[Bills cuts discussion]

I'm sure this will be the last we'll ever see of Dane Jackson

[Jordan Phillips is back]

What we do with our D is kind of like when championship teams bring back guys who know how to get it done on their side of the ball when it matters most...except for the whole winning championships thing or our defense ever not being horrible when it matters most

[Eric Dickerson Claims Teams Were Told To Not Draft Shedeur Sanders]

Just now, Logic said:

For those saying this seems far-fetched, I'll just say...

The NFL has been caught in the act of collusion already. The Kaepernick stuff didn't happen that long ago.

I don't know whether Dickerson is telling the truth here or not. But I don't find it AT ALL hard to believe that a company worth as much as the NFL and whose continuous supply of willing labor balances so precariously on a teeter-totter of precedence and tradition would engage in collusion to ensure their continued success. PARTICULARLY given that they've already been found guilty of collusion in the past.

 

Sure, I wouldn't put it past the NFL to attempt something like that. But I don't think teams would go along with it if they really thought Sanders was going to be really good. I could be wrong but it's hard to see GMs and coaches with jobs on the line pass up what they think is a good QB in round 3 or 4. Kaepernick had a couple years where he struggled which I think helped that collusion. 

 

But it's a fair point, they're not above doing it. 

[Eric Dickerson Claims Teams Were Told To Not Draft Shedeur Sanders]

2 minutes ago, Doc Brown said:

No because too many jobs are on the line when you swing for your franchise QB.  If, for instance, the Giants, Steelers, or Colts thought he was their franchise guy then they would've pulled the trigger and drafted him in round 1.  Once the QB needy teams decided he wasn't their franchise guy he fell because no team's want that much baggage with a backup.  I won't parse words.  Dickerson was lying.

 

I agree, I can't see how when most of the teams who don't have a franchise QB have coaches on thin ice that may never get a head coaching job ever again would pass up him up if they thought he was a possible franchise QB or even just a good one because the NFL wanted to make an example out of him. Especially in like the 3rd or 4th round. 

[Tre White carted off]

5 hours ago, Success said:

 

No idea where that's coming from. The Chicago preseason game?

 

They invested heavily in the D this offseason.  I think this could be one of our strongest D's in awhile.

 

 

I hope so...but it's frustrating to know there's zero accountability if it's horrible in January once again

[Tre White carted off]

6 minutes ago, CEN-CAL17 said:

Fans will look back on this year and question why were we ok with a mediocre secondary knowing will have to potentially play Baltimore, Kansas City and Maybe Cincinnati in the playoffs. 
 

Pass rush is cool, but all 3 of those QBs are great under pressure, DLine can only help do much. Safeties are suspect and now CBs may be super thin. …. They just won’t throw at Benford. All those teams have crazy WR talent

 

And if we lose 34-38 with Josh not being able to give us like a 3rd lead in the 4th quarter, it'll be "well, they got the ball in Josh's hands at the end of the game, what more can you ask for? The defense being terrible for 7 straight postseasons is irrelevant". 

 

It's just hard to understand how all this has become normalized here. 

[McDermott - "Still looking for that other safety"]

I'm glad this is such a big question mark with a couple weeks left before the season starts 

[The Best to Never Get There]

6 hours ago, SoTier said:

 

In his 20 years as a NFL HC, Mike Shanahan only took 8 of his teams to the playoffs (7 with Denver) and only 3 of his playoff teams won playoff games.   He made his reputation in his two SB runs, 1997 and 1998.  After Elway retired, Shanahan coached Denver for 10 seasons.  His teams made the playoffs only 4 times with a single win.   Shanahan has been passed over for the HOF several times.  Obviously, I'm not the only one who thinks he wasn't such a great HC.

 

 

Yes, coaching and situational awareness IS a big thing, but so is knowing players' strengths and weaknesses.   Cook's blocking was a liability in the passing game, which is why he didn't often play on third downs, both in the regular season and in the playoffs.

 

 

I think your point about Shanahan is actually the one a lot of us are making: You don't have to have a great coach to win with a SB with an elite QB...you just have to have one that's not a total liability.

 

Unfortunately we do have a HC who has been a total liability as evidenced by how awful his side of the ball and management has been in these big postseason games and how we consistently lose playoff games that our elite QB plays very well in, which is historically just not normal. 

