McDermott In Buffalo - Better Options? (1 Viewer)

[massraider]

And what if you fire McDermott and all the other golden boys pick a different team? Then what?

This is an easy job to sell to a coach: What are your expectations for me as the new coach? Super Bowl. Oh. What if I win the division my first year? We already had that. We fired that guy.

Is the Bills roster really so good that anything short of a title is a disappointment? They have decent pieces at a lot of different spots, but do they have special players anywhere beside QB? Maybe they are just a good team.

 

[Desert_Power]

I give McDermott a lot of credit for how well his defense weathers key injuries. Some of the schemes he runs and adjustments he makes to counter Miami (the Buffalo games I watch closely) are really impressive.

 

[Gatorman]

Joe, all great QBs suffer from this.,

To a degree, sure. But not like Allen in my opinion. At times, he feels like their entire offense. Both passing and rushing.

Of course the QB is the most important player. But Buffalo felt like they reverted back to the throw up the hands and just say "Josh save us" too much Sunday.

Again, no one seems to want to answer: Who is the John Gruden here? Is it Bill B? Vrabel? Who should the new coach in Orchard park who will take the bills past Andy Reid and The Ravens at the moment, while also not backsliding vs Miami or the A-Aron Jets?

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Joe, all great QBs suffer from this.,

To a degree, sure. But not like Allen in my opinion. At times, he feels like their entire offense. Both passing and rushing.

Of course the QB is the most important player. But Buffalo felt like they reverted back to the throw up the hands and just say "Josh save us" too much Sunday.

Again, no one seems to want to answer: Who is the John Gruden here? Is it Bill B? Vrabel? Who should the new coach in Orchard park who will take the bills past Andy Reid and The Ravens at the moment, while also not backsliding vs Miami or the A-Aron Jets?

In fairness, how am I supposed to know? I'm a fan who is more knowledgeable about football than most other fans, but I know nothing about this game relative to players, scouts, and league executives. I have no idea if Vrabel would do good things with this roster. I have no idea why Belichick struggled with roster management in his later years. I don't actually know much about the state of the Bills' locker room, what schemes would fit their offensive personnel, whether any particular college coach might transition well to the NFL, etc. I have to trust the FO on that stuff.

My position, based on what I can observe from watching games on Sunday, is that McDermott is a pretty good coach who has probably taken this team about as far as he can take it. He's had multiple chances to break through, and he hasn't done so. I don't know why he's failed, only that he's failed. I'd like the folks running the franchise to take a hard look at the HC and think carefully about going in a different direction. I'll defer to their decision.

And realistically, this is just a bunch of guys talking on a message board. McDermott's seat is not hot, his job is not in jeopardy, the Bills are not going to take a hard look at replacing him, and he will be back on the sideline in August.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Again, no one seems to want to answer: Who is the John Gruden here? Is it Bill B? Vrabel?

I answered in the original post. I'm asking if people think it's Belichick, Harbaugh or Vrabel.

 

[Stoneworker]

You don't fire a winning playoff coach unless/until he loses the locker room.

Injuries to several key players were a valid reason for falling short this year.

Run it back.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Tyler Dunne did an in-depth piece on McDermott last month - in three parts on his substack. Dunne can be polarizing but there's no questioning his professionalism and quality of his work product.

The McDermott Problem, Part I: Blame Game

“This job’s too hard to fight from within and that’s what you do there. ... You’ve got to overcome the head coach." Our three-part series begins with a look at life at One Bills Drive.

www.golongtd.com

It is paid content but I think you can read a bit without subscribing and if you're a Bills fan he's probably worth it anyway as he covers them quite a bit.

Here's an excerpt from Part III regarding his relationship with Daboll:

The friction between McDermott and Daboll was the worst-kept secret inside the building. This player is quick to say that this does not make one a better leader than the other. Yes, “Dabes” is the kind of coach who builds substantive bonds with players off the field. To the point where they’ll let him scream and yell in their face during a game. The relationships are raw, real. But then again, he said McDermott isn’t the kind of coach who’ll “mother-eff” a player. He compared it to having two different math teachers. Both can teach algebra, but that doesn’t mean they’ll do it the same way, adding: “Let’s just say hypothetically, it was true that Sean and Dabes wanted to kill each other,” this player said. “Well, I wonder why. Freaking oil and water.”

