Outlook on McDermott if we turn it around

[Captain Hindsight]

1 hour ago, Kmart128 said:

I dont think its a smart to fire McDermott. Say what you want but he managed to get to the playoffs with Tyrod Taylor. And the only year he missed the playoffs was with rookie Josh Allen and a rebuilding year

I get that argument, McDermott is clearly a pretty good coach. But this is a Super Bowl roster, is he a Super Bowl coach? That remains to be seen 

[BBFL]

10 hours ago, Wizard said:

I guess we would need a definition of what "turning it around" means.

 

For me, the Bills must make the playoffs and win at least one playoff game for me to  consider a "turnaround."

 

This likely means Buffalo has to go 4-2 here on out and finish out 10-7 in the regular season.

 

We already had 3 silly losses from poor coaching, poor management, and poor play (first Jets game, Patriots, and Broncos). 

 

Listed below are my 7  "musts" for a a mini rebuild/retooling and to keep Buffalo competitive. If they can do these things, I would go another year with McDermott and Beane.

 

If not, new leadership is needed.

 

7 Things McDermott Must Do

1. Make Playoffs

 

2. Win at least 1 playoff game

 

3. Joe Brady has offense scoring 24-35 points every game, or we get a top 5 available OC with proven success for next season by February 2024.

 

4. McDermott has a time management/situational guy helping him in tight games/situations. Seriously!

 

5. Bills cut bait on overpriced veterans. There is a plan that restructures Allen and Diggs as our cap currently is not friendly for 2024.

 

6. FA focus is in depth. Draft focuses on a promising #2 WR prospect, a RT, and and secondary help.  We return/retain guys like Floyd and Epenesa or key pass rushers we can afford.

 

7. A DC is in place that is not from the Panthers. The person has had success as a DC and is hired by February 2024. This defense is complementary of McDermott's philosophy.  I'd like to see better tackling, less boneheaded penalties (12 on the field) and creating turnovers more frequently, but, we do have a good defense. 

Spot on. Very well said!

[Lane Meyer K12]

1. No.

2. The most winning coach since Levy. One in which has brought Buffalo from a complete laughingstock and irrelevant to fans being disappointed if they do not make the playoffs. The whole demeanor of Bills football changed the day he was hired. This season has been an anomaly in my opinion. The Bills as a team has underperformed and if they turn it around and go on a rampage, it should be clear to everyone why. 

No, I am not on the can the coach train. 

I have lived through Dick Juron and other losers. Good coaches and team chemistry are hard to come by.  

 

If the Bills go on a sustained losing streak and become irrelevant once again...sure, it is time for a change. 

 

If they fire him for this season, it is possible, they get a winner, but like the draught should have taught anyone who survived it, it is also possible to get a complete loser. 

[BBFL]

Just now, Lane Meyer K12 said:

1. No.

2. The most winning coach since Levy. One in which has brought Buffalo from a complete laughingstock and irrelevant to fans being disappointed if they do not make the playoffs. The whole demeanor of Bills football changed the day he was hired. This season has been an anomaly in my opinion. The Bills as a team has underperformed and if they turn it around and go on a rampage, it should be clear to everyone why. 

No, I am not on the can the coach train. 

I have lived through Dick Juron and other losers. Good coaches and team chemistry are hard to come by.  

 

If the Bills go on a sustained losing streak and become irrelevant once again...sure, it is time for a change. 

 

If they fire him for this season, it is possible, they get a winner, but like the draught should have taught anyone who survived it, it is also possible to get a complete loser. 

Fans want a SB. That’s it. Some believe this is a team that’s capable and have had their shortcomings in the McDermott era. Whether he’s here or not remains to be seen but if we miss the playoffs and have a similar season next year then it’s time to move on. 
 

No doubt the Pegula’s have the same expectations as us fans. 

[Lane Meyer K12]

Just now, BBFL said:

Fans want a SB. That’s it. Some believe this is a team that’s capable and have had their shortcomings in the McDermott era. Whether he’s here or not remains to be seen but if we miss the playoffs and have a similar season next year then it’s time to move on. 
 

No doubt the Pegula’s have the same expectations as us fans. 

 

I agree, two misses in the playoffs (two losing subpar seasons) with this talent provides a reasonable reason to move on. This season is not over yet and winning cures all. If this season does not turn out the way we all hope, with the key injuries the Bills have had and the possibility that Dorsey brought a negative energy to the offense, I would like to see where things go in 2024 before the HC is canned. 

[Brianmoorman4jesus]

If this team makes the playoffs with this remaining schedule then it will be the best job McDermott has done. I’ll be very happy and will probably back off on him.

[Success]

Not sure if anyone has noticed - but McDermott calls a pretty good defense.  

 

While you need more out of a HC than that, it's not a bad foundation. There are a lot of bad coaches in the league.  With a good OC, I think McD can succeed.  And if he turns it around this season and we finish strong, he of course has to stay.

 

[BuffaloRebound]

He’s gotta solve his end of game choke jobs over the next 2 months.  There will no doubt be a lot of close games.  He’s gotta show he’s a net positive for his team at the end of games.  

[Thurman#1]

10 hours ago, Einstein said:

 

If this happens then I think McD needs to answer some tough questions about why he didn’t make a change sooner.

 

That type of run against the gauntlet of teams upcoming would be a clear and direct indictment on Dorsey.

 

 

I love logic like this.

 

If we get worse, blame McDermott. Whereas if we get better, we should blame McDermott.

 

Makes total sense as long as your guiding principle is neither logic nor a desire to win but instead just pure hatred of Sean McDermott.

[bigK14094]

However the Bills finish, McD is staying.  this crowd is missing seeing the forest because of the trees getting in the way.

