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Doug Whaley

AFC Notes: Bradham, Broncos, Dolphins

December 15th, 2015 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Bills linebacker Nigel Bradham is one of three starters for the team whose contract will expire at season’s end. While Bradham was a better fit under Jim Schwartz‘s defensive scheme in 2014 than he has been for Rex Ryan and Dennis Thurman this year, the veteran linebacker would still like to return to Buffalo next season, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com details.

“Yeah, I will always envision [being in Buffalo next season],” Bradham said today. “I’m here now, so I’m hoping that I’ll be here next year. But it’s one of those things where you never know. I just look forward to being here.”

Here’s more from across the AFC:

  • Despite an up-and-down first year in Buffalo, Bills head coach Rex Ryan is almost certainly safe. However, GM Doug Whaley‘s job security is less certain, writes Rodak in a separate ESPN.com piece.
  • Former third overall pick Trent Richardson is among the players working out for the Broncos today, according to Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). However, Klis adds that the players auditioning for Denver today are only being considered for future contracts, not for this season.
  • The Dolphins have invested big money into their defense, but the unit still looks like one in need of an overhaul, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Middle linebacker, safety, and cornerback are among the positions Miami needs to address this offseason, in Salguero’s view.
  • It’s true that some NFL team owners oppose the Raiders moving to Los Angeles, tweets Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego. That’s why, in Acee’s estimation, it’s foolish to think that Chargers owner Dean Spanos would never team up with Rams owner Stan Kroenke.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

East Notes: Cowboys, Giants, Bills

December 8th, 2015 at 8:13pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Cowboys earned their first win this season without Tony Romo on Monday night, upending NFC East rival Washington, 19-16, to improve to 4-8 and remain in the hunt for the division title. Despite the victory, owner Jerry Jones wasn’t happy after the game. The 73-year-old criticized his club’s Jason Garrett-led coaching staff both for not getting star receiver Dez Bryant more involved and its end-of-game clock management, according to Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Jones said that the Cowboys beat Washington “on will, not tactical mastery.” He also expressed disappointment in the team’s 1-7 record sans Romo.

“I am stunned that we haven’t been able to win more games without Tony. And I would have thought that we could have coached it up enough, and put it together enough, that we would not have lost those games without Romo early. We would be in better shape than we are right now.”

Even though they’re well under .500, the Cowboys are still in the playoff hunt because of their division’s general incompetence. Jones doesn’t sound particularly hopeful about their postseason chances, though.

“I look at it at 4-8 and won’t look at it any differently as we move up the ladder until something really special happens,” Jones stated.

More from both the NFL’s two East-based divisions:

  • The Bills won’t have any in-season discussions about the future status of general manager Doug Whaley, according to The Buffalo News’ Vic Carucci (Twitter link).
  • Giants receiver Rueben Randle has garnered 66 fewer targets than last season, when he totaled career highs in catches (71) and yards (938), and he voiced his displeasure about it Tuesday. “My opportunities have been cut down a little more,” Randle told WFAN, per the New York Daily News’ Ebenezer Samuel. “It’s definitely frustrating. As a receiver you want to get more involved. It can be kind of tough when the opportunities are limited.” Randle is averaging just over five targets per game this year after piling up almost eight per contest last season.
  • The Bills made a surprising roster move today, releasing veteran tight end Matthew Mulligan in order to promote rookie TE Nick O’Leary. The transaction sparked some speculation that Buffalo had wanted to protect O’Leary from a team that might sign him away, and Mike Rodak of ESPN.com confirms (via Twitter) that the sixth-rounder did have some clubs “fishing around” on him.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Bills GM On McCoy, Incognito, Ryan

November 23rd, 2015 at 9:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Bills General Manager Doug Whaley hasn’t been heard from much in the 2015 season, but Joe Buscaglia of WKBW got an opportunity to sit down with him prior to Buffalo’s contest against New England. The whole Q&A is worth a read, but here’s a look at the highlights:

Offseason acquisitions Richie Incognito and LeSean McCoy had issues with their previous teams. What led you to believe that they would be such a good fit in Buffalo?