And that is what made the Daboll-Allen partnership special. This coach and this quarterback were in total lockstep — a rarity. Several ex-Bills believe the team would’ve already won a championship if he was the head coach.

One ex-coach believes McDermott didn’t like the fact that Daboll, a Buffalo native, could engage in natural conversation with Terry and Kim Pegula. “Sean couldn’t,” one coach added. “He envied that. He was deathly afraid of, ‘****. What if ownership goes, I’m the problem, fires me and promotes him?’” He wasn’t vocal about it. But as the head coach takes veiled shots at Allen in press conferences, assistants cringe. It doesn’t make sense to them because — at some point — the owners would surely realize they’ve got a lot more money invested in Allen, than McDermott.

“And that was something that Sean never understood,” one former Bills assistant said. “He still doesn’t believe that there are only a half-dozen guys walking this planet that are franchise quarterbacks. There are literally hundreds of guys walking the planet that could be head coaches in the NFL. You keep poking one of the six and they’re going to replace you and go to pick one of the hundreds that are still walking around out there.”

One ex-Bill starter put it perfectly: “There’s so many coaches that you can just name and plug in there and they won’t be worse.”

This player’s “dream scenario” is for the Bills to fire McDermott, keep Beane and see Beane trade for Daboll. He’d win a Super Bowl and retire.

Which is… unlikely.

The McDermott Problem, Part III: Let Josh be Josh

“He wants to run through your face and establish the fact that he’s the biggest alpha male dog quarterback in the history of pro football." Buffalo needs to do what's right for its QB. Time's ticking.

open.substack.com

 

[Joe Bryant]

Tyler Dunne did an in-depth piece on McDermott last month - in three parts on his substack. Dunne can be polarizing but there's no questioning his professionalism and quality of his work product.

The McDermott Problem, Part I: Blame Game

“This job’s too hard to fight from within and that’s what you do there. ... You’ve got to overcome the head coach." Our three-part series begins with a look at life at One Bills Drive.

www.golongtd.com

It is paid content but I think you can read a bit without subscribing and if you're a Bills fan he's probably worth it anyway as he covers them quite a bit.

Here's an excerpt from Part III regarding his relationship with Daboll:

The friction between McDermott and Daboll was the worst-kept secret inside the building. This player is quick to say that this does not make one a better leader than the other. Yes, “Dabes” is the kind of coach who builds substantive bonds with players off the field. To the point where they’ll let him scream and yell in their face during a game. The relationships are raw, real. But then again, he said McDermott isn’t the kind of coach who’ll “mother-eff” a player. He compared it to having two different math teachers. Both can teach algebra, but that doesn’t mean they’ll do it the same way, adding: “Let’s just say hypothetically, it was true that Sean and Dabes wanted to kill each other,” this player said. “Well, I wonder why. Freaking oil and water.”

And that is what made the Daboll-Allen partnership special. This coach and this quarterback were in total lockstep — a rarity. Several ex-Bills believe the team would’ve already won a championship if he was the head coach.

One ex-coach believes McDermott didn’t like the fact that Daboll, a Buffalo native, could engage in natural conversation with Terry and Kim Pegula. “Sean couldn’t,” one coach added. “He envied that. He was deathly afraid of, ‘****. What if ownership goes, I’m the problem, fires me and promotes him?’” He wasn’t vocal about it. But as the head coach takes veiled shots at Allen in press conferences, assistants cringe. It doesn’t make sense to them because — at some point — the owners would surely realize they’ve got a lot more money invested in Allen, than McDermott.

