Bills have new media reporting guidelines

[FireChan]

WEO,

 

Go back and take a look at how it was reported last year......the depth of the thing was incredible (which I actually loved)

 

but then they had to take that one step further and try to tell the fans who had good days and bad days without having the knowledge of football in doing so. For instance....who is Rodent to try to tell me who had a good day and how had a bad day...in what way is he qualified to do that?

When Astro posts his notes and says Tyrod had a great practice, will you ask him "how he's qualified to know?"

 

You don't need many qualifications to know incomplete passes and picks are bad for QB's.

[birdog1960]

Bucky's definitely butt-hurt.

http://www.buffalonews.com/columns/bucky-gleason/never-a-dull-moment-with-the-bills-well-except-for-game-day-20160524

 

Can't wait for Sully's collumn.

neither can I. that was funny!

 

The Bills can’t honestly believe their rivals are trying to gain an advantage from information gathered at their workouts. We’re talking about the Bills, not the Patriots. It’s not as if Buffalo holds some secret to success. They have a blueprint for what not to do. Stealing information from them is like cheating off the dumbest kid in class

[Mr. WEO]

 

Lets take this sample size then

 

You mean like this?

 

"Matt Cassel may end up the starting quarterback in week one when Buffalo takes on Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts at Ralph Wilson Stadium. If he gets the gig, it will be almost by default.

So far, Cassel has done nothing to command the job but also has done nothing to completely lose it. He's calm in the pocket and shows the poise you would expect from an 11-year NFL veteran. His deep ball flutters, but it gets there."

 

Where was the reporting of Tyrod Taylor? You know the guy that actually started the season? Cassell is the QB by default? Guess not.

 

And this:

 

 

"Reports from Pittsford since training camp began on July 31 have been dreadful when it comes to the quarterback play.

While certainly trusting the astute reporting of many of my colleagues, much like the kids in the movie "Stand by Me" who sought out the dead body of Ray Brower, I had to see this awful quarterback play for myself.

Yep, it's that bad."

 

I dont know what day this report was put out.....but one of our QBs went to the pro bowl.....and was in several top statistical catagories.....so he Tyrod was certainly not dreadful. Maybe the "colleagues" this reporter (whoever it was) were just as not astute at football as he was?

 

 

"Matt Cassel had the worst minicamp of the trio, but practiced along the same level as Manuel on Friday."

 

Which.....basically...is saying nothing?

 

"The Buffalo Bills have been waiting for one player at quarterback to show enough consistency and be the best player, day after day. They still don’t have that, but the slow-and-steady-wins-the-race style of Matt Cassel shot ahead on Monday...at the moment."

 

Still no mention of tyrod

 

"Observations: Cassel's stats are better than the other two quarterbacks but to my eye, he hasn't stood out above either of them. He'll miss throws in routes against unguarded receivers that you would expect a more experienced quarterback to hit. Most of his completions have come on check downs. Cassel improved Sunday and generally looks better than he did in the spring but that isn't saying much -- he still has been shaky."

 

I think what the poster you are responding to might be saying is that the reporters were not giving an accurate picture of what was going on in camp with these QBs.......was Tyrod really doing so badly and then when we actually started playing games started to shine? It usually doesnt work that way.

 

Your memory betrays you.

 

 

 

Eball claims the press anointed Cassell as the week 1 starter in OTAs and camp. I was just pointing out that he made that up.

 

The comments about TT were not bad:

 

"Observations: As advertised, Taylor will hold the ball and try to make plays with his feet more than the other two quarterbacks. He'll spin and scramble out of the pocket when his receiver isn't open. Since the defensive line can't hit Taylor in practice, it can be hard to judge when Taylor would have been sacked. He has a strong arm and will loft some deep balls, but it's easy to see him getting in trouble attempting those throws in game action."

 

 

"Tyrod Taylor is hitting his stride at the right time in the quarterback competition at Buffalo Bills training camp.

After drawing praise from Rex Ryan on consecutive days, Taylor once again looked like the best of the three quarterbacks during team drills Friday. Still, the pecking order hasn't changed.

