Billsfan1972

I call Bull. Experts all had Buffalo as the favourite. If these teams are better then the Bills, then guess what????? Coaches didn't do their jobs coaching players up or making the right calls on the field. Revisionist history. Find one publication that said the Bills weren't going to be as good (or better then Cincy or KC). And then too find one that questioned the coaching (that's our job🤣).

I think Bezo's should have concentrated and continued to sell only books!!!!🤣

Cheap excuses..... Falls on the coaches again regardless. If the Bills were not as good as the Bengals & Chiefs, then devise a game plan to beat them (or go down swinging). They did not.

This year (Bills included 31 vs. Miami). Losing team 30, 23, 31, 17, 24, 14, 20, 7, 10, 20, 7 2021 Losing Team 17, 19, 21, 17, 15, 11, 16, 10, 36 (Bills), 27, 24, 17, 20 2020 Losing Team 24 (Indy vs. Bills), 20, 23, 37, 9, 13, 18, 3 (Ravens vs. Bills), 17, 20, 24, 26, 9

We know the answer and it has been discussed ad-nauseum. Good QB's will do well against the Bills. The problem is the other side of the ball too has been exposed to being essentially Allen & Diggs. Big plays from others seldom happen. For some reason too, Allen didn't run as the season wound down and Dorsey's scheme's were way too easy to defend. As i stated over & over as bad as the defense was vs. Cincy, the Bills had first down at their 39 yard line with 1:00 left the first half and the second half kick. Dorsey had nothing dialed up and the game was lost there. Simply if they were 17-17 or 21-17 (they were remember first & goal to start the third) maybe then we'd have had the shootout expected, but sadly it was the offense that let them down there. And Allen hides all the flaws on the defense because he's gone essentially 11-5, 13-3, 11-6 & 13-3.

Okay I'm a Bills fan and yes I watch a lot of football I only get wrapped up here. We all saw what happened vs. Cincy and it was not pretty. The playoffs are a different beast and all year we saw the warts on the defense and yes injuries played a significant factor, but to be swiss cheese regardless of who is put out there is unacceptable. Let's not forget Cincy was missing 3 OL and did whatever they wanted. They could have put up 40 if they needed to. Bills fans know that they got lucky with Allen and he has become a QB beyond probably their expectations and they haven't done enough for him on that side of the ball, because this is essentially McD's team. McD is a Defence first coach and spent the money there and constructed a defense that he and Frazier have run for years. They have been terrible the last 4 playoff losses and really played what amounts to 3 decent games in the playoffs (Jax, Baltimore & NE). They have been terrible the last 3 and this is their philosophy on D. Bend, don't break and hope for a mistake (fumble, tipped pass....). They have allowed 29,29 & 30 First downs to opponents a ridiculously high #. And no I will not forget 13 seconds, where two masterminds completely blew it.

Actually I went back about 12-15 years to see worse home losses In the playoffs. Guess what? There weren't many, if any. Even the lopsided ones were closer going into the 4th.

So winning Wildcard weekend and at home is acceptable? The Bills won two playoff games once coming off a 13-3 year with tons of momentum and were tooth & nail the first game (vs. Indy) and another tough one vs. Baltimore. KC & Cincy blew them out of the water, they destroyed NE, did nothing offensively vs. Jax, coaching may ahve lost them vs. Houston and we all know 13 seconds. If you're happy, so be it.

Look I was concerned the second half of the season, but figured come the playoffs, they'd figure it out & maybe were playing a little possum during the season (i.e. tricks up there sleeves). Then Hamlin happened and we collectively held our breathes. Week one things were better but not out of the woods. Miami playoff game, still a little concern and just a weird game that just as easily could have been 45-10 as opposed to a nail-biter. The issue though was exacerbated, when vs. Cincy they came out and didn't change a single thing from three weeks earlier at home and the coaching staff looked completely unprepared, seemingly made no adjustments and when still in the game, seemed to rollover and wave the white flag come 5 minutes into the third quarter.

I think we all agree Urban Meyer did a bad job with the Culture, but sorry the cliche about "The Process" is old. All coaches should bring a strong culture, not so sure how unique McD's was.

So Rex was 7-7 his final year (with Tyrod at QB) going into week 16 and a chance for the playoffs. They blew it big time in OT. And Rex is a disaster. The next year the Bills go 9-7 and get a miracle play from Andy Dalton to make the playoffs and now McD is a genius and a saviour. They then drafted Allen (and yes traded for Diggs) and that has been the difference maker. Nothing else imo. A team that was the SB favourite struggled much of the second half of the season and many games were downright sloppy. It was good they played vs. Brissett, Wilson, Jones, Fields and others down the stretch. The offense too looked disjointed. Glad you enjoyed the season.

And how does McD rate on those?

No we were told a win is a win. I remember too how impressed people were with the first NE game and calling that a decisive game and signature win. It was a tough watch from the second half of the GB game.

