Buddy Nix Legacy

[ghz in pittsburgh]

The definitive answer cannot be made until 2 years down the road, but I will say this.

He is a football man at the helm.

Even since John Butler left town, we had an administrator who's cannot judge football talent as GM, then a former coach who's 10 year agay from the game and never scouted, and then no one at the helm for 10 years. Finally Nix, who is a scout through and through, reclaimed the GM title. That in itself is a step in right direction in my opinion. Now Whaley continued that trend.

Personally, I liked Nix's re-introduction of size back to the Bills. You can argue whether he's great talent evaluator or not - everything is comparative, I'd say the Steelers have drafted better the last 3 years in later rounds, but we no longer looking for undersized guys, small schools, aiming to hit a I'm-smarter-than-you-guys kind of picks. Just be pragmatic. To that end, I understand his lack of QB selection. Everyone points out him missing Wilson. There is luck involved. I don't know how many Wilson type of QB failed before Seattle got one right. Every time I saw the lottory number, I always thought I could've selected those numbers as well.

[Bill Cody]

Re: Buddy Nix Legacy

Manuel will make or break Buddy's legacy here

[OpIv37]

Re: Buddy Nix Legacy

The definitive answer cannot be made until 2 years down the road, but I will say this.

He is a football man at the helm.

Even since John Butler left town, we had an administrator who's cannot judge football talent as GM, then a former coach who's 10 year agay from the game and never scouted, and then no one at the helm for 10 years. Finally Nix, who is a scout through and through, reclaimed the GM title. That in itself is a step in right direction in my opinion. Now Whaley continued that trend.

Personally, I liked Nix's re-introduction of size back to the Bills. You can argue whether he's great talent evaluator or not - everything is comparative, I'd say the Steelers have drafted better the last 3 years in later rounds, but we no longer looking for undersized guys, small schools, aiming to hit a I'm-smarter-than-you-guys kind of picks. Just be pragmatic. To that end, I understand his lack of QB selection. Everyone points out him missing Wilson. There is luck involved. I don't know how many Wilson type of QB failed before Seattle got one right. Every time I saw the lottory number, I always thought I could've selected those numbers as well.

Can we please stop with calling the draft a "crapshoot" or comparing it to the lotto? Lotto is completely random. People like Nix get paid big bucks to evaluate talent. They watch how these guys play in college and look to see if they have the factors that make them most likely to succeed in the NFL, based on years and years of data. They have staffs working under them to help them. Sure, occasionally you get a Mike Williams in the first round or a Tom Brady in the 6th, but usually the teams that do their homework correctly, they draft well.

If the draft was truly a lotto, the results would be much more even over time. Instead, there are some people who are consistently good at it and others who are consistently bad. That's not luck or randomness like the lotto. There is a skill to it.

[OpIv37]

Re: Buddy Nix Legacy

Manuel will make or break Buddy's legacy here

Nix's legacy is already broken. He hired a coaching staff that got fired after 3 straight losing seasons. He gave Fitz a huge contract then cut him a year and a half later, giving us $10 million in dead cap. He spent a ton of money on a DL that did nothing. He had a good track record of retaining players, but then he let Levitre walk and failed to lock up Byrd, who will most likely either be traded or will walk when he becomes UFA.

If Manuel is a success, it'll merely prevent Nix's legacy from being a complete disaster.

[better days]

Re: Buddy Nix Legacy

Can we please stop with calling the draft a "crapshoot" or comparing it to the lotto? Lotto is completely random. People like Nix get paid big bucks to evaluate talent. They watch how these guys play in college and look to see if they have the factors that make them most likely to succeed in the NFL, based on years and years of data. They have staffs working under them to help them. Sure, occasionally you get a Mike Williams in the first round or a Tom Brady in the 6th, but usually the teams that do their homework correctly, they draft well.

If the draft was truly a lotto, the results would be much more even over time. Instead, there are some people who are consistently good at it and others who are consistently bad. That's not luck or randomness like the lotto. There is a skill to it.

