Sully throws SJ13 under the bus

[jr1]

I want Mike Evans, SJ, Goodwin, Woods and Graham as the 5th

[C.Biscuit97]

I agree with him in this article, so this answer is biased. But, it's gotta be tough to have every opinion you've ever felt forever out there on the internet.

 

I don't think he's implying that it was a mistake to pay him at the time, just that now it's potentially time to move on. At least, that's the overall feeling I got from it.

 

I think they should keep Stevie and try to draft a legit #1 (if Bridgewater is not around at our pick). But, I don't disagree with Sully's overall sentiment.

 

That's kinda of the point. All sports media is call people out the second they make a mistake. They should be called out when they're wrong as well. In fact, I may start the sports media fact checkign website.

 

As for SJ, I gotta say I'm disappointed. I thought he was a borderline #1 receiver. It's pretty clear he isn't. But it's the Aaron Schobel syndrome. SJ isn't the best at his position but he certainly is a pretty good player. So this year, go get a #1 wr (Mike Evans) or dominant TE. A receiving core of Evans, SJ, Woods, and Goodwin wouldn't be a pretty darn good one?

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

To the OP point, if Sullivan changed course, he ought to at least admit it in his article. He makes it sound like he was anti-Stevie all along.

[BillsFanM.D.]

To the OP point, if Sullivan changed course, he ought to at least admit it in his article. He makes it sound like he was anti-Stevie all along.

 

I just read every post thinking this same thought all the way through the thread. Of course, you hit it in the 'last' post.

 

I agree. No shame in changing your opinion of a player. Just own it and tell us why.

[cvanvol]

This is why I dislike Sully. He does this all the time.

[Thurman#1]

Jerry, is that you?

 

Sullivan picks up on the main whining around town, and rides it for all it's worth. It's not good writing, and not necessary to approach the job like that. Next column will be about Da'Rick, and how he is on his way to the Hall of Fame.

I am in the keep SJ13 crowd, but this irks me more than all the other stuff. Guy has had a bad hammy since 2010...WTF?

 

Having said that, dude can flat out get open, is one of our more talented players, and we need not get rid of those right now.

 

 

Whatever else you want to say about Jerry, he's an excellent writer. Excellent. Is he the first to say that maybe it's time for Stevie to go? No, certainly not, but he makes good points.

 

 

To me there's some interesting stuff there, on the importance to Stevie of "keeping it real," for instance, and how little that might mean to an NFL team.

 

And at the end there, he says he's got a source that the Bills are thinking about this. That's new.

 

I'm not irked. Consistency is the hobgoblin of yadda yadda yadda.

Edited December 12, 2013 by Thurman#1

[cvanvol]

Whatever else you want to say about Jerry, he's an excellent writer. Excellent. Is he the first to say that maybe it's time for Stevie to go? No, certainly not, but he makes good points.

 

 

To me there's some interesting stuff there, on the importance to Stevie of "keeping it real," for instance, and how little that might mean to an NFL team.

 

And at the end there, he says he's got a source that the Bills are thinking about this. That's new.

 

I'm not irked. Consistency is the hobgoblin of yadda yadda yadda. Sully admits he wanted them to sign Stevie. Now he thinks maybe it was the wrong decision, and admits he was wrong too. What's wrong with that?

 

He didnt admit that at all..... did you even read the article?

[Homey D. Clown]

I find it best not to even bother reading his garbage, it's not journalism, it's what ever opinion he decides to have that will cause as much controversy as possible, then write an article a 4th grader could write. I think it's time to just stop paying him any attention at this point.

[ALLEN1QB]

Think about it what would the great Jerry Rice have done on this team? Not a whole lot.

[JPS]

Sullivan is dead on accurate. It doesn't matter what he wrote before 13 got his fat contract. What is he doing for the Bills right now? He's not a game changer. So why pay him like one?

 

SJ13 does just enough to say..hey, this guy has skills, but not enough to help you win….kinda like RF14.

[thebandit27]

Why does anyone read Sullivan's stuff? It's been the same copy/paste job for the last 20 years (yes, even when the team was winning).

 

The guy has 5 article templates...he just pulls one up and fills in the blanks.

Edited December 12, 2013 by thebandit27

[JPS]

Why does anyone read Sullivan's stuff? It's been the same copy/paste job for the last 20 years (yes, even when the team was winning).

