How Sean McDermott won the Buffalo Bills' locker room back after starting Nathan Peterman

[SoTier]

On 7/19/2018 at 12:13 PM, Sky Diver said:

Now hold Mills accountable and find a decent RT.

 

The Bills are in far more need of a decent LG than a RT in case you didn't notice ...

[QuoteTheRaven83]

On 7/19/2018 at 10:51 AM, THE SLAMMER said:

I disagree it was a mistake. Tyrod Tylor was playing his worse football ever at the time. A week off may have been what he needed.

Okay, in hindsight it was a mistake.

 

How can you say it wasn't a mistake? Sure Tyrod wasn't playing the best football but he was a leader on that team and was a leader in that locker room. You take a leader out like that, you're just asking for it, especially when you're in contention to make the playoffs. It's not always about the stats.

[Sky Diver]

3 hours ago, SoTier said:

 

The Bills are in far more need of a decent LG than a RT in case you didn't notice ...

 

Bring Richie back. Problem solved.

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

10 minutes ago, Sky Diver said:

 

Bring Richie back. Problem solved.

 

...thought I heard he was tied up writing his new book, "I Know The Whole Story About Shady" due in Barnes & Noble by September....and now back to the thread.....McD took the blame but this had Dennison stink/whine all over it due to his "TT luvfest".....strictly opinion......

Edited July 21, 2018 by OldTimeAFLGuy

[Steptide]

On 7/19/2018 at 11:07 AM, Madd Charlie said:

Yeah it may have been bad but is wasn't PETERMAN bad 

You sure? Cuz that saints game was brutal and was a home game. Think the final score was 47-10 with our lone touch down coming from nate Peterman. Just sayin 

[transient]

On 7/19/2018 at 11:12 AM, Kirby Jackson said:

This was one of the most impressive things about McDermott’s rookie season IMO. He trusted his OC and let him play his guy. It failed miserably and McDermott took the blame publicly. He apologized to the team and won them back. He held Dennison accountable by firing him. A lot of good came out of a massive mistake. It was the ultimate “learning experience.”

 

Knowing TT wasn’t in their long term plans, they were also able to get a quick read on NP in the SD and Jags game. I think that probably played a role in their aggressive approach to trading up for Allen. 

[Punching Bag]

3 hours ago, QuoteTheRaven83 said:

 

How can you say it wasn't a mistake? Sure Tyrod wasn't playing the best football but he was a leader on that team and was a leader in that locker room. You take a leader out like that, you're just asking for it, especially when you're in contention to make the playoffs. It's not always about the stats.

 

Revealing change of starting QB was done.  And IMO the coach listening to OC to change QBs shows Coach McD does not know offense.

[3rdand12]

4 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

 

Revealing change of starting QB was done.  And IMO the coach listening to OC to change QBs shows Coach McD does not know offense.

I disagree. He must know offense to play effective defense.
what he did was show loyalty.

 to a fault.

 and learned from it.

[Punching Bag]

Just now, 3rdand12 said:

I disagree. He must know offense to play effective defense.
what he did was show loyalty.

 to a fault.

 and learned from it.

 

And revealing change ahead of time so other team could prepare?

IMO he has shown with selection of coaches he does not understand offense, how to construct, etc. He knows how to defend offenses which means he can see some weaknesses but that is not the same thing.

[3rdand12]

1 minute ago, Limeaid said:

 

And revealing change ahead of time so other team could prepare?

IMO he has shown with selection of coaches he does not understand offense, how to construct, etc. He knows how to defend offenses which means he can see some weaknesses but that is not the same thing.

his selection of Coach in his first year was likely limited. I expected the retread Frazier to fail. 

 This season Bills had a fair turnover at Coaching. and yes the announcing of Peterman was odd. But i thought it was an exercise to see what he had.
Of course he trusted his OC. certainly more than us fans would. But that's part of being a team

[OldTimeAFLGuy]

11 minutes ago, Limeaid said:

 

Revealing change of starting QB was done.  And IMO the coach listening to OC to change QBs shows Coach McD does not know offense.

 

...so is it conceivable that it COULD have happened?....not because McD doesn't know offense but because Dennison was "less than enamored" working with TT?...just askin'........

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, Limeaid said:

Revealing change of starting QB was done.  And IMO the coach listening to OC to change QBs shows Coach McD does not know offense.

 

I'm not sure that's it.

 

Something said that puzzled me when I was a new hire manager was "at XXX Inc, you earn the right to fail".

 

After a couple years, I got it.  When you have a subordinate you need to trust with a major project  - if they've earned that responsibility, you have to turn over the reins.  You can't hold on to authority and second-guess them at every turn, that just winds up with a muddle.  You have to let go and give them the leeway to make decisions and run things their way.  And sometimes you do that, and things crash and burn and you have to step in and right the ship and maybe let THEM go, because it's obvious they're not the right person for the job.

 

And maybe that's really what McDermott learned from the Peterman SD debacle. 

 

Maybe it wasn't about Peterman.  Maybe it was about Dennison.

[JohnC]

12 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I'm not sure that's it.

 

Something said that puzzled me when I was a new hire manager was "at XXX Inc, you earn the right to fail".

 

After a couple years, I got it.  When you have a subordinate you need to trust with a major project  - if they've earned that responsibility, you have to turn over the reins.  You can't hold on to authority and second-guess them at every turn, that just winds up with a muddle.  You have to let go and give them the leeway to make decisions and run things their way.  And sometimes you do that, and things crash and burn and you have to step in and right the ship and maybe let THEM go, because it's obvious they're not the right person for the job.