“And that was something that Sean never understood,” one former Bills assistant said. “He still doesn’t believe that there are only a half-dozen guys walking this planet that are franchise quarterbacks. There are literally hundreds of guys walking the planet that could be head coaches in the NFL. You keep poking one of the six and they’re going to replace you and go to pick one of the hundreds that are still walking around out there.”

One ex-Bill starter put it perfectly: “There’s so many coaches that you can just name and plug in there and they won’t be worse.”

This player’s “dream scenario” is for the Bills to fire McDermott, keep Beane and see Beane trade for Daboll. He’d win a Super Bowl and retire.

Which is… unlikely.

The McDermott Problem, Part III: Let Josh be Josh

“He wants to run through your face and establish the fact that he’s the biggest alpha male dog quarterback in the history of pro football." Buffalo needs to do what's right for its QB. Time's ticking.

open.substack.com

Thanks. I agree with that player I'd much rather have Daboll. And I fully admit it's gut feel. McDermott seems like an ok guy.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Tyler Dunne did an in-depth piece on McDermott last month - in three parts on his substack. Dunne can be polarizing but there's no questioning his professionalism and quality of his work product.

The McDermott Problem, Part I: Blame Game

“This job’s too hard to fight from within and that’s what you do there. ... You’ve got to overcome the head coach." Our three-part series begins with a look at life at One Bills Drive.

www.golongtd.com

It is paid content but I think you can read a bit without subscribing and if you're a Bills fan he's probably worth it anyway as he covers them quite a bit.

Here's an excerpt from Part III regarding his relationship with Daboll:

The friction between McDermott and Daboll was the worst-kept secret inside the building. This player is quick to say that this does not make one a better leader than the other. Yes, “Dabes” is the kind of coach who builds substantive bonds with players off the field. To the point where they’ll let him scream and yell in their face during a game. The relationships are raw, real. But then again, he said McDermott isn’t the kind of coach who’ll “mother-eff” a player. He compared it to having two different math teachers. Both can teach algebra, but that doesn’t mean they’ll do it the same way, adding: “Let’s just say hypothetically, it was true that Sean and Dabes wanted to kill each other,” this player said. “Well, I wonder why. Freaking oil and water.”

And that is what made the Daboll-Allen partnership special. This coach and this quarterback were in total lockstep — a rarity. Several ex-Bills believe the team would’ve already won a championship if he was the head coach.

One ex-coach believes McDermott didn’t like the fact that Daboll, a Buffalo native, could engage in natural conversation with Terry and Kim Pegula. “Sean couldn’t,” one coach added. “He envied that. He was deathly afraid of, ‘****. What if ownership goes, I’m the problem, fires me and promotes him?’” He wasn’t vocal about it. But as the head coach takes veiled shots at Allen in press conferences, assistants cringe. It doesn’t make sense to them because — at some point — the owners would surely realize they’ve got a lot more money invested in Allen, than McDermott.

“And that was something that Sean never understood,” one former Bills assistant said. “He still doesn’t believe that there are only a half-dozen guys walking this planet that are franchise quarterbacks. There are literally hundreds of guys walking the planet that could be head coaches in the NFL. You keep poking one of the six and they’re going to replace you and go to pick one of the hundreds that are still walking around out there.”

One ex-Bill starter put it perfectly: “There’s so many coaches that you can just name and plug in there and they won’t be worse.”

This player’s “dream scenario” is for the Bills to fire McDermott, keep Beane and see Beane trade for Daboll. He’d win a Super Bowl and retire.

Which is… unlikely.

The McDermott Problem, Part III: Let Josh be Josh

“He wants to run through your face and establish the fact that he’s the biggest alpha male dog quarterback in the history of pro football." Buffalo needs to do what's right for its QB. Time's ticking.

open.substack.com

My Bills friends tell me this article was a big deal for Buffalo and the response from the team was to rally around McDermott. Is that how you saw it?

 

[CletiusMaximus]

Tyler Dunne did an in-depth piece on McDermott last month - in three parts on his substack. Dunne can be polarizing but there's no questioning his professionalism and quality of his work product.

