How long before a defense coordinator is signed?

[Beck Water]

8 hours ago, Limeaid said:

Clear Coach McDermott can provide input and evaluations to front office but a head coach is supposed not just be a more highly paid defense coordinator.

It has been a month (Leslie Frazier's stepping down was announced on February 23) and I expected to at least hear of interviews.

[ To those who want to bash Leslie Frazier there are already other threads and no need to repeat yourself unless you do not have self control to prevent it ]

Leslie taking "A year sabbatical" is an issue for Bills if his contract is guaranteed not due to his salary but because candidates may not want to be hired on a one year lame duck contract.  Even if they were offered multi-year contracts the new coach would not want to step down. 

 

Internal Candidates:

• Eric Washington - previously coached for Coach McD for 5 years and when he left he was DC for 2 years for Panthers
• Al Holcomb - previously coached for Coach McD for 4 years and when he left he went to Cardinals where he was DC for 1 year

 

Coach McD says he wants a more aggressive defense and the Cover 2 scheme he runs does not tend to be aggressive although it has been dialed up. Bills have some players who can be aggressive who are good at blitzing.

 

My preference would be an outside candidate and I advocated a senior defense assistant last year without experience with working with Coach McD to serve as counterpoint but that never occurred.

 

I have heard Mike Pettine being suggested by media who is assistant HC for Vikings but not any position coach but I doubt he would want to come back but he might with a different front office..

 

 

1.  I believe the Bills have already announced they will not hire anyone externally, so your preference for an external candidate is kind of irrelevant.

 

2. I was not a fan of Mike Pettine as a DC.  He was a "live by the blitz, die by the blitz" kind of guy which I feel is outdated for QB who can make decisions quickly and throw an accurate short pass to the defensive area the blitzer has vacated. 

 

3. McDermott's actual words were "more physical, nasty" not "more aggressive" defense.  I think this makes a difference.  To many people, an aggressive defense is a defense that, for example, blitzes more.  A more "physical, nasty" defense might be a defense that basically plays the same scheme but hits harder, jams receivers on the line, etc etc.

 

https://www.buffalobills.com/video/sean-mcdermott-more-physical-nasty-defense

Edited March 23, 2023 by Beck Water

[brianthomas]

2025. 2023 will be another lost season, but halfway thru we promote Washington to be DC, 2024 we run it back but with a new DC from outside the organization, & then 2025 is when we move on from McD & bring in a new HC & DC & OC.

That'd be what i hope doesnt happen, but we're not changing course & we're going backwards. Without changing course, in the absence of winning or advancing further in the playoffs the inevitable happens... i dont see what else we can do. Winning would fix all of this but it wont just happen by wanting it.

Something will need to change. The longer this goes on where we can't get over this hump, the more significant changes will need to come.

Hope this is all bs & wrong & that im still alive to see us win the SB one day

[Beck Water]

7 hours ago, Donuts and Doritos said:

Don't need a set coordinator, just have a bunch of guys do it. Just like NE Offense last year. It'll be fine.

 

Ha!  I did have that same thought. 

 

I think one difference, hopefully a significant one, is that of the guys who will be putting the defensive gameplan together (Holcomb, Washington, John Butler), two actually have experience as NFL DC's and all have extensive defensive coaching experience.

 

Whereas NE last year was a former DC and a former ST coordinator, neither with experience coaching a young QB or crafting an offense.  How Hard Could It Be?

[msw2112]

2 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

 

Which tells you everything you need to know about whose decision it was for Frazier to exit the building. He’s likely getting a paid to take a year off because he had another guaranteed year on his contract. In that case the Bills would have to pay him unless he took another coaching job, which would explain why he’s not jumping back into coaching this year. 

 

This sounds about right.  Frazier is a good man who is highly respected both within and outside of the organization, but it was time for a change.  This creates a more graceful way to move on from Frazier without having to fire him and it accounts for the contractual obligations too.  I also think that McDermott realizes that his seat could get very hot if the Bills don't advance farther in the playoffs soon, so he is putting the trust in himself to fix the defense.  Because he also has head coaching duties, Holcomb was brought on to help.

[Fleezoid]

Why do I get the feeling that the title of this offseason is, "Just put a band-aid on it. It'll be fine."

 

[BillsShredder83]

8 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

If I'm McDermott, it's time to think outside the box and step out of your comfort zone.

 

[PrimeTime101]

Hum the Jeopardy theme song 10000 times. There is your answer. 

[PS 56]

4 hours ago, Herb Nightly said:

It is possible this move was in the works BEFORE Holcomb got  hired.

Maybe they will let Frazier keep his DC title to save face,and Holcomb can work under HIS title.

That is as good a guess on this situation as any.  McDermott took over the defense once before during the season.  

[stinky finger]

10 hours ago, Doc Brown said:

If I'm McDermott, it's time to think outside the box and step out of your comfort zone.

 

[Sierra Foothills]

9 hours ago, JohnBonhamRocks said:

So he is… the McDC

 

Isn't that on the dollar menu? Regardless, don't call him McClappy... there are a few people around here that are very sensitive about that.

 

8 hours ago, Tenhigh said:

I wish we could bring in an offensive "assistant" to prop up Dorsey.  

 

There are 4 former Offensive Coordinators on the staff right now...  Rob Boras, Mike Shula, Aaron Kromer, and Joe Brady. There's plenty of offensive expertise in the building... Dorsey has to figure out how to blend the talents of all of these coaches.

 

6 hours ago, Beck Water said:

I think one difference, hopefully a significant one, is that of the guys who will be putting the defensive gameplan together (Holcomb, Washington, John Butler), two actually have experience as NFL DC's and all have extensive defensive coaching experience.

