1 on 1 with Brandon Beane: Inside the Buffalo Bills GM's Master Plan (Dunne article, paywall)

[Mr. WEO]

54 minutes ago, transient said:

Except that most were no longer in his organization, and while the timing of the release coincided with the Bills being pretty underwhelming on the field, to source 25 people and put together a 3 part 21,000 word series on McDermott suggests that this was in the works as early as the offseason. I agree that Beane engaging him may be a means to control the narrative. Regardless of whether or not he ultimately was approached about it and/or signed off on it, it has to rankle McDermott… especially if he is the thin-skinned, narcissistic control freak that takes no responsibility for failure, as Dunne had previously written (his words, not mine…). 

 

I can certainly see why it would rankle him, and why he would be hurt by it.  Doesn't mean that was it's purpose.  It's contents are there to read.  McD didn't claim otherwise, neither did Beane at the time.   

[ColoradoBills]

14 hours ago, BADOLBILZ said:

 

Is Patrick Mahomes just a "pocket QB"? 

 

Tom Brady and Peyton Manning clearly aren't the comps.   Nobody is saying that.   Why hyperbolize?  It doesn't advance the argument.

 

Allen doesn't have to be a statue in the pocket to NOT run the ball 9-10 times per game like he did down the stretch  last season.

 

Like I said........Mahomes is a good comp.   Elway is an example if you want to go back.   50-75 rushes per year should be enough for a QB of Allen's type.

 

But if you want to think he's not in Mahomes category as a passer we will have to agree to disagree.

 

 

 

Josh was going to do everything he could to get to the playoffs (down the stretch).  I don't know how many of his runs were designed and

how many were Josh doing it on his own.  Last season's "stretch" is not an omen for the future.

 

I don't think anyone wants Josh running 10 times or more a game.  Things are changing in the Bills offense this season and I guess a

reasonable person would wait to see what unfolds this year.

[Chandler#81]

23 hours ago, Logic said:

So um...

Has anyone cracked this thing yet?

I want to hear what ol' Beaner has to say.

No, making this a worthless thread. I’m not paying a damn cent to read Tyler Dunn article. Dunn is done in my world.

[3rdand12]

On 6/14/2024 at 2:06 PM, BADOLBILZ said:

 

 

So the Bills are back to 2022 rules with Josh Allen?   

 

Run all you want Josh!   Use that LB mentality!

 

Then next year they will return to 2021 and 2023 "we want you to play smarter" rules that lead to roughly .500 starts thru 2/3 of the season.

 

Just get the guy some f#cking weapons so he can do it from the pocket, Beane.

I don't feel that is exactly the mentality of McBeanes

Just heading back to letting Allen play more free again. Besides the shoulder , it might be OC was asking him to play a more strict role that Josh couldn't master ? 

[JohnNord]

6 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

Sure...if any of that happened.  Where is the evidence he did all that in his long form article?  He interviewed 25 including coaching staff, players, other staff.  Much of his quoting of players was complimentary of McD.    As for McD calling it a "hit piece"--I could find that he did comment publicly that he felt it was an attack on his character" and "hurtful", because....what else is he going to say?   And yet, his buddy Beane by the end of the season is reaching out to Dunne to hang out and offers himself for an interview with this "hit man".

 

Anything and everything in the original article could have been disputed by Beane.  It wasn't.

 

it's because he understood that people in his organization are willing to speak up as sources and he wanted to get control of the narrative.  Smart move.

I’ll disagree to an extent.  I don’t buy into the narrative that the article was some sort of revenge by Dunne getting rejectef for press credentials.  I do think Dunne went into writing the article with his mind already made up and selectively used information to confirm his bias.  That’s why I found it to be a bit slanted, and the narrative that he was trying to paint never played out.  

 

And you are compete wrong about Beane and the sources on the Bills.  About the 25 sources - they were all FORMER Bills players and coaches - including some who had negative experiences.  He didn’t source anyone currently working for the Bills.   This is where the criticism of the Dunne article is very valid and worthy of scrutiny.  
 

How many people that have been fired in a transient field like the NFL are going to have glowing things about the person who canned them?  No one on the Bills spoke up against McDermott and few have publicly levied any criticism against him, sans this article.  
 