[The Best to Never Get There]

42 minutes ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

People see Brady & Mahomes then think that’s the norm, but it isn’t. Even the great Peyton Manning only had 2 rings, 1 solely because of his defense. 31 other teams come up short every year. My point is it’s incredibly hard to win a SB and even if you do everything perfectly, it still requires a bit of luck too. If you look at the legendary QBs of the past, how many didn’t even get 1 ? 
 

 

 

Except it's not the norm to consistently lose playoff games in which your elite QB plays very well or great in. It's just not. You can look through the history of top QB's and their performances in the playoffs. In fact, there are big postseason games where Brady and Mahomes did not play that well in and were picked up by their defense and supporting cast. Mahomes in the last SB they won vs the 49ers had an absolute disaster of a 1st half and his D kept him in the game. Could you imagine if Josh had a half like that in the SB or vs the Chiefs? We'd get our doors blown off. 

 

And Peyton wasn't playing lights out and putting up 27-30+ points on a top D and still losing those games to Brady's Pats, he was throwing 4 INT's or putting up 3 points and just flat out underperforming. 

 

It's not the same thing at all. We have a consistent pattern for 6 postseasons on why we are losing these games, something that a change can be made on. McDermott and his defense have let us down in these games over and over again, that's the overwhelmingly consistent pattern. We aren't losing these games because Josh hasn't been good enough in them. 

[The Best to Never Get There]

44 minutes ago, folz said:

 

I use stats all the time, so I'm not knocking you 808, but sometimes they don't tell the whole picture. You would have to look back at each game to see why the scores were what they were. Maybe they score more against the Bills, not because our defense is so much worse than other playoff team's defenses, but because they have to in order to out-duel Josh. In the other games against weaker opponents, maybe they get the lead and then take their foot off the gas. Maybe they play more conservatively against lesser teams, but need to be more aggressive against the Bills, etc., etc. If they are up, maybe they just run the ball in the 4th quarter to run out the clock, where in the Bills game, Josh just scored again in the 4th and Pat has to respond. I just don't think that stat can really be used to some how definitively say the Bills defense is so much worse than every other playoff team's defense (who has played KC).

 

 

And other posters keep mentioning the defensive scheme as the problem. I am no defensive guru or Xs and Os guy (so those more knowledgeable please correct me if I am wrong), but doesn't Sean run a variation of the old Jim Johnson defense? And aren't Steve Spagnola, John Harbaugh, and Ron Rivera also Jim Johnson proteges? So, I would assume they have a very similar philosophy to Sean on defense (again please correct me if I'm wrong). So, I'm thinking that the defensive scheme/style can probably get you a Super Bowl. A good point brought up though is not getting pressure from the front four. Let me ask this. If in the last few battles with KC, we swapped Chris Jones for one of our DEs, do you think that would make a difference? Isn't that why Beane brought in Von and now Bosa? What if Von didn't get injured? He was looking great at the start of his stint with the Bills. 

 

And as Bills fans, I find it hard that some don't see the influence of the league at times. Yes, I mean the refs. Let's face it, the NFL wanted Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl last year. 

 

And too many people, in my mind, just discount all of the other circumstances and bad luck: the Damar incident, the blizzard, the injuries, the coin flip, etc.

 

There are sooooo many reasons why Josh has not made a Super Bowl yet, way beyond just coaching and personnel decisions. 

 

 

But you can think and see both things at the same time. The existence of one doesn't negate the existence of the other.

 

Yes there has been some bad luck...but there is a consistent pattern here too, that our D has been overall horrendous in the playoffs and especially against the Chiefs even in years where their offense has been mediocre. 

 

Those factors you are talking about can co-exist with our defense consistently over 6 postseasons now, to put it lightly, coming up short in these big games. It's not just one or the other. You can say there are more reasons...but this is definitely one of them and out of the ones you mentioned it's actually a controllable one that they could make a change with. 

[The Best to Never Get There]

1 hour ago, Buffalo03 said:

To be fair, even a lot of HOF head coaches only have .500 career playoff records or worse.

Tony Dungy has a 9-10 playoff record and he had Peyton Manning for a lot of that. Andy Reid's playoff record before winning his first Super Bowl was 12-14. Bill Cowher is 12-9. Marty Schottenheimer was 5-13. John Harbaugh is 13-11. 

 

Getting to and winning the Super Bowl is hard. You not only have to have a great coach that knows what he is doing, you also have to have some luck on your side. It's not a walk in the park

 

But again, the coaches on that list weren't consistently losing games that their elite QB's played very well in. Peyton had clunkers that were the reason for quite a few of his postseason losses. Those guys weren't scoring 27-30+ in those games almost every year and losing. 

