to coach. Bringing in his sloppy looking brother to teach his perplexing system demonstrated that he was no longer interested in getting down and dirty to coach players. He was so out of touch with his players that he even wasn't aware that Clay was not making the trip to Oakland because of a maternity situation. That's ridiculous!

 

The bottom line is that Rex was a coach who clung to his outdated scheme in an environment of constantly changing NFL offenses. He lacked the discipline and the attention to detail to survive in this grinding profession. The happiest person on the line with Pegula when he was fired was Rex. A man who was fatigued and befuddled before the phone call was ecstatic, energized and liberated to do whatever he wanted to do with his time after the call. In the right circumstances failing can result in having a good outcome. For him it worked out well.

That could very well be. It was clear to me that we were virtually NEVER getting the Rex Ryan defense, so that conjecture makes sense. He had Rob, Thurman, and Ed Reed there, and surely there were too many cooks in the kitchen. And that's where a lot of the disorganization came from. So again, that makes sense. The only thing that doesn't make sense in that is usually a ballsy, loudmouthed, braggadocio would never come to the conclusion that he couldn't do this any more.

[26CornerBlitz]

Same beat!

 

Adam Schefter reports that the Bills did not make any dramatic changes to their structure when they hired Sean McDermott as head coach in recent days.

 

League sources have told Schefter that Bills GM Doug Whaley still has the final say over the 53-man roster, while McDermott will determine the active game-day roster. Schefter’s source added that McDermott will report directly to owner Terry Pegula.

[Kelly the Dog]

Same beat!

 

Adam Schefter reports that the Bills did not make any dramatic changes to their structure when they hired Sean McDermott as head coach in recent days.

 

League sources have told Schefter that Bills GM Doug Whaley still has the final say over the 53-man roster, while McDermott will determine the active game-day roster. Schefter’s source added that McDermott will report directly to owner Terry Pegula.

Exact same chain of command as last year, exact same say over the roster as last year, exact same thing they said they were going to do the day Rex got hired last year. The only way they have ever done it. This is TOTAL DYSFUNCTION!!!