Whaley interviewing for Steelers GM

[PrimeTime101]

I got a message for Whaley

[Punching Bag]

5 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

So what you’re saying is… you were “privy?”

 

He is the one who gave Pittsburgh the recommendation to look at Whiley.

[Aussie Joe]

2 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Yep. You can put 2018 on a par with 2017 because Josh Allen and QB trumps all. But 2017 - an all pro lockdown corner, a franchise left tackle and a 2 contract linebacker drafted in round 5. It is the best draft the Bills have had in my fandom.

And Peterman…. The brother in the basement  we don’t talk about,,,
 

 

[Punching Bag]

49 minutes ago, eball said:

 

Zay Jones was a beast in college.  He lost his confidence early in his rookie season and it has taken him years to get it back.

 

Zay Jones had talent, new WC Coach goes to that team taking credit, recommends Zay and then has nothing to help Zay in NFL elevating his game.

Whose fault is that? Zay, the bust of a WR Coach or the HC coach who canned the WR coach on contract who had very good reviews?

 

Note: When coach was hired from Eastern Carolina I stated at time he was a bust of WR coach going between NFL and college to whatever team was desperate for a WR coach.

[Buffalo Junction]

6 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Yep. You can put 2018 on a par with 2017 because Josh Allen and QB trumps all. But 2017 - an all pro lockdown corner, a franchise left tackle and a 2 contract linebacker drafted in round 5. It is the best draft the Bills have had in my fandom.

2018 should be considered on par with 2017. We crap on Edmunds, but the kid has made two pro bowls….

Looking back the 2018 draft consists of a top 5 franchise QB, probowl linebacker, a DT (Philips) that earned a 3yr $20MM contract, a starting nickleback (Taron Johnson), a safety who was just resigned (Neal), an all pro guard (Teller), and a return specialist in McCloud. The majority of that draft class is going to have substantive NFL careers even if they’re not all on this roster. What happened after the draft (Teller, Philips, McCloud) is in large part a result of coaching decisions….. The draft itself was excellent, especially when compared to other teams drafts. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

34 minutes ago, FilthyBeast said:

 

Wouldn't surprise me but still think the 2017 overall has been the best during this current regime.

 

Obviously landing Allen a year later is why this franchise is where we are today which is 100% on Beane, but overall Beane hasn't put together a draft quite like 2017 yet in terms of the collective impact the aforementioned playoffs have had.

 

Got to agree there.  Even Zay Jones, while not what the Bills hoped, is still in the league and just signed a 3rd (2nd really, I guess) contract.

[MJS]

Hey, if Whaley gets the job we should get draft picks for developing him...

[MrEpsYtown]

So do we get a comp pick? 🤷‍♂️

[wppete]

[Mr. WEO]

So...2nd "Rooney" interview?

[Call_Of_Ktulu]

Whaley and Brandon are the main reason we sucked for 20 years. The Steelers would be wise to steer clear of him.

[Rico]

5 minutes ago, Call_Of_Ktulu said:

Whaley and Brandon are the main reason we sucked for 20 years. The Steelers would be wise to steer clear of him.

Agreed that the Steelers should stay away, but the main reason was they were working for Ralph

[Dr. K]

I have not read all the responses here, but I expect that many if not most rank on him.

 

I don't think he deserves to be run down that much. He produced a roster of good players. I believe he would not have hired Rex if it was strictly up to him. It was the Pegulas who didn't want to let Rex get out of the building. 

 

Yes, the cap was a mess and there were some dicey draft picks. But some good ones too, and he brought some fine players to the team. If the Pegulas had let him hire the coach after Saint Doug quit he might have survived.

 

He didn't, and in the long run that proved best for the Bills. I'm very happy with McDermott & Beane. But I don't think he was the disaster many here have made him out to be. 

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

25 minutes ago, Dr. K said:

I have not read all the responses here, but I expect that many if not most rank on him.

 

I don't think he deserves to be run down that much. He produced a roster of good players. I believe he would not have hired Rex if it was strictly up to him. It was the Pegulas who didn't want to let Rex get out of the building. 

 

Yes, the cap was a mess and there were some dicey draft picks. But some good ones too, and he brought some fine players to the team. If the Pegulas had let him hire the coach after Saint Doug quit he might have survived.

