Mike in Syracuse Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 (edited) Before we get all warm and fuzzy with Sully, let me just remind you of a few of his quotes in his last few columns: "The Bills are still a bad team trying to become average. They don't have the overall talent or depth to compete on a consistent basis. They will need a lot of things to fall into place to approach the .500 level this year." "That's a lot of questions for a team that some critics are picking to challenge .500. I think they're still bottoming out" Those are both quotes from his column within the last month. To me, it's just a shining example of how little these guys who write about sports actually know. Edited September 12, 2011 by Mike in Syracuse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bladiebla Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 I think some people make the mistake of thinking a column (opinion piece) is the same as a journalistic article (verified sources, indisputable content). John Wawrow writes journalistic articles, Sullivan writes opinion pieces as such Sullivan qualifies as writer more so then journalist, however the term journalist (*cough* Fiox News *cough*) has been dilluted over the years to the point where both of them qualify as a journalist nowadays in the eye of the public at least. Bascily Sullivan could be a forum poster that is paid to post topics, with the difference being that he does so in the BN. Compared to some forum posters Sullivan is an eternal optimist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LabattBlue Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Before we get all warm and fuzzy with Sully, let me just remind you of a few of his quotes in his last few columns: "The Bills are still a bad team trying to become average. They don't have the overall talent or depth to compete on a consistent basis. They will need a lot of things to fall into place to approach the .500 level this year." "That's a lot of questions for a team that some critics are picking to challenge .500. I think they're still bottoming out" Those are both quotes from his column within the last month. To me, it's just a shining example of how little these guys who write about sports actually know. Maybe before you call out Sully about being wrong, the Bills should play more than one game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Wheels Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 If Sully is anything like the media "experts" in other cities, he's saying, "Big deal. The Bills beat a crappy team. Haley's going to get fired before the season is over. Let them beat the Jets or Patriots just once and then I'll be impressed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bladiebla Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Before we get all warm and fuzzy with Sully, let me just remind you of a few of his quotes in his last few columns: "The Bills are still a bad team trying to become average. They don't have the overall talent or depth to compete on a consistent basis. They will need a lot of things to fall into place to approach the .500 level this year." "That's a lot of questions for a team that some critics are picking to challenge .500. I think they're still bottoming out" Those are both quotes from his column within the last month. To me, it's just a shining example of how little these guys who write about sports actually know. Key is the word think. It's the paper version of imho (In My Humble Opinion). Wasnt he completly right when he said that's a lot of questions? Were the Bills not a bad team last year (imho a bad team that was showing flashes of promise)? Did we not lack overall talent and depth? Truth be told, as much as Jerry gets exposed to the Bills he should see and have seen the change/rebuild on defense that took place; question if that unit is ready now, question if it will be a top unit, see the positives and see the negatives and bring an opinion about that, as the draft focus next year will most likely focus on the offense 100% (with the exception of a CB maybe). If you are going to call him out for being a negative nancy than call him out for saying bad team trying to become average (instead of bad team trying to become good). Honestly, you have been a Bills fan for long enough, tell me, did you not even for one second think going into the second half receiving the ball with a 20 - 7 lead, we can still loose this / give this away? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eme123 Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Can someone fill me in on who this John Wawrow guy is? I noticed he got alot of play from Sully about the Evans trade being a Salary dump. I also noticed that both of them failed to supply a source. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Wheels Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 John Wawrow covers Buffalo sports for the Associated Press. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills44 Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Now you are being the one who is cynical. How so? Care to answer my question? Experience has taught us the perils of overreacting to one game, or two or four. We'll see whether Sullivan heeds his own advice. Doubt it, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in Syracuse Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 (edited) Key is the word think. It's the paper version of imho (In My Humble Opinion). Wasnt he completly right when he said that's a lot of questions? Were the Bills not a bad team last year (imho a bad team that was showing flashes of promise)? Did we not lack overall talent and depth? Truth be told, as much as Jerry gets exposed to the Bills he should see and have seen the change/rebuild on defense that took place; question if that unit is ready now, question if it will be a top unit, see the positives and see the negatives and bring an opinion about that, as the draft focus next year will most likely focus on the offense 100% (with the exception of a CB maybe). If you are going to call him out for being a negative nancy than call him out for saying bad team trying to become average (instead of bad team trying to become good). Honestly, you have been a Bills fan for long enough, tell me, did you not even for one second think going into the second half receiving the ball with a 20 - 7 lead, we can still loose this / give this away? Oh I absolutely wasn't comfortable with a 13 points lead! I'm not ready to annoint the Bills as a playoff contender. I think they'll beat the Raiders next week but the true test for me will be how they play against the Patriots. The Pats are the measuring stick in the division and will be a good gauage of where we are as a team. If the Bills can make a statement in that game then I will begin to believe we've turned the corner. My biggest issue with Sully isn't that he's critical of the team, it's that he very rarely has ANYTHING positive to say. Even the moderately knowledgable Bills fan could see that the team made huge improvements in the offseason. To not acknowledge that is disingenuous. Does anyone really believe that if the Bills won 12 games this year that Sully would admit he doesn't know WTF he's talking about. Edited September 12, 2011 by Mike in Syracuse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Senator Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Maybe before you call out Sully about being wrong, the Bills should play more than one game. You're implying that, had the Bills lost this 'one game', Sully would have waited to write another blistering 'told ya so' column? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills44 Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 You're implying that, had the Bills lost this 'one game', Sully would have waited to write another blistering 'told ya so' column? Of course not!!! To quote Sullivan "Experience has taught us the perils of overreacting to one game, or two or four.". Unless they're losses, right Jerry, you miserable POS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBlackMamba Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 "Maybe I underestimated this team. It doesn't have many established stars, but it has a lot of proud young football players who believe they're better than the critics think. They actually believed they were going to be good, which counts for something." What?!? A positive column from the Ol' Salty Dog, Jerry Sullivan. I know it's only one game, but hey, it's a start! My link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PromoTheRobot Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 "Maybe I underestimated this team. It doesn't have many established stars, but it has a lot of proud young football players who believe they're better than the critics think. They actually believed they were going to be good, which counts for something." What?!? A positive column from the Ol' Salty Dog, Jerry Sullivan. I know it's only one game, but hey, it's a start! My link Read between the lines a bit. Still gets his shots in. PTR Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondo in seattle Posted September 12, 2011 Author Share Posted September 12, 2011 (edited) Oh I absolutely wasn't comfortable with a 13 points lead! I'm not ready to annoint the Bills as a playoff contender. I think they'll beat the Raiders next week but the true test for me will be how they play against the Patriots. The Pats are the measuring stick in the division and will be a good gauage of where we are as a team. If the Bills can make a statement in that game then I will begin to believe we've turned the corner. My biggest issue with Sully isn't that he's critical of the team, it's that he very rarely has ANYTHING positive to say. Even the moderately knowledgable Bills fan could see that the team made huge improvements in the offseason. To not acknowledge that is disingenuous. Does anyone really believe that if the Bills won 12 games this year that Sully would admit he doesn't know WTF he's talking about. +1 I get the sense that Sully uses negativity as his schtick. He knows he'll rile people up by being a Negative Nancy. It's kind of like those political talk show hosts. They're either absurdly right wing or absurdly left wing because moderates aren't interesting. If negativity is his schtick, I don't like it. Furthermore, his excessively critical attitude prevents him from developing relationships at OBD and so he doesn't have any sources. Usually beat writers will have access to inside information, but not Sully. I have to give him credit, though. Today he admitted he might have underestimated the Bills. Today's article was good. Edited September 12, 2011 by hondo in seattle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akm0404 Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 People really need to get a grip when it comes to the sour grapes bashing of Jerry Sullivan and the rest of the national sports media. Thread after thread bashes him, ESPN, various radio personalities, etc. all because they disparage the Buffalo Bills. What the heck do you expect people to say about a team that has been just about the worst team in the entire NFL over the span of an ENTIRE DECADE? Do you honestly believe that any journalist would have a job (save Chris Brown, perhaps) if they wrote positive things about such a historically impotent team? Seriously - what do you expect folks to say about a team that hasn't been to the playoffs in a decade? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glory Bound Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 I don't need to know your amount of football knowledge to form an opinion that Felser has you outdistanced by a large margin. You may change your opinion if I gave you my background, but instead I've decided to defend my self by actually posting his column so you can read it >> http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/columns/larry-felser/article536546.ece If you have an ounce of Bills pride this morning, you will have to admit that some things Larry said in this column simply do not describe the Bills & are way off base. The only derogatory I thing I said is that he dug himself a hole, as Sully has. I don't see how you can deny this fact after reading this article. Look, I met Mr. Felser roughly 50 years ago. I've heard inside stories about him in my house when I was a kid. I think he's had a great career. Way back, I couldn't wait to read his column on Monday mornings, especially after a Bills victory. I agree with your assesment concerning his wealth of knowledge. But, IMHO, what takes a career from the "great" status & catapults it to the elite status, is knowing when to hang up your cleats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hondo in seattle Posted September 12, 2011 Author Share Posted September 12, 2011 People really need to get a grip when it comes to the sour grapes bashing of Jerry Sullivan and the rest of the national sports media. Thread after thread bashes him, ESPN, various radio personalities, etc. all because they disparage the Buffalo Bills. What the heck do you expect people to say about a team that has been just about the worst team in the entire NFL over the span of an ENTIRE DECADE? Do you honestly believe that any journalist would have a job (save Chris Brown, perhaps) if they wrote positive things about such a historically impotent team? Seriously - what do you expect folks to say about a team that hasn't been to the playoffs in a decade? You have a point, I suppose. But Jerry just seems negative about everything. We've had some wins over the years, some good coaches and good players... It's not as if there has been NOTHING good to talk about this past decade. But Jerry's focus is almost universally on the bad, which he often exaggerates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bladiebla Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Can anyone tell me the last time they read one of Sullivan's columns about the Bills or Sabres, and thought to themselves "hmm,that's an interesting and novel thought", or "hmm, I did not know that"? Now you are being the one who is cynical. How so? Care to answer my question? Don't really care but ok... In general I like reading his columns, specifically liked his start of the training camp one recently that springs to mind. I often find his columns an entertaining realistic read with a pessimistic tendency, something recent history certainly warrants. While your opinion may be (or seems to be) that everything he writes is garbage and not worth reading mine is the opposite, cant say I always agree but he certainly has a sharp eye on the Bills and I do like his sense of humor. HIs Twitter on gameday was entertaining as well http://twitter.com/#!/TBNSully to quote one "Could Fitz be on his way to 30 TD passes? No bet with Jeremy this year to run in my underwear!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills44 Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Don't really care but ok... In general I like reading his columns, specifically liked his start of the training camp one recently that springs to mind. I often find his columns an entertaining realistic read with a pessimistic tendency, something recent history certainly warrants. While your opinion may be (or seems to be) that everything he writes is garbage and not worth reading mine is the opposite, cant say I always agree but he certainly has a sharp eye on the Bills and I do like his sense of humor. HIs Twitter on gameday was entertaining as well http://twitter.com/#!/TBNSully to quote one "Could Fitz be on his way to 30 TD passes? No bet with Jeremy this year to run in my underwear!" If you find some of his stuff entertaining, then that's fine. My point is that seemingly none of his stuff is thought-provoking or fresh. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 I read his column today and am left with one lingering question: Who the hell kidnapped Sullivan and wrote his column? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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