As far as Beane granting the interview, Dunne said on WGR that he had a “private conversation” with McDermott at the combine which was positive.  This is why Dunne has now access.   Controlling the narrative?  Perhaps.  Or it’s allowing him access to use comments from actual coaches and players who can speak to the situation, rather than relying on former employees with an ax to grind.  
 

It seems like all parties had a chance to clear the air and are ready to move on.   I’m glad to see it

Edited June 15 by JohnNord

[Billy Claude]

23 minutes ago, JohnNord said:

 

It seems like all parties had a chance to clear the air and are ready to move on.   I’m glad to see it

 

It is a shock these days when people act like reasonable adults instead of spiteful teenagers. I am glad that we appear to have reasonable people here.

 

I actually wasn't bothered by the article very much.  How many head coaches are not micromanagers and control freaks? The last one the Bills had that wasn't was Rex Ryan and that was not a good experience. The 911 analogy may not be the most appropriate but it was just a one time mistake and Daboll does not appear to be the easiest guy to get along with.

 

The only story in the Dunne article that bothered me was that McDermott was upset about the players buying the WR coach a car.

Edited June 15 by Billy Claude

[hondo in seattle]

19 hours ago, BillsFan4 said:

Dunne did an interview with Jeremy on WGR where he talks about this interview with Beane and gives a decent summary of the article.

 

https://omny.fm/shows/howard-and-jeremy/tyler-dunne-talks-about-his-sit-down-with-brandon

 

i’d still like to read the actual article but I’m not paying Dunne. lol

 

if anyone finds another bills related website where this article has been copied + pasted please let me know!

 

the site uses a hard paywall so none of the usual methods are going to work. I don’t know of any way around a hard pay wall. 

 

I refuse to pay for Dunne article. 

 

Those who say his McD article was not a hit-piece, I hear you.  I get your arguments.  But when you attack a guy so strongly, I find it unethical.  I don't believe Dunne made up any quotes.  But I didn't agree with his conclusions nor did I like that fact that he interviewed mostly malcontents.   Reading the article, you'd think McD was the worst coach on the planet.  Yet, the players gave McD an 'A' rating in the NFLPA poll.   It wasn't fair  and balanced reporting.  Dunne says he still stands by it which is why I still stand against him.  

 

Not willing to pay, I listened to most of the WGR interview with Dunne.  Some interesting stuff.  Nothing specific about the Diggs trade other than Beane telling Dunne that it was about more than the cap - but we knew that already.  Dunne was complimentary of Beane which made me feel like he was trying to repair damaged bridges and make nice with Bills fans.  

[Chandler#81]

14 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

I refuse to pay for Dunne article. 

 

Those who say his McD article was not a hit-piece, I hear you.  I get your arguments.  But when you attack a guy so strongly, I find it unethical.  I don't believe Dunne made up any quotes.  But I didn't agree with his conclusions nor did I like that fact that he interviewed mostly malcontents.   Reading the article, you'd think McD was the worst coach on the planet.  Yet, the players gave McD an 'A' rating in the NFLPA poll.   It wasn't fair  and balanced reporting.  Dunne says he still stands by it which is why I still stand against him.  

 

Not willing to pay, I listened to most of the WGR interview with Dunne.  Some interesting stuff.  Nothing specific about the Diggs trade other than Beane telling Dunne that it was about more than the cap - but we knew that already.  Dunne was complimentary of Beane which made me feel like he was trying to repair damaged bridges and make nice with Bills fans.  

He’s toast. For that matter, so is Matt Parino in my book for defending him. 2 ‘sports journalists’ we can and should do without.

[Back2Buff]

On 6/14/2024 at 10:35 AM, transient said:

Interesting that Beane sat down with him given the hit piece on McDermott last season. Regardless of what your opinion on the article was in terms of justified or not, it caused McDermott some embarrassment that he had to publicly answer for. Now his GM is giving the author more access…

 

Like I mentioned weeks ago, Beane has never seen an interview he didnt like doing.  He loves to have his name and face out there.  Someone has to keep stroking that ego.

[hondo in seattle]

1 hour ago, Chandler#81 said:

He’s toast. For that matter, so is Matt Parino in my book for defending him. 2 ‘sports journalists’ we can and should do without.