 

Same as with the offense, it's likely that the expertise and talent exists within the current coaching staff. It's a matter of McDermott soliciting feedback from his coaches channeling their ideas at the right times.

 

[skibum]

You have to think that having no DC plan for a month does not help their chances of signing top free agent defensive talent. Does Bobby Wagner want to sign with a team not knowing what the deal is, if he has other offers where things were more settled?

[BigAl2526]

Designing a game plan will be a collaborative effort IMO.  I expect McDermott will be the primary defensive play caller, but will have help in the booth.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

McDermott is already under contract

 

 

[Richard Noggin]

Funny how the OP broadly throws shade on HCs who would run their defenses, yet ignores how much the league celebrates HCs who run their OFFENSES. 

 

Almost like this isn't a completely objective perspective. 

[MJS]

Nobody ever said Frazier would be back next year. His contract was up anyway.

 

This was in the works for awhile, in my opinion. Bills let Frazier know they weren't renewing his contract but wanted to give him a way to walk out on his own terms, and heck, taking a year off from coaching sounds nice anyway. He won't be back in Buffalo.

 

Plenty of head coaches call the plays on their side of the ball. This is no different with McDermott.

Edited March 24, 2023 by MJS

[Buffalo Super Fan]

22 hours ago, Limeaid said:

Clear Coach McDermott can provide input and evaluations to front office but a head coach is supposed not just be a more highly paid defense coordinator.

It has been a month (Leslie Frazier's stepping down was announced on February 23) and I expected to at least hear of interviews.

[ To those who want to bash Leslie Frazier there are already other threads and no need to repeat yourself unless you do not have self control to prevent it ]

Leslie taking "A year sabbatical" is an issue for Bills if his contract is guaranteed not due to his salary but because candidates may not want to be hired on a one year lame duck contract.  Even if they were offered multi-year contracts the new coach would not want to step down. 

 

Internal Candidates:

• Eric Washington - previously coached for Coach McD for 5 years and when he left he was DC for 2 years for Panthers
• Al Holcomb - previously coached for Coach McD for 4 years and when he left he went to Cardinals where he was DC for 1 year

 

Coach McD says he wants a more aggressive defense and the Cover 2 scheme he runs does not tend to be aggressive although it has been dialed up. Bills have some players who can be aggressive who are good at blitzing.

 

My preference would be an outside candidate and I advocated a senior defense assistant last year without experience with working with Coach McD to serve as counterpoint but that never occurred.

 

I have heard Mike Pettine being suggested by media who is assistant HC for Vikings but not any position coach but I doubt he would want to come back but he might with a different front office..

 

Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott can say whatever he wants but if he doesn’t get to the Super Bowl this season I wouldn’t be surprised that the Bills show Sean McDermott the door for Leslie Frazier the Bills new head coach in 2024. I think sitting out a year is a good thing for Leslie Frazier because Sean McDermott is all in now. There is no excuses or anyone else to blame but himself Sean McDermott good luck. Same deal with Buffalo Sabres head coach Don Granato if he doesn’t make the playoffs in 2023-24 he will join Sean McDermott on the unemployment line in my opinion. Go Bills! Go Sabres! Let’s Go Buffalo 

Edited March 24, 2023 by Buffalo Super Fan

[Big Turk]

18 hours ago, brianthomas said:

2025. 2023 will be another lost season, but halfway thru we promote Washington to be DC, 2024 we run it back but with a new DC from outside the organization, & then 2025 is when we move on from McD & bring in a new HC & DC & OC.

That'd be what i hope doesnt happen, but we're not changing course & we're going backwards. Without changing course, in the absence of winning or advancing further in the playoffs the inevitable happens... i dont see what else we can do. Winning would fix all of this but it wont just happen by wanting it.

Something will need to change. The longer this goes on where we can't get over this hump, the more significant changes will need to come.

Hope this is all bs & wrong & that im still alive to see us win the SB one day

 

You have no idea that's true. It's all speculation. This doesn't mean we are moving backwards, we could very well be better than last year in the playoffs, the only place it matters anymore.

[frostbitmic]

No matter who they bless with the title of DC, this will 100% be McDermott's baby. McClappy will be making the McCalls on defense and it'll be McTacular.

[BillsVet]

On 3/23/2023 at 11:48 AM, msw2112 said:

This sounds about right.  Frazier is a good man who is highly respected both within and outside of the organization, but it was time for a change.  This creates a more graceful way to move on from Frazier without having to fire him and it accounts for the contractual obligations too.  I also think that McDermott realizes that his seat could get very hot if the Bills don't advance farther in the playoffs soon, so he is putting the trust in himself to fix the defense.  Because he also has head coaching duties, Holcomb was brought on to help.

 

I see it differently.  McD couldn't fire the DC he hired in 2017 who'd been on the job 6 seasons without looking like he was throwing someone under the bus.    Especially a guy who's liked in NFL circles, though will be 64 this year.  It wouldn't surprise me if the Bills pay him this year on his "sabbatical" then allow and out to find another job in 2024.    

 

That transition keeps McD clean, gives the HC even more operational control over his beloved defense, McD can groom someone on the job, and McD does Frazier a favor.  McD is more political behind the scenes than people recognize or give him credit for.  Also doesn't hurt because it's abundant that McD gets whatever he wants to staff his defense...firing the DC after all the investment there really reflects poorly on the dominant voice in the room and his defensive preference.     

 

[Saint Doug]

My inside source says Frazier will be calling the defense plays from his couch at home.