Thank you Doug Whaley

[Buftex]

He was an improvement over what we had before and did some good things, but his two signature decisions were EJ and the Watkins trade. Oh for two.

 

And I can't remember the last time it didn't seem like the FO and the coaching staff were at odds for one reason or another. No organization is ever successful unless everyone is on the same page and that hasn't been the case at OBD in a long time. That might not be all Whaley's fault, but you can't keep ignoring the problem and you've already replaced the owner and coach.We

We can debate how much blame Whaley deserves for the EJ pick, and the circumstances surrounding it...and we could also argue the merits of the Watkins pick.... in the end though, I don't think either of those moves were/are fatal...what was fatal, was the hiring of Rex Ryan...not Whaley's hire. The Bills roster that Rex inherited (QB issues not withstanding) was as good as any the Bills have had in about 10 years. They were closer to being a playoff team than not...Ryan was the biggest mistake this franchise made in the last 5 years or so. It set this team back to square one... fingers crossed that McDermott knows what he is doing, because they are putting a hell of a lot of faith in a guy who really hasn't done a thing yet....

 

But yes, thanks Mr Whaley.

Edited April 30, 2017 by Buftex

[The Frankish Reich]

Not a bad guy, and kind of a mixed record. He'll reemerge somewhere in the NFL. Sometimes the first go round isn't the best. Ultimately, it came down to one thing: E.J. Manuel. If EJ had been even modestly effective - think Tannehill effective, not necessarily Derek Carr - his reputation would be very different.

[Dorkington]

Most talented teams we've had since our last playoff appearance, imo. Changing coaches every couple of seasons did him no favors. Hopefully the next guy continues to bring in talent. Good luck, and best wishes Doug!

[goldenboy81]

I'll add my thanks, too.

 

This man worked hard and was responsible for a dramatic improvement in the talent on the team. Before Nix and Whaley, the Bills drafted players from small conferences, small schools and schools that didn't have winning programs. Whaley changed all that. He started drafting from schools with winning records in the best conferences; in other words, he began drafting players who were outstanding athletes who knew something about winning.

 

And in free agency he did even better. Under Whaley, the Bills acquired a lot of free agents who were drafted in the first or second round and who had struggled with their original team. Those guys have talent and need time to get their feet on the ground. When Whaley signed them, they often blossomed.

 

So, Mr. Whaley, thanks for all you did, and good luck always.

Agree 100%... Great post

[Kelly the Dog]

Thanks Doug. You will land on your feet and have a long career in this league. We don't know if you were great, good or you sucked. We don't really know if you liked EJ that much or hated TT that much. We don't know if you did or didn't get along with coaches except for that coksucker Marrone. Do you want another extension before you leave?

[The Frankish Reich]

I wish Doug the best too. I suspect he will resurface as a personnel guy somewhere in the league.

 

Look at Doug's tenure, he came in a "hot shot" from the great Pittsburgh organization. Unfortunately he worked for the most dysfunctional FO in the NFL with Russ Brandon and Buddy Nix at the helm. Nix was no GM, he is a good Scout and that is all Buddy Nix should have ever been. Brandon was not a football guy and never will be. We also had Tom Modrak, content to work from home in Jacksonville, a knowledgeable guy but he mailed it in. Jim Overdorf's management of the cap has been dreadful.

 

Doug did not pick Marone, he inherited him. He did not pick Rex either.

 

Doug made errors, but no more than the rest of the crew. He actually performed his job the best of the entire bunch named above. Better than the Pegula's too.

 

I bet we see him succeed in some capacity elsewhere.

Other than the Redskins. Which is what bothers me. How the hell do they get to: (1) change GMs/coaches at the drop of a hat; (2) draft 2 QBs in one draft, go to the playoffs with one, have him flame out with injury and ineffectiveness, and then go to the playoffs with the other one; (3) trade away a bunch of picks for a QB who ultimately had only one good year, and somehow not suffer long-term Bills-like pain for that ill-fated decision; (4) have an alcoholic GM and the most obnoxious meddling owner this side of Jerry Jones, and STILL be in a better place than the Bills? Life isn't fair.

Edited April 30, 2017 by The Frankish Reich

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

Doug,

 

I think many the decisions you made on behalf of the Bills will be validated in the future. The legacy of this group is not yet determined, your reputation will be intact when the successes become obvious in the next couple of years.

