Is McDermott the HC for the future???

[SquirminThurman]

This isn't just a flamed out overreaction. I have been on the McDermott bandwagon up until the end of last year. The man led an amazing draft without Beane (Tre White/ Dion Dawkins/ Matt Milano!), string a few drafts like that in a row and you will be a contender for years. McDermott may be a super scout for all we know. He also ended a 17 year post season drought. McDermott turned the culture around in Buffalo and brought toughness and professional expectations back to WNY. I am thankful for all of that. But I think McDemrmott peaked here in 2020/2021, and is regressing. I think he has lost his QB and a chunk of the locker room with it. JA's body language on the sidelines says it all.

 

We are now on OC #4. STC #2 and have no DC. Not that I was a fan of Frazier after the past 2 years. At some point you have to look at the constant through it all.

 

This is McDermott's first HC gig, and he has done very very well. Stopped the drought, has a very high winning %. One of the best ever for the Bills, but sometimes that is not enough. It's hard to move on from a guy who has helped 'right the ship' but sometimes it has to be done.

 

I am comfortable comparing McDermott's stint with the Bills like Tony Dungy's stint with the Tampa Bay Bucs and to a lesser extent Andy Reid with the Eagles. Both are very good coaches who plateaued with their teams and needed a fresh start elsewhere. One was defensive and one was offensive, so I don't feel too biased here.

 

McDermott's career with Buffalo is a near carbon copy of Dungy's time with Tampa.

 

DUNGY - TRAMPA BAY BUCS:

Dungy: Took a Tampa team that had missed the playoffs 14 years and made them a regular playoff contender in the NFC. Dungy made the playoffs 4 of 6 years as HC. He peaked as HC losing the NFC Championship game in year 4. Dungy lasted 6 years, despite going to the playoffs in 4 of 6 years (66%). They went to an offensive HC and won the Super Bowl the next year.

 

McDermott Took a Buffalo team that had missed the playoffs 17 years and has made them regular playoff contender in the AFC. McDermott made the playoffs 5 of 6 years as HC. He peaked as HC losing the AFC Championship year 4. McDermott is in year 7. Unlikely to make playoffs this year, so probable 5 of 7 (71%).

 

Does this sound familiar? And no, the Bucs who won the Super Bowl the following year did not have a QB like Josh Allen. Those Bucs teams also did not crap away late game leads like McDermott has.

 

REID - PHILADELPHIA EAGLES:

Reid took an up and down team and made them regular competitors with a dual threat QB in year two. (McDermott took a dual threat QB to the playoffs in the QBs second year too) Even though Reid was an OC at heart he had some pretty good defenses. (McDermott was an assistant defensive coach on those teams btw) Reid also lost the NFC Championship game in year 4. But he also led his team and lost in the NFC Championship in his 3rd, 4th and 5th year. The team did not regress. He lost a SB in his 6th year. McDermott has been regressing steadily. Reid got the Eagles to the playoffs in 5 of his first 7 years (McDemott has gotten his team to the playoffs in 5 of 7 years - considering this year as a miss). Reid got 14 years, the difference is Reid got to 4 NFC Championship Games in a row and a SB in year 6. After that was pretty standard regression, and Philly knew to cut ties.

 

Dungy and Reid went on to have better success winning Super Bowls with their new teams. I think JA and McDermott need a change, and both will benefit from it.

 

It's ok to admit McDermott is a good coach, and did good things for this team. Sometimes a coach reaches a plateau and needs to move on.

 

I think we are at that time with McDermott.

Edited November 14, 2023 by SquirminThurman

[Ann]

Are the Bills snakebit due to McDermott? Is McDermott's failure to reach the Super Bowl on him, or circumstances?

 

All i know is i don't want to see a return to the drought years. But, i also don't want the team to waste an elite QB with a coach that cannot get there.

 

Quite the conundrum. 

[You Dirty Rat]

He is not a  head coach.

A good defensive coordinator 

[Spartacus]

23 minutes ago, Ann said:

Are the Bills snakebit due to McDermott? Is McDermott's failure to reach the Super Bowl on him, or circumstances?

