Latest Jerry Sullivan Article Shows Why He Doesn't Get "It", Bills Fans or Buffalo in General

[Original Byrd Man]

I haven’t clicked on a Sullivan article in years.

[NewEra]

1 hour ago, Thurman#1 said:

What in the world are you talking about?

 

That article is overwhelmingly positive and excited.

 

Sully gets it just fine and the article is a good one. Made me remember the Kelly - Thurman - Bruce days.

 

 

 

Could you quick point out where Sully expressed resentment at the happiness of others?

 

Because having read the whole article, I can't find one word to indicate this.

 

What he said was about jealousy (referring to the wish that the Bills teams of his boyhood had been much better), not resentment of the good luck of the young Bills fans of today. He wants those young fans to deeply understand how good they have it, and to enjoy it to the fullest.

 

I'm with him. I've got a 20 year-old nephew who grew up in Boston. He can't even begin to understand what Boston sports fans dealt with for the decades before he started to follow the Sox and the Pats. Now he often complains that it's no fun to follow those teams anymore. He was spoiled silly. I told him much the same thing Sully said here, enjoy the living hell out of this purple patch because it won't last forever. He told me I didn't know what I was talking about. Now he's starting to get it.

 

 

Did you not read what the OP said?  What he bolded and commented on makes sense to you huh?  Do you agree with sully’s  sentiment?

[Albany,n.y.]

12 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Did you not read what the OP said?  What he bolded and commented on makes sense to you huh?  Do you agree with sully’s  sentiment?

How about reading the whole article instead of the snippets the OP took to make Sully look bad.  Notice the OP didn't include a link because he would have been exposed.  Here's the whole thing, reading it might change your mind, since the best parts are nowhere in this thread:  https://www.niagara-gazette.com/sports/sullivan-josh-allen-offers-hope-that-makes-bills-fans-unburdened-by-past-scars/article_9f49477a-1510-11ed-a353-8fd8e72d75d8.html

[Beast]

Someday, like all of us, Sullivan will pass away.

 

When he does there won't be a lot of fond memories of him like there were of Larry Felser, Jim Kelley, etc.

 

That's too bad when you think about it. Someone that was paid to entertain and inform the masses will be remembered as a guy that enjoyed crapping on optimism.

 

Oh well. Such is life.

Edited August 6, 2022 by Beast

[LabattBlue]

Those easily bothered by Jerry’s articles/columns….He sucks!

 

Everyone else…who cares, or his words don’t bother me to the point where I need to start a thread about it. 
 

😂

Edited August 6, 2022 by BTB

[BigDingus]

5 hours ago, jwhit34 said:

 

It beats the alternative — trying to convince themselves that a dysfunctional organization with a parade of flawed quarterbacks might actually shock the world and make a title run, when it became yet another heroic run to 7-9 or 6-10.

 

This part is accurate though... I've been following the Bills 2001(ish) on the official forums, & every year people were trying to will it into existence that Kelly Holcomb or Levi Brown (basically ANYONE) would break through & lead that particular roster to the playoffs.

 

And every year there'd be tons of overconfident posts proclaiming 11-5 or 13-3 seasons, with proclamations of Brady's demise surely on its way. 

[Biden is Mentally Fit]

4 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Don’t pay attention to them. 😉

Yes… it’s why his comment about people being envy of the kids with Josh Allen is false…. Fans would convince themselves(wrongly of course)every year how good this team would be…. There is no envy because they’d always find some bull ***** reason to be positive about the team.😅

And now that things have turned to the good there will be those that find some bull****  reason to be negative about the team. 😅😅

[NewEra]

14 minutes ago, Albany,n.y. said:

How about reading the whole article instead of the snippets the OP took to make Sully look bad.  Notice the OP didn't include a link because he would have been exposed.  Here's the whole thing, reading it might change your mind, since the best parts are nowhere in this thread:  https://www.niagara-gazette.com/sports/sullivan-josh-allen-offers-hope-that-makes-bills-fans-unburdened-by-past-scars/article_9f49477a-1510-11ed-a353-8fd8e72d75d8.html

If I stand corrected, so be it.  Apologies for being uninformed.  
 

One thing I will NOT do, EVER again, is click on a Sully article.  I’ll read what people snippet here, nothing more

[LABILLBACKER]

I'm not looking back anymore. It's counterproductive. If I'm naive for showing extreme optimism because of JA and this current team, so be it. If Sully wants to wallow in past failures, that's his problem. 

[TheBrownBear]

I've always liked Sullivan's writing even when he left me exasperated or angry.  The truth is his cynicism was mostly well placed over much of the past 20 years. 

 

At the same time, I agree with the OP's sentiment.  While I'm not exactly glad the drought happened, it is what it is, and I have no jealousy towards the youngins who didn't have to suffer through the lean years (and as anyone, anywhere, who has a few years under their belts knows, good and bad times come and go over a lifespan).  