 

He didn't, and in the long run that proved best for the Bills. I'm very happy with McDermott & Beane. But I don't think he was the disaster many here have made him out to be. 

The dude was objectively horrible at cap management, which is job one for a GM. He was a good college scout but nothing more

[BADOLBILZ]

3 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I don't remember an excuse that they "didn't have time to scout QB", but a couple of points -

1) the scouting process starts way earlier than January.  Starts in the previous spring with watching lots of tape and deciding which QB they will focus on during the fall, then scouting them in person as well as more tape

2) it seemed pretty clear that Whaley and his staff were the lamest of lame ducks after McDermott was hired.  And plainly put, McDermott wasn't going to hitch his wagon to a QB selected by a lame duck scouting staff/GM (or to snippits of leaked information from the Panthers, for that matter).

 

You're correct that the roster had plenty of talent in 2016 and that McDermott/Beane in part created the 2018 salary cap situation they have complained of.

 

 

 

1) The scouting process doesn't start or stop.   It's always going on.  Players are constantly being evaluated once they enter the college game.   This is lost on people who don't watch college football.     They think that 90% of these players just appear in the season before their draft year.   Whaley was big on 5 star recruits.   He'd been following these guys..........along with a million avid college football fans..........since they were juniors in HS.    Some sooner.  A few players burst on the scene but it's really a handful.    

 

2) 4 months is an eternity to put a bunch of high profile college QB's like Mahomes and Watson under the microscope.     Trading that pick to the Chiefs with 2 high profile QB prospects on the board like that is the most regrettable personnel mistake in franchise history.   It made 13 seconds possible.  It has blocked them from 2 SB appearances and counting.    That's the net result of McDecision making and he and the Pegula's playing it inexplicably coy with their GM spot.   

[Sharky7337]

On 3/19/2022 at 5:12 PM, Billzgobowlin said:

You all remember Whaley a lot different than I do.  His signings were bad and his drafts were bad.  He had no authority when he spoke.  What would have happened if Whaley had the same thing happen to him the Washington did to Beane?  Washington ain't doing that junk anymore.

This is quite the opposite of what he had.  Wilson wasn't even involved when Whaley was here in charge

If that was the case the bills would not have made the playoffs McDermott s first year.

 

He drafted good players. Missed on a few. Got Hughes for us.

 

I think he had a good roster without a good direction

 

Edit: I looked at his picks. Pretty terrible.

Edited May 10, 2022 by Sharky7337

[wppete]

Dougy is checking the boxes. 

[Mr. Wonderful]

He's respected around the league.  Kept hearing that PR cliché response with zero basis when he was hired by the Bills.  Only thing he was known for was emailing porn.  LOL.

[BillsShredder83]

3 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

1) The scouting process doesn't start or stop.   It's always going on.  Players are constantly being evaluated once they enter the college game.   This is lost on people who don't watch college football.     They think that 90% of these players just appear in the season before their draft year.   Whaley was big on 5 star recruits.   He'd been following these guys..........along with a million avid college football fans..........since they were juniors in HS.    Some sooner.  A few players burst on the scene but it's really a handful.    

 

2) 4 months is an eternity to put a bunch of high profile college QB's like Mahomes and Watson under the microscope.     Trading that pick to the Chiefs with 2 high profile QB prospects on the board like that is the most regrettable personnel mistake in franchise history.   It made 13 seconds possible.  It has blocked them from 2 SB appearances and counting.    That's the net result of McDecision making and he and the Pegula's playing it inexplicably coy with their GM spot.   

I find it completely inexcusable. Never in the history of the NFL has a fan been able to cherry pick guys from 5 years ago s draft that shouldve been the pick. Every single year, draft picks are selected in the same exact order as one could rank them at the end of their careers.

 

Just ask 2000's #1 overall pick Tom Brady, or in more recent history, 2030 first ballot half of famer, and 11x Super Bowl MVP, Jared Goff..

 

Now we're stuck with Josh Allen, who certainly never could've won one entire Super Bowl with Tyreek Hill, Kelce, and Andy Reid at the helm.

