I really like McD...read this article

[3rdand12]

Rock on Ginger Hammer

[4merper4mer]

Putting some pressure on Watkins isn't a bad thing in my opinion. Put up or shut up. Could come back to bite him in the ass, but only if Watkins has a monster year and they lose him.

It was emotional and made no sense whatsoever but we all make mistakes.

[mannc]

It was emotional and made no sense whatsoever but we all make mistakes.

I did not like the Watkins move (or non-move) either, but...figured it has to be based on a medical report...which so far looks rather prescient.

[LeGOATski]

 

 

It is almost universally positive with McD IMO so i don't want to harp on the negative of not picking up Sammy's option. It was clearly an emotional decision which made zero sense financially even if he doesn't like Sammy. He cut off his nose to spite his face there. That said, I REALLY like everything else I see from him a lot. He does not seem like some false persona phony like Greggo or Greggo Marrone, nor does he seem incompetent like Rex.

Okay. I didn't know if something else was said or some new insight was gleaned.

 

Waiting on Sammy is a calculated move. Like the previous poster said, it could look really good or really bad, depending on what happens this year and the following off-season.

 

We know Sammy is great, but he hasn't been consistent due to the lingering injury. Who knows if the money you spend on him is going to pay off. Far from a safe bet.

[Cripple Creek]

It was emotional and made no sense whatsoever but we all make mistakes.

McShifty emotional? Sorry, I haven't seen any indication of that.

[WhitewalkerInPhilly]

Say what you will about not extending Sammy. I would have done it. But even I will say it's a calculated choice.

 

Remember: OBJ and Brandin Cooks hit free agency in 2019. They are in the same draft class and are expected to set the market price for a WR for the next five years. They have had a lot more production than Sammy.

 

By making the choice now, the Bills get the initiative in negotiations. If he has breakout career year, one where he strings together 16 complete games with the kind of numbers that we all hope he will be very expensive to retain next year. But A) we are likely to be in the playoffs if he plays that well and B) it would be more expensive and difficult to keep him long term the year after.

 

If he keeps having nagging injuries and has a year like the past three, the offers won't be nearly as high. If he struggles and never turns the corner it might be time to cut bait.

[Drunken Pygmy Goat]

Here's a good article from this time last year.

 

http://www.espn.com/blog/carolina-panthers/post/_/id/21796/two-truths-and-a-lie-make-sean-mcdermott-a-great-defensive-coordinator

Edited August 7, 2017 by Drunken Pygmy Goat

[Shaw66]

For me, it's about game preparation and management. If this shows itself consistently through the season and we end up 7-9 et al, then we'll know for sure we need better players. The clusterfart that was Rex gave no real clue to the talent level on the team. 17-18 implies talent in the face of a circus, but not definitely.

This is illogical.

 

First, you don't know what you have with a rookie head coach after his first season. All the coaches tell us that it takes a year to figure out what they're doing.

 

Second, if you think Rex was a cluster!@#$ with these players and McDermott puts up the same record as Rex, then why doesn't that mean McDermott is a cluster!@#$, too. Or if McD goes 7-9, does that mean you're going to revise your opinion of Rex and say he was a star head coach who had terrible talent to work with?

 

Fact is, if the Bills go 7-9 this season, what that means will depend on a lot of things, like injuries, officiating, strength of schedule, etc. When the season is over, it'll be possible to look back and form some opinions about the quality of the coaching and the quality of the talent. Right now, it's pure guesswork to talk about what 7-9 means.

 

Now, if the Bills go 4-12 or 12-4, you can say that's on McDermott, because with more or less the same talent he did something vastly different from Rex. But 7-9 or 9-7, it'll mostly be wait until next year.

[elroy16]

Sounds like a good idea by McDermott. Bring a new scenario everyday at the very beginning of practice. That should keep guys on there toes from the start versus stretching, then individual drills, etc. everyday and becoming stagnant.

 

 

I haven't been to camp, but from the sound of it, McD is doing things differently including a lot of small things like these specific scenarios.

 

 

I saw this today.

 

https://twitter.com/4JoshReed/status/894545733659107328

 

WR's are catching passes after running behind a dummy to practice not seeing the ball all the way through the air. One of the replies said they haven't seen that before in camp. Seems like something minor, but could help with contested catches.

 

 

 

Marrone had his "big book" he kept that had notes, how to run practices, long term goals, short term goals, all of that. It sounds like McDermott has a bunch of binders of notes he's taken from almost everyone he's met. So far I like McDermott's implementation and how he and Beane seem to be on the same page and have similar visions on how to succeed in the NFL.

 

 

The proof is in the pudding, but i'm definitely encouraged so far.

[Shaw66]

Sounds like a good idea by McDermott. Bring a new scenario everyday at the very beginning of practice. That should keep guys on there toes from the start versus stretching, then individual drills, etc. everyday and becoming stagnant.

 

 

I haven't been to camp, but from the sound of it, McD is doing things differently including a lot of small things like these specific scenarios.

 

 

I saw this today.

 

 

WR's are catching passes after running behind a dummy to practice not seeing the ball all the way through the air. One of the replies said they haven't seen that before in camp. Seems like something minor, but could help with contested catches.

 

 

 

Marrone had his "big book" he kept that had notes, how to run practices, long term goals, short term goals, all of that. It sounds like McDermott has a bunch of binders of notes he's taken from almost everyone he's met. So far I like McDermott's implementation and how he and Beane seem to be on the same page and have similar visions on how to succeed in the NFL.

 

 

The proof is in the pudding, but i'm definitely encouraged so far.

It's funny how we're all encouraged by dumb little stuff, and we've all been there before. As you say, the proof is in the pudding, and that's a still a month away.

[elroy16]

It's funny how we're all encouraged by dumb little stuff, and we've all been there before. As you say, the proof is in the pudding, and that's a still a month away.

 

 

Yeah, pretty much. Gotta trust the process!