Sean McDermott: A Parallel to the Business World

[saundena]

There is something fundamentally wrong with our team this year.  It seems like we believed our own hype- and that if we just "showed up", we could phone it in for most games and still be a shoe-in to repeat in the AFC Championship game.  Our roster is very good and largely remains unchanged compared to last year- while one could argue that our recent failings are due to xyz on the roster- we're basically the same on paper (if not slightly improved), and yet have already lost 4 games (2 in a very bad way) with half the season to go!  We lack focus and accountability.  The high number of drive killing penalties we see, week after week, is proof of this- as too is the quantity of Instagram content generated during practices...  goofy dances, special handshakes, etc.  

 

If I had to put my finger on it, I would say that McDermott and his high level staff are the root cause of our struggles.  I'm not saying that we should get the pitchforks and torches, but what we are seeing here is something that is actually very common in the business world:  Companies sometimes struggle after achieving major organizational goals and objectives and management/CEO's are often the reason why.   In the business world, there are all kinds of CEO's with different experiences, skillsets, styles, etc; some excel at leading massive turn arounds of struggling organizations, but don't have the same continued success when it comes to running the mundane, day-to-day facets of an organization that is otherwise, performing well.  I wonder if this is what we are seeing with McDermott and his staff?

 

He (and Beane) were terrific when it came to leading the Bills out of the doldrums of despair.  Decisions were made quickly, with confidence and the players really grabbed onto what McDermott was selling.  We were underdogs and still not very good early on in is head coaching tenure, but it was obvious that McDermott had a vision, had a plan to execute it, and was confident in his ability to do so.  His focus on individual character, family and process helped instill in our Bills, a scrappy, "us versus the world" mindset and last year was the culmination of all it all.  We had arrived.  The Bills were on the map and everybody gave us the respect we earned.  Things were going great and expectations were sky high heading into this season.  Yet, we stumbled out of the gate to start the season (Loss wk 1 and looked only OK against a bad Miami team) and have yet to find consistency against mediocre and above teams.  It's fair to say that that we have not lived up to expectations thus far in 2021 and I'm wondering if our CEO/McDermott is the reason why.  Maybe he is better at executing major turn arounds than he is at maintaining and sustaining success. 

 

Now that we've "arrived" the same tactics that he used in the past, might not work as well.  Character, while important- doesn't necessarily trump talent.  We are the 800 lb gorilla with a target on our back and our opponents give us their best week in and week out.  The love and camaraderie that our players have for each other is terrific, but will that keep guys from holding one another accountable to each each other, especially when the going gets tough and answers are hard to find?

 

Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses and in no way am I suggesting that McDermott isn't the guy for us for the next 10+ years.  I do believe that if this is indeed the case, that McDermott has the intelligence, drive and capability to try and become a better leader, even if the traits he needs to exhibit now aren't ones that come naturally to him.  McDermott seem to be very self aware and aware of his own shortcomings.  I wonder if the Pegula's would entertain brining in a management consultant to assess and "coach" our coach for his benefit and the teams.  

Edited November 22, 2021 by saundena

[thenorthremembers]

If the coach needs a coach, its already too late.

[saundena]

13 minutes ago, thenorthremembers said:

If the coach needs a coach, its already too late.

 

I don't think that is a fair statement.  Professionals at all levels often seek the advice of mentors and trainers.  Nobody is born with all the answers and skills and an outsiders perspective oftentimes helps.  McD is still pretty young all things considered.

Edited November 22, 2021 by saundena

[US Egg]

The Bills brain trust over estimated the capabilities of their team going into this season.   

[Olliemets]

Not uncommon in the sporting world too. Especially Baseball. Look at the revolving door of coaches, managers etc who continually get rehired by other organizations. They are effective for awhile but eventually wear out their welcome. Or become too loyal to players who helped the turn around. Sometime they just lose the room. Billy Martin is the most extreme example. People forget Whitey Herzog was fired twice before landing with the Cards for for a decade. Even some HOF coaches may only have a 5 year shelf life in one place. In hockey I root for the Islanders (Don't crucify me fellow Bills fans 🙂 ) and think in some sense I'm seeing same thing there now with Barry Trotz. New coach comes in to a long time bad organization with an us v world mentality and installs a system the players buy into for a while, and enjoy some success. But they get careless, drift away, team starts to struggle after some success and eventually players stop listening and get entitled.  I hope McD is honest enough with himself to accept feedback, criticism and make adjustments. 

