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

[34-78-83]

Sorry, nothing to talk you into. He is the HC period. The Pegulas love him period. Now my advice is just sit back and give this guy 3 years and let him prove if he is good or not.

That's pretty much all of it.

[stuvian]

McDermott has a theory about how successful football organizations are built based on his experience. His defenses were always top tier. He knows how to evaluate talent because he's been a scout. He didn't just come in as a coach but as an architect

[Charles Romes]

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.

 

Agreed. Philbinesque

[Buffalo86]

This will be the first time in 11 years that our GM will come from outside the walls of OBD. How have the last 11 years been? I'm ready for a change.

[NewEra]

3 years would be nice but you know how it goes. If the bills don't make the playoffs this year the retarded media around here will be all over him along with half of the fan base.

 

Right now the media likes him so what more can you ask for?

They liked him while Whaley was here. They already had a whipping boy. Now Whaley is gone. Who's the next target?

YOU KNOW WHO ELSE HAD THOSE QUALITIES GREG WILLIAMS .....HOW DID THAT TURN OUT .......MICKY-D IS A FRAUD THAT WILL GET EXPOSED AND FIRED BEFORE THE END OF HIS CONTRACT

Lol. This is awesome stuff

[Dragonborn10]

Pegula is the problem here. He falls in love with Rex and now as someone else stated he has fallen in love with the Anti-Rex.

There is no other organization that turns over this much power to a first time HC.

What was the point in keeping Whaley this long? Now the HC gets to sign off on the GM?

Pegula may be rich but he sounds stupid when he talks. I'm grateful he has kept the team in Buffalo but the guy is just making one poor decision after another.

He needs to turn the whole thing over to someone that knows football. Maybe they should have given the whole operation to Coughlin.

I'm on record that Rex destroyed this team and that any other DC gets us 10 or 11 wins last year.

If TT and the offense puts up top 10 in points again, then McDermott had better win no less than 10 games.

[Paulus]

What about the Panthers' defense last year? This is what makes me wonder.

[Reed83HOF]

Pegula is the problem here. He falls in love with Rex and now as someone else stated he has fallen in love with the Anti-Rex.

There is no other organization that turns over this much power to a first time HC.

What was the point in keeping Whaley this long? Now the HC gets to sign off on the GM?

 

I am a bit concerned about this myself. Kim and Terry need to turn this over to someone who is very experienced in football ops and learn as that person runs the team...I am afraid that they are in over their head. Whaley needed to get clipped; I am not okay with how much power they have given an unproven McD...

 

Edit: My hope as a fan is that works out; but I am afraid this sets us back 6 more years (3-4 with McD and 2-3 to fix that)

Edited May 3, 2017 by Reed83HOF

[BringBackFlutie]

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?

Me. Holy ****. Me.

[BillsFan4]

Sean McDermott has learned under some great coaches. He was an Andy Reid and Jim Johnson protege in Philly. Then learned from Ron Rivera for 6 years in Carolina.

 

He has had a top 10 defense in 4 of the past 5 years (which includes 4 straight years from '12-'15, the only DC to do that during that time span), and he has had a top 12 defense in 6 of his 8 years as a DC.

 

Carolina made steady improvements under him, too.

 

- They were 25th in sacks his first year, 9th his second year and were ranked #1 in the NFL by his 3rd year

- 27th in total points allowed & points per game his first year, and ranked #2 in the NFL by his 3rd year.

- 25th in rushing yards allowed his 1st year and ranked #2 by his 3rd year.

- 20th in interceptions in his 1st year and tied for 5th in Interceptions by his 3rd year.

- 20th in receiving yards per game in his 1st year, to 11th by his 3rd year

- 28th in total yards per game in his 1st year, to 2nd in YPG by his 3rd year

 

He's done all this with some major player turn over, too, and he's helped develop a number of mid to late round draft picks. For example, Josh Norman was a 5th round draft pick who developed into a top 3 CB under McDermott.