[JESSEFEFFER]

On 3/19/2022 at 7:10 PM, BullBuchanan said:

That's also not really true. If you look at his draft results, he hit on a ton of guys that had NFL careers. Not all of them got resigned here and most didn't turn into superstars, but they didn't bust out of the league either. What hindered his legacy is the QB position, as is the death knell for most GMs. I'd be very interested to know who said what in the decision to pass on Mahomes and Watson and whose call it was ultimately.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/draft.htm

Why would the Pegulas let their lame duck GM take the next shot at a franchise QB?  That was clearly going to be the next GM's primary mission.  That's the way I saw it anyways.  The Bills almost screwed that up by making the playoffs meaning Beane needed two trades to get to #7 and draft Josh.

[BADOLBILZ]

6 hours ago, Dr. K said:

I have not read all the responses here, but I expect that many if not most rank on him.

 

I don't think he deserves to be run down that much. He produced a roster of good players. I believe he would not have hired Rex if it was strictly up to him. It was the Pegulas who didn't want to let Rex get out of the building. 

 

Yes, the cap was a mess and there were some dicey draft picks. But some good ones too, and he brought some fine players to the team. If the Pegulas had let him hire the coach after Saint Doug quit he might have survived.

 

He didn't, and in the long run that proved best for the Bills. I'm very happy with McDermott & Beane. But I don't think he was the disaster many here have made him out to be. 

 

 

The cap wasn't a mess.   That was just a story Beane made up to confidence man the fans into not questioning whether what they were going to do was necessary.

 

They were actually like $32M below the cap going into the 2017 offseason with very few commitments in 2018 or 2019.   

 

In UFA Whaley was strong.........he had been the pro personnel guy before getting the GM job..........he scored some larcenous deals in UFA..........Tyrod for peanuts,  Incognito, Lorax, Zach Brown. 

 

The draft picks he made were compromised by scheme/system changes.........he had 2 very different offenses and 3 different defensive systems to stock in his brief reign.

 

If you could call it a reign..........because he had no power.

 

That was his weakness...........he didn't know how to get clout in the organization and so he had both ownership and coaches sabotaging his endeavors from the get-go to the get-out.    

 

The situation was totally dysfunctional and he didn't have the personality/power to do anything about it.........he HAD to go.

 

The first key thing that Beane and McDermott were able to do was take full control away from the Pegula's.

 

The Pegula's reportedly hate that they agreed to that........but their track record with the Sabres and the Bills prior to McBeane's arrival proves that it's warranted.

 

When you get a franchise QB and the HC and GM are working in unison and unencumbered by ownership............. you don't need much of a batting average wrt to decisions to win division titles.

[BADOLBILZ]

10 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

C'mon Man

 

McDermott hired Zay Jones college coach to be the Bills WR coach.  He wanted his guy.

 

 

 

Unclear how much credit Whaley gets for that draft.  The rumor is McDermott may have used Panthers scouting info, and that Whaley built the board but McDermott made the picks.

 

Be that as it may, Whaley was (and probably is) a decent talent evaluator IMO.   Building a team, salary cap management etc - maybe not so much.

 

 

Correct.   Phil McGeoghan.   

 

We don't trust any of these long time scouts that put a very talented roster together.............but in Phil McGeoghan we trust. 

[Aussie Joe]

8 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

2) 4 months is an eternity to put a bunch of high profile college QB's like Mahomes and Watson under the microscope.     Trading that pick to the Chiefs with 2 high profile QB prospects on the board like that is the most regrettable personnel mistake in franchise history.   It made 13 seconds possible.  It has blocked them from 2 SB appearances and counting.    That's the net result of McDecision making and he and the Pegula's playing it inexplicably coy with their GM spot.   

 

Several other teams passed on Mahomes too.. one of them was the Bengals who I believe selected John Ross instead in that draft (.. who??)

 

And guess which team ( bengals v chiefs)  has blocked the other from a superbowl appearance?

 

The draft should never be the be all and end all..

 

Be thankful that the Bills got another guy that can take them to the Superbowl ( we hope..) . Just like what happened to the Bengals...

 

As I have said to you before.. Allen V Mahomes has been going for 4 years now.. we are probably at the end of the first quarter ..

 

Lets see how the final score board reads at the end of their careers..

 

 

 

Edited May 10, 2022 by Aussie Joe

[GunnerBill]

4 hours ago, Mr. Wonderful said:

He's respected around the league.  Kept hearing that PR cliché response with zero basis when he was hired by the Bills.  Only thing he was known for was emailing porn.  LOL.

