Was Sean McDermott Involved With Ending The Buffalo Bills Message Board

[Rico]

There’s no point in having a Bills message board if you couldn’t slam Ralph.

[Jauronimo]

5 hours ago, Gugny said:

Did anyone from that board make their way here?

A few did.

 

 

11 hours ago, Phil The Thrill said:

It is the 3 year death of the Buffalo Bills Message Board.  Some time around March 2017, the “powers that be” shut it down.  
 

The BBMB was legendary in its own way.  It had some of the most hilarious takes and the posts were far more ridiculous than anything here.   It always crashed on game day - especially after a loss!  Bills fans clamored for hires like Russ Grimm as HC or Bryant Johnson at WR.  There was also a lot of negativity that the mods would immediately shut down.  You were also not allowed to criticize Ralph Wilson or Chris Brown.  
 

I’ve always wondered what happened and why after over a decade, the team suddenly wanted to shut it down.  It survived many changes in administration, coaches and even an owner.  But it was gone, shortly after two key changes within the org:

 

Sean McDermott was hired in January 2017

Derek Boyko was hired in February 2017

 

Is it possible that McDermott or Boyko made the call to get rid of the BBMB?  Boyko was officially hired on 2/23/17, but that doesn’t mean he started on that date.  So if it was Boyko, this literally would have been the first thing he did since taking over.  I don’t think he’d make moves so early into the job.

But then again, it was closed immediately, without any warning.  So perhaps it was a quick decision?

 

If it was anyone else at OBD, why wasn’t the call made earlier?  The message board had been around for over a decade and they saw no reason to shut it down before?

 

That leads me to McDermott.  He had been known to be a prepared, organized and an extremely hard worker.  Is it possible that his thorough “process” could have included how the team was being presented online, and that he came across the BBMB and said “shut it down?”

 

Like I said, there was a lot of negativity toward the team on the BBMB.  The team had not made the playoffs in 16 seasons and they were rightfully getting ripped apart on their own website.  It could be perceived as a bad look.  And McDermott was all about changing culture.....everywhere.  

 

On the surface level, it seems pretty foolish to think that a coach would be focused on that and would instead have pressing issues.  But again, McDermott is known to be thorough and detail-oriented.   I know he redecorated the signage around the building and in the locker rooms.  
 

The timing just seems weird and I really wonder whether McDermott and/or Boyko were behind this decision.  
 

Anyone know who made the decision?

There was no software migration or team coaching decision to shut down the board. Fact is BBMB read over 100 on the FleaMoulds scale for 10 consecutive weeks and per its bylaws, disbanded.

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

12 hours ago, Phil The Thrill said:

Anyone know who made the decision?

 

[Giuseppe Tognarelli]

37 minutes ago, WhoTom said:

 

Shaw66, Logic, myself (but I'm not that memorable), T&C ... others?

 

 

 

 

@Binghamton Beast was Beast of the East on that board

 

I can't even remember what my name was on that board, but I was there from 2004-close

[Koko78]

7 hours ago, BringBackFergy said:

I remember thinking “How can I preserve all my posts and threads for future reference?” So I downloaded everything (all content) from 2008-2017 onto my office server and refer to it from time to time just for some laughs. I have all of your hot takes captured for eternity. I’ll start the bidding at $10.00......

 

I'll give you 12 cents, a half stick of juicy fruit, and some pocket lint for the thread about the 3 am impromptu coaching session by a Bills player in the feminine hygiene aisle at Walgreens.

2 hours ago, 4_kidd_4 said:

“Member”! haaaaaaa

 

That dude was a legend and I always loved his posts for all the wrong reasons.

 

PEACE & LOVE EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

3 hours ago, SlimShady'sGhost said:

there are a number of us BBMBers still here.  
 

teef, royal, Foxx, Riverside (I think), a former mod TRC ?? Transplant and his sidekick jm2009 who accused every person a former banned poster. 

 

 

Doc and JohnC posted there as a few others. 
3 years I can’t offhand recall many more 

I called Rob Ryan  fat and got a point 

 

I called Transplant Big Kahuna and got a point. 

 

 

...you could NOT criticize anybody in Bills management without getting a point.....I got one for merely mentioning the "short bus"......

[Augie]

8 hours ago, BringBackFergy said:

I remember thinking “How can I preserve all my posts and threads for future reference?” So I downloaded everything (all content) from 2008-2017 onto my office server and refer to it from time to time just for some laughs. I have all of your hot takes captured for eternity. I’ll start the bidding at $10.00......

 

No, I’m afraid you’ll have to give me a LOT more than $10.00.       

[4_kidd_4]

I got nicked for posting a link to a stand-up bit with one “s-word” in it. 
 

