Great piece on McD by Tyler Dunne

[dave mcbride]

5 hours ago, BillsShredder83 said:

Yeah EFF reading this, eff platforming him, and EFF him trying to play it cool like he was just reporting what he knew about his team.  That was the filthiest hit piece in Buffalo sports history... and he knew it.  Remember his twitter posts the day it dropped, he was reveling in his revenge for whatever perceived sleight he imagined up... this wasnt some McAfee versus '24 Colts, pushing his team to grow some balls.

 

Don't fall for this and most importantly dont give this F'ing dork any $$

Have you read either of the pieces, start to finish? If not, slagging him with a whole bunch of juvenile swear words seems off. 

[SectionC3]

13 hours ago, Beck Water said:

 

I don't think that's McDermott - he doesn't have time to lug around hate for a journalist. 

He and Beane (separately) actually sat down with Dunne at one of the off-season events last year - Senior Bowl or Combine - and had what Dunne described as a "good conversation". 

I think part of that conversation may have been McDermott and Beane saying "look, as a journalist, why wouldn't you reach out and get our side of it?" to which Dunne could say "as an independent journalist, the Bills have not credentialed me or given me access to you".  I think one outcome was, Dunne agreed to reach out and get McDermott or Beane's side of anything he wrote about them (not agree with their side, just seek it out).  And Beane/McDermott ensured Dunne got some form of press credentials to the Bills, which Dunne doesn't always use but has tweeted about a couple times just enough to make the point he's able to be there.

 

And yeah, I'd like to read it 'cuz Ty Dunne writes well but nah, I'm not gonna subscribe to do so.

 

 

Dunne didn't have press credentials to the Bills at the point where he wrote that hit piece last year.  He gained access last spring after he spoke with Beane and with McDermott, I forget if it was at the Senior Bowl or at the Combine - the latter I think.

I'm still going to add my suspicion that Dunne sat on a couple of things for them, too. 

[CSBill]

17 hours ago, MJS said:

He probably only agreed to do it by refusing beforehand to answer any questions about his hit piece or tension between him and McDermott. They always discuss interview questions beforehand.

 

That is probably true and most sensible for both.

[Scott7975]

14 hours ago, TheFunPolice said:

The last thing most of these platforms want is a 1-time transaction. They want your credit card on file, being charged every month. 

 

Depending on the source, 25-30% of people who take advantage of the free or $1 streaming months never cancel. Some might just be hooked and love the service, but most probably either forget or figure maybe they'll watch it someday so they don't cancel.

 

Meanwhile... $4, $4, $4, $4, (price hike) $6, $6, $6, $6 (price hike) $9.99, $9.99, $ 9.99, $9.99

 

Hey, do we still have that Snow Owl streaming service? We DO! Awesome! There's that NFL game on!

 

I admit it, I'm one of them. I did the $1 Peacock trial just to watch Dolphins/Chiefs, then cancelled a few weeks later (it was easy to do). 

 

This year rolls around and I want to watch Packers/Eagles, so I reactivate (also very easy to do). After that, I was like "it's fall... maybe there will be something on there... there's going to be a playoff game in a few months anyway (at least I thought)...."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm pretty good about subscribing on cheap trials and cancelling. The problem I have is my wife always seems to find 4 or 5 shows on the things that she can't get on one of the streaming services we are regulars to. Then it's "it's only 6 bucks a month we're keeping it!!!" Happy wife happy life.

[Coach Tuesday]

8 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

Have you read either of the pieces, start to finish? If not, slagging him with a whole bunch of juvenile swear words seems off. 

It’s much easy to scream about journalistic bias than actually read things.  Humans change.  McDermott sounds like he’s changing.  Maybe Dunne has evolved too.  Mouth-breathers on the internet don’t like nuance.  I don’t know what’s worse - the folks in this thread cursing out Dunne without reading the article, or the folks in this thread proudly proclaiming that they won’t pay for content (while at the same time complaining about how content has gotten worse).  These kinds of takes contribute to the sh__ification of society.

Edited yesterday at 11:58 AM by Coach Tuesday

[BillsVet]

14 hours ago, Beck Water said:

 

So from what we know about McDermott, he is sincerely committed to Kaizen, the business principle of involving the whole organization in striving for continuous improvement.  So I would imagine he looked at that piece, looked at places where it pointed to areas he could improve, and decided on how to address them.

 

As for last year's article, I think it was notable that a lot of the Buffalo press corps did not speak out on it one way or the other.  The most cogent comment on it came from John Wawrow, aka @Delete This Account, a guy with considerable experience and considerable access/trust within the Bills organization.  His summary of the article was "former employee has issues with former boss" and something to the effect of "that's why many of us will sit this one out".