I agree, the draft is not like a crapshoot or the lotto. It is more like poker or blackjack. Luck is involved but so is skill.

And LUCK is a big part of the draft, so don't try to pass it off as all skill.

[Bill Cody]

Re: Buddy Nix Legacy

Nix's legacy is already broken. He hired a coaching staff that got fired after 3 straight losing seasons. He gave Fitz a huge contract then cut him a year and a half later, giving us $10 million in dead cap. He spent a ton of money on a DL that did nothing. He had a good track record of retaining players, but then he let Levitre walk and failed to lock up Byrd, who will most likely either be traded or will walk when he becomes UFA.

If Manuel is a success, it'll merely prevent Nix's legacy from being a complete disaster.

I really doubt Nix had any serious illusions that one day there would be busts of Gailey or Fitz in Canton. It's silly to blame the fact that noone wanted to coach here on Nix. Or that he inherited a team with no QB. He gets a mulligan on the coach. Fitz? They needed someone to take the snaps, no? Despite the contract I never got the felling they were ever married to Fitz. So if he hits on Marrone and Manuel he will have accomplished a lot. Because if you have a good coach and you have a good QB you'll have an easier time retaining and attracting free agents.

[OpIv37]

Re: Buddy Nix Legacy

I really doubt Nix had any serious illusions that one day there would be busts of Gailey or Fitz in Canton. It's silly to blame the fact that noone wanted to coach here on Nix. Or that he inherited a team with no QB. He gets a mulligan on the coach. Fitz? They needed someone to take the snaps, no? Despite the contract I never got the felling they were ever married to Fitz. So if he hits on Marrone and Manuel he will have accomplished a lot. Because if you have a good coach and you have a good QB you'll have an easier time retaining and attracting free agents.

well not finding a HOF coach who wants to come to Buffalo is no excuse for hiring someone as bad as Gailey. There's a reasonable medium between the two. And I didn't expect him to find the next Jim Kelly, but he also didn't have to give Fitz that stupid contract. We could have had him for less or had someone equally mediocre for less.

[Guest]

Re: Buddy Nix Legacy

Nix's legacy is that when he was not a NFL GM by 70 years old, it was a sign that he never should have been.

Only in Buffalo.

[better days]

Re: Buddy Nix Legacy

Nix's legacy is that when he was not a NFL GM by 70 years old, it was a sign that he never should have been.

Only in Buffalo.

Well, he was responsible for hiring Whaley & training him. I think that will be his legacy however that turns out along with the drafting of EJ. There have been more than a few people that found SUCCESS later in life.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

Re: Buddy Nix Legacy

Nix legacy IMO:

3 years
2 radical defensive shifts
16 wins
1294 points surrendered

[better days]

Re: Buddy Nix Legacy

Nix legacy IMO:

3 years
2 radical defensive shifts
16 wins
1294 points surrendered

Well, those are the results thus far. We will see where it goes from here.

[swiper]

Re: Buddy Nix Legacy

Nix legacy IMO:

3 years
2 radical defensive shifts
16 wins
1294 points surrendered

And no franchise QB.

[Guest]

Re: Buddy Nix Legacy

Well, he was responsible for hiring Whaley & training him.

Train him to do a job that Nix only had 3 months doing?

[OpIv37]

Re: Buddy Nix Legacy

Well, those are the results thus far. We will see where it goes from here.

There is absolutely no excuse for being so piss-poor in the 3rd year of rebuilding.

[better days]

Re: Buddy Nix Legacy

There is absolutely no excuse for being so piss-poor in the 3rd year of rebuilding.

Yeah there is when the team has SUCKED for the previous 10 years before he was hired. It is not like the Bills only lacked a couple pieces when Nix was hired. He had to empty the cupboards of all the rotten CRAP & restock the shelves. Look where the Lions are today, the Browns, the Cardinals, the Raiders.

If Whaley, Marrone & Manuel pan out, people will have Nix to thank.