Doug Whaley puts full onus of EJ Manuel pick on Buddy Nix; believes he should have been a 3rd/4th round pick

[JMF2006]

1) You never throw your boss under the bus if you ever want to work in the NFL again.

 

2) So your saying as Assistant GM you did not have any input or the bosses ear then you get promoted.

 

3) I was at the Ralph that night for the Draft party and there was plenty of gasps and WTF was that going on.

 

My GF said by everyones reaction this guy must be a bad pick,I said well he is a Bill now so lets give him a chance.

 

What an awful time to be a Bills fan  

[george c]

I put full onus on Whaley for so many bone headed moves, with Watkins at the top. 

[Giuseppe Tognarelli]

15 hours ago, Bill from NYC said:

Sure, blame it on a dead guy.

Buddy Nix isn't dead

 

He's still alive

[NoSaint]

16 hours ago, Coach Tuesday said:

I mean that was literally a pre-recorded speech he gave to the Backers IIRC.  If he now says he was lying, it’s called consumer fraud.  Dude should just never speak to the media because he’s a moron with that stuff.

Saying he’s talented, charismatic, even the best qb in the draft all would not change by saying he probably was a late day 2 grade 

[machine gun kelly]

Doug Whaley, it was his fault.

 

So does that mean Doug is Enos?

[QCity]

Sounds like the pressure of the XFL is getting to him.

[Southern_Bills]

It looks bad to say anything. I don't believe he had no clue Nix was leaving, not for a second. 

 

Was EJ purely Nix's pick? Maybe, but I doubt it. 

 

He should just accept the fact he was on the staff and own the mistakes. Maybe then he might be considered for another job. 

1 hour ago, george c said:

I put full onus on Whaley for so many bone headed moves, with Watkins at the top. 

 

I'm sure if you ask him he has a "great" excuse. 

[JESSEFEFFER]

16 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Watch until the end. He wasn't wrong. Lol. 

 

 

 

Here it is.  I have the link to this video copied and ready to paste into a post if someone hadn't done so already.  Doug should be in sales or maybe politics. 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

1 hour ago, machine gun kelly said:

Doug Whaley, it was his fault.

 

So does that mean Doug is Enos?

No, Costanza...

 

[BurpleBull]

I believe him.

 

I had Manuel in that exact range leading up to the draft, but in cases like that you like to believe the scouts and GM knows a bit more about the prospect than you.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

17 hours ago, mjt328 said:

 

Whaley clearly had an eye for talent.  But something was missing as a General Manager.

It was hard to put a finger on exactly what that was, until Brandon Beane/Sean McDermott took over.

 

For an organization to be successful, the front office must have a seamless relationship with the coaching staff.  

You can't just throw "good football players" onto a roster.  You must consider the scheme, the personality fit with teammates, etc.

It's not a coincidence that Whaley clashed with both Doug Marrone and Rex Ryan, or that he's throwing his former co-workers under the bus now.

 

I think he deserves a job in the NFL as a pro-scouting director.  But a team would be foolish to give him another GM position.

 

 

I'll defend him some in that the Bills entire front office was kind of a mess as to who was really in charge.  I really don't think Whaley wanted to hire Ryan, but was more a Russ Brandon pushing Pegula to hire him.   Not sure who really did or didn't want Marrone, thought I recalled some connection there too between Marrone and RB?

 

I also do recall Nix stating he wanted to get a QB before he left, so do think that part of what Whaley said is true.  Yes Whaley scouted him, his report may have been great pick in the 3rd round for all we know.

 

If we're going to blame him for lying to the fan base by talking up EJ afterwards and stating he has the "It factor" then every coach GM in the league is guilty of that.  How many teams bad mouth their signings, even after they are gone. 

 

So yes Whaley did that in this article, but does seem his main point he was trying to make was about over drafting, not really blaming Nix for the pick other than that Nix wanted to get a QB whether there was one worthy or not so he over drafted.  But now he's a media guy, not a front office person.

[Albany,n.y.]

13 hours ago, Warcodered said:

As a fan from Wyoming that showed up with Allen don't have much perspective on the guy but this video I thought might have an interesting comparison of him and McDermott. 

