Great piece on McD by Tyler Dunne

[YoloinOhio]

11 hours ago, Beck Water said:

 

Sooooooo in your view it read like it was requested by McDermott .....more than a year ago?  and Dunne performed on request -- but the request came just before the playoffs?

 

What Dunne said about McDermott reaching out makes a lot more sense in the context of both Beane and McDermott separately meeting with Dunne at the Combine last spring, and I think another time. 

But I can't imagine McDermott reaching out to a journalist at this time of year.

I am guessing that while he may have reached out to Ty directly, that it was initiated/encouraged by Bills PR. While Ty did not come out and say that, he did mention and give kudos to Bills PR for their willingness etc and their part in the whole thing. 

[GunnerBill]

12 hours ago, GerstAusGosheim said:

Writing an article that’s a collection of uncomfortable truths may be considered a "hit piece," but it’s still a collection of truths. If you, the reader, can be objective, you’ll find it informative, as it exposes behind-the-scenes issues and leadership flaws. And who can forget the reference to 9/11 terrorists as good teammates? Yikes.

 

A hit piece does not have to be lies. I think a lot of what was in the article was a deeper dive into things that have been observable to a degree with McDermott. But it was a hit piece because it really made no attempt at balance. It was simply a "here is a list of all the bad stuff." As I said at the time, as a former journalist myself, if you were writing that for a proper news outlet you'd have been more restricted by editorial standards. You have the freedom in blog format to ignore the need to present any kind of balanced assessment and as long as it is well researched and well written (and think what you want about Ty he is a really talented writer) and not defamatory you can publish. 

[Chandler#81]

On 1/6/2025 at 1:16 PM, YoloinOhio said:

I want to read it but I left my wallet in the car @HOUSE

I actually don’t want to read it, regardless. I’ll never forgive nor forget what that worm did. Rot in blog hell, ya sonofa..

[WotAGuy]

I just subscribed again to read the current interview article.  I appreciated that they addressed the past right at the top, with Dunne’s opening comments and McDermott’s response:

 

“Our conversation is below.

Dunne: Tell somebody on the outside that we’re sitting down like this, and they’d expect a cage match one year ago. The fact that we got to know each other (last offseason), I’ve been around the team this year, it says a lot about you. … I think there’s a natural impulse for anybody —coach or player — when something critical is written to go on the offensive. Declare it all “lies.” Outside looking in, it seems like you’ve been reflective. Your press conference in the moment was heartfelt. We sat down. How do you think you’ve evolved as a person and as a coach this past year?

 

McDermott: This to me should not be a story of, “Well, he was this and now he’s this” because of an article. And I’m not going to revisit the story. Enough was said about that.

I know who I am and I know how I’ve tried to lead this organization. Does that make me perfect? Absolutely not. So we can get on living or we can get on dying, and I feel strongly that, “OK, let’s make a connection so you can see who I really am and you can make your own judgments from there.” But the most important thing for me in my job is I know what everyone wants me to do and that’s to win a Super Bowl. And that is the most important thing for me. Second though, it’s trying to do this job the right way. Probably how you try to do your job for your family and do it the right way.

Last year or the years prior, my standard is my standard. And do I hold a high standard? Yes. But it starts with me. And when we lose, it’s really hard because I hold myself to a high standard. We’ve accomplished a whole heck of a lot here. I was reminded of the 2017 accomplishment last night and again this morning at the press conference. And that was just the start of what we’ve done since we’ve gotten here. And I think just then professionally and personally you grow year to year, and that’s what’s led me to where I’m at now.

You grow as a man. I grow as a man. Which also then helps me grow as a professional. But then you grow professionally as well because of the time you spend on the job.”

 

Looking forward to the rest…..

 

 

Edited 19 hours ago by WotAGuy

[JohnNord]

2 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

I am guessing that while he may have reached out to Ty directly, that it was initiated/encouraged by Bills PR. While Ty did not come out and say that, he did mention and give kudos to Bills PR for their willingness etc and their part in the whole thing. 

I actually listened to Schopp and the Bulldog.  Not my favorite show by any means, but I’ll give them credit - the interview with Dunne was good.

 

Schopp asked what happened behind the scenes.  Dunne admitted he’s never spoken on this before but was ok sharing the broad details.  He said that after the article dropped, he got a phone call from McDermott the next day.  He couldn’t share everything they spoke about but said McDermott wanted to get to know him in the offseason and learn about what he does. 