The McDermott Problem, Part I: Blame Game

“This job’s too hard to fight from within and that’s what you do there. ... You’ve got to overcome the head coach." Our three-part series begins with a look at life at One Bills Drive.

www.golongtd.com

It is paid content but I think you can read a bit without subscribing and if you're a Bills fan he's probably worth it anyway as he covers them quite a bit.

Here's an excerpt from Part III regarding his relationship with Daboll:

The friction between McDermott and Daboll was the worst-kept secret inside the building. This player is quick to say that this does not make one a better leader than the other. Yes, “Dabes” is the kind of coach who builds substantive bonds with players off the field. To the point where they’ll let him scream and yell in their face during a game. The relationships are raw, real. But then again, he said McDermott isn’t the kind of coach who’ll “mother-eff” a player. He compared it to having two different math teachers. Both can teach algebra, but that doesn’t mean they’ll do it the same way, adding: “Let’s just say hypothetically, it was true that Sean and Dabes wanted to kill each other,” this player said. “Well, I wonder why. Freaking oil and water.”

And that is what made the Daboll-Allen partnership special. This coach and this quarterback were in total lockstep — a rarity. Several ex-Bills believe the team would’ve already won a championship if he was the head coach.

One ex-coach believes McDermott didn’t like the fact that Daboll, a Buffalo native, could engage in natural conversation with Terry and Kim Pegula. “Sean couldn’t,” one coach added. “He envied that. He was deathly afraid of, ‘****. What if ownership goes, I’m the problem, fires me and promotes him?’” He wasn’t vocal about it. But as the head coach takes veiled shots at Allen in press conferences, assistants cringe. It doesn’t make sense to them because — at some point — the owners would surely realize they’ve got a lot more money invested in Allen, than McDermott.

“And that was something that Sean never understood,” one former Bills assistant said. “He still doesn’t believe that there are only a half-dozen guys walking this planet that are franchise quarterbacks. There are literally hundreds of guys walking the planet that could be head coaches in the NFL. You keep poking one of the six and they’re going to replace you and go to pick one of the hundreds that are still walking around out there.”

One ex-Bill starter put it perfectly: “There’s so many coaches that you can just name and plug in there and they won’t be worse.”

This player’s “dream scenario” is for the Bills to fire McDermott, keep Beane and see Beane trade for Daboll. He’d win a Super Bowl and retire.

Which is… unlikely.

The McDermott Problem, Part III: Let Josh be Josh

“He wants to run through your face and establish the fact that he’s the biggest alpha male dog quarterback in the history of pro football." Buffalo needs to do what's right for its QB. Time's ticking.

open.substack.com

My Bills friends tell me this article was a big deal for Buffalo and the response from the team was to rally around McDermott. Is that how you saw it?

I'm not in tune with Buffalo at all, however, Dunne is polarizing.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

How many turns does McDermott need? This is like his 5th shot with an elite QB and a good team. He hasn’t done it. Allen only has so many cracks at it left. Gotta move on, he’s not the guy.

58-24 last 5 seasons not counting any Playoff games

58 Wins and 24 losses
11-6/12-15 is his yearly avg as Head Coach, there must be 20-25 teams that would line up and hire him if the Bills were silly enough to fire him.
I understand why folks say these things but the bottom half of the league is woeful in terms of coaching

 

[Ministry of Pain]

Jim Harbaugh is an upgrade over almost every NFL Head Coach not named Harbaugh
What team would not be interested in Jim Harbaugh outside of maybe SF and the team his brother coaches? KC, Detroit but not very many

 

[Joe Bryant]

Tyler Dunne did an in-depth piece on McDermott last month - in three parts on his substack. Dunne can be polarizing but there's no questioning his professionalism and quality of his work product.

The McDermott Problem, Part I: Blame Game

“This job’s too hard to fight from within and that’s what you do there. ... You’ve got to overcome the head coach." Our three-part series begins with a look at life at One Bills Drive.

www.golongtd.com

It is paid content but I think you can read a bit without subscribing and if you're a Bills fan he's probably worth it anyway as he covers them quite a bit.

