Speculative article on friction between McDermott and Staff?

[YoloinOhio]

1 hour ago, Turbo44 said:

Dinner specifically said on WGR that McKenzie was not contacted at all for this

The source went by the name Mckittrick

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, SlimShady'sSpaceForce said:

I could have sworn I commented in here.  
 

is there another thread on this?

 

did I say anything offensive?

 

There was.  No.

 

1 hour ago, Turbo44 said:

Dinner specifically said on WGR that McKenzie was not contacted at all for this

 

Who TF is "Dinner"?

 

If you mean "Dunne", I'd just like to point out that there's a certain plausible deniability aspect in that kind of language.  "He was not contacted".  Could be true.  But when you sat down next to a guy and taped a show in a WNY bar with him, maybe you didn't need to contact him.  Maybe you were already having a beer with him waiting for the show to begin and you asked him some questions and recorded his answers.  But you didn't "contact him"!

 

I'm not saying this is how Dunne is, I'm just pointing out that some members of the press can become "Sea Lawyers" when protecting a source is concerned.

[YoloinOhio]

Leroi would have gotten to the bottom of this.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

10 hours ago, Process said:

 

 

Right, nothing was wrong, he just "chose to leave for Jacksonville".

 

Just FYI, when Andy Reid fired McDermott, nothing was said publically, McDermott found a lateral move as DC for Carolina, and left.

That's who McD learned from and how he prefers to do things

You're not fired...you're just "encouraged to explore opportunities elsewhere"

[BrooklynBills]

2 hours ago, folz said:

 

Let me take a stab at showing why some think the article is disingenuous in a manner.

 

 

He starts off with what his obvious opinion and thrust of his slant for the article:

 

"Obviously, Sean McDermott owed more to the public."

 

This is obviously either bothering the writer himself, or he knows he can stoke his readership by bringing up something he knows they are upset about. But Sean McDermott doesn't owe the public an explanation. He is not a public servant. He works for the Pegulas and the NFL. Also, as a good leader, he is making sure that no one (player or coach) gets thrown under the bus. Do people really want him to point fingers? Or instead of saying, ultimately it was his responsibility/execution, did they want him to break down at the podium and say, "It's all my fault. I screwed up. Woe is me." A good leader doesn't do either of those things. A good leader handles their business internally, picks themselves up, and moves on. I just don't know what people want from him.

 

But, the real problem to me with the article is this:

 

"so many of the men who poured their blood, sweat and tears into the organization have been left completely in the dark...With those 13 seconds shrouded in mystery, players were forced to investigate themselves. Many, of course, declined to speak which is understandable considering their boss has refused to utter a word of substance on the matter. There’s little upside. But several did share their findings with Go Long on the condition of anonymity."

 

So he starts off telling us how "many" players feel...leading us to believe it is like a majority of the players. Then tells us "many" players declined to speak. So did many players feel what you said if many players declined to talk? And notice how he's amping up the animosity towards McDermott (and his feeling of the situation) with his emotionally-charged word choices (see bolded phrases above). This is what in the courtroom would be considered leading a witness (or in this case, a reader). So, after saying many players did not comment, he claims that "several did share their findings...on the condition of anonymity."  

 

Let's break that down. How many are several? The definition of several is "More than two, but not many." So, rather than that original "MANY" players he inferred he knew how they felt, we are down to maybe a small group of players. And he says the player's "share their findings" from these "investigations" that they were "forced" to make on their own. Ok, what did this small group of players conclude? What are the actual quotes that will bring us to a better understanding of what happened or what is going on? Well, Dunne offers us four quotes total from either 2, 3, or 4 players. The way they are placed in the article, it could only be two players talking, or it could be up to 4 players (definitely not "many").

 

“You preach accountability,” one player said. “But you don’t practice it.”

 

Said one player: “Everybody knew that if we just beat Kansas City, we would’ve beat any team.”

 

And another: “We definitely would’ve won the Super Bowl.” 

 

“You don’t get over,” one player said, “a game like that.”

