Well, wasn't that "Special"

[Turf]

Now we know why both teams are so messed up. We have an owner with no professional sports experience with 100% empowerment running both teams with everyone else being a pawn. We have a GM that doesn't do a GM's job. Anyone that listened to that press conference has to still be shaking their heads.

[Mr. Pink]

Now I'm curious how much Tim Murray actually does with the Sabres after hearing from Doug.

It would make sense if it's more of the same, since both teams suck equally.

[Turf]

The Pegula's have not only no respect for the fans opinions, they don't even care for their own staffs opinions. Now I know why both teams are equally bad.

[WagonCircler]

The Pegula's have not only no respect for the fans opinions, they don't even care for their own staffs opinions. Now I know why both teams are equally bad.

Could be.

Could also be that Whaley is lying through his teeth in order to cover his own ass.

That seems a lot more plausible.

The fact that he can say, with a straight face, that he didn't even give a thought to Rex's firing tells me all I need to know about his credibility.

[Turf]

Could be.

Could also be that Whaley is lying through his teeth in order to cover his own ass.

That seems a lot more plausible.

The fact that he can say, with a straight face, that he didn't even give a thought to Rex's firing tells me all I need to know about his credibility.

If that's true ( and it very well could be), then the Pegula's should fire him for hanging them out to dry, lying, and shaming the organization.

[WagonCircler]

If that's true ( and it very well could be), then the Pegula's should fire him for hanging them out to dry, lying, and shaming the organization.

I don't think they care. I think Terry is a multi-billionaire who figures that the $1.5 BIL he paid to keep the team here bought him infinite cover from criticism.

On a side note, I refuse to use the term "Pegulas". I don't care what they say. Terry drilled the wells, Terry wrote the check. He's the owner. Had his wife never met him, she would still be working at a diner.

[Mace]

I'd still say Pegulas have a voice in their ear, and we just know who it isn't. Speculation leads to the obvious.

[Don't Panic]

This thread is like witnessing a car fly off a cliff. You guys need to settle down... nothing that got said today was going to do anything but rile the masses, no matter what was said. That's where everyone is now. To be honest, a GM saying that the owner (who sunk a billion dollars into the team) is going to hang on to final say is about as surprising as a trip to Walmart yielding new understandings of the creative "culture" of America.

[HHURRICANE]

I don't think they care. I think Terry is a multi-billionaire who figures that the $1.5 BIL he paid to keep the team here bought him infinite cover from criticism.

On a side note, I refuse to use the term "Pegulas". I don't care what they say. Terry drilled the wells, Terry wrote the check. He's the owner. Had his wife never met him, she would still be working at a diner.

I have a talented women as a business partner. She earned it. My ex-wife sat around telling everyone how she helped me with my business when she did nothing. I agree 1000% with above.

[Historian]

This thread is like witnessing a car fly off a cliff. You guys need to settle down... nothing that got said today was going to do anything but rile the masses, no matter what was said. That's where everyone is now.http://www.brendanwalsh.us/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/remaincalm-01.jpg

[HHURRICANE]

This thread is like witnessing a car fly off a cliff. You guys need to settle down... nothing that got said today was going to do anything but rile the masses, no matter what was said. That's where everyone is now. To be honest, a GM saying that the owner (who sunk a billion dollars into the team) is going to hang on to final say is about as surprising as a trip to Walmart yielding new understandings of the creative "culture" of America.

The owner having final approval is not an issue. The GM not being consulted or having an opinion on the status of the head coach is insane. Don't look to the fans here but read the national media to see how really bad this press conference was. And what was the point?!???

[Jimkelly12203]

It's a mickey mouse organization from top to bottom. A complete joke. The future is not bright.

[Mace]

This thread is like witnessing a car fly off a cliff. You guys need to settle down... nothing that got said today was going to do anything but rile the masses, no matter what was said. That's where everyone is now. To be honest, a GM saying that the owner (who sunk a billion dollars into the team) is going to hang on to final say is about as surprising as a trip to Walmart yielding new understandings of the creative "culture" of America.

