What we've learned about McDermott & Beane from this season

[Dr. K]

I've been trying to step back from all the Bills psychodrama and evaluate what McDermott has shown about himself as a coach and what that suggests about him going forward. How good a coach is McDermott; what does he do well, what could he do better, and is he capable of doing those things better? This is all just my opinion of course.

 

So . . .

 

PLUS SIDE:

1. He seems to be able to motivate his players and create a positive atmosphere.
2. He seems to be able to prepare the team in advance of the game. His team is much better disciplined than Rex's was.
3. He has gotten good performances out of players who are not stars.
4. He has drawn up some effective defensive schemes to meet particular challenges
5. He has an even temperament. He is not a blowhard.
6. He insists that whoever plays the best determines who gets into the games.

 

MINUS SIDE:

1.  I am not sure I believe #6 above. Either he plays some favorites or else his judgment of who is performing best is not the same as mine. There are several examples but one clear example is Tolbert. This suggests to me that he may not be the best evaluator of talent. Maybe Beane is equally guilty here, though I think Beane is not doing anything McDermott doesn't want. (I am one of the fans who did not like the fire sale of players that went on in the off season, or the abandonment of Dareus).
2. I don’t think he is a good game manager. He wastes time outs. He does not seem to make adjustments at the half. This could perhaps be the fault of his coordinators to some degree, of course, but the buck stops with him. Sometimes I get the feeling in the middle of games that he is in over his head, and cannot think on his feet. 
3. There is some evidence that he is willing to take chances, but overall he is a very conservative coach. For instance, he seems willing to sit on a lead. He is risk averse. I don't think this is going to serve the team well in the long run.
4. The jury's out yet on whether he will dump Dennison or at least hold him responsible for some of the mystifying play calls he has made. This may be related to the idea that he is loyal to "his guys" and will not let performance determine his decision making.

 

I am not ready to say whether he will be successful as a coach here. He shows some encouraging qualities, but he also shows traits that could sink this team. I was one who thought the team would be lucky to win six games this year, so good on McDermott for exceeding that expectation. But I am not sold on "the process" which seems to me to be a glorified term for "do it my way." I suppose every coach wants that; I just wonder if he has the flexibility of mind to change course when things are going wrong, and the imagination to consider alternatives.

 

 

 

 

Edited December 26, 2017 by Dr. K

[Roundybout]

I think the "McJauron" nonsense stems from the simple fact that he is a rookie coach. 

[Foreigner]

He may get along by his coaching, but all the personnel decisions made this year have been

so bad. And even though Beane is GM don't think for one second that McDermott didn't

have his fingerprints over everything that goes on.

Who do you think is calling the shots, Pegula, Brandon? Please, they have as much knowledge

running a football team, as they do a hockey team.    

[Haslett_Stomp]

Give him some time.  When they focused on him on the sideline he was clearly really pissed yesterday once he realized that the fix was in with the Pats**.   Sure, he's still learning but Romo's comments regarding the play where he matched Hoody on 4th down (forcing them to kick a FG) were spot on and an indication he is going to be a good coach. More to come for sure but I'm sure we can all agree that we are feeling better about the Bills than we were at the beginning of the season.

[klos63]

This is a fairly solid rookie season, with their share of mistakes, but not a bad foundation to start from. The draft and offseason roster moves will be huge . Judge them after next season.

[PromoTheRobot]

He's not perfect. Clean house.

[Dr. K]

Just now, PromoTheRobot said:

He's not perfect. Clean house.

Who is asking anyone to clean house?

 

[Success]

It’s easy to be nitpicky about some of the in-game errors.  Really, all coaches have a few of those.  Also, while I agree on his being conservative a bit too often, that could be more a reflection of personnel.

 

I like what I’ve seen so far.  Bad mid season swoon, but otherwise the team is motivated and the game plans are good.  If he can close out with a win, 9-7 is a very solid first year  effort.