I agree that NFL head coaches are a special, driven breed and that can make them come across as jerks from time to time.  People who are laser-focused on one goal, also, can fail to perceive how they come across viewed from a broader perspective.  But also, when you interview 40 people and interview them at length, you can both ask for, and elicit, stories that can portray a person in a particular slanted way.

 

 

You ripped a definition of Kaizen off the internet and think you know what it is AND that a NFL HC would embrace that philosophy to apply it to his organization?  Come on.  This post reads like you're in the OBD offices as terminology like 5S, DMAIC, and all the buzzwords are thrown around by Lean Six Sigma Black Belts.  

 

Everyone should embrace continuous improvement in their life.  Yet, in the case of a NFL football team, they have a responsibility to adjust their philosophy when it's not working.  The Bills seem to double-down on what they're doing as though it will suddenly work.  What's clear is they entered the season with a less than adequate group of receivers and it didn't work.  The course corrected and now stand on the cusp of the playoffs - which will confirm whether their off-season and in-season adjustments were successful.  

 

Perhaps the HC is evolving, they're SB winners and the way they play football is validated.  We're gonna find out though.  

[BillsShredder83]

11 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

Have you read either of the pieces, start to finish? If not, slagging him with a whole bunch of juvenile swear words seems off. 

I read the first one.  Certainly am not reading the second.  I dont think frogs should help scorpions cross streams 🤷‍♂️

[BillsShredder83]

2 hours ago, Coach Tuesday said:

It’s much easy to scream about journalistic bias than actually read things.  Humans change.  McDermott sounds like he’s changing.  Maybe Dunne has evolved too.  Mouth-breathers on the internet don’t like nuance.  I don’t know what’s worse - the folks in this thread cursing out Dunne without reading the article, or the folks in this thread proudly proclaiming that they won’t pay for content (while at the same time complaining about how content has gotten worse).  These kinds of takes contribute to the sh__ification of society.

The s-fication of society is giving attention, let alone paying (supporting) slanderous hit pieces from toddlers trying to sink a season, because they didnt get a press pass.  You do you!

[BritBill]

Bet they ended up wrestling until the early hours. 

[CoudyBills]

20 hours ago, Einstein said:

Not only is it going, I think its thriving. He has multiple writers posting to it and covering many cities in the NFL.

Found Dunne's account

[DrDawkinstein]

5 minutes ago, CoudyBills said:

Found Dunne's account

 

It would explain a lot.

[CoudyBills]

20 hours ago, QB Bills said:

The article last year wasn't exclusively negative. People criticizing it either haven't read it or are of the pompom-wearing contingent of this fanbase. And in many cases, both.

 

I appreciate Dunne's work because he actually puts some effort into his content. He isn't just a fan with press credentials who is more worried about job security than honest reporting.

Ah yes, the oft misconstrued "journalism" vs being a jackass.  

[Beck Water]

20 hours ago, somnus00 said:

I understand that writers, and newspapers have to eat. Without compensation, they cease to exist.

 

But I also understand that people don't want to subscribe to read an occasional article. I wonder if it would make sense to charge a small one time fee per article rather than asking for a full subscription. I don't want to subscribe either, but I'd pay a dollar to read an interesting article. 

 

I think independent writers and content creators try to make a one month subscription small enough that a person might do it for one article? and then hope we're too lazy to cancel or find enough of interest.

 

I subscribed to one Patreon that's $3/month.  I likely don't get my money's worth but I keep forgetting to cancel.

 

20 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Dude is making an entire career out of McD drama...

 

 

I'm gonna hang out in this thread until @boyst or someone posts a tricky way to get around the paywall.

 

or until @GoBills808 or someone else who subscribed gets groused enough at those of us commenting without reading the whole thing that they just post it LOL

Edited yesterday at 03:02 PM by Beck Water

[GunnerBill]

2 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

I think independent writers and content creators try to make a one month subscription small enough that a person might do it for one article.

 

I have an aquaintance, not quite friend, who runs a reasonably sized Liverpool FC blog and he has changed his model recently from monthly subscription to pay as you go for their "premium" content. So you sign up, input your card details but then are only charged when you access a premium article. Not sure what his conclusions are yet on if it is working but I thought it was an interesting idea.

[GoBills808]

3 hours ago, CSBill said:

 

That is probably true and most sensible for both.

It actually reads more like McDermott requested the interview tbh

[GunnerBill]

2 minutes ago, GoBills808 said:

It actually reads more like McDermott requested the interview tbh

 

Reads like there has been contact between the two for a while. Probably a mutual understanding of the benefits of doing it. 

[Cash]

26 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I have an aquaintance, not quite friend, who runs a reasonably sized Liverpool FC blog and he has changed his model recently from monthly subscription to pay as you go for their "premium" content. So you sign up, input your card details but then are only charged when you access a premium article. Not sure what his conclusions are yet on if it is working but I thought it was an interesting idea.