 

Sean show up for this press event wearing a suit and tie clearly trying to project his professional manner, and Whaley was wearing a long sleeve T-shirt/sweatshirt?

Whaley obviously had a change of clothes because he was wearing a suit at the press conference.  You can criticize Whaley for a lot of things but waiting until the press conference to put his suit on goes a bit too far.   Other than that, great video, thanks for posting it.  

15 hours ago, Doc said:

I believe him. I also believe that if he had stayed GM, Mahomes would’ve been ours.

On the other side, I believe if Rex Ryan had remained as coach the Bills would have drafted Watson and today we'd be going nuts because right when we finally have a Super Bowl contender the QB would be facing a big suspension or worse & we'd be relying on Mitch Trubisky to get us to the Super Bowl.  

[eball]

18 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Agree totally. He couldn't lead, he could scout. 

 

He had no concept of team-building, either.  Just looked to acquire talent.  He basically did one thing well when the job requires so much more.  I think Whaley is a great example of the Peter Principle.

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

2 hours ago, QCity said:

Sounds like the pressure of the XFL is getting to him.

XFL about to go under the bus wheels.  Hello USFL 2022! 😁

4 minutes ago, eball said:

 

He had no concept of team-building, either.  Just looked to acquire talent.  He basically did one thing well when the job requires so much more.  I think Whaley is a great example of the Peter Principle.

And again...insightful?...or inciteful? 😁

[BarleyNY]

Saying that EJ should’ve been a 3rd or 4th round pick is a very different thing than saying that at the time he was drafted he thought EJ should’ve been a 3rd or 4th round pick.  It looks like Whaley chose his words very carefully as saying the former is truthful and leads people to imply the latter, which would not have been. 

[wppete]

I’d say the EJ Manuel was perhaps the worse draft pick the Bills have ever made in the first round. I was initially hopeful but EJ proved to be awful on the field, seemed like a great guy off the field though. 

[eball]

24 minutes ago, wppete said:

I’d say the EJ Manuel was perhaps the worse draft pick the Bills have ever made in the first round. I was initially hopeful but EJ proved to be awful on the field, seemed like a great guy off the field though. 

 

Erik Flowers and Mike Williams say hi.

[Punching Bag]

5 hours ago, Chicken Boo said:

I'm one of the few who thinks Whaley put a good team together here.  Sure, there were blunders along the way, but you could say that for any GM.

 

Rex and Doug Marrone weren't exactly visionaries who could see the vision through and we all know he wasn't behind those selections.

 

There were a number of veterans signed per request of Rex mostly on defense but Tyrod Tailor was a player that Rex wanted Bills to sign.

[Beast]

5 hours ago, Chicken Boo said:

I'm one of the few who thinks Whaley put a good team together here.  Sure, there were blunders along the way, but you could say that for any GM.

 

Rex and Doug Marrone weren't exactly visionaries who could see the vision through and we all know he wasn't behind those selections.

 

Such good teams they never sniffed the playoffs.

 

Only until McDermott and Beane weeded out the non-team players did the Bills make the post season.

[GunnerBill]

1 hour ago, eball said:

 

He had no concept of team-building, either.  Just looked to acquire talent.  He basically did one thing well when the job requires so much more.  I think Whaley is a great example of the Peter Principle.

 

While I agree with that I think it is hard to make a definitive judgement on him as a team builder. In his 4 years as GM he worked with 2 Head Coaches (if we say he was already on the way out once McDermott was hired), 4 defensive coordinators (even though Rob Ryan never formally held that title) and 3 Offensive Coordinators. I agree he struggled to build a team but I think most people would in all that dysfunction.

[YoloinOhio]

1 hour ago, eball said:

 

He had no concept of team-building, either.  Just looked to acquire talent.  He basically did one thing well when the job requires so much more.  I think Whaley is a great example of the Peter Principle.

I think he could be a director of pro personnel and that’s his ceiling 

[billsfan89]

1 hour ago, wppete said:

I’d say the EJ Manuel was perhaps the worse draft pick the Bills have ever made in the first round. I was initially hopeful but EJ proved to be awful on the field, seemed like a great guy off the field though. 

