Tyler Dunne story on McDermott - 3 parts, 25 interviews, one damning conclusion

[PBF81]

1 hour ago, CincyBillsFan said:

Reading some of the comments made by McD over the last 6 weeks made me think that Dorsey was not an independent OC in the way that DeBoll was. Dorsey was a tool of McD his purpose was to implement what McD wanted out of HIS offense and more importantly out of HIS QB.  The placing of a governor on Allen's play which was the primary reason this offense struggled at times came from McD.  And for this reason alone McD should be fired.  Dorsey was only there to try to make McD's demands happen.

 

 

 

It stands to reason that's what McD means when he says "complimentary football."  

 

It's likely his way of saying that the offense supports the defense, in a nutshell.  

 

It's also corroborates Dunne's conclusions.  

 

This is all going to come out over time.   We'll see.  It almost always does.  And Dorsey's not going to sit still in interviews and continue to take the heat for McD when his future employment is on the line and McD wasn't loyal to him.  

 

Why do you think that McDimwit endorsed Dorsey?  Likely because he toed the "complimentary football" line.  It's going to be very interesting to see what happens with Brady, particularly now that the vast majority of fans want McD gone and the vast majority of the media back that notion.  We tend to play well for a few games with a renewed energy, as in the past two games with Brady.  Brady's going to have his hands full with the Chiefs' D on Sunday, which has yet not allowed more than 21 offensive points this season at home, and that only once, 17 once after that, and 14 twice tops otherwise.  

 

McD's effectively run out of people to blame and his own flaws are now being fully exposed.  

 

He's doing quite the job of making the most out of the rope that he's provided himself with.  

 

It's a little surprising how quickly and decisively he got to this point, but the outcome was easily predictable.  

 

 

[Mango]

1 hour ago, Buddy Hix said:

13 secs exposed McD's inability to be accountable, I knew it would turn out like this...right down to Pegula being unwilling to do what is needed. The next 2-3 seasons are going to be rough, and I bet it will take at least that many years for Pegula to actually make the right call.

 

The Sabres pitchforks are about as sharp as ever at the moment. For people who have been following the Sabres closely through the Pegula nightmare, this season was supposed to be the turning point. And that turning point brought old fans back in with real NHL expectations. 

The team is falling flat, and people on every hockey forum I have been on have never been more adamant that Terry is the number one problem. Gone are the days of "well a new coach, a shiny draft pick, a good FA, maybe a new GM". The fanbase is locked in on incompetent's ownership. 

My point is that I think Terry is on thin ice in this town. He has a lot of goodwill because of the last 6 years with the Bills. But as this team struggles and the Sabres org becomes more inept by the day, if Pegula botches this thing with the Bills, this town won't hesitate to light their torches for the absolute, hands down, worst owner in NHL history. 

 

Edit: I think Terry is acutely aware of this, and has some decision paralysis because of it. 

Edited December 7, 2023 by Mango

[Einstein]

52 minutes ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

Exactly! This just feels like a guy who had an agenda, and sought out sources and quotes to fit the narrative he was trying to make.

 

A positive McD piece would have got 30 clicks, zero discussion.

 

A negative piece will get hundreds. 

 

Devils advocate: This post reads like someone who has an agenda to defend McDermott and will rebuke any source (let alone 25 of them) that display any negativity toward him. 

 

It’s a common theme to discredit an article by stating that it’s for “clicks”. Which in this case is especially odd, since “for clicks” is a phrase that indicates that the author wrote something inflammatory to drive click-traffic that increases advertising revenue. But Dunne doesn’t get paid for clicks (he has zero ads).

 

If the only source you would accept is McDermott himself telling you that he is doing a bad job, then of course you will never get that. You’ll never see Dick Jauron admit that either.

 

If this was anyone but Dunne, perhaps the theory of the big-bad-reporter being out to hurt the head coach for a couple advertising dollars would have some merit. But Dunne is as respected as a reporter as one could possibly be. University respected.

 

Reports of McD having a bit of an a-hole side has been around since he was hired. He famously went off on a reporter after a practice for writing a negative article.

 

That being said - who are we going to get that’s definitively better? I struggle to think of anyone. I love Ben Johnson’s offense, but he is definitively going to be better as a HC? That’s impossible to answer.