 

McDermott and Dunne met in-person at the NFL Combine in late Feb. This was not for an article just both getting to know each other.   I believe Beane met with him separately as well for a story.  Again no details were shared but I’m guessing they spoke on a few different occasions.  Two months later, Dunne got media credentials for the first time in Buffalo.  

 

To his credit, Bulldog asked whether he thought the Bills were working him.  Dunne said no because it’s rare for an NFL team to reach out like that after such a critical article.  He mentioned his piece on Aaron Rodgers and that he’s not welcome with the Packers and that there are bad feelings toward him from the Jets since Rodgers arrived.

 

As far as this current interview, with the postseason approaching he put in a media request with Bills PR and it was approved.  It was supposed to be a 15-20 minute interview but McDermott gave him a full hour.  
 

FWIW Tyler thinks the Bills will beat Denver handily.   He was also asked whether McDermott has evolved from the criticisms he mentioned in the article - Dunne said “we’re about to find out.”
 

 

[Call_Of_Ktulu]

13 hours ago, JohnNord said:

Look how much leeway Mr. Pegula is giving Kevyn Adams with the Sabres…there’s no way McDermott is fired with a 1st round exit 

That’s unfortunate when there is a OC like Ben Johnson out there. I would think the Bills would be his top choice if the job becomes available. I like McD but if he doesn’t take this team to a SB with Allen he will go down as a bad HC. 

[WotAGuy]

4 minutes ago, Call_Of_Ktulu said:

That’s unfortunate when there is a OC like Ben Johnson out there. I would think the Bills would be his top choice if the job becomes available. I like McD but if he doesn’t take this team to a SB with Allen he will go down as a bad HC. 

Pegula is not a reactive guy, especially since his wife became ill. Under the circumstances of his personal life and a new stadium to deal with, I can’t see Pegula making changes in the Bills organization.
 

The 17-year drought and history of incompetence also works in McDermott’s favor and will buy him considerable slack. 

[JohnNord]

5 hours ago, Call_Of_Ktulu said:

That’s unfortunate when there is a OC like Ben Johnson out there. I would think the Bills would be his top choice if the job becomes available. I like McD but if he doesn’t take this team to a SB with Allen he will go down as a bad HC. 

Hiring an unproven HC like Ben Johnson to take over would be a massive mistake.  

McDermott has built a successful

program that runs itself.  He has one of the best records since 2020, won the AFCE 5X straight and will likely have the MVP this season.  
 

The only thing he hasn’t done is found a way to beat Kansas City - which only has happened 3 times since 2018.  

 

IMO if you move on from McDermott you don’t replace him with a first year coach.  
 

Everyone the examples of replacing Tony Dungy and John Fox - both those teams replaced them with proven, experienced HC’s.  

[TheFunPolice]

I have been skeptical of McDermott's ability to take the team where it needs to go, mostly because he's a defensive HC and the defense has been disappointing in the playoffs. As far as game management, every coach has issues, and McDermott seems to learn from his mistakes for the most part. 

 

I think McDermott can absolutely get to and win a Super Bowl. If you're good enough to get there you're good enough to win, and they often could go either way. For example, if Aaron Donald is half a second later on 4th down in the SB Burrow hits a wide open WR for the game winning TD. 

 

The question will be the defense. This time around we're finally healthy. Will McDermott's defense get the job done? Will they make the plays when needed? Can he scheme up a way to stop the best offenses?

 

This is why I agree with Madden's take on the "can't win the big one" arguments. 

 

First, tell me which ones are the small ones.

Second, you can't win the big one unless you're good enough to get there. And if you're good enough to get there you're good enough to win it. 

 

To this point, McDermott has not gotten the Bills to the biggest game, but he certainly can (I think). 

 

 

Edited 12 hours ago by TheFunPolice

[Mikie2times]

I want my NFL head coach worried what fans think of him. That's the character this team needs to win in January.  

[Beck Water]

8 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

A hit piece does not have to be lies. I think a lot of what was in the article was a deeper dive into things that have been observable to a degree with McDermott. But it was a hit piece because it really made no attempt at balance. It was simply a "here is a list of all the bad stuff." As I said at the time, as a former journalist myself, if you were writing that for a proper news outlet you'd have been more restricted by editorial standards. You have the freedom in blog format to ignore the need to present any kind of balanced assessment and as long as it is well researched and well written (and think what you want about Ty he is a really talented writer) and not defamatory you can publish. 

 

I'm quite confident that Dunne's article last fall was not lies in the sense that I'm sure everything he quoted someone as saying, was actually said and not made-up.

