Who Do You Want the Pegulas to Listen to Right Now?

[SpikedLemonade]

Forget about whether that person(s) is a czar, consultant, full-time, part-time, current employee or whatever.

Whose advice should the Pegulas be accepting right now?

Unless there is someone in the background that we do not know about it, right now they are listening to Whaley and perhaps Brandon.

I'm not comfortable with that.

Given that the Pegulas attempted to bring Polian on board, they clearly are not comfortable with that and are smart enough to realize that as newbies they need a trusted football advisor(s).

To think that the Pegulas can come to good decisions on a HC or possibly GM on their own is crazy.

Yes the Pegulas should be part of every HC interview at this stage at the very least as part of their learning process, but in the end they need to rely on someone(s) advice.

Who do you think that person(s) should be?

I sure wish the Pegulas had engaged that person in October when they bought the team.

[Ed]

I like Doug Whaley. At this point I'd like to see him get a legitimate chance to do his thing. I don't believe he had any kind of final say during the 2013 draft or the last coaching search. Give him the control he needs to make football decisions and see what happens.

[SpikedLemonade]

I like Doug Whaley. At this point I'd like to see him get a legitimate chance to do his thing. I don't believe he had any kind of final say during the 2013 draft or the last coaching search. Give him the control he needs to make football decisions and see what happens.

I like Whaley as well, but I just don't know if he is experienced enough in the hiring of coaches.

As a player evaluator, I trust Whaley more.

[Novacane]

Whaley. He's the guy the coach is going to have to work with. I hope they do the opposite if Brandon gives them his opinion

[Night Train]

Me... after my third 40 oz bottle of Old English

[SpikedLemonade]

Me... after my third 40 oz bottle of Old English

Sure but I doubt Kim would listen to your suggestion for her to give you a BJ.

[Ed]

I like Whaley as well, but I just don't know if he is experienced enough in the hiring of coaches.

As a player evaluator, I trust Whaley more.
I'm not really concerned about how much experience he has hiring coaches. He's still young and new to the GM role. I just want him to be able to pick a guy that he wants and fits his plan/vision. I think Whaley is a great talent evaluator too and a bright football guy in general. I don't have any reason to believe that he can't translate that to hiring a good coach.

Most of us were pretty excited when Whaley was brought on as an assistant GM because he was viewed as a real up and comer. I'd just like to see him get a chance to run things how he wants.

[cookie G]

Little doubt in my mind that he's still talking to Polian, on an off the cuff, as needed basis.

And Polian will be compensated generously.

I'd prefer he did the same, with a few others, from a number of different circles and a number of different coaching/GM trees.

Bill Parcells
Marty Schottenheimer
Nick Saban
The Walrus

(OK..maybe those that have been in the business sooner than 10 years ago isn't a bad idea :) )

But people like that.

Get a number different perspectives.

[OLDSRIP]

Me... after my third 40 oz bottle of Old English

You drink after shave?

[YardRat]

Night Train stole my answer, so I'll say Whaley...let the kid earn or burn his paycheck. I would tune out Brandon completely.

[ghz in pittsburgh]

I agree with Ed and others on Whaley.

If I'm a new owner and I have no prior networking of NFL business, I have to start somewhere. Instead of making a change for the sake of a change, start with what I have. Whaley is young and new. It's not like he has a track record to go on and hopefully I can see his growth on the job.

As an owner, I'm in for the long haul -- long, long haul. The Bills haven't made the playoff in 15 years? It's not my fault; I just got the team. For me, I'm starting year 1. In the meantime, go to every league owner, GM, coach functions and start to get to know people.

[EDS]

Forget about whether that person(s) is a czar, consultant, full-time, part-time, current employee or whatever.

Whose advice should the Pegulas be accepting right now?

Unless there is someone in the background that we do not know about it, right now they are listening to Whaley and perhaps Brandon.

I'm not comfortable with that.

Given that the Pegulas attempted to bring Polian on board, they clearly are not comfortable with that and are smart enough to realize that as newbies they need a trusted football advisor(s).

To think that the Pegulas can come to good decisions on a HC or possibly GM on their own is crazy.

Yes the Pegulas should be part of every HC interview at this stage at the very least as part of their learning process, but in the end they need to rely on someone(s) advice.

Who do you think that person(s) should be?

I sure wish the Pegulas had engaged that person in October when they bought the team.

The new GM that is hired after conducting an appropriate, at least industry standard, executive search.

And Brandon has to report to the new GM if the new GM decides to retain him.

[jamze132]

Fred Jackson

[Mace]

Given the people we know are certainly on hand in the organization, I don't have a clue who I want them listening to, and it really bothers me.

Whaley is the only available answer because they seem stuck with him now at GM, but the coach he hires won't report to him and they meant to neuter him via Polian. He was also part of thinking Marrone was a must have, so I'm inclined to think he's not going to dazzle us any, either currying favor to please someone with their preferred choice so he can stay, applying his questionable judgement ala Marrone if he's on top of his game, or not giving a crap looking to his next job.

If I were Pegulas, I'd ask Tim Murray, the Sabre GM. I get this idea the intense Murray could tell you how to make a proper souffle, teach you prevailing theory on biophysics, quote Socrates in Greek, give you 5 years of MLB pitching statistics, offer tips on correctly predicting weather, cure the common cold and tell you how to quickly remove that pesky lunch stain from your dress shirt if asked.

