Thanks coach McDermott… you’re one of the best coaches in the game.

[JohnNord]

8 hours ago, Dopey said:

From 20 year losers to regular division winners and SB contenders. 
Here ya go newcam2012, PBF81 and the like, flame away. I noticed a trend a while ago here. Any attempt at a positive thread MUST be shot down by negative Nancies. Hey Einstein, are the Bengals still better than the Bills? Thing is we’ve read your negative crap already. We know! We get it! You guys make this board a ***** place IMO. Go get laid or something. Life is awesome and it sucks that people like me stay away from this place to come  back a few weeks later and the same vocal group is writing the same 💩 as weeks ago. From what I read, Allen is the only good thing we have going for us. Last thought: you guys suck and it feels like you’re taking this site with you. Enjoy. 

McDermott is a very coach.  His record speaks for itself.

[LABILLBACKER]

33 minutes ago, Rigotz said:

I’m going to try to be as kind and objective as possible in this response.

 

It’s ok to appreciate McDermott for getting us out of the drought and being a GOOD coach, while not bowing down to him like he’s an ELITE coach.

 

Brandon Beane has proven that he is an elite GM.

Josh Allen has proven that he is an elite QB.

 

McDermott has had some questionable performances when it matters most. He’s a defensive coach and his defenses have failed when it matters most.

 

I used to love McDermott and think he was on his way to be the greatest ever, but he’s shown some weakness. That’s just a fact. I’m rooting for him to evolve and turn it around and hopefully he will. If not, we need an elite coach to go with our elite QB and GM to get this thing done.

....and here's the winning response!

[Sierra Foothills]

Again, it's too early to pass judgement on McDermott.

 

He's entering his 7th season as an NFL Head Coach.

 

You would all be well-advised to withhold judgement.

 

 

[Eastport bills]

I like McDermott as much as the next guy. He has brought a culture of commitment to team and giving maximum effort. He also has much to prove in the area of game day decisions and defensive game planning vs the best offenses in the playoffs. I think removing Frazier was a huge positive and puts him right on the griddle to be responsible for success or failure. Let’s see what he can do.

[JerseyBills]

8 hours ago, NewEra said:

I think McDermott is on the hot seat. 
 

He’s not an elite HC.  He’s a good to very good coach. 
 

He needs to get this team over the hump.  If he doesn’t do that within 2 years, depending on the circumstances (mainly injuries), he should probably be replaced.  He’ll then be hired immediately and turn around another franchise.  Why? Because he’s a good-very good HC.  
 

I don’t put last years season on McD.  Not in the least. The injuries and circumstances of the season were too much to overcome last year.  I thought McD did a great job keeping things together until the Cinci game.  I do put the two previous KC playoffs losses directly in his head. He was slaughtered in the first matchup and made the biggest coaching blunder in team history in the second.  The Bills have also outplayed the chiefs in head to head games 2 of 3 games since then (13 seconds was bad.  I thought we deserved to win but we didn’t really outplay them). 
 

that’s the reality. The guys mentioned in the post tell a lot of half truths.  They seem to rant a lot and don’t see both sides of what they say.  There is some truth to a lot of what they post but they’re blinded by their frustration and don’t look at the entire picture and refuse to think there are other ways to see this.  

 

 

But who would we replace him with ? Not many, if any great coaches out there. In the last 15 years every SB winning coach had more experience than McD besides McVay and Pederson

 I just think his leash is way longer.. 

 

And then you have to consider Beane in that conversation as well. To me his greatest feat is taking that 2017 team to the playoffs. For such a bad roster, they certainly bought in and played to their maximum potential,  I think that's what he provides as a coach, having guys reach their maximum potential and wouldn't be easily replaced 

[NewEra]

10 minutes ago, JerseyBills said:

But who would we replace him with ? Not many, if any great coaches out there. In the last 15 years every SB winning coach had more experience than McD besides McVay and Pederson

 I just think his leash is way longer.. 

