transplantbillsfan

God this thread is just nuts, apparently. McDermott's doing a great job in Buffalo. He's really turned the culture around and the players really seem to respond to him and they seem to be playing for each other. But this was just a bad decision that worked out for him in the end. This is a 3rd string QB playing the position who comes into the 2nd half and only attempts 3 passes with 2 incompletions and 1 intercepted. And then, to begin OT with it being absolutely necessary that you win if you want to keep your playoff hopes alive, you get a little drive together with some offensive creativity, finally. Joe Webb runs for 25 yards and a couple 1st downs and the team has gained 33 yards and eaten up nearly 6 minutes off the clock in a 10 minute OT. Then you send your punt team out and the entire stadium erupts with boos... and rightfully so. So you call a timeout to "make sure everyone is okay" with the decision. And then you still send out the punting team with only 1 out of 2 timeouts left and 4 minutes on the clock. Luckily Webb throws a nice deep ball to Thompson who makes a clutch catch and then Shady further bails him out with the walk-off TD. It was a piss poor decision that worked out in the end. But just because I was running really late this morning and sprinted out the door and drove 20 MPH over the speed limit the whole way to work and didn't get pulled over and actually made it to work on time doesn't mean that it was a good decision on my part and that I won't get pulled over if I make a habit of doing that on a consistent bases. This overly conservative decision-making seems to be a consistent thing for McDermott, and it was compounded by wasting a precious timeout. Glad it worked out. And I like McDermott as a coach. But I hate this aspect of his coaching philosophy. And another note, this is a small thing that I was thinking of while I watched the game. We were on the 21 yard with a 3rd and 4 after Shady just lost 3 yards on 2nd down. Then the Colts call a timeout. Was anyone else thinking the Bills players (and staff... like the Colts ) should have sent the kicking team out on the field and used all that time during the timeout to clear out the snow the way the Colts did for Vinateri in order to kick what would have been a game winning 38 yard FG? Obviously we scored on the next play. Shady's just amazing. But I think with a "next score wins" situation like that where you could win with a FG and knowing the kicking conditions and that we would have had to kick it on the very next play if Shady doesn't score or get a first down, the smartest move would have been to use all that time the Colts just gave you with their timeout to go and clear out as much snow for Haushka to kick a very makeable 38 yard FG. Hell, we should have sent all our waterboys and staffers out there to do it just like the Colts did. Or an actual snowplow like the Pats did against the Raiders way back when. And why not? The Colts gave us the time But it all worked out in the end. Glad it did. That doesn't mean we can't criticize some decisions that were questionable at best (the punt) and reaching the point of absurd (the timeout) by McDermott.

This is what's head-bangingly frustrating about some of these conversations regarding McDermott's in-game decision making. It's like: "We won, so he obviously made the right decision." Yeah, and I was gonna be late for work the other day so I decided to drive 20 MPH over the speed limit to make it to work on time. I got to work on time and didn't get pulled over. That doesn't mean I won't get pulled over and pay a massive price next time. Overall, McDermott is a really good coach. I like him a lot. He's brought in a clear culture change that's affected this team. That doesn't mean he's untouchable with his in-game overly conservative decision making even in wins.

Oy What exactly did he say?

No if the season ended today, we hold the #6 seed. But I'm pretty sure if we end up tied with the same record as the Ravens to end the season, we lose it. But then there are other funky tiebreakers that come into play if more than 2 teams are tied with the same record.

3 games left. Holding the #6 seed currently. We can afford to lose 1 if the Titans or Ravens lose 2 of their last 3. I could see it happening for the Titans, who actually have a pretty tough closing schedule. On the road against the resurgent Jimmy G led 49ers and then at home against the Rams and Jags. Any billievers, yet?

I'm not predicting anything with this coach. He's much too unpredictable. Before Peterman got concussed yesterday, I actually thought we had probably seen the last snap from Taylor and a Bills uniform. But now it flipped the other way and I think Taylor starts till we lose. But who the hell knows

He helped us win today

That decision worked out but it was a piss poor decision that Thompson bailed him out on. 3rd string QB and Dennison was finally getting slightly creative on a drive we were moving the ball with some runs by that 3rd string guy. You're left with a 4th and 1, decide to punt, use one of only 2 timeouts, and still punt. Loved the guts and grit and even playfulness of our players today, but McDermott and Dennison really had some bad coaching. However, somehow we're still in this

Titans lose!!! We're in this!!! They play a revitalized 49ers team, the Rams and the Jags.

