PEGULIA TELLS WHY HE FIRED REX

[mdcas22]

https://www.instagram.com/p/BOx3fWVhVRQ/

[Night Train]

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/0532b3f5c39c48c6a459e129de478c74/apnewsbreak-bills-owner-outlines-reasons-he-fired-rex-ryan

[DraftBoy]

So basically he confirmed the ridiculousness of how the organization is run. Good...

[Turf]

Well good for him. Maybe moving forward they can be a little more transparent up front.

[Mace]

So basically he confirmed the ridiculousness of how the organization is run. Good...

And that Whaley really is as apathetic as he appears.

[DraftBoy]

And that Whaley really is as apathetic as he appears.
Yup, but the problems go way beyond Whaley and there is no immediate remedy for those issues.

[Night Train]

He didn't deny he's clueless about sports and that he'll defer to Darcy/Whaley until it bottoms out.

We can interpret it in so many ways.

Sorry if I'm not feeling better after this hot mess today.

[mdcas22]

Terry Pegula insists “there’s no dysfunction” with the BillsPosted by Mike Florio on January 2, 2017, 9:07 PM EST
https://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/615027140-e1483409163433.jpg?w=230
Getty ImagesAfter the Bills threw G.M. Doug Whaley to the wolves, owner Terry Pegula dipped a toe in the water, submitting to a single-reporter interview in an apparent effort to clean up some of the many messes created by Whaley’s extended Q&A.
Speaking with the Associated Press, via an item with which the Bills were sufficiently happy to paste verbatim on the team’s official website (http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Bills-owner-outlines-reasons-for-firing-Rex-Ryan/fb3ef253-cba7-4776-b3eb-dd3cace2c3ea), Pegula insisted that all is well with the franchise.
“There’s no dysfunction,” Pegula said. “Everybody is on the same page. We’re busy busting our asses.”
Pegula isn’t busy making himself available to the media at large to explain why the team is doing what it’s doing. Instead, it was Whaley who spoke for ownership but said a whole lot of nothing, creating the impression either that he has no real power or influence (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/01/02/doug-whaley-creates-impression-he-has-little-power-or-influence/) or that he was lying in an effort to conceal facts regarding the termination of Rex Ryan’s employment as the team’s coach.
Pegula explained that he opted to fire Ryan last week after Ryan finally gave in to the temptation to inquire about his status.
“I was asked a point-blank question and based on the discussions we’ve been having all year, I felt it was better to tell Rex that we were going in a different direction,” Pegula said.
Pegula made it clear that, even if Rex Ryan hadn’t forced the issue, the change would have been made.
The owner also tried to explain the inexplicable notion that Whaley didn’t know that the change was coming.
“[Whaley] had input on the basis of conversations throughout the year, what the problems were,” Pegula said. “But did Doug ever say, ‘Are we firing our coach, are we keeping our coach?’ We never had that conversation. I took it upon myself to tell Rex on the basis of conversations about the games and the aftermath of certain games that, hey, things aren’t going well.”
Of course, this means that Pegula never asked Whaley for his opinion on whether Ryan should be fired, which means that Pegula didn’t care to know what Whaley’s opinion was.
And if the term “dysfunction” means “abnormality or impairment of function,” the notion that an NFL owner would make and implement the decision to fire a head coach without consulting the General Manager is, in relation to how NFL franchises normally operate, clearly and obviously dysfunctional.
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[EDS]