 

And then you have to consider Beane in that conversation as well. To me his greatest feat is taking that 2017 team to the playoffs. For such a bad roster, they certainly bought in and played to their maximum potential,  I think that's what he provides as a coach, having guys reach their maximum potential and wouldn't be easily replaced 

Need to do more research and we need to see the next two- three seasons unfold.  Every year, there are new quality coaching candidates.  Coordinators and successful ex coaches.  Right now, Ben Johnson would be my choice.  
 

That said, I think there’s a good chance that we win a Super Bowl in the next few years with McD.  But if he doesn’t….. and he loses in poor  fashion…. It’ll be a real discussion.  
 

if Josh allen is in year 8 or 9 with no Lombardi, it’ll be 💩 or get off the pot time. 
 

I think he’s tied with Beane and they’d both have to go.  I can’t see Beane firing McD.  We’ve been contenders for 3 seasons.  Another 3 without a title would probably cause a lot of desperation within the locker room imo

[Einstein]

33 minutes ago, JerseyBills said:

But who would we replace him with ? Not many, if any great coaches out there.

 

Brian Daboll would have been a great candidate.

[hondo in seattle]

2 hours ago, Rigotz said:

I’m going to try to be as kind and objective as possible in this response.

 

It’s ok to appreciate McDermott for getting us out of the drought and being a GOOD coach, while not bowing down to him like he’s an ELITE coach.

 

Brandon Beane has proven that he is an elite GM.

Josh Allen has proven that he is an elite QB.

 

McDermott has had some questionable performances when it matters most. He’s a defensive coach and his defenses have failed when it matters most.

 

I used to love McDermott and think he was on his way to be the greatest ever, but he’s shown some weakness. That’s just a fact. I’m rooting for him to evolve and turn it around and hopefully he will. If not, we need an elite coach to go with our elite QB and GM to get this thing done.

 

Beane is good but I don't know if he's elite.  Other than Josh, Beane's drafting has been just okay.  

 

Beane's been better in free agency.  But McD helps there.  McD turned this team into a winner and Buffalo into a place where players want to play.  

 

Even so, I've seen football publications rate our roster anywhere from 3rd to 8th best.  In other words, it's not championship caliber.  Not this season.  Not any season.  Yet people want to fire McD for not bringing home a Lombardi.  I find it odd.  

[PBF81]

10 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

In fairness to @PBF81 - he did that with me for the most part a few weeks ago. I don't think his position moved at all, but the majority of his posts in a back and forth did at least try and engage with the debate. But I think he thinks I am a massive homer. Which anyone who has been around here for the decade that I have been will know is far from the truth. 

 

I don't think that you're a massive homer at all.  FWIW  

 

I do think that you lean towards the more patient however.  I lean towards the less patient.  We've both stated our reasons as to why.  ... and for right or wrong both.  

 

 

[newcam2012]

10 hours ago, Chicken Boo said:

I actually applaud posters like newcam2012, PBF81, etc. They don't follow the herd and can actually see the forest for the trees.  

 

McDermott has done a great job in helping to build this franchise to where it is today, but soon it's going get to a point where just making the playoffs isn't good enough.

 

I'm sure the players love him, but Bucs players loved Tony Dungy in 2000 as well.  

Appreciate that. I know my views are often unpopular and often wrong. Often, I jump to conclusions too early. I suspect this is the case with McD. I know he's a solid coach. I know he deserves more time to get over the hump. Yet, I can't get over his failures in the playoffs.  The last two have been piercing and painful. With that said, I do stand behind my convictions. Others have rightly pointed out my wrongs or thinking errors. I truly welcome construction criticism.

 

I am well aware that my negativity is often over the top. I apologize for that because I don't want to contribute to making this forum less enjoyable for others. I don't have that kind of power or influence anyway.

 

I'm not here to troll anyone or just say things to create controversy. I really do believe what I say as crazy as that sounds. 

 

Lastly, the board is best when there's various degrees of differing opinions. People sharing their thoughts even in disagreement is a beautiful thing. 

