SoTier

Then why is he still the Bills HC? His team is as bad and as uncompetitive as any of the previous dog crap teams the Bills ever fielded back in the 1970s and 1980s. I said before the season, and since, and I'll repeat it. Allen is being set up to fail by having absolutely no support around him, not a real QB coach, not protection, not targets,and not even a running game to take the pressure off of him. That's on both McDermott and Beane, and they both need to go ASAP. The currrent Bills don't even do that well. McDermott is a bad coach, too. He's a bad coach because he refuses to adapt to the reality that he's coaching in 2018 not 1968 or 1978 or 1988.

Losing by 20+ points, apparently.

Apparently fighting for a contested ball isn't part of "the process".

Count me among the Jauron haters. I loathed Jauron and his play-not-to-lose-by-too-much style, but I have to admit, play-not-to-lose-by-too-much beats the crap out of McDermott's "process" by a few light years at least.

Totally agree. Contrary to what the McDermott/Beane defenders keeping claiming, it's NOT the losing itself that's the problem. It's how the Bills are losing: getting blown out because the offense cannot score and continually turns over the ball, and that's because McDermott/Beane have totally mismanaged the entire offensive situation, beginning with the 2017 draft when they wasted a fifth round pick on Nathan Peterman.

McDermott isn't a young guy who's in his thirties like Sean McVay who acknowledged from the get-go that he needed a defensive master to help him or an open minded guy like Doug Pederson who welcomes input and ideas from assistants, players, etc. He's not an "old dog" like Andy Reid who can and does "learn new tricks". He's not even smart enough to realize that he should stick to what he does decently -- coaching -- and leave roster building to more knowledgeable guys like Doug Marrone. Instead, McDermott is an arrogant, narrow-minded relic from a by-gone era who is intent on proving his vision of winning football through defensive coupled with good "character" and lots of stupid cliches is superior to the "sissyfied" offensive football that's in style now. Bad wine doesn't get better with age, and neither do bad HCs. Giving Dick Jauron an extension did not make him one iota better, and McDermott shares the same faulty "vision" as Jauron. Giving him more time to screw up the offense isn't going to put a significantly better product on the field, not when his fundamental philosophy is so out-of-date. If you watched any football other than the Bills yesterday, especially the Chargers-Seahawks, Rams-Saints and/or Packers-Pats, then you know how wrong-headed and how anachronistic McDermott's philosophy is. This isn't 1950 or even 1985 or 2000.

Maybe Rodgers or Wilson or Luck or Roethlisberger would. Maybe Rivers, too. I'm not sure about Brees. Brady wouldn't. IOW, I think it would take a great QB to look decent behind this OL since he would also not have a running game or receivers.

This might be a reasonable tactic if the problems on offense were simply the result of poor QBing, but they are not. The OL cannot block for the running game and it cannot protect the passer, ergo no QB is going to look very good. In 2016, the Bills had a good run blocking OL that wasn't so good at pass blocking. McDermott's wisdom turned it into a mediocre run blocking OL that was lousy at pass blocking in 2017, and this year it's simply a crappy OL since the entire left side of the line, from the center outward (C, LG, LT) were replaced with bottom feeders who, at best, might be serviceable in the right situations. That includes the vaunted Dion Dawkins who may very well be better suited to play inside rather than outside at OT. The WRs are not NFL caliber. They weren't NFL caliber WRs in 2017, either, and all of them were McDermott's "guys" not Whaley's. Imagine how much better the Bills QB's might look if they had WRs who could get some separation and could actually catch the ball when it hits them in the hands ala Robert Woods or Sammy Watkins. Imagine how much better the running game might be if the CBs and Ss were back pedaling at the snap because the Bills actually had a speedy WR who might take it to the house if he got loose, ala Marquise Goodwin. The Bills WRs are so bad because McDermott was stupid enough to keep not one of these guys because he thinks that new-fangled forward pass is a fad ... like raccoon coats and swallowing live goldfish. The TEs, except for Clay, are not NFL caliber either, and the Bills don't use Clay correctly. He's a decent pass catching TE who can block. He should be getting 10 targets a game because next to a good running game, a sure-handed TE is a young QB's best friend ... and around the league, young QBs from Dak Prescott to Patrick Mahomes prove and re-prove that every damn game. The running game sucks mostly because of the OL but why are the Bills relying on 2 thirty year old RBs and a waiver wire refugee who's more of a ST player than a potential replacement for the older RBs? Teams are finding RBs not only all through the draft, but among UDFAs as well. Denver has a nice looking kid in Lindley that they got as an UDFA. The QB coach of the Bills, David Culley, is a former WR coach who only coached QBs for a couple of years at a small collegiate program thirty years ago. THIS is the guy McDermott thinks is a suitable coach for a rookie QB for whom the Bills gave up so much talent and draft capital, especially when that rookie QB is in need of so much improvement in key fundamentals like his footwork???? Plain and simple, I think that there's little hope for Josh Allen to succeed under McDermott/Beane. He's been set up to fail by the Neanderthal offensive philosophy, the total incompetence in evaluating offensive talent, and the poor choice of position coaching personnel. Drafting a first round QB and giving him absolutely no support in terms of protection and targets should get any NFL HC/GM fired, the sooner the better IMO. McDermott and his henchman Beane are what they are -- incompetent -- and they aren't going to miraculously improve between now and January. As the analysts pointed out last week, firing Jackson and Haley in mid-season gives the Browns an opportunity to start identifying potential candidates earlier than other teams. The Bills should do the same, particularly since they should be looking for both a GM and HC.

