Tyler Dunne story on McDermott - 3 parts, 25 interviews, one damning conclusion

[Beck Water]

5 hours ago, beebe said:

It wasn't really support haha. He just said he's a good person.

 

“None of us talk during the week. That’s just how it goes. We’re all so busy doing our thing. I can just tell you Sean McDermott is a heck of a human being. That’s what I do know,” Reid said.

 

Reid almost certainly hasn't read the article(s) and has no idea what he would need to defend McDermott from or how.

 

All of these coaches are strongly focused and have tunnel vision during the season.

 

3 hours ago, 4merper4mer said:

Please list for me the humans on planet Earth that haven’t said something incredibly stupid in the last four years.  I’ll hang up and listen.

 

This is where IMHO Dunne's articles stood in the light of good journalistic questions that need to be asked.  The real issue for Pegula and the Bills isn't whether or not McDermott has said something stupid or used stupid examples in the last 4 years or whether, as Wawrow said "people have issues with former boss; story at 11". 

 

It's whether he puts his players in the best position to succeed; whether he's made (and is making) poor game day decisions and defensive playcalls that have  hindered the Bills or even cost the Bills games.  Where there are problems, has he identified them correctly and identified good solutions?  That kind of thing.

 

Whether he sleeps in the facility or doesn't, sits around chewing the fat and smoking cigars with Josh Allen like Daboll did, or does/doesn't want his assistants getting too friendly with the players they coach are largely besides these points.

[NoSaint]

25 minutes ago, Aussie Joe said:

McD will continue to be the coach until he loses the locker room…

 

Hasnt happened yet …

I can’t say that super confidently even prior to this. 

[Beck Water]

4 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

Do you not know Ty Dunne?  He's an excellent, well respected, real journalist (with a formal education on how to be one) who doesn't just "make stuff up."

 

You know, he's just like Jerry Sullivan in that regard.  

 

Of course, lots of followers here will forever hate guys like this because they tell the truth, and sometimes the truth hurts.

 

Oh, Come Now.  Are you honestly going to try to make a case that everything in Dunne's article is "truth"?  I'm sure he didn't make it up - he had sources - but a lot of what he recounts his sources saying is not factual, it's their interpretation or opinion about things with Dunne's own interpretation and slant added in.

 

Yes, he's a well respected journalist with real credentials and impeccable training.  But, as reporter, friend, and former Dunne mentor Chuck Pollack points out, Dunne is now a private enterpreneur using direct sale of subscriptions to his content to make a living.  There are plusses and minuses to that.
 

If anyone here hates Dunne, or even is criticizing his writing, it's not because he "tells the truth".   It's because he crafted a long form piece in which, to some, opinion and interpretation advanced to the level of character attack.  Some of the anecdotes (which I'm sure occurredl) are NOT a good look for McDermott.  But to give 25 (or however many) sources a platform to vent what seems at times to be personal animosity towards a former employer - to some of us, that's not a good look either.

 

Same principle with Sullivan - it wasn't that he "told the truth", it was that he beat the drum of an unrelenting negative slant unremittingly, culminating in a social media complaint about the press box food (with photo of one area) - which was countered by other reporters posting photos of the full spread.  That was a pretty clear metaphor for what Sullivan's writing had become: a close-in critique of negative aspects, ignoring the context of the full picture.

[The Wiz]

 

[Nihilarian]

Eff Tyler Dummy for his clickbait article...

[PromoTheRobot]

12 hours ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

National punchline again!

 

Hopefully this is the dagger that gets McDermott fired!

 

Fired over a joke. Okay.

[Wayne Arnold]

1 hour ago, RochesterLifer said:

It's a hit piece. Denying it brings your level of literacy into question.

 

1 hour ago, GunnerBill said:

 

It is a hit piece. It is pretty much the definition of one. That doesn't mean it isn't legitimate, or well researched, or true. But it is a hit piece. 

 

3 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

Dunne could have listened to his higher angels and taken a higher road.  He could have, for example, chosen not to write a hit piece.  

 

 

We can argue semantics until we're blue in the face. In the end, it's irrelevant what you want to call Dunne's reporting and completely misses the point I'm making.

 

The point is that this existing mindset from a segment of the fanbase that a reporter shouldn't report certain opinions about a millionaire coach of a football team because it might hurt his feelings is completely absurd.

 

We need to bring all perspectives about this head coach to light because many people pay their hard-earned money and spend time out of their lives rooting for this team that he's in charge of. And because it's a competitive sport, our goal as fans is to witness this team winning the Super Bowl. And if there are many people out there who have experience working closely with that coach and believe he doesn't have the leadership qualities and/or coaching chops it takes to get that team there, then it should be reported to the public.

 

To think Dunne "could have listened to his higher angels and taken a higher road" by not reporting what former players and colleagues really think about McDermott is a disservice to the fanbase.

 

 

Edited December 10, 2023 by Wayne Arnold

[dgr81]

today could be the last time we see Sean McD on the Bills sideline...

[Riverboat Ritchie]

1 minute ago, dgr81 said:

today could be the last time we see Sean McD on the Bills sideline...

No way. I don’t see Pegula pulling the trigger, if he does, until after the season 

[BullBuchanan]

3 minutes ago, dgr81 said:

today could be the last time we see Sean McD on the Bills sideline...

As someone that never wanted McD hired and desperately wants him fired, that is 99.9999999999999999% not going to happen.