Here's an excerpt from Part III regarding his relationship with Daboll:

The friction between McDermott and Daboll was the worst-kept secret inside the building. This player is quick to say that this does not make one a better leader than the other. Yes, “Dabes” is the kind of coach who builds substantive bonds with players off the field. To the point where they’ll let him scream and yell in their face during a game. The relationships are raw, real. But then again, he said McDermott isn’t the kind of coach who’ll “mother-eff” a player. He compared it to having two different math teachers. Both can teach algebra, but that doesn’t mean they’ll do it the same way, adding: “Let’s just say hypothetically, it was true that Sean and Dabes wanted to kill each other,” this player said. “Well, I wonder why. Freaking oil and water.”

And that is what made the Daboll-Allen partnership special. This coach and this quarterback were in total lockstep — a rarity. Several ex-Bills believe the team would’ve already won a championship if he was the head coach.

One ex-coach believes McDermott didn’t like the fact that Daboll, a Buffalo native, could engage in natural conversation with Terry and Kim Pegula. “Sean couldn’t,” one coach added. “He envied that. He was deathly afraid of, ‘****. What if ownership goes, I’m the problem, fires me and promotes him?’” He wasn’t vocal about it. But as the head coach takes veiled shots at Allen in press conferences, assistants cringe. It doesn’t make sense to them because — at some point — the owners would surely realize they’ve got a lot more money invested in Allen, than McDermott.

“And that was something that Sean never understood,” one former Bills assistant said. “He still doesn’t believe that there are only a half-dozen guys walking this planet that are franchise quarterbacks. There are literally hundreds of guys walking the planet that could be head coaches in the NFL. You keep poking one of the six and they’re going to replace you and go to pick one of the hundreds that are still walking around out there.”

One ex-Bill starter put it perfectly: “There’s so many coaches that you can just name and plug in there and they won’t be worse.”

This player’s “dream scenario” is for the Bills to fire McDermott, keep Beane and see Beane trade for Daboll. He’d win a Super Bowl and retire.

Which is… unlikely.

The McDermott Problem, Part III: Let Josh be Josh

“He wants to run through your face and establish the fact that he’s the biggest alpha male dog quarterback in the history of pro football." Buffalo needs to do what's right for its QB. Time's ticking.

open.substack.com

My Bills friends tell me this article was a big deal for Buffalo and the response from the team was to rally around McDermott. Is that how you saw it?

I'm not in tune with Buffalo at all, however, Dunne is polarizing. I've subscribed to Tyler Dunne's content ever since he went out on his own because he's a former beat writer for the Packers (my team) so he still covers them in depth. He also reports closely on the Bills. I think its just due to where he lives and who he's worked for over the years. Dunne is the guy who broke the story about 10 years ago involving Aaron Rodgers' fallout with his family and the resentment/dislike of him within some of the Packers team members. No active member of the team was willing to go on record and Dunne was widely criticized for using anonymous sources or players who had left the team (Greg Jennings). He also did this in part with this piece on Mcdermott so I'm sure there is some criticism on that point with this story. Bob McGinn is on Dunne's team and they do weekly Packers podcasts which are fantastic. Dunne and McGinn were all over the Rodgers drama the past 3 years or so and broke several reports that no one else was reporting at the time, most of which turned out to be spot on. Dunne did a series of interviews this year with Brett Favre which were great, and also did a two part piece on Romeo Doubs last week which was also great. He is a great sports journalist in my opinion but many many people disagree with me on that. Bob McGinn is an old battle axe who's bust is in the football writer's wing in Canton. He has a closet full of sports writing awards. His draft work is still highly regarded and is the main reason I pay for Dunne's content.

Thanks. I get all that on Dunne. I wonder if other people who do follow the Bills closely agreed with my friends take that the Dunne article was a big deal to the team and their response was to rally around McDermott.

 

[themeistersinger]

Tyler Dunne did an in-depth piece on McDermott last month - in three parts on his substack. Dunne can be polarizing but there's no questioning his professionalism and quality of his work product.