 

Despite his struggles with elements of the job in Buffalo he has not been interviewed three times for other GM vacancies by NFL teams. Which I would suggest does speak at least a bit to him being respected across the league. 

Edited May 10, 2022 by GunnerBill

[eball]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Despite his struggles with elements of the job in Buffalo he has now been interviewed three times for other GM vacancies by NFL teams. Which I would suggest does speak at least a bit to him being respected across the league. 

 

FTFY.  Yes, Whaley is respected as a judge of talent.  He brought talent to the Bills.  He just never grasped how to build a team (culture, salary cap).

 

[GunnerBill]

4 minutes ago, eball said:

 

FTFY.  Yes, Whaley is respected as a judge of talent.  He brought talent to the Bills.  He just never grasped how to build a team (culture, salary cap).

 

 

Ha thanks... yes. I think it is a legit criticism of Whaley that he lacked the big picture strategy. We have seen with Beane how valuable that can be. Beane came from a football ops background first and only really learned about player evaluation much later in his career when Gettleman arrived in Carolina. And while Beane clearly can evaluate he is a strategist first and an evaluator second. That leadership and strategic vision is his strongest asset, it's what sets him apart. 

 

The only defence I'd make of Whaley on that point is he was working in an organisation that was in a state of upheaval. When he took over the reigns he did so with a newly appointed Head Coach that he hadn't hired and an absentee owner. Then the owner died, the team was up for sale, new ownership came in and hired another coach he didn't select. I think the situation he was put in to an extent influenced his propensity for short term thinking and tactical rather than strategic decision making. Even on the salary cap we don't know they extent of influence he had on that as the GM. We do know that the awful Charles Clay contract was basically Rex and Roman insisting and then forcing Overdorff to find a way to make it work. None of which is to exonerate Whaley entirely. You are supposed to be a leader you have to stand up and lead in those situations and insist on a strategy regardless. Bill Polian often tells the story of Kay Stephenson in 1985 when the Bills had loads of draft capital and a bad team. As Polian tells it he said to Stephenson "look you need to win we could use these picks for some short term guys who can help" and Stephenson refused and said "nope we should put the franchise first we need to execute these picks and rebuild."

 

That is the kind of strength Whaley should have shown and didn't. If I was a team considering him as my GM that would be the biggest concern I'd have. General Manager is a leadership position, but with Whaley's limitations as a public speaker and indecisive, muddled strategic thinking I'm not sure you can buy into him as a leader. Pittsburgh is a slightly different case study though. The leader of that organisation is clearly Mike Tomlin. This feels a bit like get a GM Tomlin knows and is comfortable with. It is probably Doug's last chance of getting a second crack at the job in the NFL. 

[eball]

@GunnerBill yeah, I used to defend Whaley to a certain extent as well, in that he didn’t get to hire “his own” HC.  But some of the decisions he made were just awful — such as trading up to draft Sammy Watkins.  I know at the time I was excited about that move but that was the fan in me, not somebody responsible for building an organization.  I think that incident shows Whaley actually was given the power to run the franchise, because we all know how Saint Doug felt about it.

 

I agree with your sentiments about Pittsburgh under Tomlin likely being his last shot at being an NFL GM.

 

[GunnerBill]

Just now, eball said:

@GunnerBill yeah, I used to defend Whaley to a certain extent as well, in that he didn’t get to hire “his own” HC.  But some of the decisions he made were just awful — such as trading up to draft Sammy Watkins.  I know at the time I was excited about that move but that was the fan in me, not somebody responsible for building an organization.  I think that incident shows Whaley actually was given the power to run the franchise, because we all know how Saint Doug felt about it.

 

I agree with your sentiments about Pittsburgh under Tomlin likely being his last shot at being an NFL GM.

 

 

He had the power to make the Sammy decision, for sure. My argument wasn't that he didn't have power. It was that the instability encouraged him to think short term tactics rather than long term strategy. That is pretty typical when you have organisational instability. But short term thinking almost always dooms franchises. You should only ever do it when you have a franchise QB in his final 3 or 4 years and you are trying to eek out another title. 