I have a feeling you either didn't listen to it or read the summaries ?

The press conference painted a picture of a dysfunctional organization with an incurious, out of touch "GM" who doesn't appear to care about being in touch until someone tells him he should.

I always thought Whaley was low energy and apathetic, well that's basically the mindset he presented.

[Don't Panic]

The owner having final approval is not an issue. The GM not being consulted or having an opinion on the status of the head coach is insane. Don't look to the fans here but read the national media to see how really bad this press conference was. And what was the point?!???


I have a feeling you either didn't listen to it or read the summaries ?

The press conference painted a picture of a dysfunctional organization with an incurious, out of touch "GM" who doesn't appear to care about being in touch until someone tells him he should.

I always thought Whaley was low energy and apathetic, well that's basically the mindset he presented.

I've never seen the media so squarely critical of a team that until 10 days ago was still in the playoff hunt. It's as though they've tapped into the local fan negativity and run amok with it. We will see… Something tells me that all this will be proven as grossly overstated in the end.

[Mace]

I've never seen the media so squarely critical of a team that until 10 days ago was still in the playoff hunt. It's as though they've tapped into the local fan negativity and run amok with it. We will see… Something tells me that all this will be proven as grossly overstated in the end.

So you didn't actually watch or read about it.

You're responding to a response when you don't know what it's responding to.

[Cleve]

I found it more amazing that Terry Pegula called for a quick, angry interview to try and discredit the notion that his front office is dysfunctional. Astonishingly, Pegula's effort only made his team seem MORE dysfunctional.

How could the GM not even be involved in a decision involving a major change like firing the head coach? How could the owner not share that information with the GM?

The Pegulas are clearly making many, if not all the decisions and their GM is just a figurehead whose role isn't clearly defined. Worse, the decisions are made impulsively - Pegula fires a HC with millions of dollars left on his contract apparently on a whim, because he asked to talk to Pegula on the phone privately.

Don't get me wrong - Ryan SHOULD have been fired. In fact he should never have been hired. But it was done for the WRONG reasons, and in the wrong way!

The Pegulas took a 9-7 team on the verge of playoff contention, and have turned it into a dysfunctional mess with no HC, and their only half-way decent QB in years is on the outs. Oh, and Dick Jauron-esque finish of 7-9. The horrendous play on Sunday seems to show the team is demoralized, and lacking leadership.

It's clear from Terry Pegula's interview that he makes Ralph Wilson Jr. look like Mr. Hands Off when it comes to meddling, and worse, Pegula lacks the ability to build a championship major league team - he's totally outside his field of expertise. It will be 6 years next month since Pegula took over the Sabres, and look how far that team has sunk. Where will the Bills be in 5 years? The next Cleveland Browns? ugh!!!

[Strongman]

I always thought Whaley was low energy and apathetic, well that's basically the mindset he presented.

The entire team is low energy with just a couple of exceptions. Under Ralph, this organization has been run for years to make money instead of winning which is a totally different mindset. The same people, who have no clue how to win, are still here.

All they do is talk about winning because none of them possess any knowledge about how to build a winner.

[Mace]

I found it more amazing that Terry Pegula called for a quick, angry interview to try and discredit the notion that his front office is dysfunctional. Astonishingly, Pegula's effort only made his team seem MORE dysfunctional.

How could the GM not even be involved in a decision involving a major change like firing the head coach? How could the owner not share that information with the GM?

The Pegulas are clearly making many, if not all the decisions and their GM is just a figurehead whose role isn't clearly defined. Worse, the decisions are made impulsively - Pegula fires a HC with millions of dollars left on his contract apparently on a whim, because he asked to talk to Pegula on the phone privately.

Don't get me wrong - Ryan SHOULD have been fired. In fact he should never have been hired. But it was done for the WRONG reasons, and in the wrong way!

