Sullivan: Bills' McDermott choked away Super Bowl-caliber season

[Marvlevydraftdaygenius]

21 minutes ago, FilthyBeast said:

 

I can't imagine Frazier is going to be with this team next year. If I had to guess they are waiting to see if he gets a HC gig, if not you'll see something about agreeing to 'mutually part ways'.

 

I like Frazier and his schemes are great against inexperienced and mediorce starting NFL QB's. But the body of work is there over the last 5 years that show when this team facings the elite QB's rarely does this defense hold up and it's simply inexcusable to allow nearly 600 yards of offense in such a high stakes game. Most astute fans knew all along the #1 ranking was as misleading as it gets and was validated on Sunday.

 

If McDermott is truly ready to evolve it's time for a different perspective on defense and there are more than enough qualified candidates outside the organization to fill that role.

McDermott’s pressure today was a disaster and now the media is questioning is McDermott running the team, does he know what was happening mad dog radio saying he owes the fans a explanation,  Schope and bulldog explained on 13 second debacle the bills called 2 timeouts before the play to tell players what they wanted on the play.

[HomeskillitMoorman]

2 hours ago, Billsfan4588 said:

The 2020 AFC Championship was a game were Josh Allen was out classed, took his lumps, and got a hell of a lot better for it. The 2021 divisional round playoff game versus the Chiefs is where the coaching staff (really McDermott and Frazier, mostly McDermott) took their lumps. If you've been paying attention, as much as Josh Allen has improved each year,  Sean McDermott has improved as well. From the onset of that game (as he did versus the Pats in the second regular season game as well as their first playoff match up) he showed an aggressiveness he never really had before (until certain points earlier this year, going for it on 4th down etc). And McDermott carried that agressiveness through the entire game, until those final 13 seconds. It is a guarantee that Sean McDermott will never play that situation the same way again because of what happened, he's now better for it, and the team going forward will be better for it. It would never be an ideal time for that to have happened, but it could've just easily happened next week or in the super bowl. Now that it's happened, I doubt it'll ever happen again.

 

Colin Cowherd said something yesterday that I've been saying since Mahomes first "splashed" on to the scene, Andy Reid is above and beyond his perfect fit. Mahomes was drafted to an already playoff contending team (i remember week 1 that year they destroyed defending super bow champs the NE Patriots at home) by an offensive minded Hall of Fame coach used to coaching players such as Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb. Josh Allen was drafted by a defensive minded first time head coach. It was either going to work, or it wasn't, but it was never going to be quick. Allen had to work hard (off seasons with Jordan Palmer, hours of reps and studying with Ken Dorsey, learning from Daboll) and as Allen has had to work hard, McDermott has had to learn to adjust and better himself in ways that are uncomfortable for him. McDermott is clearly a more conservative/Bill Bellicheck type of coach, Josh Allen is not a system QB, he thrives in mayhem and havoc, which McDermott avoids.... until he started not to. McDermott has learned to take risks on the offensive side of the ball, he needs to learn to be a little more flexible in his defensive calls. And if this games ending doesn't teach him that, nothing will. 

 

Hot take: This Chiefs loss ushers in a new Patriots like dynasty, and it wont be the Chiefs, but rather the Bills. The Chiefs are currently playing at their maximum potential, Mahomes can't play any better, they can't find another Tyreek Hill or Travis Kelce to sign. The Cheifs have a first roumder and 3 2nd rd players on their starting d-line, one stud and 3 well above average rushers a long with Tyran Matheiu. They lost two starting o linemen last year and replaced them with a franchise LT immediately.  The Cheifs, quite honestly, can only go downhill from here, though I'm not counting on it,  and I dont think they have to, because regardless of that. Josh Allen, beat them twice. McDermott went 1-1 vs them.

 

2022-2023 Buffalo Bills - #1 Seed (caveat - if Allen remains healthy of course) lots of regular season blowouts and guaranteed AFC Championship. A superbowl will fully depend on if Beane will finally let go of the draft and develop strategy now that we have a legitimate game tested and season proven window, and get himself 1-2 game wreckers. Feel free to like the post as a "bring Khalil Mack back home" button. The Bills have done well in house, it's time to add the final touch, apply pressure a second earlier, force one more throw away, anything, and we'd be posting about very different things this week.

You do realize McD was also horrible in 2021’s AFC championship game too right? This was 2 years in a row. He hasn’t learned anything, Josh just gave him an all-time performance. And he still lost. 

[HomeTeam]

Guys, I know we are all hurting but there is no reason to start asking for coach McDermott to be fired. 

 

Criticism is fair but he's a heck of a coach and will continue to get better. He's already proven that he can grow. His willingness to go for it on fourth down this year is an example of that. 

