Bills have new media reporting guidelines

[Punching Bag]

At first I was pretty ambivalent about this new policy. But now that I see how many of the media chuckleheads and posters here have their knickers in a twist over it, I'm beginning to like it more and more.

 

Agree. It seems the news reporters are the tail wagging the dog but in reality are the bad food giving diarrhea.

 

The press has made up stuff from "inside sources", twisted as much as possible using partial quotes and in general treated the Bills worse than opposition press. Most of them should be treated as vermin.

[Rico]

 

Maybe so Kelly, but anyone in a management-level spot in the business world knows that attacking the media is NEVER a good strategy. Except maybe for Donald Trump, but I digress. If the Bills' goal was to obtain more neutral, softer media coverage, then poking the media in the eye was THE EXACT WRONG STRATEGY.

 

And I agree that Berchtold is an amateur who should be fired with cause tomorrow morning. That dude SUCKS at his job and in fact, Scott, I hope you're reading this: you're really, really bad at your job and you should go work at McDonald's. You're a first-rate moron. There I said it. You're horrible at what you do.

Yep. Yet another piece of Ralph's trash who should've been thrown to the curb after 2014. WAKE UP, PEGS!

[dave mcbride]

It was reported this morning in the news piece that berchtold initially wanted to apply these rules to training camp, but backed off because, you know, fans.

 

Anyone defending the Bills' new media policy is a victim of Stockholm Syndrome as far as I can tell.

Edited May 26, 2016 by dave mcbride

[Coach Tuesday]

It was reported this morning in the news piece that berchtold initially wanted to apply these rules to training camp, but backed off because, you know, fans.

 

Anyone defending the Bills' new media policy is a victim of Stockholm Syndrome as far as I can tell.

 

Berchtold should work for a third-world dictator. Draconian media policies, expelling media members who criticize the team, and lo fi press conferences with repeated technical failures - sounds like Bashar Assad's regime.

 

I can't stand Berchtold. I despise the man. Mostly because in this day and age, it irks me to see someone who is so bad at their job keep it for so long, in such a competitive atmosphere.

[jimmy10]

for what it's worth folks, the growing talk of Cassel being the front-runner for the job last training camp was sparked by those inside the BIlls organization and had nothing to do with which reporter was tracking plays.

personally, i'm not a play-by-play tracker as the minute i'm distracted by a call or have to make a bathroom break or whatever, then the stats are essentially useless and incomplete.

 

for those questioning why we in the media have our boxers/panties in a bunch, well, you folks rely upon us to provide observations from closed practices. and that's where many of these rules apply -- the spring minicamps, both voluntary and mandatory. if you don't want any updates on how players look during these few sessions, then fine then. i know many others do.

 

that some might think our observations are off, well, i can't and won't apologize. they're mere observations taken during a spring practice session months before the start of the season.

personally, i try not to make too many rash judgements at this time of year just because of that.

but to suggest that these observations don't provide value or are meaningless is quite naive.

 

it's what we do.

and accept it or not, you folks -- the fans -- are the ones who consume it.

willingly, i might add.

 

jw

 

John, you're a gentleman, scholar and credit to your profession. While I stand by my comments above that I enjoy seeing some members of the media tie themselves in knots over this new policy, I can tell you're not one of them. The fact that you wallow around with fans on message boards shows you take different approach.

 

While we do voraciously devour this information as fans, there is something to be said for the sober, big-picture analysis at the end of the day. The anti-24 hour news cycle if you will. Distill it all down for me after practice is over; I don't need to eye social media breathlessly each time EJ sails a pass into the noggin of some corporate sponsor's mother-in-law.

 

I wonder if objections from some of your media compadres are rooted in their annoyance that they can't simply "report" on Twitter all practice long, and now must figure out how to write that big-picture piece instead of just doing math and reporting that "Welp, so and so sure had a bad day."

Edited May 26, 2016 by jimmy10

[Mr. WEO]

I'm still looking for someone to explain the upside for the Bills organization by implementing these new rules. What was the necessity and what is the benefit, other than to bust the local press's collective balls.

[elroy16]

I haven't gone through the whole tread, but found this stuff this morning.

 

 

 

 

I've learned the Bears, Cardinals, Jaguars & Patriots have almost identical OTA / minicamp media policies to the one the Bills just started.

 

https://twitter.com/ChrisTrapasso/status/735840853214658561

 

 

 

Here's a picture of the Patriots guidelines.

 

 

 

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CjY5hmmVAAAZaLL.jpg

 

 

 

Unsurprisingly, the Bills are not the only team that implement similar rules. Maybe it's purely paranoia and unnecessary, but I honestly don't see what the big deal is. The team spends millions and millions of dollars to create a winning product. If they don't want to show anyone anything besides the team on Sundays, that's their right IMO. It would suck, but I would understand.

Edited May 26, 2016 by elroy16

[eball]

I'm still looking for someone to explain the upside for the Bills organization by implementing these new rules. What was the necessity and what is the benefit, other than to bust the local press's collective balls.

