HEADLINES

Doug Marrone

Bills President Talks Role, Whaley, Marrone

October 18th, 2014 at 10:09pm CST by Luke Adams

When Terry Pegula and Kim Pegula officially became the new owners of the Bills, Terry assumed the CEO title that Russ Brandon had previously held, but Brandon retained his role as the team’s president. As the club transitions into a new era, Brandon sat down for a Q&A with Tim Graham of the Buffalo News and touched on plenty of interesting topics during the course of their conversation. While the whole interview is worth checking out for Bills fans, we’ll round up several of Brandon’s more notable comments right here:

On why Brandon is the right fit for his current job despite the Bills’ 14-year streak of no playoff berths:

“I’ve only been president since January 1, 2013, and have hired only one coach, Doug Marrone, and one GM, Doug Whaley. They have complete autonomy to run the football side of the operation. If someone wants to grade me since I was hired in 1997, it should be for building our business model and keeping the franchise financially competitive. I have a passion for what I do, and I’m going to continue to do everything I can for this franchise and continue to build this business. My credentials stand for themselves here.”

On the job Whaley has done since taking over as the club’s general manager:

“When you look at the Jerry Hughes trade, Ty Powell off Seattle’s practice squad, Stefan Charles off Tennessee’s practice squad and some of the other moves [Whaley] has made, he’s put us in a very good position moving forward. He’s revamped the personnel department since he took over by bringing in Jim Monos from New Orleans to oversee player personnel and Kelvin Fisher from Pittsburgh to oversee college scouting. He has not sat on his hands since he took over as GM, and whether people did like the move or didn’t like the bold move to trade up for Sammy Watkins, it shows a lot of conviction on his end. I give him a lot of credit for that.”

On Brandon’s comment that 2014 was Whaley’s first draft, which some viewed as an attempt to distance the GM from 2013’s E.J. Manuel pick:

“Buddy Nix completely ran the football operations [in 2013]. You have your scouts and your personnel, but at the end of the day the responsibility of every draft is the person pulling the tag. I was just stating the facts. In the 2013 draft, Buddy Nix was general manager. My responsibility is to empower people, and Doug Whaley is empowered to run the football operations. This year was his first draft as general manager.

“That being said, no one is running away from anything. Doug was very involved in that 2013 draft. There’s ownership across the board, but my point was that was Buddy’s draft. At the end of the day, the general manager makes the decision, just like Whales made the decision to move up and take Sammy Watkins. That was his job, his responsibility, and that’s what he’ll be graded on down the road.”

On the futures of Marrone and Whaley in Buffalo:

“I will sit with Terry and Kim, and we’ll discuss and evaluate everything regarding the organization. I think we’re 22 games into their collective careers. I’ve stated it often that Coach Marrone was brought here in early January 2013 to change a culture and build a franchise that everyone’s proud of, and Doug Whaley took over in May of that year. They’re in their infant stages of building that process. We’ve had a lot of change here since 1998, and that is not a formula for success. Obviously, everything is a discussion at the conclusion of the year.”

AFC East Links: Ryan, Marrone, Gilmore

October 18th, 2014 at 5:11pm CST by Rob DiRe

Jets‘ head coach Rex Ryan is on the hot seat following a 1-6 record start to the season. In some minds, he is already as good as fired with his team facing another year missing the postseason. While his future with the Jets is bleak, Gary Myers of the New York Daily News writes that he expects Ryan to be a top candidate for teams looking for a head coach this January.

Myers lists a few teams where Ryan could fit in well, including the Falcons, Dolphins, and 49ers. He also warns that Ryan should avoid the Raiders, Bills, and Giants if those jobs open up. Myers also lists the Cowboys as a fit, but it would be hard to imagine them making a change at head coach without an epic collapse in the last ten games of the season.