[JerseyBills]

1 hour ago, Einstein said:

 

Brian Daboll would have been a great candidate.

We shall see . The conference is awful, they did beat a 13 win team but the Vikes had the most 1 score games in the league 

 

Our game vs them is a perfect example

[SinceThe70s]

7 hours ago, Bulldog said:

I used to play golf on a regular basis too - that turned out to be a very frustrating game to me - so I stopped playing it - because I stopped enjoying it. 

 

I intend to always remain a Bills fan - & enjoying the ride wherever it leads each season. 

 

 

This comparison resonates with me 100%. I grew up with parents that were golfers and got pretty damn good at driving a golf ball. Drifted away from the game and when I came back my swing was lost and  every time out was infuriating  - to the point that I realized I was spending my discretionary time on something aggravating.  So I stopped playing.

 

I've also spent a lifetime rooting for teams (Bills. Mets, Islanders) whose bad times have far out-weighed their good times. and like you I intend to always remain a Bills/Mets/Isles fan - & enjoying the ride wherever it leads each season.  Funny thing is a few of my closest friends like the same teams and they are in the rant/hate mode - yet they still root for the team. I don't get it, to each their own but seems like a poor use of discretionary time.  

[newcam2012]

11 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

I'm okay with McD being Dungy.  In the playoffs every year.  Won a Lombardi.  

Not saying You are wrong but that's where we disagree. I'm at the point where making the playoffs and losing early is disappointing. Maybe my standards for the team are too high? 

[newcam2012]

10 hours ago, NewEra said:

I think McDermott is on the hot seat. 
 

He’s not an elite HC.  He’s a good to very good coach. 
 

He needs to get this team over the hump.  If he doesn’t do that within 2 years, depending on the circumstances (mainly injuries), he should probably be replaced.  He’ll then be hired immediately and turn around another franchise.  Why? Because he’s a good-very good HC.  
 

I don’t put last years season on McD.  Not in the least. The injuries and circumstances of the season were too much to overcome last year.  I thought McD did a great job keeping things together until the Cinci game.  I do put the two previous KC playoffs losses directly in his head. He was slaughtered in the first matchup and made the biggest coaching blunder in team history in the second.  The Bills have also outplayed the chiefs in head to head games 2 of 3 games since then (13 seconds was bad.  I thought we deserved to win but we didn’t really outplay them). 
 

that’s the reality. The guys mentioned in the post tell a lot of half truths.  They seem to rant a lot and don’t see both sides of what they say.  There is some truth to a lot of what they post but they’re blinded by their frustration and don’t look at the entire picture and refuse to think there are other ways to see this.  

 

 

Really solid post. The last paragraph is really eye opening. I don't disagree. Hopefully, I can grow and learn from it. 

 

Thanks for the post. 

10 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

 

There is truth to this to. And in fact they jump in to threads to make the same points over and over again where there is only a tangential link to what they want to say... almost as a counter to anyone saying anything positive. So much so in fact that one of the poster referred to jumped into a thread to argue with me the other day that I was making excuses for the Bills v Cincinnati by talking about injuries. Unfortunately for him my post was nothing to do with the Bills, or the Bengals for that matter, it was about the reason the Rams went from SB Champs to chumps... which was largely injury related. Just shows they are so keen to jump in with the "yea but" that they often haven't really engaged with the debate. 

 

The board in my 10 years of membership tends to swing different ways. We are definitely in a "negative" phase at the moment with some repeat offenders. Go back 3 or 4 years and we had a "homer" phase. Neither are great. People should be able to actually engage with the discussion without just regurgitating the narrative. In fairness to @PBF81 - he did that with me for the most part a few weeks ago. I don't think his position moved at all, but the majority of his posts in a back and forth did at least try and engage with the debate. But I think he thinks I am a massive homer. Which anyone who has been around here for the decade that I have been will know is far from the truth. 

Sorry Gunner that was me.

