New Game: Pick the Sullivan Column

[qwksilver]

I think it's amusing how you can pick which columns on the TBD main page are written by Jerry Sullivan simply by reading the headline. I play this game whenever I come to TBD, then click on the article to see if I'm right. I invariably am.

 

Even his "positive" columns scream "Look at me! I'm compensating!"

 

I don't bother to read the columns anymore. He has nothing to say worth bothering about. The guy is a joke.

 

I'm don't even click on his link anymore because it's so easy to spot. He is the definition of a 'troll'. Sure, he was correct and spot on for the last ten years and this organization really made it easier for him. But it looks like we've turned the corner and he just can't/won't do the same.

 

Also, doesn't the Buff news keep track of how many "clicks" his stories get? So why help him if you can't stand him or his articles?

Edited October 27, 2011 by qwksilver

[eball]

An oft-injured, formerly suspended player that was let go and passed up by 2 other teams is hardly splashy free agent signing. I see it as just nit picky cheapness trying to spend less than the full amount on the real thing and end up blowing a big chunk of change and spinning our wheels anyway.

You are dead wrong, and looking at the situation myopically. From a pure football standpoint it was a HUGE risk, obviously. But that's not all this was about. Prior to arriving Merriman had a negative impression of Buffalo that was/is no doubt shared by others (most?) around the league. When he got here, he saw what was happening and almost immediately became a public spokesperson for Buffalo and the Bills. His attitude and popularity were certainly instrumental in the Bills' ability to talk to free agents (particularly Barnett), and who's to say what price can be placed on changing players' perspective on coming to Buffalo?

[truth on hold]

These vague justifications for his value are a bunch of crap. It's far more likely guys who are performing like Stevie and Freddie get turned off knowing a blowhard riding on fumes got paid several times what they're making.

[eball]

These vague justifications for his value are a bunch of crap. It's far more likely guys who are performing like Stevie and Freddie get turned off knowing a blowhard riding on fumes got paid several times what they're making.

I GAR-ON-TEE if you asked Stevie and Fred what signing Merriman meant to the organization, they'd have nothing but positive things to say. More attention on Buffalo means more exposure for them, and that leads to bigger contracts.

 

You're simply wrong on this.

[truth on hold]

Go ahead make good on your "gaurantee" then.

 

Your whole premise is flawed anyway. Merriman generated little interest outside of buffalo because he hadn't done anything in years and the consensus he was washed up. Players like fred and Steve know if they perform they will get paid whether it's here or somewhere else. Only thing merriman did was drain the well some so there's less to pay out for everyone else.

 

Youre completely out to lunch on this. 110% (yes that's possible for someone that off the ranch )

Edited October 27, 2011 by Joe_the_6_pack

[bills44]

I think it's amusing how you can pick which columns on the TBD main page are written by Jerry Sullivan simply by reading the headline. I play this game whenever I come to TBD, then click on the article to see if I'm right. I invariably am.

 

Even his "positive" columns scream "Look at me! I'm compensating!"

 

I don't bother to read the columns anymore. He has nothing to say worth bothering about. The guy is a joke.

 

He absolutely sucks - are any of his columns fresh or thought-provoking? As someone else in this thread said, if Sullivan posted the same stuff here that he writes for TBN, he'd be called a troll. Which is funny, because he actually kind of looks like one.

 

sully's the best.

 

"Best" at what?

Edited October 27, 2011 by bills44

[Rubes]

I think it's amusing how you can pick which columns on the TBD main page are written by Jerry Sullivan simply by reading the headline. I play this game whenever I come to TBD, then click on the article to see if I'm right. I invariably am.

 

Even his "positive" columns scream "Look at me! I'm compensating!"

 

I don't bother to read the columns anymore. He has nothing to say worth bothering about. The guy is a joke.

 

I think it's hilarious that so many others do the same thing that I do. I actually almost posted the same thing a long time ago but never did.

 

Honestly, I think he just relishes playing the role of the guy everyone loves to hate. At least Felser had perspective and insight. Nothing to Sully except wrath and bile.

[eme123]

All i heard from Sullivan throughout training camp was the Bills are cheap, Ralph is cheap, etc. So, when the Bills go out and take a chance on a injured veteran pro bowler and it doesn't work out he plays the opposite card. The Bills don't know talent, they wasted money, etc. What other pass rusher was available in free agency this year? Who was available that was a better option than Merriman?

 

Maybe Sullivan could have been dissecting the Bills talents on the field in training camp and we wouldn't have been so surprised when they came out of the gate 3-0. Oh wait i forgot he doesn't know S*** about football.

 

I didn't bother reading Sullivan's article but I know exactly what he would say. Its pathetic.

 

Side Note: Merriman "set the edge" really well on running plays this year. He always forced runs his way to the inside. He always got good push on pass rush but never broke free. Maybe his shoulder injury in week 1 had something to do with it.