The McDermott Problem, Part I: Blame Game

“This job’s too hard to fight from within and that’s what you do there. ... You’ve got to overcome the head coach." Our three-part series begins with a look at life at One Bills Drive.

www.golongtd.com

It is paid content but I think you can read a bit without subscribing and if you're a Bills fan he's probably worth it anyway as he covers them quite a bit.

Here's an excerpt from Part III regarding his relationship with Daboll:

The friction between McDermott and Daboll was the worst-kept secret inside the building. This player is quick to say that this does not make one a better leader than the other. Yes, “Dabes” is the kind of coach who builds substantive bonds with players off the field. To the point where they’ll let him scream and yell in their face during a game. The relationships are raw, real. But then again, he said McDermott isn’t the kind of coach who’ll “mother-eff” a player. He compared it to having two different math teachers. Both can teach algebra, but that doesn’t mean they’ll do it the same way, adding: “Let’s just say hypothetically, it was true that Sean and Dabes wanted to kill each other,” this player said. “Well, I wonder why. Freaking oil and water.”

And that is what made the Daboll-Allen partnership special. This coach and this quarterback were in total lockstep — a rarity. Several ex-Bills believe the team would’ve already won a championship if he was the head coach.

One ex-coach believes McDermott didn’t like the fact that Daboll, a Buffalo native, could engage in natural conversation with Terry and Kim Pegula. “Sean couldn’t,” one coach added. “He envied that. He was deathly afraid of, ‘****. What if ownership goes, I’m the problem, fires me and promotes him?’” He wasn’t vocal about it. But as the head coach takes veiled shots at Allen in press conferences, assistants cringe. It doesn’t make sense to them because — at some point — the owners would surely realize they’ve got a lot more money invested in Allen, than McDermott.

“And that was something that Sean never understood,” one former Bills assistant said. “He still doesn’t believe that there are only a half-dozen guys walking this planet that are franchise quarterbacks. There are literally hundreds of guys walking the planet that could be head coaches in the NFL. You keep poking one of the six and they’re going to replace you and go to pick one of the hundreds that are still walking around out there.”

One ex-Bill starter put it perfectly: “There’s so many coaches that you can just name and plug in there and they won’t be worse.”

This player’s “dream scenario” is for the Bills to fire McDermott, keep Beane and see Beane trade for Daboll. He’d win a Super Bowl and retire.

Which is… unlikely.

The McDermott Problem, Part III: Let Josh be Josh

“He wants to run through your face and establish the fact that he’s the biggest alpha male dog quarterback in the history of pro football." Buffalo needs to do what's right for its QB. Time's ticking.

open.substack.com

My Bills friends tell me this article was a big deal for Buffalo and the response from the team was to rally around McDermott. Is that how you saw it?

Yes, it was a constant source of conversation when it came out. It was definitely a big deal around here.

Well, they did win 6 games after the article came out. And the players were very vocal in support of him. Even the 9-11 stuff - McDermott admitted yes it was true, and it was a bad idea. The players also said yeah, it was a dumb thing to bring up, but some talked to him about it when it happened and they had put it behind them.

Most of the sources for the Dunne article were people no longer with the organization and most were those that had an axe to grind against McDermott.

As for Daboll vs McDermott, Daboll has had major problems with some if his staff in NY. So it's reasonable to think that maybe Daboll was the bigger issue on that front.

Here's a 120 page thread from one of the Bills fan forums:

Tyler Dunne story on McDermott - 3 parts, 25 interviews, one damning conclusion

https://www.golongtd.com/p/the-mcdermott-problem-part-i-blame?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web A very long read, and the other parts are only for paid subscribers, but his sources paint a picture of McD as a narcissistic control freak who won’t take accountability for anything. Do with this w...

www.twobillsdrive.com

 

[FairWarning]

Belichick would be a great fit in Buffalo. The Bills D has seemed soft the last few years, he could fix that fast.