Here are some other notes from around the AFC East:

  • One big distraction the Bills have had to deal with is the unhappiness amongst its players over recent weeks. Head coach Doug Marrone has addressed many of these issues, but Vic Carucci of BuffaloNews.com believes the coach needs to squash these trade talks. He writes that it doesn’t matter whether C.J. Spiller or Mike Williams are unhappy with playing time, both players need to join the rest of the team in preparing for a winnable game against the Vikings on Sunday.
  • The Bills have had a lot of faith in former first-round pick Stephon Gilmore, but the cornerback has also taken a lot of heat for mistakes he has made early in this season, writes Joe Buscaglia of WGR550.com. Defensive backs coach Donnie Henderson preaches that Gilmore needs to improve his consistency in order to reach his potential. “If you want to be a shutdown corner in this league, you’ve got to play technique and you gotta play your guy,” said Henderson. “That’s how we talk about it in my room. I don’t beat around the bush. I tell them straight that if you want to be a shutdown corner, you take your man out of it by working technique and making sure you get yours covered.”
  • Dolphins‘ star offensive lineman Mike Pouncey was a top flight center before making the transition to guard this season. The move went smoothly, but he might be back to center sooner rather than later with Samson Satele dealing with a hamstring injury, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

AFC East Notes: Bills, Pegulas, Brady, Jets

October 10th, 2014 at 5:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Terry Pegula and Kim Pegula met with Buffalo reporters today at their introductory press conference as Bills owners, and prior to the presser, the team also sent out a statement from the Pegulas with the caption “THE BILLS ARE HERE TO STAY!” (Twitter link). In both the statement and the press conference, the Pegulas expressed excitement about being able to keep the franchise in Buffalo and about being able to contribute to the legacy established by the late Ralph Wilson.

Here’s more on the Bills and the Pegulas, as well as a couple other AFC East items:

  • Terry Pegula has assumed a CEO role for the Bills, meaning Russ Brandon is simply the team’s president now, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.com.
  • Pegula indicated at today’s presser that he hadn’t had a chance to consider the Bills‘ football operations yet, while Brandon expressed support for the job done by GM Doug Whaley and head coach Doug Marrone. According to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (Twitter link), both Whaley and Marrone are good bets to be around for the 2015 season unless the team totally falls apart this year, an observation echoed by Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
  • Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com wonders if the cap space being carried by the Patriots this season – and presumably into next year – is an insurance policy that could allow the team to consider trading Tom Brady. While Curran can envision New England dealing its franchise quarterback at some point, he doubts that it’s in the team’s plans quite yet.
  • Veteran interior offensive lineman Mike Brewster, who was waived by the Jaguars during preseason cutdowns to 53 players, worked out for the Jets today, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.

Bills Name Kyle Orton Starting QB

September 29th, 2014 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Bills head coach Doug Marrone announced today that veteran signal-caller Kyle Orton will take over for E.J. Manuel as the team’s starting quarterback beginning this coming week (Twitter link). According to Marrone, the Bills need more production at the position and believe that Orton gives the club the best opportunity to win immediately (Twitter links).

While Manuel helped lead the Bills to a pair of wins early in the season, he has often struggled to make accurate throws to his receivers, and is completing just 58.0% of his passes. Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) rank the second-year quarterback just 35th out of 37 qualified passers, ahead of only Jake Locker and Geno Smith.

Orton signed with the Bills late in the offseason to a contract that suggested the team believed he may have to start at some point. As Brian McIntyre observes (via Twitter), Orton can earn up to $6MM this season if he plays more than 50% of Buffalo’s snaps in 2014.

This will be an interesting situation to keep an eye on, on a number of levels. Orton clearly isn’t a long-term solution for the Bills at quarterback, and if Manuel isn’t either, the team may need to draft a signal-caller in 2015 to develop. However, the club dealt its 2015 first-round pick to Cleveland in the Sammy Watkins trade, so unless the Bills can somehow trade back into the first round, it’s unlikely they’ll have a shot at a future star.

Additionally, the QB change signals that the front office and coaching staff are very aware that the Bills are in win-now mode with a new ownership group taking over. If the move backfires and leads to another losing season in Buffalo, major changes could be coming in the offseason.

AFC Notes: Whisenunt, Marrone, Watt, Ryan

September 28th, 2014 at 7:57pm CST by Rob DiRe

Titans‘ head coach Ken Whisenhunt was fielding questions during his post-game press conference, and was asked if he had overestimated the team’s ability. His candid answer has upset some fans, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com.