Edited November 22, 2021 by Olliemets
grammer

[GunnerBill]

Coaches coach but players play. The NFL is about two thirds players and a third coaching. That is as true when apportioning blame as it is when apportioning praise. 

 

I think McDermott and his staff have some work to do but man some of their players just need to play better. Micah Hyde summed it up well last night. We didn't do anything well yesterday and we got our butts handed to us. The coaches have to put our guys in better positions but guys have to execute better. Bad throws, dropped balls, missed tackles, penalties.... the Colts were good, Taylor is outstanding, but the Bills in large part beat themselves.

Edited November 22, 2021 by GunnerBill

[ALLEN1QB]

The difference between this team and the great ones is being able to adjust to what your opponent is doing. They looked exactly the same in the 2nd half. Zero adjustment. The definition of insanity is doing the exact same thing expecting a different outcome

[ToGoGo]

44 minutes ago, saundena said:

There is something fundamentally wrong with our team this year.  It seems like we believed our own hype- and that if we just "showed up", we could phone it in for most games and still be a shoe-in to repeat in the AFC Championship game.  Our roster is very good and largely remains unchanged compared to last year- while one could argue that our recent failings are due to xyz on the roster- we're basically the same on paper (if not slightly improved), and yet have already lost 4 games (2 in a very bad way) with half the season to go!  We lack focus and accountability.  The high number of drive killing penalties we see, week after week, is proof of this- as too is the quantity of Instagram content generated during practices...  goofy dances, special handshakes, etc.  

 

If I had to put my finger on it, I would say that McDermott and his high level staff are the root cause of our struggles.  I'm not saying that we should get the pitchforks and torches, but what we are seeing here is something that is actually very common in the business world:  Companies sometimes struggle after achieving major organizational goals and objectives and management/CEO's are often the reason why.   In the business world, there are all kinds of CEO's with different experiences, skillsets, styles, etc; some excel at leading massive turn arounds of struggling organizations, but don't have the same continued success when it comes to running the mundane, day-to-day facets of an organization that is otherwise, performing well.  I wonder if this is what we are seeing with McDermott and his staff?

 

He (and Beane) were terrific when it came to leading the Bills out of the doldrums of despair.  Decisions were made quickly, with confidence and the players really grabbed onto what McDermott was selling.  We were underdogs and still not very good early on in is head coaching tenure, but it was obvious that McDermott had a vision, had a plan to execute it, and was confident in his ability to do so.  His focus on individual character, family and process helped instill in our Bills, a scrappy, "us versus the world" mindset and last year was the culmination of all it all.  We had arrived.  The Bills were on the map and everybody gave us the respect we earned.  Things were going great and expectations were sky high heading into this season.  Yet, we stumbled out of the gate to start the season (Loss wk 1 and looked only OK against a bad Miami team) and have yet to find consistency against mediocre and above teams.  It's fair to say that that we have not lived up to expectations thus far in 2021 and I'm wondering if our CEO/McDermott is the reason why.  Maybe he is better at executing major turn arounds than he is at maintaining and sustaining success. 

 

Now that we've "arrived" the same tactics that he used in the past, might not work as well.  Character, while important- doesn't necessarily trump talent.  We are the 800 lb gorilla with a target on our back and our opponents give us their best week in and week out.  The love and camaraderie that our players have for each other is terrific, but will that keep guys from holding one another accountable to each each other, especially when the going gets tough and answers are hard to find?

