Help! Please talk me into McDermott - Can't See It

[Johnny Hammersticks]

Have you ever listened to Bill Belichick's interviews?

My exact thought as I was reading the OP.

[TC in St. Louis]

When it comes to hiring the hot coordinators, it can be hit or miss.....Rams fans were all jacked up for Spagnolo and Linehan, and even Josh McDaniel came in and failed for a while. Most of Bellichik's guys fail.

 

What gives me a little bit of hope about McDermott is that he wasn't necessarily the "hot coordinator," in fact his defense was not good last year. But he comes from a good lineage. Although I think the Andy Reid love is a bit over the top.

 

I hope he gets us going. Tired of watching other teams in the playoffs.

[BillsVet]

We are putting alot of faith in a 1st year HC. We shall see

 

(EDIT: Right now) I'll take that over faith in the former GM.

Edited May 2, 2017 by BillsVet

[Success]

Never says anything remotely interesting?

[Chicken Boo]

I'm warming up to him.

 

Bills fans have always wanted true change within the organization. Well, here it is!

 

A no nonsense coach that believes in high character players, mental toughness and the fundamentals of football and the Pegulas have seemingly given him free reign.

 

Aside from the hire of Leslie Frazier, I don't hate anything he's done thus far...and I was a Whaley backer.

 

Sean McDermott is the change everybody wanted. We'll see whether or not that change leads to success.

Edited May 2, 2017 by Chicken Boo

[Last Guy on the Bench]

Never says anything remotely interesting?

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

[JESSEFEFFER]

He's the anti-Rex.

This is my answer.

 

Will he ever be one man short on the field and after a TV timeout and have neither he nor his coaching staff nor the 10 men on the field not know it?

 

Will his field goal unit ever attempt a kick with the ball marked ready for play with only 8 seconds on the play clock and have similar teamwide cluelessness?

 

Will he have a system for replay review decisions that involves anything more than someone's gut instinct?

 

Will players constantly be unaware of their assignments or even whether they should be on the field or not?

 

Would he punt on 4th and 2 with 4 minutes to go in OT of a game where a tie eliminates his team from the playoffs?

 

Will he make good use of time and resources to prepare his team to perform well in games?

 

We'll see but my guess is he will pay attention to details like this either personally or by delegating responsibilies to the players and/or assistant coaches and holding them accountable.

Edited May 2, 2017 by JESSEFEFFER

[Last Guy on the Bench]

Have you ever listened to Bill Belichick's interviews?

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.

[Talley56]

Can I ask what it is about Rex that, even at the time we hired him, had you believing in him? IMO, Rex had way more red flags than McDermott or any of our recent coaching hires. I honestly wanted to make a post like this when we hired Rex but there seemed to be so much optimism around him (no idea where that optimism came from) that I didn't want to come off as a negative fan.

 

I would say, I'm at a place where, McDermott is our coach, there really weren't any stand out candidates who IMO were clearly better when we were interviewing, so I'm willing to give him a chance. But at the same time I'm not saying I think he's our answer and is clearly the guy to lead us to the promised land.

 

 

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.

.

 

Not sure I understand how attention to detail wouldn't make for a good coach?

Edited May 2, 2017 by Talley56

[Last Guy on the Bench]

This is my answer.

 

Will he ever be one man short on the field and after a TV timeout and have neither he nor his coaching staff nor the 10 men on the field not know it?

 

Will his field goal unit ever attempt a kick with the ball marked ready for play with only 8 seconds on the play clock and have similar teamwide cluelessness?

 

Will he have a system for replay review decisions that involves anything more than someone's gut instinct?

 

Will players constantly be unaware of their assignments or even whether they should be on the field or not?

 

Would he punt on 4th and 2 with 4 minutes to go in OT of a game where a tie eliminates his team from the playoffs?

 

Will he make good use of time and resources to prepare his team to perform well in games?

 

We'll see but my guess is he will pay attention to details like this either personally or by delegating responsibilies to the players and/or assistant coaches and holding them accountable.

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.

[jeffismagic]

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.

 

Belichick is a master strategist. McDermott is more of a practical, make the trains run on time guy. McDermott is closer to a Marrone personality wise.

[Success]

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

Honestly, it's a very poor measure for a coach. Who cares how interesting he is? This isn't a cocktail party.

[Dr. Fong]

Is it just me or does anyone else hate the word "optics," when it's used to mean how something appears to the general public?

[Last Guy on the Bench]

Can I ask what it is about Rex that, even at the time we hired him, had you believing in him? IMO, Rex had way more red flags than McDermott or any of our recent coaching hires. I honestly wanted to make a post like this when we hired him but there seemed to be so much optimism around him (no idea where that optimism came from) that I didn't want to come off as a negative fan.

 

I would say, I'm at a place where, he's our coach, there really weren't any stand out candidates who IMO were clearly better when we were interviewing, so I'm willing to give him a chance. But at the same time I'm not saying I think he's our answer and is clearly the guy to lead us to the promised land.

 

 

Not sure I understand how attention to detail wouldn't make for a good coach?

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.

[dave mcbride]

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.

Belichick is occasionally great and amazingly discursive in some interviews. It depends on the questions presented to him.

[Last Guy on the Bench]

Honestly, it's a very poor measure for a coach. Who cares how interesting he is? This isn't a cocktail party.

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.

[PromoTheRobot]

i do not understand how you cannot talk yourself into liking this guy if you were optimistic with the previous head coaches

Looking for validation of his pessimism.

[TheFunPolice]

He's the anti-Rex.

 

This is huge for me.

 

I was 100% behind the hiring of Rex. I was really excited, thinking that a great defensive coach who had some success vs NE in big spots, including beating them in NE in the playoffs, would take this defense to all-time great territory. I think he could have, if he actually put in the work.

 

One thing you'll never hear about McDermott is that he is lazy. Never. The guy is awake pumping iron 2 hours before the sun comes up.

 

It sounded like Rex rolled out of bed at 9, crushed a dozen donuts, rolled into the facility around 10, took a 3 hour lunch then went home at 4. I'm exaggerating a little maybe. But there was a lot of buzz that he was more into the fame that comes with being a well-known NFL coach than he was doing the work it takes to win. And he still went 8-8 and would have gone 8-8 again had he coached the last game and Tyrod played.

 

So the talent is there. Even with total confusion on defense and a HC who was more interested in self-promotion and being a carnival barker, the team won as much as it lost the past 3 years.

 

Now enter McDermott, for whom work is food, except the more he works the more hungry he gets for more work. Sleep is an annoyance because it gets in the way of more work.

 

That guy is inheriting a team that has been exactly .500 over a 48 game span.

[oldmanfan]

_{In your OP you list positives as people that have worked with him like him, and that players can identify with him. I think those are the things to focus on. As for his performance at press conferences, attention to detail, focus on process, etc. I am the type who likes attention to detail and process,. I think when you are like that you set clear expectations for your team.}

 

_{Ultimately picking a HC in any professional sport is a crap shoot. Especially in the NFL, since many are moving up from lower positions and you never know if a guy is HC material until he's put in the role. I reserve judgment right now until I see him in game day situations. But from what I can tell right now his teams will be taught well and focused, and that's about all I can hope for at this stage.}

[quinnearlysghost88]

i was going to ask you what you see in other successful coaches that they say/do before even coaching a game with a team? It's May. I don't expect much from him yet, and I don't need a Rex Ryan-esque loud mouth trying to "win" the offseason. I like that he's lowkey. Players will take him seriously.