Exactly. Note to Terry and Kim: Anthony Lynn, who wasn't good enough for you, took the mediocre/can't win the big ones Chargers and got them to 9-7 years last season. This season, they are 6-2 and have only lost to the Rams and Chiefs ... and Lynn's crew are 2-0 against McDermott and his sorry-assed offense. He did that by building on what he had inherited on both sides of the ball, not tearing everything down to bring in "his guys".

These posts together make a horrendous list of offensive personnel (players and coaches) "misses" and "blunders" that seems to surpass even a compilation of the worst Bills personnel moves since the merger. I'm not kidding. Collect all the stupid moves the Bills have done between 1970 and 2016, and I doubt it would include as many bad moves, including trading away All Pro LT Jason Peters because of a contract dispute at a fire sale price and trading away future All Pro RB Marshawn Lynch for a fourth round pick. I think the fact that the Bills went into the season with only 2 QBs on the active roster and no QB on the practice squad, necessitating the team signing street FAs whenever the starter goes down, is a reason to fire both McDermott and Beane. At least a PS QB would know the playbook. That it took the Bills a month after Peterman cemented his claim to QB incompetence to get around to bringing in a street FA QB as a backup, especially one who was out of football for 2 years, is even more of a reason to can these two. What is there to be positive about with the 2018 Bills? Defensive stats are for losers, and the Bills are not only losers, they are likely to remain losers because of the crappy offensive position coaches McDermott has brought in. A team can't win consistently in the NFL without having a viable offense, and the Bills don't have that. They wouldn't have a viable offense in 2003 or 2000 or even 1990. Maybe in 1920, this offensive offense might have been viable. I have. I gave up my seasons when the Bills renewed Jauron after 2008. I haven't attended a Bills game in the last two seasons ... and I won't attend another as long as McDermott is coaching this team. That's doesn't mean that I forfeit my right to express my opinion.

McDermott can't succeed in "Goodell's era of video game football" because he thinks he can win without an offense.

This is what we had in 2013 IIRC when we had rookie EJ Manuel plus UDFA rookie Jeff Tuel and UDFA Thad Lewis. That team was in most games until late when sometimes the score would get out of hand -- and the QBs were, on paper, less talented than the current QB group.

He also keeps trying to throw the same out routes he can't throw, which is his first problem ... and which are pick sixes waiting to happen. The DBs and LBs around the league know this and bait him into trying to make those throws. I feel sorry for the kid because it's not his fault he doesn't have an NFL arm, and opponents take advantage of that like sharks smelling blood. I get really angry at McDermott for putting this kid out there to get crushed again and again. It's cruel. I don't have a particularly good opinion of people who needlessly embarrass or hurt others to validate some point they want to make or some principle they believe in, and I think that that's what McDermott is doing with keeping Peterman on the active roster. So, you think Trubisky will throw six INTs to Peterman's five. So, how many of Trubisky's errant throws get returned for pick sixes? I think two of Peterman's do.

Sad but very likely accurate. I figure that Barkley's too recent an addition to come into the game unless Peterman leaves on the cart, so Nate gets the entire game to throw 5 picks, 2 of which are pick sixes. As an aside and ANOTHER example of the McDermott/Beane cluelessness on offense, why the hell don't the Bills have a QB on the practice squad??? Why haven't they had one on the practice squad since the beginning of the season when they decided to go with only 2 QBs on the active roster???? This is something that I think most teams that go with only 2 QBs do so that they have a QB available who at least knows the playbook and don't have to have a guy who was a street FA a few days before come in if their backup-turned-starter goes down.