 

Our defensive coach has gotten so much production from the offensive side of the ball in the playoffs and for 6 straight postseasons has not figured out how to be even half-decent in January. That's a big problem. 

1 hour ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

He does play well in the playoffs. But the winner of this award was always likely to be a guy still playing, in other words a guy who has not yet used up all his chances to get to a Super Bowl. Also worth pointing out that as well as Josh played in those games, Mahomes outplayed him in most of them.

 

Greeny points out that Allen only has one INT against KC in the playoff losses. Mahomes has zero in the same games.

 

In any case, Peyton made the SB his first time in his 9th year.

 

Fouts never played in the SB.

 

Tarkenton didn't make the Super Bowl, or I believe the playoffs, till like his 12th or 13th year.

 

Allen's got plenty of time and is on a team that has given him chances nearly every year. He'll make it more than once, says I, and win a minimum of one, probably more.

 

 

 

You're right, they don't have a competent coach.

 

McDermott is far far better than that.

 

But yeah, overreacting and dumb hot takes are fun, so go do your thing.

 

What is McDermott far, far better than competent at? He's a defensive coach whose defense has been HISTORICALLY bad in the postseason and has been the primary culprit for us getting bounced every single postseason. His game management also cost us huge in the 13 seconds game. What exactly is he so competent at?

[The Best to Never Get There]

10 minutes ago, Dan said:

It is a bit mind numbing that Allen and the Bills just can’t get past KC.  It’s a bit like the Bills 4 SB losses.  At some point, you just wondered… what can they possibly do to win? 
 

I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it again… Beane needs to have a team of scouts that are doing nothing but watching every game KC and Reid have played and figure a way to beat them.   They simply cannot rely on McD to figure it out.  Four losses is enough.  They have to do something a bit drastic.  Adding rookies to your DLine I don’t think is gonna get it done. 
 

Also… why is it our coaches all get poached… but Spags just stays in KC forever!?  And knows exactly what to do to beat Allen.   WTF 

 

It's probably because Spags had a disaster run as a HC...but you're right that there have been other coaches with bad first runs who have gotten a second shot. 

 

I think Allen's actually done really well against his defenses in the playoffs overall though, the last 2 years against top defenses. We just can't have even a half-decent defensive game against what's been their mediocre offense the last 2 years. But it's harder, anyone who watches those games knows how much more of a grind it was to move the ball against their defenses than the Swiss cheese we're presenting to Mahomes. 

[The Best to Never Get There]

32 minutes ago, SoTier said:

Another day, another thread whining about how bad the Bills are and how bad McDermott is.    Is John Harbaugh also a bad HC because Lamar has started in a Super Bowl yet?

 

FYI, Dan Fouts and Warren Moon are the two best QBs who never made the Super Bowl.  Both Josh and Lamar still have plenty of time.   

 

Nobody is guaranteed anything in this life, including Bills fans.  Deal with it.

 

Is there a pattern of the Ravens losing playoff games that Lamar has played great in? 

[The Best to Never Get There]

5 minutes ago, ProcessTruster said:

Single elimination tournaments are, with rare exceptions, won by the team with the best quality coaching/roster.   Josh is great to be sure, but top to bottom from GM through HC all the way down to practice squad, the Chiefs have simply been better than the Bills, not by much, but enough.   Everyone can see it.  Reid/Spags are the best coaching duo in my lifetime-- the Bills have 1st time OC and DCs; Mahomes / Josh is probably a draw, but we have no one like Kelce or Jones, not even close.   

 

Bills can take a meaningless regular season game when injuries at that moment, etc. / home field can make a difference, but when its win or go home, having one of a kind talent almost always wins.. Bills do not have one a kind talent anywhere.  Just a very good roster and organization top to bottom.   

 

Be happy people.   We are witnessing the best of the Bills 60+ year history. 

 

Who chooses the OC's and DC's? McD has had 8 years to get that right. Other teams have also won and beat the Chiefs without having Reid/Spags. Also, the Chiefs have not been an offensive juggernaut for the last couple years - only against us in January. If McD had put up one game where his side of the ball wasn't flat out horrific against the Chiefs in the playoffs...we'd have a win against them. Just one. While other teams in the league have been able to do that. The Bills offense has actually done a pretty good job of putting up points against what's been a top defense in the NFL the last couple years while the D can't contain what's been a mediocre offense. 