“You know, I guess that’s the problem saying those kind of things. You go on a stretch where you have a couple games and you don’t play well and those are the kind of things that, hey, I still believe that, I still believe we have a team that’s good enough, that’s better than what we are playing right now,” said Whisenhunt. “But we have to look at what we are doing, how we are doing it. We have to look at everything. Maybe.”

Looking back to the offseason, Whisenhunt was heavily rumored as an option for the Lions and Browns, along with the Titans after the success he had coordinating Philip Rivers and the Chargers’ offense. He is believed to have preferred the Titans’ position.

Here are some other notes from around the AFC:

  • Doug Marrone’s Bills team started off fast with wins over the Bears and Dolphins to begin the season, but has cooled considerably in losing efforts against the Chargers and Texans. Marrone admits that it is tough to find consistency with such a young offense, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (via Twitter). “You got young receivers, a young quarterback, and some [young] guys on the line,” said Marrone. “They have to grow and they have to grow fast.”
  • Texans‘ defensive end J.J. Watt had an impressive showing against the Bills earlier today, leading to owner Bob McNair to praise him publicly, reports Matthew Fairburn of Syracuse.com (via Twitter). “He is worth every cent,” said McNair. “I hope he doesn’t come in tomorrow and ask for a raise.”
  • After losing to the Lions to fall to 1-3 on the season, Jets‘ head coach Rex Ryan is on the hotseat, writes Bob Glauber of Newsday. The team has three tough games against the Chargers, Broncos, and Patriots, and if they finish that stretch at 1-6, Glauber writes that general manager would be smart to reconsider his commitment to both Ryan and quarterback Geno Smith.

AFC East Notes: Decker, Ryan, Marrone

September 6th, 2014 at 9:36am CST by Ben Levine

ESPN personality (and former Broncos offensive lineman) Mark Schlereth was critical of Jets acquisition Eric Decker, who Schlereth described as a “marginal No. 2 [receiver] at best” (via New York Post’s Brian Costello). The wide receiver commented on the remarks to the New York Post’s Brian Lewis…

“Am I surprised? I guess, yeah. I mean, I don’t know how to answer that. We did interviews in Denver a couple times, and it always was good.”

“Like it was a little personal? Really, I’m just going to handle my business. I’ve got more things to worry about as far as getting ready for the Oakland Raiders.

“There was never anything that I could think of that’d give us to have beef. I’m not going to get into a battle of who-said-what or how-he-feels-about-what. He said what he said, and he’s obligated to his opinion. We’ll just move on. … I’m going to let my talking be on the field. That’s really what will in time prove itself.”

Teammate David Nelson also gave his take on the criticism:

“It sounded like jealousy to me. I don’t know why you’d ever come out and bash a guy, especially as a former player, why you’d come out and say something like that about somebody. That’s inaccurate, first of all. It’s unfortunate that someone like that has to come out and say those things.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes from the AFC East…

  • Considering the Jets’ lack of depth at cornerback, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com thinks Kyle Wilson is primed for a big season. The fifth-year player is entering the final season of his contract, and the writer thinks it’s time for him “to step up and take charge.”
  • In the same article, Cimini opines that if the Jets endure another losing season, it will be tough for Rex Ryan to keep his job. The writer does note that it’s not necessarily “playoffs-or-bust” for Rex and the Jets.
  • Following a reported argument between Bills coach Doug Marrone and members of the team’s front office, CEO Russ Brandon attempted to defuse the situation. “This is the best working relationship I have seen, to be honest, between a coach and a G.M.,” Brandon said (via ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio). “They’re great competitors and communicators.”

Latest On Doug Marrone, Bills’ Front Office

September 5th, 2014 at 2:39pm CST by Luke Adams

2:39pm: A league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that the cause of the heated exchange between Marrone and team officials was the Bills’ decision to sign Kyle Orton so late in the preseason to a contract that suggests he may see playing time this season. As Florio points out, for Buffalo to have a good season, E.J. Manuel will likely need to play well, and bringing in a highly-paid veteran backup a week before the season begins may not be the best approach for building his confidence.

2:06pm: According to a report from Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, Bills head coach Doug Marrone was recently involved in a “loud verbal altercation” with various members of the team’s front office, including director of player personnel Jim Monos. La Canfora reports that the incident between Marrone and Monos resulted in general manager Doug Whaley and team president Russ Brandon to get involved as well.