[teef]

i sure hope a three part story about me never comes out.

[Nephilim17]

"He’s a coaching relic routinely paralyzed by fear late in games. He never imagines what could go right with 20 seconds left in regulation, instead forever horrified of what could go wrong. Oblivious to the reality that he employs one of the sport’s most talented quarterbacks. The word you’ll hear constantly from those who’ve been around McDermott is “tight.” He’s so incomprehensibly tight, they say, players cannot help but stiffen up themselves. As if the head coach uses the 2-minute warning to administer mass lobotomies on his team."
 

This, to me a simple fan, resonates with what I see in games and my gut instinct.

 

"One assistant coach remembers McDermott saying in the locker room that the offense scored too fast and left the Chiefs too much time."

 

Also, a head coach telling his team they lost because the offense scored too fast is a head coach who doesn't take accountability. If 25 insiders (even if "cherry picked" because they share a bias), have a similar view, that's a lot of smoke. I believe there's a fire.

[Einstein]

2 minutes ago, teef said:

i sure hope a three part story about me never comes out.

 

In the heart of the entertainment world, amidst the glitz and glamour, there exists an enigma wrapped in a riddle, all encased in a flamboyant vest and topped with a signature hat. This figure is none other than the illustrious Dr. Teeth, the frontman and keyboard maestro of the Electric Mayhem. But who is Dr. Teeth, really?

 

This exclusive exposé delves deep into the life of the Muppet world's most mysterious musician. 

[boyst]

9 minutes ago, bouds said:

Normally I use the bypass paywalls clean extension but that doesnt work on substack.

 

Tried using your link not working for me.  Insert Part 2/3 urls and still seems locked out.

Clicking on the linked page from the removed paywall site worked for me

[billieve420]

I don't doubt McDermott is a control freak. However, I also believe that Dunne has some axe to grind. Believe there was some issue between him and McDermott at some point when he was covering the team.

[PBF81]

1 hour ago, BillsShredder83 said:

how long is the read?

 

its $8 to sub, i have no interest in anything else, so it'll basically be an $8 article. things are tight over here lol im fine spending it if its a good read, lengthy, in depth, the 25 interviews pulled my interest

 

There's plenty of info in the first three parts that are free.  

 

 

[SoonerBillsFan]

Granted some of this may be made up BS or sour grapes...but way too much smoke not to have a forest fire.

 

He has always seemed like a napoleon type to me,and as others pointed out there are no more scapegoats.   He has been the problem for awhile.

 

Terry needs to fire him this offseason and hire an offensive minded  HC and let him work with Allen who has entered his prime years before its too late.

[Heitz]

1 hour ago, PBF81 said:

Yeah, this was pretty obvious before the season started.  It was also just a matter of time before this came out.  

 

McD's increasingly running out of scapegoats.  

 

Our franchise really doesn't need this.  

 

I think it's odd to say Dorsey was a scapegoat, he just wasn't good and his job and had to go.  If we were scoring 40, but giving up 45 and he was fired, he'd be a scapegoat.  Now he's just a guy who got fired. 🤷‍♂️

 

There was also some discussion of McD "holding himself accountable" and what that even means, or looks like.  Is he firing himself?  I'd argue he is holding himself accountable by firing Dorsey - he's the one that hired the guy, so to have to swallow your pride and say I "F'd up, dude has to go, so I'm going to fire him" is him being responsible for the problem and trying to find a fix.  

[Billsfan1972]

9 minutes ago, PBF81 said:

 

It stands to reason that's what McD means when he says "complimentary football."  

 

It's likely his way of saying that the offense supports the defense, in a nutshell.  

 

It's also corroborates Dunne's conclusions.  

 

This is all going to come out over time.   We'll see.  It almost always does.  And Dorsey's not going to sit still in interviews and continue to take the heat for McD when his future employment is on the line and McD wasn't loyal to him.  