If Murray wasn't paying attention, I have no clue who I went them listening to now.

[Strongman]

It's easier to say who I don't want them listening to... Branden or Overdorf. I'm not sure they should listen to Whaley either, but, by default, he is probably the best person inside the organization. The team desperately needs someone from the outside.

[SpikedLemonade]

The team desperately needs someone from the outside.

That is my thought as well.

[Mace]

That is my thought as well.

Mine too.....back in September. Seems a little late now at crunch time.

[BuffaloRedleg]

I don't think it is too tough for an NFL Owner to get an honest answer out of someone like Polian, Cowher or the like even without them being on the payroll. He can take them out to dinner or something and have a talk or it could be on the phone etc.

It's a gentlemen's game at that level (despite the fact that some of them are hardly gentlemen).

I imagine he has developed at least a basic relationship with some other owners awho may be able to provide some insight as well outside of Whaley.

[Strongman]

Whaley might be the most qualified person inside, but he was hand selected by the old regime. What bothers me most about him is when he changed his tune on drafting EJ Manuel. In May of 2013, he is telling the press how he "was the person that handled the draft process and setting up the board. He is basically saying it was a group process, but he was the force most behind it.

Come 2014 and it is becoming more apparent that EJ is a bust and Whaley is back peddling and saying "I always say it's a Buffalo Bills pick," Bills general manager Doug Whaley said. "You guys can assign blame wherever you want, but when we're in draft meetings it is a consensus recommendation for our whole organization of where this guy's valued and where we should pick him in the draft."

To make matters worse, he compounded the QB mistake by overpaying for Sammy Watkins to help EJ. Now, we are out some picks that really could have helped us this year and still out of having a viable QB outside of some scrubs they might pick up. I understand why Marrone might be frustrated with them.

[stuckincincy]

Whose advice should the Pegulas be accepting right now?



Sauron.

[Meathead]

im sure hes listening to them all bc he should. hes also looking for an outside element to help him pull it together, which is what he had bill in mind for at least on a temporary basis. now perhaps hes looking at shanny for a longer expected term and more direct connection between sr mgmt and the field product, another viable strategy

hes got sr ppl representing the various elements of the bidness, all jockeying for position but still doing their jobs. he will let them do their thing, break ties when necessary, conduct reviews, audit what he can, and keep trying to get that senior adviser

[YardRat]

Back then Brandon was probably going through the interview process with a little green sticky note in his pocket with 'Marrone, no matter what' scrawled on it.

[Strongman]

I take back what I said about Whaley... Jim Schwartz is probably the best person inside the organization for them to listen to right now. The Pegulas should get his input about the front office and HC situations. It sounds like he doesn't want the HC position so it would be objective.

[Mace]

I don't think it is too tough for an NFL Owner to get an honest answer out of someone like Polian, Cowher or the like even without them being on the payroll. He can take them out to dinner or something and have a talk or it could be on the phone etc.

It's a gentlemen's game at that level (despite the fact that some of them are hardly gentlemen).

I imagine he has developed at least a basic relationship with some other owners awho may be able to provide some insight as well outside of Whaley.

He can probably get names and opinions. The problem though, in coming from someone outside the organization is context.

"Context" makes the best argument for building from the top down because you're operating with an organizational philosophy about what you're trying to build besides generic winner, which everyone wants, and this even points up the problem with Brandon/Whaley/Marrone. It shouldn't have been a problem as we should have had an organizational philosophy shaped by Nix.

-Brandon/Whaley hired Marrone, Marrone came in with a west coast principle-no huddle-up tempo philosophy
-we drafted EJ Manuel, a project QB from spread offense least capable of running west coast/fast multiple reads
-we drafted behemoth linemen and placed them in agile quick linemen zone blocking scheme trying to make rookie behemoths run all over the place to their zone

No unified philosophy and plan. That, to me was the best argument for czar in September, and the best reason they'll be hurting themselves again by not finding a driving force for the organization before hiring a coach who will report to the owner and not to the GM who just hired him.

Lots of names, no plan how to use them.

[Historian]

Eric Clapton.

I always listen to Eric Clapton before a big decision, lol.

[Strongman]

He can probably get names and opinions. The problem though, in coming from someone outside the organization is context.

"Context" makes the best argument for building from the top down because you're operating with an organizational philosophy about what you're trying to build besides generic winner, which everyone wants, and this even points up the problem with Brandon/Whaley/Marrone. It shouldn't have been a problem as we should have had an organizational philosophy shaped by Nix.

-Brandon/Whaley hired Marrone, Marrone came in with a west coast principle-no huddle-up tempo philosophy
-we drafted EJ Manuel, a project QB from spread offense least capable of running west coast/fast multiple reads
-we drafted behemoth linemen and placed them in agile quick linemen zone blocking scheme trying to make rookie behemoths run all over the place to their zone

No unified philosophy and plan. That, to me was the best argument for czar in September, and the best reason they'll be hurting themselves again by not finding a driving force for the organization before hiring a coach who will report to the owner and not to the GM who just hired him.

Lots of names, no plan how to use them.

Definitely. The coaching merry-go-round is the symptom of a bigger problem.

I'd take it one step further in that the Pegulas are trying to make the transition from a team that always put the bottom line ahead of winning. They need a czar to evaluate the organization from top to bottom. They can either do this fast or do it right.