[PromoTheRobot]

1 minute ago, Dr. K said:

Who is asking anyone to clean house?

 

You know we eventually so why wait? Pull the handle one more time. We're bound to hit in one.

[klos63]

Starting Peterman was a huge mistake. You only get one of those.

[Dr. K]

1 minute ago, PromoTheRobot said:

You know we eventually so why wait? Pull the handle one more time. We're bound to hit in one.

I really don't get what you are on about. I certainly am not asking anyone to clean house. 

[MAJBobby]

1 minute ago, klos63 said:

Starting Peterman was a huge mistake. You only get one of those.

 

Sure so Taylor and his 56 yards get the win in LA?  Thanks for the laugh

[moshermw]

13 minutes ago, MAJBobby said:

 

Sure so Taylor and his 56 yards get the win in LA?  Thanks for the laugh

281 yesterday.

 

158 in a half that day - and no picks.

 

At least gave the Bills an even chance.

 

Why do I even bite on these..

[Fadingpain]

I agree with the OP's take on most things.

 

He seems to have the team well prepared, he seems to have created a good atmosphere within the team, he is very conservative, and he is a bad in-game manager.

 

That is what I have learned about him.  

 

The #1 way he could improve immediately this offseason would be to learn about probabilities and statistics in terms of when to do what on a football field.  He has made a bunch of mistakes in that area this year.

 

 

[BuffaloMatt]

2 minutes ago, moshermw said:

281 yesterday.

 

158 in a half that day - and no picks.

 

At least gave the Bills an even chance.

 

Why do I even bite on these..

You can't help yourself.

[klos63]

22 minutes ago, MAJBobby said:

 

Sure so Taylor and his 56 yards get the win in LA?  Thanks for the laugh

jesus christ MAJ, give it a rest will you. You know a lot about the game, but your obsession and repetitive posts about TT are getting old, we understand how you feel about him, you've made your point clear.

If you can't admit to giving someone his first start that ends up with 5 first half INT's didn't work, you are blind.

Edited December 26, 2017 by klos63
x

[Iverwig]

He needs another year before he’s judged but the team has done better then most expected coming into the season. 

[Buffalo Barbarian]

53 minutes ago, Dr. K said:

I've been trying to step back from all the Bills psychodrama and evaluate what McDermott has shown about himself as a coach and what that suggests about him going forward. How good a coach is McDermott; what does he do well, what could he do better, and is he capable of doing those things better? This is all just my opinion of course.

 

So . . .

 

PLUS SIDE:

1. He seems to be able to motivate his players and create a positive atmosphere.
2. He seems to be able to prepare the team in advance of the game. His team is much better disciplined than Rex's was.
3. He has gotten good performances out of players who are not stars.
4. He has drawn up some effective defensive schemes to meet particular challenges
5. He has an even temperament. He is not a blowhard.
6. He insists that whoever plays the best determines who gets into the games.

 

MINUS SIDE:

1.  I am not sure I believe #6 above. Either he plays some favorites or else his judgment of who is performing best is not the same as mine. There are several examples but one clear example is Tolbert. This suggests to me that he may not be the best evaluator of talent. Maybe Beane is equally guilty here, though I think Beane is not doing anything McDermott doesn't want. (I am one of the fans who did not like the fire sale of players that went on in the off season, or the abandonment of Dareus).
2. I don’t think he is a good game manager. He wastes time outs. He does not seem to make adjustments at the half. This could perhaps be the fault of his coordinators to some degree, of course, but the buck stops with him. Sometimes I get the feeling in the middle of games that he is in over his head, and cannot think on his feet. 
3. There is some evidence that he is willing to take chances, but overall he is a very conservative coach. For instance, he seems willing to sit on a lead. He is risk averse. I don't think this is going to serve the team well in the long run.
4. The jury's out yet on whether he will dump Dennison or at least hold him responsible for some of the mystifying play calls he has made. This may be related to the idea that he is loyal to "his guys" and will not let performance determine his decision making.

