What Was Your Initial Reaction To Sean McDermott as Bills HC?

[Ethan in Cleveland]

Didn't know much about him.  When the Saints steamrolled the Bills for over 200 yards rushing and his response was to bench TT and start Peterman when the playoffs were still in sight was the first of two low points for me.  I was at the Peterman Chargers game and left at the half throwing my Bills hat in the trash on the way out.  The second low point came when he cut Shady and kept Gore.  Shady was the one bright spot for a few years and he loved the city and his teammates.  Hated how he was treated. 

I am most impressed that he has embraced a wide open offense.  Perhaps he is emulating Belichick and what he was able to do with the Patriots and Brady at their peak.  At first we all thought he was Dick Jauron 2.0 and there was ample evidence to support that.  But he has evolved with the growth of Allen and the assets Beane has provided him with.  And either he or Frazier have embraced a more attacking style of defense.  

So I will give him immense credit for adapting and evolving.  That is a hard thing to do especially when you have had success with a certain style.  

[JimKellyTryouts]

I think this photo came out shortly after things he finalized his contract and I was...in awe?

Looked up some of his mic'd ups with Carolina and saw/heard lots of intensity and detail in his approach, and I liked that

 

As for the press conference, I got absolutely nothing out of it, and I was okay with that - polar opposite to Rex like Yolo had mentioned earlier. He seemed polite (asking reporters their names) and too reserved.

[dma0034]

I was disappointed because I wanted an OC badly. I was glad to see he was the opposite of Rex whom I never wanted and was extremelt disappointed the Bills hired.

[Another Fan]

From the little I knew about him he seemed like a friendlier Doug Marrone.  He was planning on bringing back Schwartz's defense for one thing.

 

 

I was all right with it but he's exceeded my expectations overall.  

[Jerome007]

In hockey, coaches with opposite personalities of the last one tend to start well. So I was happy with Rex's hiring (ouch) and content with McD. Actually, I was super pissed at the Rex Ryan hiring, as I really disliked him ha ha. But he won me over quick. The team needed an electroshock and I felt then that he brought it. So I was wrong ha ha. McD I was more indifferent, knowing so little about him. The hype job was well done so I was hopeful, but a part of me was wary it was "save money & settle by giving a new guy a chance" hiring. Glad to be wrong I felt by year 2 you could tell he did things right.

[PrimeTime101]

2 minutes ago, dma0034 said:

I was disappointed because I wanted an OC badly. I was glad to see he was the opposite of Rex whom I never wanted and was extremelt disappointed the Bills hired.

So originally I thought this till I realized how prepared this coach is on day to day operations. What was more important was who the OC was going to be cause that was going to be the man for the offensive end. Rex Broke this defense and we needed a defensive minded coach to fix it cause at the time we did not have a great QB.

Once he made the decision about Daboll I was 100% good.

 

Coaches are only as good as who he surrounds himself with.

[Jerome007]

1 minute ago, PrimeTime101 said:

Coaches are only as good as who he surrounds himself with.

And that's what I liked most about him from the start. He seemed to be a leader that would not be pushed around, BUT have confidence to hire great people and delegate. Just like I loved that Josh would be a harsh self-critic, always strive to improve, respect teammates and the game, hiring outside coaches... yet be full of confidence and play to win balls out.

 

BTW except for year one I never bought the "McD is too conservative because he is a former DC" line. He was clueless at times in game day decisions and half time adjustments (his biggest improvement this year by far!), but he was never THAT conservative. Well, there's that choice to start Peterman... OK maybe he was

[WideNine]

Seemed a bit dry, but passionate when he talked about creating a winning culture and process.

 

Researched what other coaches that worked with him had to say and he seemed to be a tireless student of the game.

 

I especially liked the story of when he had worked his way up to defensive coordinator of the Eagles. McDermott felt he was different from other coaches before him that had gotten fired, that it could never happen to him, but after a lackluster 2010 season Andy Reid fired him.

 

Apparently he was pretty crushed, but his reaction was to ask a bunch of folks in the organization for exit interviews on things he could do to improve.