Taylor was nearly perfect Friday, his only incompletion coming on a throw to Jerome Felton in the flat during goal line work. His touchdown was a deep pass to Robert Woods, who scorched Rod Sweeting for an easy score."

 

Joe B had it figured out by the 3rd week of training camp, re; TT.

 

See? You have nothing to worry about when someone reports a player having a good or bad day. Neither do the Bills, but they have a hard on for the local media so they do silly things like this which predictably blow up in their faces.

 

What is Pegula thinking right about now?

[eball]

 

 

Eball claims the press anointed Cassell as the week 1 starter in OTAs and camp. I was just pointing out that he made that up.

 

 

No, you're just stirring up stojan for no reason, like always. My recollection of how the local media covered the QB race isn't "made up" -- you apparently have nothing else to do so you went and cherry-picked comments to suit your silly games. Carry on.

[Mr. WEO]

 

No, you're just stirring up stojan for no reason, like always. My recollection of how the local media covered the QB race isn't "made up" -- you apparently have nothing else to do so you went and cherry-picked comments to suit your silly games. Carry on.

 

Not stirring HIM up. And your recollection isn't made up? Not that's an interesting statement...

 

Just send us the tweets that are the polar opposite of what I was easily able to find from the guy from Syracuse.com, Joe B, Rodak.....

Edited May 25, 2016 by Mr. WEO

[Rockinon]

Personally, I think the local media deserve the treatment. We need reporters that simply report the news and don't get caught up with trying to speculate where performances will lead to a starting position or a whether the Bills are hurting in a particular area, etc. They should merely report what they see and nothing more. These guys have been reporting a bunch of nonsense and then patting each other on the back for stories that are further over the top than ever before. It's as if they are marketing themselves at the expense of true reporting.

 

I am not worried at all over this. Training camp will be open soon and news will come out. The media is acting all butt hurt over this but who is going to keep their shenanigans in check if left to say what ever they want without consequence? If folks can't see the sorry state of propaganda coming from our news outlets these days, they really aught to try opening their eyes. The media is all about themselves and not the actual news itself. Why do you think they want to turn this into a circus now?

[Delete This Account]

for what it's worth folks, the growing talk of Cassel being the front-runner for the job last training camp was sparked by those inside the BIlls organization and had nothing to do with which reporter was tracking plays.

personally, i'm not a play-by-play tracker as the minute i'm distracted by a call or have to make a bathroom break or whatever, then the stats are essentially useless and incomplete.

 

for those questioning why we in the media have our boxers/panties in a bunch, well, you folks rely upon us to provide observations from closed practices. and that's where many of these rules apply -- the spring minicamps, both voluntary and mandatory. if you don't want any updates on how players look during these few sessions, then fine then. i know many others do.

 

that some might think our observations are off, well, i can't and won't apologize. they're mere observations taken during a spring practice session months before the start of the season.

personally, i try not to make too many rash judgements at this time of year just because of that.

but to suggest that these observations don't provide value or are meaningless is quite naive.

 

it's what we do.

and accept it or not, you folks -- the fans -- are the ones who consume it.

willingly, i might add.

 

jw

[Coach Tuesday]

All the Bills wanted to do is have the reporters stop from doing the play by play of the drops and missed passes in the spring. And later they told the reporters as much.

 

To me it was a stupid request but this stupidity was the equivalent of many of these same reporters tweets of last year's spring and summer about missed passes and drops and the QB competition. The one guy who sucks at his job the most, IMO, is Berchold. The way he went about this was more dumb than the actual decision or rules or intent.

 

Maybe so Kelly, but anyone in a management-level spot in the business world knows that attacking the media is NEVER a good strategy. Except maybe for Donald Trump, but I digress. If the Bills' goal was to obtain more neutral, softer media coverage, then poking the media in the eye was THE EXACT WRONG STRATEGY.

 

And I agree that Berchtold is an amateur who should be fired with cause tomorrow morning. That dude SUCKS at his job and in fact, Scott, I hope you're reading this: you're really, really bad at your job and you should go work at McDonald's. You're a first-rate moron. There I said it. You're horrible at what you do.