Two things. Just from our ownership, and the whole construction of our organization, we knew that once we got those players in here, they know what’s expected of them, and they’re going to toe the line and be Buffalo Bills not only on the field, but off the field. And I think that’s a credit to the coaching staff, Rex Ryan, and also the Pegulas — just to set up an organization when you come in, you’ve got to buy into what a Buffalo Bills means, again, on and off the field.

The Bills have three starters headed for unrestricted free agency: Incognito, Nigel Bradham, and Cordy Glenn. Will you be able to retain all three?

Well, it’s going to be an organizational determination on who can we keep, and prioritize from top to bottom, of your free agents. And we’re a victim, unfortunately, of our scouting staff and how well — not only on the pro side — of acquiring free agents, but on the college side and our drafting. So, we’ve been drafting everybody. And you can’t keep everybody. That’s just the nature of the business. We’re going to try. We’re going to try our hardest, and we’re going to develop a plan after the season and try to implement it. Again, it’s going to be tough, but we’re going to try our hardest to keep all those guys.

Quarterback Tyrod Taylor has one year left on his deal. Will the Bills try and lock him up long-term this offseason?

Again, that’s another thing we’re going to have to talk about in the offseason. It’s a possibility that we’ll try to do that, but again, we’ve got a lot of things to work through in this offseason. It’s going to be a challenging one for us as a staff and an organization, like you said, just because of all the guys we’ve got coming up and the guys you want to lock up long-term. If Tyrod’s the guy, we’ll try to make sure we get him, and be our quarterback for a long, long time. And that’s a good problem to have. All these problems, we’re not complaining about, but they’re good problems.

On talk of not being on the same page as Ryan:

Rex and I, like I said from day one, we can complete each other’s sentences. The best thing about our business now is, when someone throws a report out there, they’re more believed than when you ask me a question and I answer it. If I answer it and say, ‘We’re great,’ people are still going to say, ‘I don’t believe him.’ So, that’s the business we’re in and that’s the business we’ve chosen… I’m fine with that. To answer your question, Rex and I are thick as thieves.

AFC East Notes: Fins, Whaley, Bowles

November 15th, 2015 at 8:55am CST by Rory Parks

The Dolphins are in the midst of a disappointing season, and although there is still time for the 3-5 club to reverse its fortunes and claw back into the wildcard race, there are some who are already looking ahead to next season. As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes, the Dolphins can easily create a great deal of cap space in 2016 to address their weaknesses and restock their roster. For instance, Miami will almost assuredly release Greg Jennings, thereby saving $4MM, and it could also cut Jordan Cameron, who has not found his place in the offense and who will count a whopping $9.5MM against the cap next year.

Meanwhile, Ndamukong Suh and Ryan Tannehill have a combined $40.2MM cap hit in 2016, but Jackson notes that the Dolphins could reduce that number to as low as $15.1MM with several relatively simple restructures. Needless to say, such restructurings could hamstring the team in future seasons, but even if the Dolphins choose not to go that route, there are still plenty of opportunities for them to create cap room. Parting ways with Koa Misi and Earl Mitchell, for example, would free up over $6MM of space. The real question, then, is not whether the Dolphins will have the financial wherewithal to improve their fortunes, but whether they can find the right players to do so. Recent history, of course, is against them.

Now let’s take a quick swing around the other clubs in the AFC East:

  • We heard several days ago that even if the Bills fall out of the playoff race in 2015, head coach Rex Ryan would still return for 2016, though GM Doug Whaley‘s future in Buffalo would be much more uncertain. But as Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News writes, the club’s 2015 draft class has been crucial to the team’s relative good fortunes this season, and although Skurski does not explicitly say so, it may be that the rookies’ cumulative success could save Whaley’s job.
  • Manish Mehta of The New York Daily News believes Todd Bowles was the right hire at the right time for the Jets, but a series of questionable in-game decisions, particularly decisions related to clock management, have cast a black cloud over Bowles’ otherwise promising first season as a head coach. Bowles’ job will not be in jeopardy any time soon, but his ability to learn from his early blunders will ultimately define how successful his tenure with Gang Green will be, and how long it will last.
  • When a player signs an extension prior to exploring free agency, he is often said to have left money on the table. However, as Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes, the recent case of Patriots RB Dion Lewis runs counter to that narrative. Lewis signed a two-year deal in October that led many writers to praise New England for once again securing a major contributor with a team-friendly contract. But as Reiss says, Lewis’ season-ending ACL tear shows just how fragile one’s career can be, and just how important it is for many players–particularly players who entered the league as late draft choices or undrafted free agents–to get paid as soon as possible.

AFC Notes: Bills, Ridley, Texans, Chiefs, Jags

October 24th, 2015 at 4:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite EJ Manuel, who entered the season as the Bills‘ third-string quarterback, set to start a second straight game due to Tyrod Taylor‘s knee injury, Buffalo GM Doug Whaley does not regret trading Matt Cassel, per Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News.

“When you look at it, coming out of camp, arguably you could say (Manuel) was the No. 2. So we had an opportunity to come back with Cassel at a reduced rate and have three quarterbacks,” Whaley told Dunne. “If you look at the league, a little over half the league had three quarterbacks so it’s a luxury.”

Dunne, though, offers that Bills coaches may not have been in agreement with trading Cassel, who will make his first start for the Cowboys on Sunday, and a 2017 seventh-round pick for a 2017 fifth-rounder. The Bills reporter noted Buffalo offensive coordinator Greg Roman demurred when asked what prevented Manuel from leapfrogging Cassel on the depth chart when all three QBs were on the roster, and quarterbacks coach David Lee once referred to Cassel as “the glue of the room.”

Whaley said Manuel’s progress has been inconsistent but that the team was on board with promoting the former No. 16 overall pick to the backup spot after some internal debate.

Here are some more notes from the AFC East and the rest of the league.

  • Stevan Ridley won’t make his Jets debut Sunday against the Patriots, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It will be at least another week for the ex-Patriots running back, who is still recovering from ACL surgery. The Jets did not activate the fifth-year back off their PUP list, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link), and Gang Green will go with Chris Ivory and Zac Stacy as their top two ball-carriers.
  • The Texans are lobbying to play a game in Mexico City either next season or in 2017, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter). The NFL is eyeing a game at 95,000-plus-seat Azteca Stadium as soon as next year. If the league’s unable to move the logistics along in time, four London games are likely on tap for 2016, with the NFL serious about expanding beyond the USA’s borders, reports Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.
  • Jaguars guard Brandon Linder underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum October 7 and has returned to the team’s facility for rehab, The Florida Times-Union’s Hays Carlyon reports. A Jags starting guard in each of the 18 games he’s played (three this season before injuring his shoulder) since being drafted by Jacksonville in the third round last year, Linder expects to be ready to return to action by May.
  • The Chiefs worked out defensive linemen Lawrence Okoye and Derrick Lott, along with running back Gus Johnson, Pro Football Talk tweets.

AFC East Notes: Bills, Landry, Dolphins

October 14th, 2015 at 10:55am CST by Luke Adams

Using his player-values metric, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap writes that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has provided the most 2015 value through the season’s first five weeks, among QBs. While Tyrod Taylor of the Bills ranks just 10th for overall value, he has a cap hit below $1MM, making him even more valuable — no signal-caller has a wider gap so far between his cap charge and his actual value than the ex-Raven, according to Fitzgerald.