 

People on TBD attack McD all the time.  And that's okay.  This is a place for fans to opine and vent without real world consequences.  But Dunne's article damaged McD's reputation.  And it potentially hurt his ability to get another job after the Bills.  

 

With real world consequences, Dunne needed to do his due diligence and interview McD's fans and supporters as well as his critics.  He didn't.  He thoroughly explored McD's bad side using biased sources and only scratched the surface of his good side. 

 

I get journalists have a job to do.  I expect political journalists to uncover the unsavory stories of our elected officials.  We need to know those.  But McD coaches a game.  It's entertainmnent.  Journalists don't need to do hit pieces on coaches/entertainers.  It doesn't serve the public good.  

 

Finally, Dunne hurt the Bills.  How many coaches or players want to come to Buffalo after reading that article?  This is another real world consequence of what he wrote.  Nothing good came from his hit piece.  Only bad things.  It should have never been written.   

 

I can't respect a guy who needlessly smears the character of a person most consider a good man or hurts my Bills.  

 

 

 

[AlCowlingsTaxiService]

Surprised that Beane would grant access to Dunne, but who knows? Unlike most in this and other forums who take any attack on the Bills personally, maybe Beane knows that there was some truths in that piece. At the end of the day, Dunne is a quality writer and it’s good to see a balanced and insightful piece from him. 

[Whkfc]

On 6/14/2024 at 5:32 PM, Mikie2times said:

Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer. If Dunne had regular face time with Mclapperson does that article ever get written? Likely not. 

https://12ft.io/

 

paste the link 

Paste it where

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

On 6/14/2024 at 9:55 AM, Logic said:

I know, I know...the mere MENTION of the name Tyler Dunne makes some Bills fans' blood boil.

Still, this one does not appear to be a hit piece, but rather a pretty long and thorough interview with Brandon Beane. Alas, it is behind a paywall, and I am not a subscriber. For those that are, it seems well worth a read.


https://www.golongtd.com/p/1-on-1-with-brandon-beane-inside

 

ORCHARD PARK, NY — Brandon Beane can finally relax. This incoming lull on the NFL calendar is a golden opportunity to decompress. For a month, there’s no need for the Buffalo Bills general manager to agonize over an AFC title loss or “13 Seconds” or a blizzardy beatdown to Cincinnati or a 44-yard kick that sails wide right or any of the other razor-thin moments that’ve come between his franchise and a Super Bowl appearance.

Time to exhale.

Maybe… ?

Possibly… ?

No. Hell no.

The breaks of the game are too stupefying. The pursuit of a championship is too all-consuming. Fresh off the most consequential offseason of his career since selecting Josh Allen seventh overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, Beane admits the hunt for a title will inevitably be on his mind. And when training camp commences at St. John Fisher College in late July, he’s back to thinking about that Super Bowl quite literally every single day.  

“It drives you,” Beane says. “It eats at you. You want it so bad.”

Most all GMs and coaches serve up “one bounce away” cliches. Too often, it’s contrived. Snake-oil jargon spewed to convince the masses a team is closer to a championship than it actually is. But here, it’s real. The Bills genuinely have been one bounce from glory. Images of those dynastic Kansas City Chiefs basking in confetti could’ve driven this GM to the point of insanity.

So, the backdrop for this conversation is fitting. Beane is seated inside an office at One Bills Drive after his team’s minicamp practice. Over one shoulder, across Abbott Road, the team’s new stadium is under construction. It opens in 2026. Towering cranes are at work, positioning steel beams into the second level of the bowl. A reminder that hard work — shameless work — and day-to-day patience is always required in life.

Over his other shoulder is the current stadium, the site of his team’s latest heartbreak. One look could elicit one memory that spikes urgency and reminds the GM of one cruel NFL reality: You only get so many opportunities.

Beane is the man tasked with balancing the present and the future.

Fresh off another excruciating playoff defeat, the Bills entered salary-cap hell. (Roughly $41 mill in the red.) His star wide receiver wanted out. (More on that later.) His defense fell flat at the worst time. (Again.) All while, the clock ticks. And ticks. This team’s prized possession is undoubtedly at the peak of his powers. These Bills are armed with arguably the best player this side of Patrick Mahomes. Yet, all-time greats will also tell you that title chances did not last forever during the reigns of Michael Jordan, of Tom Brady. These Bills are at risk of vanquishing in the same vortex.

