Exactly what does the Head Coach do????

[MJS]

5 minutes ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Not a single thread after the Cincy game.

 

I'm not knee jerk, just commenting on what I see during games.

 

I do understand what coaches do, not so sure McD is that good at it.  

 

Is he good at in game calls?

 

Challenge flags?

 

In game adjustments?

 

Drafting?

 

Spending money of the Offensive side of the ball?

 

Playoff success?

 

Results vs. top tier qb's?

Half the things you just mentioned are the GM's responsibilities.

 

The head coach is like the COO of an organization. Firstly, they build the program. They build the coaching staff, including hiring the offensive and defensive coordinators. They decide the fundamental aspects of the team, such as style of offense and defense, aggressiveness, adherence to analytics, etc.

 

They are involved in game planning on both sides of the ball (including tons of film study). They decide the practice schedule. They evaluate the development of players and help determine rosters and the depth chart. They hold coordinators, other coaches, and players accountable.

 

They also provide leadership and motivation, and help spur certain players to take up leadership roles on the field and in the lockerroom.

 

On game days, they are there to watch the clock, see that game plans are followed, provide direction to coordinators when needed, constantly gauge the pulse of the team and provide leadership and motivation when needed, and to be involved in key situations and ultimately make the right call. They also converse with officials to understand how the game is going to be called and make that known to the coaches and players. They throw the challenge flags.

 

McDermott specifically has been poor at challenges, but he is one of the top coaches in the league at following analytics and making the proper situational calls (despite what clueless fans claim). He has a key, unfortunate choke with the 13 seconds debacle that is seriously hurting his record, but for the most part, he does a good job on game days (outside of challenges).

 

I think Frazier is the problem on defense. McDermott has taken play calling away from him multiple times, and it almost always instantly improves the defense and provides a spark. That says to me that McDermott is covering up some of Frazier's poor performance as a coordinator, since McDermott is such a good defensive mind. McDemott trusts his coordinators too much, I think.

 

People have been calling for his head for years now. If you don't see that here, you simply haven't been reading many posts.

[Dopey]

2 hours ago, todd said:

Let the whining and undervaluing of overall leadership begin!

It actually started when we started winning “ugly “.  First there were people who complained we couldn’t win close games. Now it’s “we’re winning, but it’s ugly”. 

[Greybeard]

     I have wondered this for at least 20 years.  I think the results would be better if you get a head coach that is a good organizer, maybe on the cheap,  and then hire, overpay, the best OC and DC your can get.  I would think the OC and DC are more important to your game than the head coach.

[Solomon Grundy]

2 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

And they work 18 hours a day watching game film.

I need video confirmation!! 

Edited February 2, 2023 by Solomon Grundy

[Bob Jones]

1 minute ago, Dopey said:

It actually started when we started winning “ugly “.  First there were people who complained we couldn’t win close games. Now it’s “we’re winning, but it’s ugly”. 

The problem is that when you're "winning ugly" vs crappy teams, you get exposed, and beat down, when you play good teams. I think you probably already know this. 😉

[Billsfan1972]

3 minutes ago, Bob Jones said:

The problem is that when you're "winning ugly" vs crappy teams, you get exposed, and beat down, when you play good teams. I think you probably already know this. 😉

No we were told a win is a win.  I remember too how impressed people were with the first NE game and calling that a decisive game and signature win.  It was a tough watch from the second half of the GB game.

[jethro_tull]

3 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

I'm really at a loss when it comes to reading threads & posts here about McDermott.

 

While no one is demanding his job (though they do annually with McCarthy in Dallas), and neither am I, there hasn't been a single thread calling him out here.

 

The majority here want Frazier gone and many are questioning Dorsey after one year on the job.

 

But I'm at a complete loss on what McDermott does as the HC and what his responsibilities are.

 

Please no more Culture, Attitude & Process😉.  I want to know seriously what is his job and has he done a good one?

 

We have many here too pointing at him being responsible for the draft and the Bills choices to go heavy on defense.

 

He is responsible for in game decisions and again I ask how would you grade him there?

 

I've been told Frazier runs McD's defense.  So who was responsible for 13 seconds?