 

I am not ready to say whether he will be successful as a coach here. He shows some encouraging qualities, but he also shows traits that could sink this team. I was one who thought the team would be lucky to win six games this year, so good on McDermott for exceeding that expectation. But I am not sold on "the process" which seems to me to be a glorified term for "do it my way." I suppose every coach wants that; I just wonder if he has the flexibility of mind to change course when things are going wrong, and the imagination to consider alternatives.

 

 

 

 

 

The process is finding hard working players that want to be great and love football.

 

He also stated a million times that he examines everything and learns from it. He is flexible but will always focus on fundamentals and this is what will male him a great coach.

 

 

[Sweats]

You know what i've learned?...........our HC and GM are learning as they go.

 

Isn't that exactly what we're looking for from a professional franchise when determining player management?

 

Aye Carumba

[Magox]

Considering the lack of talent, he's done a hell of a job.  Sure, his game managing skills need work but coaching is so much more than game management.  He's got this team motivated and playing above their talent level.   Next year, when this defense completely revamps its front 7 and improves the offensive line, this team is going to improve markedly from where it is right now.   What's killing this team more than anything is it's front 7.   They can't shut down the run and they can't get pressure.   McD/Beane realize this and they will do everything they possibly can both in the draft and FA to improve that.  I wouldn't be surprised if we see 4-5 new starters in the front 7 this coming year.

[EasternOHBillsFan]

12 minutes ago, Sweats said:

You know what i've learned?...........our HC and GM are learning as they go.

 

Isn't that exactly what we're looking for from a professional franchise when determining player management?

 

Aye Carumba

 

So do you think that Bill Polian and Marv Levy were just born great GM and coach? Hell no.

 

They sure look a hell of a lot better than any combination we have had in a long, long time, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt.

[familykwi]

I believe the "clean house" comment to be sarcasm.  You would think all Bills fans would have thick skin by now, but maybe some are just on their last nerve.

 

As for this summary, I might look at a couple of the points differently than posted here.  One has to do with "the process."  The fact of the matter here is that this franchise has lost a culture that expects success (17 non-playoff years will do that).  Through 4 SB appearances, the culture assumed regular success and playoff appearances.  After our last SB, we appeared in the playoffs for of the next six years.  Unfortunately, after Kelly and the gang left, we found that we had not in fact built a successful franchise (such as GB, or Pittsburgh), but instead had a nice run with a Hall of Fame group.

 

I think the players jettisoned, including Watkins and Dareus, presented as me guys, not we guys, so McDermott felt the need to make it clear that type of attitude does not win and is not needed for our rebuild.  The Rams are winning because of a superior D line and Gurley, not so much Watkins.  Dareus has not make a significant impact since joining the Jags.  They both may have made some plays on the field that could have been helpful, but I suspect their influence in the locker room was not positive overall.

 

Although I agree, he's probably not much of a risk taker, I don't think we have enough playmakers to reward him for taking too many risks.  It will be fascinating to see if our drafts lean toward defensive, or offensive dominant.  The types of offensive players he's accumulated so far (Z. Jones, Benjamin) are more workmanlike type guys than take the top off guys.  Unless that changes, you are probably right, but I'd like to see a couple of burners with the guys we have now.  That would be fun to see what he does then.

 

For the same reason I listed above (limited talent), I'll reserve judgement on his ability to manage a game.  He's done some things I wouldn't do, but I suspect he's not in a position to get very exotic with what we put on the field, so again, until we can build a more talented team, this group is going to look very vanilla.  Remember how the Brady offense looked until he got Moss and Welker.  Once he had luxury toys to play with, he was a pretty vanilla QB also.

 

Although we've all waited far longer than we should to see a truly successful team on the field, I think what I've seen this year has been more encouraging than I've seen in a long time.  We just have to pray next year is not a significant regression.