It was time to drastically reinvent the roster around Josh Allen.

Time for Beane to drive this organization a bold new direction.

This week, the GM sat down exclusively with Go Long to detail his vision for the Buffalo Bills.

For an hour, everything is discussed.

- His thinking behind Buffalo’s “transition,” and the search for a new nucleus of leaders.  

- Letting Josh Allen be Josh Allen. Last offseason, the Bills seemed oddly determined to reel in their 1-of-1 QB. The GM sings a different tune in our chat. He knows Allen has the mentality of a “linebacker” and does not want him to change.

- Stefon Diggs is off to the Houston Texans after four years in Buffalo. Why?

- Revamped WR room. Beane had his choice of any receiver amongst that second tier of wide receivers in the draft. Why Keon Coleman? Is speed a concern? The GM details the substance behind the man in the discounted yellow coat purchased at Macy’s. (He expects big things out of Dalton Kincaid, too.)

-Team psychology. Beane sees value in refueling a roster with players who didn’t experience those playoff losses. He also wanted a healthy number of players with a nasty “edge” to their game. Piecing together a roster is not a matter of talent, and talent alone, to the GM. He calls every team “a chemistry experiment.” One bad chemical, he says, and everything can combust.

-To get his ’06 Indianapolis Colts over the hump, Hall of Fame GM Bill Polian told us he started to weigh playoff performance on a critical curve. Beane is doing the same.

-Is Sean McDermott the coach who can deliver a Super Bowl? Our series from December is brought up.  

- He knows time is of the essence: “We can’t waste these opportunities.”

In a profession full of filibustering extraordinaires, Brandon Beane is an outlier. Candid. There’s no need for a high-powered magnifying glass to decode his words.

Our entire conversation is below:

 

 

I think this is the year that Allen wins his first title and people start questioning if he can catch up to Mahomes. The whole front office is on the hot seat and crucial picks like Torrence and Shakir are set to have break-out seasons. Bernard & Milano will also have their first full season together. We’re getting younger at Safety and Rasul Douglas was an amazing pickup. I think we’re going to see a much more physical offense and defense. Buffalo needs to go out and start beating the **** out of the other team. We already Allen is going to deliver. Everyone else needs to hold up their end of the bargain. If a couple rookies can make solid contributions then Buffalo really might have a chance. I’m not sold on the AFC being some juggernaut. Bills & Chiefs are still the kings of this division.

[Mr. WEO]

17 hours ago, JohnNord said:

I’ll disagree to an extent.  I don’t buy into the narrative that the article was some sort of revenge by Dunne getting rejectef for press credentials.  I do think Dunne went into writing the article with his mind already made up and selectively used information to confirm his bias.  That’s why I found it to be a bit slanted, and the narrative that he was trying to paint never played out.  

 

And you are compete wrong about Beane and the sources on the Bills.  About the 25 sources - they were all FORMER Bills players and coaches - including some who had negative experiences.  He didn’t source anyone currently working for the Bills.   This is where the criticism of the Dunne article is very valid and worthy of scrutiny.  
 

How many people that have been fired in a transient field like the NFL are going to have glowing things about the person who canned them?  No one on the Bills spoke up against McDermott and few have publicly levied any criticism against him, sans this article.  
 

As far as Beane granting the interview, Dunne said on WGR that he had a “private conversation” with McDermott at the combine which was positive.  This is why Dunne has now access.   Controlling the narrative?  Perhaps.  Or it’s allowing him access to use comments from actual coaches and players who can speak to the situation, rather than relying on former employees with an ax to grind.  
 

It seems like all parties had a chance to clear the air and are ready to move on.   I’m glad to see it

 

wow current coaching staff and players won't speak up about McD to Dunne??? that's really a wild discovery.  

 

Why do you assume former staff (of which the Bills constantly churn) should have their opinions discounted?  If you were fired from a very well known corporation and someone asked you what it was like at your former job, would you say "don't mind me, I'm just disgruntled"?  nope.