[GunnerBill]

To add - apparently there are three known finalists who have had second interviews (another former Bill, Panthers Assistant GM, Dan Morgan was on the initial interview list). Of the three (the others are John Spytek, VP Player Personnel Buccs and Ryan Cowden, VP Player Personnel Titans) Whaley is the only one who has worked with Kevin Colbert before and given the Steelers are keen to retain Colbert in some capacity I think he might even have the inside track on the job. Colbert was on the panel for the initial round of interviews but Tomlin and Art Rooney are the panel for the 2nd round of interviews and they will make the decision. 

Edited May 10, 2022 by GunnerBill

[Bill from NYC]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

To add - apparently there are three known finalists who have had second interviews (another former Bill, Panthers Assistant GM, Dan Morgan was on the initial interview list). Of the three (the others are John Spytek, VP Player Personnel Buccs and Ryan Cowden, VP Player Personnel Titans) Whaley is the only one who has worked with Kevin Colbert before and given the Steelers are keen to retain Colbert in some capacity I think he might even have the inside track on the job. Colbert was on the panel for the initial round of interviews but Tomlin and Art Rooney are the panel for the 2nd round of interviews and they will make the decision. 

I hope that Whaley gets the job so there that there will be an idiot in the AFC, willing to trade away his best draft choices for little return. At draft time, Whaley was like an undisciplined kid in a candy store. Trading up for WR Watkins (on a team with no QB mind you) and giving away the store was really one of the dumbest moves I have ever seen by the Bills, and this is saying quite a bit. It rivals Levy turning down numerous big trade offers for the #8 pick (which he admitted receiving) and drafting Whitner. 

Whaley would make a good scout. He is NOT a good GM and if he was, there would have been at least a hint of interest in him many years ago. To each his or her own but I fail to see any basis to think that Whaley would be anything less than an awful GM, once again.

Go get 'em Steelers!

[GunnerBill]

3 minutes ago, Bill from NYC said:

I hope that Whaley gets the job so there that there will be an idiot in the AFC, willing to trade away his best draft choices for little return. At draft time, Whaley was like an undisciplined kid in a candy store. Trading up for WR Watkins (on a team with no QB mind you) and giving away the store was really one of the dumbest moves I have ever seen by the Bills, and this is saying quite a bit. It rivals Levy turning down numerous big trade offers for the #8 pick (which he admitted receiving) and drafting Whitner. 

Whaley would make a good scout. He is NOT a good GM and if he was, there would have been at least a hint of interest in him many years ago. To each his or her own but I fail to see any basis to think that Whaley would be anything less than an awful GM, once again.

Go get 'em Steelers!

 

There has been. He was a finalist in Green Bay when Thompson retired and had an interview for the Browns job too.

[Bill from NYC]

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

 

There has been. He was a finalist in Green Bay when Thompson retired and had an interview for the Browns job too.

I don't know, Rooney rule type situation, or teams trying to feign an interest in order to look better in some way? If a team wanted him they had many years to hire him.

The man is a proven failure as a GM. 

Edited May 10, 2022 by Bill from NYC

[GunnerBill]

9 minutes ago, Bill from NYC said:

I don't know, Rooney rule type situation, or teams trying to feign an interest in order to look better in some way. If a team wanted him they had many years to hire him.

The man is a proven failure as a GM. 

 

Ah now you are shifting the goalposts. You said there hadn't been a "hint of interest". There had. This is the 3rd General Manager interview process he has been involved in since the Bills fired him. He hasn't been hired. That is self evident. But there has been interest. 

 

That he failed in Buffalo is also beyond doubt.

Edited May 10, 2022 by GunnerBill

[SoTier]

 

15 hours ago, Call_Of_Ktulu said:

Whaley and Brandon are the main reason we sucked for 20 years. The Steelers would be wise to steer clear of him.

 

Your claim isn't supported by actual facts.  Ralph Wilson was the reason the Bills sucked for most of years that he owned the team between 1970 and 2013, a total of 44 years. 

• Between 1970 and 1987, the Bills had 12 losing seasons, 5 winning seasons, and 1 8-8 season.   They made the playoffs 3 times and had 0  playoff  wins.
• Between 1988 and 1999 the Bills reeled off 10 winning seasons and 2 losing seasons, made playoffs 10 times and went to the Super Bowl 4 times. 
• From 2000 through 2013, the Bills had 11 losing seasons, 1 winning season, and 2 8-8 tied seasons.
• That's 25 losses, 16 winning seasons, and 3 tie seasons.