Not a single thread after the Cincy game. I'm not knee jerk, just commenting on what I see during games. I do understand what coaches do, not so sure McD is that good at it. Is he good at in game calls? Challenge flags? In game adjustments? Drafting? Spending money of the Offensive side of the ball? Playoff success? Results vs. top tier qb's?

They had three weeks to prepare for the Cincy, particularly the first quarter and what to expect from them. They did nothing different from the January 2nd meeting. Unacceptable. And also as terrible what happened to Hamlin was, 3 weeks later the Bills should have been walking on "cloud nine" and 100% ready as it seemed the worst was behind them and they'd learned their lessons after the Miami game.

Is that a dig at me (original post) or because he was worried about the McD "Fanboys" to come to his defense? The point I am asking is what does a HC's job entail and then yes whether McD has been successful. No one can question the record since Allen's second year. However I think the last three years Regular Seasons results are almost solely due to have Allen as the QB.

And they work 18 hours a day watching game film.

Agree there, but regardless they blew the game as they got very conservative the second half and McD had little confidence in the offense and Allen that second year (as is McD). Oh and some horrible non-calls.

I'm really at a loss when it comes to reading threads & posts here about McDermott. While no one is demanding his job (though they do annually with McCarthy in Dallas), and neither am I, there hasn't been a single thread calling him out here. The majority here want Frazier gone and many are questioning Dorsey after one year on the job. But I'm at a complete loss on what McDermott does as the HC and what his responsibilities are. Please no more Culture, Attitude & Process😉. I want to know seriously what is his job and has he done a good one? We have many here too pointing at him being responsible for the draft and the Bills choices to go heavy on defense. He is responsible for in game decisions and again I ask how would you grade him there? I've been told Frazier runs McD's defense. So who was responsible for 13 seconds? We know the ST coach was fired & still not sure why it wasn't a squib or angled kick (as I screamed at my TV January 2022). Last three playoff losses the defense allowed over 1400 yards and offenses to do whatever they wanted against the Bills defense. Do you know they allowed 29,30 & 30 first downs those last three games (btw vs. NE in the no punt game the Bills had 29)? Go back to the Houston loss too and how they bungled that game. I've gone over the Cincy game and ask who was responsible for the Defensive game plan, especially the first quarter (where most offenses are scripted) and Cincy did exactly the same as 3 weeks prior walking up and down the field and the Bills seemed utterly unprepared. I then blame Dorsey when somehow the game was still in reach at 17-7 and the Bills are first & 10 at the Bengals 39 with timeouts and one minute left in the half and blow it and then after taking the third quarter kick and first & goal at the 8 three more lousy plays and the game was lost there. All year I saw so little creativity on offense and well we know McD isn't an offensive minded coach so I guess we can't blame him on that side of the ball. Is that how it works? There are plenty of coaches who seem to take the fall or are blamed when things go bad/sideways, but McD seems to skate. Look I have warmed on McD over the years, and think he has improved, but this was the Superbowl favourite the entire year with Allen as the QB, but I still see so many warts and he to me seems to be the "Teflon Don" of coaches.

McCarthy won 13 (backup for 5 games), Kevin O'Connell won 12, Sirriani 17...... As said I really don't know what to think of McD, but I want the Bills to win the SB in 2023/24.

I don't know a coach that gets more credit and less blame then McD. I swear he is teflon.

And you know, I hope we're both wrong. I don't want to wait until the 2025 Super Bowl. Please Allen win next year in spite of McD.

And there it is Shaw. I really do respect you and you write great and thoughtful posts, however I think you are way too enamored with McD. I think any coach with Josh Allen as his quarterback would be at the minimum be at the same spot if not better.

Couldn't be more bang on. Last year many asked why the Bills lost every close game and this year, his "defenders" said "Look the Bills did win close games". Shaw brought up the 3rd play as a key moment, but didn't mention going down 14-0 essentially playing the same defense they did 3 weeks earlier when Cincy was doing the same thing. He must have signed off on that? I will ask a stoopid questions. Does the HC not go over what the coaches are going to do game day? Somehow it was only 17-7 and the Bills had the ball with a chance to put points on the board to end the half and the second half kickoff. They were at Cincy's 39 yard line too. Here is exactly where proper coaching with Allen gets you minimum a first down and a FG before half. First & goal to start the second half at the 8 and again 3 lousy calls. Where was that one play we waited for all year that wasn't an Allen improvisation but a well conceived play? Is that not coaching?

Shaw you really are a better man then me and with a keen eye. I said the exact same thing the 3rd play of the game and it was a TD if the OL gave Josh .25 seconds more. However & we've gone at it before, you always absolve McD. Sorry this team with Josh would be +-1 win with any competent coach. The Bills this year were 13-3 on talent alone. The three losses all could be pinned on coaching and I'll give you the Ravens game as one they did a good job coaching. Heck they beat KC, so throw that one in too. This team had more then enough talent to breeze through the schedule they had. So what is McD responsible for (since now we're told not the D either)? Please don't say culture.