Jerry Sullivan: Whaley fiddles while Rex burns
...Maybe Whaley prefers to hide because he's not as safe as people have been led to believe and needs to separate himself from the coach. The longer this drags on, the more evident it becomes that he's just as culpable as Ryan for the Bills' mediocre performance the last two seasons.
Well, it could be that Whaley doesn't want to explain how it is that the Bills have fewer of their own draft picks on the active roster than any other team in the NFL, as Tim Graham laid out in his Monday column.
Or perhaps Doug doesn't care to tell us why he gets credit for the good moves that were made before he became general manager, while the bad ones get laid at the feet of former GM Buddy Nix.
Whaley could explain why the Bills still don't scout underclassmen until they declare for the draft, or why they take so many guys who are hurt, or why he didn't do more to bolster his depth at wide receiver when he knew Sammy Watkins had a serious injury.
You don't need the CIA to figure this one out. With all that baggage, it's only natural that Whaley would be telling ownership -- and his friends in the national media -- how he gave Ryan a superior roster and Rex squandered a glorious chance for the Bills to break the 16-year playoff drought.
I'm not saying Ryan doesn't deserve to be fired. But if Whaley really had a good relationship with Rex, as they often contend, he would offer a merciful gesture and take some of the heat off Ryan during a trying time.
Watching Rex in interviews lately, I feel as sorry as one can for a man who has a guaranteed $16.5 million left on his deal. Maybe that's the grand plan here, to make Rex a sympathetic figure in case the Bills finish 9-7. Then they can go status quo and tell everyone it was the media's fault.
For now, they've turned Ryan into a dead man walking. That's a pretty shabby way to treat a guy who helped you sell the most season tickets in franchise history when you hired him. It's weak and gutless, and it makes them look like amateurs. Which is exactly what they are.
...Maybe Whaley prefers to hide because he's not as safe as people have been led to believe and needs to separate himself from the coach. The longer this drags on, the more evident it becomes that he's just as culpable as Ryan for the Bills' mediocre performance the last two seasons.
Well, it could be that Whaley doesn't want to explain how it is that the Bills have fewer of their own draft picks on the active roster than any other team in the NFL, as Tim Graham laid out in his Monday column.
Or perhaps Doug doesn't care to tell us why he gets credit for the good moves that were made before he became general manager, while the bad ones get laid at the feet of former GM Buddy Nix.
Whaley could explain why the Bills still don't scout underclassmen until they declare for the draft, or why they take so many guys who are hurt, or why he didn't do more to bolster his depth at wide receiver when he knew Sammy Watkins had a serious injury.
You don't need the CIA to figure this one out. With all that baggage, it's only natural that Whaley would be telling ownership -- and his friends in the national media -- how he gave Ryan a superior roster and Rex squandered a glorious chance for the Bills to break the 16-year playoff drought.
I'm not saying Ryan doesn't deserve to be fired. But if Whaley really had a good relationship with Rex, as they often contend, he would offer a merciful gesture and take some of the heat off Ryan during a trying time.
Watching Rex in interviews lately, I feel as sorry as one can for a man who has a guaranteed $16.5 million left on his deal. Maybe that's the grand plan here, to make Rex a sympathetic figure in case the Bills finish 9-7. Then they can go status quo and tell everyone it was the media's fault.
For now, they've turned Ryan into a dead man walking. That's a pretty shabby way to treat a guy who helped you sell the most season tickets in franchise history when you hired him. It's weak and gutless, and it makes them look like amateurs. Which is exactly what they are.
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