 

Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses and in no way am I suggesting that McDermott isn't the guy for us for the next 10+ years.  I do believe that if this is indeed the case, that McDermott has the intelligence, drive and capability to try and become a better leader, even if the traits he needs to exhibit now aren't ones that come naturally to him.  McDermott seem to be very self aware and aware of his own shortcomings.  I wonder if the Pegula's would entertain brining in a management consultant to assess and "coach" our coach for his benefit and the teams.  

 

Business guy here.

 

I think we're about a year away from knowing. Just because a CEO has never made it to these heights before, does not mean that they can't have a learning curve to adjust to the new environment. Some of them don't have what it takes to make it at the higher level, but some just need some time to learn.

 

As for the Colts game, we were missing Star, Edmunds, and Brown. That's a big loss going up against a run-heavy team. 

 

And consultant. That could backfire more than it helps. We have a great culture here. Rare culture. Unlikely you can find a consultant that wouldn't mess that up while improving whatever is wrong (if there is anything wrong). 

[saundena]

8 minutes ago, ToGoGo said:

And consultant. That could backfire more than it helps. We have a great culture here. Rare culture. Unlikely you can find a consultant that wouldn't mess that up while improving whatever is wrong (if there is anything wrong). 

 

I agreed with most of what you said.  I think we will know a lot more about this team next year.  As for the consultant, I don't mean consultants like the Bobs from Office Space but rather somebody that could look at McD and his upper staff, assess their strengths and weaknesses and help develop an plan to further enhance their organization leadership skills for an organization trying to sustain success

 

Edited November 22, 2021 by saundena

[RyanC883]

The OP actually has a fantastic idea.  

 

Question: who would we hire as such a consultant?  

 

Second question: we would need someone to help Bean with assessing draft talent in the 2nd round.  

[chaccof]

The team is a couple of good offensive linemen and a solid running back away from going to the next level.  The defense is quite solid enough.  But when all else fails consultants can't hurt!  

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

14 minutes ago, RyanC883 said:

The OP actually has a fantastic idea.  

 

Question: who would we hire as such a consultant?  

 

Second question: we would need someone to help Bean with assessing draft talent in the 2nd round.  

Bill Parcells

[LABILLBACKER]

2 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

Coaches coach but players play. The NFL is about two thirds players and a third coaching. That is as true when apportioning blame as it is when apportioning praise. 

 

I think McDermott and his staff have some work to do but man some of their players just need to play better. Micah Hyde summed it up well last night. We didn't do anything well yesterday and we got our butts handed to us. The coaches have to put our guys in better positions but guys have to execute better. Bad throws, dropped balls, missed tackles, penalties.... the Colts were good, Taylor is outstanding, but the Bills in large part beat themselves.

This is true. I think both the coaches and players need a reset. I guess I wish McD was more like Belichick. He would never allow various nonsense at practice. He'd probably give you serious stink eye if you chose not to get vaccinated. He doesn't tolerate penalties ever. Do your job, be prepared for every opponent or you're gone. These guys heads got too big. #1 D...#1 Offense....SB Favorites...MVP QB....on and on. This entire organization needs a reset and reevaluation of what's expected of them.

[ToGoGo]

2 hours ago, saundena said:

 

I agreed with most of what you said.  I think we will know a lot more about this team next year.  As for the consultant, I don't mean consultants like the Bobs from Office Space but rather somebody that could look at McD and his upper staff, assess their strengths and weaknesses and help develop an plan to further enhance their organization leadership skills for an organization trying to sustain success

 

I hear you. 

 

I just believe that you don't mess with great chemistry by letting outsiders in at the top. Great culture is rarer than high level consultants. We should give more time to the guys who did the impossible and got us there to figure it out. Once it's clear they can't do it, then you make a move. I don't think we're there yet, or even close for that matter. 

 

As Steve Jobs once said "Oh you're consultants? You guys should go and do something." 

[saundena]

59 minutes ago, RyanC883 said:

The OP actually has a fantastic idea.  

 

Question: who would we hire as such a consultant?  

 

Second question: we would need someone to help Bean with assessing draft talent in the 2nd round.  