Maybin, McCargo and a slew of others are in contention.

[Solomon Grundy]

2 hours ago, wppete said:

I’d say the EJ Manuel was perhaps the worse draft pick the Bills have ever made in the first round. I was initially hopeful but EJ proved to be awful on the field, seemed like a great guy off the field though. 

Which round was Perry Tuttle drafted?

[Chicken Boo]

2 hours ago, Beast said:

 

Such good teams they never sniffed the playoffs.

 

Only until McDermott and Beane weeded out the non-team players did the Bills make the post season.

 

They definitely sniffed the playoffs.

[Arm of Harm]

Whaley is relying on people to have bad memories. At the time these events transpired, it was very clear he was all-in in EJ, and was convinced he was the answer at quarterback. You don't use two years worth of first round picks on a single wide receiver if you think your starting quarterback shouldn't have been drafted before the 3rd or 4th round.

 

For him to now say that EJ should have been a 3rd or 4th round pick is an attempt to re-write history. It's absolutely true Manuel should not have been taken before the 4th round. No arguing with that. But "3rd to 4th round pick" isn't the scouting report Whaley provided. Nor was "3rd to 4th round pick" Whaley's evaluation of Manuel after he'd become GM.

 

From the perspective of Whaley, it doesn't matter if I or others in this thread see through his act. We're just fans, and we don't get a vote. What does matter is whether he can con some trusting and ill-informed GM or owner into accepting his rewritten version of history. Thus far that hasn't happened for him, but maybe he thinks it's his best shot at reviving his career.

 

 

Edited June 5, 2021 by Arm of Harm

[Niagara Dude]

On 6/4/2021 at 3:48 PM, GunnerBill said:

 

Agree totally. He couldn't lead, he could scout. 

 

This was Doug's words on Aug 2 2013

 

The Buffalo Bills surprsied everyone when they drafted Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel in the top 10 of the first round instead of West Virginia quarterback E.J. Manuel. Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley isn’t backing down from that decision and is singing the praises of the rookie quarterback before he’s ever played an NFL game, or been named starter of the Buffalo Bills.

“Most successful quarterbacks have that ‘it’ factor. (Manuel) has that ‘it’ factor,” Whaley said on SiriusXM NFL Radio’s “Moving the Chains.” “When he walks into a room, there’s a presence and people take notice. He’s going to be the face of our franchise, and it’s not too big for him.”

On 6/4/2021 at 3:48 PM, GunnerBill said:

 

Agree totally. He couldn't lead, he could scout. 

 

This was Doug's words on Aug 2 2013

 

The Buffalo Bills surprsied everyone when they drafted Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel in the top 10 of the first round instead of West Virginia quarterback E.J. Manuel. Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley isn’t backing down from that decision and is singing the praises of the rookie quarterback before he’s ever played an NFL game, or been named starter of the Buffalo Bills.

“Most successful quarterbacks have that ‘it’ factor. (Manuel) has that ‘it’ factor,” Whaley said on SiriusXM NFL Radio’s “Moving the Chains.” “When he walks into a room, there’s a presence and people take notice. He’s going to be the face of our franchise, and it’s not too big for him.”

On 6/4/2021 at 3:48 PM, GunnerBill said:

 

Agree totally. He couldn't lead, he could scout. 

 

This was Doug's words on Aug 2 2013

On 6/4/2021 at 3:48 PM, GunnerBill said:

 

Agree totally. He couldn't lead, he could scout. 

 

The Buffalo Bills surprsied everyone when they drafted Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel in the top 10 of the first round instead of West Virginia quarterback E.J. Manuel. Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley isn’t backing down from that decision and is singing the praises of the rookie quarterback before he’s ever played an NFL game, or been named starter of the Buffalo Bills.

“Most successful quarterbacks have that ‘it’ factor. (Manuel) has that ‘it’ factor,” Whaley said on SiriusXM NFL Radio’s “Moving the Chains.” “When he walks into a room, there’s a presence and people take notice. He’s going to be the face of our franchise, and it’s not too big for him.”

