McD: Has your view changed?

[Beast]

McDermott is a very good coach. However, he can not be considered as a great coach until one of his teams beats a team that is on-par with his own in a playoff game. So far, he hasn’t been able to do that.

Edited 12 hours ago by Beast

[BarleyNY]

14 hours ago, Mikie2times said:

I feel like prior to the season starting the general vibe around here could fit into four categories 

 

1. Some posters discussed the risk of changing a HC

2. Some felt he would ultimately figure out his postseason issues

3. Some felt his regular season success was enough so far and if nothing else that should buy him more time 

4. Some felt he never would figure it out in the postseason and it was a lost cause

 

I was a #4 (go figure) and still remain in the last group. While thrilled at what we have done this year as I have hope I didn't expect to arrive at this season, nothing we did in the regular season would be able to change where I land in that grouping. We have just been too good in the regular season and that isn't where my concern is.  With all that said, I get a sense that I'm a minority at this point. That based on this years performance McD has largely quieted group #4 and most posters have now shifted into 1, 2, or 3 or at least a combination of them.

 

So I guess it's a two part question here...

 

1. Has the season so far resulted in you shifting from one of the groupings to another?

2. If we lose in the divisional round or earlier will that dramatically impact your perception of Sean and how this season has gone?

 

 

 

 

I (obviously) am very happy with how this season is going. We’re going to be in the playoffs again - probably with a very high seed. I’ve beat this horse to death. In the playoffs McD’s Bills are 5-0 against 5-7 seeds and 0-6 against 1-4 seeds. I’m rooting like hell for that to change in a big way this postseason, but he’s got to earn it. I’m choosing to enjoy the ride this season and see how far we go. 

[Thurman#1]

Haven't changed at all.

 

I have tremendous respect for him. I think he's likely to get us to the promised land if not this year then soon.

[amprov56]

15 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

 

 

I don't know how old folks typically are here, but I'm old enough to have followed the Bills through most of the team's existence. This regime is as good if not better than we've ever had. You can cling to your negatives if you want. We are in the Golden Age of Bills football. Appreciate it. It's not going to be this way forever. Look at New England.

You know it - 1968, 1970, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1984, 1985; Harvey Johnson, Stew Barber, Jim Ringo, Kay Stephensen, Hank Bullough, the drought coaches, GMs and horrible drafts. In 1968 the Bills fired Joel Collier and hired what many believed to be the greatest offensive mind in football, John Rauch, Sound familiar! As Al Davis stated, to win a Super Bowl you have to get into the playoffs. We are a perrenial playoff team and the most watched team in the country for a good reason. 

[HappyDays]

8 hours ago, GunnerBill said:

I also think it is harsh to say that McDermott hasn't held up his end of the relationship. I see how you get there if you are looking only through the prism of the defensive performance in playoff losses to KC. But bigger picture McDermott has been a good Head Coach for Allen in terms of the environment he has put around him. 

 

Yeah I am talking about playoffs. Allen has consistently raised his level of play in those games, while McDermott's defense has played substantially worse. And there have been critical coaching failures in some of those losses. 13 seconds. Burrow doing whatever he wanted against our defense with zero resistance. The Hamlin fake punt. Whatever that final offensive series was in the divisional round last year. Allen has never made the losing play in these games, the coaching staff has. It is my one lingering concern even though I feel as good about the team's chances now as I ever have. Like I said earlier the stretch of Baltimore, Houston, NYJ featured some of those poor coaching moments as well. So I can't sit here and act like I'm extremely confident the problem has been solved. I'm just hoping McDermott and his staff will get it done this time around. The AFC has never been more open.

[amprov56]

3 hours ago, eball said:

 

Based upon the tone of so many posts on this board?  No, I don’t think some are.

 

When we beat Dallas by running the ball in 2023 some were actually disappionted that we did not light up the sky.

[WinterSoldier17]

Yes, it’s changed dramatically. I will say one thing about coach, he generally always has his team prepared for big games in the NFL. He’s consistently been good in that regard.

 

I’m just hoping that he has the stratagem and chops to take us to the Super Bowl. I’d like to just see one Super Bowl win in my lifetime before kicking the bucket.

[eball]

2 minutes ago, amprov56 said:

When we beat Dallas by running the ball in 2023 some were actually disappionted that we did not light up the sky.

 

I truly believe that some guys have their heels dug in so deeply that even a Super Bowl win wouldn't be genuinely satisfying to them because they'd struggle to find some "excuse" for why the Bills won despite their inept HC.