 

Thank you for elevating the talent of our roster. You will land on your feet somewhere.

 

Good luck

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

You have to wish him well. He's got some solid skills and made some great moves and trades. His stubbornness was an asset and his downfall. I hope he takes the lessons learned and puts his skills to use somewhere and finds success. Remember, he took over from Buddy on the tail end of the uber dysfunctional Bill's RWW days and put us on a better path. He made some bad missteps, but I still like and respect him. It's just time to move on. I don't understand the glee people are getting from his firing. Especially from the hyenas at the BN.

 

....have to agree.....look at all the the comments here and media wise for past few years about dysfunctional, delusional, clueless Pegulas, etc and even prior during his tenure.......sounds like a great work environment.......personnel is a progression over time.....so his work to get the defense to a top 5 is undone by the Wrecks Blowhard era overnight.......kinda makes it hard to show up for work every day with a (plastic) smile.....two years left on his extension, so he'll be fine and will land a personnel related job somewhere..........

Edited April 30, 2017 by OldTimeAFLGuy

[Foxx]

thank you Doug Whaley for all your efforts on behalf of the Buffalo Bills. i'm confident you will land on your feet with some other team. best of luck in your future endeavours.

[KDIGGZ]

At least he tried to do things differently. Doing the same old same old wasn't getting us anywhere. He took some chances but unfortunately for him it didn't pay off. Never give up 2 firsts for a non-QB. That seems like common sense.

[BaaadThingsMan]

I've been a Doug Whaley supporter since he came into the organization and feel like he did a good job improving the talent on the Bills.

[Tipster19]

That is the one saving grace that I am taking from this move.

A good man has been released from a total shithole of an organization.

This.

 

The guy did his best for the Bills and I appreciate that. This whole dysfunctional franchise isn't solely because of Doug Whaley, I promise you that. Good man, good soldier, best of luck in your next endeavor.

[Mike in Horseheads]

 

Doug,

Thank you. Thank you for returning this franchise to relevancy. This was a farce of a professional franchise. It was a joke. Many college teams were better run than this place. Old ownership was living off the goodwill of his legacy and not on recent performance. Your arrival and turn as GM marks the first time this franchise had professionals running it since the early 90s. And as my analysis showed, you didn't do a bad job actually.

But people in the area did not warm up to your cool analytical personality. Nor your tight lip ways win the following of old-school sports journalists of the area who relied on "inside information" instead of doing actual work to do their job. Thus they began a negative campaign for your head. And by the looks of it, they have succeeded. That's a shame. Because you did a decent job here. I hope you grow from this. We all need friends in many places. Just doing your job doesn't get it done anymore.

You did a solid job with first round picks. It's not your fault they haven't been able to stay on the field for whole seasons. That medical staff did you no favors. Jerry Hughes was a great FA signing. We are going to miss your ability to find gems in the scrap heap or in mid rounds. Like Lonzo. Zack Brown. But all things must come to an end. This is the NFL. Not For Long. So long Doug.

Best wishes

 

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[Alphadawg7]

 

Doug,

Thank you. Thank you for returning this franchise to relevancy. This was a farce of a professional franchise. It was a joke. Many college teams were better run than this place. Old ownership was living off the goodwill of his legacy and not on recent performance. Your arrival and turn as GM marks the first time this franchise had professionals running it since the early 90s. And as my analysis showed, you didn't do a bad job actually.

But people in the area did not warm up to your cool analytical personality. Nor your tight lip ways win the following of old-school sports journalists of the area who relied on "inside information" instead of doing actual work to do their job. Thus they began a negative campaign for your head. And by the looks of it, they have succeeded. That's a shame. Because you did a decent job here. I hope you grow from this. We all need friends in many places. Just doing your job doesn't get it done anymore.

You did a solid job with first round picks. It's not your fault they haven't been able to stay on the field for whole seasons. That medical staff did you no favors. Jerry Hughes was a great FA signing. We are going to miss your ability to find gems in the scrap heap or in mid rounds. Like Lonzo. Zack Brown. But all things must come to an end. This is the NFL. Not For Long. So long Doug.

Best wishes

 

 

Great post!

 

Here is the bottom line: Whaley was not remotely close to as bad as many around here wanted to make him out to be. Whaley was also not in a good position to succeed here, always had someone meddling in his job it felt like. The guy is a great talent evaluator IMO, and that's key in your GM. There isn't a single GM in football who makes no mistakes, and Whaley made some. But he did a lot more good than bad and I feel he should have gotten this year, especially since his top 2 picks last year had unfortunate injuries, so we don't even really know yet how to evaluate last draft.

