Eric Wood podcast with guest Brandon Beane

[YoloinOhio]

Really good interview  if you are looking for a podcast! 
Interesting insight on the types of players who get paid, his approach to the 2018 season, the 2017 trades. Apparently McDermott walked into the room and said “I promise you we aren’t tanking” before announcing the trades to the team 

 

Edited March 3, 2020 by YoloinOhio

[GG]

Definitely a good listen, especially when they go back and discuss the '17 and '18 seasons.

[Canadian Bills Fan]

This was fantastic!!!

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Can we just give Beane and Sean an extension now??

[ProcessYaDigg]

Thanks for posting this.  As soon as I read this post, I immediately spent the last hour listening to it and it was well worth the listen.  It's really refreshing to hear how much Beane cares about the players.  The culture that he and McDermott has built is just incredible.  It was also nice hearing how the Pegula's came in and showed how much they care as well.  The Bills organization has definitely made it a family style environment and has made it a point that Buffalo is where you wanna be.  They have made the right steps on building the future of this team

2 hours ago, Canadian Bills Fan said:

This was fantastic!!!

 

Thanks for sharing!

 

Can we just give Beane and Sean an extension now??

I concur!

[dwight in philly]

2 hours ago, Circlethewagon8404 said:

Thanks for posting this.  As soon as I read this post, I immediately spent the last hour listening to it and it was well worth the listen.  It's really refreshing to hear how much Beane cares about the players.  The culture that he and McDermott has built is just incredible.  It was also nice hearing how the Pegula's came in and showed how much they care as well.  The Bills organization has definitely made it a family style environment and has made it a point that Buffalo is where you wanna be.  They have made the right steps on building the future of this team

I concur!

I get nervous about the Pegula's and how messed up the Sabres are.. just thank God they keep them separate , at least mindset and operationally .. 

[One Buffalo]

Great stuff thanks for sharing.  Interesting to hear Eric's comments about how terrible the facilities were before the Pegula's came in.  I am sure it has been talked about before but this was the first place I had hear it described the way he did.  Great insights into Beane and the way he thinks.  Really glad to have him here.  

[RoyBatty is alive]

Great listen, I agree with One Buffalo hear the comments about how run down our facilities were pre-pegula.  Heard something similar recently about the Bengals how dumpy their faiclities were and guess what, they are the ONLY NFL team without an indorr practice facility.  Guess you are going to practice in the lements be it 80 degrees or 5.  That alone is enough for a lot of players, esp warm weather guys, to not go to Cinci.

[BillsFan4]

I’m listening now. Thanks for sharing Yolo! 

 

Edit - it’s really good so far, but someone needs to take that damn tea kettle off the burner! lol  (I think it’s an issue with Beane’s mic)

Edited March 3, 2020 by BillsFan4

[Dkollidas]

Definitely a great listen. Beane just comes across as so competent. And wood is great as well. I wish he’d get on WGR permanently or something. 

Edited March 3, 2020 by Dkollidas

[Shaw66]

I learned a lot about Beane in it, and about their view of the 2018 contract situation.  Also Wood talking about how players react when jerks get extended.  

[Hapless Bills Fan]

14 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

Really good interview  if you are looking for a podcast! 
Interesting insight on the types of players who get paid, his approach to the 2018 season, the 2017 trades. Apparently McDermott walked into the room and said “I promise you we aren’t tanking” before announcing the trades to the team 

 

 

Wow!  I had always thought that McDermott came to Buffalo with a handshake deal to hire Beane as the GM

Beane says they had never discussed it, and in fact that McDermott wasn't even in on his interview - it was Terry and Kim.

 

Interesting.

[technobot]

48 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Wow!  I had always thought that McDermott came to Buffalo with a handshake deal to hire Beane as the GM

Beane says they had never discussed it, and in fact that McDermott wasn't even in on his interview - it was Terry and Kim.

 

Interesting.

 

I agree it's interesting.

 

Terry Pegula alluded to this when asked about the hiring process, i.e. that McDermott's reported influence was greatly exaggerated. John Kryk wrote about it, take it for what it's worth (I like him, I can get some additional Bills info in some of the local Canadian papers)

 

https://torontosun.com/2017/05/12/theres-not-a-czar-around-here-new-bills-gm-coach-duo-promise-collaboration/wcm/d396de9b-4e1d-456d-b713-11a95d494756

 

"What’s more, Terry Pegula insisted that in the GM interview process, “Sean’s involvement” amounted to nothing more than “writing a name on a piece of paper,” and that McDermott even “wrote seven or eight names.”