 

Why do you think that McDimwit endorsed Dorsey?  Likely because he toed the "complimentary football" line.  It's going to be very interesting to see what happens with Brady, particularly now that the vast majority of fans want McD gone and the vast majority of the media back that notion.  We tend to play well for a few games with a renewed energy, as in the past two games with Brady.  Brady's going to have his hands full with the Chiefs' D on Sunday, which has yet not allowed more than 21 offensive points this season at home, and that only once, 17 once after that, and 14 twice tops otherwise.  

 

McD's effectively run out of people to blame and his own flaws are now being fully exposed.  

 

He's doing quite the job of making the most out of the rope that he's provided himself with.  

 

It's a little surprising how quickly and decisively he got to this point, but the outcome was easily predictable.  

 

 

I swear McD trotted out "complementary football" after an up-tempo offense scored too quick vs. Cincy, and the defense promptly allowed another 75 yard TD drive and then came out slowed the tempo and went three & out the next two drives.

 

Did not a reporter ask "why they didn't keep their foot on the gas" and McD referenced "Complementary Football"?    

[JohnNord]

2 minutes ago, PBF81 said:

 

It stands to reason that's what McD means when he says "complimentary football."  

 

It's likely his way of saying that the offense supports the defense, in a nutshell.  

 

It's also corroborates Dunne's conclusions.  

 

This is all going to come out over time.   We'll see.  It almost always does.  And Dorsey's not going to sit still in interviews and continue to take the heat for McD when his future employment is on the line and McD wasn't loyal to him.  

 

Why do you think that McDimwit endorsed Dorsey?  Likely because he toed the "complimentary football" line.  It's going to be very interesting to see what happens with Brady, particularly now that the vast majority of fans want McD gone and the vast majority of the media back that notion.  We tend to play well for a few games with a renewed energy, as in the past two games with Brady.  Brady's going to have his hands full with the Chiefs' D on Sunday, which has yet not allowed more than 21 offensive points this season at home, and that only once, 17 once after that, and 14 twice tops otherwise.  

 

McD's effectively run out of people to blame and his own flaws are now being fully exposed.  

 

He's doing quite the job of making the most out of the rope that he's provided himself with.  

 

It's a little surprising how quickly and decisively he got to this point, but the outcome was easily predictable.  

 

 

You mean the 2 coaches he fired?  That means he’s “running coaches out of town?”

[Mango]

7 minutes ago, billieve420 said:

I don't doubt McDermott is a control freak. However, I also believe that Dunne has some axe to grind. Believe there was some issue between him and McDermott at some point when he was covering the team.

 

I think this is true for Pegula Sports in general. They like to have a lot of control of the local sports media. It has been mentioned by people reporting on both sports across a few different outlets. 

That said, I think both Pegula and McBeane are lucky to be in Buffalo. Imagine trying to have that much control over Boston or NYC, or Philly. They wouldn't be able to hack it. 
 

Edited December 7, 2023 by Mango
removed stuff. don't want to hijack the thread.

[BananaB]

8 minutes ago, Nephilim17 said:

"He’s a coaching relic routinely paralyzed by fear late in games. He never imagines what could go right with 20 seconds left in regulation, instead forever horrified of what could go wrong. Oblivious to the reality that he employs one of the sport’s most talented quarterbacks. The word you’ll hear constantly from those who’ve been around McDermott is “tight.” He’s so incomprehensibly tight, they say, players cannot help but stiffen up themselves. As if the head coach uses the 2-minute warning to administer mass lobotomies on his team."
 

This, to me a simple fan, resonates with what I see in games and my gut instinct.

 

"One assistant coach remembers McDermott saying in the locker room that the offense scored too fast and left the Chiefs too much time."

 

Also, a head coach telling his team they lost because the offense scored too fast is a head coach who doesn't take accountability. If 25 insiders (even if "cherry picked" because they share a bias), have a similar view, that's a lot of smoke. I believe there's a fire.

Nah, this is common. All those massage therapists were lying about Desean Watso as well. 😂 

[JohnNord]

7 minutes ago, billieve420 said:

I don't doubt McDermott is a control freak. However, I also believe that Dunne has some axe to grind. Believe there was some issue between him and McDermott at some point when he was covering the team.

Ty has really good access in nearby small market teams like Jacksonville and Cincinnati.  
 