La Canfora continues by writing that Marrone has clashed with a few players during the preseason, and that the coach and the front office disagree about the value of certain players, and how they’re being used — that includes guard Kraig Urbik, whom the club reportedly shopped as trade bait recently. According to the CBSSports.com scribe, Marrone also has a “strained relationship” with Monos, and told team execs to “go ahead and fire me” during the aforementioned verbal spat.

While La Canfora’s report seems damning, a pair of Bills beat writers have suggested it may not be entirely accurate. Per Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (via Twitter), a source says Monos wasn’t even present for the reported altercation, and that Marrone’s “go ahead and fire me” comment was made over beers at another time, and was being laughed about in a matter of minutes.

Meanwhile, Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 has a response from Marrone himself, who indicated that the report is “very much” overblown.

“Hey, did we have a discussion? Absolutely. I confirm that absolutely,” Marrone said. “Are we great? We talk every day, three times a day. We talk about a lot of things. We’re competitive and I couldn’t be happier with those guys, I really couldn’t. And then the thing about Jim is great, too, because I was one of the ones that recommended Jim to come here. So there’s a lot of things in that that I think I’ll probably catch a lot of heat on from my friends because it’s just not true.“

It makes sense that Marrone would deny, or at least downplay, any tension between him and the front office, so it’s hard to know exactly how much truth there is to La Canfora’s initial report. With expectations on the rise following the addition of wideout Sammy Watkins this offseason, another last-place season in 2014 might mean Marrone’s days in Buffalo are numbered, regardless of whether or not there’s friction amongst the team’s ranks.

As La Canfora notes, it’s also possible that a shake-up could be in the works when the sale process is finalized and the franchise’s new owners take over. However, Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula continues to look like the clear-cut favorite to buy the team, and La Canfora hears that a Pegula win would make it less likely that the franchise is overhauled immediately.

Poll: Which Coach Will Be Fired First?

August 16th, 2014 at 10:00pm CST by Rob DiRe

Cowboys‘ head coach Jason Garrett has been on the hot seat for a while, with a myriad of 8-8 finishes on his coaching résumé. He has finished with eight wins in each of his three full seasons as the team’s coach, after going 5-3 taking over for Wade Phillips in 2010. Garrett’s odds of being the first coach fired are set at 2/1, according to Bovada Sportsbook.

However, Garrett is far from the only coach who should be worried about his job. Raiders‘ coach Dennis Allen (4/1 odds) has been given the organizational mandate to win some football games, despite being saddled with below average talent on the roster. General manager Reggie McKenzie might have to fire Allen in order to buy himself some time to improve the depth chart.

Dolphins‘ coach Joe Philbin (7/1), Bills‘ coach Doug Marrone (8/1), and Jaguars‘ coach Gus Bradley (12/1) have yet to take their teams to the playoffs, and their owners will only accept that for so long.

Jets‘ coach Rex Ryan (10/1), Bengals‘ coach Marvin Lewis (20/1), and Falcon’s coach Mike Smith (20/1) are all in danger of being fired if they miss the playoffs in 2014, following various levels of disappointment over the past few seasons. Panthers‘ coach Ron Rivera (20/1), who is coming off a 12-4 season, but is set to take a step back, is also a possibility if the season goes south early.

AFC Notes: Watt, Glenn, Gordon

July 21st, 2014 at 6:14pm CST by Matt Feminis

Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, who will make approximately $3.6MM this year, should be in line for a four-year deal worth nearly $58MM in the opinion of Jason Fitzgerald at OverTheCap.com. Fitzgerald supplements his proposed contract with a thorough evaluation of all the factors involved.