 

I also like that he is very detail oriented, and puts major emphasis on teaching how to properly execute plays/scheme. He's not just telling guys what to do, he's telling them why and showing them how. He has been very good at getting guys to play technically sound football.

He also puts major emphasis on the line of scrimmage. He wants a dominant O and D line, and hired 2 of the best line coaches in the NFL (Castillo and Waufle).

He is smart, always seems to be learning and evolving too, and he's a grinder. He's the first guy in the building every day and the last one to leave.

 

I just think the Sean McDermott has a lot of the qualities that you look for in successful head coaches. This is the first Bills HC I have been truly excited about in a long while. I think he's the first guy in a long time that has legitimately Earned this Bills head coaching job on his past performances. I have been a McDermott fan for years though, so I am probably somewhat biased.

 

He is a first time head coach, so whether or not he's in over his head I don't know. But I believe he was the longest tenured coordinator without a HC job, so he's put in his time. There will probably be some growing pains, but I think he will be successful when all is said and done.Like the Steelers said when they hired Mike Tomlin - hire a smart guy and give him the time and resources to get it right.

I truly feel that the Bills got the right guy, now they just have to give him the time and resources to get it right.

 

Here is a good read on McDermott, if you're interested -

 

http://www.espn.com/blog/carolina-panthers/post/_/id/21796/two-truths-and-a-lie-make-sean-mcdermott-a-great-defensive-coordinator

 

Here's what other NFC coaches said about him and his defense -

 

http://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2017/03/what_nfc_coaches_said_about_buffalo_bills_coach_sean_mcdermott_and_his_defense.html

 

More player + coach comments -

 

http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/What-theyre-saying-NFL-personalities-weigh-in-on-new-Bills-coach-Sean-McDermott/6b693d86-92b9-4992-b4bd-8d97bcbd80b6

 

And one more from Kurt Coleman (who played for McD in Philly and Carolina) -

 

http://www.torontosun.com/2017/01/27/qa-panthers-coleman-on-strengths-of-new-bills-coach-mcdermott

 

His bio (from Carolina Panthers) -

 

http://www.panthers.com/team/coaches/sean-mcdermott/4fdf89fd-ccb4-4ce0-a5d6-b29026712d99

[Nihilarian]

 

I am a bit concerned about this myself. Kim and Terry need to turn this over to someone who is very experienced in football ops and learn as that person runs the team...I am afraid that they are in over their head. Whaley needed to get clipped; I am not okay with how much power they have given an unproven McD...

 

Edit: My hope as a fan is that works out; but I am afraid this sets us back 6 more years (3-4 with McD and 2-3 to fix that)

I look at it this way. If Sean McDermott had great influence in getting Whaley and the scouts fired... then I say kudos to him!

 

Any really good defensive coach would look at Tyrod Taylor as a godsend to a defense in that this QB can run a ball control run first offense and doesn't foolishly turn the ball over! In his two seasons with Buffalo, Taylor has played in 29 games and thrown 37 TD's, 12 INTs. I can see why McDermott wanted to go this season with Taylor at QB while Whaley wanted him gone.

 

From this fan's standpoint, it looked like Whaley didn't get along with Marrone, Ryan for various reasons and probably started butting heads with the new guy. This year's draft was run by the head coach and it looks better than anything I've seen the last four years in that the Bills were able to get at least three starters out of this draft. Along with the Chiefs first round pick for 2018!!

 

White had an 89 grade and will probably start. WR Zay Jones had an 87 grade and will probably start. New OG/OT Dion Dawkins should win the RT position in camp. From reading what scouts had to say about Nathan Peterman in that he about the only QB in the draft that is NFL ready to start.