“We try to keep the board PG-13”, and when I pointed out that there’s plenty worse than that word in PG-13 movies I got nicked again. This was my only incident after years and years of following the rules. I still try to keeps it clean and definitely do my best to not say anything that I wouldn’t say to someone’s face.

 

I was 8_moorman_8 over there, it was supposed to be a ‘temporary’ username but I kept it around on purpose every time someone said “yeah well what do you know about football, yr SN is a punter derrrrrp”.

 

I’m glad the folks that I enjoyed the most made it over here, save for Butch ?

[4_kidd_4]

56 minutes ago, Koko78 said:

 

I'll give you 12 cents, a half stick of juicy fruit, and some pocket lint for the thread about the 3 am impromptu coaching session by a Bills player in the feminine hygiene aisle at Walgreens.

 

PEACE & LOVE EVERYBODY!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!

 

Holy spit, that L-Dot Sizzle running joke was my absolute favorite over there. Any time someone would mention meeting a player in public someone else would inevitably chime in “were you at a Walgreens by any chance?”.

[TheyCallMeAndy]

BBMB was a beautiful distaster that diserves it's own Wiki page!

 

I joined my soph or jr year of HS and was on it non-stop. It was a pit  negativity though.

[T&C]

6 hours ago, Phil The Thrill said:

Make all the jokes you want, but I’m getting to the bottom of this story.  

I'm pretty sure it was Gregg Pastore who made the decision to shut it down. No one had any idea at all, even the lead mod at the time Zman. 

 

What they Should have done is announced it with one day left for people to post, create their contacts with friends, etc. Also, the Sim league lost everything they had worked for Years on... although a couple of them told me that they had Some but not all backed up. Then, they should have let it go for a couple of weeks as readable without the ability to post so people could further salvage what they could.

 

Tom Donahoe nearly had the place shut down many years earlier though... had been reading it and didn't like what he saw, and That is when the CoC on that board was born. Old time posters remember when there wasn't one. It was either that or shut it down. 

 

All water under the bridge now.

 

 

[Rc2catch]

I was on there a couple years. I think my name was Spliffus. I was actually kinda devastated it shut down with zero warning. I didn’t post or comment much but I did get all my news on there. I remember thinking my work computer was messed up and trying my phone browser then calling my wife to make her try the home computer. 
In the end though it worked out nicely since I found my way here for better more up to date news. 

Edited March 6, 2020 by Rc2catch

[Rockpile233]

I thought I would miss BBMB, but this has been more than a suitable replacement. 
 

I sent an angry email about it at the time to my ticket rep who called and said I wasn’t the only one.
 

 

Edited March 6, 2020 by Rockpile233

[Phil The Thrill]

1 hour ago, T&C said:

I'm pretty sure it was Gregg Pastore who made the decision to shut it down. No one had any idea at all, even the lead mod at the time Zman. 

 

What they Should have done is announced it with one day left for people to post, create their contacts with friends, etc. Also, the Sim league lost everything they had worked for Years on... although a couple of them told me that they had Some but not all backed up. Then, they should have let it go for a couple of weeks as readable without the ability to post so people could further salvage what they could.

 

Tom Donahoe nearly had the place shut down many years earlier though... had been reading it and didn't like what he saw, and That is when the CoC on that board was born. Old time posters remember when there wasn't one. It was either that or shut it down. 

 

All water under the bridge now.

 

 

But the question is - was Gregggg Pastore TOLD to shut it down by McDermott? 

[CommonCents]

8 hours ago, Teddy KGB said:

All the terrible mods and repetitive topics did it in. 

 

and boy I mean terrible mods.    

The worst. Agreed. 

 

They should spend the next ten years cleaning porta potties at New Era to make amends to all the fans they annoyed for years. 

[T&C]

5 minutes ago, Phil The Thrill said:

But the question is - was Gregggg Pastore TOLD to shut it down by McDermott? 

McD could give two ***** about a message board. 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

Here’s 50 cents.  (716) 648-1800.

 

[Phil The Thrill]

11 minutes ago, Ridgewaycynic2013 said:

Here’s 50 cents.  (716) 648-1800.

 

Couldn’t get through

21 minutes ago, T&C said:

McD could give two ***** about a message board. 

I don’t know.  On the surface level I agree but it just doesn’t make sense as to why Gregggg would just suddenly shut it down without giving any warning to Zman or anyone else.  I guess on day he just woke up as said “I need to shut it down.”

 

I think either McDermott and/or Boyko didn’t like what they saw - just like Tom Donahoe.

[T&C]

I remember another one from over there... think the name was Bing Cherry. Always had to be right and tried to own the internet. Funny fellow, had great jokes.

 

Glad to see that Goldenwheels still posts. 

[Punching Bag]

10 hours ago, JMF2006 said:

It seems like 10 years ago  

 

Does any team run their own board still?

 

I am surprised if some team doesn't if just for the ability to sell ads which is all important to NFL.