Edited December 10, 2023 by BullBuchanan

[Wayne Arnold]

1 hour ago, Aussie Joe said:

McD will continue to be the coach until he loses the locker room…

 

Hasnt happened yet …

 

43 minutes ago, NoSaint said:

I can’t say that super confidently even prior to this. 

 

Right. How would we know he hasn't lost the locker room? Last I checked, they don't announce to the public when players of a football team no longer buy the message the coach is selling.

[RichRiderBills]

https://www.facebook.com/reel/689658202947501?s=yWDuG2&fs=e&mibextid=Nif5oz

 

Hey aren't all coaches buddies w players? 

[JohnNord]

4 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

I've been invested in this thread, but enough is enough.

 

The people who support McD feel it necessary to attack Dunne. 

 

Dunne wrote an exhaustive piece, that true may not portray McD in the best light, but to question the content and attack him I don't get (personally feels it is out of the MAGA playbook to me).

 

Not a single thing has been refuted.

 

As I said me & 95% of Bills fans had no idea who McD was when hired and all we wanted was the Bills to win.

 

Sorry that I decided half way through year one that I was not buying the "Process" and felt there was too many religious references that I had issues with.

 

On the field, yep I too admit a very strong bias to the offensive side and think McD has done everything he can to neuter it.

 

I too think he has not maximized Josh Allen over the years and this year's issues on offense are attributed to him.  

 

And let's not get into the game day decisions.  

 

12 men is 100% all on him.  Yes the Bills would have escaped with the win and be 7-5.  He did not take accountability as he too did not with 13 seconds.  That is not a leader imo.

I disagree here.  There’s valid room to be critical of Dunne’s writing in this article.  I question the inclusion of several stories he included in his piece as well as some of the sources he used - all of which were former Bills employees and many who were unhappy.  

The one argument I don’t buy is the whole thing about the story being his revenge for not getting credentials.   I also don’t buy his motivation is to make McDermott look bad because he has a relationship with Whaley and Monos.  
 

I personally don’t think it was character assassination.  I do feel that Dunne wrote this article with a preconceived idea that McDermott was not the right coach in Buffalo and sought out sources who would could give him “dirt” to help solidly the argument.   I’m not sure including the petty comments were necessary to his central argument…but that’s just me.  

 

2 hours ago, Wayne Arnold said:

 

This is the scary part to me and should be what concerns all Bills fans whose concern is winning the Super Bowl (as opposed to making the head coach feel warm and fuzzy).

 

It's nearly impossible to go 2-15 with a Josh Allen at quarterback. I feel like Pegula may be of that mindset that you only fire the coach when the team is absolutely terrible and isn't quite bright enough to understand when the coach is holding the team back. 

For now… I think Terry’s outlook might change if we have another season like this one.  

[schoolhouserock]

19 minutes ago, Wayne Arnold said:

 

 

 

We can argue semantics until we're blue in the face. In the end, it's irrelevant what you want to call Dunne's reporting and completely misses the point I'm making.

 

The point is that this existing mindset from a segment of the fanbase that a reporter shouldn't report certain opinions about a millionaire coach of a football team because it might hurt his feelings is completely absurd.

 

We need to bring all perspectives about this head coach to light because many people pay their hard-earned money and spend time out of their lives rooting for this team that he's in charge of. And because it's a competitive sport, our goal as fans is to witness this team winning the Super Bowl. And if there are many people out there who have experience working closely with that coach and believe he doesn't have the leadership qualities and/or coaching chops it takes to get that team there, then it should be reported to the public.

 

To think Dunne "could have listened to his higher angels and taken a higher road" by not reporting what former players and colleagues really think about McDermott is a disservice to the fanbase.

 

 

Agreed. We need to bring all perspectives. Folks that have been fired and cut… that brings such a three-dimensional perspective.

 

A host of anonymous comments about someone else’s accountability is SUCH a great service to the fan base!

[ndirish1978]

I didn't need to read once I saw this was by Dunne, who I don't rate at all. He's been making a living on the periphery of the team working with ex-employees for years. I don't like McDermott that much, but I support Dunne way less. 

[Buffalo Barbarian]

Complete BS, Dunn has an inferiority complex

 

 

[Wayne Arnold]

1 minute ago, schoolhouserock said:

Agreed. We need to bring all perspectives. Folks that have been fired and cut… that brings such a three-dimensional perspective.

 

A host of anonymous comments about someone else’s accountability is SUCH a great service to the fan base!

 

No you're right - we should only hear positive things about people in power.

 

The opinions of fired people or those who have witnessed mistreatment should never be heard.

[Aussie Joe]

13 minutes ago, Wayne Arnold said:

 

 

Right. How would we know he hasn't lost the locker room? Last I checked, they don't announce to the public when players of a football team no longer buy the message the coach is selling.

How they play today will tell us 

[schoolhouserock]

1 minute ago, Wayne Arnold said:

 

No you're right - we should only hear positive things about people in power.

 

The opinions of fired people or those who have witnessed mistreatment should never be heard.

I see you have no actual response.

 

Thats because this “journalistic” piece was done all wrong. It can be boiled down to two words, “hatchet job.”

[Scott7975]

6 hours ago, DaBillsFanSince1973 said:

Tyler?

 

I'm suppose to be Tyler just because I asked a question?  Please. IDGAF about that dude.