 

Interesting!  My assumption is that the economics won't work out for that model, except maybe in some niche cases.  But it's cool that someone is trying it.  As a consumer, I think it's more appealing to me than a full-on subscription.

[Beck Water]

2 hours ago, BillsVet said:

 

You ripped a definition of Kaizen off the internet and think you know what it is AND that a NFL HC would embrace that philosophy to apply it to his organization?  Come on.  This post reads like you're in the OBD offices as terminology like 5S, DMAIC, and all the buzzwords are thrown around by Lean Six Sigma Black Belts.  

 

Everyone should embrace continuous improvement in their life.  Yet, in the case of a NFL football team, they have a responsibility to adjust their philosophy when it's not working.  The Bills seem to double-down on what they're doing as though it will suddenly work.  What's clear is they entered the season with a less than adequate group of receivers and it didn't work.  The course corrected and now stand on the cusp of the playoffs - which will confirm whether their off-season and in-season adjustments were successful.  

 

Perhaps the HC is evolving, they're SB winners and the way they play football is validated.  We're gonna find out though.  

 

You really got egged here, and you did it to yourself.  This epitomizes the phrase assume makes an ASS of U and Me.  U more than me, but whatever.

 

First, you know next to nothing about my background to know about my familiarity (or lack of familiarity) with Kaizen outside a message board.  I could be a 6 sigma black belt for all you know (I'm not, but I did serve my time in the corporate world and I certainly don't need the internet to define Kaizen)

Second of all, several of McDermott's players in the past - Hyde for one - have actually spoken in interviews about McDermott's committment to Kaizen.  McDermott actually uses that word and its definitions with the team to the point where players have talked about it in interviews.

This isn't something I made up, it's factual.  If you cared enough to google "McDermott" and "Kaizen", which I just did for you, you would find proof:

https://www.leanblog.org/2021/01/will-kaizen-get-the-buffalo-bills-to-next-years-super-bowl/
https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/sean-mcdermott-bills-use-kaizen-strategy-to-stress-constant-improvement/article_167722f2-23e0-575a-99ee-297fef2d7781.html
Here's a clip of Poyer on PMS talking about Kaizen:

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=769575967628494

 

I also remember an interview with Hyde talking about Kaizen but can't find it on the quick search that's all I'm giving this.

So, Facts: 

1) I don't need to rip a definition of Kaizen off the internet. 
2) It's a fact that Sean McDermott embraces Kaizen and has used and applied it to his organization.  It's documented.

 

The Bills do make changes that are clear in information made available to the public.   3 low hanging fruit as easy examples:
-they used to give certain veterans "vet rest days" during the week, sometimes different days.  This season, that hasn't been happening regularly but every Wednesday has an asterisk "the Bills held a walk through practice on Weds" so more rest for all
-they now have a players only offensive meeting on Fri where players talk about what plays they think will work and like, and Allen takes the info to Brady
-on the field, they have more than doubled the amount of 4th down conversions they attempt from 2020 (22 vs 10)

I'll go out on a limb and say you really have no idea what changes the Bills have made to the details of coverages they use and plays they call.  I think you just see McD came in running a 4-2-5 nickel base and he's still using it so he should CHANGE DAMMIT 'cuz BillsVet sez so.

Edited yesterday at 03:51 PM by Beck Water

[Beck Water]

4 hours ago, SectionC3 said:

I'm still going to add my suspicion that Dunne sat on a couple of things for them, too. 

 

It's not impossible.  But it seemed pretty clear that Dunne had a narrative - possibly shaped by his own fan frustrations - and focused on info from people that supported said narrative.  He either didn't have (but could have had), or didn't include, a whole bunch of info that has come out in different ways.  One example is Diggs problematic behaviors and how WR coach Chad Hall wasn't willing or able to hold Diggs accountable and shut that ***** down in 2022 - which may be why McDermott's heart was quite reasonably not warmed by the touching scene of the WR coach being gifted a new truck by his receivers in 2020 - maybe he'd seen a version of that movie before and knew how it ends. 

From the number of people he talked to and quoted by name, he very likely had access to info that would contradict and disprove some of the quotes he used, but he didn't include it. 

 

And yes, since it needs to be said, I read the entirety of the original article.  I have not read the recent one.

Edited yesterday at 03:48 PM by Beck Water

[GoBills808]

1 hour ago, Beck Water said:

 

I think independent writers and content creators try to make a one month subscription small enough that a person might do it for one article? and then hope we're too lazy to cancel or find enough of interest.

 

I subscribed to one Patreon that's $3/month.  I likely don't get my money's worth but I keep forgetting to cancel.

 

 

or until @GoBills808 or someone else who subscribed gets groused enough at those of us commenting without reading the whole thing that they just post it LOL

i dunno

 

the original was worth posting but i think at some point if people want to read it they should pay