Buddy Nix transitions out of GM role with Bills

[Bucman 891]

The Buffalo Bills announced Monday that Buddy Nix stepped down from his role as Executive Vice President/General Manager and will transition to Special Assistant. The move comes just three weeks after team president Russ Brandon said, "Buddy Nix is our general manager and will be for a long time."

 

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Out of respect for the outgoing general manager, the Bills have no plans to announce Nix's successor on Monday, a club source tells NFL.com's Albert Breer. The plan has been for assistant general manager Doug Whaley to succeed Nix since he was hired away from the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2010.

 

The transition from Nix to Whaley was foreshadowed when the Bills extended the latter's contract with a succession plan early this year. In other words, the decision might have been as much Brandon's as Nix's.

 

Nix, 73, came to the Bills along with former head coach Chan Gailey prior to the 2010 season. In three seasons together, the pair managed just a 16-32 record. It was Nix's first stint as a general manager after a long career as a college coach, pro scout and front-office executive with the Bills and San Diego Chargers.

 

Now that he has piloted the Bills through the 2013 NFL Draft, Nix stated that it is right time to step aside because he's leaving "a good young roster" and "an excellent head coach with a good staff." The organization should be in good hands with Whaley, a respected talent evaluator who helped build two Super Bowl teams with the Steelers.

Edited May 13, 2013 by Bucman

[blotsfan 2,112]

The Bills announced that Whaley was the next GM a few months ago. I don't know why the team is pretending that anyone doesnt know who it'll be.

[Brownie 2]

I remember reading an article about this move some time back, however the timing seems weird. Nix get's to run the whole draft then step aside. I would love to know what Wailey truly thinks of this draft class. And how much direct input he had on the guys drafted.

[blotsfan 2,112]

I'd be stunned if Whaley didn't have a huge impact on this draft class. Once you're named GM in waiting you get a lot of authority.

[Brownie 2]

Very true, which makes me question his decision making. I don't know enough about EJ Manuel to say what kind of player he is but there's no way we Needed to draft him in the first round. The way QB's were selected he could have been there in the 3rd. It's too bad these decisions weren't made last year, although we wouldn't have had a chance at Luck or Griffin, Wilson would have been a potential pick.

[blotsfan 2,112]

We don't know that. A lot of times there are players that teams think are worth more than their projections. Its definitley possible that he would've been the first qb drafted even if we didn't take him. If you think someone is a franchise qb, you take him whenever you get the chance.