[Grimace]

My issue with Sullivan isn't his doom-and-gloom demeanor. Its that he writes opinion columns about how the sky is falling which fall under the guise of articles describing the state of the team. The justification he gives is debatable at best, but usually pretty weak.

 

Other Bills reporters like Tim Graham and John Wawrow do research and write articles to report about the team. Sometimes their articles interpret the facts they report in a particular direction to make a point, but there is some substance to what is said.

 

Take his last whinefest about Merriman for example.

 

They say Nix knows football players. Signing Merriman was a conceit, an attempt by the GM to prove the rest of the league wrong about Merriman, whom he had drafted in San Diego. Nix was supposed to identify new talent for the Bills, not reattach himself to fading stars with a history of steroid use.

 

Consider this in context. Nix used cap space to take a gamble that a free agent who was a defensive MVP a few years ago and is still under 30 years old, but has had injury issues in recent years. His contract aside (IMO, your salary should be what you can negotiate, and its up to the GM to put together the best team possible by balancing salaries and negotiations), there was no direct compromise to other talent in bringing him in. No draft picks were burned, and no players traded.

 

If he wrote a narrative about how we had gambled the immediate future of our defense on risky but potentially rewarding veterans with a history of success but recent injuries, and that this demonstrates the poor current state of affairs regarding talent in the Bills' locker room, I could see it as a negative but well presented article.

 

What he has written strikes me as a more literate version of the maniacal Cleveland Indians fan in Major League who continues to yell one-sided opinions without considering any of the facts that are laid in front of him.

[K-9]

Go ahead make good on your "gaurantee" then.

 

Your whole premise is flawed anyway. Merriman generated little interest outside of buffalo because he hadn't done anything in years and the consensus he was washed up. Players like fred and Steve know if they perform they will get paid whether it's here or somewhere else. Only thing merriman did was drain the well some so there's less to pay out for everyone else.

 

Youre completely out to lunch on this. 110% (yes that's possible for someone that off the ranch )

 

Are you saying that Merriman's contract prevents the Bills from paying other players what they would otherwise?

 

Interesting take.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[cvanvol]

Are you saying that Merriman's contract prevents the Bills from paying other players what they would otherwise?

 

Interesting take.

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

hahaha yeah he put us right at the cap ceiling

[Geno Smith's Arm]

I didn't read the article because I don't care what JS thinks.

 

I was against bringing in Merriman, but now I see it as a positive. As far as I'm concerned, considering the huge turnaround the team has made, I give the benefit of the doubt to Nix and Gailey for EVERY decision they have made. Whether it's drafting or cutting players, signing a guy or strategic approaches, these guys have done well enough that I have to believe they have a good reason for any decision they make.

 

Who can really tell how instrumental Merriman may have been in changing the attitude of this team? Or bringing in Nick Barnett?

 

Sullivan's real job is to stir up interest in the Buffalo News and their website. He likely trolls here just to direct people to his own articles.

[jester43]

does anyone who uses this site know the difference between a reporter and a columnist?

[mrags]

All i heard from Sullivan throughout training camp was the Bills are cheap, Ralph is cheap, etc. So, when the Bills go out and take a chance on a injured veteran pro bowler and it doesn't work out he plays the opposite card. The Bills don't know talent, they wasted money, etc. What other pass rusher was available in free agency this year? Who was available that was a better option than Merriman?

 

Maybe Sullivan could have been dissecting the Bills talents on the field in training camp and we wouldn't have been so surprised when they came out of the gate 3-0. Oh wait i forgot he doesn't know S*** about football.

 

I didn't bother reading Sullivan's article but I know exactly what he would say. Its pathetic.

 

Side Note: Merriman "set the edge" really well on running plays this year. He always forced runs his way to the inside. He always got good push on pass rush but never broke free. Maybe his shoulder injury in week 1 had something to do with it.

+1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

Everything you said is spot on about JS the @ssclown. During the offseason it was all about how the Bills are cheap and won't be any good because of it. Probably at one point after hearing about camp (not actually being there) he stated the Bills need a real pass rusher I'm sure of it. I went to 2 camps this year, Merriman practiced during one of them and in just one session I could see he was a huge upgrade at the OLB rushing the passer than we had seen in previous years. Instead of going to camp or not knowing anything about football to recognize it he clearly decided to write what he always has, Ralph is cheap, the FO doesn't know what it's doing, the coaching staff is 2nd rate, we are short in talent at every position, etc. etc. etc.

Sullivan is a joke, just like Scrote and the Lapdog he doesn't know anything about football. My true hope is that these 3 show how little they actually know as the team gets better and they are forced to write good things about them. Or the hope that everyone can see throught thier fairwheather fandome and just tune out, causing them to lose thier times on the radio to someone who actually knows the game, or less articles in the paper to someone that knows the game and how to actually reserch things to make points.

It's all a dream I keep having and will probably never happen but one can hope.