ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Doug Whaley was promoted to take over as Buffalo Bills general manager, making the teams near top-to-bottom off-season overhaul complete. The much-anticipated decision to elevate Whaley from his position as assistant GM was announced Thursday, three days after Buddy Nix stepped down as GM. The 40-year-old Whaley has spent the past three years being groomed for the job. After working in various scouting capacities with the Bills, Whaleys influence grew this off-season. He had input in hiring coach Doug Marrone in January, and in the teams decision to select Florida State quarterback EJ Manuel in the first round of the draft last month. In becoming the Bills 12th GM and fifth in 12 years, Whaleys challenge now becomes turning around a franchise that has not finished with a winning record since 2004, and has not made the playoffs in 13 years -- the NFLs longest active drought. "Were not going to run from (the past), but what were going to do is look forward," Whaley said. "We are very proud of what weve got as a team, as a coaching staff and as an organization. And were just looking to go onward and upward." And he wasnt afraid of using the word "championship." "Our main goal is to give the fans of the Buffalo Bills a team that consistently competes for championships," Whaley said. Though it was unclear when Nix would step down, the Bills began laying the groundwork for the transition in February by signing Whaley to a long-term contract extension. "Doug has every quality you look for in a leader," team president Russ Brandon said. "Were committed to one common goal and that is one focus, a laser focus, and that is winning. Period. Nothing else matters to either one of us. Winning is what its all about." Among Whaleys first priorities will be negotiating to sign star safety Jairus Byrd. Though the Bills secured Byrds rights by placing a franchise tag on him this off-season, the player has yet to sign his contract. Byrd is instead holding out in a bid to secure a long-term deal. "Hes a good player. We want to keep him, and were going to negotiate with him," Whaley said. "Hopefully, everything will be where we need it to be, when we need it to be." Hes also preparing to open talks in a bid to re-sign centre Eric Wood, who is entering the final year of his contract. Whaley, who is black, snaps an NFL trend this off-season during which no minorities were hired to fill eight coaching and seven general manager vacancies. He becomes the Bills first black GM and the leagues sixth. From Pittsburgh, he spent 12 seasons working in various capacities as a scout with the Steelers. Whaley played both linebacker and safety at Pitt and broke into the NFL in 1995 as a Steelers pro personnel assistant. He then spent three years as a scout with the Seattle Seahawks, before returning to Pittsburgh. Hes leaning heavily on his experiences with the Steelers, one of the NFLs most stable and competitive franchises. "My formative years in this business were being part of the Steelers, and the one thing that the Steeler organization is all about is championships," Whaley said. "They dont accept losing. They set the standard of winning and competing for championships. And I think if we instil that here, well be in the right direction." Whaleys promotion comes at a time when the Bills are essentially starting from scratch in rebuilding what Brandon described as having a "tarnished" reputation. Brandon began the transition immediately after the season ended, when he was elevated by team owner Ralph Wilson to his new position and awarded full control of the entire organization. Brandons first moves were firing Chan Gailey and then hiring Doug Marrone less than a week later. The next step in the transformation becomes Whaley. "Its all about what we do moving forward. And with Doug at the helm as our general manager and coach Marrone, we feel very good about our future," Brandon said. "I can stand up here and talk about it all day, but it comes down to results and proving it." Whaley will be responsible for the roster and also formulating the Bills draft strategy. Jim Overdorf, senior vice-president of football administration, will continue in his role as the teams chief negotiator and salary-cap manager, who answers directly to Brandon. The Bills are a very young team. They have only nine players on the roster who have been with the team since before the 2010 season. In drafting Manuel, the Bills hope to have addressed a quarterback position thats been unsettled since Hall of Fame standout Jim Kelly retired following the 1996 season. Whaleys first moves as GM was adding to his staff. He hired Jim Monos as director of player personnel and Kelvin Fisher as director of college scouting. Monos spent the past eight years working as an area scout with the New Orleans Saints. Fisher joins the Bills after spending the previous 13 seasons in various capacities as a scout with the Steelers. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Golden-Tate-Iii-Draft-Jersey/ . -- Team after team passed on Andre Ellington in the draft. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Legarrette-Blount-Draft-Jersey/ . McPhee said that Ovechkins father Mikhail is in stable condition after having the surgery this week and is no longer in intensive care. "Weve told him to stay as long as necessary with your dad," he said. Ovechkin and his Russian national team were eliminated from the mens hockey tournament in Sochi on Wednesday with a 3-1 quarter-final loss to Finland. