Wayne Arnold Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Our 2017 draft class, especially White, is looking strong and is a credit to Whaley, the prime talent evaluator for that draft class. One often overlooked (and brilliant) move was one Whaley pulled off towards the end of 2016. He signs Logan Thomas off Detroit practice squad, and to do so he had to add him to the Bills 53 man roster. All based on potential; the guy had never played tight end. The potential Whaley saw last year payed off big time last Sunday. In the years to come, Thomas will evolve into a pro bowl type tight end Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dayman Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Whaley left a better team than he inherited and IMO deserves credit for brining us from bad to average. He never got a QB and aparently didn't do great with the coaches but his era was better than any other GM we've had....it will take some time before I truly believe the new FO is any better. That said, I hope they are b/c we do need to take it to the next level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarlinTheMagician Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 As they say on the tube: "C'mon man" - he must of had a decent pro personnel group because he did some decent dumpster diving. But, er, like "nice drafts, dude." And nice use of team resources on Dareus! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewEra Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Whaley's issue was never talent scouting - he's a good scout (except, arguably, at QB). His issue is that he couldn't rise above talent scouting to team-building. THIS IS NOT DISPUTABLE LET'S MOVE ON. Best post of the thread. He also couldn't overcome the Rex hiring. His biggest mistake was not choosing his head coach. He allowed Terry and Kim to be swept away by Rex. If he had made a stand against hiring Rex, he may have had a chance. Switching to the 3-4 ruined this team for 2 seasons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffalo86 Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Overall, Whaley failed as a GM. Better than Nix, Brandon, and Levy, but that doesn't mean anything outside of Buffalo. When we see our team in 2 years vs the 4 years Whaley had (or 7 years if you want to throw in his time as Assistant GM), it will be apparent to all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill_with_it Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Overall, Whaley failed as a GM. Better than Nix, Brandon, and Levy, but that doesn't mean anything outside of Buffalo. When we see our team in 2 years vs the 4 years Whaley had (or 7 years if you want to throw in his time as Assistant GM), it will be apparent to all.I think its clear as day now that Sean and Brandon are better than Whaley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondo in seattle Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Like every other GM, Whaley had his share of hits and misses. I think he was below average in the draft, above average is free agency, and maybe average-ish in the other aspects of his job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
May Day 10 Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 I consider levy-brandon-nix-whaley as a continuous regime. A series of cordial stepping asides and "handing off the reins". They were never serious about altering the leadership of the football program. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Best post of the thread. He also couldn't overcome the Rex hiring. His biggest mistake was not choosing his head coach. He allowed Terry and Kim to be swept away by Rex. If he had made a stand against hiring Rex, he may have had a chance. Switching to the 3-4 ruined this team for 2 seasons He wanted to keep Schwartz and hire Hue Jackson who would have run the offense. Hard to say what would have happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augie Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 He wanted to keep Schwartz and hire Hue Jackson who would have run the offense. Hard to say what would have happened. But it's easy for ME to say I prefer that to Rex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvlevydraftdaygenius Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Yeah we are really missing him with all his players we cut and traded. And poyer and Hyde were signed because McDermott wanted them. You are really out of touch with what is going on and have some weird infatuation with Whaley, who couldn't find a QB to save his life. are you out of your mind Look at all that talent that Beane and Mcdermott got rid of that could help our time Zach Brown, Sammie Watkins, 711 Hogan keeps making plays for the patriots, Marquise Goodwin. Etc look at the crap that Beane brought in name anyone who has contributed to this team. Yeah and I remember even Mcdermott through Beane under the bus when he said " It Pains him to watch Sammie Watkins making plays for another team." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T master Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 (edited) Whaley did get a bad rap & deservedly so with some of them ! The Sammy move was foolish especially when the likes of OBJ was still on the board when they picked , but for the most part Whaley got the players the coaches wanted . He couldn't help that the differences in the coaching schemes & such he was getting some talented players. On the contract side of things could be another thorn in his resume !! The Dareus & Fitz deals were some terrible deals & who ever agreed to them should have been fired !! Especially when you think of the Dareus deal ! Wouldn't you think there would at the very least be a clause in the contract that would say something to the effect that if he is caught again breaking the rules that his deal could be void f some of the cash plus it should have had incentive based packages . I hope that whoever is the one agreeing to the deals now has a little more common sense when it comes to the inner workings of these contracts & give the Bills a out of some sort given the same type of situations !!! But Whaley was a good evaluated of talent i thought !! Edited October 25, 2017 by T master Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihilarian Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 whaley is/was mediocre on his best day......and his legacy is getting worse. Exactly. There was a real reason that he and the entire scouting staff were fired and replaced. The EJ pick while overlooking so many other QB's afterward and two first round picks on Watkins while the team still didn't have a solid franchise QB to even throw to the guy! The thing that really gets me is after the 2014 draft the team stated that they