 

Why don't you pick up the phone and call the Bills media relations office yourself? You seem to have time on your hands...

[Mr. WEO]

 

Why don't you pick up the phone and call the Bills media relations office yourself? You seem to have time on your hands...

 

 

 

 

I suppose I could just make up an answer and say it is consistent not with fact, but with my "recollection".

 

It's a very simple question. You're defending this new set of rules--why do you think it is good for the team to control what one specific group of observers may describe to others in print?

[eball]

 

 

I suppose I could just make up an answer and say it is consistent not with fact, but with my "recollection".

 

It's a very simple question. You're defending this new set of rules--why do you think it is good for the team to control what one specific group of observers may describe to others in print?

 

I've defended this new set of rules? I've called them -- from recollection -- both overreaching and silly -- and I've said I don't care about the issue.

[John from Riverside]

 

 

 

 

I suppose I could just make up an answer and say it is consistent not with fact, but with my "recollection".

 

It's a very simple question. You're defending this new set of rules--why do you think it is good for the team to control what one specific group of observers may describe to others in print?

WEO....hasnt it pretty much been established that other teams are doing this as well?

[Mr. WEO]

WEO....hasnt it pretty much been established that other teams are doing this as well?

 

 

So what? They are pointless and punative rules no matter who is enforcing them. The Bills chose to adapt these same type of rules at this time (they didn't have to), despite there being no obvious benefit to them.

[John from Riverside]

 

 

So what? They are pointless and punative rules no matter who is enforcing them. The Bills chose to adapt these same type of rules at this time (they didn't have to), despite there being no obvious benefit to them.

Then how about we complain that the "NFL" is doing this instead of lumping it onto our team?

 

The bills have been the red headed step child over so many things......lets not add to it

[FireChan]

Then how about we complain that the "NFL" is doing this instead of lumping it onto our team?

 

The bills have been the red headed step child over so many things......lets not add to it

The Bills are the ones who implemented the rules, and they're the ones we care about...

[jimmy10]

I'm still looking for someone to explain the upside for the Bills organization by implementing these new rules. What was the necessity and what is the benefit, other than to bust the local press's collective balls.

 

Isn't it self-evident that broadcasting less information, not more, is always preferable when you're in a competitive business?

[yungmack]

so this is a good example.

 

Woods runs a curl. tyrod is asked to count it out, turn away from sammy and throw. to Roberts target spot regardless of how Woods was covered.

Tyrod is told to just throw it. This stuff is done all the time this early. Coaches are looking at techs and recognition by the DB etc. The practice play is not about the completion it is to study the players footwork hand work, diligence, understanding of the play call. Then do the film and coach it up. run it again the next day.

So what you're saying is, this is all just practice and not part of the regular season? This is going to upset some posters around here.

[John from Riverside]

The Bills are the ones who implemented the rules, and they're the ones we care about...

To be in line with what other NFL teams are doing

[Nervous Guy]

I haven't gone through the whole tread, but found this stuff this morning.

 

 

 

https://twitter.com/ChrisTrapasso/status/735840853214658561

 

 

 

Here's a picture of the Patriots guidelines.

 

 

 

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CjY5hmmVAAAZaLL.jpg

 

 

 

Unsurprisingly, the Bills are not the only team that implement similar rules. Maybe it's purely paranoia and unnecessary, but I honestly don't see what the big deal is. The team spends millions and millions of dollars to create a winning product. If they don't want to show anyone anything besides the team on Sundays, that's their right IMO. It would suck, but I would understand.

Maybe someone should send this to Shefftie and all the other imbeciles at ESPN who were enraged by this.

[Delete This Account]

 

Pretty much sums this entire thing up.

 

Joe B's constant training camp stats are stupid, but it doesn't mean I'm not going to read them. We're fans and we're interested in this subject and in the end the quality of the content this time of year is less important than the quantity. No one was complaining about being able to watch 6 second vine clips of the players last year at camp, and if they were it certainly wasn't that it was too much reporting...

 

keep in mind, though, what the potential effect of the policy might have, and that's steering fans directly to the "exlusivity" of reports posted on the team's official website without any way of providing any perspective or counter-balance from outside voices.

if filtered information skewed through the lens of a team-sponsored report is what you want, well ...

 

jw

 

Your musical tastes are another matter altogether.

Why you ...

 

jw

[eball]

 

keep in mind, though, what the potential effect of the policy might have, and that's steering fans directly to the "exlusivity" of reports posted on the team's official website without any way of providing any perspective or counter-balance from outside voices.

if filtered information skewed through the lens of a team-sponsored report is what you want, well ...

 

jw

 

I think that's precisely what every team would prefer. As a fan, I'm not as interested in counter-balance during OTAs and training camp -- particularly if the team believes it will be at a competitive disadvantage, the more that gets out.

 

Edit: I mean, I'll read it if it's there, but I don't "have" to have it.

Edited May 26, 2016 by eball