Here’s some AFC news and notes:

  • With the waiving of Brennan Williams, the Texans will get nothing out of two 2013 third-round picks, notes Brian T. Smith in the Houston Chronicle.
  • Bills fans hoping for encouraging news about Cordy Glenn didn’t get any on Monday, as head coach Doug Marrone merely told the media he’s not allowed to go into specifics about the illness keeping his starting left tackle on the Active/Non-Football Illness list. “It’s a medical condition,” Marrone told WGR 550’s Joe Buscaglia. “I’m preparing to go on as if he’s not playing, which he’s not. I’m just waiting for the doctors, and I can’t speak about the condition because it’s something that happened outside of football.”
  • A disciplinary hearing looms for Browns receiver Josh Gordon, and the team does not seem intent on releasing the troubled receiver at this time, writes ESPN’s Pat McManamon.
  • The Titans defensive line is previewed by the Tennessean’s John Glennon, who tabbed defensive lineman Jurrell Casey as the unit’s “offseason star”: “After racking up a career-best 10.5 sacks at defensive tackle in the 4-3, Casey certainly could have been upset about the shift to a 3-4 defensive end – especially in a contract year. But he seems genuinely enthusiastic about the new scheme and new defensive coordinator Ray Horton.” Meanwhile, Jim Wyatt, Glennon’s Tennessean colleague, tweets that the team and Casey are in negotiations for a new deal.
  • Patriots second-year linebacker Jamie Collins “clearly added muscle mass as he prepared for 2014, though he wouldn’t admit how much, and he looks much more the part of an NFL linebacker,” reports Boston.com’s Jeff Howe.

AFC Notes: Louis, Dareus, Thomas, Taylor

June 7th, 2014 at 10:35am CST by Matt Feminis

With Donald Thomas injured, Lance Louis, who hasn’t played since November 2012 because of a torn ACL injury, is working as the Colts’ first-team left guard, shares ESPN’s Mike Wells. Louis appeared to be an emerging talent in 2012 when he started the first 11 games for the Bears, and Colts GM Ryan Grigson took notice: “I was sitting watching the Bears (on tape) with Tom Telesco when we were preparing for them. I look at the tape and I said, ‘Who’s No. 60?’ I look him up in the system and the guy ran a 4.72 (40-yard dash) at 309 (pounds) coming out of San Diego State. He was faster than some of the receivers who are going to go in the second round this year. So, we’re watching that and we’re thinking, in free agency, this guy is going to break the bank because he’s the best player on their line. He gets his knee blown out and things change. We stayed on him all (last) year and the knee’s fine now and we have him here for two years. Hopefully he gets back to that level of play where he’s a good starter. He’s a guy who is completely off the radar who we’re optimistic about.”

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • A pair of off-season arrests for Bills defensive lineman Marcell Dareus has thrown his long-term stability into question, prompting Adam Schein of SiriusXM Mad Dog Radio (highlighted on the web by Pro Football Talk) to ask head coach Doug Marrone if Dareus “gets it.” The coach’s response? “That’s a good question.”
  • Steelers 6-4, 330-pound defensive lineman Cam Thomas, who signed a two-year, $4MM deal in March, is working at nose tackle and five-technique, writes Mark Kaboly of Triblive.com.
  • Dolphins cornerback Jamar Taylor, a 2013 second-rounder, played just 40 snaps as a rookie after a pre-draft kidney ailment and subsequent sports hernia affected him. He’s healthy now and competing with Cortland Finnegan and Will Davis for available playing time between the No. 2 corner and nickel back jobs, writes ESPN’s James Walker, who also notes the Dolphins got just 1,126 snaps by their rookies last year, third-fewest in the league.
  • It was a tale of two seasons for Chiefs cornerback Marcus Cooper in 2013, writes ESPN’s Adam Teicher, who identifies Cooper as a young player who must improve. A seventh-rounder claimed on waivers, Cooper immediately “looked like he belonged,” earned the third cornerback job and “played better than either of the two starters for the first half of the season,” according to Teicher. However, Cooper’s play deteriorated during the second half of the season and he was demoted. At 6-2, 192 pounds, Cooper has the dimensions and physical tools the Chiefs desire, but the team needs more consistency out of him.
  • Because of free-agent departures, there’s competition for jobs up and down the Chiefs roster, details AP writer Dave Skretta.
  • MarQueis Gray, an undrafted college quarterback out of Minnesota, converted to tight end and stuck with the Browns last season, appearing in 12 games (two starts). The team is again tapping into his versatility, this time trying him at fullback, according to George M. Thomas in the Beacon Journal.