 

Stay the course. 

 

I trust that Beane and company can have a good offseason and get us over the hump. 

[DuckyBoys]

feels like we have lost way too many games by playing scared at the end  Didnt we give up a third and forever with the same soft coverage two years ago in the playoffs that ended the game?  I'm not giving Beane a pass either  Lot of money and draft stock was throw into the defense and we still lack impact players upfront  Teams come in here worried about Josh not peeing their pants about facing Fraziers tampa 2 nonsense

[HomeskillitMoorman]

4 minutes ago, HomeTeam said:

Guys, I know we are all hurting but there is no reason to start asking for coach McDermott to be fired. 

 

Criticism is fair but he's a heck of a coach and will continue to get better. He's already proven that he can grow. His willingness to go for it on fourth down this year is an example of that. 

 

Stay the course. 

 

I trust that Beane and company can have a good offseason and get us over the hump. 

Some of you are acting like he’s a rookie head coach. This was his 5th year!!! 

 

People said he’d learn and grow from his terrible in-game decision making after last years loss to the Chiefs and now he just did it again!

 

We shouldn’t expect for a 5th year coach to know to pop up or squib a kick there or that there’s no point to defending the sidelines with 13 seconds when they have all 3 timeouts? I mean what are we talking about here? 

[extrahammer]

No other fan base is more misguided due to sports talk radio drivel than Buffalo. 

[FilthyBeast]

31 minutes ago, HomeTeam said:

Guys, I know we are all hurting but there is no reason to start asking for coach McDermott to be fired. 

 

Criticism is fair but he's a heck of a coach and will continue to get better. He's already proven that he can grow. His willingness to go for it on fourth down this year is an example of that. 

 

Stay the course. 

 

I trust that Beane and company can have a good offseason and get us over the hump. 

 

Everybody thought that after last year but this team's season ended the same way to the same team, albeit a game earlier in the playoffs.

 

And minus Allen playing like a man possessed in the playoffs, there was nothing about this team that was markedly improved in 2021 over 2020. Offensive line struggled most of the year before hitting stride late in the season. Singletary and Knox were better but that's about it.

 

The pass rush is still a major issue despite spending our top 2 draft picks on DE's last year. And as good as some of the guys in the back 7 play at times they disappear against good QB's.

 

But getting back to Beane, yes now is the time to be bold and make at least one big move to get this team over the hump and still think that has to be on the pass rush front after watching Mahomes and the Chiefs put up nearly 600 yards and 42 points against a fraud #1 overall defense. The blueprint has been there since the SB last year when Tampa destroyed KC and that's also why they didn't stand pat in the offseason and made big time changes as well.

 

 

[Success]

I brought it up on another thread, but Belichick had almost the same sequence in the 2018 AFCCG.

 

There were 38 seconds left in that one - but KC only had 1 timeout.  KC went from their own 31 to the New England 20 in 2 passes (and in 18 seconds), just like our game, and they kicked the tying FG.

 

The only difference was that NE won the OT coin toss.

 

[Magox]

12 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

That is not the way you run successful organisations. "Taking the blame" does not mean losing your job. That is not what real accountability looks like. The coaches messed the final 13 seconds up. That is not grounds for firing. And actually the bigger mistake of the two was not squibbing. Which is McDermott and Farwell. 

 

Okay, 12 years. QB prime these days is 28-36. 

What Marv is suggesting isn’t anything that resembles any football sense but rather a sacrificial offering to appease some fans. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

10 hours ago, oldmanfan said:

They are not beating the snot out of him.  He is a very big guy and he will learn to slide more as he gets older.

 

Well, that.

 

The other component is the beating QBs take in the pocket if they get (legally) hit or sacked.  Joe Burrow took a mind-numbing body-wrecking 51 sacks this season.   Josh Allen took half that, and even less as a % of plays (3.9 vs 8.9%).  As long as he gets out of bounds or gets down as much as possible, the difference in physical punishmen from standing in the pocket vs. running may be less than we think.

 

As Harbaugh said about Lamar Jackson "When he runs, he's in control".  Not 100% true, but more true than not.

 

 

[Heitz]

 

Quote

@AndrewSiciliano

Chiefs and Bills have played 3 games in the last 365 days. Kansas City 100 Buffalo 98

 

Interesting stat.  Should be a few less for KC...  

[Toyo321]

1 hour ago, HomeskillitMoorman said:

Some of you are acting like he’s a rookie head coach. This was his 5th year!!! 

 

People said he’d learn and grow from his terrible in-game decision making after last years loss to the Chiefs and now he just did it again!

 

We shouldn’t expect for a 5th year coach to know to pop up or squib a kick there or that there’s no point to defending the sidelines with 13 seconds when they have all 3 timeouts? I mean what are we talking about here? 