 

The guy has 5 article templates...he just pulls one up and fills in the blanks.

That's the Bills fault, not Sullivan's. I can't find any fault with his article on Stevie. Is any of it debatable? I can't see it.

 

Truth continues to hurt.

[thebandit27]

That's the Bills fault, not Sullivan's. I can't find any fault with his article on Stevie. Is any of it debatable? I can't see it.

 

Truth continues to hurt.

 

Actually, no, it has nothing to do with the Bills, and everything to do with creativity and writing style. Good columnists keep their writing interesting; others do not. I used to write for the AP, and as part of our journalism classes in college we read different columnists from papers all across the country. Unfortunately, I don't think the sports opinion columnists at the News measure up to many of the others we ran across in our studies (in fact it isn't close).

 

As I pointed out, Jerry's columns have read exactly the same since the Bills were in their glory years (unless they've changed dramatically in the last 3 years--I wouldn't know, but it doesn't sound like it reading these comments).

 

It has absolutely zero to do with "the truth hurts"...I could care less if Sullivan writes his articles with a negative tone, positive tone, or no tone at all. I find his work repetitive and boring, and I'm not going to read it.

 

It's about quality of the writing, which just isn't there anymore. The Sullivans and Gleasons don't hold a candle to guys like Jim Kelley and Larry Felser; guys whose work never reached hum-drum depths regardless of how the Sabres and Bills (respectively) were performing.

 

The quality isn't (or in the very least, wasn't) there, and so I ask folks in this thread: why read it?

[4BillsintheBurgh]

I'm disappointed when I unknowingly follow a link to one of his articles.

[PastaJoe]

 

 

Actually, no, it has nothing to do with the Bills, and everything to do with creativity and writing style. Good columnists keep their writing interesting; others do not. I used to write for the AP, and as part of our journalism classes in college we read different columnists from papers all across the country. Unfortunately, I don't think the sports opinion columnists at the News measure up to many of the others we ran across in our studies (in fact it isn't close).

 

As I pointed out, Jerry's columns have read exactly the same since the Bills were in their glory years (unless they've changed dramatically in the last 3 years--I wouldn't know, but it doesn't sound like it reading these comments).

 

It has absolutely zero to do with "the truth hurts"...I could care less if Sullivan writes his articles with a negative tone, positive tone, or no tone at all. I find his work repetitive and boring, and I'm not going to read it.

 

It's about quality of the writing, which just isn't there anymore. The Sullivans and Gleasons don't hold a candle to guys like Jim Kelley and Larry Felser; guys whose work never reached hum-drum depths regardless of how the Sabres and Bills (respectively) were performing.

 

The quality isn't (or in the very least, wasn't) there, and so I ask folks in this thread: why read it?

 

Because some readers agree with what he says and how he says it, and like to hear an objective opinion on the local sports teams, not a fluff piece that overlooks the problems.

 

Just because you were in journalism doesn't make you the authority, maybe your writing style is crap. Where's your Pulitzer?

[Cash]

Yea it does because Stevie is the only vet WR on the squad. The only one with 3 1000 yd seasons in a row in team history. The only one teams fear. One of the toughest to cover in the league.

 

The thing you have to ask is are the Bills a better team without him. That answer right now is no.

 

Jerry is tripping. Most of the time Jerry is right. not this time IMO. Until the Bills get somebody better than have to keep him. Period

 

It doesn't bother me when fans are upset -- I'm upset too, because losing stinks, and it should upset you as a fan. But it does bother me when upset fans think that the way to get better is to get rid of good players because they aren't "good enough". How about getting rid of the bad players? The Bills love to employ the strategy of letting a guy go via cut, trade, or free agency, then spending a high pick on his replacement. THIS DOES NOT LEAD TO IMPROVEMENT. We cut Lawyer Milloy and drafted Donte Whitner. We traded Willis McGahee and drafted Marshawn Lynch. We drafted Spiller so we could trade Lynch, and drafted McKelvin so we could let Jabari Greer walk. Meanwhile, the scrubs around them have changed names, but keep being replacement-level players.

