Was there a defining moment you remember being sold on McDermott’s process?

[Buftex]

1 minute ago, dneveu said:

For me - it was how much the team responded to the Peterman incident.  Coach tried to spark the offense after an absolutely terrible performance the week before (Tyrod's line - 9/18 56 yards, 1 INT, 2 sacks for 6 yards loss - so 20 pass plays that resulted in 50 yards plus his scrambles).  

 

Got the team ready to play in KC, with Tyrod re-instated at QB, and won.  Team was 5-5 and looking like a team that could finish like 6-10 and got them to win 4 of the last 6 games.

I remember how much grief he took for that move. I wasn't a Tyrod-hater, but it was abundantly clear by that time, they weren't really going anywhere with him at QB.  The Peterman gambit, as disastrous as it turned out that week, showed that McDermott was willing to think outside the box.  Up to that point, I couldn't really read him. It was obvious from that move, as bad as it turned out, he wasn't somebody who was going to stand pat and settle for mediocre, and he wasn't afraid to take a chance.  We had been so conditioned, to that point, to that sort of "old school" approach by our head-coaches...you know, the guys who say "they have to earn their time in the lineup" when you knew damn well, they were just going to stick with the vets...

 

I pretty much liked McDermott from the outset.  It took me a little longer to warm up to Beane. Early on, I wasn't really sure who was responsible for what, even though McDermott, for all intents and purposes hired Beane.   At the time, I didn't feel like the roster that they inherited from Rex/Whaley needed a major overhaul...they just needed a QB, and to add some better talent at some positions.  I thought Ryan's teams were just massive underachievers, more than untalented.  

[KGun12TD]

The moment he walked in the building and greeted the front desk lady and then proceed to take over from Whaley. 

[transient]

I was coming around to it until I was made aware that Josh Allen has a problem with "arm arrogance". Process my ###!! You can't have that in your locker room and expect it not to corrupt the culture of winning you're trying to establish.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

49 minutes ago, Buftex said:

I remember how much grief he took for that move. I wasn't a Tyrod-hater, but it was abundantly clear by that time, they weren't really going anywhere with him at QB.  The Peterman gambit, as disastrous as it turned out that week, showed that McDermott was willing to think outside the box.  Up to that point, I couldn't really read him. It was obvious from that move, as bad as it turned out, he wasn't somebody who was going to stand pat and settle for mediocre, and he wasn't afraid to take a chance.  We had been so conditioned, to that point, to that sort of "old school" approach by our head-coaches...you know, the guys who say "they have to earn their time in the lineup" when you knew damn well, they were just going to stick with the vets...

 

I pretty much liked McDermott from the outset.  It took me a little longer to warm up to Beane. Early on, I wasn't really sure who was responsible for what, even though McDermott, for all intents and purposes hired Beane.   At the time, I didn't feel like the roster that they inherited from Rex/Whaley needed a major overhaul...they just needed a QB, and to add some better talent at some positions.  I thought Ryan's teams were just massive underachievers, more than untalented.  

 

They decided to move on from darby (injury prone, poor scheme fit), Dareus (overpaid, malcontent), Watkins, (injury prone damaged goods player), Ragland (scheme fit)... And added matthews, gaines, and benjamin in other moves.  Gaines when healthy was pretty solid for buffalo, matthews was hurt a lot instilling a greater need for benjamin, and benjamin also got hurt.  

 

i don't think any of the players they brought in were better than who was shipped out, but he did acquire a lot of picks to shape the roster.  They also took a big dead cap hit for all of this, but were able to do a rebuild in a 2 year window by making all the moves up front instead of trying to make a run with Whaleys roster.

[Buftex]

30 minutes ago, dneveu said:

 

They decided to move on from darby (injury prone, poor scheme fit), Dareus (overpaid, malcontent), Watkins, (injury prone damaged goods player), Ragland (scheme fit)... And added matthews, gaines, and benjamin in other moves.  Gaines when healthy was pretty solid for buffalo, matthews was hurt a lot instilling a greater need for benjamin, and benjamin also got hurt.  

 

i don't think any of the players they brought in were better than who was shipped out, but he did acquire a lot of picks to shape the roster.  They also took a big dead cap hit for all of this, but were able to do a rebuild in a 2 year window by making all the moves up front instead of trying to make a run with Whaleys roster.

Of course that is all true...but at the time, I really didn't think some of them were necessary...I didn't really understand the "process", all I saw was some of our best talent getting shipped out, and being replaced by second-tier, journeymen types.  I was of the belief that were closer to being a playoff team than we were to the bottom. I was convinced that Ryan was the biggest obstacle to breaking the drought, followed by a better QB. I thought Taylor was good and steady enough to be QB for a playoff team built around the run game, and a stout defense. Turns out he was. 