 

 

[amprov56]

3 hours ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

No change for me.  He seems like a fine human being. 

What's changed? Still can't stop the run. Josh doing amazing things to will the team to victory. 

I wanted Harbaugh. He's doing exactly what I thought he would do in LA.

No matter if they lose in the first round or not he's not going anywhere. So I've just learned to accept he is the HC and put my faith in our superstar QB.

Cowher the heart throb of 2000 - 2010, Harbaugh during the last decade; the same guy that took years to beat Michigan and a national championship!!!

1 minute ago, eball said:

 

I truly believe that some guys have their heels dug in so deeply that even a Super Bowl win wouldn't be genuinely satisfying to them because they'd struggle to find some "excuse" for why the Bills won despite their inept HC.

 

 

I could not agree more!

[Kelly to Allen]

1 minute ago, eball said:

 

I truly believe that some guys have their heels dug in so deeply that even a Super Bowl win wouldn't be genuinely satisfying to them because they'd struggle to find some "excuse" for why the Bills won despite their inept HC.

 

 

When we win the super bowl 50-17 will they still be upset 😂 

[Andrew Son]

2 minutes ago, eball said:

 

I truly believe that some guys have their heels dug in so deeply that even a Super Bowl win wouldn't be genuinely satisfying to them because they'd struggle to find some "excuse" for why the Bills won despite their inept HC.

 

 

There's no winning the argument.  When we win it's because of Allen, when we lose it's because of McDermott

[Mango]

12 hours ago, Mister Defense said:

 

Or, "Yes sir, can I have some more of that delicious hate! Love me some serious Pegula hate! More more more please!"

Terry’s run with the Sabres isn’t just bad in relation to his peers across the league. It’s among one of the worst spans in any of the big 4 sports in the US. That isn’t hyperbole. 
 

Terry Pegula is a sports and organizational doofus. McBeane play him like a fiddle and we should all be grateful. 
 

At this point Beane might have enough pull to operate independently, but based on Terrys prior running of the Bills and current running of the Sabres; it’s not a chance I would take. 

[amprov56]

3 minutes ago, Kelly to Allen said:

When we win the super bowl 50-17 will they still be upset 😂 

Not until the first loss of the following season, or interception, incomplete pass, not winning by 30 points or ...... gasp winning through defense/running game!!!

[ToGoGo]

My opinion of McDermott is even higher than the most optimistic in this thread.

 

I think he is a Landry/Shula level coach and Beane is an all-time great GM. Almost every move they make is sublime. Allen is Montana, a level above Mahomes who has already hit his peak while Allen ascends and ascends. 

 

The stats are there for anybody who looks. People zoom in on the Chiefs losses, but that's the final hurdle. An incredible difficult hurdle, and one that we have been on the razor's edge of climbing over. 

 

The faults that people point to (obsessively and compulsively) are often the faults of those they had around them, which circumstances did not allow them to move on from at the time (Leslie Frazier, Levi Wallace, Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, etc.) 

 

5 years from now what I'm saying will be common knowledge. 

 

McDermott/Beane/Allen are our rewards for the SB losses, the drought, and the Pats. They will be on Mount Rushmore, and the haters.....God help them in a few years. May they find the strength to admit they were terribly wrong.  

[GunnerBill]

40 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

Yeah I am talking about playoffs. Allen has consistently raised his level of play in those games, while McDermott's defense has played substantially worse. And there have been critical coaching failures in some of those losses. 13 seconds. Burrow doing whatever he wanted against our defense with zero resistance. The Hamlin fake punt. Whatever that final offensive series was in the divisional round last year. Allen has never made the losing play in these games, the coaching staff has. It is my one lingering concern even though I feel as good about the team's chances now as I ever have. Like I said earlier the stretch of Baltimore, Houston, NYJ featured some of those poor coaching moments as well. So I can't sit here and act like I'm extremely confident the problem has been solved. I'm just hoping McDermott and his staff will get it done this time around. The AFC has never been more open.

 

I don't agree with all those being on coaching. I don't think Cincy was. The Bills stunk from top to bottom that night.  And in the final series last year there were options for Josh to take on both the final two plays that he didn't. 

[Joe Mama]

3 hours ago, Kelly to Allen said:

 

He reminds me of Tom Landry 

Maybe the guys will pitch in and get hm a fedora for Xmas to wear during the playoffs. 

 

Can you picture Tom Landry doing a snow angel?

[Logic]

Yes, my opinion has changed. Last year, I advocated for his firing, because I felt that the Bills needed a fresh start without all the psychological baggage. I also felt that McDermott simply was never gonna change his stripes as a coach, and that what he lacked couldn't be fixed.