 

[SanDawg]

Joe, all great QBs suffer from this.,

To a degree, sure. But not like Allen in my opinion. At times, he feels like their entire offense. Both passing and rushing.

Of course the QB is the most important player. But Buffalo felt like they reverted back to the throw up the hands and just say "Josh save us" too much Sunday.

Again, no one seems to want to answer: Who is the John Gruden here? Is it Bill B? Vrabel? Who should the new coach in Orchard park who will take the bills past Andy Reid and The Ravens at the moment, while also not backsliding vs Miami or the A-Aron Jets?

In fairness, how am I supposed to know? I'm a fan who is more knowledgeable about football than most other fans, but I know nothing about this game relative to players, scouts, and league executives. I have no idea if Vrabel would do good things with this roster. I have no idea why Belichick struggled with roster management in his later years. I don't actually know much about the state of the Bills' locker room, what schemes would fit their offensive personnel, whether any particular college coach might transition well to the NFL, etc. I have to trust the FO on that stuff.

My position, based on what I can observe from watching games on Sunday, is that McDermott is a pretty good coach who has probably taken this team about as far as he can take it. He's had multiple chances to break through, and he hasn't done so. I don't know why he's failed, only that he's failed. I'd like the folks running the franchise to take a hard look at the HC and think carefully about going in a different direction. I'll defer to their decision.

And realistically, this is just a bunch of guys talking on a message board. McDermott's seat is not hot, his job is not in jeopardy, the Bills are not going to take a hard look at replacing him, and he will be back on the sideline in August.

If the Sabres refuse to fire the HC the Bills surely will not. Ownership since Kim's "medical emergency" is absent and happy with status quo it appears.

 

[Steve Tasker]

I give McDermott a lot of credit for how well his defense weathers key injuries. Some of the schemes he runs and adjustments he makes to counter Miami (the Buffalo games I watch closely) are really impressive.

No question that he's a great defensive coach in the big picture. His defenses have always been good, both here and in his previous stops. But there's now a historical pattern of his defense disappearing on the biggest stage against the best opponents. I don't think anyone's expecting the Bills to go undefeated against Mahomes and Burrow, but 0-4 with 4 straight playoff losses largely due to defensive collapses isn't really a good look. This year's team was very hampered by injury, but as one writer said on WGR this morning during my drive to work (paraphrasing): "I expected the Chiefs offense to be able to move the ball and score some points. But I didn't expect it to be as easy as it was for them."

I just don't think he's going to be the one to get them over the top. Josh Allen has 27 total touchdowns and 4 INTs in his 10 career playoff games. The Bills are 5-5 in those games. They've squandered nearly half a decade of elite QB play, with 1 AFC Championship appearance to show for it. At some point something's gotta change.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Kind of funny that the Dungy/Gruden thing gets brought up as an example of a coach not being good enough to win a Super Bowl being replaced by a better coach who wins one and yet Dungy got Manning his first ring.

I think coaching can make a big difference for teams, but I also think that random circumstances make a way bigger impact often than what we think. With only one ultimate champion each year and such a relative few number of games and all the random chance that can happen in games, we often attribute the reason for wins and losses to individual performance way more often than we probably should.

 

[jonramz]

Neither of those 3 would be better than McDermott

We don't like to admit how much random chance there is in games between evenly matched teams.

The Bills have lost exactly 1 game in the last 2 years by more than 1 score. They've beaten KC in Arrowhead 3 times in the last 3 years. Is there something magically that happens in the playoffs to them vs KC instead of reg season? Or is it just randomness...

He's had some incredible ****-ups in 13 seconds and the Denver game this year. But believe it or not he's good at 2pt conversions and 4th down aggressiveness. His biggest game management issue is he loves defensive timeouts too much which occasionally affects end of half/game time management. But even there he's still above average

He pieced together a top 5-7 defense that got shredded by injuries and got 0 from their biggest star on defense.

I'd only move on from him if a top tier offensive head coach was available (Reid, Shanahan, McVay, etc)