 

Regarding that point, I'm guessing that Sullivan just sort of threw that in there without much reflection, but maybe not.  That then begs the question - does he not "get" Buffalonians/Bills fans at their core, or does he get us and just enjoys poking the bear so to speak?  Lol.  Either way, he's always entertained me and it doesn't hurt to have one cynical voice among a mostly supportive and sunshine pumping local press.

[Scott7975]

Nice try but you guys still aren't getting me to click on Sully garbage.

[Shake_My_Head]

Sully has always been an "outsider" (he's from Providence RI, I believe) and has maintained that POV his whole career.    Unlike the Felsers and Kelley's and beloved columnists who were home grown WNYers.     

 

That detachment can be effective in the right hands.    But not for Jerry, who's always viewed local sports fans as drunks on barstools (of which there are many, to be honest). 

[krf139]

You all draw these inaccurate conclusions about stuff he writes. There’s nothing about this that implies he doesn’t understand the community. His points praise Allen and are all completely fair. He can be prickly but it seems bias people have about him impact the way they read his stuff. He’s also one of the few from the soft Buffalo media who tries to hold these guys to account 

[Biden is Mentally Fit]

13 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

I think the Bills take the one seed this year… In a 17 game season I don’t think being concerned about thin WR and offensive line depth is “being negative about the team”. 

Then why harp on it over and over and over and then do it all again and again and again? It’s enough to make you seem as though you are “being negative about the team”.

[Long Suffering Fan]

I'm good with realistic negative.  Constructive criticism is fine and many of his criticisms were on the mark.  What soured me on Sully was his appearances on WGR.  He had this thing he would say sometimes:

 

"So, how do you like your football team?"

 

Now, that is a fine question to start discussion about the merits and deficiencies of a team...but he always seemed to say it with an accusing tone.  Sometimes it was almost like he was daring anyone else to defend any aspect of the team.  He seemed to enjoy it so much.  Maybe it is dangerous to read too much into tone, but he seemed happy the Bills were bad.

 

I couldn't read him after that.

[notwoz]

I read the column. I have no problem with it. It is sympathetic to the plight of long-suffering Bills fans and the enthusiasm instilled by a franchise QB like Josh Allen. 

Some excerpts:
"I was reminded of that when walking around Bills training camp at St. John Fisher. There were countless little kids, holding their parents’ hands as they walked expectantly through the courtyard at St. John Fisher and toward the practice field.

 

"Those children are too young to have had their hearts broken. They’re not dwelling on the 13 seconds against Kansas City, unburdened by cynicism. Their love of the hometown team is innocent, unspoiled. They’re wearing their little No. 17 jerseys and sharing a passion that has been passed down over the generations.

 

"OK, maybe I’m going a little soft here. I’m still a trained skeptic. But it’s become increasingly clear to me that most Bills fans have a child-like faith and innocence when it comes to this team. Sure, they carry scars of past disappointments. But like a kid in the summertime, they’re living in the moment, filled with hope.

 

"That’s it. Once you have the franchise quarterback, all things are possible. Allen has allowed Bills fans to rise above the old fatalism. Sure, the loss to the Chiefs added another chapter to the chronicle of woe. But if anything, it made people more certain Allen would eventually win the big one, and maybe more than one.

Edited August 7, 2022 by notwoz
insert missing preposition

[ToGoGo]

1 hour ago, Long Suffering Fan said:

I'm good with realistic negative.  Constructive criticism is fine and many of his criticisms were on the mark.  What soured me on Sully was his appearances on WGR.  He had this thing he would say sometimes:

 

"So, how do you like your football team?"

 

Now, that is a fine question to start discussion about the merits and deficiencies of a team...but he always seemed to say it with an accusing tone.  Sometimes it was almost like he was daring anyone else to defend any aspect of the team.  He seemed to enjoy it so much.  Maybe it is dangerous to read too much into tone, but he seemed happy the Bills were bad.

 

I couldn't read him after that.

 

I think you're getting into the truth of the matter. 

 

It's easy to trip up and say "Gee, I guess I see where Sullivan is coming from. We have been bad in the past, and there are negatives. It's not good to be a pollyanna!" 

 

But that's assuming that Sullivan is a good actor/impartial observer in this situation, who is maybe a fan of the team, wants the team to be good, and genuinely "calls it like he sees it". For example, I love the team, but I did not love Daboll or McDermott's decision making in 2018/2019. Both issues have been taken care of, and now I'm a happy camper. Imagine if I now changed gears and started tunnel-visioning into some other issue on the team? At what point am I no longer impartial, and I'm now a type of person who is inclined to mainly focus on negatives no matter how small they are? 