Peterman is in concussion protocol officially. Another guessing game up to kickoff next week.

Really disagree. That decision worked out but it was a piss poor decision that Thompson bailed him out on. 3rd string QB and Dennison was finally getting slightly creative on a drive we were moving the ball with some runs by that 3rd string guy. You're left with a 4th and 1, decide to punt, use one of only 2 timeouts, and still punt. Loved the guts and grit and even playfulness of our players today, but McDermott and Dennison really had some bad coaching. Onto next week though. Still in this baby!!!

I said after that injury last week that I thought Taylor would've played his last snap in a Bills uniform. That just might be the case. Go Peterman!!!

Nah... he'll be waived for some reason with us hoping to put him on the PS and then snatched up by the Patriots so he can destroy us in a couple weeks.

There ya go! Well, can't be worse than last time, right?

Of course he's inactive. What a joke.

Weird. I'd love to know who wants which QB to start. Last time, from my understanding, Dennison was the driving factor to start Peterman.

So... this is not the poster I was thinking it was. FWIW the poster I'm thinking of is on another message board and yesterday made this exact same statement that Peterman would be starting. He has been right about a whole lot of things lately and I know he knows someone. However, today he retracted that statement and said that now "if Taylor can take a snap, he plays." So, who knows?

What about 21?

As a QB? Are you just trying to argue? I think, and have thought, we will and should draft a QB in the first. I think, and have thought, that if 2017 isn't Taylor's last year in Buffalo, 2018 will be after the rookie gets a year on the bench to learn. And I think, and have thought, and have always thought that if we could clearly upgrade from Taylor, we should. You want to argue that he's 28th rather than 24th or 30th rather than 22nd or 27th rather than 17th or... etc? Why? And what exactly does it have to do with the subject of this thread? Regardless of whatever I think about where Taylor ranks on a whole as a QB, he's actually pretty good on 3rd down having improved every year as a starter. That much is fact, regardless of wherever he ranks on the spectrum of starting NFL QBs as a whole.

And another reality check for these 3rd and long plays is that he also scrambled on 3rd and long 4 times and got a first down 3 times. So his actual conversion % on 3rd and long is 30.2%, not 27.1%. You'd have to look for 3rd and long scramble conversions for every other NFL QB to properly rank him, but % wise that boosts him from 19th to 13th; from below average to above average. My guess is other than Alex Smith and Russell Wilson there won't be too many 3rd and long scrambles.

Well I think it has to do with how hypercritical people have been of Taylor on third down during his tenure in Buffalo, which I think branched off the whole idea that he's not "clutch enough." Do you have those numbers you're alluding to?

-1 rush, -2 rush, 2 yard run, 3 yard run, 37 yard run, -1 yard run is going to look like an RB who's averaging 6+ YPC, but is that really very good for your offense? Yes, he's 19th out of 36 upon facing a higher raw number of 3rd downs than any other QB save Phillip Rivers.

The moment Taylor was injured and left the field in the cart last Sunday I really thought would be the last time we'd see him under center for the Bills, barring an injury to Peterman. But then McDermott said flat-out that Taylor is the starter when healthy. So, despite the fact that I actually believe the OP, I'm eager to see how the hell this plays out. I would say there's no way Peterman can be worse than he was in the Chargers game, but in the week leading up to the Chargers game I also said he couldn't be worse than Taylor in the Saints game. Obvious mistake on my part. Who knows. This will be the least excited for a W I've ever been, mainly because I think we'll win and we should win easily. I'll probably feel the same way beating the 'Phins next week if we do. That Patriots loss just took a lot out of me. Despite that, I'm rooting for Ws and, who knows, maybe I'll feel much differently come Monday

If this is who I think it is, I'm pretty sure it's inside info and he'll be right.

Doc, eh? Do I know you? Do you have $5 to offer up for this?