 

As you say, the NFL is transient for staff---but how many other longform pieces about other teams such as this one have you seen published?  

 

of course Dunne's premise is that McD is the problem (read the title).  It's something that posters here have been saying for years.  It's really not a controversial position to take.  So if his premise is that, then his goal would be to interview those who would speak---these are obviously those who no longer work there.  Some corroborated his premise.  Some did not.  

 

I don't see anywhere where anyone can reasonably claim he simply made up quotes or events described in his article.   do you think he went to each of the 25 and said, just for kicks, "tell me how awful McD is"?.  Nor did the organization push back with much energy on their HC's behalf.  Instead, McD and Beane were eager to reach out to Dunne for "private conversations" after another bad playoff exit...followed now by a published one (Dunne/Beane). 

 

come on.  people believe what they want--recall the endless talk/threads/posts about the preseason drama between McD and Diggs?  the vast majority here called it "fake news", or "stupid national media"....yet it was obviously true, as we all learned.  Bills were willing to give up their WR1, eat a huge cap hit just to get him out of the building. 

[JGMcD2]

On 6/14/2024 at 3:32 PM, BADOLBILZ said:

Incorrect.

 

Allen injured the shoulder in 2023 getting into a shoving match with Leonard Williams after Williams knocked Spencer Brown to the ground in the end zone.

 

Gotta' be smarter than that protecting his body.

 

Which is the point.

Didn't he hurt his shoulder before that and then run into Leonard Williams like a battering ram in the endzone?

[JohnNord]

6 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

wow current coaching staff and players won't speak up about McD to Dunne??? that's really a wild discovery.  

 

Why do you assume former staff (of which the Bills constantly churn) should have their opinions discounted?  If you were fired from a very well known corporation and someone asked you what it was like at your former job, would you say "don't mind me, I'm just disgruntled"?  nope.

 

As you say, the NFL is transient for staff---but how many other longform pieces about other teams such as this one have you seen published?  

 

of course Dunne's premise is that McD is the problem (read the title).  It's something that posters here have been saying for years.  It's really not a controversial position to take.  So if his premise is that, then his goal would be to interview those who would speak---these are obviously those who no longer work there.  Some corroborated his premise.  Some did not.  

 

I don't see anywhere where anyone can reasonably claim he simply made up quotes or events described in his article.   do you think he went to each of the 25 and said, just for kicks, "tell me how awful McD is"?.  Nor did the organization push back with much energy on their HC's behalf.  Instead, McD and Beane were eager to reach out to Dunne for "private conversations" after another bad playoff exit...followed now by a published one (Dunne/Beane). 

 

come on.  people believe what they want--recall the endless talk/threads/posts about the preseason drama between McD and Diggs?  the vast majority here called it "fake news", or "stupid national media"....yet it was obviously true, as we all learned.  Bills were willing to give up their WR1, eat a huge cap hit just to get him out of the building. 

You’re making a straw man argument.  I never said he made up any of the quotes or the events.  I said that he selectively used those quotes and events to corroborate his inaccurate premise.

 

You really don’t see the problem with using comments from players/coaches who haven’t been in the building for years?  I’m not saying their opinion should be discounted.  I am saying you have to explore how reliable of a narrator a fired player or coach is going to be.  Dunne has been criticized for this in the past.

 

Also it’s not uncommon for a reporter to be able to speak to current players on the team anonymously -  especially when players are unhappy.   Why didn’t he try to interview a current member on the Bills?   Probably because they wouldn’t corroborate his premise . 

 

That’s my problem with the article -  Dunne crafted a narrative which simply wasn’t accurate.  If you read the articles after the Philly loss, you’d assume the team was on the brink of disaster and that everyone was miserable.

 

Not only was that not the case, but the team seemed to rally around McDermott with main players (Micah, Poyer, Josh, Dion, Oliver) speaking out against Dunne’s work some calling it “a hit piece.”  It really sounds like a team that hates their head coach.  

 

 

 

 

[Mr. WEO]

14 minutes ago, JohnNord said:

You’re making a straw man argument.  I never said he made up any of the quotes or the events.  I said that he selectively used those quotes and events to corroborate his inaccurate premise.

