What we've learned about McDermott & Beane from this season

[Dr. K]

I've been trying to step back from all the Bills psychodrama and evaluate what McDermott has shown about himself as a coach and what that suggests about him going forward. How good a coach is McDermott; what does he do well, what could he do better, and is he capable of doing those things better? This is all just my opinion of course.

 

So . . .

 

PLUS SIDE:

1. He seems to be able to motivate his players and create a positive atmosphere.
2. He seems to be able to prepare the team in advance of the game. His team is much better disciplined than Rex's was.
3. He has gotten good performances out of players who are not stars.
4. He has drawn up some effective defensive schemes to meet particular challenges
5. He has an even temperament. He is not a blowhard.
6. He insists that whoever plays the best determines who gets into the games.

 

MINUS SIDE:

1.  I am not sure I believe #6 above. Either he plays some favorites or else his judgment of who is performing best is not the same as mine. There are several examples but one clear example is Tolbert. This suggests to me that he may not be the best evaluator of talent. Maybe Beane is equally guilty here, though I think Beane is not doing anything McDermott doesn't want. (I am one of the fans who did not like the fire sale of players that went on in the off season, or the abandonment of Dareus).
2. I don’t think he is a good game manager. He wastes time outs. He does not seem to make adjustments at the half. This could perhaps be the fault of his coordinators to some degree, of course, but the buck stops with him. Sometimes I get the feeling in the middle of games that he is in over his head, and cannot think on his feet. 
3. There is some evidence that he is willing to take chances, but overall he is a very conservative coach. For instance, he seems willing to sit on a lead. He is risk averse. I don't think this is going to serve the team well in the long run.
4. The jury's out yet on whether he will dump Dennison or at least hold him responsible for some of the mystifying play calls he has made. This may be related to the idea that he is loyal to "his guys" and will not let performance determine his decision making.

 

I am not ready to say whether he will be successful as a coach here. He shows some encouraging qualities, but he also shows traits that could sink this team. I was one who thought the team would be lucky to win six games this year, so good on McDermott for exceeding that expectation. But I am not sold on "the process" which seems to me to be a glorified term for "do it my way." I suppose every coach wants that; I just wonder if he has the flexibility of mind to change course when things are going wrong, and the imagination to consider alternatives.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2017 by Dr. K

[Roundybout]

I think the "McJauron" nonsense stems from the simple fact that he is a rookie coach. 

[Foreigner]

He may get along by his coaching, but all the personnel decisions made this year have been

so bad. And even though Beane is GM don't think for one second that McDermott didn't

have his fingerprints over everything that goes on.

Who do you think is calling the shots, Pegula, Brandon? Please, they have as much knowledge

running a football team, as they do a hockey team.    

[Haslett_Stomp]

Give him some time.  When they focused on him on the sideline he was clearly really pissed yesterday once he realized that the fix was in with the Pats**.   Sure, he's still learning but Romo's comments regarding the play where he matched Hoody on 4th down (forcing them to kick a FG) were spot on and an indication he is going to be a good coach. More to come for sure but I'm sure we can all agree that we are feeling better about the Bills than we were at the beginning of the season.

[klos63]

This is a fairly solid rookie season, with their share of mistakes, but not a bad foundation to start from. The draft and offseason roster moves will be huge . Judge them after next season.

[PromoTheRobot]

He's not perfect. Clean house.

[Dr. K]

Just now, PromoTheRobot said:

He's not perfect. Clean house.

Who is asking anyone to clean house?

 

[Success]

It’s easy to be nitpicky about some of the in-game errors.  Really, all coaches have a few of those.  Also, while I agree on his being conservative a bit too often, that could be more a reflection of personnel.

 

I like what I’ve seen so far.  Bad mid season swoon, but otherwise the team is motivated and the game plans are good.  If he can close out with a win, 9-7 is a very solid first year  effort.

[PromoTheRobot]

1 minute ago, Dr. K said:

Who is asking anyone to clean house?

 

You know we eventually so why wait? Pull the handle one more time. We're bound to hit in one.

[klos63]

Starting Peterman was a huge mistake. You only get one of those.

[Dr. K]

1 minute ago, PromoTheRobot said:

You know we eventually so why wait? Pull the handle one more time. We're bound to hit in one.

I really don't get what you are on about. I certainly am not asking anyone to clean house. 

[MAJBobby]

1 minute ago, klos63 said:

Starting Peterman was a huge mistake. You only get one of those.

 

Sure so Taylor and his 56 yards get the win in LA?  Thanks for the laugh

[moshermw]

13 minutes ago, MAJBobby said:

 

Sure so Taylor and his 56 yards get the win in LA?  Thanks for the laugh

281 yesterday.