 

Russ Brandon was hired by the Bills in 2004 or 2005 IIRC during which time he became Ralph Wilson's right-had man.  He was promoted to GM in 2006.  Ralph Wilson effectively stop actively participating in running the team during the 2009 season, so Brandon was effectively in total charge of the team until after the 2013 season.   Brandon remained Bills president under Pegula until May, 2018.  Under Brandon, 2006-2018, the Bills had 10 losing seasons, 2 winning seasons, and 1 8-8 seasons. 

Doug Whaley was Bills assistant GM between 2010 and 2013.  He was named GM after the 2013 draft, and was fired after the 2017 draft.

 

You might try to make a case for Brandon being responsible for much of losing between 2000 and 2018, but Whaley's tenure was simply too short.  He essentially ran 3 drafts -- 2014, 2015, and 2016.  The buck always stops at the top, and Wilson was the man in charge for 44 years since 1970 and hired/promoted Brandon.

Since Pegula purchased the team, 2014-2021, the Bills have 5 winning seasons, 2 losing seasons, and 1 8-8 season, making the playoffs 4 times.

 

 

 

9 hours ago, JESSEFEFFER said:

Why would the Pegulas let their lame duck GM take the next shot at a franchise QB?  That was clearly going to be the next GM's primary mission.  That's the way I saw it anyways.  The Bills almost screwed that up by making the playoffs meaning Beane needed two trades to get to #7 and draft Josh.

 

[Thurman#1]

16 hours ago, Dr. K said:

I have not read all the responses here, but I expect that many if not most rank on him.

 

I don't think he deserves to be run down that much. He produced a roster of good players. I believe he would not have hired Rex if it was strictly up to him. It was the Pegulas who didn't want to let Rex get out of the building. 

 

Yes, the cap was a mess and there were some dicey draft picks. But some good ones too, and he brought some fine players to the team. If the Pegulas had let him hire the coach after Saint Doug quit he might have survived.

 

He didn't, and in the long run that proved best for the Bills. I'm very happy with McDermott & Beane. But I don't think he was the disaster many here have made him out to be. 

 

 

Most of the fine players who were on those Whaley teams were actually brought in during Nix's term as GM.

 

The offense wasn't that good, but the defense really was ... almost every one of those defensive guys were brought in under Nix.

 

And the salary cap really was a disaster for a team that produced no playoff seasons.

 

Agreed that the Rex decision appears to have been the consensus. But IMO the Pegulas would have listened if Whaley had said, "Look, I can't work with this guy. He puts on a great show but I don't see substance there," or something along those lines. He didn't. 

[The Jokeman]

5 hours ago, eball said:

 

FTFY.  Yes, Whaley is respected as a judge of talent.  He brought talent to the Bills.  He just never grasped how to build a team (culture, salary cap).

 

GM isn't response for culture, that's on the coaching. In terms of the cap, he's not at Beane's level but appears most GMs aren't. 

[Thurman#1]

13 minutes ago, SoTier said:

 

 

Your claim isn't supported by actual facts.  Ralph Wilson was the reason the Bills sucked for most of years that he owned the team between 1970 and 2013, a total of 44 years. 

• Between 1970 and 1987, the Bills had 12 losing seasons, 5 winning seasons, and 1 8-8 season.   They made the playoffs 3 times and had 0  playoff  wins.
• Between 1988 and 1999 the Bills reeled off 10 winning seasons and 2 losing seasons, made playoffs 10 times and went to the Super Bowl 4 times. 
• From 2000 through 2013, the Bills had 11 losing seasons, 1 winning season, and 2 8-8 tied seasons.
• That's 25 losses, 16 winning seasons, and 3 tie seasons.

 

Russ Brandon was hired by the Bills in 2004 or 2005 IIRC during which time he became Ralph Wilson's right-had man.  He was promoted to GM in 2006.  Ralph Wilson effectively stop actively participating in running the team during the 2009 season, so Brandon was effectively in total charge of the team until after the 2013 season.   Brandon remained Bills president under Pegula until May, 2018.  Under Brandon, 2006-2018, the Bills had 10 losing seasons, 2 winning seasons, and 1 8-8 seasons. 

Doug Whaley was Bills assistant GM between 2010 and 2013.  He was named GM after the 2013 draft, and was fired after the 2017 draft.