 

All i know is i don't want to see a return to the drought years. But, i also don't want the team to waste an elite QB with a coach that cannot get there.

 

Quite the conundrum. 

line up Jim Harbaugh before you can McD

[SquirminThurman]

8 minutes ago, Ann said:

Are the Bills snakebit due to McDermott? Is McDermott's failure to reach the Super Bowl on him, or circumstances?

 

All i know is i don't want to see a return to the drought years. But, i also don't want the team to waste an elite QB with a coach that cannot get there.

 

Quite the conundrum. 

A person or organization can not be afraid of improving when it has plateaued or reached a set-back. Adapt, Migrate or Die.

 

What have the Bills or Josh Allen won? NOTHING.

 

I don't want a 'knee jerk' reaction, but the pattern of diminishing returns is there.

 

Make a plan to improve. PSG should be looking for a better coach. They have had 2 defensive minded coaches in Rex Ryan and Sean McDermott. Maybe hire an offensive coach??? What a concept in a league that wants to boost scoring. If only Buffalo had a super star capable QB or owners with deep pockets to lure a top coach... Oh wait we do.

 

If Harbaugh is really being run out of the NCAA, start putting out feelers. What offensive minded coach would not want to work with Allen/ Diggs/ Cook/Kinciad and a solid OL???

 

I swear WNY and Bills fans are afraid of success.

 

Over the last three years I got slammed by things beyond my control. I have shared that elsewhere. In those 2+ years of complete crap I learned how to reevaluate things, remove my emotions and survive. At some point surviving is not enough. I have a bunch of fancy degrees and have made six figures and got knocked down. After a brief period of wallowing in self pity and blaming others I woke up and started to improve things again. Did I stand pat? Am I wallowing in the muck. No!?!? I am working to maintain, and am working on earning a Cisco Network Engineering cert to move ahead. It was not my plan and I never figured I would be here, but guess what? My BA's were not enough, my MBA was not enough. I have to figure out how to become such an MVP that I will never face a situation like I did 3 years ago. I have to keep moving forward and improving to meet my goals. That may mean abandoning my expensive degrees, or my preconceptions and look for new answers.

 

Sports organizations are the same. Adapt/ Migrate or Die. This team as constructed has not adapted to the modern game, even though it has modern pieces in place. We have a new stadium being built, so migration is thankfully off the table, the talent - especially that spark from JA is dying.

[SquirminThurman]

6 minutes ago, You Dirty Rat said:

He is not a  head coach.

A good defensive coordinator 

I think he is a terrific HC for a team that is floundering. He has been for us. At the moment he is not a Super Bowl winning coach, but we have a QB and some pieces capable of winning a SB now.

 

I expect McDermott to get a DC job somewhere and kill it, and get another crack at HC and maybe win it all.

 

It just won't be here. That is ok. See Dungy and Reid.

 

That is my whole point.

[You Dirty Rat]

On 11/14/2023 at 3:54 PM, SquirminThurman said:

I think he is a terrific HC for a team that is floundering. He has been for us. At the moment he is not a Super Bowl winning coach, but we have a QB and some pieces capable of winning a SB now.

 

I expect McDermott to get a DC job somewhere and kill it, and get another crack at HC and maybe win it all.

 

It just won't be here. That is ok. See Dungy and Reid.

 

That is my whole point.

There are probably 20 average head coaches in the NFL. They struggle in the playoffs when they meet the other 11. McDermott is out coached at least 3 times per year .

Edited November 17, 2023 by You Dirty Rat

[Foxx]

Ben Johnson is going to be a hot HC candidate this off-season.

[Beer__League__Hockey]

Because of the bad contracts & cap situation, McClappy is definitely returning next year.  If Pegula fires him this offseason, you will have trouble finding someone decent to take on that terrible roster next year.  2025 will be the new coach year.

 

With that said, brace yourself for another bad season and an interim coach named in week 10-12 next year.

 

I could see Darrell Bevell being a hot candidate after next season - I hate to say it but the Fishies passing game schemes are next level.

[RochesterRob]

17 hours ago, Ann said:

Are the Bills snakebit due to McDermott? Is McDermott's failure to reach the Super Bowl on him, or circumstances?