[Dr.Sack]

I think McDermott is not up to date on football metrics & win probability. He knows Tyrod is limited but so is Peterman. Going 8-8 will be hailed as an achievement. The trouble is finding a QB. If they strike out, I doubt Pegula waits for things to turn past 2019. Pegula give Beane & McDermott 2018 to find & develop a QB. That gives them 2019 possibly 2020 to start competing for the playoffs. It shouldn’t take a competent coach & GM 3 seasons to make the playoffs. It has to happen either 2018, or 2019 or they’re both gone.

Edited December 26, 2017 by Dr.Sack

[yungmack]

1 hour ago, BillsEnthusiast said:

I think the "McJauron" nonsense stems from the simple fact that he is a rookie coach. 

So is McVay...

[jahnyc]

As is usual, I assume it will come down to whether McDermott/Beane can find and develop a QB.  The Texans' offense looked great with Watson and terrible with the other QBs that have started for them this year.  Denver still has a strong defense, but they are on the field too much this year (and short fields because of turnovers and the failure of the offense to even generate yards), and now they look pedestrian.  Green Bay was barely able to tread water without Rogers.  The Rams have become a strong team because of the development of Goff.  Same with Philly with Wentz (until his injury).  It really is about the QB.  

 

 

[Roundybout]

3 minutes ago, yungmack said:

So is McVay...

 

McVay has a first overall QB surrounded by years of high draft picks...

[aceman_16]

9 minutes ago, yungmack said:

So is McVay...

With a former number 1 pick at QB. It is funny how coaches look pretty good with a QB who can consistently play well at QB and throw over 300 yards in a regular basis. A QB can make or break a coach's career (see Bellicheat with Brady).

[Buffalo Barbarian]

10 minutes ago, yungmack said:

So is McVay...

 

Who has a real QB with talented players around him.

 

McD should win coach of the year with the bums we have on this team.

 

Once we get a QB, WRs, O-LINE, TE and a DT we will be crushing it.

 

 

[HankBulloughMellencamp]

1 hour ago, Haslett_Stomp said:

Give him some time.  When they focused on him on the sideline he was clearly really pissed yesterday once he realized that the fix was in with the Pats**.   Sure, he's still learning but Romo's comments regarding the play where he matched Hoody on 4th down (forcing them to kick a FG) were spot on and an indication he is going to be a good coach. More to come for sure but I'm sure we can all agree that we are feeling better about the Bills than we were at the beginning of the season.

 

Agreed. 

 

McDermott is by no means perfect so far, but he's definitely the best coach to come our way in the drought era.  He has effectively replaced every member of the secondary, and that group is suddenly a team strength.  He knows how to lead men, and I'd say he has shown that he can get the most out of a group of them.  We will probably be 9-7, and much of this board had them at 4-12 or worse once Watkins & Darby were shipped off.  

 

McDermott and Beane were in a tough spot - trying to be competitive while also doing what's right for the future.  You can't have your cake and eat it too, but they did about as good a job of it as you possibly could.  We are just not ready to do any damage in the NFL playoffs yet.  The Pats and/or Steelers would totally dismantle us.  So I don't care a lot about ending the drought this year, I just think we will need to employ a better QB before we can be taken seriously as a contender.

 

Tyrod is not nearly the worst we have seen at QB, but I am convinced he is only just good enough to tease you.  We need quicker & more threatening downfield ball distribution from that position.  So blame McD for the Peterman start if you must, but I actually credit him for trying something different when our offense was so inept (at NYJ & vs NO). Blame him & Beane for our sometimes porous run D because Dareus is gone, but I actually thank them for freeing us up from an absolutely crippling contract for a guy who gave almost zero production & buy-in combined.

 

I do indeed trust McDermott and the process. 

 

Now, let's keep our picks, go sign Alex Smith or Kirk Cousins or Foles or whoever you can... draft one too... and let's giddyup!

