Whaley interviewing for Steelers GM

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

59 minutes ago, Rico said:

That’s pretty putrid. I don’t believe he ever hired his own coach either, he was just speaking the company line.

 

it should be noted that neither Brandon nor Whaley would’ve been subjected to the same amount of ridicule if it weren’t for the vocal minority of posters who insisted that they did a great job for the Bills.

I agree. Just saying I do think buftex has the record correct that he never hired a coach. Russ hired Marrone and the Pegulas hired Ryan.

 

It seems telling that he was here for two coaching searches under two different ownership/management teams and despite being the General Manager nobody ever trusted him enough to hire a coach. Bizarre that if you think about it.

[Simon]

7 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

Say it 3 times and I will appear.

 

😲 👋 

[FireChans]

8 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

Say it 3 times and I will appear.
 

Thought Whaley did a decent job. I said, for a fact, that he had a ton of respect still in Pittsburgh. No one wanted to believe it at the time. I think that him interviewing validates what I was told. The Rooney family and Kevin Colbert think very highly of him as a talent evaluator. 

 

This was an odd time to try to call me out when it is proving what you (and others) disputed.

Where the ***** have you been dude

[Kirby Jackson]

1 hour ago, Simon said:

 

😲 👋 

 

27 minutes ago, FireChans said:

Where the ***** have you been dude

I’m around, just keeping to myself more 😂😂. 

[Buftex]

4 hours ago, Rico said:

That’s pretty putrid. I don’t believe he ever hired his own coach either, he was just speaking the company line.

 

it should be noted that neither Brandon nor Whaley would’ve been subjected to the same amount of ridicule if it weren’t for the vocal minority of posters who insisted that they did a great job for the Bills.

Rico, you hate everyone!

 

I never claimed Whaley did a "great job", just making the case that he gets blamed for a lot of things that were out of his control.  

[Rico]

9 minutes ago, Buftex said:

Rico, you hate everyone!

 

I never claimed Whaley did a "great job", just making the case that he gets blamed for a lot of things that were out of his control.  

Oh, I never labeled you as an apologist.  

 

… and I’ve got nothing but love for the Bills front office and players since they cleaned house and got rid of Ralph’s trash. 
You won’t find me slamming Tremaine or Leslie Frazier, you can’t even find me slamming Peterman!

[ndirish1978]

Whaley is not a leader of men. He was good in charge of pro scouting, but that's as high as he should ever get.

[Mango]

On 3/19/2022 at 7:52 PM, Rico said:

Always good to see the die-hard, hardcore Whaley fans get together every now and then.   

Where’s CBiscuit97? Kirby Jackson?

10 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

Say it 3 times and I will appear.
 

Thought Whaley did a decent job. I said, for a fact, that he had a ton of respect still in Pittsburgh. No one wanted to believe it at the time. I think that him interviewing validates what I was told. The Rooney family and Kevin Colbert think very highly of him as a talent evaluator. 

 

This was an odd time to try to call me out when it is proving what you (and others) disputed.

6 hours ago, Rico said:

That’s pretty putrid. I don’t believe he ever hired his own coach either, he was just speaking the company line.

 

it should be noted that neither Brandon nor Whaley would’ve been subjected to the same amount of ridicule if it weren’t for the vocal minority of posters who insisted that they did a great job for the Bills.

 

This is a really good example of why that isn't the case. 

Whaley was mediocre. He go fired. OK. But guys like Kirby with a reasonable and measured response get called out of hibernation for no real reason other than for you to rag on them for a pretty measured and knowledgeable opinion. But sure, flame away that your criticisms are the fault of everybody else. 

Whaley was mediocre. There were some organizational issues that made him as a GM worse than maybe he deserved to be He made some good moves while he was here. But not enough. It is what it is. I don't think anybody is arguing that Whaley is some super special commodity. You seem to be the only one out here trying to prove what a POS he was. 

 

 

 

[Rico]

13 minutes ago, Mango said:

 

This is a really good example of why that isn't the case. 

Whaley was mediocre. He go fired. OK. But guys like Kirby with a reasonable and measured response get called out of hibernation for no real reason other than for you to rag on them for a pretty measured and knowledgeable opinion. But sure, flame away that your criticisms are the fault of everybody else. 

Whaley was mediocre. There were some organizational issues that made him as a GM worse than maybe he deserved to be He made some good moves while he was here. But not enough. It is what it is. I don't think anybody is arguing that Whaley is some super special commodity. You seem to be the only one out here trying to prove what a POS he was. 