 

Its not his fault our doctors were wrong on Shaq's shoulder. Its not his fault Rags got hurt. Its not his fault fans Sammy has a lingering foot injury. Its not his fault that he was forced to take a QB with Nix in one of the worst QB draft classes of the last 20 years. Yet...he leaves this team with a ton more talent on it than when he got here. At the same time, I get it on some level...when a team doesn't get over the hump changes come down the pipe. While I would have much preferred to give Whaley 2017 first to see how the team rebounds after getting the Ryan Bros out of here, Dareus for a full year, Sammy healthy, our top 2 picks healthy from last year, and all the new talent on the field...I also won't be freaking out over this.

 

So, I want to thank you Doug, who brought back hope, optimism and talent to a team that was run by a bunch of morons before you. I have no doubt you will land on your feet somewhere and may very well prove that this was a mistake to let you go.

 

PS: It will be interesting to see if anyone gives Whaley any credit if we make the playoffs this year.

[John from Riverside]

I am hoping that the foundation Doug put in place is actually bettered by the next man that takes the job

 

sometimes some one who did the grunt work has to leave in order to continue the upward trend and never truly gets the credit they deserved for getting it rolling.

 

good luck to you Doug

[Simon]

If anybody wants to add to this over the next day or two I will make sure he sees it this week.

It might not be much but maybe it will put a smile on his face for a moment while he's packing up his family.

 

Ignorant loudmouth jackasses who only want to sling insults may do that in the other Whaley was fired thread

It is neither welcome nor appropriate here

[FireChan]

removed for ignorant, inappropriate commentary

[YoloinOhio]

Good luck, Doug. I appreciate all you did for the Bills. Some exciting trades, draft picks and FA signings. Wish you well in your next role.

[Augie]

The original post was full of mixed messages. My honest feeling is Doug did a great job most of the time, but was put in some bad situations. He also had his failings, as we all do. He was magic regarding the arrival of some stellar players. I wish he was kept in some fashion. No cap on front office. Forget the haters.

 

 

The next job will come quickly, and I hope he's more appreciated.

[cba fan]

Take care DW. Thanks for improving this roster by leaps and bounds from the Nix Jauron days.You will be fine in your next job if they give you the power and control a normal GM is given.

[folz]

Thanks for everything Doug! Your hard work in stabilizing the football side of this organization and vastly improving

the roster despite it being a very difficult transition period for this franchise is not lost on many of us fans.

 

Good luck moving forward!

[BillsFanM.D.]

Seemed like a good, hardworking guy. I think he did more good than bad...and wish he could have found common ground with the new coach. He'll be employed soon. I appreciate what he did here. Wish him nothing but success unless his 'new' team is playing the Bills.

[DallasMac]

Huge fan of Doug. The constant coaching changes did him no favors. Wish him the absolute best in the future and appreciate what he did for the team while he was here. The Bills let a good one go.

[transient]

Thanks, Doug. Know that there are Bills fans who recognize you were likely never afforded the continuity or the authority to truly succeed as a general manager. I hope one day you get that chance. Until then take solace in knowing you no longer have to feign civility towards the no talent assclowns at TBN.

[CanadianFan]

Doug,

 

So many miscreants have been bashing you for your inability to make draft picks. So I did a little analysis and compared it to our esteemed rivals New England Patriots.

 

I looked at the number of players we drafted from 2013-2016, how many remained with the team, and how many are still in NFL. The latter is very important because that is an indicator of your "ability" to spot talent in the drafts. I then compared your performance to that of our esteemed rivals, New England Patriots. And the results are interesting:

 

 

In your tenure, we drafted 28 players to Pats' 36. Of the 28, 15 still remain with the team as of today. That's 54%. Looking at the pats, of the 36, 18 players are still on their roster as of today. So you have exceeded Pats' team retention by 4%. Nice.

 

Now let's look at over-all talent evaluation. How many of your players are still on NFL rosters, vs. those who are no longer NFL players. Of the 28 players you drafted, 24 are still in the league, or 86%. Of the 36 players the esteemed pats drafted, only 27 remain in the NFL. That's 75%. Here, you have outperformed World Champions by 11% points.