However, ever since the Dunne article last year, I feel that McDermott has evolved as a coach.

He has gotten more and more aggressive (on 4th downs, end of half situations, TDs vs FGs, etc), has loosened up at times, has brought in fresh coordinators, has empowered and encouraged Josh Allen to take more leadership. 

It's hard to see what he's done this year, with this roster, and not conclude that he's doing a masterful coaching job. It's also hard not to conclude that he has engaged in some necessary self-reflection and has set out to improve in areas in which he lacked.

As I stated here in another thread recently, it seems the Bills have gotten the fresh start I was pining after simply by changing out coordinators and position coaches and by jettisoning a bunch of older players and infusing the roster with youth. It seems that bringing in a new head coach was not necessary on that front. This FEELS like a new team to me. A breath of fresh air.

As it has always been with McDermott, the main point of importance will be postseason performance. If the Bills defense once again turns into swiss cheese, if the decision making gets more conservative, if McDermott tightens up in big moments or has brain farts that cause a playoff exit...then yeah, we'll be right back to square one with Bills fans wondering if McDermott is the guy to get the job done. We all KNOW he can coach this team to 11+ wins and a division title every year. It's all about "can he win a championship, or is he Marty Schottenheimer?". The book is still out on that one.

So, its interesting and a valuable discussion to ask this question now. But depending what happens this January/February, you're likely to get a whole different set of answers if you ask after the postseason.

[ToGoGo]

5 minutes ago, Logic said:

Yes, my opinion has changed. Last year, I advocated for his firing, because I felt that the Bills needed a fresh start without all the psychological baggage. I also felt that McDermott simply was never gonna change his stripes as a coach, and that what he lacked couldn't be fixed.

However, ever since the Dunne article last year, I feel that McDermott has evolved as a coach.

He has gotten more and more aggressive (on 4th downs, end of half situations, TDs vs FGs, etc), has loosened up at times, has brought in fresh coordinators, has empowered and encouraged Josh Allen to take more leadership. 

It's hard to see what he's done this year, with this roster, and not conclude that he's doing a masterful coaching job. It's also hard not to conclude that he has engaged in some necessary self-reflection and has set out to improve in areas in which he lacked.

As I stated here in another thread recently, it seems the Bills have gotten the fresh start I was pining after simply by changing out coordinators and position coaches and by jettisoning a bunch of older players and infusing the roster with youth. It seems that bringing in a new head coach was not necessary on that front. This FEELS like a new team to me. A breath of fresh air.

As it has always been with McDermott, the main point of importance will be postseason performance. If the Bills defense once again turns into swiss cheese, if the decision making gets more conservative, if McDermott tightens up in big moments or has brain farts that cause a playoff exit...then yeah, we'll be right back to square one with Bills fans wondering if McDermott is the guy to get the job done. We all KNOW he can coach this team to 11+ wins and a division title every year. It's all about "can he win a championship, or is he Marty Schottenheimer?". The book is still out on that one.

So, its interesting and a valuable discussion to ask this question now. But depending what happens this January/February, you're likely to get a whole different set of answers if you ask after the postseason.

 

There's a difference between two types of posters.

 

Ones that can see variables have changed to allow more positive results than before, and others that are unable to see how changing variables can improve future performance. 

 

All one can do is improve on past mistakes. That's how success in human history works. The 19th century bridge collapsed? Improve the structural foundation and rebuilt. Plane crashed? Make sure to double check the widget is working during the checklist process. 

 

Bills have improved. Some posters just can't extrapolate the probability of future outcomes based on changing variables. 

[GoBills808]

1 hour ago, Andrew Son said:

There's no winning the argument.  When we win it's because of Allen, when we lose it's because of McDermott

You're responding to someone who apparently believes a Super Bowl win wouldn't be satisfying to some Bills fans lol, that is quite clearly the wrong side of this 

[kitchen sink]

1. Nope

2. Nope

 

These are some of the most interesting post on the site for me.

 

I always have these questions in my mind about what experience people have on which to base their perspective.

 

Have they ever supervised another person?

 

Have they ever coached a team at any level?

 

Have they ever supervised 80 plus other persons?

 

Have they ever supervised a bunch of exceptionally high paid athletes in arguably the most competitive and highly scrutinized sport in the USA?

 

I have always thought that most folks would have to answer no to ail of these questions, with everyone answering no to the last. 

 

As such, our perspectives are not very well based, but it does make for fun conversation and debate!