The team in his own backyard gives him no access.   That is his ax

[bouds]

3 minutes ago, JohnNord said:

Ty has really good access in nearby small market teams like Jacksonville and Cincinnati.  
 

The team in his own backyard gives him no access.   That is his ax

It's clear teh org doesn't like what's been reported in the past.  Dunne's had Monos on his podcast plenty of times, airing some of the inside discussions about what went on even before McD took over, so the blacklist he's on comes from high up, lol.

Edited December 7, 2023 by bouds

[NewEra]

6 minutes ago, billieve420 said:

I don't doubt McDermott is a control freak. However, I also believe that Dunne has some axe to grind. Believe there was some issue between him and McDermott at some point when he was covering the team.

Agreed.  There are multiple layers to this story.  If it were someone other than this particular author, I might view this in a different light.  
 

I believe there is a lot of truth to everything in the article. If we don’t make the playoffs, McD should be fired and he should be fired for a lot of what is written in the article.  
 

I’m just not a fan of the “opinion” the author interjects into an article based on a lot of fact.  It believe most (if not all) of it is true…..and the author should just let the facts speak for themselves.  But he couldn’t resist.  

[Donuts and Doritos]

Article says: Bills fans have endured "Seven years of torture", is this guy serious? Try 63 years buddy. Our suffering began long before Seany Boy.

 

 

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by Donuts and Doritos

[blitzboy54]

I read it end to end. I believe every word and it's damning. 

 

He gets called out as an lying, uptight, insecure micromanager who undermines everyone around him to protect his own shortcomings. 

[TheyCallMeAndy]

10 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

Devils advocate: This post reads like someone who has an agenda to defend McDermott and will rebuke any source (let alone 25 of them) that display any negativity toward him. 

 

It’s a common theme to discredit an article by stating that it’s for “clicks”. Which in this case is especially odd, since “for clicks” is a phrase that indicates that the author wrote something inflammatory to drive click-traffic that increases advertising revenue. But Dunne doesn’t get paid for clicks (he has zero ads).

 

If the only source you would accept is McDermott himself telling you that he is doing a bad job, then of course you will never get that. You’ll never see Dick Jauron admit that either.

 

If this was anyone but Dunne, perhaps the theory of the big-bad-reporter being out to hurt the head coach for a couple advertising dollars would have some merit. But Dunne is as respected as a reporter as one could possibly be. University respected.

 

Reports of McD having a bit of an a-hole side has been around since he was hired. He famously went off on a reporter after a practice for writing a negative article.

 

That being said - who are we going to get that’s definitively better? I struggle to think of anyone. I love Ben Johnson’s offense, but he is definitively going to be better as a HC? That’s impossible to answer. completely own that in the not too distant past I was against firing McD in 2023. I made that position strongly known. What I didn’t make strongly known is after 2024 I’d like to move on, due to potentially limited candidates this summer. 

That is fair to say, as I have been a strong advocate to keep McD around for 2024. I made a super well received thread on it, which I totally didn’t delete. 
 

I know he likely needs to go, that we’ve likely peaked, and he has shown he’s isn’t reliable decision maker in do or die moments. 
 

My lone hesitation is like yours, the 2023 candidates for HC. Pickings are very thin. 

 

I fully believe, at the end of the day, it comes down on the HC. We fired 2 OCs, a DC, and probably soon to be 2 SPCs. 
 

This team will be best served with an offensive minded head coach, but I hate the idea of wiping this whole staff away. We have some gems. 

[The Frankish Reich]

1 hour ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

In sorry but that whole thing sounds like a complete lie. 
 

McD wanted his OL to wear work boots instead of Jordan’s during a walk through? What? 

More likely it's one of those things that was innocuous at the time, that is now blown up into a "story." Something like:

McD: "hey, [lineman], you look more like a slot receiver than a tackle wearing those Jordans."

[time passes] ... "I heard McD wants all linemen to wear work boots now."

[Billsfan1972]

Here's McD's comment about not going/staying up-tempo vs. Cincy (and comments, since Reddit).  Yes hit view on reddit.  

 

If you don't think he had a say on Dorsey's Offense......