Terry Pegula insists “there’s no dysfunction” with the BillsPosted by Mike Florio on January 2, 2017, 9:07 PM EST
https://nbcprofootballtalk.files.wordpress.com/2017/01/615027140-e1483409163433.jpg?w=230
Getty ImagesAfter the Bills threw G.M. Doug Whaley to the wolves, owner Terry Pegula dipped a toe in the water, submitting to a single-reporter interview in an apparent effort to clean up some of the many messes created by Whaley’s extended Q&A.
Speaking with the Associated Press, via an item with which the Bills were sufficiently happy to paste verbatim on the team’s official website (http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/Bills-owner-outlines-reasons-for-firing-Rex-Ryan/fb3ef253-cba7-4776-b3eb-dd3cace2c3ea), Pegula insisted that all is well with the franchise.
“There’s no dysfunction,” Pegula said. “Everybody is on the same page. We’re busy busting our asses.”
Pegula isn’t busy making himself available to the media at large to explain why the team is doing what it’s doing. Instead, it was Whaley who spoke for ownership but said a whole lot of nothing, creating the impression either that he has no real power or influence (http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/01/02/doug-whaley-creates-impression-he-has-little-power-or-influence/) or that he was lying in an effort to conceal facts regarding the termination of Rex Ryan’s employment as the team’s coach.
Pegula explained that he opted to fire Ryan last week after Ryan finally gave in to the temptation to inquire about his status.
“I was asked a point-blank question and based on the discussions we’ve been having all year, I felt it was better to tell Rex that we were going in a different direction,” Pegula said.
Pegula made it clear that, even if Rex Ryan hadn’t forced the issue, the change would have been made.
The owner also tried to explain the inexplicable notion that Whaley didn’t know that the change was coming.
“[Whaley] had input on the basis of conversations throughout the year, what the problems were,” Pegula said. “But did Doug ever say, ‘Are we firing our coach, are we keeping our coach?’ We never had that conversation. I took it upon myself to tell Rex on the basis of conversations about the games and the aftermath of certain games that, hey, things aren’t going well.”
Of course, this means that Pegula never asked Whaley for his opinion on whether Ryan should be fired, which means that Pegula didn’t care to know what Whaley’s opinion was.
And if the term “dysfunction” means “abnormality or impairment of function,” the notion that an NFL owner would make and implement the decision to fire a head coach without consulting the General Manager is, in relation to how NFL franchises normally operate, clearly and obviously dysfunctional.
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Wow. The Bills are in worse shape then I thought.

[Cleve]

Yup, but the problems go way beyond Whaley and there is no immediate remedy for those issues.

And it starts right with Pegula, and the way he runs his teams. He puts old Ralph Wilson Jr. to shame in the meddling owner department. And that's NOT gonna change, because Pegula has clearly taken on a 'bunker mentality' - everything looks great 'in the Pegula bunker' - no problems at all.

Does anyone still think this team will ever be successful with owners like this? Teams that win - they are not run this way!

[Cleve]

Also, I need to add - Whaley is not a problem. He is a symptom. He won't be fired - he apparently is exactly the sort of rubber-stamping GM that the owners want. They make the 'big decisions' and the GM just follows obediently behind them.

There's no way this team will ever attract quality GM candidates, or quality HC candidates, to come and work in this dysfunctional situation. This was a problem when Ralph Wilson Jr was still owner, and it's now even worse with a younger, more aggressive owner in charge who clearly doesn't need to hear opinions or advice from his GM or coach.

You'll never get a quality football czar like a Polian, or a Parcells, or a Belichick to come to Buffalo and run the team, with a know it all owner who doesn't need advice and will do an end run around the 'czar' at the drop of a hat.

I'm sorry, but the Pegulas have just officially become TERRIBLE owners, as if we couldn't tell from the way both teams they've purchased have declined under their management

[stuckincincy]

It seems that Pegs is beginning to emulate the well-know b'gals loyalty thing - Owner Brown is into his 53rd year of therapy for his DAD GOT FIRED trauma, so nobody gets canned until the contract runs out - players included.

Brandon and Whaley are still golden, boys, so far.

[swiper]

He didn't deny he's clueless about sports and that he'll defer to Darcy/Whaley until it bottoms out.

We can interpret it in so many ways.

Sorry if I'm not feeling better after this hot mess today.

Well I have to say that you are one of the most diehard fans on this board. You often call out folks that complain or whine when things aren't going just right. It's weird to see you down on the team.

[DraftBoy]

And it starts right with Pegula, and the way he runs his teams. He puts old Ralph Wilson Jr. to shame in the meddling owner department. And that's NOT gonna change, because Pegula has clearly taken on a 'bunker mentality' - everything looks great 'in the Pegula bunker' - no problems at all.

Does anyone still think this team will ever be successful with owners like this? Teams that win - they are not run this way!

Agreed, it starts at the top and filters down. My biggest issue is that I'm just not sure where Pegula goes from here. He's getting torn to bits locally, regionally, and nationally and he's smart enough to realize that things can't continue that way. Then again he is a businessman first and the Bills are going to stay profitable no matter what. My secondary issue is that it appears as though the Pegulas want to run this as a traditional business and give people equal access to them which just isn't the way the NFL operates. The GM, Head Coach, and Players shouldn't all have equal access to the ownership but then all be in the dark about what is going on.

