Random talking head says something about the Bills

[Augie]

6 hours ago, No_Matter_What said:

This is post of the year for me, well done sir.

 

As a fan I also sometimes question McD and I will certainly do so if we for example lose to Baltimore in WC again this year, but your post perfectly sums how valuable McD is and how in fact all comes down to 13 seconds.

 

Having said that, if he doesn't get it done this season or the next one, I'd try something else for the sake of trying something else. If fact, if we don't get to SB this year, I'd love Sean to say that if the team doesn't get to SB next year, he will step down by himself. It never happens but that is how I'd do it.

 

 

IDK, I remember how this was supposed to be a rebuilding year. Where is the poll with how many games each of us thought he would win? (I hope it was a public poll.)  I think this season has exceeded expectations in many ways.  He should not be under the gun for that, imo. He’d have to do something incredibly stupid to make me forget what many expected.  I thank him for a very nice season so far.

 

We’ll see how the playoffs go, and that is obviously critical, but only one team wins it each year. I don’t like change for the sake of change. I like things done for a reason after solid consideration. 

15 hours ago, folz said:

 

You are obviously rewriting history a bit here. We have not had this conversation every year of Sean's tenure.

 

2017: New coach, lack of talent, breaks the playoff drought with Tyrod Taylor as his QB. Yes, the playoff game against JAX was sad (offensively), but no one (even you, I would wager) was talking about firing him after that season. We knew we weren't going anywhere in the playoffs with Tyrod and that team.

2018: Beane comes on board and cleans house to get the cap straight. We draft Josh. But, it's a rebuild year. An even worse roster than 2017 (outside of Josh). No money, no cap, very little talent. We all accepted that season as a painful, but necessary step towards the future. Sure, people knock him for starting Peterman...but come on, Peterman played 2 quarters of football before Sean changed his mind. And as raw as Josh was, it wasn't a bad organizational decision to ease him in (just didn't work out because Nathan wasn't up to the task). Again, no calls for him being fired.

2019: The team has 10 wins and makes the playoffs. We lose in the wildcard round to Houston. But no one really questioned his coaching in that game. And if they did, they were foolish. Did McDermott throw the crazy lateral fumble? Did he take 7 points off the board when the refs intervened to forgive a Houston mistake? Did he make the blindside block in OT that was flagged, pushing us out of field goal range (could have been the game winner)? Did he miss the easy sandwich sack and let Watson get away to make a play? We were a team on the rise with a very good, but still raw QB. And our young team made some mistakes on the field to let Houston back in it. It was disappointing, but no one was calling for Sean's head.

2020: Diggs comes on board, Josh becomes Josh, and the offense takes off. The team goes 13-3, winning two playoff games en route to the AFC Championship Game. We lose to a much better, more talented, more veteran/seasoned KC team. And, let's not forget, our two best WRs were playing hobbled and the refs let the KC DBs manhandle our WRs, while the Bills defense was not allowed the same courtesy. Yes, the disappointment was high...and the defense may have been held accountable by some. I'm sure there were some who questioned McDermott at this point, but there were no major conversations about firing him (in the national media or amongst Bills fans).

2021: Here is where the issues began. Expectations were so high (Super Bowl or bust) and then 13 seconds happened. 

2022: Some still can't forgive Sean for 13 seconds, so they ignore everything that happened to the team that year (as if it wouldn't affect the team/players). There are very few teams ever that could have gone through what that team did and still have a 13-3 record and win a playoff game. But rather than Sean getting praise for holding that team together, he is blamed for everything (why? 13 seconds).

2023: It is understandable that there were questions this year with the way the offense played early in the year (and our record at that time). But, Sean did right the ship, fired Dorsey/promoted Brady, the team wins 6 of its last 7, wins the AFC East, makes the playoffs, wins a playoff game...and then with a heavily depleted defense loses to the eventual Super Bowl winner by 3 points. But again, it's all Sean's fault. Why? 13 seconds.

 

Yes, the conversation has been had for the last 3 years (not the last 7 years as you stated). And it really isn't as bad as some of you guys make things out to be...it's just some of you will never forgive him for the 13 seconds game. That's really all that it comes down to. And there is no guarantee that if he made different coaching decisions in that game that things might not have still turned out the same anyhow. 

 

You guys think everything is Josh...but that is so short-sighted. Yes, we have one of the best QBs in the league, but that doesn't guarantee Super Bowl appearances or SB wins every year. Just ask Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees or Peyton Manning or Dan Marino, etc., etc. And some of you guys totally ignore things like culture, motivation, player acquisitions, player development, stability, organizational standards, etc., etc. as if none of that matters...and which Sean has been excellent at (among many other things). Ask the Jets about player development, for one, and how important that is.

 

I mean, how many games have we lost due to bad coaching or massive coaching blunders? Be honest. Very, very few. And how many great, Super Bowl winning coaches could we point out games in their careers (and in the playoffs) where they made calls that were questioned after because they lost the game (every single one I'll bet you).

 

But yeah, it's just because he broke the drought. And obviously us life-long Bills fans who support Sean don't care about ever winning a Super Bowl 🙄. Our support has nothing to do with his 86-44 record, .662 win %, 5 AFC East Titles, playoffs 7 out of 8 years, 5-playoff wins, a perfect playoff game, a great team culture, great interaction between the team and fans, and all of the fun the last 8 years have been. But, I guess none of that matters to some of you guys because of 13 seconds.

 

I’ll quote this, because I can. I honestly don’t understand how so many people took 13 seconds so personally and hold a grudge. Yep, it was absolutely horrible, but it was 13 seconds several years ago. A lot has happened since. I’ve let it go. 

[LABILLBACKER]

5 hours ago, Captain Hindsight said:

I have it on extremely trustworthy information that McDermott is more likely to die in his office than be fired. Pegula loves him 

Then that's all the more reason I wish Kim had the capacity to run this team.  

[Solomon Grundy]

Many of the "random talking heads" are mostly concerned about the Bills defense and this includes Bill Belicheck. McDermott has a 4 game residency to show that he is the defensive specialist he's cooked up to be. I'm, personally, am more concerned about the special teams. A missed FG. A blocked punt. A kickoff/punt return has kept me clinging my pearls EVERY game this season so far 

[Beck Water]

9 minutes ago, Solomon Grundy said:

Many of the "random talking heads" are mostly concerned about the Bills defense and this includes Bill Belicheck. McDermott has a 4 game residency to show that he is the defensive specialist he's cooked up to be. I'm, personally, am more concerned about the special teams. A missed FG. A blocked punt. A kickoff/punt return has kept me clinging my pearls EVERY game this season so far 

 

I mean, I think McDermott is concerned about the Bills defense.  There's no way he thinks giving up 44 and then 42 points in successive weeks is OK, and he can't have failed to notice that NE and the Jets moved the ball pretty easily on us to start the game.