were still looking for that big, tall red zone wideout. Mike Evans anyone? In his first three 1000 yard seasons, he played in 46 of 48 games. at 6'5'' 231 the guy bowls over DB's. Evans cracked 1000 yards in his rookie season with scrubs throwing to him. Another thing that really bothers me about this GM is that after he drafted "his" QB. Is that he made the kid start behind the very worse offensive line in the league. Chris Williams at LG, really? Erik Pears at RG, really? Seantrel Henderson at RT. Not to mention that he allowed the team to go into that season with no QB coach or veteran QB on the roster to help his rookie QB learn the ropes. Instead, the team went into the season with only former college OC Nathaniel Hackett as his QB coach and OC. Whaley was as bad a Bills GM as was Marv Levy, Russ Brandon, Buddy Nix. Be happy that bum is gone and trust that he will never be an NFL GM again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhDozeBills Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Whaley either seemed to hit a home run or strike out, was a mixed bag. Off the top of my head: The Good: Jerry Hughes trade, Mike Gillislee off the street, Seantrel Henderson in 7th,, Darby, Shady, Preston Brown (not a stud but solid) The Bad: Dareus contract, Watkins trade up, reach for EJ Manuel I'm sure there's others but think these were the big ups and downs. Can't blame Whaley for Rex hire cause that was Pegula. I also don't blame him for Shaq (jury still out) and Reggie because I think those were Rex picks. I also don't give him much credit for this years draft because I believe they were heavily influenced by McD. IMO, Whaley's biggest issue was putting us in a bad cap situation and not focusing on character players, but when you have a guy like Rex chirping in your ear to just get me talented players and character wasn't questioned I think he was somewhat setup to fail in that aspect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan89 Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 I agree, but I think that's why Whaley became such a fan favorite. After years of "lunch pail" guys who had "high motors" but not a ton of talent, it was a breath of fresh air to see some world-class ahletes on the roster. He made the moves we would have made on Madden. Unfortunately, it takes more than talent. Apparently you need a good combination of talent, smarts, and character. FWIW, I think the Jauron teams would have done ok with a good QB. Those teams had high-character guys who played hard and kept it close. They just never had a QB that could sustain drives or come through with the game on the line. Of course, some NFL talent on the O-line might have helped too. The Jauron teams had a bend don't break defense that was at times accomplishing the bending while not breaking, but those are the types of defenses you can actually win with if you have a QB. To be honest if you have a top 10 QB in the league you will always have a good shot to win as long as you have any semblance of talent on the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ganesh Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 He was also one the first gms that was fond of Wentz. Wentz even said that the Bills had scouted him far longer and harder than anyone else. I guess he was overruled by Rex. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dollars 2 donuts Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 He was also one the first gms that was fond of Wentz. Wentz even said that the Bills had scouted him far longer and harder than anyone else. This is not hindsight and I thought I may have said even after the draft...I would have taken went over Goeff. He just seemed more NFL ready. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niagara Dude Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Our 2017 draft class, especially White, is looking strong and is a credit to Whaley, the prime talent evaluator for that draft class. One often overlooked (and brilliant) move was one Whaley pulled off towards the end of 2016. He signs Logan Thomas off Detroit practice squad, and to do so he had to add him to the Bills 53 man roster. All based on potential; the guy had never played tight end. The potential Whaley saw last year payed off big time last Sunday. In the years to come, Thomas will evolve into a pro bowl type tight end Drafting EJ and then two # 1 for Sammy in a draft that was loaded with WR'S (Hello Mike Evans) set this team for years. You need a QB and he could never figure that out, also Lawson pick is not looking great at this point. Told the media EJ had the "it" factor, yes he just forgot to add the sh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Overdue Bill Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 Whaley had a few good picks the same way a broken clock can have the correct time twice a day. The fact that most of the people he brought in are no longer on the team is a sign that he wasn't the best GM. haha...this pretty much sums it up. There was no chemistry between Whaley and the coaches who came and went during his "time" at Buffalo. I get the impression that he in over his head...I hope he gets more experience before he takes the reins somewhere else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gugny Posted October 25, 2017 Share Posted October 25, 2017 I'm one of the minority who think Whaley was a good GM. He got a lot of the right players. This was a team who, under Marrone, went (9-7) (and please spare me the bull **** of not counting the last win of the season) and was moving in the right direction. I don't fault him, necessarily, for "not finding a QB." People act like this is easy. It's a crap shoot. Even if you get the no-brainer pick, like Luck, it might not work out. However, the one major mistake for which I do fault him .... believing in EJ Manuel for too long. Although I don't fault him for not finding a QB, I do fault him for not looking/trying hard enough. To me, THAT was his fatal flaw. He built a solid team that was a QB away, in my opinion. He was the victim - and I chose that word carefully - of a new owner who had no respect for the GM position. He had an inept HC shoved down his throat who proceeded to VERY quickly undo everything he'd accomplished. I was behind Whaley being fired, but only because of his mishandling of the most important position in professional sports. No other reason. I am EXTREMELY optimistic about what Beane can/will do, here. And Beane is lucky that Terry (and Kim?) Pegula learned quickly (although the two Rex years did not go by quickly) that he needs to keep his mouth shut and his wallet open and let the GM run the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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