[extrahammer]

maybe the Bills curse is delusional fans who believe things like McDermott isn't a winner and sweet potatoes will will us to victory, I dunno. Highly doubt Jerry will write about that though. 

[John from Riverside]

Not clicking on that

[out]

I am finding it hard to believe that Frazier and McDermott  got on the head set and said" Lets let Kelce run free around the field till he catches the ball". I think they baited them into thinking there would be no containment and someone blew their coverage. 

Edited January 26, 2022 by tenderland

[97bills]

3 hours ago, HomeskillitMoorman said:

Some of you are acting like he’s a rookie head coach. This was his 5th year!!! 

 

People said he’d learn and grow from his terrible in-game decision making after last years loss to the Chiefs and now he just did it again!

 

We shouldn’t expect for a 5th year coach to know to pop up or squib a kick there or that there’s no point to defending the sidelines with 13 seconds when they have all 3 timeouts? I mean what are we talking about here? 

I no man it’s crazy, you sit here and think what happened and how could that be. Especially after listening to that video I mean someone on the Dline couldn’t point to kelce and say it’s coming to him. IDK man I just don’t no dame. 

[DrPJax]

18 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

Extremely fair and accurate accounting of the game, reflecting several key themes that have been ALL OVER this message board since the moment the game ended.

 

He has high praise of Allen, speaks of the folly of the current OT rule, and offers fair and accurate criticism of McDermott's playoff in-game management, which is not particularly strong.

 

He also correctly points out that the Pegulas will almost certainly not have any issues with McDermott...but perhaps someone should be asking if what McD brings to the table is enough to match Josh's promise.

 

I'm sure this won't stop an army of posters here from trashing Jerry and the column, despite never reading a word of it.

 

Such is the way of ignorance.

 

 

That last Jab to wade phillips was incorrect in an otherwise truthful article. Wade refused to fire his special teams coach and Ralph fired him in return. That’s hardly throwing your special teams coach under the bus.  Strange place to even go to in that article. Mcd needs to throw his D coordinator under the bus, and frankly the O coordinator had a strange and somewhat ineffective first half, stalling on several drives while throwing to Gilliam in the flat?

[JerseyBills]

18 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

Extremely fair and accurate accounting of the game, reflecting several key themes that have been ALL OVER this message board since the moment the game ended.

 

He has high praise of Allen, speaks of the folly of the current OT rule, and offers fair and accurate criticism of McDermott's playoff in-game management, which is not particularly strong.

 

He also correctly points out that the Pegulas will almost certainly not have any issues with McDermott...but perhaps someone should be asking if what McD brings to the table is enough to match Josh's promise.

 

I'm sure this won't stop an army of posters here from trashing Jerry and the column, despite never reading a word of it.

 

Such is the way of ignorance.

 

 

Very true. Especially the part about McD bringing enough to suit Allen. We'll see, we're right there. 

Imagine Allen with a Sean Payton though 

[Process]

Sully is a clown, but every single word of that article is 100% spot on

[newcam2012]

20 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

Extremely fair and accurate accounting of the game, reflecting several key themes that have been ALL OVER this message board since the moment the game ended.

 

He has high praise of Allen, speaks of the folly of the current OT rule, and offers fair and accurate criticism of McDermott's playoff in-game management, which is not particularly strong.

 

He also correctly points out that the Pegulas will almost certainly not have any issues with McDermott...but perhaps someone should be asking if what McD brings to the table is enough to match Josh's promise.

 

I'm sure this won't stop an army of posters here from trashing Jerry and the column, despite never reading a word of it.

 

Such is the way of ignorance.

 

 

Agree 100 % with you and Sullivan. Spot on and brutally fair. 

59 minutes ago, Process said:

Sully is a clown, but every single word of that article is 100% spot on

It's totally accurate. Just because you don't like him or what he said doesn't make it inaccurate. 

9 hours ago, FilthyBeast said:

 

I can't imagine Frazier is going to be with this team next year. If I had to guess they are waiting to see if he gets a HC gig, if not you'll see something about agreeing to 'mutually part ways'.

 

I like Frazier and his schemes are great against inexperienced and mediorce starting NFL QB's. But the body of work is there over the last 5 years that show when this team facings the elite QB's rarely does this defense hold up and it's simply inexcusable to allow nearly 600 yards of offense in such a high stakes game. Most astute fans knew all along the #1 ranking was as misleading as it gets and was validated on Sunday.

 

If McDermott is truly ready to evolve it's time for a different perspective on defense and there are more than enough qualified candidates outside the organization to fill that role.

Fangio please. The guy is a great defensive coordinator. Instant upgrade from Frazier. Fraizer's time has passed.