• When pressured Peterman had the nation’s No. 2 overall passer rating at 114.7.
• Passing in 2.5 seconds or less: 69.9 percent completion, 18 TD, 3 INT, 124.6 QB rating. https://www.profootballfocus.com/draft-bills-go-qb-take-nathan-peterman-in-the-5th-round/

I look at this new HC and he reminds me of Marv Levy in that he has the intestinal fortitude/nads to hire experienced NFL assistant coaches. Dick Jauron was afraid to hire a decent NFL experienced OC (Fairchild 2-seasons was the OC in St Louis and Martz called the plays and set up the offense) Chan Gailey called his own offensive plays and set up the offense. Doug Marrone hired an inexperienced college coach to run his offense. Rex Ryan called the defensive plays and set up the defense and in his second season supposedly gave control to Dennis Thurman while the stats in yards/ points looked to remain the same.

New Bills OC is Rick Dennison has been an NFL OC for 10 years in Denver, Houston. New Bills DC is Leslie Frazier who has been an NFL HC for 3 years and DC for 8 years.

I was somewhat skeptical at first when Terry Pegula hired McDermott and still wonder what the team will look like against the Patriots this year. I'm really hoping that this year's defense will actually do a good job in stopping Brady!

Anyway, after all the changes so far I'm far more optimistic about this year's team than I have been in years and I like this new HC. No nonsense, all business!!

[Last Guy on the Bench]

Sean McDermott has learned under some great coaches. He was an Andy Reid and Jim Johnson protege in Philly. Then learned from Ron Rivera for 6 years in Carolina.

 

He has had a top 10 defense in 4 of the past 5 years (which includes 4 straight years from '12-'15, the only DC to do that during that time span), and he has had a top 12 defense in 6 of his 8 years as a DC.

 

Carolina made steady improvements under him, too.

 

- They were 25th in sacks his first year, 9th his second year and were ranked #1 in the NFL by his 3rd year

- 27th in total points allowed & points per game his first year, and ranked #2 in the NFL by his 3rd year.

- 25th in rushing yards allowed his 1st year and ranked #2 by his 3rd year.

- 20th in interceptions in his 1st year and tied for 5th in Interceptions by his 3rd year.

- 20th in receiving yards per game in his 1st year, to 11th by his 3rd year

- 28th in total yards per game in his 1st year, to 2nd in YPG by his 3rd year

 

He's done all this with some major player turn over, too, and he's helped develop a number of mid to late round draft picks. For example, Josh Norman was a 5th round draft pick who developed into a top 3 CB under McDermott.

 

I also like that he is very detail oriented, and puts major emphasis on teaching how to properly execute plays/scheme. He's not just telling guys what to do, he's telling them why and showing them how. He has been very good at getting guys to play technically sound football.

He also puts major emphasis on the line of scrimmage. He wants a dominant O and D line, and hired 2 of the best line coaches in the NFL (Castillo and Waufle).

He is smart, always seems to be learning and evolving too, and he's a grinder. He's the first guy in the building every day and the last one to leave.

 

I just think the Sean McDermott has a lot of the qualities that you look for in successful head coaches. This is the first Bills HC I have been truly excited about in a long while. I think he's the first guy in a long time that has legitimately Earned this Bills head coaching job on his past performances. I have been a McDermott fan for years though, so I am probably somewhat biased.

 

He is a first time head coach, so whether or not he's in over his head I don't know. But I believe he was the longest tenured coordinator without a HC job, so he's put in his time. There will probably be some growing pains, but I think he will be successful when all is said and done.Like the Steelers said when they hired Mike Tomlin - hire a smart guy and give him the time and resources to get it right.

I truly feel that the Bills got the right guy, now they just have to give him the time and resources to get it right.