 

You might try to make a case for Brandon being responsible for much of losing between 2000 and 2018, but Whaley's tenure was simply too short.  He essentially ran 3 drafts -- 2014, 2015, and 2016.  The buck always stops at the top, and Wilson was the man in charge for 44 years since 1970 and hired/promoted Brandon.

Since Pegula purchased the team, 2014-2021, the Bills have 5 winning seasons, 2 losing seasons, and 1 8-8 season, making the playoffs 4 times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I could be wrong, but I believe that when he said Whaley and Brandon were the main reason we sucked for 20 years, he was being sarcastic.

 

 

1 minute ago, The Jokeman said:

GM isn't response for culture, that's on the coaching. In terms of the cap, he's not at Beane's level but appears most GMs aren't. 

 

 

GM is absolutely part of the mix in terms of culture. He brings in the kind of players that the coach wants. And if that includes culture guys, process guys, the GM can either succeed or botch bringing in the right kind of guys. Beane has killed it. Whaley was OK but his big shot was Sammy Watkins, who kind of looked OK for a while but very much did not prove a process guy.

[Rc2catch]

Whaley I think unfairly takes more heat than he should of. 
He almost had buffalo back to relevance. 
His and many gm’s downfall was he couldn’t secure a quarterback. And he got a little desperate towards the end. 
It was an impossible situation for him. I respect his willingness to make aggressive deals. Especially after all the years the front office wouldn’t even try. Of all the terrible and unqualified people who have been involved over the drought I would think more fans would appreciate whaleys time here trying to build a solid team despite the franchise being a complete disaster and going through a sale. 

[SoTier]

2 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

I could be wrong, but I believe that when he said Whaley and Brandon were the main reason we sucked for 20 years, he was being sarcastic.

 

 

That's a possibility.  Sarcasm doesn't always come across via the printed word.

 

 

[BADOLBILZ]

10 hours ago, Aussie Joe said:

 

Several other teams passed on Mahomes too.. one of them was the Bengals who I believe selected John Ross instead in that draft (.. who??)

 

And guess which team ( bengals v chiefs)  has blocked the other from a superbowl appearance?

 

The draft should never be the be all and end all..

 

Be thankful that the Bills got another guy that can take them to the Superbowl ( we hope..) . Just like what happened to the Bengals...

 

As I have said to you before.. Allen V Mahomes has been going for 4 years now.. we are probably at the end of the first quarter ..

 

Lets see how the final score board reads at the end of their careers..

 

 

 

 

 

Andy Dalton had taken the Bengals to the playoffs in 5 of his first 6 seasons going into the 2017 draft.........they had their sights set on winning WITH Dalton at that point.

 

The Bills hadn't been to the playoffs in 17 years and NOBODY thought Tyrod was a long term solution..........the QB draft speculation was rampant.   Especially here.

 

 It had actually been that way since spring of 2016 when people like Bandit were talking up Mahomes and @GunnerBill was adamant about Watson going to be great.

 

As for the draft never being the "be all and end all".............like it or not, when you pass on a great QB in the draft it can cost you for a LONG time.

 

The Bills went 10 years between passing on Drew Brees to not selecting Russell Wilson.  

 

Basically they had just 2 clear cracks at elite QB talents in the draft despite 15 long and painful years of playoff banishment.

 

Then Mahomes and Watson fell into their laps at the same time and they passed.

 

It is beyond lucky that they even got the shot at Allen the next year.

 

But that rare fortune is how you can make maybe the worst decision in franchise history one year.........and survive to tell about it............by making maybe the best draft pick in franchise history the next.

 

As for the Mahomes v Allen stuff...........I was talking up that rivalry when people here were still wondering if they hated Josh Allen or not.

 

It was that way or bust for this regime.

 

McBeane wouldn't even be here if it didn't turn into a rivalry.

 

The weight of the Mahomes miss would have crushed their regime long ago.

 

Allen saved their bacon and as I said then.......HOPEFULLY it just started out like Marino v Kelly.........initially Marino had a 50 TD pass season and went to a SB like Mahomes did and made the Bills look like fools for passing on him.

 

But 6 years after that draft the tide turned and Kelly ended up dominating Marino for the next 8 years and going to 4 SB's etc..

 

Edited May 10, 2022 by BADOLBILZ