Last Guy on the Bench

This is a fantastic post. Thanks for such a thoughtful response. The stats you list do paint a picture of solid coordinator at worst. So that's a good start. The links were very interesting. I had read some of them before, but clearly needed a refresher. I hadn't seen that interview with Coleman, and that was revelatory. Rare depth for something on the sports pages. (In fact, it made me want to hire Kurt Coleman as a coach. What a thoughtful guy.) The picture he paints of McD is very strong, and it does shift my optimism meter significantly. The hard work/grinder stuff doesn't do much for me - there are lots of those guys in the league. But the flexibility, the willingness to build both strategy and culture from the strengths and temperaments of the actual individuals on the team (vs. some slogan), the attention to individualized player development, and frankly the caring - these go a long way for me. One thing that seems clear: whatever happened with Whaley, none of the comments about McD even hint at the kind of guy who is duplicitous or primarily out for himself - quite the opposite. So I have to assume that whatever role he had in things, it was fair and above board. As you say, we can't really know whether he's in over his head until we see how he swims. But it seems pretty clear he's a good guy, with a solid understanding of football tactics, and potentially a strong hand at culture development. I definitely feel better about him than I did yesterday, so thanks. (I still want to hire Kurt Coleman. Wonder if he'll retire soon? ]

You got me, man. I start one or two threads a year in this joint. Mr. LAMP. What a thrill it is.

Dude, nowhere do I say that I'm right. I may well be completely off base. Just wanted to have some dialogue around different people's reads on the guy so far. And of course facts and results as they emerge will tell the story. But it would be a pretty boring offseason if no one shared any reactions to what's going on at OBD.

Not at all. Wouldn't call it a determination. Just seeing things that were hitting me wrong and actually wanted counter opinions so I could take a more balanced view. Either way, there's no knowing until we see him in action. Agreed.

Well, McD, to his credit, hasn't banished fat coaches yet.

So we shouldn't discuss new players, coaches, strategy, etc.? I agree we shouldn't have any strongly held opinions before we see what's what in September. I don't. Can't argue at all with those who say wait and see. But I'm pretty sure this isn't the first post sharing initial judgments about a coach/player who hasn't taken the field. It's a grain of salt discussion, to be sure.

Well, I did spend three years in Cub Scouts and I have a cosmetology certificate. It's my impression. Could well be wrong. I was interested in others' impressions. Thanks for yours. We read him differently. I agree with you that it isn't wise to put too much stock into opinions about others without personal contact. I put very little stock into internet opinions (including my own) about any public figure, no matter how many years in the military the person with the opinion might have spent.

The weird thing is, even though I am skeptical about the long-term viability of the McD era, I have still (almost) convinced myself we are going to go 11-5 this year. I am a hopeful dude.

I like this argument. Because I do believe that we have more talent than we've shown over the past few years. If that's true, maybe a calm and meticulously organized guy is all we need to push us to another 2 or 3 wins a year. For now.

Definitely not true. I genuinely want to change my impression. I am (incorrectly) optimistic about the Bills every year. I am (incorrectly) optimistic about every new player. I am a bit of an idiot that way. I'm surprised to find myself struggling to get stoked up about McD.

Well, I do mean interesting about football, not movies or politics. It might be a poor measure, but it worries me because in my experience it often betrays a lack of insight. Most of the coaches that I like do have interesting things to say about football from time to time. At least, they don't sound like organizational manuals.

Re: attention to detail, in my opinion it can be helpful, but may not be necessary (if you are a good delegator) and is certainly not sufficient. For Rex, we had a lot more info. He'd been a head coach after all. And I always liked the energy his Jets teams played with and the style of defense. I don't mind his personality. In fact, I thought it might serve us well. He seemed super hurt about his exit from the Jets, and I bought the idea that he wanted to plant a flag in Buffalo and redeem himself. At the time, I would actually have preferred the Hue Jackson/Schwartz scenario, but I saw things to like with Rex. Anyway, I will definitely give McD a chance and I wish him all the best. I have no idea what's going to happen. Maybe he'll be the best coach in the league, and I'll start buying lots of leadership books.

Fair enough. Thanks for actually answering the question. I think you're probably right about those things being strengths of his. Not sure that's enough, but it will be a refreshing change of pace in that respect.