[GunnerBill]

29 minutes ago, Niagara Dude said:

 

This was Doug's words on Aug 2 2013

 

The Buffalo Bills surprsied everyone when they drafted Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel in the top 10 of the first round instead of West Virginia quarterback E.J. Manuel. Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley isn’t backing down from that decision and is singing the praises of the rookie quarterback before he’s ever played an NFL game, or been named starter of the Buffalo Bills.

“Most successful quarterbacks have that ‘it’ factor. (Manuel) has that ‘it’ factor,” Whaley said on SiriusXM NFL Radio’s “Moving the Chains.” “When he walks into a room, there’s a presence and people take notice. He’s going to be the face of our franchise, and it’s not too big for him.”

 

This was Doug's words on Aug 2 2013

 

The Buffalo Bills surprsied everyone when they drafted Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel in the top 10 of the first round instead of West Virginia quarterback E.J. Manuel. Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley isn’t backing down from that decision and is singing the praises of the rookie quarterback before he’s ever played an NFL game, or been named starter of the Buffalo Bills.

“Most successful quarterbacks have that ‘it’ factor. (Manuel) has that ‘it’ factor,” Whaley said on SiriusXM NFL Radio’s “Moving the Chains.” “When he walks into a room, there’s a presence and people take notice. He’s going to be the face of our franchise, and it’s not too big for him.”

 

This was Doug's words on Aug 2 2013

 

The Buffalo Bills surprsied everyone when they drafted Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel in the top 10 of the first round instead of West Virginia quarterback E.J. Manuel. Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley isn’t backing down from that decision and is singing the praises of the rookie quarterback before he’s ever played an NFL game, or been named starter of the Buffalo Bills.

“Most successful quarterbacks have that ‘it’ factor. (Manuel) has that ‘it’ factor,” Whaley said on SiriusXM NFL Radio’s “Moving the Chains.” “When he walks into a room, there’s a presence and people take notice. He’s going to be the face of our franchise, and it’s not too big for him.”

 

Did he say it 3 times?

[Doc]

33 minutes ago, Niagara Dude said:

This was Doug's words on Aug 2 2013

 

The Buffalo Bills surprsied everyone when they drafted Florida State quarterback E.J. Manuel in the top 10 of the first round instead of West Virginia quarterback E.J. Manuel. Buffalo Bills general manager Doug Whaley isn’t backing down from that decision and is singing the praises of the rookie quarterback before he’s ever played an NFL game, or been named starter of the Buffalo Bills.

“Most successful quarterbacks have that ‘it’ factor. (Manuel) has that ‘it’ factor,” Whaley said on SiriusXM NFL Radio’s “Moving the Chains.” “When he walks into a room, there’s a presence and people take notice. He’s going to be the face of our franchise, and it’s not too big for him.”

 

What else was he going to go out and say publicly?  "I hated the pick, it was all Buddy"?

[MJS]

Well, I do put the blame primarily on Nix for the EJ Manuel pick, exactly for the reason that Whaley cites. But if Whaley thinks he is blameless, he is wrong.

[H2o]

On 6/4/2021 at 3:13 PM, YoloinOhio said:

https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/former-bills-gm-doug-whaley-puts-full-onus-for-ej-manuel-pick-on-buddy-nix/article_ad90009e-c548-11eb-97b4-4bb8882a4586.amp.html?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter_&__twitter_impression=true

 

[Niagara Dude]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

 

What else was he going to go out and say publicly?  "I hated the pick, it was all Buddy"?

Nothing against Doug,  I thought he was an aggressive GM and made some decent picks.  End of the day not having a QB will never end well for any HC or GM

[PrimeTime101]

On 6/4/2021 at 3:27 PM, YoloinOhio said:

This him?

https://www.nfl.com/news/new-bills-gm-doug-whaley-integral-in-ej-manuel-pick-0ap1000000204027

Either way he is a lies like a dog.... Makes us respect Beanie that much more.

[Doc]

1 hour ago, Niagara Dude said:

Nothing against Doug,  I thought he was an aggressive GM and made some decent picks.  End of the day not having a QB will never end well for any HC or GM

I agree. But he had to tow the company line when discussing Bills draft picks.