 

We know the ST coach was fired & still not sure why it wasn't a squib or angled kick (as I screamed at my TV January 2022).

 

Last three playoff losses the defense allowed over 1400 yards and offenses to do whatever they wanted against the Bills defense.  Do you know they allowed 29,30 & 30 first downs those last three games (btw vs. NE in the no punt game the Bills had 29)?

 

Go back to the Houston loss too and how they bungled that game.

 

I've gone over the Cincy game and ask who was responsible for the Defensive game plan, especially the first quarter (where most offenses are scripted) and Cincy did exactly the same as 3 weeks prior walking up and down the field and the Bills seemed utterly unprepared.

 

I then blame Dorsey when somehow the game was still in reach at 17-7 and the Bills are first & 10 at the Bengals 39 with timeouts and one minute left in the half and blow it and then after taking the third quarter kick and first & goal at the 8 three more lousy plays and the game was lost there.

 

All year I saw so little creativity on offense and well we know McD isn't an offensive minded coach so I guess we can't blame him on that side of the ball.  Is that how it works?

 

There are plenty of coaches who seem to take the fall or are blamed when things go bad/sideways, but McD seems to skate.

 

Look I have warmed on McD over the years, and think he has improved, but this was the Superbowl favourite the entire year with Allen as the QB, but I still see so many warts and he to me seems to be the "Teflon Don" of coaches. 

roster influence and management.

assistant coaching staff management and supervision.

player coaching and development.

practice session agenda and management.

game plan preparation.

game plan development.

game roster management.

game management.  

 

[Dopey]

2 minutes ago, Bob Jones said:

The problem is that when you're "winning ugly" vs crappy teams, you get exposed, and beat down, when you play good teams. I think you probably already know this. 😉

There is no problem with winning. None. We won close games vs. crappy, teams, good teams and playoff teams. That’s what I know. 😉
This board keeps moving the goalposts. Complain about one thing , to find you were wrong. So let’s look for something else, cuz we didn’t win the SB. The poster I replied to was spot in about whinny posts and I agreed in my post. Nothing’s changed. 

[Billsfan1972]

3 minutes ago, jethro_tull said:

roster influence and management.

assistant coaching staff management and supervision.

player coaching and development.

practice session agenda and management.

game plan preparation.

game plan development.

game roster management.

game management.  

 

And how does McD rate on those?

[Gugny]

2 minutes ago, Billsfan1972 said:

And how does McD rate on those?

 

Poorly

[Dopey]

6 minutes ago, Billsfan1972 said:

No we were told a win is a win.  I remember too how impressed people were with the first NE game and calling that a decisive game and signature win.  It was a tough watch from the second half of the GB game.

Watching Rex’s performance was hard to watch. This season was fun to me. Another AFCE championship. To me, winning a SB starts with winning the division. JMO. 
I know, I know, we still haven’t won a SB. If it comes great. It’s not a guarantee. Too many fell for the preseason hype. That’s your bad. I loved all 14 wins. The fact that people like you don’t like those wins…sucks…for you. I would bet $1k the staff feels the same. 

Scoffing at 14 wins. Incredible!

“but they weren’t blow outs!” 😩 

Hooe the offseason treats you all better. 

[Billsfan1972]

2 hours ago, Dopey said:

Watching Rex’s performance was hard to watch. This season was fun to me. Another AFCE championship. To me, winning a SB starts with winning the division. JMO. 
I know, I know, we still haven’t won a SB. If it comes great. It’s not a guarantee. Too many fell for the preseason hype. That’s your bad. I loved all 14 wins. The fact that people like you don’t like those wins…sucks…for you. I would bet $1k the staff feels the same. 

Scoffing at 14 wins. Incredible!

“but they weren’t blow outs!” 😩 

Hooe the offseason treats you all better. 

So Rex was 7-7 his final year (with Tyrod at QB) going into week 16 and a chance for the playoffs.  They blew it big time in OT.  And Rex is a disaster.

 

The next year the Bills go 9-7 and get a miracle play from Andy Dalton to make the playoffs and now McD is a genius and a saviour.

 

They then drafted Allen (and yes traded for Diggs) and that has been the difference maker.  Nothing else imo.

