Beck Water

playing with a cast on his wrist apparently. Hope he's not allowed to use it to club people a la Gronk

Interesting perspective from someone known to a number of folks here.

Bite Your Everlovin' Muther-fudging Tongue!

Nice snark, Bro. Some pundits predicted the Vikings would improve in their 2nd season under Kevin O'connell. It's not an uncommon prediction for a 2nd year HC. Darrisaw and Addison were viewed as strong additions. So no, not everyone but me had them "regressing". And to their 'relatively knowedgeable fans', success was expected. So yeah, by some viewpoints, they've under-achieved. By the same token, a number of pundits predicted that the Bills would only finish 2nd in the AFC East this season due to a surge by the Dolphins under 2nd year head coach Daniels, while the Bills didn't do enough to improve on offense or defense. Sports Illustrated I believe predicted us at 9-8. So if the Vikings haven't underachieved because some pundits predicted them to regress, wouldn't that same logic apply to the Bills? As for "Burrow hurt", if the Bengals get a "pass" for their 2-3 start because "Burrow was playing hurt" (therefore they didn't under-achieve), shouldn't the Bills get a "pass" for under-achieving during the Giants game and 4 games afterwards, when they went 2-3 (therefore they didn't under-achieve)?

Interesting perspective. I know someone who once made the statement (this was back in the height of the Cold War Era with the Soviet Union dominating Eastern Europe and concern about the "domino effect" in Vietnam, Korea, etc, so give it that context): "if we really cared about fighting communism, we should never have defeated Hitler in WWII". This was at a dinner party with some veterans and people of Jewish faith in attendance. It went over like the proverbial "Lead Zeppelin" and could best be described as socially clueless. But one could probably craft a strong historical argument that it wasn't, objectively, a mistaken statement. Given the multitude of other reasons why WWII was a "must win" (as historian Marv Levy once said) and the probability that people in the room lost relatives either in the Holocaust or in Military Service, it was a totally clueless thing to say. I think the reason so many of us do find that 9/11 anecdote troubling is because one of the biggest jobs of a football HC is to be a Leader of Men, to be able to deal with multiple different diverse personalities and viewpoints effectively and meld them into a team fighting for one objective. So for a HC to be socially and emotionally clueless enough to choose the perpetrators of the 9/11 terrorism as any kind of positive example, is troubling. It represents a monumental failure to "read the room". But on the other hand, it happened 4 years ago and the team has had strong success since then.

? I mean, the Bengals were 12-4 and appeared in the conf champ for the 2nd time in a row in 2022. A repeat was expected, This season they're 6-6 at present, but they were 5-5 before losing their franchise QB in a loss to the Ravens. Most relatively knowledgeable fans see that as "underachieving" for the Bengals The Vikings were 13-4 last season and were expected to advance in the playoffs, not lose to the Giants and to correct that flaw and go deeper into the playoffs this season. They were 4-4 when they lost their franchise QB, Kirk Cousins, in a win over GB, and are now 6-6 and 2nd in their division. Most relatively knowledgeable fans see that as "underachieving" for the Vikes. I could go on. It's legit hard to sustain success in the NFL.

Like I said elsewhere, I've actually enjoyed Dunne's writing with TBN and early Bleacher Report. I thought he was a good writer then. Of course, editing plays a role. I can't judge the $8 fee piece he just wrote, because as you pointed out, I haven't read the entire thing. I didn't like his 2020 Aaron Rodgers piece. I thought it was disjointed and not particularly well crafted. I will note that one thing Covid taught most of us is what we needed to set up to work effectively from home. A headcoach with school-age children who expects (say) his subordinates to assemble film breakdowns before they leave and send them to him for evening analysis, would not be a shock

Well, I do appreciate your viewpoint. On the QB thing, it seems to me it's not been uncommmon for a coach to talk about his QB's mental state usually in the guise of "his confidence leve" or etc. Seems to me Gailey did it with Fitzpatrick, seems to me I've heard it before with a couple other players as well - Martz talking about Warner maybe? But, I don't make a practice of tuning in to HC pressers for 31 other teams around the league week after week. So, if you do and you feel you have the data set to say "I can't think of a single other example of such a thing" in a meaningful way, I have to defer to your superior knowledge of HC-speak Around The League. (Obviously, if you can't think of a single other example of such a thing but you only tune in to a few other team's HC pressers a few times a year, what you say would be True, but Meaningless) Sounds to me as though your mind is made up and Dunne's article reinforces your viewpoint. One of three things is true: either McDermott actually does sound authentic to his players and has the respect of the locker room or He doesn't or The picture is far more nuanced I would say Wawrow's tweets imply (3) is true.