 

1.  I think a guy like Alan Mullaly would be interesting.  Started at Boeing, led a fierce and successful effort against Airbus, helped turn Ford around, but also faced some difficulties there as well (some of it due to the financial downturn in '08 / '09.  A guy like that has seen it all, made mistakes and learned from them.  I believe he's on Google's board right now.  Quit sleeping at the wheel Terry

 

2.  I don't have a problem with Bean's drafting.  It's a 50/50 crapshoot at best.  I'm not a college football guy and I don't know players.  My hope was for an Olineman in the 2nd but if Basham pans out then it's all OK.  I think guys like Motor and Moss would look so much better if we actually had a line that could block.  No team is perfect.  

 

I honestly think McBean are good talent evaluators- they just place very high priority on high motor high character individuals.  Nothing wrong with that especially when you're changing culture- but as some point, talent is just as important, if not more so.

 

 

Edited November 22, 2021 by saundena

[Big Blitz]

That "ok" 2nd game we beat Miami 35-0.

 

We beat Washington - they beat Tampa, correct?  

 

We beat the Chiefs in KC.  We know everyone called us the far more physical team after that game right?

 

We beat Tennessee - ok ok I kid but in my mind whatever.  If Allen gets in this whole season Outlook is different. 

 

Adjusted and smacked Miami - they did beat Baltimore correct?  

 

Jags

Jets 

Colts

 

 

I just don't think it's worth getting down about this team bc it's issues (OG, RB, Vaccination status) can't be fixed until the off season - but we can correct the mistakes (mostly Josh thinking he can score 14 points on every heave down field and Daboll being good with it.)

[Coach Tuesday]

I’ll say one thing - I don’t trust Beane to pick the consultant!

[saundena]

23 minutes ago, Big Blitz said:

That "ok" 2nd game we beat Miami 35-0.

 

We beat Washington - they beat Tampa, correct?  

 

We beat the Chiefs in KC.  We know everyone called us the far more physical team after that game right?

 

We beat Tennessee - ok ok I kid but in my mind whatever.  If Allen gets in this whole season Outlook is different. 

 

Adjusted and smacked Miami - they did beat Baltimore correct?  

 

Jags

Jets 

Colts

 

 

I just don't think it's worth getting down about this team bc it's issues (OG, RB, Vaccination status) can't be fixed until the off season - but we can correct the mistakes (mostly Josh thinking he can score 14 points on every heave down field and Daboll being good with it.)

 

We still looked rusty against Miami in the first game, despite the score.  The outcome of the second game against Miami was also very much in doubt until the 4th quarter.  Good teams don't let bad teams hang around. 

 

Agreed on your TEN comments.  If JA doesn't slip (or if the Oline blocks better), we are in a much better position. 

 

Still, we should have played INDY much closer to how we played TEN.  Losing a close fought game against a good team is much different than getting blown out at home. 

 

You are right that not everything can be fixed in season, but the penalties and schemes can be tightened up

Edited November 22, 2021 by saundena

[oldmanfan]

There are things he can improve on like most of us.  Right now the biggest problem we have is a lack of physicality on both lines; I don’t think you can coach that.  We are too predictable though and that is something he needs to address with the coordinators.

[Mikie2times]

I think both McDermott and Beane have done an excellent job executing a vision. I just don't know if that vision is going to prove best. I'm a bit envious of how the Colts constructed the team they have and the system they run. It's a very balanced team. If I had concerning thoughts about direction:

 

I think we can be fine on defense, but we need physicality. We are too built for the pass and seemingly dependent on Star to bring any level of physicality. If he is that critical, find a viable back up. We do not have one and it shows when he doesn't play.

 

On offense I feel we are way too reliant on the pass. We need to be able to run more traditional sets and run the ball. I question if Daboll is the right guy for the job. Daboll is to the passing game as Roman is to the running game and while both can be clever, I feel like too much of anything is a bad thing. Give me balance.  

 

If you notice both our offense and defense is heavily centered around the passing game. Which is fine, it's a passing league, but at times the lack of balance really shows in our physicality.

 

Edited November 23, 2021 by KzooMike