The McDermott Era...Will the first signature win(s) come the next 3 weeks?

[uticaclub]

1 hour ago, teef said:

You know when we’ll beat those good teams?  In the playoffs bro.  In the playoffs. 

Got beat good teams to make the playoffs this year. Granted in years past we would not have taken advantage of the soft schedule we had in 2019, but this year we are going to need some quality wins to get to the dance

[mjt328]

 

The Bills have been gradually improving since the time Sean McDemott got here.

 

A "signature win" would be representative of how good the team is at the time.  We were a borderline Wild Card team in 2017, in the middle of a rebuild with a rookie QB in 2018, and then back to being a solid Wild Card team in 2019.  It's hard to notch a signature win against a Super Bowl contender when you simply aren't that good yet.

 

-  I would consider our road wins against the Falcons and Chiefs (both 10-6) to be signature wins in 2017, and really set the tone for this team breaking the playoff drought.

 

-  I would consider our wins against the Titans, Cowboys and Steelers to be signature wins in 2019, with us beating other Wild Card-level teams.

 

The bar has clearly been raised this season, and nobody is going to be impressed with us beating teams like the Raiders (or even the Patriots) anymore.  The games against the Titans and Chiefs were opportunities to make our mark.  And we failed badly at both.  That doesn't mean we can't turn things up in the second half of the season, and notch one of these kinds of victories.  If we can walk away with a victory against the Seahawks, 49ers or Steelers... that would definitely be the signature win that fans are looking for.

 

Edited October 28, 2020 by mjt328

[Buddo]

Win a Championship game (AFC or SB) is a 'signature' win. End of.

[Greg S]

35 minutes ago, mjt328 said:

 

The Bills have been gradually improving since the time Sean McDemott got here.

 

A "signature win" would be representative of how good the team is at the time.  We were a borderline Wild Card team in 2017, in the middle of a rebuild with a rookie QB in 2018, and then back to being a solid Wild Card team in 2019.  It's hard to notch a signature win against a Super Bowl contender when you simply aren't that good yet.

 

-  I would consider our road wins against the Falcons and Chiefs (both 10-6) to be signature wins in 2017, and really set the tone for this team breaking the playoff drought.

 

-  I would consider our wins against the Titans, Cowboys and Steelers to be signature wins in 2019, with us beating other Wild Card-level teams.

 

The bar has clearly been raised this season, and nobody is going to be impressed with us beating teams like the Raiders (or even the Patriots) anymore.  The games against the Titans and Chiefs were opportunities to make our mark.  And we failed badly at both.  That doesn't mean we can't turn things up in the second half of the season, and notch one of these kinds of victories.  If we can walk away with a victory against the Seahawks, 49ers or Steelers... that would definitely be the signature win that fans are looking for.

 

 

At minimum the Bills have to win a playoff game. Winning the division would be very nice but going one and done again won't cut it especially when its a home playoff game.

[teef]

 

3 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Wouldn't mind a taste in the regular season.  Only beaten three playoff teams 2017-19, the Falcons 10-6, Chiefs 10-6 in 2017 & last year's Titans 9-7.

 

A little practice (i.e. beating playoff teams) wouldn't be a bad idea.....😉 

you spend you time worrying about the regular season.  i'll spend my time worrying about big boy wins.

 

1 hour ago, uticaclub said:

Got beat good teams to make the playoffs this year. Granted in years past we would not have taken advantage of the soft schedule we had in 2019, but this year we are going to need some quality wins to get to the dance

bro.  move the bar.  demand excellence.

 

1 hour ago, Gene1973 said:

Well that would be nice for a change...

you've become so accustomed to mediocrity.  change your thinking.

[Tisker A Tasker]

His first signature win came against the Falcons on the road.

[section122]

14 minutes ago, Gene1973 said:

The weather looks good for the Seattle game, balls will be flying.

 

If the Bills beat the Seahawks, this would be McDermott's first signatue win of his HC career.

 

Psshh The Seahawks defense isn't that great and it is a home game for the Bills.

 

If they win that one it will be because of those 2 reasons. 

 

Then it will be winning the Cardinals game will be a signature win.

[Billsfan1972]

46 minutes ago, section122 said:

 

Psshh The Seahawks defense isn't that great and it is a home game for the Bills.

 

If they win that one it will be because of those 2 reasons. 

 

Then it will be winning the Cardinals game will be a signature win.

Would be nice to see the Bills go out and assert themselves vs. the worst Defense in the NFL (and another below average one too).  BTYW Arizona is only so high because they played Dallas (Andy Dalton), NYJ & Washington.

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats/team/_/view/defense/table/passing/sort/netYardsPerGame/dir/desc

 

However I expect McD to play it close to the vest and try and control the clock, because as opposed to the opponent being scared of the Bills offense, the Bills will be scared of their offense.

 

That is his modus operandi.

Edited November 2, 2020 by Billsfan1972

[CLTbills]

Question: Does a "signature" win count any more in the W-L column? Or does it still count as only one win?

[H2o]

1 hour ago, CLTbills said:

Question: Does a "signature" win count any more in the W-L column? Or does it still count as only one win?