The Pegulas took a 9-7 team on the verge of playoff contention, and have turned it into a dysfunctional mess with no HC, and their only half-way decent QB in years is on the outs. Oh, and Dick Jauron-esque finish of 7-9. The horrendous play on Sunday seems to show the team is demoralized, and lacking leadership.

It's clear from Terry Pegula's interview that he makes Ralph Wilson Jr. look like Mr. Hands Off when it comes to meddling, and worse, Pegula lacks the ability to build a championship major league team - he's totally outside his field of expertise. It will be 6 years next month since Pegula took over the Sabres, and look how far that team has sunk. Where will the Bills be in 5 years? The next Cleveland Browns? ugh!!!

I find it worse that they're just openly lying when they don't have to. Whaley called Lynn a liar when he said he was consulted about Taylor after Lynn said he was not, Pegula called Whaley a liar when he said Whaley was informed about the issues with Ryan during the season when they discussed them, Whaley is calling Pegula a liar when he says he had no idea about Rex.

Lynn simply has to say "I was in the loop." Whaley has to simply say "I speak often enough with Terry and the staff wo know what is going on and why though I may not say it." Pegula just needs to say "These were all organizational decisions for the best of the organization."

Instead, they all can't throw each other to the wolves fast enough, with Pegula making himself look bad by assuming the cloak of pain and asserting he brushed everyone else out of the way to do it.

It looks chaotic and disorganized, and by no means should be with so many career lackies in the organization who know better.

[sahlensguy]

Well, we're off to a hot start defending last years offseason championship.

[jlgarsh]

Terry didn't fire Rex because Rex asked to talk to him privately. To say so is asinine. He fired him then because Rex asked if he was being retained, and Terry answered no. I'm guessing Rex didn't want to coach week 17 after that. For me, I knew Rex was on thin ice during (and after) the Miami game. The sideline went absolutely insane when they scored with 1:30 left to take the lead. The only surprising thing was the lack of a Gatorade shower. Also, reading Rex's lips when the Dolphins tied it said the rest. I get much of the criticism the Bills have faced in the last 10 days, but Rex needed to go, and the sooner the better.

[Jimkelly12203]

Terry didn't fire Rex because Rex asked to talk to him privately. To say so is asinine. He fired him then because Rex asked if he was being retained, and Terry answered no. I'm guessing Rex didn't want to coach week 17 after that. For me, I knew Rex was on thin ice during (and after) the Miami game. The sideline went absolutely insane when they scored with 1:30 left to take the lead. The only surprising thing was the lack of a Gatorade shower. Also, reading Rex's lips when the Dolphins tied it said the rest. I get much of the criticism the Bills have faced in the last 10 days, but Rex needed to go, and the sooner the better.

I don't buy that story either. I think Rex was "fired" because he refused to start anyone other than Tyrod Taylor if he was coaching on the sidelines. I'm sure he did talk to Pegula and ask about his future. But i also think the edict came down from above that Taylor was sitting. And Rex knew well what he was getting from EJ and Jones.

Ownership wasn't going to mandate Taylor's benching until we were mathematically eliminated.
Rex would have been gone at the end of the season either way of course. But i do think the particular timing of this firing was about Taylor.

[jlgarsh]

I don't buy that story either. I think Rex was "fired" because he refused to start anyone other than Tyrod Taylor if he was coaching on the sidelines. I'm sure he did talk to Pegula and ask about his future. But i also think the edict came down from above that Taylor was sitting. And Rex knew well what he was getting from EJ and Jones.

Ownership wasn't going to mandate Taylor's benching until we were mathematically eliminated.
Rex would have been gone at the end of the season either way of course. But i do think the particular timing of this firing was about Taylor.
I agree with this too. I should have stated that in my post. It's no coincidence that Rex stated Tyrod was starting, then was fired 45 minutes later.