 

158 in a half that day - and no picks.

 

At least gave the Bills an even chance.

 

Why do I even bite on these..

[Fadingpain]

I agree with the OP's take on most things.

 

He seems to have the team well prepared, he seems to have created a good atmosphere within the team, he is very conservative, and he is a bad in-game manager.

 

That is what I have learned about him.  

 

The #1 way he could improve immediately this offseason would be to learn about probabilities and statistics in terms of when to do what on a football field.  He has made a bunch of mistakes in that area this year.

 

 

[BuffaloMatt]

2 minutes ago, moshermw said:

281 yesterday.

 

158 in a half that day - and no picks.

 

At least gave the Bills an even chance.

 

Why do I even bite on these..

You can't help yourself.

[klos63]

22 minutes ago, MAJBobby said:

 

Sure so Taylor and his 56 yards get the win in LA?  Thanks for the laugh

jesus christ MAJ, give it a rest will you. You know a lot about the game, but your obsession and repetitive posts about TT are getting old, we understand how you feel about him, you've made your point clear.

If you can't admit to giving someone his first start that ends up with 5 first half INT's didn't work, you are blind.

Edited December 26, 2017 by klos63
x

[Iverwig]

He needs another year before he’s judged but the team has done better then most expected coming into the season. 

[Buffalo Barbarian]

53 minutes ago, Dr. K said:

I've been trying to step back from all the Bills psychodrama and evaluate what McDermott has shown about himself as a coach and what that suggests about him going forward. How good a coach is McDermott; what does he do well, what could he do better, and is he capable of doing those things better? This is all just my opinion of course.

 

So . . .

 

PLUS SIDE:

1. He seems to be able to motivate his players and create a positive atmosphere.
2. He seems to be able to prepare the team in advance of the game. His team is much better disciplined than Rex's was.
3. He has gotten good performances out of players who are not stars.
4. He has drawn up some effective defensive schemes to meet particular challenges
5. He has an even temperament. He is not a blowhard.
6. He insists that whoever plays the best determines who gets into the games.

 

MINUS SIDE:

1.  I am not sure I believe #6 above. Either he plays some favorites or else his judgment of who is performing best is not the same as mine. There are several examples but one clear example is Tolbert. This suggests to me that he may not be the best evaluator of talent. Maybe Beane is equally guilty here, though I think Beane is not doing anything McDermott doesn't want. (I am one of the fans who did not like the fire sale of players that went on in the off season, or the abandonment of Dareus).
2. I don’t think he is a good game manager. He wastes time outs. He does not seem to make adjustments at the half. This could perhaps be the fault of his coordinators to some degree, of course, but the buck stops with him. Sometimes I get the feeling in the middle of games that he is in over his head, and cannot think on his feet. 
3. There is some evidence that he is willing to take chances, but overall he is a very conservative coach. For instance, he seems willing to sit on a lead. He is risk averse. I don't think this is going to serve the team well in the long run.
4. The jury's out yet on whether he will dump Dennison or at least hold him responsible for some of the mystifying play calls he has made. This may be related to the idea that he is loyal to "his guys" and will not let performance determine his decision making.

 

I am not ready to say whether he will be successful as a coach here. He shows some encouraging qualities, but he also shows traits that could sink this team. I was one who thought the team would be lucky to win six games this year, so good on McDermott for exceeding that expectation. But I am not sold on "the process" which seems to me to be a glorified term for "do it my way." I suppose every coach wants that; I just wonder if he has the flexibility of mind to change course when things are going wrong, and the imagination to consider alternatives.

 

 

 

 

 

The process is finding hard working players that want to be great and love football.

 

He also stated a million times that he examines everything and learns from it. He is flexible but will always focus on fundamentals and this is what will male him a great coach.

 

 

[Sweats]

You know what i've learned?...........our HC and GM are learning as they go.

 

Isn't that exactly what we're looking for from a professional franchise when determining player management?

 

Aye Carumba

[Magox]

Considering the lack of talent, he's done a hell of a job.  Sure, his game managing skills need work but coaching is so much more than game management.  He's got this team motivated and playing above their talent level.   Next year, when this defense completely revamps its front 7 and improves the offensive line, this team is going to improve markedly from where it is right now.   What's killing this team more than anything is it's front 7.   They can't shut down the run and they can't get pressure.   McD/Beane realize this and they will do everything they possibly can both in the draft and FA to improve that.  I wouldn't be surprised if we see 4-5 new starters in the front 7 this coming year.