In the end I hope that Pegula's business acumen takes over and he realizes he has to adapt. For as much as people want to claim that he stumbled upon fracking that's a false narrative. That's what we have to hope for right now. But he very well could end up being yet another owner that's more concerned about maximizing his investment and profits than he is about truly winning a championship.

[DraftBoy]

It seems that Pegs is beginning to emulate the well-know b'gals loyalty thing - Owner Brown is into his 53rd year of therapy for his DAD GOT FIRED trauma, so nobody gets canned until the contract runs out - players included.

Brandon and Whaley are still golden, boys, so far.

That's an old school business model that goes a long way towards earning the respect of your workforce in a traditional business setting, but the NFL is anything but a traditional business setting. Being slow to react and adapt will cost you dearly.

[SpikedLemonade]

AND some posters were upset when I called Terry Pegula the Dumb Polack months ago.

[The Jokeman]

That's an old school business model that goes a long way towards earning the respect of your workforce in a traditional business setting, but the NFL is anything but a traditional business setting. Being slow to react and adapt will cost you dearly.

Pegula's shown with the Sabres he doesn't give guys long leashes. I think he's giving Whaley the benefit of the doubt that in he didn't have full control over the Rex choice and now is going to see if Whaley has what it takes to pick a HC, if he doesn't he'll be gone sooner than later like he did with Darcy Regier, Ron Rolston, Ted Nolan etc.

[DraftBoy]

Pegula's shown with the Sabres he doesn't give guys long leashes. I think he's giving Whaley the benefit of the doubt that in he didn't have full control over the Rex choice and now is going to see if Whaley has what it takes to pick a HC, if he doesn't he'll be gone sooner than later like he did with Darcy Regier, Ron Rolston, Ted Nolan etc.

Didn't he give Darcy Reiger and Ted Black longer leashes than many fans thought they deserved? I haven't followed the Sabres all that closely in years, but I remember that being a chief complaint before he brought in Tim Murray and Dan Bylsma.

[The Jokeman]

Didn't he give Darcy Reiger and Ted Black longer leashes than many fans thought they deserved? I haven't followed the Sabres all that closely in years, but I remember that being a chief complaint before he brought in Tim Murray and Dan Bylsma.

As is the case whenever a new owner comes into town most fans wans heads to roll immediately as Pegula's purchase was announced on February 3, 2011 and he fired Darcy on on November 13, 2013.

[djjimkelly]

i think every one is severely blowing this out of proportion

terry pegula met with rex. rex asked are we still dating ...... pegula said a simple no not really. rex said ok im leaving today.

what seems to be the problem.. they broke up pegula had one more dance so he took anthony lynn. big deal

we live in a rooney rule era. of course the talking heads will say lynn is a candidate.


now we are looking for a replacement.

rex was gone no matter what . complainers id like to know what was done wrong.

we wanted to get rid of coach the owner doesnt seem to like tyrod he took action.

[ghz in pittsburgh]

I believe someone has mentioned that the Pegulas are following the Steelers model because the NFL recommended the Rooneys to help both the sale transition and the new owners. A big difference is that the Rooneys has been running the Steelers as the sole main business, especially Art who grew up in NFL environment, especially managing. The Steelers has BOTH the GM and HC reporting to the president Rooney and it works because the Rooneys know football.

Terry Pegula are likely far smarter and successful than Art Rooney in other businesses, I but I don't know about football and running a sports team.

In that model, the HC will always be in a stronger position than the traditional owner-GM-HC model. You will need a successful and bigger-than-life persona coach, and a GM who's willing to play second fiddle, behind the scenes. Remember the Cowher/Donahoe feud? I don't think there is any substantial rumor of Rex and Doug clash, but no doubt when the Pergulas hear Doug explaining what went wrong every week, it would be very different from what Rex's explanation.

I still don't get all the hate of Whaley. The guy got a degree from Pitt playing football! He's not media savvy and not smooth in spinning lies like a Russ Brandon. but what he said yesterday is mostly true. Pergula fired Rex then told him. Rex recommended Lynn upon his dismissal and Pegula may have asked his opinion. He likely didn't have a high opinion of Rex and knew the reason he's fired, but do anyone expect him to say that in public about your fired peers?

