NFL Notes: Doug Whaley, Bills, 49ers, Raiders

Doug Whaley

Former Bills GM Doug Whaley explained during an interview with Sirius XM NFL Radio that his dismissal simply came down to the fact that the didn’t produce enough wins during his tenure and he has no hard feelings about how things played out.

“Great owners. Great people and great owners,” Whaley said, via ESPN.com. “I think it just comes down to, like I said as soon as I got here, it’s a production-based business. We did not produce well enough when I was head of the football operation department. I take full responsibility for that. I don’t blame anybody but myself. I wish the Pegulas and the Buffalo Bills all the luck in the world. I don’t look at anybody else in the mirror except myself in the mirror for not being the head of that organization today.”

Whaley said there wasn’t anything awkward about the recent draft, even though he was fired soon after it was completed.

“It wasn’t uncomfortable at all,” Whaley said of working with new Bills HC Sean McDermott. “We worked well together. It was a great working relationship, not only with the coaching staff but with the Pegulas and our personnel department.

“[McDermott] is methodical. The one thing that impressed us throughout the interview process was how detailed he is and how methodical he is in his approach to everything he does. The one thing I feel very confident is that the Buffalo Bills, he will have them in position to win a lot of games. They won’t be beating themselves. He will have them prepared as well as any coach in the NFL. The game won’t be determined on them beating themselves, because he will have them prepared.”

Should Whaley ever get another shot at being a GM, he said his top priority will be to find a franchise quarterback immediately.

“If I get a shot again, I’m going to try to map out a road map to accomplish both at the same time, but try to get that franchise quarterback as quickly as possible,” Whaley said. “Because as they say, when you have that guy under center, you only need one guy that’s on every day. But if you don’t have that guy under center, then you need 45 guys that are on every single game.”

49ers

• Multiple NFL sources tell Jason Cole that Alabama LB Reuben Foster’s health wasn’t the only reason for him dropping to the end of round one.
• According to Cole, another concern regarding Foster was the large group of people and the distractions they may cause for him during his professional career.
• Although, Cole spoke to three teams who believe being on the West Coast will be helpful for Foster.

Raiders

• Jason Cole of B/R reports that contract talks between the Raiders and QB Derek Carr are likely to pick up after the owners meeting this week.
• Cole expects Carr’s next contract to be “a step above” Andrew Luck’s record contract.
• According to Cole, an extension for Carr will have to account for salary cap growth in 2021 once the current CBA expires.