[NewEra]

7 minutes ago, Heitz said:

 

I think it's odd to say Dorsey was a scapegoat, he just wasn't good and his job and had to go.  If we were scoring 40, but giving up 45 and he was fired, he'd be a scapegoat.  Now he's just a guy who got fired. 🤷‍♂️

 

There was also some discussion of McD "holding himself accountable" and what that even means, or looks like.  Is he firing himself?  I'd argue he is holding himself accountable by firing Dorsey - he's the one that hired the guy, so to have to swallow your pride and say I "F'd up, dude has to go, so I'm going to fire him" is him being responsible for the problem and trying to find a fix.  

💯 my friend!  And happy holidays to you!

 

I can’t believe how many times I’ve read a poster say “McD should hold himself accountable” or something to that nature.  Is he supposed to resign mid season?  Is Beane failing by not firing McD mid season?  Is Terry supposed to force the issue?  
 

He held himself accountable by firing the guy he made a mistake by not firing last offseason.   I didn’t think there was any chance he would fire Dorsey mid season and I don’t believe he wanted to.  It was just painfully obvious that he had to.  And he did. There’s not much else he can do other than resigning or handing over defensive play calling to a guy that has never called defensive plays.  

[wettlaufer]

1 hour ago, hondo in seattle said:

If I was a reporter who wanted to write a negative article about a HC, I'd do the following:

 

*  Interview every coach and player who I suspect has a negative opinion of the coach.

 

*  Include all the worst comments in the article.  

 

*  Include a couple of positive observations in the piece just to make it seem like I'm fair and balanced.

 

*  Imply that the negative sentiments represent a consensus even when they don't.    

 

I'm not sure Dunne did all this.  But I don't know that he didn't.  

 

I'm hoping that Terry spends enough time with the team to have a true understanding of what the coaches and players think of McD and how he actually operates.   

 

If Dunne is, in fact, giving a fair portrait of the man, he deserves to be fired.  I'm just not confident that he is.  

 

 

 

 

 

So you've worked in journalism, taught it, or are a journalism ethicist? There is plenty of balance in many of the quotes and observations. It's not all hate. There's no reason to question Dunne's journalist ethics, but you do. So what direct knowledge of journalism are you basing this on?

 

I've worked in journalism and don't agree with your take at all. Dunne is a thoroughly capable and diligent journalist and he's not making up things or slanting it 'just for the clicks.' It's a compelling story on its own. Everything Dunne has done as someone covering football and the Bills indicate this is an accurate portrait.

[TheyCallMeAndy]

1 minute ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Here's McD's comment about not going/staying up-tempo vs. Cincy (and comments, since Reddit).  Yes hit view on reddit.  

 

If you don't think he had a say on Dorsey's Offense......

But now he’s magically staying out of Joe Brady’s offense? 

[eball]

1 hour ago, CincyBillsFan said:

Reading some of the comments made by McD over the last 6 weeks made me think that Dorsey was not an independent OC in the way that DeBoll was. Dorsey was a tool of McD his purpose was to implement what McD wanted out of HIS offense and more importantly out of HIS QB.  The placing of a governor on Allen's play which was the primary reason this offense struggled at times came from McD.  And for this reason alone McD should be fired.  Dorsey was only there to try to make McD's demands happen.

 

 

This makes no sense at all, given what happened before and since Dorsey’s firing. 
 

[Buffalo03]

To be fair, no, he doesn't take accountability but Dorsey deserved to be fired. You can only scapegoat when it's not deserved

[Donuts and Doritos]

This is Sean McD's relationship w/ Bills fans:

Every dang year.

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by Donuts and Doritos

[Livinginthepast]

1 hour ago, Roundybout said:

https://www.golongtd.com/p/the-mcdermott-problem-part-i-blame?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
 

 

A very long read, and the other parts are only for paid subscribers, but his sources paint a picture of McD as a narcissistic control freak who won’t take accountability for anything. 
 

 

Do with this what you will. 

Thanks for sharing! Great article and I think very accurate!

[dollars 2 donuts]

 

 

Well, even if only half of this is true that is a big old plate of pyscho sandwich, with a side order of WTF.

 

Perfect timing heading in to KC, too.

 

Does anyone want to come over to my house and pull all my chest hairs out, one at a time, just to make this a turd trifecta?