 

 

 

Actually, if you go thru the thread, I haven’t done too much here other than ‘like’ some posts, correct the Jerry Hughes trade revisionist history, and add perspective as to why he was subject to ridicule… and yes, state that I am enjoying the thread, just like any Brandon/Whaley thread. 

Edited March 21, 2022 by Rico

[YoloinOhio]

Doug Whaley, ladies and gentleman.

 

he thinks the salary cap is  something that goes on your head. 
 

 

[Ayjent]

On 3/20/2022 at 2:20 AM, Buftex said:

Yeah, but he is still an employee...gotta make the boss happy, or be an ex-employee

Integrity is worth it and you’ll not make a fool of yourself by compromising it. He should’ve quit if he wasn’t on board, plain and simple, bc it is likely the reason he hasn’t  had an NFL FO job since.  He ended up an ex-employee anyway and you have to be strong and willing to step out if you don’t agree with the organization.  You can still do it with dignity, and preserve your career.  Being complicit seems to have been his MO and we can make all the excuses in the world for what held him back, but let’s be real he was part of the problem.  

[babulator]

11 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

Doug Whaley, ladies and gentleman.

 

he thinks the salary cap is  something that goes on your head. 
 

 

What a clown show he is. I felt embarrassed any time that guy opened his mouth. It was really hard to get past his poor communication skills when he was here, and there's no sense rehashing his track record here. What a joke.

[machine gun kelly]

Whaley just made it on NFLR as a regular I think yesterday or at least a fill in for the regulars.  He was on the opening drive with Solomon Wilcots.

 

As far as his previous GM experience, he did too much patchwork, vs. having a methodical plan like Beane.

 

I don’t dislike the guy, but rather he is a pro personnel scouting kind of guy.

 

Maybe the second time around he improves on his mistakes.  Carroll improved the second go around from the Jets to eventually the Hawks.  You could say the same about BB from Cleveland to NE.  I know these are coaching examples, but you get the point.

 

He seems like a much better fit than the other two.

[UConn James]

11 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

Doug Whaley, ladies and gentleman.

 

he thinks the salary cap is  something that goes on your head. 
 

 

Trying to foment something b/w Diggs and the team.

[Fan in Chicago]

On 3/21/2022 at 5:48 AM, Kirby Jackson said:

Say it 3 times and I will appear.
 

 

 

This was an odd time to try to call me out when it is proving what you (and others) disputed.

Welcome back. You were missed. 

Truth be told, you were called for earlier but the phone was off the hook

[Paul Costa]

Whaley was great on the opening drive yesterday. I kinda agree with his Diggs take.  A year from now we may have to trade Diggs no doubt. That’s why it’s important to get a guy who can be a #2 next year from this draft to pair with Davis

[Kirby Jackson]

24 minutes ago, Fan in Chicago said:

Welcome back. You were missed. 

Truth be told, you were called for earlier but the phone was off the hook

Lol, I have a text chain with a bunch of these dudes but it’s on mute because it dings every 5 minutes 😂😂. I may have been alerted and missed the message. I just happened to be lurking & saw this one…

[eball]

54 minutes ago, machine gun kelly said:

I don’t dislike the guy, but rather he is a pro personnel scouting kind of guy.

 

If we’re all being honest, I think the conversation about Whaley starts and ends here.  He is a very good judge of talent, but horrible at the business side of football — which is what being a GM requires.  Dude didn’t understand or learn how to manipulate the salary cap at all.

 

Great example of the Peter Principle — being hired beyond his optimal capacity.

 

I’ll take any of his opinions on the salary cap or what teams can or can’t do financially with a huge grain of salt.

 

[TBBills]

12 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

Doug Whaley, ladies and gentleman.

 

he thinks the salary cap is  something that goes on your head. 
 

 

One person to never listen too when it comes to GM decisions is Whaley. 

31 minutes ago, Paul Costa said:

Whaley was great on the opening drive yesterday. I kinda agree with his Diggs take.  A year from now we may have to trade Diggs no doubt. That’s why it’s important to get a guy who can be a #2 next year from this draft to pair with Davis

Everything Doug Whaley has been involved with has failed... 

Edited April 5, 2022 by TBBills

[machine gun kelly]

10 minutes ago, eball said:

 

If we’re all being honest, I think the conversation about Whaley starts and ends here.  He is a very good judge of talent, but horrible at the business side of football — which is what being a GM requires.  Dude didn’t understand or learn how to manipulate the salary cap at all.

