Russ Brandon Denies Transition Plan For Buffalo Bills GM Position

When he was named team president on January 1, Russ Brandon refused to acknowledge reports that the Buffalo Bills were embarking on a front office transition involving Doug Whaley replacing Buddy Nix as the team's general manager - even though the apparent transition was widely reported that day.

Brandon discussed that topic again with The Buffalo News from the 2013 NFL Combine in Indianapolis - and he's still denying that there's any sort of transition plan in place.

"I know that’s also a popular question, but there’s no timetable for that. Doug Whaley’s not going anywhere," Brandon said. "He’s our assistant GM. He’s in charge of all personnel. Doug, he’s locked in to Buffalo for the foreseeable future. There’s no transition timetable or plan. Buddy and I will meet on that when it’s appropriate, but we haven’t discussed that at all."

Whaley, who described himself as a "direct understudy of Buddy" in a fan chat on BuffaloBills.com earlier this week, has seen an increase in media interviews this season, at least equaling Nix in terms of public exposure over the past several months. Nix maintains final say over all personnel decisions, but Whaley is now heavily involved in both the college and pro scouting sides of the organization.

Nix, 73, is entering his fourth season as the Bills' general manager. Whaley, 40, has been in the Assistant GM post since February of 2010, little more than a month after Nix was elevated to the GM position.