 

[Hebert19]

45 minutes ago, Magox said:

Considering the lack of talent, he's done a hell of a job.  Sure, his game managing skills need work but coaching is so much more than game management.  He's got this team motivated and playing above their talent level.   Next year, when this defense completely revamps its front 7 and improves the offensive line, this team is going to improve markedly from where it is right now.   What's killing this team more than anything is it's front 7.   They can't shut down the run and they can't get pressure.   McD/Beane realize this and they will do everything they possibly can both in the draft and FA to improve that.  I wouldn't be surprised if we see 4-5 new starters in the front 7 this coming year.

This!

[HankBulloughMellencamp]

47 minutes ago, Magox said:

Considering the lack of talent, he's done a hell of a job.  Sure, his game managing skills need work but coaching is so much more than game management.  He's got this team motivated and playing above their talent level.   Next year, when this defense completely revamps its front 7 and improves the offensive line, this team is going to improve markedly from where it is right now.   What's killing this team more than anything is it's front 7.   They can't shut down the run and they can't get pressure.   McD/Beane realize this and they will do everything they possibly can both in the draft and FA to improve that.  I wouldn't be surprised if we see 4-5 new starters in the front 7 this coming year.

 

As Jim Carrey said in Dumb and Dumber...

 

"I like it A LOT" 

[xsoldier54]

1 hour ago, Foreigner said:

He may get along by his coaching, but all the personnel decisions made this year have been

so bad. And even though Beane is GM don't think for one second that McDermott didn't

have his fingerprints over everything that goes on.

Who do you think is calling the shots, Pegula, Brandon? Please, they have as much knowledge

running a football team, as they do a hockey team.    

I can't think of a single personnel decision that I wouldn't have done if I was in their shoes.  They are shaping this roster to fit their philosophy.  Me first guys are gone and they are set up for a great draft.  

[klos63]

58 minutes ago, Magox said:

Considering the lack of talent, he's done a hell of a job.  Sure, his game managing skills need work but coaching is so much more than game management.  He's got this team motivated and playing above their talent level.   Next year, when this defense completely revamps its front 7 and improves the offensive line, this team is going to improve markedly from where it is right now.   What's killing this team more than anything is it's front 7.   They can't shut down the run and they can't get pressure.   McD/Beane realize this and they will do everything they possibly can both in the draft and FA to improve that.  I wouldn't be surprised if we see 4-5 new starters in the front 7 this coming year.

Not sure I can agree with this. Who is playing above their talent level. I think we all agree the front 7 is weak, as is the right side of the O-Line. Zay Jones, not above his talent level.

I think he's done well enough to be confident going into next season, but we are playing at our talent level. We are an 8-7 team right now.

[Wily Dog]

43 minutes ago, familykwi said:

I believe the "clean house" comment to be sarcasm.  You would think all Bills fans would have thick skin by now, but maybe some are just on their last nerve.

 

As for this summary, I might look at a couple of the points differently than posted here.  One has to do with "the process."  The fact of the matter here is that this franchise has lost a culture that expects success (17 non-playoff years will do that).  Through 4 SB appearances, the culture assumed regular success and playoff appearances.  After our last SB, we appeared in the playoffs for of the next six years.  Unfortunately, after Kelly and the gang left, we found that we had not in fact built a successful franchise (such as GB, or Pittsburgh), but instead had a nice run with a Hall of Fame group.

 

I think the players jettisoned, including Watkins and Dareus, presented as me guys, not we guys, so McDermott felt the need to make it clear that type of attitude does not win and is not needed for our rebuild.  The Rams are winning because of a superior D line and Gurley, not so much Watkins.  Dareus has not make a significant impact since joining the Jags.  They both may have made some plays on the field that could have been helpful, but I suspect their influence in the locker room was not positive overall.

 

Although I agree, he's probably not much of a risk taker, I don't think we have enough playmakers to reward him for taking too many risks.  It will be fascinating to see if our drafts lean toward defensive, or offensive dominant.  The types of offensive players he's accumulated so far (Z. Jones, Benjamin) are more workmanlike type guys than take the top off guys.  Unless that changes, you are probably right, but I'd like to see a couple of burners with the guys we have now.  That would be fun to see what he does then.