Yeah, that's the Cold Hard Financial Facts of the situation. If Dunne pulled in 100 new subscribers who spent their $8, that's $800 and a Merry Christmas for family and friends. If he pulled in 1000, that's $8000, a Merry Christmas and a trip to Hawaii (or the server bill and maybe his home's utilities and property tax too.) If he pulled in 10,000, that's $80,000 - twice the per capita income reported for Erie County by Census.gov With a story that got nationwide airplay as the 9/11 anecdote from 2019 has done, I don't think it's beyond the pale that 10,000 people might have had $8 of curiousity.

Another source directly announcing the layoffs and who they impacted https://awfulannouncing.com/br/bleacher-report-layoffs-ben-osborne-howard-beck-br-mag.html Dunne was "laid off" "fired" "position eliminated" "downsized", whatever lingo you like when your employer tells you your services are no longer required.

Straight up, I felt the defense would be mediocre this season as we tried to fill in for Edmunds with a choice of a 2nd year player who had looked lost when he played as a rookie in Bernard, a career ST guy in Dodson, and a couple of lower eschelon guys. If you told me Bernard would walk on the field and own the position and even look like an upgrade during the first 5 games, I would honestly have suggested you might be "terminally optimistic". If you told me we would lose White, Milano, and Daquan Jones by Game 5 and still be statistically, the #5 defense in the league coming out of the bye, I would have been incredulous. I guess I should add that does go to show the limit of statistics, since we have had 3 games now where the most proximal cause of the loss was the defense's inability to "seal the deal" with a lead and get a crucial stop on the last drive.

Concur.

As someone said, "when you get a dose of that Vitamin W, it changes everything" I think Daboll may be undergoing what some call an "On the Job Training Experience". When you're winning and everyone's inspired, it's easy to believe in giving your coordinators autonomy. When you're losing, and your defense is 26th in the league for points given up, you may feel you need to "mix it in" and give your input to the DC. That may cause friction when the side of the ball you are closest to, the offense, is 32nd in the league. It surprises me that there's apparently a strong fraction here that want to bring in Daboll as HC. He was COTY last season, great! But a number of new coaches have come in and given the team a "spark". The question is whether that "spark" lasts and turns into sustained success.

If you missed this:

I don't, actually. I think he did the right thing as a coach and a leader to say that, but both of those players had coaching and film about how to play certain defensive looks pre game. One of those two players read the defense and made the correct call as to route or throw, and one of them read the defense and was mistaken. So maybe I just don't understand what you mean by "genuine accountability" here. Brady took accountability in the "starts with me" sense, he's the coach and the one having the pre-game film sessions and conversations during the week of preparation, so when he talks about watching film with his players and preparing them, he can say he needs to do a better job there. But how is this different from the accountability McDermott says when he says "it starts with me"? Brady wasn't saying he made the wrong call for the down and distance, or he'd make another call if he had a do over, he specifically mentioned preparation and film.

If you'll allow me, I'd like to just focus in on this. Weren't most of us commenting on the same thing - that we felt Allen was looking like a whupped dog on the field and not showing a lot of fire or emotion, up through the Broncos game? And weren't most of us commenting that in the two subsequent games, Jets and Eagles, he was visibly playing with a lot more energy and fire, including being heard saying "I'm ***** back!"? But now, somehow the same observation that many of us had made, is not 'authentic" and is a sign of a control freak feeling defensive, even though we jumped from an average of 20.6 PPG in the 5 previous games, to 33 PPG (and 505 yds vs the Eagles!) in the two subsequent games to date? I'm very confused here.

I'm afraid this kind of calls your "knowledge of the situation" into question. Dunne was terminated, released, let go, downsized from Bleacher Report during a staff reduction. That's a fact. His friends and colleagues agree. He didn't have a choice about whether or not to "break from there". (there being BR), his position ended. He says that he had the option to find employment elsewhere. His track record and credentials give no reason to disbelieve this. He chose to start "Go Long" instead. I thought it was a gutsy move at the time, and admired it, but it's kind of going in a bit of a dark direction at times IMO. Putting out very critical pieces which rest on large quantities of anonymous sources, for example.

This honestly, makes no sense at all. Sorry. 1) criticizing a self-published "pay to view" article which appears to be a mixture of fact, observation, and Dunne's slanted interpretation quilted together from anonymous sources is not the same thing as "going to the mat" for McDermott (which I take to mean defend him, no matter what) I'm not surprised that you wouldn't recognize the difference, because historically, when someone defends a player, coach etc from what appears to be over-the-top or unjustified criticism, others here will call them "lovers" "fanboys" "defenders" blah blah. The nuance that one can simultaneously perceive faults or accurately critique while objecting to exaggeration, slant, or bias appears lost, and I could be mis-remembering but I believe you're one of the people it's lost on. 2) one can critique Allen, like any player, and simultaneously be willing to also defend him against what appears to be over-the-top or unjustified criticism, just like any other coach or player How this somehow lends "secondhand credence" to Dunne's article, is a mystery to me, but You Do You.