[Nextmanup]

Nice start against the Jets, but it was way premature to assume we are headed for some type of miraculous turnaround.

 

We almost damned near need to win out to get in.

 

That's REALLY hard with our schedule.  

 

The Philly game will be a massive test and we'll know a lot more following that game than we know now following the Jets game.

 

 

[PBF81]

1 hour ago, Einstein said:

 

In not impressed with the defense. They played well but I expected them to play well against that terrible Jets offense.

What I am impressed with is the Bills offense.

 

To put 32 points up against that Jets defense is unbelievable.

 

Agree generally, but it's far from a #1 ranked D.  They're the 12th ranked scoring D.  

 

 

[Don Otreply]

5 hours ago, Niagara Dude said:

I don't he was good but I also don't think he was the worse either.  Everyone looking for someone to blame without blaming McDermott who did nit have his team ready to play against bad teams. I think part of the reason our offence has not been great because Beanne has failed at adding WR'S and Davis is not a true #2 WR.  Yes Dorsey was not great but you also need weapons on the field

Imo, we have had the weapons, Dorsey either refused to use them or didn’t know how to use them, McDermott shares blame for not insisting that available personnel be used effectively, Joe Brady already new how to use available personnel…, 

 

Could we use a real #2 WR? Yes we could, but that doesn’t preclude using the guys we already have on the roster. 
 

GO BILLS!!!

[DrDawkinstein]

19 minutes ago, bigK14094 said:

However the Bills finish, McD is staying.  this crowd is missing seeing the forest because of the trees getting in the way.

 

What's the forest then? Pegula being content with 1st/2nd round playoff exits for Josh's entire career? That is what he is paying $250M for?

 

 

1 minute ago, Don Otreply said:

Imo, we have had the weapons, Dorsey either refused to use them or didn’t know how to use them, McDermott shares blame for not insisting that available personnel be used effectively, Joe Brady already new how to use available personnel…, 

 

Could we use a real #2 WR? Yes we could, but that doesn’t preclude using the guys we already have on the roster. 
 

GO BILLS!!!

 

Agreed 100%. There is enough talent on this Offense to score and win every week. It's all been how we use them, or rather, how we HAVENT used them.

 

It would be nice to bring in a big talent with major speed. But there is plenty of talent available to use. Josh, Diggs, Kincaid, Shakir, Cook, Murray, and then even Davis. Plenty there to work with.

[DC Greg]

11 hours ago, GoBills808 said:

Not me

 

No matter how detrimental I believe McDermott is to our chances at a SB...I still want wins every Sunday 

 

Same here, no matter what. I hope to god McD proves me wrong and makes me look foolish while they make the playoffs. It'll be fantastic.

But my view on him hasn't changed. Brady had an excellent first game as coordinator, and the team really rallied and responded this week. It was awesome to see. But McD is directly responsible for at least two losses on the season so far that were defeat he snatched from the jaws of victory (NE and DEN). If the Bills don't go 5-2 down the stretch and make the playoffs, he should be canned. And if they do make the playoffs, I'd understand them sticking with him, but nothing changes for my opinion the either. He's thoroughly proved himself to be the coach who will choke when faced with critical head coaching decisions in big games, and I think Pegula would be delaying the inevitable if he sticks with him.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

I feel like the Jets were trolling McDermott with all the pointless timeouts year.

[mannc]

1 hour ago, Lane Meyer K12 said:

1. No.

2. The most winning coach since Levy. One in which has brought Buffalo from a complete laughingstock and irrelevant to fans being disappointed if they do not make the playoffs. The whole demeanor of Bills football changed the day he was hired. This season has been an anomaly in my opinion. The Bills as a team has underperformed and if they turn it around and go on a rampage, it should be clear to everyone why. 

No, I am not on the can the coach train. 

I have lived through Dick Juron and other losers. Good coaches and team chemistry are hard to come by.  

 

If the Bills go on a sustained losing streak and become irrelevant once again...sure, it is time for a change. 

 

If they fire him for this season, it is possible, they get a winner, but like the draught should have taught anyone who survived it, it is also possible to get a complete loser. 

I think you're confusing McDermott with Josh Allen.  Without him, McDermott is just another drought-era bum, indistinguishable from the likes of Dick Jauron, Gregggg Williams, etc.  

[Generic_Bills_Fan]

1 hour ago, Captain Hindsight said:

I get that argument, McDermott is clearly a pretty good coach. But this is a Super Bowl roster, is he a Super Bowl coach? That remains to be seen 

I’d give him another year after this one…it wouldn’t be pretty but we’d likely be winning exactly like the chiefs are right now and have a similar record if our top 4 defensive players weren’t out/playing hurt.

 

defense has been winning all around the league this year…the game seems to be changing a lot very quickly it’s pretty crazy.  
 

if things remain this way and we miss the playoffs by a game or so it will likely be a pretty huge statistical anomaly.  The team with the best point differential that missed the playoffs was the ‘89 49ers at +100 and we are likely gonna be significantly higher than that 

Edited November 20, 2023 by Generic_Bills_Fan

[Einstein]

30 minutes ago, PBF81 said:

 

Agree generally, but it's far from a #1 ranked D.  They're the 12th ranked scoring D.  

 

[mjt328]

Sean McDermott is a good defensive coordinator.  He is an average head coach.

 

I believe he's smart, with a strong football mind for that side of the ball.  And he did a great job rebuilding the culture in this locker room, rescuing us from the drought.

But he struggles in high-pressure, big-game moments.  Details get missed and mistakes get made.  His defense has also crumbled in the postseason against the league's better quarterbacks, and thus far he's not had an answer.

 

To me, the real question is whether the Bills players still believe in him leading the team.  

If they have lost confidence, this team need a fresh start.