Truthfully I never believed Whaley would have recommended Rex to the Pegulas 2 years ago for one simple reason: he would know the Rex's D does not match the Bills D in personnel. I think this time he gets to choose someone who shares his view on the offense and defensive and we'll see what happens. And I'm not sure this job is so unattractive to others. A potential quick turnaround is right there with Tyrod rerturning. The D has more talent but hit with injuries and suspension this year. The O has almost the entire unit coming back next year along with the #1 running attack, and a potential healthy Watkins, their best player.

[HHURRICANE]

For the above post:

We have no WRs. Our roster under Whaley is shockingly not that talented. The talent we supposedly have is never on the field, Watkins, Dareus, Lawson, Ragland to name a few. And we have a high salary cap number. The diamonds that we supposedly found in the draft....Karlos gone, Darby regressed, Henderson not playing, Washington mediocre.

This is why Whaley is getting hated on.

[trapezeus]

what wasn't said explicitly but seems to be an issue is that the rats are scurrying as the lights hit. Russ is radio silent. Whaley has said russ has never and never will be part of football operations. he says that pegula fired rex. lynn says he didn't pick the qb. no one says if it was a business decision or if its because they want to see what else they have in qb. terry explains the firing as his choice.

To me, if you are going to spin something, you have to spin the same tale repeatedly. the fact they don't is where Russ isn't a marketing genius. he should have these guys prepped for the questions that are coming and to have some uniform answers across the board. but they didn't, which makes me think the ones left still aren't the ones who get along. It wasn't bad rex acting out. I think there is a power struggle with Brandon and whaley. Pegulas don't know how to fix it and are putting all eggs in whaley basket to see if he can do it. if not, he's fired next year.

ultimately, the pegulas may be asking for us to watch 1-5 more years of same old bills football until they get rid of each weak link. the two whys I have on this are1. why is russ indestructible and 2 why they are so hesitant to start fresh? Even a brand new regime missing the playoffs for 5 years will get some level of sympathy that the current structure does not get.

[The Jokeman]

For the above post:

We have no WRs. Our roster under Whaley is shockingly not that talented. The talent we supposedly have is never on the field, Watkins, Dareus, Lawson, Ragland to name a few. And we have a high salary cap number. The diamonds that we supposedly found in the draft....Karlos gone, Darby regressed, Henderson not playing, Washington mediocre.

This is why Whaley is getting hated on.
and Whaley tried to shore up finding a WR by signing guys who had some NFL success as depth guys in Boykin, Little, and bringing back Salas and Hankerson. He even drafted Listabee and signed Tate, Hunter and Harvin during the season. So again Whaley made an effort to find a WR but two got hurt (Listabee and Salas). Two weren't deemed good enough (Hankerson and Boykin). One was a head case (Harvin) and one might turn out to be a decent redzone 3rd WR (Hunter) and maybe a return man (Tate). I wouldn't blame for Whaley for not trying to find WRs.

[cookie G]

Agreed, it starts at the top and filters down. My biggest issue is that I'm just not sure where Pegula goes from here. He's getting torn to bits locally, regionally, and nationally and he's smart enough to realize that things can't continue that way. Then again he is a businessman first and the Bills are going to stay profitable no matter what. My secondary issue is that it appears as though the Pegulas want to run this as a traditional business and give people equal access to them which just isn't the way the NFL operates. The GM, Head Coach, and Players shouldn't all have equal access to the ownership but then all be in the dark about what is going on.

In the end I hope that Pegula's business acumen takes over and he realizes he has to adapt. For as much as people want to claim that he stumbled upon fracking that's a false narrative. That's what we have to hope for right now. But he very well could end up being yet another owner that's more concerned about maximizing his investment and profits than he is about truly winning a championship.

For a decision that everyone knew was coming and for a decision that most agreed was necessary...it couldn't have been handled more poorly.

In the past week, if you believe the public statements:

An owner is bypassing the GM to fire the coach;
the interim coach was picked by the ex coach;
unnamed people are telling the interim coach who to play and keeping him out of the decision making process;
the CEO is hiding under his desk somewhere inside or outside OBD.


And nowhere in this fiasco, are any objective, 3rd party evaluations from those in the field who have demonstrated any level of success. Its like this whole affair is being run on instinct and gut feelings.

This is the perfect opportunity for them to move this franchise to a professionally run organization...where the right people are brought in for the right reasons.