 

For the same reason I listed above (limited talent), I'll reserve judgement on his ability to manage a game.  He's done some things I wouldn't do, but I suspect he's not in a position to get very exotic with what we put on the field, so again, until we can build a more talented team, this group is going to look very vanilla.  Remember how the Brady offense looked until he got Moss and Welker.  Once he had luxury toys to play with, he was a pretty vanilla QB also.

 

Although we've all waited far longer than we should to see a truly successful team on the field, I think what I've seen this year has been more encouraging than I've seen in a long time.  We just have to pray next year is not a significant regression.

 

34 minutes ago, Dr.Sack said:

I think McDermott is not up to date on football metrics & win probability. He knows Tyrod is limited but so is Peterman. Going 8-8 will be hailed as an achievement. The trouble is finding a QB. If they strike out, I doubt Pegula waits for things to turn past 2019. Pegula give Beane & McDermott 2018 to find & develop a QB. That gives them 2019 possibly 2020 to start competing for the playoffs. It shouldn’t take a competent coach & GM 3 seasons to make the playoffs. It has to happen either 2018, or 2019 or they’re both gone.

I agree with familykwi. There are two things that are overlooked in our discussions, they are the draft for 2017 , which was a success with six choices and six players that played. N.E. is a franchise who has Brady and a bunch of players. They do not draft well and they do not normally pay to keep players.They have excellent coaching. Romo said yesterday that Buffalo is on an upswing. I would believe that McD. , being a person who is willing to try a few things that work or don't work will learn from it and we will have a very successful  coach.I do not agree with Dr. Sack who wants to pull the plug after 2018 or 2019 because 2017 has been a very successful year, for the Bill's ,in retrospect.

[Magox]

23 minutes ago, klos63 said:

Not sure I can agree with this. Who is playing above their talent level. I think we all agree the front 7 is weak, as is the right side of the O-Line. Zay Jones, not above his talent level.

I think he's done well enough to be confident going into next season, but we are playing at our talent level. We are an 8-7 team right now.

The team is playing above their talent level.

 

The collection of players we have right now should be a 4-12 to 6-10 team.   All the prognosticators thought that's where we'd be and that was even before we had traded the all-world decoy Sammy Watkins, underperformer Dareus and the legendary JAG in our back up running back Williams.

 

 

[Bing Bong]

I thought he was great all things considered. The Chargers outcome will haunt my dreams until the next season starts.

[Wily Dog]

24 minutes ago, PetermanThrew5Picks said:

I thought he was great all things considered. The Chargers outcome will haunt my dreams until the next season starts.

 

Try to think about the Colts game.

[klos63]

30 minutes ago, Magox said:

The team is playing above their talent level.

 

The collection of players we have right now should be a 4-12 to 6-10 team.   All the prognosticators thought that's where we'd be and that was even before we had traded the all-world decoy Sammy Watkins, underperformer Dareus and the legendary JAG in our back up running back Williams.

 

 

I asked which players are playing about their talent level, the front 7? tolbert? Zay? Ducasse, Mills?

 

What makes prognosticators more knowledgeable than any of us? I said we should be in the playoffs just because we don't have Rex anymore.

[BillnutinHouston]

So he completely remade the secondary, brought in Hyde and Poyer and you say he may not be the best evaluator of talent?

[baskingridgebillsfan]

watched the Texans game today .  and saw the graphic that they were 9-7 the last three years.  I know Watt missed one of them but the Texans have a solid roster with a elite defender and still only 9-7 .  Why ? because of the qb.   Do what ever you want but until you get the qb 6-9 wins is where you end up 

take away the two Pats games that we are so lucky to play every year and Mcbean is 8-4 . I am not sure they would lose both home and home games to the other division leaders.