There's a medical term for this: post concussion syndrome, and there's a long list of symptoms associated with it besides dizziness. Dale Earnhardt, Jr, easily the most popular NASCAR driver of the last fifteen years, missed the last half of the 2016 NASCAR season because of concussion related symptoms and ultimately decided to retire because of it although he did come back in 2017 to run one last season. Earnhardt was diagnosed in July, 2016 with post concussion syndrome and wasn't medically cleared to race again until December, 2016 (after the end of the NASCAR season).

I think Nate Pickman lasts the entire game, giving up 5 INTs, 2 for Pick Sixes.

That sounds familiar. Maybe the reason he needs "HIS" guys is that the guys Gruden's shed recognize incompetence when they see it. Or not. ROTFLMAO. Unless you're less than 20, don't count on seeing that championship before you're eligible for Social Security. Right-o. I put the over/under for INTs at 5 and for PickSixes at 2 myself.

You need to face the fact that this team has gotten significantly worse just between 2017 and 2018 because of stupid decisions made by McDermott and Beane, and that significant improvement in 2019 is as unlikely as it was in 2001, 2006, and 2010. The fact is, at best, the Bills need to start over -- build a new team complete with new offensive coaches not "rebuild" the current stinkfest -- with far less talent at most positions than they had 2016, and with a HC and GM who have repeatedly demonstrated that they have no idea what the hell they're doing, especially on the offensive side of the ball, much less an actual "plan" to accomplish it.

Those "ridulous stats" belong to the Bills, dude. Since you seem to doubt the enormity of the Bills incompetence, here are a few more to put things in perspective for you since you obviously are lacking in that department ... in their last five games, the offense has scored 2 TDs; the offense has failed to score a TD in 4 of the Bills 8 starts; the Bills have been shut out once and have been held to a single FG in two more games; the Bills have converted on 27.5% of their third downs (31st in the league); the Bills has had all of 13 RZ chances and only 6 scores for 46.2%; the Bills are 32nd in scoring, averaging 10.9 points per game, compared to the next lowest team, Arizona, which is averaging 13.8 points a game; the Bills are 32nd in total points scored, 87, compared to the next lowest team, Tennessee which has scored 107 points in only 7 games. On defense the Bills are looking good, too ... the defense has allowed opponents to convert on 42.6% of their 3rd downs (25th in the league); the Bills vaunted defense has allowed opponents 17 scores in 26 chances for a 65% success rate good for 25th in the league; the Bills are tied with the Jets at 19-20 in points allowed (25). Now, you can come back and explain to all us ignorant fans who are questioning the bull manure that passes for professional football as far as the Bills organization is concerned how all these miserable numbers mean that the McDermott/Beane/Pegulas have "a plan" and that "the process" is "working". Universal excuse for two decades of incompetence ... and BTW, I did "get over it". I didn't renew my season tix several seasons ago, and I've stopped attending games altogether the last two seasons. I'm sure that at least one of the Legion of Fools will show up on this thread to claim it's the kind of thing that all HOF HCs and GMs go through to find success. Holy OLers! Those are HOS (Hall of Shame) inductees fer sure from the Jauron era except for Gandy, who could be serviceable in the right situation (not decent much less good, though). He went on to Arizona and played LT for Kurt Warner and almost won a Lombardi.

What? You don't think that David Culley is good enough to mentor a first round rookie QB? Besides, the Bills now have Anderson, who had such a distinguised NFL career, to do that. Culley did coach QBs for a couple of years at some Lousiana college not named LSU back in the 1980s ... Whyever would you think that??? They've scored 6 TDs already this season haven't they?