[fridge]

for what it's worth folks, the growing talk of Cassel being the front-runner for the job last training camp was sparked by those inside the BIlls organization and had nothing to do with which reporter was tracking plays.

personally, i'm not a play-by-play tracker as the minute i'm distracted by a call or have to make a bathroom break or whatever, then the stats are essentially useless and incomplete.

 

for those questioning why we in the media have our boxers/panties in a bunch, well, you folks rely upon us to provide observations from closed practices. and that's where many of these rules apply -- the spring minicamps, both voluntary and mandatory. if you don't want any updates on how players look during these few sessions, then fine then. i know many others do.

 

that some might think our observations are off, well, i can't and won't apologize. they're mere observations taken during a spring practice session months before the start of the season.

personally, i try not to make too many rash judgements at this time of year just because of that.

but to suggest that these observations don't provide value or are meaningless is quite naive.

 

it's what we do.

and accept it or not, you folks -- the fans -- are the ones who consume it.

willingly, i might add.

 

jw

 

Pretty much sums this entire thing up.

 

Joe B's constant training camp stats are stupid, but it doesn't mean I'm not going to read them. We're fans and we're interested in this subject and in the end the quality of the content this time of year is less important than the quantity. No one was complaining about being able to watch 6 second vine clips of the players last year at camp, and if they were it certainly wasn't that it was too much reporting...

[John from Riverside]

for what it's worth folks, the growing talk of Cassel being the front-runner for the job last training camp was sparked by those inside the BIlls organization and had nothing to do with which reporter was tracking plays.

personally, i'm not a play-by-play tracker as the minute i'm distracted by a call or have to make a bathroom break or whatever, then the stats are essentially useless and incomplete.

 

for those questioning why we in the media have our boxers/panties in a bunch, well, you folks rely upon us to provide observations from closed practices. and that's where many of these rules apply -- the spring minicamps, both voluntary and mandatory. if you don't want any updates on how players look during these few sessions, then fine then. i know many others do.

 

that some might think our observations are off, well, i can't and won't apologize. they're mere observations taken during a spring practice session months before the start of the season.

personally, i try not to make too many rash judgements at this time of year just because of that.

but to suggest that these observations don't provide value or are meaningless is quite naive.

 

it's what we do.

and accept it or not, you folks -- the fans -- are the ones who consume it.

willingly, i might add.

 

jw

Appreciate it John

 

Yours is one of the few that I actually look forward to reading. I do not feel the same way about all of your counterparts but that is just my preference.

 

I always thought you called it liked you saw it....which was appreciated.

[3rdand12]

black sabbath comes to mind.......

war pigs ?

Accounts vary. Some people say it hit the sideline and bounced into the tent, contrary to initial reports that it was airmailed into the tent. Who to believe...

was the route run incorrectly? These timing patterns can really look ugly sometimes.

 

I actually think this policy is a punitive response to the media's reporting of that incident.

Oh it is punitive alright !

except in this case, this private corporation is subsidized by taxpayers. perhaps if the billionaires no longer asked the public to pay for their stadiums your point would be stronger.

so why do we have to pay to attend the games?

we are not privileged as you wish Sir

[3rdand12]

When Astro posts his notes and says Tyrod had a great practice, will you ask him "how he's qualified to know?"

 

You don't need many qualifications to know incomplete passes and picks are bad for QB's.

so this is a good example.

 

Woods runs a curl. tyrod is asked to count it out, turn away from sammy and throw. to Roberts target spot regardless of how Woods was covered.

Tyrod is told to just throw it. This stuff is done all the time this early. Coaches are looking at techs and recognition by the DB etc. The practice play is not about the completion it is to study the players footwork hand work, diligence, understanding of the play call. Then do the film and coach it up. run it again the next day.

[FireChan]

so this is a good example.

 

Woods runs a curl. tyrod is asked to count it out, turn away from sammy and throw. to Roberts target spot regardless of how Woods was covered.

Tyrod is told to just throw it. This stuff is done all the time this early. Coaches are looking at techs and recognition by the DB etc. The practice play is not about the completion it is to study the players footwork hand work, diligence, understanding of the play call. Then do the film and coach it up. run it again the next day.

During 11 on 11s?