 

A team that was the SB favourite struggled much of the second half of the season and many games were downright sloppy.  It was good they played vs. Brissett, Wilson, Jones, Fields and others down the stretch.  The offense too looked disjointed.  Glad you enjoyed the season.

Edited February 2, 2023 by Billsfan1972

[Rocky Landing]

3 hours ago, Bob Jones said:

Great post. Can't wait to hear from the McD apologists. 🙄

McD brought this team out of a seventeen-year playoff drought that ended with the disaster of Rex Ryan, and turned it into a perennial playoff contender. If that sounds like an apology to you, then I guess I'm one of the apologists.

[papazoid]

- sets the culture of team -  A+

- prepare players for the game, motivating, clapping - A+

- calling timeouts  - F

- throwing challenge flags - F

- argue with the refs about calls/rules - D

- roster influence and management - B (who knows, everything is collaborative,  bills do have more talent than most)

- assistant coaching staff management and supervision - D (vs high powered offenses, he either hasn't taught Frazier a thing or is complicit in his tactics)

- player coaching and development - C ( is he responsible for Daboll's success or was daboll already great before he got here ?)

- practice session agenda and management - F.....most every team who gives all the Reps to first team only is wacked.  

- game plan preparation. - B - who knows, but hard to argue a team that goes 13-3 had poor preparation

- game management  - D - he acts more like a cheerleader than someone who is giving critical in the moment input to his OC , DC & ST 

[Freddie's Dead]

Awesome in the regular season, chokes in the playoffs.

[John from Riverside]

4 hours ago, Bob Jones said:

Great post. Can't wait to hear from the McD apologists. 🙄

McDermott apologist here they are basically cat wranglers
 

If you have a good system, then the offenses and defensive coordinators have autonomy to run their systems which McDermott gives

[benderbender]

The state of doubt/polarization in the fanbase comes from no official explanation from the front office for 13 seconds, combined with no accountability for the lack of preparation for Cincinnati.

[PBF81]

4 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

Overall performance is on the Head Coach and the General Manager. They are the ones who built this flawed roster and they are the ones responsible for some of the flawed strategies that we saw employed. 

 

I am not yet at the point where I am firing a regime that has won 41 games regular and post season in the past 3 years and has strong underpinning analytics to. But they own the failures and there comes a point (and while I think it is slightly reactionary I understand some being there) when those failures in the clutch override all of the analytics and the wins. 

 

I am not for firing coordinators as scapegoats either, consistent with my position. This on Sean and Brandon for good and for bad.

 

I posted this in another thread about Tim Graham's statements just now ...

 

------------

 

If giving up on Beane and/or McDermott isn't the answer, then what's the question?  

 

What's the standard of Bills football?  

 

After all, the owners surely view it as a business, as do the coaches and players.  But the fans aren't allowed to consider it a business too?   Again, it' be one thing if they were handing out complimentary tickets to games, but they aren't.  And the prices for the new stadium include PSLs (not business?) and skyrocketing ticket prices.  Are fans to treat it as charity?  

If the standard is the "Last 20 Years," where we've averaged 6.6 Wins since 2000, the first year of our playoff drought, then sure, I suppose it's not the answer.  

 

But if reaching and winning a Super Bowl is, then it likely is.  

 

As a refresher, Frasier, who should have been improving during his time here, has allowed over the past 5 playoff games the following average metrics:  

 

31 Points Against us per game 

25 Completions per game

40 Passing Attempts per game

... for 279 Passing Yards per game 

2.2 Passing TDs per game 

4 INTs in all 5 playoff games, all four against NE (2) and MIA (2), none against Cinci or KC 

25 carries for 120 Rushing Yards per game 

1.2 Rushing TDs/game 

388 Total Yards 

31 of 63 3rd-Down conversions (49.2%) total in all five games 

7 of 8 4th-Down conversions (87.5%) total in all five games 

25 1st-Downs per game allowed 

2.2 Sacks/game generated 

1 Fumble Recovery in all five games  

 

I would imagine that the YPP allowed blows too.  Can get that if we really want, but this paints all the picture we need of our illustrious playoff defense.  