 

All i know is i don't want to see a return to the drought years. But, i also don't want the team to waste an elite QB with a coach that cannot get there.

 

Quite the conundrum. 

  I don't see Terry Pegula accepting malaise for years on end.  Also, most of the drought was on Ralph due to his reputation and age.  None of the coaches or front office people were top shelf then.  

[Spartacus]

13 hours ago, Foxx said:

Ben Johnson is going to be a hot HC candidate this off-season.

no experience as HC, 

Jim Harbaugh should be the target

[Foxx]

A good article by Fairburn

 

[Foxx]

And, an excellent article by Sharp.

 

Firing Ken Dorsey Did Not Solve Bills’ No. 1 Problem: Sean McDermott

 

Quote

... Jump a few years into the past and put yourself into Josh Allen’s shoes while he was a kid out of Wyoming and before he was paid franchise QB money.

 

You have a breakout year in 2020 that no one thought you were capable of.

 

Immediately at the conclusion of the season, your head coach comes out and tells the press and your team internally, in an indirect manner, that he wants to take the ball out of your hands more often and place it in the hands of your running backs.

 

It is a core focus in training camp.

 

Rather than enhancing the offense to build around you as a passer, he wants to clip your wings. He encourages if not outright demands your OC calls more handoffs to RBs such as Devin Singletary, Zack Moss, and Matt Breida.

 

Then for the entire 2021 season, you have to hear your head coach scream at your OC almost any time you make a mistake when dropping back to pass because a run play should have been called instead.

 

Then you are told by your head coach you need to stop running the ball as much because it is going to impact your availability. So, on designed pass plays, instead of passing to open players or tucking and running when run lanes present themselves, you are getting programmed to throw the ball into tighter coverages to avoid taking a sack because it is no longer acceptable for you to scramble as often.

 

As the games and years go by, the playmaker that was once inside of you is slowly being coached out of you. You start to play scared. You are scared to run the ball because if you get hurt, it is, “I told you so.”

 

As a result, you are encouraged to pass more regardless of what the picture looks like post-snap, but scared to throw interceptions because both you and your OC will be condemned.

You are the best player on the team, and if you play poorly, your team almost assuredly loses the game. But you no longer have the internal confidence, and you certainly can feel that you no longer have the confidence from your head coach.

 

You are being coached by an old-school, defensive-minded HC who wants to take the ball out of your hands, doesn’t want you to be dynamic for fear of injury when it is in your hands, and above all, wants to ensure you never, ever throw an interception or you will face the wrath.

That’s no way to play free and exceptional football. And from a “human” perspective, it must feel pretty shitty.

 

In no way am I excusing mistakes made by Allen, because he certainly needs to improve.

Though it is worth pointing out at this juncture that this season, Allen has the lowest turnover-worthy play rate of his career, per Pro Football Focus.

 

But that hasn’t stopped the Bills from getting unlucky tips, bounces, and ultimately, turnovers to go against them. ...

 

[Spartacus]

can coach, and has been highly successful in the NFL

 

bonus, he will push the limits to gain an advantage

 

 

 

https://theathletic.com/5063035/2023/11/16/jim-harbaugh-michigan-nfl-head-coach-candidates/?source=targeted_email&campaign=8313317

 

Harbaugh is among those expected to receive consideration in the next hiring cycle, according to a league source who has been briefed on discussions high-ranking NFL officials have had about potential head coach candidates. And two other league sources who regularly talk with teams about hiring and firing decisions said at least two teams — the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders — are believed to be among those that would appeal to Harbaugh

[Spartacus]

McD - making stupid decisions and blaming others

 

his decision to change out personnel to try for the block

why not switch out during the time out?

 

 

 

https://theathletic.com/5066747/2023/11/16/bills-mayday-field-goal-12-men-penalty-sean-mcdermott/?source=dailyemail&campaign=601983

 

We need to talk about the Buffalo Bills’ 12 men on the field penalty — the one that lost them the game on Monday, when the Denver Broncos got a re-do on their original missed game-winning field goal attempt. 

 

There’s not enough time to guarantee a clean substitution (under two minutes, the officials don’t stand over the ball to allow a man-for-man substitution) and the chances of blocking a field goal are miniscule.