This is pure fantasy. There is absolutely no certainty that there will even be decent veteran OLers or WRs available in FA or that the Bills will be willing to pay the market rate for them or that FAs the Bills want will sign with them. As for the draft, it looks to be a more defensive draft, especially at the top, than an offensive one, and the draft is very hit or miss, and the success rates for Day 3 picks (rounds 4-7) are probably only about maybe 20%. That's where most of the Bills extra picks are. Moreover, it generally takes 2 or 3 years for an OLer or WR to develop into a competent player. The Bills got "blindsided" by Eric Wood's injury, but Richie Incognito was 35-years-old so he was nearing the end of his career. They should have had a replacement for him already on the roster in the person of a young LG obtained either through the draft, signing a UDFA prospect or scouring the waiver wire which they didn't do because they were so busy weeding out talented players whom McDermott/Beane/Brandon/Pegula/whomever deemed "too expensive" to keep -- and finding bottom feeder bodies to fill the holes. The same BS is going to happen along the DL either this off season or next when K Williams and Alexander hang up their cleats. Both are/will be 36. Will the Bills be "blindsided" by those retirements, too? Will they send Alexander packing to save some dollars because Howard looks promising as a rookie -- just like they did to Glenn at LT because Dawkins was serviceable as a rook? What about Trent Murphy? He's missed more games than he's started I think, so he may be gone, too. Frankly, there was never any real plan except to get rid of most of the well-paid players on the team in 2017 and replace them with lesser players that McDermott and Beane knew from Carolina or who had some prior connection to McDermott -- or were the cheapest FA bodies they could find at that position. Why do you think the Bills waited for a month to get around to bringing in a backup QB after Peterman proved his incompetence??? They were waiting for Anderson, another Carolina discard, to finish his golf tournament. As I've said repeatedly, there simply aren't enough decent players available in FA and the draft to fill all the current holes that McDermott and Beane have created. The Bills have two units, OL and WR, that are simply not NFL-caliber. Maybe 1 or 2 of the players from both units might make contending NFL teams -- as backups. The DL could also be in a similar state in 2019 because of retirements and injury. Maybe McDermott (2017) and McDermott/Beane (2018) shouldn't have wasted so much draft capital frequently trading up to chase after specific players to fit their narrow criteria. After all, JuJu Smith-Schuster was still available when the Bills traded up to grab Zay Jones. This is why McDermott will fail as a HC, especially when given control of which players to keep and which to bring in. Talent trumps everything. Dedication, desire, and hard work can enhance talent, but if it's not there to begin with, no amount of dedication or hard work is going to create it. The Bills have thrown away too many talented players in the McDermott/Beane era because McDermott can't see that. Kelvin Benjamin is simply not fast enough to be a WR1 or WR2 in the modern NFL, and studying tape is not going to ever enable Nathan Peterman to regularly throw out routes to his own teammates rather than to the other team.

Thank you for an excellent, well thought out post. Unfortunately, you'll probably get all kinds of criticism for daring to point out the McDermott/Beane regime's failures.

I wasn't talking about McCoy. I was talking about offense in general ... maybe next week against the Jets will be the week the Bills offense gets into the EZ.

Doh! I didn't know all that. Actually I did and I do. Stop making excuses for incompetence. That "cap space" that you're so worried about saving was attached to a competent NFL QB, a veteran who was an experienced and reliable starter and a proven good teammate. Allen is a raw rookie who needed to sit for at least part of this season and could use some advise from a guy who's "been there, done that". Taylor hasn't caused any kind of "locker room divide" in Cleveland in the very same situation that he would have had with the Bills (although apparently former Browns HC Hue Jackson did cause issues). Where the hell would this "locker room divide" come from exactly? The Bills should not have signed McCarron at all. If they didn't know that he wanted -- and expected -- to be the starter at least in the beginning of the season, then they had to be just about the only ones who didn't. McCarron left a cushy backup gig in Cinci to look for an opportunity to be a starter. McDermott claiming that McCarron wasn't what he "expected" is either an admission of his incompetence in handling players or an attempt to shift the blame to McCarron. Moreover, I don't give a rat's scrawny behind how good Peterman looked in practice. He doesn't have an NFL caliber arm and cannot make the throws that every QB, even an occasional backup, needs to be able to make. The rest of the team knew that, which why the team played so crappy against Baltimore. The whole QB competition BS was just a reflection of the incompetence of the coaching staff ... and it was slanted so that it favored Peterman by scheduling him playing mostly against 2nd and 3rd stringers while McCarron faced first string players (which how he got hurt). If the Bills aren't trying to win football games, then they should refund ticket holders' their money. The NFL is a professional league, not a little kids' T-ball league where participation is more important than winning. Maybe if the Bills hadn't traded away Cordy Glenn just because Dion Dawkins looked serviceable at LT and signed a better replacement for Eric Wood than Russell Bodine, they wouldn't have two injured quarterbacks. They could have done that if they'd kept Glenn (they would then have had several more million in cap space), and moved Dawkins either to LG or RT, both positions that probably suit him better. Of course, the idea of providing QBs with protection -- much less sure-handed targets -- has apparently become a foreign concept for the brainiacs at OBD since the ascent of McDermott and his henchman Beane.

I have serious doubts that it is.