Not the way to do it

Robert Saleh was the victim of a cheap shot from an unnamed GM in the Washington Post.

According to one general manager who spoke anonymously to the newspaper:

“‘Saleh won’t make it to the finish line’ in 2024,” the GM said.

What kind of nonsense is that?

Is the GM Nostradamus?

I’m not against anonymous quotes, but I am when they are used this way.

The idea of naming an unnamed GM, taking a cheap shot like this, is chicken crap.

I’ve have had things told to me anonymously over the years, but it’s more about information, not getting somebody to take a cheap shot at somebody.

I could be wrong, but I just don’t think this is how anonymous quotes should be used.

Who is this GM?

Doesn’t he have anything better to do?

Not that it makes a difference, but is he a successful GM with a winning record?

Does he even exist?

I don’t know this reporter well, so I’m not going to accuse him of making up the quote, but I know other reporters have done that.

Think about it. How can you verify an unnamed quote? It’s near impossible, so some reporters take liberties with this stuff, especially during tough times, when journalists are being laid off left and right, trying to make themselves relevant.

And that reporter’s paper just had layoffs.

Once again, not saying he made up the quote, just saying it happens.

And think about it, how does that opinion even make sense, when has Woody Johnson ever fired a coach in-season?

It’s not his modus operandi.

So the idea that Saleh will get fired because next season ends, doesn’t make sense when you consider the owner.

Johnson is not David Tepper.

And honestly, if Aaron Rodgers comes back and plays well, I think Saleh will have much more success as a head coach.

While Saleh has things to improve on as a head coach, if you don’t have an answer at QB in the NFL, I don’t care if you are Bill Belichick, it’s hard to have success.

And Saleh had Zach Wilson for most of his first three years, a player who was over-drafted after being a one-year wonder facing weak competition at BYU, and then was rushed into action before he was ready.

Once again, Saleh has a lot to improve upon as a coach, like better situational football, but if you won’t have an answer at QB in this league, where are you going?

But this cowardly quote from the unnamed GM was an attempt to get clicks in what is called the “attention economy.” It’s what drives social media.

The quote from this story was referenced all over the internet. It was a hot story that garnered a lot of attention.

Like I said before, I think it’s best to use anonymous sources to gather information for stories, more than to take cheap shots at people.

For instance, an anonymous source told me at the Senior Bowl that the Jets coach at the time, Todd Bowles, and GM Mike Maccagnan, weren’t on speaking terms for a while.

I used an anonymous source to report the story, but I didn’t quote him saying anything nasty.

To me, this unnamed GM is a coward, who should focus on farming his own land, in other words, worry about his own team.

January 26, 2024

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