Idk, but at least we aren't talking about "moral victories" like we used to from 2000-2017

[Pbomb]

1 hour ago, CLTbills said:

Question: Does a "signature" win count any more in the W-L column? Or does it still count as only one win?

Yes it counts as 1.5 wins but still not as significant as point differential so the bills are still in real trouble 

[uticaclub]

2 hours ago, section122 said:

 

Psshh The Seahawks defense isn't that great and it is a home game for the Bills.

 

If they win that one it will be because of those 2 reasons. 

 

Then it will be winning the Cardinals game will be a signature win.

Seattle is getting Jamal Adams back and they just acquired Carlos Dunlap. One the reason Seattle's defensive rankings aren't that high, is because they are so far ahead in the 4th, their opponents can rack up garbage yards

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

Just now, uticaclub said:

Seattle is getting Jamal Adams back and they just acquired Carlos Dunlap. One the reason Seattle's defensive rankings aren't that high, is because they are so far ahead in the 4th, their opponents can rack up garbage yards

 

They were up 2 against Miami with 8 minutes to play.  They beat minnesota with 20 seconds left.  Scored to lead Dallas with less than 2 minutes left.  NE almost beat them as time expired.  They lost to Zona in OT.  And this past week they had 350 yards and were aided by a fumble on a kickoff return.  

 

They've definitely improved their pass rushing recently, but theyve given up 400+ yards every week except one.  And the garbage time excuse isn't really there.

[section122]

2 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Would be nice to see the Bills go out and assert themselves vs. the worst Defense in the NFL (and another below average one too).  BTYW Arizona is only so high because they played Dallas (Andy Dalton), NYJ & Washington.

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats/team/_/view/defense/table/passing/sort/netYardsPerGame/dir/desc

 

However I expect McD to play it close to the vest and try and control the clock, because as opposed to the opponent being scared of the Bills offense, the Bills will be scared of their offense.

 

That is his modus operandi.

 

32 minutes ago, uticaclub said:

Seattle is getting Jamal Adams back and they just acquired Carlos Dunlap. One the reason Seattle's defensive rankings aren't that high, is because they are so far ahead in the 4th, their opponents can rack up garbage yards

 

My post was entirely tongue in cheek directed at those that keep moving the goal posts.

 

The idea of a signature win is a dumb one imo.  That said the back to back wins against the Cowboys and Steelers on the national stage, in games the Bills normally lose, was the turning point for this franchise imo.  They went from the "get right" team where struggling teams would figure it out to a team you didn't want on your schedule.

 

The Browns used the Bills as a get right game last year and in previous years so would the Patriots this year.  Thankfully Justin Zimmer came through or this Monday would suck a lot more!

 

[MAJBobby]

On 10/26/2020 at 12:33 AM, Wizard said:

The Bills have not had a signature win in my opinion in the McClappy era. Some may argue the Cowboys win last year or even Andy Dalton's gift in breaking the playoff drought. We have had some good wins, but I started thinking...

 

What do board members believe constitutes a signature win?  Is it a dominant performance in all 3 phases of the game? A road victory against a frequent playoff team? Putting a blemish on a team with their first loss? A playoff win? A gutty come-from-behind victory? Beating the less formidable Patriots next week?

 

I believe the Cardinals and Steelers got signature wins this week. 

 

The Bills so far have played as expected. They were manhandled by clearly better teams, won some cupcakes, and eeked out wins against teams comparable in skill this year. 

 

Will a Bills win against NE be signature level?  Or, do they need to put together 3 wins in a row? (Jets, Pats, and Hawks, etc.)

 

What pelt or pelts do they need on their wall to move from fairly good to great this year?

 

Let's discuss.

 

 

 

 

 

Signature wins come in the Post Season.  

[Real McClappy]

McD's regular season "signature" wins have come back to back now against the Pats and Hawks.

 

Great stuff so far. Playoff W is next on the list. 

 

Lets GO!

Edited November 8, 2020 by Real McNasty

[Big Turk]

Yeah it came this week with multiple exclamation points

[Hebert19]

On 10/26/2020 at 7:35 AM, Hebert19 said:

First and second is my guess. 

This apparently.   And he may get another next week. 

[Motor26]

11 minutes ago, High Football IQ said:

 

Rams, Dolphins and Raiders all look like quality wins in hindsight and all 3 are on track for the playoffs if the season ended today.

 

So it's possible that McD finishes at least 4-2 against teams that make the playoffs this year which would help improve his 3-15 record in such games the last 3 years prior to 2020.

The way the Patriots have dominated the Bills the past 20 years I’d count that as a signature win too. They won’t be a playoff team, but the Bills may have finally gotten over the mental hurdle of the Patriots. 

[LABILLBACKER]

Kudos to Sean and the Team on their first signature win. Pretty much 95% of the media and pundits said we had no chance against Russ. The defensive effort wasn't perfect, but it was great. As was the offense led by Josh. This was the closest to a 4 quarter effort as we've seen in 3 years. Game balls to everyone. Players and coaches. 

Edited November 8, 2020 by LABILLBACKER