[3rdand12]

for what it's worth folks, the growing talk of Cassel being the front-runner for the job last training camp was sparked by those inside the BIlls organization and had nothing to do with which reporter was tracking plays.

personally, i'm not a play-by-play tracker as the minute i'm distracted by a call or have to make a bathroom break or whatever, then the stats are essentially useless and incomplete.

 

for those questioning why we in the media have our boxers/panties in a bunch, well, you folks rely upon us to provide observations from closed practices. and that's where many of these rules apply -- the spring minicamps, both voluntary and mandatory. if you don't want any updates on how players look during these few sessions, then fine then. i know many others do.

 

that some might think our observations are off, well, i can't and won't apologize. they're mere observations taken during a spring practice session months before the start of the season.

personally, i try not to make too many rash judgements at this time of year just because of that.

but to suggest that these observations don't provide value or are meaningless is quite naive.

 

it's what we do.

and accept it or not, you folks -- the fans -- are the ones who consume it.

willingly, i might add.

 

jw

perspective is always relative.

as we here can be bonded to the extremes, it is hard for me to critique media harshly.

All views should be available and all views should have some thing to counter balance. free speech please.

 

On the other hand i do not care if the Bills get covered during practices.

it could be eliminated and we could all just guess.

Most of us reach our own conclusions anyways.

 

During 11 on 11s?

during practice.

do they run 11s all day ? do they press cover?

[FireChan]

perspective is always relative.

as we here can be bonded to the extremes, it is hard for me to critique media harshly.

All views should be available and all views should have some thing to counter balance. free speech please.

 

On the other hand i do not care if the Bills get covered during practices.

it could be eliminated and we could all just guess.

Most of us reach our own conclusions anyways.

 

 

during practice.

do they run 11s all day ? do they press cover?

They don't run them all day. Perhaps I'm misremembering, but I thought the things that got reported the most were "unofficial stat lines" of offense vs defense type drills and really egregious mistakes like the infamous hospitality tent. Some players got commented on for tons of drops, or interceptions, and/or bad days in general.

 

That's what I remember from last year anyway.

 

At the end of the day, it's just practice. Remember last year the defense had to be held back because the offense sucked so bad? And then the offense was clearly the superior unit? No big deal if that info gets out there IMO.

Edited May 26, 2016 by FireChan

[3rdand12]

They don't run them all day. Perhaps I'm misremembering, but I thought the things that got reported the most were "unofficial stat lines" of offense vs defense type drills and really egregious mistakes like the infamous hospitality tent. Some players got commented on for tons of drops, or interceptions, and/or bad days in general.

 

That's what I remember from last year anyway.

 

At the end of the day, it's just practice. Remember last year the defense had to be held back because the offense sucked so bad? And then the offense was clearly the superior unit? No big deal if that info gets out there IMO.

I think you are not far off from the reporting last year. It is a tough discussion to have for me. at times i felt there was negative bias. and this year i fear there is even more. not based upon fact as much as some kind of battle with Bills FO and local reporting. no love there whatsoever

Its just practice. that is about and honest a statement as one could make

[K-9]

for what it's worth folks, the growing talk of Cassel being the front-runner for the job last training camp was sparked by those inside the BIlls organization and had nothing to do with which reporter was tracking plays.

personally, i'm not a play-by-play tracker as the minute i'm distracted by a call or have to make a bathroom break or whatever, then the stats are essentially useless and incomplete.

 

for those questioning why we in the media have our boxers/panties in a bunch, well, you folks rely upon us to provide observations from closed practices. and that's where many of these rules apply -- the spring minicamps, both voluntary and mandatory. if you don't want any updates on how players look during these few sessions, then fine then. i know many others do.

 

that some might think our observations are off, well, i can't and won't apologize. they're mere observations taken during a spring practice session months before the start of the season.

personally, i try not to make too many rash judgements at this time of year just because of that.

but to suggest that these observations don't provide value or are meaningless is quite naive.

 

it's what we do.

and accept it or not, you folks -- the fans -- are the ones who consume it.

willingly, i might add.

 

jw

Fair enough. And you're absolutely spot on with regard to the ravenous consumption we fans partake in.