 

Great example of the Peter Principle — being hired beyond his optimal capacity.

 

I’ll take any of his opinions on the salary cap or what teams can or can’t do financially with a huge grain of salt.

 

Well written Eman.  He left us in a horrible cap situation, and yes I know Cooter (Nix) start d this mess.

 

I hope Whaley gets a position as

a lead scout or in charge of scouting for the Steelers or another Team.

[Punching Bag]

2 hours ago, machine gun kelly said:

Well written Eman.  He left us in a horrible cap situation, and yes I know Cooter (Nix) start d this mess.

 

I hope Whaley gets a position as

a lead scout or in charge of scouting for the Steelers or another Team.

 

Any evaluation of Whaley needs to be done in context.

 

Jim Overdorf persisted thru multiple GMs and owners. 

It was not until Beane became GM was he told he could choose to get his advice or ignore him.

I think it is written into his contract that he will always have a job.

[eball]

On 4/5/2022 at 7:35 AM, eball said:

 

If we’re all being honest, I think the conversation about Whaley starts and ends here.  He is a very good judge of talent, but horrible at the business side of football — which is what being a GM requires.  Dude didn’t understand or learn how to manipulate the salary cap at all.

 

Great example of the Peter Principle — being hired beyond his optimal capacity.

 

I’ll take any of his opinions on the salary cap or what teams can or can’t do financially with a huge grain of salt.

 

 

Bump.

 

Great call, Whales!

 

What a moron.

[Beerball]

11 minutes ago, eball said:

 

Bump.

 

Great call, Whales!

 

What a moron.

You bumped yourself? That's illegal in 14 states and Hawaii. 

[BritBill]

42 minutes ago, Beerball said:

You bumped yourself? That's illegal in 14 states and Hawaii. 

 

Dude, we had a grown man start a new thread and use his own username as its title. It's open season! 

[Beerball]

26 minutes ago, BritBill said:

 

Dude, we had a grown man start a new thread and use his own username as its title. It's open season! 

Gunner Bill?

[DCbillsfan]

On 4/4/2022 at 7:01 PM, YoloinOhio said:

 

 

Ooops!!! That didn't age well.

[H2o]

On 4/4/2022 at 7:01 PM, YoloinOhio said:

Doug Whaley, ladies and gentleman.

 

he thinks the salary cap is  something that goes on your head. 
 

 

Beane talking to Whaley:

[BritBill]

7 minutes ago, Beerball said:

Gunner Bill?

 

I could see why you'd think that but no 🤣 It was Irish Dave.

[2003Contenders]

I remember back when Nix was hired, many pundits criticized the move -- citing an up-and-comer in the Pittsburgh pipeline named Doug Whaley as a more viable option. As fate would have it, Whaley wound up taking an assistant position as an understudy to Nix. Given Nix's age, it was pretty clear that Nix was a short-timer, and that Whaley's time serving under him would be an apprenticeship.

 

Nix hired Doug Marrone not long before he left. Given that he knew he was heading out the door, I suspect that Whaley must have had some input on the hire -- just as I suspect that he must have had some say-so on the drafting of E.J. Manuel a couple of months later. Still, it is quite clear that Whaley and Doug Marrone did not get along. I still remember the meltdown that St. Doug had during training camp of 2014, when he had to be restrained from physically going after Whaley (and Russ Brandon).

 

When Marrone left, the reports were that Whaley wanted Hue Jackson as the new head coach and was overruled by Brandon and the Pegulas to hire Rex. Obviously Jackson would have been a disaster of a hire (even worse than Rex) -- but if the Jackson hiring had occurred, it is likely that Schwartz would have stayed on as DC, so who knows?

 

As a whole, Whaley's time here was a mixed bag. He did a decent enough job scouting and running the war room on draft day -- but failed to ever land us a genuine franchise QB. As a visionary roster/team builder he was lousy. As others said, he was OK making patch moves here and there -- but never had a long term plan and did not do a great job managing the cap.  Whaley also never seemed comfortable talking to the press or representing the franchise. A larger than life personality like Rex, who craved media attention, helped shield Whaley during that time-frame.  But when Rex was fired, Whaley wasn't even comfortable standing up in front of the media -- and hung his interim coach out to dry. He's been making media rounds lately and seems much more comfortable in these regards -- so maybe he has improved in terms of his communication and presentation skills. Still, I doubt that he will ever be the guy that is able to build a contender from the ground up.

 

Having a polished, forward-thinker like Beane on hand now, we see just how much Whaley was lacking.

