With Whaley, Bills now have youngest front office in NFL / NBCSPORTS.COM

(Photo: Mark Mulville, AP)

The Bills may have the oldest owner in the league (94-year-old Ralph Wilson), but their football decision-makers are the youngest.

According to Chris Brown of the team’s official website, the promotion of 40-year-old Doug Whaley to General Manager (replacing 73-year-old Buddy Nix) gives the Bills the youngest trio of football executives in the league.


That calculation includes CEO Russ Brandon (45) and head coach Doug Marrone (48), and was part of the team’s larger plan.
“I stood here on January first and made some promises to our fans and quite frankly to people in our organization,” Brandon said. “One of the things that I mentioned was we were going to do whatever it takes to restore the pride in the franchise moving forward. We talked about being progressive and forward thinking and attacking in everything that we do. We also talked about identifying top talent and empowering those people with making impact decisions. We did that today, by naming Doug Whaley the General Manager of the Buffalo Bills.”
The Bills’ story mentions the Browns, Lions, Jaguars, Eagles, 49ers and Chargers as being young at the top as well.
And while (the lack of) age doesn’t automatically equate to wisdom, the Bills are smart to embrace a new approach.
They haven’t gone to the playoffs since 1999, and the combination of an old stadium and the meteorological realities of Western New York make it a less-than desirable locale. Honestly, they have to overspend to get free agents to go there and freeze.
That’s going to make it harder for them to be on even footing, revenue sharing notwithstanding. Frankly, they have to be better-organized and better-run than teams in nicer locales to compete.
Replacing Nix wasn’t necessary because he was old, but simply because the Bills weren’t getting anywhere. Playing the same game as the rest of the league hasn’t worked for a generation, so trying a new method is a valid idea.

Source: Gronkowski “probably” needs back surgery / NBCSPORTS.COM

Posted by Mike Florio on May 17, 2013, 4:43 PM EDT

AP

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski “probably” will need back surgery. He currently is waiting for a second opinion from Dr. Robert Watkins.
The back surgery, if it occurs, is expected to happen within three-to-four weeks after the upcoming surgery on his forearm, which currently is set for Monday.
The timetable could hinge on whether the infection is indeed gone from Gronkowski’s forearm. If it is, he’ll need only one more surgery (the fourth) on his arm, and then the back surgery would be able to proceed.
If the surgery is still there (doctors currently believe it isn’t), a fifth surgery on the arm may be needed. Which could delay the back surgery.
Gronkowski was available in the second round of the 2010 draft due to a back problem that caused him to miss all of the 2009 college football season.

Bills staff members re-grow Western New York / Buffalobills.com

BuffaloBills.com

Buffalo Bills staff and members of the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy took part in a full-staff volunteer day at Delaware Park today to help restore a section of the park near the corner of Forest Avenue and Rumsey Road.
Bills staff members left their Orchard Park offices to assist in the effort by planting trees, laying gravel, repainting a park shelter, safety surfacing the area and making various other improvements to the setting.

“Today’s effort is a continuation of the Bills’ and the NFL’s PLAY 60 mission, which encourages America’s youth to be physically active for at least 60 minutes each day,” said Mary Owen, Buffalo Bills Executive Vice President of Strategic Planning. “We are strong believers that when provided with safe and fun places to play, youth are more likely to get out and maintain an active lifestyle. We’re thankful to the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy for working with us to see this project through, as well as to our Buffalo Bills staff who volunteered their time today.”
The Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy continually aims to improve the community’s parks system and relies on the support of events like today’s.
“We simply cannot do all that we do without people’s generous support of donations and time,” said Brian Dold, Landscape Architect for the Conservancy. “We are glad to have had an opportunity today to have improved an important section of Buffalo’s parks, and are grateful to the Buffalo Bills for the time they put in to today’s endeavor.”

Sources: Gronk set for 4th surgery

New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is scheduled to undergo a fourth surgery on his left forearm next week, sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. The exact date of the surgery is not yet set.