 

Here is a good read on McDermott, if you're interested -

 

http://www.espn.com/blog/carolina-panthers/post/_/id/21796/two-truths-and-a-lie-make-sean-mcdermott-a-great-defensive-coordinator

 

Here's what other NFC coaches said about him and his defense -

 

http://www.newyorkupstate.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2017/03/what_nfc_coaches_said_about_buffalo_bills_coach_sean_mcdermott_and_his_defense.html

 

More player + coach comments -

 

http://www.buffalobills.com/news/article-1/What-theyre-saying-NFL-personalities-weigh-in-on-new-Bills-coach-Sean-McDermott/6b693d86-92b9-4992-b4bd-8d97bcbd80b6

 

And one more from Kurt Coleman (who played for McD in Philly and Carolina) -

 

http://www.torontosun.com/2017/01/27/qa-panthers-coleman-on-strengths-of-new-bills-coach-mcdermott

 

His bio (from Carolina Panthers) -

 

http://www.panthers.com/team/coaches/sean-mcdermott/4fdf89fd-ccb4-4ce0-a5d6-b29026712d99

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? ]

Edited May 3, 2017 by Last Guy on the Bench

[wilcoam]

I disliked the Rex hire from day one, but anytime I criticized him on the BBMB I was drowned out

I have the complete opposite opinion on HC Sean

I think he is going to turn out to an excellent NFL HC

However I'm not as equally convinced he is good scout, a good GM, and or can make good trades

Knows how the comp rule works, understands the cap, and or will make the right off season personal moves

 

I think he has already made mistakes with regard to having given up 2 free comp picks next year

And I am not convinced the safeties he signed, for IMO too much money, will be effective NFL starters

I also think he got taken a bit in 2 of the 3 draft trades

And IMO we are razor thin talent wise at OLB and WR

And the changes with our offensive run blocking scheme frighten me

Though I applaud the Sammy move, the TT and contractural cap changes, and I like the totality of our draft selections

 

So the jury is out as to if we just survived the 2017 off season or we are in better position to win 10 games

But I am less concerned about his personality traits, more concerned about his actual moves as our rookie HC/rookie GM

 

jc

[KRT88]

where have likeable personalities gotten this franchise? He hasn't done anything yet but he reminds me of Bill Bellichek. SOmeone who can talk for 5 minutes and not say a thing.

 

Personally, it rather refreshing to see the team line up behind someone. Seems strange it's behind an unproven head coach but what's the worst that can happen? We missed the playoffs for 3 more years.

[Paulus]

I disliked the Rex hire from day one, but anytime I criticized him on the BBMB I was drowned out

I have the complete opposite opinion on HC Sean

I think he is going to turn out to an excellent NFL HC

However I'm not as equally convinced he is good scout, a good GM, and or can make good trades

Knows how the comp rule works, understands the cap, and or will make the right off season personal moves

 

I think he has already made mistakes with regard to having given up 2 free comp picks next year

And I am not convinced the safeties he signed, for IMO too much money, will be effective NFL starters

I also think he got taken a bit in 2 of the 3 draft trades

And IMO we are razor thin talent wise at OLB and WR

And the changes with our offensive run blocking scheme frighten me

Though I applaud the Sammy move, the TT and contractural cap changes, and I like the totality of our draft selections

 

So the jury is out as to if we just survived the 2017 off season or we are in better position to win 10 games

But I am less concerned about his personality traits, more concerned about his actual moves as our rookie HC/rookie GM

 

jc

Great way to remain neutral...

[fansince88]

The paragraph where you start with I admit. Go with that. Negatives are superficial. This is because McD doesnt put himself out there all the time like Rexy boy did. He as said here before, is the anti Rex. Dont go through life deciding your opinion of people by the things you are unsure about rather their qualities.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

What about the Panthers' defense last year? This is what makes me wonder.

 

Yes.

[Best Player Available]

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?

Yea, gotta be on top of the buzzword chain and look hip.luckily the word "optics" is slowly replacing the word "metrics".

Using,both words in a single sentence. Out of context in a busness situation is always a great laugh. Our MBA uses them a lot.

[Chuck Wagon]

What about the Panthers' defense last year? This is what makes me wonder.

 

 

We are putting a lot of faith in a braintrust from a franchise that was a bit middling outside of one fantastic year from Cam.

[oldmanfan]

 

 

We are putting a lot of faith in a braintrust from a franchise that was a bit middling outside of one fantastic year from Cam.

You do realize the league has a committe of respected guys like Polian, Dungy etc who had McDon their list of excellent candidates?