[YoloinOhio]

 

[Tanoros]

On 4/5/2022 at 3:38 AM, machine gun kelly said:

Whaley just made it on NFLR as a regular I think yesterday or at least a fill in for the regulars.  He was on the opening drive with Solomon Wilcots.

 

As far as his previous GM experience, he did too much patchwork, vs. having a methodical plan like Beane.

 

I don’t dislike the guy, but rather he is a pro personnel scouting kind of guy.

 

Maybe the second time around he improves on his mistakes.  Carroll improved the second go around from the Jets to eventually the Hawks.  You could say the same about BB from Cleveland to NE.  I know these are coaching examples, but you get the point.

 

He seems like a much better fit than the other two.

Your example of Whaley taking a patchwork type of approach is a good one. That seems to be one of his biggest mistakes team building wise. 

Beane’s approach was greatly aided by us making the playoffs year 1 (even though he didn’t draft that year). Imagine if we didn’t make the playoffs that first year, while “tanking”. Going into year 3 (year 2 for Josh) and Beane’s seat would have been getting warm. I’m glad everything worked out the way I did though. 

[YoloinOhio]

 

[GolfandBills]

2 hours ago, eball said:

 

Bump.

 

Great call, Whales!

 

What a moron.

You realize didn’t say he would trade Diggs.  He simply said they have a decision to make whether to extend him or trade him with all these huge contracts given to WRs.  There’s literally zero reason to be bashing what he said.  It was all valid 

[machine gun kelly]

50 minutes ago, Tanoros said:

Your example of Whaley taking a patchwork type of approach is a good one. That seems to be one of his biggest mistakes team building wise. 

Beane’s approach was greatly aided by us making the playoffs year 1 (even though he didn’t draft that year). Imagine if we didn’t make the playoffs that first year, while “tanking”. Going into year 3 (year 2 for Josh) and Beane’s seat would have been getting warm. I’m glad everything worked out the way I did though. 

Hey bud, thanks and not to get all Oliver Stone conspiracy theory, but I have a hard time believing Beane didn’t have any off the record conversations with McD.  They were tight in Carolina, and Whaley was fired the day after the Depth and in comes Beane.  
 

I just have a hard time believing they never talked at all.  Anyway, I just love the methodical plan Beane had for this team.  It’s so nice we have both locked up for around 5 years.  Let’s hope on two to three they extend both for another 5.

Edited April 6, 2022 by machine gun kelly

[Mr. WEO]

18 minutes ago, GolfandBills said:

You realize didn’t say he would trade Diggs.  He simply said they have a decision to make whether to extend him or trade him with all these huge contracts given to WRs.  There’s literally zero reason to be bashing what he said.  It was all valid 

 

 

Nope. 

 

He said Diggs could be traded because the Bills can't afford to keep him.  No one else had suggested this. 

4 minutes ago, machine gun kelly said:

Hey bud, thanks and not to get all Oliver Stone conspiracy theory, but I have a hard time believing Beane didn’t have any off the record conversations with McD.  They were tight in Carolina, and Whaley was fired the day after the Depth and in comes Beane.  
 

I just have a hard time believing they never talked at all.  Anyway, I just love the methodical plan Beane had for this team.  It’s so nice we have both locked up for around 5 years.  Let’s hope on two to three they extend both for another 5.

 

Yeah a lot of posters still strangely claim that Beane was someone who Pegula noticed on a list of GM candidates given to him.  

 

 

lol

[Just Jack]

2 hours ago, Beerball said:

You bumped yourself? That's illegal in 14 states and Hawaii. 

 

Is Hawaii not a state? Why list it separately? 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

1 hour ago, YoloinOhio said:

 

That picture of Whaley looks like a freeze frame of Norberg from the end of a 'Police Squad!' episode. 🤨

(No, not Nordberg.  Norberg, AKA Peter Lupus.)

 

[ddaryl]

Whaley is a not a cap wizard.

Beane however is

 

 

Edited April 6, 2022 by ddaryl

[eball]

1 hour ago, GolfandBills said:

You realize didn’t say he would trade Diggs.  He simply said they have a decision to make whether to extend him or trade him with all these huge contracts given to WRs.  There’s literally zero reason to be bashing what he said.  It was all valid 

Thanks for posting, Mrs. Whaley!

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

1 hour ago, ddaryl said:

Whaley is a not a cap wizard.

Beane however is

 

 

Russ Brandon thought  he was a cap wizard, until he went looking for his New Era telephone extension. 🙁

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