Ha ha. I know what you are saying. But Belichick's, um, terseness seems to be coming from a totally different place to me. It's not corporate speak. It's FU speak. Which I do have some respect for. Also, he says lots of interesting things in other contexts. We can see it in some secondhand reports, behind the scenes stuff on NFL films, etc. Maybe McD does too. I admit we don't have the material to judge. Here's hoping he's got half the insight into the game and player's mentalities that BB does.

Not that I've noticed. Happy to see some counterexamples.

Wasn't commenting on the spelling. It's not generally a pejorative term, though. I hope my convictions are frugal. In any event, I don't have "convictions" about Sean McDermott. Just impressions. Ha ha. That does make me like him a little more actually.

Thanks. Do you know that he is an ISTJ? Seems plausible.

Me neither. It's a mystery.

I'm not sure you know what "frugal" means, but thanks for the advice. I'll try to do a better job of making sure my half-formed initial impressions of something that I don't know much about harden into absurdly rigid "convictions" so I can spew them on the internet with appropriate ferocity.

Disclaimer: This is a sincere attempt to understand what others see in McDermott. Not trying to start an argument, as I don't think we have enough info for a meaningful conclusion right now either way. But I am really struggling with this guy so far. And I am an optimist by nature and have pretty much talked myself into every single Bills coach (at least during their first preseason) over the past four decades. Here's what worries me: -Never says anything remotely interesting. Buttoned-down corporate speak all the way. And I know there is value in keeping your thoughts to yourself, but this kind of say-nothing style doesn't necessarily mask deep thoughts. It often means the person actually has no insight. The way he communicates publicly completely reminds me of Russ Brandon. That is not a good thing, in my opinion. -Seems to have read a few too many leadership books. He seems like he is trying to manufacture himself into a leader through notes and aphorisms and process. I am beyond skeptical of that approach in any organizational context. He doesn't seem comfortable in his skin to me - even the way he fidgets around in press conferences. He seems like a guy who loves the idea of being a leader, but hasn't discovered his own authentic approach. Feels like he's playing dress-up. (Again, screams Russ Brandon.) -Seems technocratic - thinks success will come primarily through control, detail, process. All well and good at times, but nowhere near enough to manage the seething, human, multi-variable complexity that is any football team. -Role in the Whaley affair is unclear, but optics do look like a bit of a backstabbing power grab. I admit this could be TOTALLY off. Here's what I like: -People he's worked with seem to like the guy. -Reportedly does a good job of connecting to and caring about players as individuals. -I have mad respect for Andy Reid, so I like the tree. I admit, my negatives are superficial and based on my own cursory observations, whereas the positives are substantive and based on the experience and testimony of people who have worked with him. But right now I just have the feeling he is in over his head, but has impressed the Pegulas with his organized approach, attention to detail, and stoic wrestler manner - none of which will make him a good coach IMO. I really hope I'm wrong, and I'm totally prepared to fall in love with the guy as things play out. But I can't remember feeling this cold about a hire. Even Marrone who came off as a total tool early on, somehow convinced me he might have something.

Interesting. Thanks. I like that list too. Was not keen on Trubisky, at first, but have watched a lot more of him lately, and he's been growing on me. There's a lot to like. Still very nervous about the lack of starts and that crap game he played in the rain, though. Love me some Mahomes, despite his crazy feet. Will have to look at Dobbs more.

That's an impressive board. Who does he/she like this year?

Agreed. I read his others on Kizer and Mahomes too. They are very convincing. No one can project QB success perfectly, but he is definitely looking at some intriguing subtleties, which I, for one, would never notice on my own. I enjoyed his takes, and learned a lot from them. Made me feel a lot more intrigued by Kizer than I otherwise would have been, and much more skeptical about Mahomes than I have been to date.

Yeah - I don't think Mahomes makes it to our 2nd pick. I'm definitely in the don't-get-cute-with-QB-slotting camp. The Bills may not rate him as a potential starter, but if they do, they should snag him at 10. (And I'm pretty happy with Tyrod - I just love Mahomes. I want to watch 15 years of Favrean insanity - I'll take the bad that comes with that along with the good.)

Want: Mahomes Don't Want: Peppers Dark Horse: Reddick Think: A &%#&$! CB