 

And maybe that's really what McDermott learned from the Peterman SD debacle. 

 

Maybe it wasn't about Peterman.  Maybe it was about Dennison.

In the case with Dennison and his desire to make a qb change that dramatic change doesn't come out of the blue. What the OC was seeing in the games and in the film room were the same things that McDermott was seeing. McDermott who had the ultimate authority to make that change was willing to go along with the recommendation because there was a substantive basis to the recommendation.

 

In the example of of your own experience as a manager in a wide ranging organization it is impossible as a boss/manager to know how everything should be run. You have to delegate and trust your subordinates. (As you noted.) However, if a manager at a lower branch wants to make a dramatic change in policy then I'm sure you would ask some probing questions and consult with others if need be. My point is that even if Dennison wanted to make a change McDermott as the HC would certainly not casually go along  with the OC's desire unless there was merit to Dennison's position on this critical  issue. 

 

I believe that there was a legitimate basis for Dennison to want to make a change. The decision didn't work out. It was quickly changed by the HC in the game. In retrospect, although it is not unfair to say that the outcome of the decision was disastrous the end result from how it impacted the season was inconsequential. In my opinion the record the Bills had turned out to be the same whether the decision was made or not. 

 

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

7 hours ago, QuoteTheRaven83 said:

 

How can you say it wasn't a mistake? Sure Tyrod wasn't playing the best football but he was a leader on that team and was a leader in that locker room. You take a leader out like that, you're just asking for it, especially when you're in contention to make the playoffs. It's not always about the stats.

 

Because his play indicated he was a dumpster fire?

 

Saying he "wasn't playing the best football" is like asking Mrs. Lincoln how the play was, despite the assassination.

 

Edit: when the stats are THAT BAD, it is about the stats.

 

Edited July 21, 2018 by joesixpack

[Wily Dog]

McD also learned who not to trust on his team and that will come out in the wash, in the next year, when we have salary cap nirvana.

[GunnerBill]

5 hours ago, transient said:

 

Knowing TT wasn’t in their long term plans, they were also able to get a quick read on NP in the SD and Jags game. I think that probably played a role in their aggressive approach to trading up for Allen. 

 

I predicted it in the pre-season too. As bad as I thought Nate looked they were never going through the whole season without getting a look at Peterman. 

[JohnC]

2 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

I predicted it in the pre-season too. As bad as I thought Nate looked they were never going through the whole season without getting a look at Peterman. 

Sometime in this season the staff is going to get a look at Allen. It's not a question of will they make the switch but when will they make the switch. The first half of the schedule is brutal. So I don't see him getting playing time then. By the second half of the season he should be better prepared to take the snaps. 

[QuoteTheRaven83]

7 hours ago, joesixpack said:

 

Because his play indicated he was a dumpster fire?

 

Saying he "wasn't playing the best football" is like asking Mrs. Lincoln how the play was, despite the assassination.

 

Edit: when the stats are THAT BAD, it is about the stats.

 

 

His stats weren't THAT bad. Just because he wasn't putting up Peyton Manning/Tom Brady numbers doesnt mean he was playing poorly. He was doing enough for us to win games. Prior to that game he put up 12 TDs to 5 TOs. 

 

I'm not saying he was great and a franchise QB, but you don't just pull a team leader in the middle of the season with a winning record like that.

 

His stats weren't that bad so stop making sht up.

 

BTW that was probably the dumbest analogy I've heard. LOL. 

Edited July 22, 2018 by QuoteTheRaven83

[Ol Dirty B]

On 7/19/2018 at 10:51 AM, THE SLAMMER said:

I disagree it was a mistake. Tyrod Tylor was playing his worse football ever at the time. A week off may have been what he needed.

Okay, in hindsight it was a mistake.

 

It was a mistake and indefensible. Go edit your post again and delete everything besides "Okay, in hindsight it was a mistake"

 

Some words you'll never hear the guy who thinks of himself as the second coming ever utter. I have a hard time liking him because of those two weeks.

11 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I'm not sure that's it.

 

Something said that puzzled me when I was a new hire manager was "at XXX Inc, you earn the right to fail".

 

After a couple years, I got it.  When you have a subordinate you need to trust with a major project  - if they've earned that responsibility, you have to turn over the reins.  You can't hold on to authority and second-guess them at every turn, that just winds up with a muddle.  You have to let go and give them the leeway to make decisions and run things their way.  And sometimes you do that, and things crash and burn and you have to step in and right the ship and maybe let THEM go, because it's obvious they're not the right person for the job.

 

And maybe that's really what McDermott learned from the Peterman SD debacle. 

 

Maybe it wasn't about Peterman.  Maybe it was about Dennison.

 

Then it's even worse that he'd let a retread pull the plug on Tyrod. A guy who imposed his scheme on Tyrod. I usually think you're spot on, but I have a hard time believing this. I think it went up to McDermott. He was non committal to Tyrod when he got the job, benched him, made the playoffs with him and shipped him out(granted a good trade on their part). But nothing he did showed he was ever invested in Tyrod.

Edited July 22, 2018 by Ol Dirty B

[Buffalo Barbarian]

He never lost it. After getting destroyed by the Jets and  Saints many were in favor of switching to Peterman, as Donald Jones reported on the John Murphy Show.