 

The first quote is almost undoubtedly from McKenzie. The other three quotes have nothing to do with the 13 seconds or who is to be held accountable, etc. There is no investigative work here by the players or the writer. It is just what any player would say after a tough loss, or what you're expectation was. Nothing to do with McDermott or how he handled the situation then or since.

 

So, after starting off making us think that the majority of the team feels the way the writer is leading us, it all comes down to one anonymous quote, from one player. So, one player said the coach needs to practice accountability and from that we are to believe there is some kind of mutiny at One Bills Drive?

 

And with this one quote, he proves his thesis:

 

"The conclusion? This loss is on the head coach. Not the players. The coach." Who said it wasn't? Whenever you are a leader, every loss ultimately lies in your lap.

 

And why not throw a few of these in to make your readers feel the way you do about McDermott, "No coach can clap their way through this loss." "And the more you learn about this historic collapse, the more it appears the head coach once empowered as the judge, juror and executioner at One Bills Drive should be No. 3." He is trying to paint McDermott as some tyrannical leader, but gives no proof other than his own opinion and that one quote from one player.

 

 

And one last point. His whole thing that McDermott has also been closed mouth in-house again comes from Isiah, who admittedly missed the team meeting, and possibly 1-3 other players he talked to (but who didn't give him a quote about it), and who might not be high enough on the ladder to get explanations anyhow (do we really think McDermott didn't talk to say Josh, or Micah, or Jordan in their final meetings about what happened. Or that he, Frazier, Beane, and the Pegulas haven't discussed it, etc., etc.). Not saying it might not be true that McDermott was closed lip with parts of the organization (because their pay grade didn't warrant them being a part of those discussions), but this is the only other proof we get from Dunne, the following quote:

 

Everything ended very “abruptly,” one team source said.

 

So, the actual quote is "abruptly," the rest of the words are the writers. So what is the actual context to "abruptly?" We're supposed to take a one word quote from an anonymous source and extrapolate out that everyone hates McDermott or something? And who is a team source? A coach, a trainer, someone in the cafeteria? What would it really tell us anyhow unless we knew at least their position with the team.

 

It is what it is, a writer having a premise/agenda for an article, tries to find proof to back up his thesis. When there is very little to actually go on, take what little you have and make it seem like it is more, and use a lot of emotionally-charged words to direct your reader to your foregone conclusion.

 

More opinion piece, than any type of hard-hitting investigative journalism imo.

 

SHOCKING that the guy who hosts a podcast with Jim Monos and Doug Whaley would come out with yet another McDermott hit piece. This tries to come off as a Seth Wickersham-style deep dive is just Dunne carrying Whaley's and Monos' water for them. 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

I don't even think this made national media. The perks of being a small market.

[LeGOATski]

8 minutes ago, BrooklynBills said:

 

SHOCKING that the guy who hosts a podcast with Jim Monos and Doug Whaley would come out with yet another McDermott hit piece. This tries to come off as a Seth Wickersham-style deep dive is just Dunne carrying Whaley's and Monos' water for them. 

Yeah, I remember Dunne being a pretty good writer for the Bills but he hasn't been a neutral voice for a while now.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

10 hours ago, CountDorkula said:

i love how sources for other teams are incredibly believable, but when it comes to the Bills, "unnamed sources" are false, because it shines the team in a negative light.

 

Where on earth do you get this stuff?  For example when someone posted a link from the "save our chiefs" guys blurb about tension between Mahomes and Bieniemy and Reid I and others here took it apart and called BS, before it was taken down.

[Madmax09]

Come on!!  He’s here to win games not sell Girl Scout cookies. You want a coach that cares about wins and has conviction. Not worried about people’s feelings. Look at some of the best coaches in the league. Their A-holes. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

11 hours ago, BillsMafi$ said:

 

 

Is there actually a link to an article here, per the thread title?  Or just this tweet?

 

[YoloinOhio]

6 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Is there actually a link to an article here, per the thread title?  Or just this tweet?

 

Just the tweet

[NoHuddleKelly12]

So to recap, since it’s “not unusual,” this same story could have been written about, say, [insert NFL head coach & team here]…got it! 