 

Edited December 7, 2023 by dollars 2 donuts

[JohnNord]

7 minutes ago, bouds said:

It's clear teh org doesn't like what's been reported in the past.  Dunne's had Monos on his podcast plenty of times, airing some of the inside discussions about what went on even before McD took over, so the blacklist he's on comes from high up, lol.

I don’t think it’s that.  The Bills have long had a stance that they only give press access to media organization.  They will not give access to bloggers or independent writers like Dunne.   For example, year ago Erik Turner from Cover 1 tried to access credentials and was rejected multiple times.   Even Jerry Sullivan and Bucky Gleason were rejected when they worked for the Buffalo Maven LOL
 

Not every franchise operates this way.  I think Dunne’s vitriol is fueled by not being getting media access.  

[Negan]

It's inevitable at this point that McDermott won't be coaching here for much longer.

[wettlaufer]

55 minutes ago, JohnNord said:

This is where the “meddling” narrative never made sense.  If he is so controlling, wouldn’t he micromanage Joe Brady the same way he “micromanaged” Dorsey?  

I don’t buy that Dorsey was a scapegoat at all.  We saw 6 weeks where the offense struggled badly.  Over the past two weeks, it’s looked better.

 

McDummy has scapegoated everyone this seasons -- the offense, Allen, Davis. Sure. those guys make mistakes, but the end-of-game fails are almost exclusively defensive. The Bills offense has walked off the field with the lead in-hand numerous times, only to have that lead cave in under the weight of bad defensive- and head coaching.

 

McDummy threw the offense under the bus after the Philly loss and of course there's the non-explanation for 13 seconds.

[RoyBatty is alive]

1 hour ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

In sorry but that whole thing sounds like a complete lie. 
 

McD wanted his OL to wear work boots instead of Jordan’s during a walk through? What? 

I agree.

 

You are not going to risk injury to your players forcing them to wear work boats, prima facie absurd.  Also more than likely a violation of many CBA and NFL rules/regulations.

[Einstein]

18 minutes ago, Heitz said:

 

I think it's odd to say Dorsey was a scapegoat, he just wasn't good and his job and had to go.  If we were scoring 40, but giving up 45 and he was fired, he'd be a scapegoat.  Now he's just a guy who got fired. 🤷‍♂️

 

I agree that Dorsey needed to go. 

However, Dorsey's offense left the field with 2 leads and never got the ball back. 

If the defense did their job, we would have been 7-3 when Dorsey was fired. In fact, I wonder if he even would have been fired in that case.

[Billsfan1972]

7 minutes ago, TheyCallMeAndy said:

But now he’s magically staying out of Joe Brady’s offense? 

Just 2 games......  Things worked (yet still lost one).  

 

The collar wasn't tight vs. NYJ and they didn't do a thing the last 20 minutes of the game.

 

BTW The Eagles gave up 6 straight TD's vs. SF.

[BigDingus]

1 hour ago, Straight Hucklebuck said:

Is anyone shocked? 

 

He came to Buffalo trumpeting a "physical run game" to play in "snowy weather". 

 

To be fair, that exact thing was what nearly ALL of our head coaching hires said throughout the entire drought... and I used to mock it all the way back to the day of the BBMB!

 

Always talk oh this hard-nosed defense & physical run game to compliment a blue collar city like Buffalo. Always complete BS, basically saying "we know we don't have a QB & can't adapt to today's NFL."

 

Remember, a lot of fans used to believe this narrative. They'd defend our passing offenses being stuck in the toilet each year, saying 300 yard games mean nothing, and eventually accepted the idea that the Bills HAD to be a defensive, grindy team.

[Governor]

“This job’s too hard to fight from within and that’s what you do there,” one ex-Bills assistant explained. “You’re fighting against the head coach. You’ve got to overcome the head coach. This job is already hard enough. You’ve got to overcome all your opponents, all the dynamics. You’ve got to overcome so much *****. But then you’ve got to overcome the guy who’s supposedly steering the boat.”

 

Frazier?

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

The defense has been why we haven’t made it all the way for years and it’s the reason why we won’t make the playoffs this year. I don’t know why it’s so hard for people to understand. The offense is the only reason we are ever good.