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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. Cheap Vegas Golden Knights Jerseys . Team physician Dr. Steve Traina performed the surgery Friday. Robinson was injured in a spill underneath the Nuggets basket during the first quarter of Wednesday nights loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Cheap Adidas Golden Knights Jerseys .C. - The Carolina Hurricanes have placed backup goalie Anton Khudobin on injured reserve with an unspecified lower-body injury. http://www.cheapgoldenknightsjerseys.com/ . 31, the CFL club announced Monday. The team also has yet to decide on the future of Doug Berry, who began the season as a consultant to the head coach but took over the offensive co-ordinators duties in July. Cheap Golden Knights Jerseys Authentic .J. -- Marshawn Lynch said Thursday it will be good to get back to football after the Seattle quiet talking running back wrapped up his final mandatory media session of Super Bowl week. Cheap Adidas NHL Jerseys . Clarke was injured while practicing on the Doha Golf Club range after the pro-am on Tuesday. The Northern Irishman arrived at the course on Wednesday hoping to start, but after hitting a few balls on the practice putting green Clarke advised officials he was not fit to play. COLUMBUS, Ohio -- An attack on Ohio States campus left 11 people injured Monday morning. They were stabbed, hit by a car or otherwise injured before the suspect was shot dead, school and hospital officials said.All Ohio State football players are safe, have been accounted for and were able to return to the practice facility on campus following a lockdown. School and hospital officials announced later Monday that there was not a shooter on campus, despite earlier reports of an active-shooter scenario.The second-ranked Buckeyes werent scheduled to practice less than 48 hours after their win over rival Michigan, and the coaching staff had begun to scatter around the country on recruiting visits.Even though classes were canceled Monday after police announced that the scene had been secured, the Woody Hayes Athletic Center remained open to the team for workouts in the weight room or physical treatment. Doors to the athletic center were locked and required either a key card or help from Ohio State staffers already in the building.All our players are safe and accounted for, Ohio State spokesman Jerry Emig said.The attacker was identified as Abdul Razak Ali Artan, a Somali-born Ohio State student who plowed his car into a group of pedestrians on campuss and then got out and began stabbing people with a butcher knife before he was shot to death by a police officer.ddddddddddddPolice said they are investigating whether it was a terrorist attack. Campus security officials later said there had been a rumor of a second suspect, but police are confident there was only one attacker.Officer Alan Horujko, 28, was identified as the man who gunned down the attacker.The initial tweet from Ohio State emergency officials went out around 10 a.m. and said: Buckeye Alert: Active Shooter on campus. Run Hide Fight. Watts Hall. 19th and College. University President Michael Drake said the warning was issued after shots were heard on campus.A handful of players had already made appearances in the practice facility early Monday morning, and the athletic center still had red tape covering any appearances of the letter M as part of the buildup to The Game.Both lacrosse teams had worked out on the indoor field as well, as campus resumed activity following Thanksgiving break and the double-overtime win over Michigan on Saturday.Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. ' ' '