Here are a few more items from out of the AFC East:

  • There has been some speculation that, with Taylor hurting, the Bills may regret having traded Matt Cassel. However, head coach Rex Ryan said today that the decision to send the veteran quarterback to Dallas reflected the confidence Buffalo has in Taylor and EJ Manuel. For what it’s worth, Ryan added that there’s no official word yet on Taylor’s availability for Week 6 (Twitter links via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).
  • General manager Doug Whaley has supported Manuel throughout his time with the Bills, and the GM also signed off on the Cassel trade, prompting Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) to wonder if Whaley could be the “fall guy” if Manuel is forced into action and struggles.
  • The Dolphins are somewhat concerned with Jarvis Landry‘s repeated conduct issues this year, according to Cole (video link). New head coach Dan Campbell will be tasked with improving Landry’s focus, after the wideout got into a fight during practice with ex-Dolphin LaMichael James and was fined $23K+ for berating an official.
  • Appearing on 790 The Ticket on Tuesday, Dolphins executive Mike Tannenbaum denied that he wanted to fire Joe Philbin and hire Dan Quinn after he was hired last winter, as Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald details. “I knew Coach Philbin was on the precipice of being announced with a long-term extension,” Tannenbaum said. “I knew about it and supported it at the time. I was offered the job with one set of circumstances, which was to work with [GM] Dennis Hickey and Joe Philbin.”

Bills GM on Strategy, Trades, Ryan

October 3rd, 2015 at 11:23am CST by Ben Levine

Bills general manager Doug Whaley had a busy offseason. He added offensive weapons LeSean McCoy, Tyrod Taylor, Percy Harvin, Richie Incognito and Charles Clay, and he re-signed defensive end Jerry Hughes. Perhaps the most significant move of them all was hiring Rex Ryan as his head coach.

The executive sat down with Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com to discuss the moves, his team’s strategy, and the team’s outlook. We’ve compiled some of the notable quotes, which you can find below…

On the team’s front office strategy, and how the Bills are constantly looking to build for the future:

“Every day we sit and think about how we can make this roster better. Outside the perception of some is we’re reckless, we’re rogue. No, everything is calculated and that is driven a lot by information and what makes the best sense for our team going forward. If you look at any move that most management teams make, it’s not that move, but how that move sets you up for your next move.”

“It’s a delicate balance because we have to win now and we have to produce this season, but it helps you when you have depth and you have some pieces to play with. So it’s a delicate balance and each situation is different, but again if you can get guys with a high upside and a long shelf life you have a chance to stay competitive for a long time.”

On the team trading veteran quarterback Matt Cassel:

“When the opportunity presented itself where we could get a valuable draft pick for Matt Cassel, and you already felt comfortable enough with EJ (Manuel) because we moved Cassel off the roster previously. So if you look at it analytically if everything is equal or close, go with the guy with higher upside and the longer shelf life.

“Then you add in the fact that we’re going to get a pick and another young guy that we’ll have another four years, so you have two guys with longer shelf lives and possibly better upside. Analytically and informationally that makes the decision.”

On the relationship between him and head coach Rex Ryan:

“It’s easier because we’re looking for the same type of players. So what I deem as a good player or a player that can fit what we’re trying to build he seems the same way. Obviously there is always going to be some difference of opinion, but generally he wants the best player at every position and we do too.

“The scouts were wondering how things were going to change. He comes in and says, ‘Keep doing what you’re doing. Get good football players. We’ll make it work.’ So we don’t want to be scheme or system specific when we scout. You can see it in the offense as well. If they shut down Sammy (Watkins) then you’ve got Percy (Harvin). If they shut down Percy then you’ve got Charles (Clay). It’s not a difficult situation or problem to solve. Just get as many good football players as possible.”

On owners Terry and Kim Pegula’s willingness to spend on the team:

“They have made a concerted effort to say, ‘If they’re ours and we believe in them, let’s exhaust every resource we have to try to keep them.’ It starts with them and that to me goes along with drafting being the backbone of your organization. If you draft well and you can keep your own then you don’t have to go and get as many free agent targets. You’ve already got those guys on your roster.”

