Bills general manager Doug Whaley built his reputation as a football mind in Pittsburgh.
He played safety and linebacker for the University of Pittsburgh, and worked with the Steelers for a decade as a Pro Personnel Coordinator before joining the Bills as Assistant General Manager/Director of Pro Personnel in 2010, becoming GM in 2013. With the Bills going to Pittsburgh to do a pair of combined practice sessions with the Steelers, Whaley and the team took the opportunity to honor longtime Steelers scout Bill Nunn, who died in May and was a huge influence on Whaley (via buffalobills.com’s Anna Stolzenburg):
Longtime Steelers scout Bill Nunn, one of the most “instrumental men” in Bills GM Doug Whaley’s life, passed away Tuesday night of complications from a stroke at 89.
“Professionally and personally I wouldn’t be the person I am today without his input,” said Whaley. “Besides my father and my grandfather he was one of the most instrumental men in my life. No doubt about it.”
A 46-year NFL veteran with many credits to his name and career, Nunn was thought of as a trailblazer for African-Americans in the scouting world. He was considered one of the premier scouts of the traditionally African-American colleges, and was a 2010 inductee of the inaugural class of the Black College Football Hall of Fame.
“Especially being an African-American, there’s no doubt about it that I wouldn’t be here without Bill,” said Whaley. “I would not be here without the in-roads that he laid because he was one of the first African-American scouts on the road.”
Nunn started in Pittsburgh in 1967 and became a major contributor on many successful drafts including the Steelers 1974 draft which included four Hall of Famers, a feat no team has ever matched. When Whaley started with the Steelers as an intern in 1995, he quickly formed a bond with Nunn.
“It was right around when he had just finished retiring, but he still was around as a part-time scout,” said Whaley. “As an intern everybody knows you spend plenty of hours sitting around doing a lot of grunt work, but he would come in and we would just talk philosophy of football, scouting and of life.
“Professionally, this guy is an icon in the business but personally he’s an icon in my heart.”
“It’s good to be back, especially on a day where we were dedicating a bench in the honor of the late Bill Nunn,” said Whaley. “A lot of you guys who know me know that he’s one of the main reasons I’m in front of you today.”
Whaley said the main thing that he learned from Nunn was “don’t be afraid to step on the table and make the deal.” He also told the media that he had Nunn in his mind when he traded from No.9 to No. 4 with the Cleveland Browns in order to select Sammy Watkins.
“I always remember him saying, “Don’t ever be afraid to make the deal.’ That was one of the things in the back of my head. If you believe in it and it’s fair. Don’t be crazy, but if it’s fair then go ahead.”
Whaley said he got a “giddy feeling” coming back to where he “cut” his “teeth” in the NFL, and was able to see many people he worked with still with the Steelers organization.
“It’s like a second home,” said Whaley. “Really excited to be back. Really excited for the players and the fans and everybody out there to see what those guys are going to put on for everybody out there.”
Whaley aided Pittsburgh in winning a pair of Super Bowls, as his scouting helped the Steelers identify defensive stalwarts Troy Polamalu, Lawrence Timmons, and Lamaar Woodley. There are a pair of things from the team that has an NFL-high six Super Bowl victories that Whaley wants to rub off on Bills players.
“Their toughness and their idea that nothing less is expected than a championship,” said Whaley. “That’s what we’re trying to get to. Practicing against these guys, like you said, will hopefully rub off on our guys.”
In terms of matters pertaining to his team, Whaley addressed trade rumors regarding C.J. Spiller.
“We have not been contacted by any team about CJ Spiller,” said Whaley. “These rumors are news to me. It’s exciting I guess to you guys because it gives you something to fill the newspaper with. Again, no one, I’ll tell you guys and you know I’m a straight shooter. We have not been contacted by any teams. I can probably see where people see our depth at running back and try to connect the dots with teams that don’t have depth, but, again, nobody has contacted us.”
Whaley also declined to give any update on the status of contract negotiations with Jerry Hughes.
Pre-Practice Notes from Head Coach Doug Marrone
- Marrone said he was “excited” for his players to compete and help the “evaluation process” through getting a different look in practicing with the Steelers. “Mainly, strategically and schematically some of the things we don’t see during our own training camp against our defense,” said Marrone.
- A defensive line for the Bills that was second in the league in sacks has had to adjust with Marcel Dareus and Alan Branch missing early portions of camp before getting back in the thick of things. Now facing off against a Steelers offensive line that has received criticism the past few years, especially in terms of pass protection, Marrone wants to see how the backups play behind the starting four of Mario Williams, Dareus, Kyle Williams, and Hughes.
“I feel comfortable with where we are with our front defensive line,” said Marrone. “I’m looking to see how the players behind those players respond, but don’t get me wrong. It’s an opportunity for all of us to get better. Just because you’ve played in this league for a long period of time and things like that, you have to get ready for the season. That’s the one thing about this league that’s so great. I’ve said this to the players before. You never stay the same. You’re either better or getting worse, so we all better be working on getting better.”
Post-practice notes from players
- Defensive tackle Kyle Williams said after practice that “there was a different edge” to the combined practice session with the Steelers, which had multiple fights between players from Buffalo and Pittsburgh.
And we have another scuffle. Ronnie Wingo at the middle of it after a run. pic.twitter.com/HPZAjTfhUj
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) August 13, 2014
Mike Tomlin says players were "professional" in physical practice today. Said media likes to cover fights, cites Oakland-Dallas scuffle
— Mike Rodak (@mikerodak) August 13, 2014
“It’s my first time,” said Williams of the combined practice sessions. “I don’t know how it will transfer to the game. I do know that while we’re out here right now we’ll get some good work in against a team that is a perennial power in the AFC.”
- Quarterback E.J. Manuel said it was “really good” for the offense to against another team that gave “a bunch of different looks”. “To have an opportunity to go against a different defense and different faces and obviously Coach (Dick) LeBeau is one of the best defensive coordinators in NFL history so to get a chance to go against him for two days (is great),” said Manuel.
- As for the hitting and physicality of the practice, Manuel said “that’s football”. “When you have a bunch of guys that want to come out and compete and put their best foot forward each and every day, that’s what you’re going to have,” said Manuel. “I think we’re all professionals, we know at the end of the day we can’t come out here and fist-fight or anything like that. We won’t get anything accomplished that way. You’re going to have some tussles here and there.”
- Manuel was asked about Whaley hoping he can be like the Steelers’ two-time Super Bowl Champion quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, and being able to spend time on the same field with one of the game’s premier signal-callers. “It’s huge,” said Manuel. “I’ve always been a huge fan of Big Ben. Growing up in Virginia, it’s not too far from Pittsburgh and obviously early in his career he took those guys to a Super Bowl, so like I said earlier, to get an opportunity to come out and practice with him is awesome.”
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