To me, lies can be told in different ways.  A lie can be saying something that is untrue or quoting something that was not said.  Let's call those "lies of commission".  But it's also possible to lie by omission, by telling the truth but only part of the truth, or by including only the information you have that supports the storyline you're telling.  I think those are lies of omission.  I think you're getting this phenomenon when you say "(a writer has) the freedom in blog format to ignore the need to present any kind of balanced assessment ....and as long as it is not defamatory you can publish".

It sounds as though we agree that the story Dunne published last fall made no attempt at balance, and that made it a hit piece.  To me, it also made it a form of lies. 

This may be semantics, I'm not sure.  

We both agree that Dunne is a talented writer and his article was well researched.

[Mikie2times]

Just now, Beck Water said:

 

I'm quite confident that Dunne's article last fall was not lies in the sense that I'm sure everything he quoted someone as saying, was actually said and not made-up.

To me, lies can be told in different ways.  A lie can be saying something that is untrue or quoting something that was not said.  Let's call those "lies of commission".  But it's also possible to lie by omission, by telling the truth but only part of the truth, or by including only the information you have that supports the storyline you're telling.  I think those are lies of omission.  I think you're getting this phenomenon when you say "(a writer has) the freedom in blog format to ignore the need to present any kind of balanced assessment ....and as long as it is not defamatory you can publish".

It sounds as though we agree that the story Dunne published last fall made no attempt at balance, and that made it a hit piece.  To me, it also made it a form of lies. 

This may be semantics, I'm not sure.  

We both agree that Dunne is a talented writer and his article was well researched.

So if that article was unfairly biased against him what would you call the 1000's of articles that say nothing but positives? 

[GunnerBill]

3 minutes ago, Mikie2times said:

So if that article was unfairly biased against him what would you call the 1000's of articles that say nothing but positives? 

 

They are puff pieces. Ty's article was a hit piece. I question the journalistic integrity of both. 

[Mikie2times]

1 minute ago, GunnerBill said:

 

They are puff pieces. Ty's article was a hit piece. I question the journalistic integrity of both. 

Agree. I find both to miss the mark on what is actually real and the truth, like most things, likely in the middle. 

[Doc Brown]

17 minutes ago, JohnNord said:

Hiring an unproven HC like Ben Johnson to take over would be a massive mistake.  

Football is a small sample sport so it's difficult to fire a head coach who's team consistently wins the division.  At what point though do we get a big enough sample size that McDermott isn't a great playoff coach?  Add to that the anxiety of not winning a Super Bowl while the best QB this franchise has ever had in his prime and you could justify firing him if he doesn't win the whole thing within the next few years.

[GunnerBill]

2 minutes ago, Mikie2times said:

Agree. I find both to miss the mark on what is actually real and the truth, like most things, likely in the middle. 

 

And it is harder to get a hit peice published if you have to comply with editorial standards than a puff piece. One is inherently more risky than the other. But neither are good journalism. Indeed my career change came after I basically refused to write a puff piece and fell out with my bosses about it.

[Beck Water]

28 minutes ago, JohnNord said:

Hiring an unproven HC like Ben Johnson to take over would be a massive mistake.  

McDermott has built a successful

program that runs itself.  He has one of the best records since 2020, won the AFCE 5X straight and will likely have the MVP this season.  
 

The only thing he hasn’t done is found a way to beat Kansas City - which only has happened 3 times since 2018.  

 

IMO if you move on from McDermott you don’t replace him with a first year coach.  
 

Everyone the examples of replacing Tony Dungy and John Fox - both those teams replaced them with proven, experienced HC’s.  

 

I'm a bit confused by this sentence.

 

McDermott has found a way to beat Kansas City.  We've played KC 9 times under McDermott, and he's won 5.

 

Unfortunately, 3 of the 4 losses, were in the playoffs, two of them by 6 points and 2 points.

[GunnerBill]

4 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

I'm a bit confused by this sentence.

 

McDermott has found a way to beat Kansas City.  We've played KC 9 times under McDermott, and he's won 5.

 

Unfortunately, 3 of the 4 losses, were in the playoffs, two of them by 6 points and 2 points.

 

No other active Head Coach has as many victories against Andy Reid as Sean McDermott.

[GoBills808]

2 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

No other active Head Coach has as many victories against Andy Reid as Sean McDermott.

No other active head coach has Josh Allen

[GunnerBill]

3 minutes ago, GoBills808 said:

No other active head coach has Josh Allen

 

Also true. But that doesn't change the fact that the the "can't beat Kansas City" argument doesn't stand up. Hasn't beaten them in the playoffs is a fact. Can't beat them isn't.