[BADOLBILZ]

1 hour ago, PrimeTime101 said:

Either way he is a lies like a dog.... Makes us respect Beanie that much more.

 

 

Meh.........Whaley had Beane-like support on TSW for most of his tenure.   

[Coach Tuesday]

5 hours ago, Doc said:

 

What else was he going to go out and say publicly?  "I hated the pick, it was all Buddy"?

“EJ, we have high hopes for him.  We know, and he knows, there is a lot of work ahead for him to become the franchise player we all want him to be.  He’s harder on himself than anyone and he wants to be great.  It’s our job to help surround him with the resources and patience to help him become great.  At the same time, and EJ will be the first to tell you this, we’re in a results business and no one on this roster or in this entire organization - myself included - should feel complacent with where they are.  We all have to work harder to become the best versions of ourselves and EJ is no exception.  I believe he’s putting in the work to do just that and I’m excited to watch his career develop here.  His best football is in front of him.”

[Doc]

5 minutes ago, Coach Tuesday said:

“EJ, we have high hopes for him.  We know, and he knows, there is a lot of work ahead for him to become the franchise player we all want him to be.  He’s harder on himself than anyone and he wants to be great.  It’s our job to help surround him with the resources and patience to help him become great.  At the same time, and EJ will be the first to tell you this, we’re in a results business and no one on this roster or in this entire organization - myself included - should feel complacent with where they are.  We all have to work harder to become the best versions of ourselves and EJ is no exception.  I believe he’s putting in the work to do just that and I’m excited to watch his career develop here.  His best football is in front of him.”

 

Boring and doesn't move the needle.

[Arm of Harm]

12 minutes ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

Meh.........Whaley had Beane-like support on TSW for most of his tenure.   

 

Not from me.

 

When the Bills chose Manuel, I immediately felt as bad as I did after Music City Miracle. At least in my opinion, Manuel fit the prototype of a first round bust: great physical tools, but did not prove himself an accurate passer or a fast information processor at the college level. You could say the same thing about Losman. And I did.

 

To continue, when Manuel was selected I felt the next several years of my Bills fanhood go down the drain. I believed that the Bills would not win the Super Bowl until both Manuel and those responsible for choosing Manuel had been replaced. The more I learned of Whaley's role in convincing Nix to draft Manuel, the more I learned how convinced that Whaley (after becoming GM) was that Manuel was the answer, the more convinced I became that Whaley was not the answer.

 

[Orlando Tim]

That was the likely the worst QB draft in a long time. We knew we were gonna draft a QB and none of the were decent, though we got the best of the bunch. Acting like there was a chance at a good QB at that time is stupid, no free agents, no drafted players, no good QBs available by normal means. Whaley's biggest issue was he did not build teams around the wants and abilities of his coaches.

[Coach Tuesday]

7 minutes ago, Doc said:

 

Boring and doesn't move the needle.

Exactly.  Also not a lie.

[BillsVet]

On 6/4/2021 at 3:51 PM, YoloinOhio said:

Eventually guys like that make their way back into a FO in some capacity (see Chris Polian). I don’t get the sense that he will and it’s probably because of stuff like this 

 

Is Doug Whaley's dad an NFL Executive to hire his son?  Because that's about the only way Dugout Doug's coming back now.  Blaming a now 81 year old for a draft pick when it was clear Nix was being moved out guarantees he'll be persona non grata in NFL circles. 

 

23 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

People reflect on his trade up for Sammy Watkins like that was his MO..........that was about the only time he showed any courage/conviction.........spineless is a good description of his tenure.

 

In 2014, I always figured the trade up for Watkins was Doug playing with house money with Brandon's urging.  RW had died, the franchise was going to be sold, and Brandon and Whaley weren't sure they'd have jobs.  So, they made the bold move to trade future draft picks they may never get to use for Watkins in what was probably at a minimum a need to win year with new ownership coming aboard.  Everything was about what was best for them and maybe for the team.  

 

Then again, If it wasn't for EJ, his most infamous NFL moment would have been forwarding emails throughout the NFL, including the commissioner.  Not the brightest bulb in the box.