 

The problem of not being able to do this ever with this many shots is a unique one that we have. I'm not sure how much more evidence people like yourself need of this. 

[The Best to Never Get There]

6 minutes ago, Bleeding Bills Blue said:

Manning didn't win one til he was 30 fwiw.  

 

There was a very key difference there though. 

 

Peyton to that point wasn't playing great in the playoffs as a whole. The games they were losing were his clunkers, like two the Patriots, one to the Jets, and one to the Steelers. They weren't losing games that he played great in. They weren't losing games that he was putting up 27+ points in. 

 

There is no elite player in any sport that I can think of that could not get to the big game in this big of a stretch despite playing great overall in the playoffs. What we've seen happen here with Josh is an unfortunate unique situation. 

[The Best to Never Get There]

27 minutes ago, Gregg said:

 

More in the media have been calling McDermott out. Maybe it will get to the point where Terry does something about that. Not that I expect it will happen anytime soon. 

 

I don't think that'll be enough. It's going to be up to Josh walking into Terry's office and asking for it. I don't think that's impossible as I do think everyone has their breaking point. But I also don't think that's something that comes naturally to him. 

 

I have previously thought and said that would absolutely never happen...I now think if we go 0-5 vs them in the playoffs and they torch our defense once again...it's happening. 

[The Best to Never Get There]

It's tough. The annoying part is most of these people don't go in-depth into why this has happened when it's all incredibly clear.  

 

But yeah, best player we've ever had and his entire 20's are blown if we don't get there this year. 

[WGR Discussing McD's job security]

On 8/12/2025 at 12:18 PM, Buffalo Boy said:

Examples???

I am on him like stink on a pig for sucky big game coaching. I HATE losing

Why

Because that is the next step. 
What I , and others hate, is refusal to acknowledge he has failed in this area with out the plethora of repeated excuses. 
I don’t hate him and I literally haven’t seen anyone question his faith and wonder what it has to do with anything.

 

It's a classic deflection, they do that kind of thing in politics.

 

It's a "you just don't like him so this is slander" defense even when there is so much that is being presented specifically about the failures on his side of the ball, obviously most notably in January and that it's happened EVERY single season. 

[Bigger Failure? No Super Bowl Appearance With 17 at QB or Four Straight SB Losses]

On 8/12/2025 at 10:44 AM, billsfan714 said:

The more I think about it, I believe not having elite coaching is going to be a factor in both.

 

I don't even think its about having elite coaching...I think simply having a Head Coach that's not a liability would have been enough for Josh to have gotten to a SB by now

[Good Night / Bad Night - Pre-season game 1]

17 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

For whatever it's worth...

 

 

Probably not going to get a lot of 3rd down stops that way. Nor have guys in good positions to make plays. 

It would explain a lot if McD is at 0-1 with game planning in the postseason as well

[Optimistic vs Realistic Expectations]

22 hours ago, Gregg said:

Optimistic - Super Bowl champs

Realistic - McDermott's D gets smoked again in another divisional round/AFCCG loss.

 

This is the the really unfortunate reality 

[Aaron Rodgers signs with Steelers]

1 hour ago, Taro Nimbus said:

He’ll be better off on the Steelers than that dysfunctional jets team.    He just has to play average at best and the Steelers will be in the playoffs.   From there anything can happen. 

 

There's a solid chance Rodgers makes the Steelers dysfunctional though

[Bills on Hard Knocks]

It'll be fun. I don't buy that somehow training camp filming will somehow affect the end result of the pursuit of a championship. 

[Bills on Hard Knocks]

Love it! I've wanted this for so long! 

[THE ROCKPILE REVIEW – McDermott’s Formula on Display in the NBA]

2 hours ago, Bob Chandler's Hands said:

The defense being played in the NBA playoffs is ferocious, almost dangerously so. It's been that way for a while now. 

 

Yup, the players put in way more effort on D in the playoffs and the refs swallow the whistle quite a bit 

1 hour ago, Gunsgoodtime said:

So the best player in the NBA at the most important position never makes it through finals?  I'm not a big fan of this strategy

 

Right. But more than that I just didn't understand the comparison when we are more reliant on Josh to win it all than any other team is on any other one player. The Chiefs, Eagles, whoever don't have a defense that consistently gets destroyed in the biggest games and can never get a late game stop. They also don't have these late game generational meltdowns like 13 seconds after their QB gives them 2 leads inside 2 minutes.