 

That spoke to me about the man's character. That he would not let the difficult situation get in the way of an opportunity to solicit feedback on how he could become better at his craft.

 

He did not sit still long and was going to connect with the Denver org when Rivera and the Panthers told him they wanted him.

 

The rest is history, but he was the right man at the right time for this organization and we were fortunate the Pegs brought him in.

 

After Wrecks tenure I really did not have high hopes, but his approach seemed fresh and I just thought let's see where this goes.

 

 

 

 

[njbuff]

I thought he was the little in the first RoboCop movie.

 

[NickelCity]

What I recall from this general time frame (or a few months later) was being upset at the beane hire for the possibility of a sycophantic relationship.

 

Another instance where ive been happy to be wrong.

 

Edited January 8, 2021 by NickelCity

[Florida Bills Fanatic]

38 minutes ago, Ta111 said:

No nonsense, straight shooter who appeared to be the opposite of Ryan-thank goodness.

I had this same impression.  I also believed that he was a really good defensive coordinator that got the most out of the talent that was on his team.  I expected him to fix the defense first because it was the best part of the team that he inherited.  I also expected him to followup to improve the rest of the team in a steady methodical manner.  I greatly underestimated his ability to assemble a talented coaching staff.  

[transient]

👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏 

[Man with No Name]

no initial reaction. just wait and see. same way i felt about drafting allen and trading for Diggs. 

 

i'll admit to being dumb enough to get excited for the rex hire back in the day. my thoughts on such matters should not be respected!

[Houston's #1 Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, JohnNord said:

I

At first, I was like, "Who?" Trust me, I was happier than a kid in a candy store that Rexy was gone, but then I was worried that we got a guy that nobody had heard of. But, I researched his previous coaching positions and college career and got more excited. Obviously, I think it's all worked out pretty good. The fact that in the very short time he's been here and is already 3rd for overall wins speaks volumes!!

 

But, the one thing about that press conference from above always stuck with me was watching Doug Whaley "posing" in front of the cameras and holding that football like he's out there grinding it out on the field. To me, he just came across as a complete jackass!! So glad that we got Brandon Beane to replace this guy!!!

 

GO BILLS!!

[SydneyBillsFan]

Completely and utterly positive, never a shred of doubt (Well...maybe a little when he punted on 4th and 1 in the Indy snow game)

 

The cultural shift under his leadership has been one of biblical proportions.

[Thurman#1]

Said all the right things. Seemed really smart and had the right philosophies.

 

Optimistic, but as true every single time with every single guy, he had a lot to prove.

[PrimeTime101]

1 hour ago, Jerome007 said:

And that's what I liked most about him from the start. He seemed to be a leader that would not be pushed around, BUT have confidence to hire great people and delegate. Just like I loved that Josh would be a harsh self-critic, always strive to improve, respect teammates and the game, hiring outside coaches... yet be full of confidence and play to win balls out.

 

BTW except for year one I never bought the "McD is too conservative because he is a former DC" line. He was clueless at times in game day decisions and half time adjustments (his biggest improvement this year by far!), but he was never THAT conservative. Well, there's that choice to start Peterman... OK maybe he was

Half time adjustments isn't a HC thing its a team thing. a staff thing. and the team has to believe in what the staff is telling them cause if you cant sell it.. the wont buy it.. I think that just took time. Coaches make players look better.. players make coaches look better.. we have superstars on this team.  No one thought Peterman would be good but no one had a crystal ball thinking Peterman would lay that nasty egg either.

 

we on the same page though .. i think lol

[stuvian]

I liked the hire and am still pinching myself that we're 13 - 3

[warrior9]

8 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said:

Said all the right things. Seemed really smart and had the right philosophies.

 

Optimistic, but as true every single time with every single guy, he had a lot to prove.

essentially this.

 

My initial thought was something like:

 

"I'm glad we didn't just go get a name. All of those with big names had to come from somewhere and there is a reason they no longer have a job."

 

-I then read that he played with Tomlin in college and it reminded me to a similar type of feel as that hire.

[billybrew1]

I knew we needed a change and seeing the new change you give him your support and the benefit of doubt.