And so far, all they've shown is that job titles are blurred and no one knows what anyone else is doing in the organization.

[ghz in pittsburgh]

For the above post:

We have no WRs. Our roster under Whaley is shockingly not that talented. The talent we supposedly have is never on the field, Watkins, Dareus, Lawson, Ragland to name a few. And we have a high salary cap number. The diamonds that we supposedly found in the draft....Karlos gone, Darby regressed, Henderson not playing, Washington mediocre.

This is why Whaley is getting hated on.

How many stars can you name the mighty Steelers? After Roethlisberger, Brown and Belle, you will probably be pressed. How many stars in Patriots land after Brady?

There is something called parity in NFL. No team has all the talent like they used to. Overall talent outside QB, the Bills are right up there.

But the league does divide into haves and havenots in terms of QB. An Andrew Luck covers the behind of a GM like no other. it is more appropriate to pick on Whaley for not getting that QB.

[Buckets]

Agreed, it starts at the top and filters down. My biggest issue is that I'm just not sure where Pegula goes from here. He's getting torn to bits locally, regionally, and nationally and he's smart enough to realize that things can't continue that way. Then again he is a businessman first and the Bills are going to stay profitable no matter what. My secondary issue is that it appears as though the Pegulas want to run this as a traditional business and give people equal access to them which just isn't the way the NFL operates. The GM, Head Coach, and Players shouldn't all have equal access to the ownership but then all be in the dark about what is going on.

In the end I hope that Pegula's business acumen takes over and he realizes he has to adapt. For as much as people want to claim that he stumbled upon fracking that's a false narrative. That's what we have to hope for right now. But he very well could end up being yet another owner that's more concerned about maximizing his investment and profits than he is about truly winning a championship.

I may be wrong but isn't his business acumen in managing trash.

[EDS]

How many stars can you name the mighty Steelers? After Roethlisberger, Brown and Belle, you will probably be pressed. How many stars in Patriots land after Brady?

There is something called parity in NFL. No team has all the talent like they used to. Overall talent outside QB, the Bills are right up there.

But the league does divide into haves and havenots in terms of QB. An Andrew Luck covers the behind of a GM like no other. it is more appropriate to pick on Whaley for not getting that QB.

Steelers: Pouncey, DeCastro
Pats: Gronk

Those guys mentioned above all have pro bowls under their belts and have been voted first team AP all pros. Only current Bill with that resume is Dareus.

[ticatfan]

Even the Canadian sport shows today were calling buffalo HC job the worst in the league.

[Cleve]

How can a guy as high up the ladder in the Pegula ladder as Doug Whaley NOT know what Russ Brandon does? That's just amazing to me. He's either lying thru his teeth, or he is amazingly naive and dull-witted.

[Jimkelly12203]

ultimately, the pegulas may be asking for us to watch 1-5 more years of same old bills football until they get rid of each weak link. the two whys I have on this are1. why is russ indestructible and 2 why they are so hesitant to start fresh? Even a brand new regime missing the playoffs for 5 years will get some level of sympathy that the current structure does not get.

I think the problem is that these are Terry's friends now. I read an article where their wives are all friends. It's just not a smart way to run an operation. You can't get all buddy buddy with people who's jobs should be on the line for repeatedly failing to perform.

But this is all Terry knows. These guys are the ones he turned to when Marrone walked out the door and Terry said "Wait, what the hell do i do now?"

That's a paraphrased quote right from Pegula's mouth by the way. He went to Russ and Doug and basically told them that he has no idea how to proceed.

[SpikedLemonade]

For a decision that everyone knew was coming and for a decision that most agreed was necessary...it couldn't have been handled more poorly.

In the past week, if you believe the public statements:

An owner is bypassing the GM to fire the coach;
the interim coach was picked by the ex coach;
unnamed people are telling the interim coach who to play and keeping him out of the decision making process;
the CEO is hiding under his desk somewhere inside or outside OBD.


And nowhere in this fiasco, are any objective, 3rd party evaluations from those in the field who have demonstrated any level of success. Its like this whole affair is being run on instinct and gut feelings.

This is the perfect opportunity for them to move this franchise to a professionally run organization...where the right people are brought in for the right reasons.

And so far, all they've shown is that job titles are blurred and no one knows what anyone else is doing in the organization.

Same as it always was....Same as it always was....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1wg1DNHbNU