BuffaloRebound

Not against Mahomes and that offense. Somebody posted that the only kicks returned for TD’s were brought out of the end zone or goal line. The short high kick to the 10-15 was the right call. If Hill was back there, I could live with them kicking it out of end zone. He inexplicably wasn’t. That’s the difference between good situational coaches and scared ones.

On a side note, how does Reid not put Hill back there to return that kick? I think that threw everything off. You expect Hill so you’re gonna kick it deep through end zone. He’s inexplicably not back there, so you change it last second and the word doesn’t get to Bass. And you don’t take timeout because then Reid will smarten up and put Hill back there.

My theory is that the plan was to kick a touchback if Hill was back there or short if he wasn’t. And the communication to Bass got screwed up in the chaos.

Agreed. This is absurd. This is like Allen going under center without a play being called. Bass was definitely told something. More believable thing would be decision was changed after Bass was told to kick it long and the message didn’t get to Bass. There’s no way Bass was told nothing.

Most sane Bills fans like McDermott, but this was a Norwood level choke job by the coaches. I think we’re all still in shock by what happened in those 13 seconds. You don’t know if you’re ever gonna get that opportunity again. If I were a betting man, I’d say McDermott like Norwood gets 1 more year, but if he doesn’t make the Super Bowl he’s gone.

I’ll say this. I like McDermott but I have serious doubts about the guy in big moments. I’ll never forget the Pittsburgh game in 2019. The end of that game when Hodges had a couple throws in back of end zone… the camera kept going to mcdermott after each play. He looked like he was about to wet his pants and was pointing to the sky after every incompletion. You gotta be clear headed and calm in the big moments so you can make the right call. Josh seems to have put the Sugar Rush memes to bed. Maybe McDermott has some of that to overcome too.

Fantastic post. Required reading.

I don’t think the answer is to fire McDermott, but I don’t think it’s stupid to consider given how badly the coaching staff choked in those 13 seconds.

I think people are under-estimating the effect the coaching blunders in those 13 seconds are gonna have going forward if no changes to the coaching staff are made. We had the team to win it all. The fact that it was both Special Teams and Defensive coaching blunders means you can’t just get rid of Frazier or the ST coach. I like McDermott but I really have no idea how that locker room trusts him in big situations going forward.

It’s not. There’s so many things that happen in a game that you can’t specifically prepare for. I think we’ve seen enough in the last 5 years to know that McDermott is a conservative, reactionary coach. Would he have had the stones to call an onside kick like Sean Payton did to win a Super Bowl? The great coaches know when to zig when everybody thinks you’re gonna zag. McDermott has shown he is excellent at everything except reading what’s happening in the moment.

This is actually where a guy like Sullivan serves a purpose. Everybody hates him already so he’s got nothing to lose asking the hard questions.

Kind of unanimous from the national media that the coaching staff let the team down in those 13 seconds. Is it fair to the players to bring back a coaching staff that now has a label of choking in the biggest moments?

Fabulous post. 100% accurate. The only positive that will come out of this is if it lights a fire under McBeane and they move heaven and earth to field a team that can’t be denied.

I don’t think you take knox off the field. You take Doyle, Gilliam and Beasley’s snaps and give them to Gronk.

We need a dude like that on the Edge to get to the promised land. Hughes and Addison were making close to $15m combined. Give it to 1 dude like Cam Jordan or Chandler Jones.

Maybe, but unless he’s got a health problem or family situation, I bet he coaches this year. 8 job openings and probably at least another 15 that would drop their current coach for him. Heck, I like McDermott but I’d be mighty tempted to drop him for Payton.

True, but he’s also already made $100m.

there’s no way he doesn’t get a current job opening. He’s a great coach and has won a super bowl.

Fournette, Gronk (cut Beasley), Calais Campbell (cut Star), and Chandler Jones in free agency. The only guy who will be big ticket is Jones, but he comes on ring-chasing discount. Draft a WR or CB in Round 1, draft best IOL in Round 2, draft Edmunds eventual replacement in Round 3.

If White is fine with it, absolute no brainer. He’s still a great red zone and underneath threat and is a great blocker.

I’d cut Beasley and sign Gronk with that money. He’s the underneath security blanket that Beasley is plus so much more. Red zone threat, great blocker, plus he bring championship cred.

Like Favre and Green Bay in the ‘90’s, this defense needs its Reggie White on the D Line. Frazier does the most with what he has. I’d go after Khalil Mack. Bears are rebuilding. They don’t have a 1st rounder this year.

Nope. You gotta have a feel for what’s going on in the game. Nobody was stopping Mahomes or Allen at the end of that game. I wouldn’t even have felt comfortable with KC at their own 30 with 7 seconds left, but giving him 2 plays or potentially 3, I had no confidence we were gonna stop him.

I’m sure that’s what McDermott was thinking. And that’s the conventional line of thought. But you gotta read the room in this situation. Chiefs went 75 yards in about 40 seconds and Bills went 75 yards in 50 seconds the previous 2 possessions. Mahomes and Allen were playing on another planet and both defenses looked gassed and helpless.

How could anyone have felt comfortable giving mahomes 13 seconds, the ball at the 25 and 3 timeouts? Especially how that game went in the last few minutes. I’ll take my chances with my special teams in n a short kick. Game is over if 6-7 seconds run off on kickoff.