 

“You don’t want to give them a second chance,” Priefer said. “Whatever 11 is on the field, in a mayday situation, nickel or dime, keep them out there and make sure you don’t have more than six on the line of scrimmage on one side of the center or the other, and make sure you come off the edge.”

 

That’s the opposite of what Buffalo tried to do. They switched from their dime defense with six defensive backs, to their field goal block unit. Five players left the field. Six went on.

 

Buffalo even took two timeouts in the middle of kneeldown 1 and 2 and kneeldown 2 and 3. They knew what was coming, and those timeouts should have given them plenty of time to organize the field goal block substitutions, if they insisted on subbing.

 

McDermott had the right answer. And he knew it well enough to say it out loud. He put the responsibility on his special teams coordinator, but this mistake speaks to the team’s process overall. Why wasn’t there a consistent plan?

[KD in CA]

On 11/15/2023 at 6:16 AM, RochesterRob said:

  I don't see Terry Pegula accepting malaise for years on end.  Also, most of the drought was on Ralph due to his reputation and age.  None of the coaches or front office people were top shelf then.  

 

 

My concern is Terry/Beane waits till the malaise sets in before addressing the McDermott issue.  It's human nature to think 'let's see how it goes with McDermott in '24' but if that goes badly, you're in rebuild mode for '25.

 

As long as Allen is in his prime, they can build a winner around him, but the roster they have right now (when healthy) is the best its been. It will only get harder from here.

 

[snafu]

2 hours ago, Spartacus said:

can coach, and has been highly successful in the NFL

 

bonus, he will push the limits to gain an advantage

 

 

 

https://theathletic.com/5063035/2023/11/16/jim-harbaugh-michigan-nfl-head-coach-candidates/?source=targeted_email&campaign=8313317

 

Harbaugh is among those expected to receive consideration in the next hiring cycle, according to a league source who has been briefed on discussions high-ranking NFL officials have had about potential head coach candidates. And two other league sources who regularly talk with teams about hiring and firing decisions said at least two teams — the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders — are believed to be among those that would appeal to Harbaugh

 

 

No thanks.

Smells like Rex Ryan 2.0.  I hope he takes the clown show somewhere else.

 

 

 

 

[Ninety-4]

3 hours ago, Spartacus said:

can coach, and has been highly successful in the NFL

bonus, he will push the limits to gain an advantage

 

 

 

https://theathletic.com/5063035/2023/11/16/jim-harbaugh-michigan-nfl-head-coach-candidates/?source=targeted_email&campaign=8313317

 

Harbaugh is among those expected to receive consideration in the next hiring cycle, according to a league source who has been briefed on discussions high-ranking NFL officials have had about potential head coach candidates. And two other league sources who regularly talk with teams about hiring and firing decisions said at least two teams — the Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders — are believed to be among those that would appeal to Harbaugh

I think Harbaugh is too smart to take the Raiders job.  That may now be the worst job in the NFL.  Chicago cuz he was there as a player, but that org has been mostly floundering for decades and the GM is unproven.  

 

The Bills job IMO given the roster and front office would be very appealing to Jim.  That's not an advocation for hiring him, just thoughts on how he might view the opportunity.  

[Billsandhorns]

1 hour ago, KD in CA said:

 

 

My concern is Terry/Beane waits till the malaise sets in before addressing the McDermott issue.  It's human nature to think 'let's see how it goes with McDermott in '24' but if that goes badly, you're in rebuild mode for '25.

 

As long as Allen is in his prime, they can build a winner around him, but the roster they have right now (when healthy) is the best its been. It will only get harder from here.

 

I am not sure Beane has a say in retaining McDermott

[Ninety-4]

1 hour ago, KD in CA said:

 

 

 

 

As long as Allen is in his prime, they can build a winner around him, but the roster they have right now (when healthy) is the best its been. It will only get harder from here.

 

 

I think a top offensive coordinator fixes a lot of what troubles the Bills now along with Allen regaining his 2020 self.  There may be some good ones hitting the street at the end of the year.  We'll see how Brady does, but I'd want someone with A LOT more experience as an OC.