[Doc]

5 hours ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

The morning show on WGR said McDermott overruled the special teams coach. The call was squib left, McDermott changed last minute to kick deep.

 

So McD told just Bass to kick it deep and no one else on STs?  Does that sound believable?

 

4 hours ago, Turbo44 said:

How about the specific info he talked about?

 

farewell resigning not being fired

the Diggs confrontation 

 

Farwell was probably told "resign or I'll have to fire you."  I doubt Dunne talked to anyone in the Bills' FO who would have been privy to what really went down and Farwell would obviously spin it as he resigned.

[The Wiz]

1 hour ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

So to recap, since it’s “not unusual,” this same story could have been written about, say, [insert NFL head coach & team here]…got it! 

Yea but they wrote it about the Bills!

 

[Southern_Bills]

So they reported "some" friction and the backed it up with "It's not that unusual" 

 

Meaning it's normal across the NFL, and why are they talking about it?

[stevewin]

19 hours ago, Dr. K said:

One of the quotes that article cites is a player saying "You don't get over a game like that."

 

Duh. No kidding Sherlock. 

 

This quote says nothing about McDermott or anybody else. The writer just sticks it into his innuendo so that in that context it LOOKS LIKE it supports his implications about McDermott. That's what I mean when I say this is written like a 1956 Hollywood Confidential gossip column. It's adolescent BS pretending to be journalism. 

And all the ultra-specific Buffalo home town references - 'I know you people!' - these guys know which fan bases provide clicks, and 13 seconds is just a gift for them, regardless if there's any real substance to their stories

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

11 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

Leroi would have gotten to the bottom of this.

and that other person who defend him endlessly 

11 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

There was.  No.

there was a thread ✅ 

 

my comments were OK

 👍🏻 

 

(I can be thick, the Asperger’s 🧩)

[stevewin]

13 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

It’s pretty obvious that like with any organization, some people are in on certain meetings and some aren’t. 

Those are the high level ones

[Mr. WEO]

16 hours ago, todd said:

 

Well buying into Dunne's schtick it certainly fits the anti-McDermott agenda some have here, despite his winning record and getting the Bills to the playoffs in all but one year. I'm not saying he's Dickerson or anything, but some people have an agenda and an axe to grind.

 

What have been his other anti-McD agenda pieces?

 

16 hours ago, eball said:

If you don’t believe Ty Dunne is all about Ty Dunne, go back and read his “inside takes” on the Rodgers/Green Bay situation last year.  He told anyone who would listen that Rodgers “would do anything possible” to get out of Green Bay prior to the season.

 

This guy is fashioning himself into a NFL drama creator.

 

You have to be joking.  Ty Dunne "fashioned" the insane Rodgers Packers drama last off season????  

 

 

Rodgers fashions all of his onw very needy drama:  he undertook the absolute dumbest holdout in NFL history (during which time EVERYONE was speculating on which team he would be playing on.....after Rodgers "got out of Green Bay), he created a whole story around his "immune status", in order to skirt the NFL rules.

 

 

But, no---it was all Dunne's doing.  That's simply crazy.  People are (predictably) losing their minds over this.

 

15 hours ago, folz said:

 

 

More opinion piece, than any type of hard-hitting investigative journalism imo.

 

You could have led with this. It's obviously an opinion piece.  He talked to players and formed an opinion of their take on the incident. 

 

14 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

It’s pretty obvious that like with any organization, some people are in on certain meetings and some aren’t. 

 

 

NFL teams can be viewed as similar to publicly held companies and they are shareholders (they buy tickets, merchandise, provide TV viewership).  As any such company, NFL FOs are beholden to their "shareholders", so they, like publicly traded Boards/CEOs can't really credibly refuse to defend publicly their company decisions.  If they do so, they deserve the negative response they receive.

[Doc]

2 hours ago, Southern_Bills said:

So they reported "some" friction and the backed it up with "It's not that unusual" 

 

Meaning it's normal across the NFL, and why are they talking about it?

 

Thanks for bringing that up, had been meaning to mention it.  I took it to mean it's been happening for years under McD.  And yet they've managed to overcome it and succeed.  Hopefully less friction going forward.