I understand and actually agree with your distinction. But while the motivation may have been to gain the most business, the impact could well be to distract McDermott and derail the team. And from a guy who has in the past leaned into cred as a WNY 'native son', that's hard for me (a lifelong and unabashed Bills fan) to take. I'm actually torn, because in the past I've really respected pieces Ty Dunne has done and I admired his enterpreneurial spirit starting "Go Long". But I've also had reason to question his methods and the quality of his sources at times, too. This is an interesting piece from a respected journalist Ty Dunne once worked for as an intern, which gives some detail about Dunne's training and background as a journalist, which are...solid. As Pollack points out: It's actually an interesting bet, because there are potential liability issues there. I think this has been linked here, but in 2016 at Bleacher Report, Dunne did a rather damning piece on Aaron Rodgers: https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2676645-can-aaron-rodgers-be-the-type-of-leader-the-packers-need It contained stuff like this: It's worth noting that since that 2016 piece damning Rodgers as an arrogant self centered prideful prick who can't lead appeared, Rodgers has had 4 pro-bowl appearances (FWIW), two 1st team AP all-pro (means a lot more), and two "League MVP". Green Bay went on to appear in two Conference championships and a Division round, but did not reach another SuperBowl. (I thought one of the conference championships was heavily influenced by the referees to favor Brady) Rodgers, of course, was not pleased by the piece and referred to it as a "smear attack". Similar to this recent piece, it contained some incidents which are probably factual and accurately recounted, some opinion and interpretation of those instances (with some anonymous sources), and Dunne's interpretation or slant.

Also concur. Wondering about the quotes on "supposed"?

Concur.

"Slander" is a word with a specific legal meaning. It means verbal communication of false statements that damage the reputation of another. So here's the thing about slander. (I suspect you may know this) If the statements or events recounted actually occurred, but the *interpretation* or *opinion* about what those statements or events mean is negative, it may not be slander. If you actually said something like "I pay you to coach these guys, not be their friend", that's not slander; truth is a defense. if I give my opinion that you said that because you're an insecure weasel who is psychologically, mentally, and physically incapable of forming friendships yourself, well, that's my opinion and I'm entitled to it; how do you defend yourself against that? I believe you would have to show it's actually malicious in intent, and actually caused damage to your reputation. It's a morass. It's a helluva distraction, and the more time you give it, the more distracting it is. In terms of winning Buffalo Bills football games, the best thing is to try to let the guys focus on football as much as possible and ask them to do that. In my opinion, of course.

For $8, I can buy 2- 8 oz cylinders for the butane stove I'm gifting my daughter for Christmas, pay sales tax, and have $1.60 left over for a stocking-stuffer candy. In case that's insufficiently clear, I'll spell it out: I'm a Bills Fan. I am NOT going to reward Ty Dunne with a subscription to his pay-for-content site, for dropping a controversial piece right before a pivotal game in the Bills season. Others upthread have carefully taken the time to dissect available excerpts into events that occured or words actually said, interpretation, and Dunne's opinion of same. The latter two vastly outnumber the former, and are what qualify it as a "character smear piece" IMO. In the excerpts people have shared, Dunne recounts a weird pastiche of events (some bizarre, some less so), his slant or interpretation (which he presents as the only possible one), and the opinion/interpretations of the people he interviews. On this last, John Wawrow has worked with many players and coaches for years at OBD and knows as much of the inner workings as anyone, summarizes it neatly: then: If the leaders on the team are dealing with things internally and spending their time watching film and talking through the game plan instead of making extra appearances beyond their media availability requirements, I think that's a Good Thing and not the damning reinforcement of Dunne you appear to believe it to be. Dunne has unnamed sources dishing and trashing McD; McD has unnamed supporters. Looks about the same. I don't think you are the impartial arbiter you wish to believe. Some of the better, most rational posters on this site have repeatedly run into trouble trying to discuss with you. There may be a reason for this.

Apparently this happened before the 2019 season. I'm sure any communication from Pegula etc took place in a timely manner in 2019. I felt bad for the team, honestly. They're depending upon McDermott to coach them and lead them and make good game decisions against a very tough opponent, and he acknowledges his head is spinning.

Come on now yourself. I said about that line, it was the "Conspiracy Theorist at the Back of My Skull Poking Me". What part of that word choice and phrasing says "gee, this is a serious suggestion from this poster and it's just ridiculous" to you? The social media source was the same guy who posted the video of Hall being led outside with his eyes covered, so I would think he'd know. You're really stretching here. Agreed, it's social awareness. Although to be fair - that can be a blurred line.