Honestly? I hate this hack Mike Rodak

[ThurmasThoman]

Say what you want about Tim Graham, but at least he's got the best interest of the Bills at heart.

 

This Rodak kid is GREEN, and has absolutely no respect for the franchise that is the Buffalo Bills.

 

Now after lurking here for close to a decade, I am well aware of the tremendous amount of self loathing that takes place on this board, so if you're scrolling down to the quick reply box to type "we'll get respect when we earn it," save your fingers the time of typing it out. I get it. The Bills are bad--in the middle of a terrible slump right now--and save for a great run in the 90s, since the AFL/NFL merger have been a pretty middle of the road franchise.

 

But, at the end of the day, we're talking about a historic franchise. An original AFL team. And a team that is a part of the fabric of the league. We do sell out games. We do put eyes on the tv when were playing in prime time. We do have a national following.

 

Now look:

 

I live in New England. I know this Rodak kid... I've never met him, but I know him. He's some smug, late 20's-early 30's Patriots fan (not beat writer, fan). He didn't grow up playing football. He didn't even grow up watching football. He's just like every other kid his age in the Boston region: I'd be willing to bet that the first (Brady) Patriots Super Bowl was the first football game he ever watched from coin toss to post game.

 

Why does this matter? Because he's apparently been appointed as the sole gate keeper for news coming out of the AFC East by ESPN. Why does that matter? ("Just don't watch ESPN, I don't") It matters because every single person in the country gets their sports news from ESPN. Every non-Bills fan, that is also a football fan, is going to get 99.9% of their Bills news from ESPN.com.

 

And THAT'S important because this hack Rodak doesn't do his due diligence in his reporting, and acts as if he better throw a bone to Buffalo fans to keep them happy in between talking about Brady's pants or Gronk's amazing, wolverine-like ability to recover from injury.

 

http://espn.go.com/n...in-buffalo-area

 

His latest video, referring to comments that "even if the Bills leave Buffalo, a team will probably come back" made earlier this week are taken somewhat out of context, and with all of the news that's been delivered this week regarding potential owners dining with Brandon, our lease being essentially iron clad, the ground swell of support from former Bills lobbying to keep the team here, Jimbo meeting with potential ownership groups, and a sale fast tracked for (possibly) July, this guy presents it in 20 seconds as if

 

"Well, hey, some people think that when the Bills leave, they might get another team someday."

 

I mean, honestly, you report on a division. There are four teams. Google "(AFC east team) forum" and you can find a forum for the Bills, Jets, Dolphins and Patriots. Check those all day, follow your leads, and give a balanced report of what's going on in our division.

 

Sorry to go off on this right before the draft, in something that will (likely) quickly drop off the front page, but it bothers me that the biggest sports media agency in the world has such a wet-behind-the-ears, hack of a journalist assigned to "cover" us. I get that we're not glamorous, and I get that the Pats own the division, but if ESPN wants to pretend that they have some "blogger" thats going to go deep and cover the teams in the division, they owe us more than 20 seconds of off hand comments about whats going to happen if the Bills leave.

 

F*ck him and the company he works for.

Edited May 7, 2014 by JohnnyGold

[PO'14]

Take a load off Fanny, Take a load for free! Take a load off Fanny, and put the load right on me! I HEAR YA BROTHER. Screw these AHOLES!

[MOFO]

\ He's just like every other kid his age in the Boston region: I'd be willing to bet that the first Patriots Super Bowl was the first football game he ever watched from coin toss to post game.

 

 

I start every conversation with a Pats fan with a Steve Grogan refrence...If I get a doe eyed look, I then use small words and try to end the exchange as quickly as possible.

[17 Josh Allen]

I really agree with you. I wish they would hire you or someone like you that could be

a good reporter on all the AFC East teams. It's not hard to get info. If I was doing the reporting I would be reading sites like these from all AFC east teams. He'll the front page of this site has newspaper articles about everything Bills. He a total Hack and does not

deserve the job.

[Kirby Jackson]

 

 

I start every conversation with a Pats fan with a Steve Grogan refrence...If I get a doe eyed look, I then use small words and try to end the exchange as quickly as possible.