 

Maybe Terry was telling the truth all along, and the talking heads made up their own version of the story: McDermott is the overlord of the Buffalo Bills and Beane is his handpicked head scout. McDermott and Beane have both denied this, and have insisted it's a partnership and collaboration and they won't agree about everything, but they are definitely aligned. At the same time they haven't wasted their time continuously refuting a narrative that the media might or might not have made up.

 

I always thought it would make sense that McDermott would suggest people who he trusted, respected, and knew he could work with. And the Pegulas, having seen what happened with Whaley/Ryan, would obviously want the GM and HC to work together, with a unified vision.

And thanks, Yolo, for the link. Great conversation and insight.

Edited March 4, 2020 by technobot

[Hapless Bills Fan]

Just now, technobot said:

Maybe Terry was telling the truth all along, and the talking heads made up their own version of the story: McDermott is the overlord of the Buffalo Bills and Beane is his handpicked head scout. McDermott and Beane have both denied this, and have insisted it's a partnership and collaboration and they won't agree about everything, but they are definitely aligned. At the same time they haven't wasted their time continuously refuting a narrative that the media might or might not have made up.

 

It's been clear for some time that Beane is in no way McDermott's lapdog, but a force in his own right - working closely with McDermott to build a team, but not in lockstep

[technobot]

2 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

It's been clear for some time that Beane is in no way McDermott's lapdog, but a force in his own right - working closely with McDermott to build a team, but not in lockstep

 

Agree. They even joked about it, that they've got their own ideas. When asked what happens when they disagree, McDermott mentioned settling it on the wrestling mat.

Edited March 4, 2020 by technobot

[Buffalo Barbarian]

18 hours ago, YoloinOhio said:

Really good interview  if you are looking for a podcast! 
Interesting insight on the types of players who get paid, his approach to the 2018 season, the 2017 trades. Apparently McDermott walked into the room and said “I promise you we aren’t tanking” before announcing the trades to the team 

 

 

i wish Eric and Chris Brown did OBL show.

 

 

[PromoTheRobot]

17 hours ago, dwight in philly said:

I get nervous about the Pegula's and how messed up the Sabres are.. just thank God they keep them separate , at least mindset and operationally .. 

 

Not sure why the Sabres can't get good. They might be close with Ralph Kruger, but JBotts is likely out the door in April.

[dwight in philly]

I agree , seems like they swing and miss every time with the Sabres 

[Shaw66]

9 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

It's been clear for some time that Beane is in no way McDermott's lapdog, but a force in his own right - working closely with McDermott to build a team, but not in lockstep

The question is whether they'll stick together if they have success.  Beane might want another challenge.

 

The size of the checks the Pegulas are willing to write to each may have something to do with it.  

[YoloinOhio]

43 minutes ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Not sure why the Sabres can't get good. They might be close with Ralph Kruger, but JBotts is likely out the door in April.

Agree - I think Kruger is good but Botts is gone

[BillnutinHouston]

Ironically, in real life Wood isn't the aw shucks regular guy that the persona he cultivates on air would lead you to believe he is.   Two times since his retirement I've seen him before games at the stadium, have been within feet of him in fact, and when I said hello he didn't acknowledge me in the least.  That seems very rare for Buffalo sports personalities.

[eball]

8 minutes ago, BillnutinHouston said:

Ironically, in real life Wood isn't the aw shucks regular guy that the persona he cultivates on air would lead you to believe he is.   Two times since his retirement I've seen him before games at the stadium, have been within feet of him in fact, and when I said hello he didn't acknowledge me in the least.  That seems very rare for Buffalo sports personalities.

 

Maybe it's just you.

 

[GG]

As an aside, the podcast with Richie is also a decent listen.

[Hardhatharry]

11 minutes ago, GG said:

As an aside, the podcast with Richie is also a decent listen.

Who is Richie?

[GG]

Just now, Hardhatharry said:

Who is Richie?

 

Incognito.   It's the episode right below Beane's.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, Shaw66 said:

The question is whether they'll stick together if they have success.  Beane might want another challenge.

 

The size of the checks the Pegulas are willing to write to each may have something to do with it.  

 

Did you listen to the interview where Beane discussed how he got his start then worked his way up with the Panthers? 