[C.Biscuit97]

It doesn't bother me when fans are upset -- I'm upset too, because losing stinks, and it should upset you as a fan. But it does bother me when upset fans think that the way to get better is to get rid of good players because they aren't "good enough". How about getting rid of the bad players? The Bills love to employ the strategy of letting a guy go via cut, trade, or free agency, then spending a high pick on his replacement. THIS DOES NOT LEAD TO IMPROVEMENT. We cut Lawyer Milloy and drafted Donte Whitner. We traded Willis McGahee and drafted Marshawn Lynch. We drafted Spiller so we could trade Lynch, and drafted McKelvin so we could let Jabari Greer walk. Meanwhile, the scrubs around them have changed names, but keep being replacement-level players.

 

I agree with all except the Lynch part (he solely was the reason he's not a Bill). Johnson has his flaws. He's not a top receiver. He has drops (though Calvin Johnson had a drop against TB this year that cost them the game. It happens). But if SJ is your #2 receiver, that's a pretty good receiving core. Stop creating holes by getting rid of good, productive players.

[thebandit27]

Because some readers agree with what he says and how he says it, and like to hear an objective opinion on the local sports teams, not a fluff piece that overlooks the problems.

 

Just because you were in journalism doesn't make you the authority, maybe your writing style is crap. Where's your Pulitzer?

 

Wow, defensive much?

 

Any particular reason you decided to ignore the fact that I don't care if he writes positive or negative and assert that all I want is a "fluff piece that overlooks the problems"?

 

As for my Pulitzer, I decided to move on from writing for the AP because I'd rather be a fan (it didn't hurt that running a business is more profitable).

 

What Sullivan does isn't objectivity; it's pandering. I respectfully submit that if more of the Buffalo News readership got a taste of quality column writing from across the country, they wouldn't be satisfied with the stuff Jerry puts out. That exposure, IMO, lends credence to my opinion; not the fact that I used to write for the AP (that was a sidebar).

 

I hope this response offends you less than my previous post.

[mjt328]

Who among us hasn't been wrong in our assessment of a player? Which NFL GMs haven't been wrong?

 

Who among us hasn't changed our views about a player? Which NFL GMs haven't changed their views of a player?

 

The only difference between a columnist and the rest of us is that they have to put all their opinions on paper (or the web) for all to see and dig up years after the fact.

 

My own opinion of Stevie has wavered over the years, but at this point he has minimized his own costly mistakes two weeks in a row, in fact is almost in denial about how those mistakes impacted the game. That is the antithesis of leadership. You could live with that occasionally if the Bills were in first place, but for a team still learning how to win, you simply can't have that from one of your highest paid guys. Stevie must be purged, and I believe he will be, at a time that's most advantageous to the Bills.

 

I agree with this. Things change.

 

I've been a big supporter of Stevie over the years. I think he's a spectacular route runner, and definitely could be an asset to this passing game - if we actually had a quarterback that could get him the ball. His celebrations never bothered me, and I actually found them quite entertaining. Every receiver drops passes, so I wasn't going to hold that against him either.

 

After the last 2 weeks though, my opinion on Stevie has changed. Not simply because of his fumble against Atlanta, but his tipped pass/drop against Tampa Bay.

 

At some point, Stevie's teammates are going to stop trusting him. Especially the quarterback. And when your QB can't trust you, it's a problem. Not to mention, I think the drops have gotten into Stevie's head. Unfortunately, that will only lead to more mistakes. I think the guy is very talented, but I think the guy's mental toughness has been damaged beyond repair.

[Bill from NYC]

Two years ago he wrote a column shaming the Bills to extend Stevie Johnson. Now he's says the Bills overpaid him. Jerry's memory is a little fuzzy these days.

 

http://www.buffalone...stevie-20131211

 

But not really. Jerry knows he wrote a column in support of Johnson. But he doesn't care because, as he pointed out to me in an email he sent to me, it's his job to write about the moment, even if the moment contradicts what he wrote earlier. Years ago I wrote Jerry a chiding email over a column where he blamed Tom Donahoe for drafting that stiff Mike Williams. (The tackle, not the WR.) This even though Jerry lavishly praised the pick and Donahoe after that draft.

 

It irks me. Are you not irked?

 

PTR

 

No I am not irked because I do not have a personal axe to grind against Sullivan, and every other reporter who doesn't praise the Bills.

Johnson is playing poorly. Why do you expect the media to not publish this? Expecting sportswriters to wave pom-poms at a player or a team that sucks is an unreasonable expectation.