 

Going down that list, those numbers would rank as such in regular season stats:  

 

DFL, 31st, DFL, DFL, DFL, 18th, 15th, 27th, 30th, DFL, DFL, DFL, 22nd, and 31st.  

 

So in case it's not obvious, as soon as we've gotten to the playoffs, our defense goes from #1 ranked or near there to NFL worst.  That's not McDermott, Beane, or Frasier??  

 

McDermott is obviously a part of that.  So is Beane considering that 9 of his 14 day 1 & 2 draft picks have been on defense, and that his last three 1st-rounders were all defense, and 4 of his last 5 1st-rounders defense, with his only non-defense 1st-rounder having been Allen five drafts ago.  They've also been D-heavy in free-agency.  

 

So perspective is relevant here.   And what's the defense going to be like when, as now, they need to start putting those day 1 & 2 resources to offense?  

 

In short, if the bar is "The Last 20 Years," then there's cause for continued celebration.  

 

If not however, the above defensive performances are never going to get us there.  Keep in mind that Frasier has regressed as such, despite, according to him and McBeane, having better talent.  Everyone's obviously going to draw their own conclusion.  

2 hours ago, Lost said:

This particular instance of him clapping was just after his defense gave up a 1st down on 3 and 19.

 

31 of 63 3rd-Down conversions (49.2%) total in all of our last 5 playoff games 

7 of 8 4th-Down conversions (87.5%) total in all of our last five playoff games 

25 1st-Downs per game allowed 

 

Those first two would rank DFL during the regular season, and by no small margin.  

[PBF81]

53 minutes ago, Billsfan1972 said:

So Rex was 7-7 his final year (with Tyrod at QB) going into week 16 and a chance for the playoffs.  They blew it big time in OT.  And Rex is a disaster.

 

The next year the Bills go 9-7 and get a miracle play from Andy Dalton to make the playoffs and now McD is a genius and a saviour.

 

The drafted Allen (and yes traded for Diggs) and that has been the difference maker.  Nothing else imo.

 

A team that was the SB favourite struggled much of the second half of the season and many games were downright sloppy.  It was good they played vs. Brissett, Wilson, Jones, Fields and others down the stretch.  The offense too looked disjointed.  Glad you enjoyed the season.

 

Well, a couple of thoughts here.  There are reasons why we were in the running for most dysfunctional team during that stretch.  It should hardly be the bar by which future coaches are measured however.  

 

Secondly, is that then the standard, merely "making the playoffs" despite routinely being beaten by the better teams in them, ... while allowing a team led by Skylar Thompson, in our own house, to nearly beat us?  

 

I'm not telling anyone what their standard should be, if that's your standard, then great.  Mine's a little higher though, and as I point out, they're not giving us complementary tickets, we're on the paying end of this business relationship.  And our expense sheet is about to get a whole lot heavier once that new stadium is built.  

 

Despite this conversation, there is the likely possibility that while perhaps good, again, depending upon definitions, that McD, Beane, Frasier, etc. are not great and not capable of getting us to the Super Bowl much less winning one. 

 

People can argue all they want on this, but that is a looming possibility, and I'm not quite sure what else explains our Defense, the unit that we've by far put the greatest resources into both draft and free-agency, going from 1st or near 1st during the regular season to statistically DFL once we get to the playoffs.  It's obviously not the players/roster, because they don't change like that.  

[folz]

4 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

I'm really at a loss when it comes to reading threads & posts here about McDermott.

 

While no one is demanding his job, and neither am I, there hasn't been a single thread calling him out here.

 

 

You must be joking, right? I have pretty much stayed away from the board since the Cincy loss because of all of the negativity (just peak in here and there), and yet I have still seen tons of posts calling out McDermott and many saying it is time to move on/fire him, or at least saying he should be on the hot seat, or analyzing the mistakes he's made, or what he did wrong. You, yourself, have been calling out McDermott pretty consistently.

 

This just seems like a thinly-veiled "Fire McDermott" or "I don't like McDermott" rehash thread.

 

And the "neither am I" in bold, red font makes me think of Shakespeare. "The lady doth protest too much, methinks"