Ha ha, my uncle in Boston used to ask people the Patriots QBs from their first Super Bowl appearance to thei 2nd. Half of them didn't even know Bledsoe!! Worst football fans ever.

[Captain Hindsight]

I'm not really sure what you want.

 

Should Rodak be posting a history lesson of the Bills for each post?

 

NFL fans are asking : Will the Bills leave? So he is using the blog to answer it

 

He is not a BILLS reporter, he is an ESPN reporter. He works for ESPN and sells ESPN stories, not BILLS stories.

 

What story sells better for ESPN.

 

Bills could leave with new ownership

 

or

 

Bills most likely staying, no real changes expected

[Hapless Bills Fan]

I start every conversation with a Pats fan with a Steve Grogan refrence...If I get a doe eyed look, I then use small words and try to end the exchange as quickly as possible.

 

Hee hee, I like the way you think. Tony Eason is good for that too, believe it or not.

[juno999]

I really enjoyed the Patriots first Super Bowl. Da Bears crushed them.

[boyst]

I give Rodak a lot crap. I call him Rodhack, if you've ever noticed. I don't think he's very good at covering the NFL but he is still better then James Walker. His work is light years better then Walkers. The difference between Graham and those guys is that Graham went to ESPN already established and well connected in the NFL.

 

Rodak does his best, it seems. It isn't great but there really isn't much of a way to make it better given his restraints. He likely has never been to Buffalo for a game, nor NYC or Miami for a game. ESPN doesn't pay crap and they aren't going to shuffle one of 40 some of their NFL bloggers around to cover a team that hasn't made the playoffs in 15 or something years.

[TSNBDSC]

Stayin

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

My wive's whole family is from Boston and while they profess themselves to be fans, they knew little to nothing about the team prior to 2001.

 

Here's a shocker.. Prior to that year they only won the AFC east 4 frickin times. Bills doubled that. They owned them for decades.

 

Need that pendulum to swing back our way soon.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

I love the original post!!! Just awesome.

[Punch]

One of Rodak's really annoying habits is posting an article that makes it sound like he is "on the scene" or reporting it first. In actuality, he's just doing a copy/paste from another source such as the AP. He often (perhaps even usually) does not make proper attributions and this is a major no-no. His job is to produce clickbait for ESPN, so I guess he's successful on some level, but he's a hack.

[dave mcbride]

I start every conversation with a Pats fan with a Steve Grogan refrence...If I get a doe eyed look, I then use small words and try to end the exchange as quickly as possible.

You're way too easy on them. I always raise Ben Dreith and Sugar Bear Hamilton.

[C.Biscuit97]

Epic rant. Tim Graham is still a giant douche though!

[Dr. Fong]

You know what will change everyone's perception of the Bills and force outlets like ESPN to provide more coverage? If they'd win more games. The national media has proven to me that any time the Bills show a glimpse of fielding a team that might provide some kind of playoff contention they will show up. I mean how much coverage are they supposed to provide to a team that hasn't been in the playoffs in 1 1/2 decades

[bisonbrigade]

Rodak is a member of the Tom Brady fan club. He where's Patriot underwear, and has a Fat Head of Tom Brady in his Bedroom. If the Bills went 16-0 he would say that they are overrated and that New England is better.

[FluffHead]

He likely has never been to Buffalo for a game, nor NYC or Miami for a game.

 

Im pretty sure he is in Buffalo regularly. I have heard Joe B reference seeing him often. But yea, he stanks something rotten and has that negative tone ala Timmy McGrahammypants.

Edited May 7, 2014 by FluffHead

[The Beautiful East]

Actually, following Walker, I have quite enjoyed reading Rodak's blog. Pulitzer Prize? No. But he sure does a better job of reading up on what he's about to write about, Graham, whilst obviously being a rather volatile character, is also a rather talented writer, I tend to find. Walker deserves the kind of rant this thread was opened with.

[Chandler#81]

Note to OP, any further use of THAT word will find you on the sidelines.