 

But some of your colleagues lack the basic professionalism required for the job, it seems. There is a "stream of consciousness" element to the rapid-fire twitter reports by some of the scribes at practice. I think back to Buscaglia's mission last summer when he made it a project to only concentrate on Manuel's performance at a particular practice whereby his opinion on every rep was immediately tweeted out along with a healthy dose of snark. And why? To benefit the consumers with a "report" from practice? I don't think so. He was only concerned with tweeting out an op/ed piece. I can't speak for other consumers, but I purposely won't consume a thing he writes or reports on TV as a result.

 

And Buscaglia isn't the only one to partake in this particular style of "reporting", either.

 

The twitterspere and other social media outlets have changed the entire dynamic in the relationship between reporters and their subjects. It's only natural that subjects are going to circle the wagons in the face of the 24/7 onslaught.

 

GO BILLS!!!

Edited May 26, 2016 by K-9

[Steve Billieve]

the obvious difference of course being the impact on good paying jobs created for everyday folk from subsidies to boeing versus the bills. but hey, we get a perennial loser to cheer for as a result all that money!

I don't want into the value of the deals these municipalities doing, but if there was no perceived value they certainly wouldn't pay.

[Nervous Guy]

Fair enough. And you're absolutely spot on with regard to the ravenous consumption we fans partake in.

 

But some of your colleagues lack the basic professionalism required for the job, it seems. There is a "stream of consciousness" element to the rapid-fire twitter reports by some of the scribes at practice. I think back to Buscaglia's mission last summer when he made it a project to only concentrate on Manuel's performance at a particular practice whereby his opinion on every rep was immediately tweeted out along with a healthy dose of snark. And why? To benefit the consumers with a "report" from practice? I don't think so. He was only concerned with tweeting out an op/ed piece. I can't speak for other consumers, but I purposely won't consume a thing he writes or reports on TV as a result.

 

And Buscaglia isn't the only one to partake in this particular style of "reporting", either.

 

The twitterspere and other social media outlets have changed the entire dynamic in the relationship between reporters and their subjects. It's only natural that subjects are going to circle the wagons in the face of the 24/7 onslaught.

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

Well said sir! The idiotic coverage last year brought this about, they are reaping what they sowed.

[eball]

for what it's worth folks, the growing talk of Cassel being the front-runner for the job last training camp was sparked by those inside the BIlls organization and had nothing to do with which reporter was tracking plays.

personally, i'm not a play-by-play tracker as the minute i'm distracted by a call or have to make a bathroom break or whatever, then the stats are essentially useless and incomplete.

 

for those questioning why we in the media have our boxers/panties in a bunch, well, you folks rely upon us to provide observations from closed practices. and that's where many of these rules apply -- the spring minicamps, both voluntary and mandatory. if you don't want any updates on how players look during these few sessions, then fine then. i know many others do.

 

that some might think our observations are off, well, i can't and won't apologize. they're mere observations taken during a spring practice session months before the start of the season.

personally, i try not to make too many rash judgements at this time of year just because of that.

but to suggest that these observations don't provide value or are meaningless is quite naive.

 

it's what we do.

and accept it or not, you folks -- the fans -- are the ones who consume it.

willingly, i might add.

 

jw

 

Thanks as always for stopping by. I recall Vic Carucci, in particular, banging the drum for Matt Cassel like nobody's business, but that's not really important.

 

Certainly you'll agree that not all reporters are created equally. The primary reason I read and enjoy your commentary is because you don't seem to have an agenda either in favor of, or against, the Bills organization. You are simply reporting observations and drawing what seem to be reasonable conclusions. Very few of your colleagues appear capable of doing the same. Ty Dunne at TBN is a notable exception. It's almost embarrassing to read the takes of the latest teenager ESPN trots out to be the Bills beat writer.

 

Your musical tastes are another matter altogether.

 

While I'll continue to scarf down whatever is reported like a starving animal -- particularly since I live in NC -- I have created a hierarchy of which reporters I read thoughtfully versus those I dismiss pretty quickly.

 

I also think the way you report wasn't even really impacted by the Bills' silly policy -- as you indicated, you're not a practice play-by-play reporter.

 

The Bills PR machine is definitely not on top of their game right now, but as a fan that doesn't concern me. Just put a respectable product on the football field.

 

Thanks again for providing the coverage you do.