 

You really don’t see the problem with using comments from players/coaches who haven’t been in the building for years?  I’m not saying their opinion should be discounted.  I am saying you have to explore how reliable of a narrator a fired player or coach is going to be.  Dunne has been criticized for this in the past.

 

Also it’s not uncommon for a reporter to be able to speak to current players on the team anonymously -  especially when players are unhappy.   Why didn’t he try to interview a current member on the Bills?   Probably because they wouldn’t corroborate his premise . 

 

That’s my problem with the article -  Dunne crafted a narrative which simply wasn’t accurate.  If you read the articles after the Philly loss, you’d assume the team was on the brink of disaster and that everyone was miserable.

 

Not only was that not the case, but the team seemed to rally around McDermott with main players (Micah, Poyer, Josh, Dion, Oliver) speaking out against Dunne’s work some calling it “a hit piece.”  It really sounds like a team that hates their head coach.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

you keep repeating this (bolded) as fact, yet you offer nothing at all to support that conclusion.

 

Why would you think any current player is going to bad mouth his coach while he's still on the roster?  That's your argument?  

 

Are you saying the guys who spoke at length with him to describe what their experience was in Buffalo are lying?  Because they are "disgruntled"? They could have simply said nothing or "I have nothing but good memories of my time spent in buffalo"....rather than 25 of them individually painting a similar picture.

 

 

[GoBills808]

1 hour ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

wow current coaching staff and players won't speak up about McD to Dunne??? that's really a wild discovery.  

 

Why do you assume former staff (of which the Bills constantly churn) should have their opinions discounted?  If you were fired from a very well known corporation and someone asked you what it was like at your former job, would you say "don't mind me, I'm just disgruntled"?  nope.

 

As you say, the NFL is transient for staff---but how many other longform pieces about other teams such as this one have you seen published?  

 

of course Dunne's premise is that McD is the problem (read the title).  It's something that posters here have been saying for years.  It's really not a controversial position to take.  So if his premise is that, then his goal would be to interview those who would speak---these are obviously those who no longer work there.  Some corroborated his premise.  Some did not.  

 

I don't see anywhere where anyone can reasonably claim he simply made up quotes or events described in his article.   do you think he went to each of the 25 and said, just for kicks, "tell me how awful McD is"?.  Nor did the organization push back with much energy on their HC's behalf.  Instead, McD and Beane were eager to reach out to Dunne for "private conversations" after another bad playoff exit...followed now by a published one (Dunne/Beane). 

 

come on.  people believe what they want--recall the endless talk/threads/posts about the preseason drama between McD and Diggs?  the vast majority here called it "fake news", or "stupid national media"....yet it was obviously true, as we all learned.  Bills were willing to give up their WR1, eat a huge cap hit just to get him out of the building. 

He actually did get quotes from current (at the time) members of the Bills iirc

 

It wasn't just former disgruntled employees

[Mr. WEO]

Just now, GoBills808 said:

He actually did get quotes from current (at the time) members of the Bills iirc

 

It wasn't just former disgruntled employees

 

 

Fake news!!!!

[Sierra Foothills]

On 6/14/2024 at 4:02 PM, QCity said:

"To get his ’06 Indianapolis Colts over the hump, Hall of Fame GM Bill Polian told us he started to weigh playoff performance on a critical curve. Beane is doing the same"

 

Another reason why Diggs was moved.

 

Yes, this is the above bullet point that jumped off the page at me.

 

19 hours ago, Billy Claude said:

It is a shock these days when people act like reasonable adults instead of spiteful teenagers. I am glad that we appear to have reasonable people here.

 

I actually wasn't bothered by the article very much.  How many head coaches are not micromanagers and control freaks? The last one the Bills had that wasn't was Rex Ryan and that was not a good experience. The 911 analogy may not be the most appropriate but it was just a one time mistake and Daboll does not appear to be the easiest guy to get along with.

 

The only story in the Dunne article that bothered me was that McDermott was upset about the players buying the WR coach a car.

 

I agree with the bolded.

 

I understand those that are a bit bothered by Beane allowing access to Dunne.

 

What I don't understand are the handful of people here who have stated that they would deny Dunne access... that are more upset with Dunne than the Bills are...