Workout Notes: Jets, Brown, Chargers, Lions

September 29th, 2015 at 6:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets auditioned running back Bryce Brown on Tuesday, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Brown has showed flashes of promise in the past, but he was unable to stick with the Bills in 2015. The Bills traded a 2015 fourth-round pick to the Eagles to acquire Brown before the start of last season and that’s a deal that GM Doug Whaley probably wouldn’t make again. In 2014, Brown ran for a grand total of 126 yards off of 36 carries.

Here’s a rundown of other notable workouts from around the NFL..

Extra Points: Brees, Saints, Bucs, Collins

April 30th, 2015 at 2:56pm CST by Zachary Links

Saints GM Mickey Loomis says he may take a quarterback in this year’s draft, but he doesn’t see the end of the line for Drew Brees anytime soon either, ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett writes. “That’s a good question,” Loomis said. “I think you’re always looking to get a young quarterback in the program. We’ve got one in Ryan Griffin that we like. And if an opportunity presents itself, hey, we may take another one here. But I don’t see the end for Drew Brees on the short-term horizon. At least I certainly hope not. But it does take time for these quarterbacks to develop. And we’re conscious of that. We evaluate the quarterbacks. And obviously if an opportunity presents itself to take one at the right time, we’re not afraid to do that.” More on that and other news from the NFL..

  • If the Saints draft Bryce Petty, it’ll be a clear indication that Jeff Ireland is already calling the shots there, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets.
  • Ed Werder of ESPN (via Rob Demovsky on Twitter) says the Buccaneers may be looking to move up into the bottom of the first round. The Bucs currently pick at No. 34 and Demovsky wonders if the Packers at No. 30 could be a match.
  • Multiple teams have removed LSU offensive lineman La’el Collins from their draft boards, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
  • Bills GM Doug Whaley called Kentucky defensive end Za’Darius Smith a “perfect fit” for the type of scheme they run, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweets.
  • Army running back Raymond Maples has been granted administrative leave to attend team activities if he’s drafted or signed, Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets.
  • With so few quality safeties available, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that James Sample (Louisville) and Damarious Randall (ASU) will go higher than most people think.

AFC Links: Maclin, Dareus, Colts, Revis

March 28th, 2015 at 11:31am CST by Ben Levine

Part of Jeremy Maclin‘s decision to join the Chiefs was surely based on the five year, $55MM contract (including $22.5MM guaranteed) he received. However, the wideout insists the move had nothing to do with the value of the contract (via Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com):

“It wasn’t really about money. Obviously you want to get paid because of all the stuff that you do. But it wasn’t necessarily about who could pay me the most money.”

Meanwhile, Eagles coach Chip Kelly acknowledged that he wanted Maclin to return to Philadelphia:

“We didn’t think there was another receiver in that price range in free agency. We were trying to get Mac back. Felt we gave him a real competitive offer. Kansas City offered him a lot more than we did. We just weren’t going to go that high.”

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

  • Marcell Dareus is in line for a big payday, and despite his previous issues off the field, Bills general manager Doug Whaley told ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak that the organization is comfortable with the defensive tackle’s maturation. “I think the maturity we saw this (past) year has us feeling that unless he has a relapse soon, that we’re pretty comfortable that he’s taking that step for him, as a professional, to be more professional,” Whaley said (via John Kryk of Canoe.ca). “He has taken those steps now.”
  • The Colts have made some notable moves this offseason, bringing in Frank Gore, Andre Johnson and Trent Cole. Still, as Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star points out, the team has plenty of holes, including safety, defensive line and center. “It can’t be Christmas every day,” general manager Ryan Grigson said. “There’s not a forever, endless river of cash flowing. We have a plan. We followed it.”
  • Rodney Harrison knows a thing or two about elite defensive backs, and the two-time Super Bowl champion said the Patriots made the right move by not over-extending to keep Darrelle Revis. “Bill (Belichick), he’s not gonna sell the farm for Darrelle Revis,” Harrison said while appearing on NBC Sports Radio’s “Under Center with McNabb and Malone” (via Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com). “Darrelle, as good as he is, maybe in a year or two he won’t be quite the same player he was this past season for the New England Patriots. I believe that was the right move to make.”

 

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