 

If this is a sour and nasty person (bad actor) who ENJOYS negativity, that makes him very dangerous for the psyche of the fanbase and any member of the organization that reads him and allows his criticism to get in their heads. Anybody who has lived around NYC for a long time knows how intelligent people can play incredible mind games at high levels. Extremely dangerous and not a joke at all. Their trick is to give you a partial truth (which you accept) and then start pumping you with doubt. They take advantage of your good nature. Those people must be avoided at all cost. 

 

Then there is the other common counter: "Just ignore him. Why are you sensitive? He is living rent free in your head!" There is truth to this as well. There are lots of negative people out there that you can just ignore. However, and I've said this in the past, some people have powerful negative energies that you cannot ignore. The only thing you can do is get as far away from them as possible. This is very old wisdom. "Stay away from the unlucky, they will always bring you bad luck". 

[machine gun kelly]

I’m not worried about Sully’s articles.  He’s been fair and actually relatively positive since we have Allen.  I used to think he was such a tool, but in fairness we sucked, mired in mediocrity and he was unapologetic about reporting it.  It’s not like he’s an idiot like Schoop, hence why I refuse to listen to those two morons.

 

He seemed fair balanced and whatever. He’s a Niagara Gazette writer.  Does anyone really care?

[Shaw66]

I agree with the OP.  The sentence he highlighted is an excellent peak into Sully's personality or mental approach.   It's interesting to me that the old timers here, the ones who've lived through all the unhappy outcomes of the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, followed by the drought, seem to be unanimous about it:  We're not envious of anyone.   We're enjoying what's happening now, and we aren't making a negative of it because we didn't enjoy much success before.   To us, at least, that's not what being a Bills fan is about.   We're about the hope and possibilities, whether or not those possibilities have been realized.   

 

Sully seems to think we're supposed to feel bad about the fact that we didn't have more wins.   That's just a very odd way to look at like, to look at the world - just to dwell on the bad times.   Fact is, almost anyone who wants to dwell on just the bad times gave up being a Bills fan many years ago.   

 

So, yeah, Sully's done his usual good job in the quality of his writing, and he's unusually (for him) upbeat about the team without unnecessary shots at whatever, but it's interesting that even with that, he couldn't resist the urge to suggest that there are still is a reason to be unhappy or unsatisfied.  And that's why so many of us dislike him - we may see lots of things we're critical of in the bad times, but we're always with our team.  Sully always sounds like, if he weren't paid to cover the Bills, he would move 1000 miles away and never think about them again.   That attitude is just out of touch with a lot of fans.   

11 minutes ago, machine gun kelly said:

I’m not worried about Sully’s articles.  He’s been fair and actually relatively positive since we have Allen.  I used to think he was such a tool, but in fairness we sucked, mired in mediocrity and he was unapologetic about reporting it.  It’s not like he’s an idiot like Schoop, hence why I refuse to listen to those two morons.

 

He seemed fair balanced and whatever. He’s a Niagara Gazette writer.  Does anyone really care?

He may be fair and balanced now, but he wasn't always.   Ultimately, it cost him his job at the News.    He called the Bills a "dumpster fire" 11 months before they made the playoffs.  Why?  Either he was blinded by his negativity, or he was in search of clicks.   

[Shaw66]

2 hours ago, Long Suffering Fan said:

I'm good with realistic negative.  Constructive criticism is fine and many of his criticisms were on the mark.  What soured me on Sully was his appearances on WGR.  He had this thing he would say sometimes:

 

"So, how do you like your football team?"

 

Now, that is a fine question to start discussion about the merits and deficiencies of a team...but he always seemed to say it with an accusing tone.  Sometimes it was almost like he was daring anyone else to defend any aspect of the team.  He seemed to enjoy it so much.  Maybe it is dangerous to read too much into tone, but he seemed happy the Bills were bad.

 

I couldn't read him after that.

Yes, this.  Attitude was very clear when he was on the air.   There was a nastiness that surfaced that made it clear he is sour, has a negative attitude.   The time I remember was listening to him with Schopp and the Bulldog.  It was near the end of the season, or after the season, when the Bills had TO.   He had been negative about TO from the day the Bills signed him, all over the guy for being a bad actor, bad citizen, cancer in the locker room, all of that stuff.   Well, fine, Jerry, if you want to report the history of his other stops, but the fact is that TO was absolutely find, hard working, positive teammate for the entire season.   He was not a problem at all, he was a big contributor, and he left on good terms.   Jerry kept at it, blasting TO, and Schopp and the Bulldog kept saying that he was wrong, TO hadn't been a problem at all.  They kept getting more and more exasperated as Jerry made more and more outrageous claims, all of which were unsupported by any facts.   Schopp and the Bulldog finally just shut him and went to a commercial.   

 

Sullivan's just that kind of guy.