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Deshawn-Shead-Draft-Jersey/ .ca. Kerry, Just watched the shootout in the Coyotes/Leafs game and I have to ask, why was the James van Riemsdyk goal allowed to count? All of the video replays we were shown on TV were inconclusive about whether the puck had entirely crossed the line or not. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Sam-Martin-Draft-Jersey/ . The CFLs leading rusher kept adding to his gaudy numbers this season and scored the winning touchdown with just over two minutes to play. The New Westminster, B.C., native plowed three yards into the end zone for the last score of a heated, see-saw battle between the two teams with the best records in the CFL. http://www.officiallionsgear.com/Lions-Barry-Sanders-Draft-Jersey/ . Thats not a comment on the suspension that banished the Portland Winterhawks general manager and coach from his Western Hockey League teams bench for most of the 2012-13 season. Need to catch up with whats happening in the world of sports and pop culture? Dont worry, I got you. 1. The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story took home nine statues last night at the 68th annual Primetime Emmy Awards. Was it deserving of its accolades? And did you catch Sterling K. Browns hilarious acceptance speech for his Best Supporting Actor role as Christopher Darden? If not, see?it here.??2. But do you know who totally stole the show without even being nominated or present at the award show? Rapper-turned-mogul-turned Mr. Beyoncé, Jay-Z. Heres why.?3. And how about Netflixs shout out to strong female lead actresses in its She Rules ad? Yassss to girl power!?4. Back to football. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell broke his silence and decided to stand (or sit, or maybe kneel) with players that participate in social change demonstrations taking place across the league. Will his public support of Colin Kaepernick and other players affect opposing views on this polarizing subject??5. What in the world is going on with the Seattle Seahawks offense? According to ESPN Stats & Information, The Seahawks have scored one touchdown, committed four turnovers and punted 13 times in 22 drives this season.?6. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady took his talents back to the University of Michigan this past Saturday, where the former Wolverine acted as an honorary team captain. So, while the real Brady kept himself busy during week two of his four-game suspension, his spirit and likeness werent too far from Gillette Stadium. Can you guess which ex-player donned a Fake Brady mask while tailgating??7. Third man up! Tom Bradys backup Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a right shoulder sprain during Sundays contest against the Miami Dolphins. So, who is Garoppolos replacement -- rookie Jacoby Brissett, anyway??8. Off to an 0-2 start, the Buffalo Bills fired their offensive coordinator Greg Roman, following Thursday nights loss to the New York Jets. But is Rex Ryan the real problem? Stephen A. Smith believes this is the beginning of the end for the teams head coach.dddddddddddd?9.?Was?Josh Normans mandatory drug test immediately following the Washington Redskins loss to the Dallas Cowboys fair or foul??10. Does former NFL player and convicted serial rapist Darren Sharper deserve to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame? espnWs DArcy Maine weighed in.?11.?Rice Universitys marching band seemed to think it was ok to reference Baylors sexual assault scandal during Saturdays halftime show performance. After receiving some backlash and defending its actions as satire, Rice later expressed regret for offending anyone. Was the performance distasteful??12. Whoa. Do you want to talk about a brave, eye-opening piece of writing? Then you must read:?Penn State Doesnt Get to Decide JoePas Legacy: I Know.13.?Were the Texas Longhorns robbed? I think so.?14. And while Im on the subject, when will this stop??15. ESPN senior writer Ivan Maisel asked the $100 million question, How good is Lamar Jackson?16. So how far did the Florida State Seminoles fall after their stunning 63-20 loss to the Louisville Cardinals? Here are week threes college football power rankings.?17. Whats a Paralympians least favorite word? The New York Times reveals the answer.18. Have you watched Gatorades touching Win from Within video starring the reigning WNBA MVP, Elene Delle Donne, yet? Itll be the best two minutes of your day.19. Tamika Catchings out ... or should she stick around a bit longer? The 37-year-old Indiana Fever forward is retiring after this season, but still ?dominates on the court.?Catchings dropped 16 points in Sundays game against the Dallas Wings, leading her team to an 83-60 victory.20. Is this what fishing like a girl looks like? If so, I want in, Barbie fishing rod and all.Shana Renee is the founder and editor-in-chief of?All Sports Everything?and a passionate New York Jets, Knicks and Yankees fan. Follow her sports talk on Twitter at?@ItsShanaRenee. Cheap Jerseys China Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys China Nike NFL Jerseys China Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys Wholesale China NFL Gear Stitched Jerseys Discount Jerseys Cheap NFL T-shirts Cheap Jerseys 2019 Black China NFL Jerseys Discount NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys 2020 ' ' '