Former Buffalo Bills GM Says His Team Went to Extremes to Prevent Bill Belichick and the Patriots From Cheating
The Buffalo Bills took no chances when it came to playing the New England Patriots. There was Spygate and Deflategate, and the Bills did everything they could to make sure there wasn’t Garbagegate.
Former GM Doug Whaley recently said his team had a tough time trusting Bill Belichick and the Pats that they even hauled all their garbage back to Buffalo as they left New England.
The Buffalo Bills didn’t take any chances with the ugly reputation of the New England Patriots
During the Tom Brady years, the Patriots were a dynasty. Brady and Belichick won six Super Bowls together. They were the class of the NFL. They also had to deal with a reputation that didn’t bode too well for their image.
On multiple occasions, the Patriots were accused of cheating.
First, there was Spygate when they were fined for videoing the New York Jets and stealing their signals in 2007. In 2014, there was Deflategate when the Patriots were accused of under-inflating footballs so Brady could better grip the ball. The investigation found it was “more probable than not” the Patriots were guilty. Brady, who smashed his cell phone when investigators asked to check it for evidence, was suspended four games. The NFL fined the Patriots $1 million and docked the franchise a pair of draft picks.
The Patriots have also been accused of falsifying injury reports and messing with opposing teams’ equipment, including headsets.
Whaley, the Bills’ GM from 2013-16, never trusted Belichick and the Patriots. “Don’t put anything past that mad scientist,” he said Wednesday during a radio appearance on Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan. “He’s going to do whatever it takes to win, by any means necessary.”
The Buffalo Bills were extra careful during their trips to Foxborough to play the Patriots
During his appearance on The Fan Morning Show, Whaley talked about how head coach Rex Ryan didn’t want to take any chances after their trips to Foxborough, Massachusetts, to play the Patriots. The Bills went so far as to pack up all their garbage and haul it back to Buffalo with them.
“We would actually take our garbage away,” said Whaley. “Rex Ryan says when the game is over, ‘All that garbage? Let’s go. Let’s take it. You never know about this dude.’ The equipment guys would load it with all the soiled jerseys and uniforms. We would carry it back to Buffalo and throw it all away in Buffalo.”
Whaley said he always found Belichick suspicious.
“For me, I thought: smart guy who’s going to push the boundary,” Whaley said. “But when it tipped off where I’m like, ‘Alright Bill, come on’ is when he got busted for videotaping the signals against the Jets (Spygate), and who was coaching the Jets? (Eric) Mangini. A guy that worked for him so he knew he was going to do it.
“That’s when I was like, ‘Alright dude, you just got some brass cojones and you just don’t care.’ After that I was like, ‘I respect what you did as a coach in winning those Super Bowl titles, but I don’t respect how you went about it.’”
Whaley still believes Belichick is up to no good
Whaley’s time in Buffalo didn’t last very long. He was hired as GM in 2013 and was let go in April 2017, after the draft.
Whaley was criticized for trading up to select Sammy Watkins in a 2014 NFL Draft loaded with wide receivers, including Odell Beckham Jr. and Mike Evans. He also hired and fired Ryan as head coach. Whaley then made a big move in bringing in Sean McDermott to replace Ryan.
After the 2017 NFL Draft, the Bills fired Whaley even though co-owner Terry Pegula said the draft “went pretty well,” according to ESPN. When questioned why he was fired right after the draft, Pegula said, “We have certain aspects we need to get a little better in.”
Whaley didn’t trust Belichick then and was asked if he believed the Patriots coach was still up to no good.
“I think he is,” he said. “Absolutely. Just different things and hopefully not brazen enough to do it against Brian Flores, who’s worked with him and knows his tricks.”