Doug, it is clear now. it's not your fault this team hasn't won. You can only bring them in. You aren't the one coaching them.

Edited May 1, 2017 by CanadianFan

[pimp on da' net]

Thank you DW, best of luck with your next endeavor!

[JimKellyTryouts]

Obviously the playoff drought continued during his tenure and the highly scrutinized moves can justify relieving him, but it's undeniable how much things improved as a whole for this organization before he was with us.

 

It's truly as unfortunate as it is head scratching how he seemingly didn't have the primary role of bringing in any of the THREE coaches during his mere FOUR years as GM...I hate playing the what-if game, but the Rex hiring continues to have a cascading effect on setting this team back. This just opens up more questions for the vision and direction of team before and now after he's left.

 

My gut is telling me that this is a mistake. Buffalo fans are exhausted with the mere idea of change ensuring things will become better.

 

All that said, thank you for your contributions, Doug. You were most definitely a diligent, dedicated worker for us that has improved the general status of our team. I'm positive you will have a successful future in this league, and leaving our team and city's toxic environment is needed for the sake of your own sanity.

Edited May 1, 2017 by JimKellyTryouts

[BEAST MODE BABY!]

First Buddy Nix, and then Whaley, brought back real scouting to this organization.

 

I remember the crap show of Tom Donahoe, Tom Modrak, Marv Levy and Russ "Aaron Maybin" Brandon. This team now has so much obvious talent, the Patriots (THE PATRIOTS) are snatching our players for crying out loud.

 

I don't know what kind of internal shenanigans Whaley had to deal with, but the bitter crew of Buffalo certainly didn't help...that crew being the Debbie Downers that live there, Buffalo sports media, etc.

 

In case people forget, before the Hughes/Sheppard trade, NFL teams almost never did player-for-player trades. It was a huge news story when it happened. And the roster wouldn't have had as much turn over if we didn't switch coaches and schemes every few years.

 

So, thank you Doug Whaley. The difference you made to the quality of players here was HUGE. I only hope the Pegulas and McD build on our talent level by getting a promising GM candidate who is known for being able to spot talent.

 

Good luck. Wishing you the best.

Edited May 1, 2017 by BEAST MODE BABY!

[BobDVA]

IMO Doug did his job, the coach wants a position filled, Doug got the best he could to fill it. Rex did a horrible job of coaching.

The Bills will be hard pressed to find a replacement with the upside Doug possessed.

 

Best wishes to you and your family Doug!

[GunnerBill]

I also think he was a good man who did a relatively good job. I suspect when he sits at home and reflects he will consider the moment it went wrong to be the moment the owners said "what about hiring Rex?" and he took the company line. He should have said there and then "If you want to hire Rex, fine. But you will need a new General Manager." Whaley's roster was ready to compete. Unfortunately it was coached by a moron.

Edited May 1, 2017 by GunnerBill

[Al Czervik]

I wish Doug the best too. I suspect he will resurface as a personnel guy somewhere in the league.

 

Look at Doug's tenure, he came in a "hot shot" from the great Pittsburgh organization. Unfortunately he worked for the most dysfunctional FO in the NFL with Russ Brandon and Buddy Nix at the helm. Nix was no GM, he is a good Scout and that is all Buddy Nix should have ever been. Brandon was not a football guy and never will be. We also had Tom Modrak, content to work from home in Jacksonville, a knowledgeable guy but he mailed it in. Jim Overdorf's management of the cap has been dreadful.

 

Doug did not pick Marone, he inherited him. He did not pick Rex either.

 

Doug made errors, but no more than the rest of the crew. He actually performed his job the best of the entire bunch named above. Better than the Pegula's too.

 

I bet we see him succeed in some capacity elsewhere.

 

This is my take on things as well...I believe DW was a good guy and a good GM that never got a fair shake at things. Good luck in the future and I'm sure we will see him again soon in this league.

[Original Byrd Man]

Doug if you do follow I would like you for your improvements to the team. I wish you well in your next opportunity as long as it's not in the AFC east. You were a stand up guy and took one for the team regarding the EJ pick, even though everyone who follows the Bills knows Buddy vowed to draft a franchise QB before he left. And you get crucified for the Sammy move but if he gets healthy and has the career you believe he is capable of you will be looked at a genius. Thanks also for the trades and FA signings that proved instrumental.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

Agreed on all the well wishes. Thanks for helping make this team watchable again, with actual NFL grade talent.