 

Of course it all worked out much better, and faster, than I believed it could. Glad I was wrong...glad it worked out the way it did...but just giving my thoughts on why it took me a little longer to come around to Beane, than it did McDermott. 

Edited June 1, 2021 by Buftex

[GaryPinC]

1 hour ago, dneveu said:

For me - it was how much the team responded to the Peterman incident.  Coach tried to spark the offense after an absolutely terrible performance the week before (Tyrod's line - 9/18 56 yards, 1 INT, 2 sacks for 6 yards loss - so 20 pass plays that resulted in 50 yards plus his scrambles).  

 

Got the team ready to play in KC, with Tyrod re-instated at QB, and won.  Team was 5-5 and looking like a team that could finish like 6-10 and got them to win 4 of the last 6 games.

This without a doubt was THE defining moment for McDermott and the FO.  1.  Despite the coachspeak and kind words, they proved they understood TT's future with the team.  2.  Rallying the team to rebound where in past years they easily tank.  Yep, our future started to need sunglasses after these two games.

[RiotAct]

Thanksgiving 2019 after we whooped the Cowboys’ collective asses on national television.

[Rochesterfan]

It is difficult to say exactly - I was so anti-Rex from before he was even hired and then when I heard about McDermotts interview in Cleveland - he was someone I wanted going forward.  
 

I pretty much bought in from day 1, but the Atlanta game in his first year told me what they could do.  
 

How open he was with the team after the Peterman debacle in SD and getting that team to buy back in for a playoff run - stellar.

 

Getting the team the next year to 6 wins - should be Wall of Fame worthy right there - that was a bad team and they knew they were bad, but he kept them together and rowing forward.

 

But the truth is - the fact that he is willing to work, adjust, admit mistakes, and keep striving for better has all proven his process to me.

[WhoTom]

I liked him from the start, but having been burned before, I was reserving judgement on whether he could take the team to the promised land. I was kind of sold after the Thanksgiving Day Massacre in Dallas, but the definitive point was beating the Steelers in their house to clinch a playoff spot. In fact, the exact moment I knew he was The Guy was when the Steelers played "Renegade," and the Bills effectively made it their own rallying song. When the announcers said something about McD playing that song at practice to prepare the team for it, I knew he paid attention to the details and could game-plan with the best of them.

 

 

[eball]

Good post @Rochesterfan...pretty much sums up my thoughts exactly. 

[Utah John]

24 minutes ago, RiotAct said:

Thanksgiving 2019 after we whooped the Cowboys’ collective asses on national television.

I completely agree, that was the point at which I realized for sure that these guys know what they're doing.  It took a while, not surprising considering the hole they had to dig out of, but here we are.

 

I think Beane, for some reason, can't evaluate D linemen very well.  One after another, he brings in old veterans or rookies that don't have the skills to do the job.  Other than that position, though, he's a master at evaluation and at managing the salary cap.

[Rico]

1 hour ago, KGun12TD said:

The moment he walked in the building and greeted the front desk lady and then proceed to take over from Whaley. 

Yeah, for me it was the day Whaley got fired. The day that Brandon got dumped was icing on the cake.

[WhoTom]

3 minutes ago, Utah John said:

I think Beane, for some reason, can't evaluate D linemen very well.  One after another, he brings in old veterans or rookies that don't have the skills to do the job. 

 

I find it hard to believe that McD doesn't have significant input on that, especially since he's a defensive coach.

 

[HOUSE]

2 hours ago, Coach Tuesday said:

Was on the fence about him until this thread.

 

I bet that hurt

[Success]

3 hours ago, Royale with Cheese said:

The Thanksgiving at Dallas.

 

That's a good one.  That was a BIG game - primetime on T-Day, with the whole country watching. That felt like we arrived.  That team was prepared and executed beautifully.

 

 

[MJS]

I was impressed even by his first press conference. He seemed competent, unlike any of the previous first press conferences I can remember from our new coaches. Gailey, Marrone, Rex Ryan... those were dark days of press conferences that you just hoped they wouldn't say anything too stupid.

 

But yeah, after the first year and breaking the playoff drought with a team that wasn't very good and with a QB that wasn't very good.

[ExiledInIllinois]

Still not sold on any "process."  Maybe it's just me.  

 

Okay... I want 3 600 yard games in a row and a 19-0 season,  maybe I'd change my ways... 😉😜

[GETTOTHE50]

Benching tyrod even if it meant throwing Nate to the wolves. That was absolutely heartless and I loved it

[Don Otreply]

When the team made the playoffs during his first year, then the methodical persistence in improving the team, and of course how they brought Josh up to speed, amongst other things.

[OldTimer1960]

His process is essentially to hire good employees who are all working towards a common goal.  Not revolutionary, but still rare.