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Paul Hamilton
Orchard Park, NY (WGR 550) -- Ever since John Butler was sent away as the Bills GM, it’s been one poor job after another. It’s added up to one of the worst organizations in the National Football League for over 12 years.
Today, I feel things have changed. With Russ Brandon hiring Doug Whaley, Buffalo has gone from men 70-to-95 years old running this team to the youngest front office in the league.
It’ll be awhile to know for sure, but in my mind this is just what this organization needs.
Even since Doug Whaley arrived in Buffalo to serve under Buddy Nix, all I’ve heard from football people around the league is what an up and coming star Whaley is. I’ve been told he eats and sleeps football. I’ve been told he’s innovative and I’ve been told he’s a great evaluator of talent.
I also like that he cut his teeth with the Pittsburgh Steelers for 12 years and Whaley took away one thing from them, “They don't accept losing. They set the standard of winning and competing for championships and I think if we instill that here, we'll be in the right direction.” Whaley added, “I think it's an organizational effort from top to bottom and I think if you're committed to accountability and hard work, the sky's the limit.”
There was opportunity for Whaley to leave this organization for good jobs around the NFL. Many teams wanted to pursue him, but he never waivered, he stayed. Whaley said, “I stayed here for many reasons, but I committed myself to Russ and Buddy when they hired me. I like to see things through and I'm a competitor.”
Whaley seems to be a man of few words when he’s speaking. He comes off very well and the biggest thing that struck me is he seems very principled. For years this organization tried to use smoke and mirrors and then worry about how the media was portraying it. Honestly, what the media says or does seems to be the least of Whaley’s worries and I like that approach. He also feels very strongly about the approach, “There's no magic formula and if there was, I wouldn't be able to tell you because 31 other teams would want it. But if you're committed to accountability and hard work, I think the sky's the limit."
When some people talk in sports it’s very hard to believe them. Tom Donahoe was a great example of that, but Doug Whaley seems different. Football means a lot to him and this job means a lot to him, “This is a culmination of a lot of hard work. When anybody says hard work does not pay off, I’m going to have to say look at me because I believe it does.”
Whaley seems very uncomfortable talking about himself. Many times this morning he spoke about the Bills front office as a team. It’s the way he’s going to run things because he feels it’s the way to success, “It’s not about me. It’s about us and it’s about this organization. From Russ instilling in the organization that this is a shared common goal to put this organization back where it is supposed to be, us competing consistently for championships, I buy into it and that is my philosophy. That is why I think we will all work well together.”
For over a year I have felt that this is what the Bills needed to do. It started with Ralph Wilson handing control over to a young Brandon. It continued with getting rid of the older, retread coaches like Chan Gailey and bringing in fresh, new ideas in Doug Marrone. I think having your GM a guy that is 40 years old and considered up and coming in many circles around the NFL instead of a 73 year old Nix is exactly what this team needed to do.
I can’t know how this will turn out, but for the first time in a long, long time I feel the Bills organization gets it and is doing the things necessary to get back to competing for championships.