 

I don't think it's that much of a question.  Beane is well aware that there's a greater challenge in sustaining success.  He's also well aware that success depends on multiple factors, some beyond his control...and that a GM's job can abruptly end due to those factors.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, BillnutinHouston said:

Ironically, in real life Wood isn't the aw shucks regular guy that the persona he cultivates on air would lead you to believe he is.   Two times since his retirement I've seen him before games at the stadium, have been within feet of him in fact, and when I said hello he didn't acknowledge me in the least.  That seems very rare for Buffalo sports personalities.

 

Maybe he's just locked in before the game, getting his head into the broadcast?   Anyone who succeeds in the NFL especially on one of the lines, has to have an intensity level "off the charts" for ordinary humans.  Even if he's no longer playing, he's still doing a job with the radio commentary and just being in the stadium on gameday must trigger some of that "gameday mentality" getting "locked in".

 

I often think that must be one of the hardest things about being a public figure.  People expect you to be "on" and "accessible" at all times and if you're just abstracted thinking about something, there are conclusions about your general personality.  

 

If he's like that if you encountered him at Bar-Bill or something, I getcha. 

 

Wood has always come across to me as a bit full of himself - the whole retirement presser thing would be an example - but that's very superficial of me.

[BillnutinHouston]

3 hours ago, eball said:

 

Maybe it's just you.

 

 

That is always a possibility.  However, having had brief one-on-one, non-planned interactions at season ticket holder events with Mr. Pegula (passing in the hallway inside the stadium) and Sean McDermott (after his workout in the new facility), I found both of them to be far more gracious than Wood was.  I just found Wood's snubs to be odd.

   

Edited March 4, 2020 by BillnutinHouston

[Shaw66]

3 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Did you listen to the interview where Beane discussed how he got his start then worked his way up with the Panthers? 

 

I don't think it's that much of a question.  Beane is well aware that there's a greater challenge in sustaining success.  He's also well aware that success depends on multiple factors, some beyond his control...and that a GM's job can abruptly end due to those factors.

Yeah, I listened.   I liked it.  

 

Beane sounded to me like a guy who's always going to look for another mountain to climb.  I can imagine 6-7 years from now, Bills have won a Super Bowl or two, he's already made more money than he ever imagined,, and some historic franchise comes calling, like Packers, Giants, Cowboys, Steelers, and offers him the opportunity to rebuild the franchise to its former glory.   Beane could be perfectly happy in Buffalo, but I can imagine him being tempted by the challenge.  

 

McDermott, if the team is successful, will have a long career in Buffalo.  For Beane to stay, I think two things have to happen - continuing success and attachment to the Pegulas.  The Bills family ties will have to be strong to hold him.

[eball]

Just now, Shaw66 said:

Yeah, I listened.   I liked it.  

 

Beane sounded to me like a guy who's always going to look for another mountain to climb.  I can imagine 6-7 years from now, Bills have won a Super Bowl or two, he's already made more money than he ever imagined,, and some historic franchise comes calling, like Packers, Giants, Cowboys, Steelers, and offers him the opportunity to rebuild the franchise to its former glory.   Beane could be perfectly happy in Buffalo, but I can imagine him being tempted by the challenge.  

 

McDermott, if the team is successful, will have a long career in Buffalo.  For Beane to stay, I think two things have to happen - continuing success and attachment to the Pegulas.  The Bills family ties will have to be strong to hold him.

 

The Bills are a historic franchise.  Beane will be a God if (when) the Bills reach a level of sustained success and he will stay here as long as he is able to do what he thinks needs to be done.  The only reason Polian left was because of conflict with Ralph.  Same with Butler.  I'm not worried about another "historic" franchise wooing him away.

 

Anyway, that's a "concern" to think about down the road, not today...

[Shaw66]

14 minutes ago, eball said:

 

The Bills are a historic franchise.  Beane will be a God if (when) the Bills reach a level of sustained success and he will stay here as long as he is able to do what he thinks needs to be done.  The only reason Polian left was because of conflict with Ralph.  Same with Butler.  I'm not worried about another "historic" franchise wooing him away.

 

Anyway, that's a "concern" to think about down the road, not today...

Way down the road, I agree.  

 

What comes through in the interview is that Beane is one tough, hungry dude.   When he wants something, he goes after it.  

 

I remember an article about him when he first arrived in Buffalo.  He mentioned in the interview that when he was senior in high school, he had a torn ACL and couldn't play basketball.   The school let him coach the 8th grade team.    In the article, it said that in his first game as coach, he got two technical fouls in the first 20 SECONDS and got tossed from the game!   Intense.  

[HomeTeam]

I could not be happier with our leaders group.

 

What a blessing ?