 

I respect your views on here a lot. I always look forward to your input. It has mostly served to ground some of my negativity. 

[schoolhouserock]

3 hours ago, LABILLBACKER said:

Well said Boo...Great man, great at process...culture...player relationships etc.  He just kinda sucks at playoff game day strategy. Just like Levy did.  

Marv Levy was still 11-8 in the playoffs despite never winning the big one. That’s a lot of winning playoff ball.

[newcam2012]

9 hours ago, NewEra said:

KC was better-  i agree.  I put it on Mcdermott and his staff for not having his team ready to play that game.  They were completely out coached and did a poor job.   Regardless of if who was the better team- the coaching staff failed that day. 
 

Spags >> Dabs for sure….. but our defense was equally as bad that day-  2 guys destroyed us.  We couldn’t come close to containing one of them- 22 catches 290 2 TD.  Everyone else 7-35-  gotta be able to limit one of those guys. Which we did the next time we played them. 
 

Great coaching can overcome having lesser talent.  Just as it did in the Super Bowl last season.  Philly had the best roster imo.  

F

 

9 hours ago, NewEra said:

KC was better-  i agree.  I put it on Mcdermott and his staff for not having his team ready to play that game.  They were completely out coached and did a poor job.   Regardless of if who was the better team- the coaching staff failed that day. 
 

Spags >> Dabs for sure….. but our defense was equally as bad that day-  2 guys destroyed us.  We couldn’t come close to containing one of them- 22 catches 290 2 TD.  Everyone else 7-35-  gotta be able to limit one of those guys. Which we did the next time we played them. 
 

Great coaching can overcome having lesser talent.  Just as it did in the Super Bowl last season.  Philly had the best roster imo.  

Fantastic post! 

[90sBills]

9 hours ago, NewEra said:

And Andy Reid.  And Spags.  
 

last I saw, Mahomes didn’t hold the Philly offense to 11 points in the 2nd half.  Sure, his great play helped, but he was also throwing to wide open targets schemed open by the coaches. 
 
if Mahomes had Mcdermott and Frazier on his sideline instead of Reid and Spags for that game he’d have one less Super Bowl ring.  Along with 1 less Super Bowl appearance.  

agree to disagree.  

And if Mahomes hadn’t shown up in KC Reid would still be known as a good coach that can’t win the big one and probably retired by now.

[newcam2012]

6 hours ago, Einstein said:

 

Exactly. Which is why I give McDermott less credit than some.

 

It's the QB. Always has been.

 

If the QB is good, and the team around him is not a complete dumpster fire, the team will be good. If the QB is bad, the team around him won't be good. 

 

This shows that a coach, at best, makes a marginal difference.

 

That being said, I believe that the difference in coaching presents itself to a greater degree, in the playoffs. When it's win or go home, no second chances, every tiny minutiae of the game is vital. THAT is where a great coach shows his mettle. Unfortunately, that is also where McDermott continuously fails. 

Bingo!

[newcam2012]

4 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

It’s a lot more than just Tyrod Taylor

 

The organization and culture was a mess for 17 years

 

Do you live in Western New York? Buffalo? Because if you do the disorganization and terrible culture was felt throughout the region during the drought

 

McDermott changed One bills Drive instantly… The culture was changed instantly and it was felt throughout the region

 

He’s a miracle worker

He certainly deserves much of the credit for the fast turnaround. He was nothing short of a miracle worker during the transformation sort of speak. 

 

The above clearly makes him a good to very good coach. A great team builder and culture changer. He deserves accolades for this. 

 

However, at some point the bar should change when you land a franchise QB. The bar changes when you continue to make playoff appearances. 

 

The real and only debate is if McD is the guy to push the Bills further. Van He lead the team to a SB? Can he win a SB? 

 

Obviously, it's unknown if he can and the opinions vary widely. 

[Dan in Owego]

I like our coach, but i won't lie i really like Spags, unpedictable defensive concepts tailor  made for one off games.

Edited June 12, 2023 by Dan in Owego