Sean McDermott: "Culture Trumps Strategy" ?​​​​​​​

[atlbillsfan1975]

It’s true and has been proven all over the place in sports. If everyone is t working together and holding up their piece all the talent doesn’t matter. Of course you need good players but you need the right players. If the Bills give McDermott 3 more years including this one I think we are going to be happy. 

[Sky Diver]

4 minutes ago, jkeerie said:

I think many fans on this board have a "vending machine mentality."  You see what's available, you put in your money, you push the button.  If the machine messes up, you beat and kick it.

 

Many fans also react to players like they are robots rather than flesh and blood human beings.

[dickleyjones]

in this case, culture is part of the strategy.

[SoTier]

8 minutes ago, ColoradoBills said:

 

No..  I said nothing like that.

 

EJ Manual has x amount of talent.  McDermott is saying he want a guy who play to his talent potential and even to try to exceed it.

He also says that a player NOT playing to his potential (x amount of talent) is not part of the "culture".

 

Now, IF Kelvin Benjamin is on this team next year then I will say that McDermott is a "liar" about his culture thus not deserving of his job.

 

So that being said, sorry dude if you can't see what he means.  Khalil Mack gives his all on the field......he is the perfect "culture" guy.

 

Except for Miller and Dawkins, the Bills OLers are bottom-level starters or career backups.   They are what they are and what they've always been.   Dawkins has taken a step backward after a decent rookie season playing beside Pro Bowler Richie Incognito instead of failed starter John Miller.   Intimating that they could be better if only they tried harder is just so much bull manure.  They simply aren't good enough to be better, no matter how hard they try.

[KD in CA]

3 minutes ago, dickleyjones said:

in this case, culture is part of the strategy.

 

For anyone who's worked in a complex organization (at least one that functions competently), culture is always part of the strategy.

 

 

[Sky Diver]

2 minutes ago, SoTier said:

 

Except for Miller and Dawkins, the Bills OLers are bottom-level starters or career backups.   They are what they are and what they've always been.   Dawkins has taken a step backward after a decent rookie season playing beside Pro Bowler Richie Incognito instead of failed starter John Miller.   Intimating that they could be better if only they tried harder is just so much bull manure.  They simply aren't good enough to be better, no matter how hard they try.

 

You need talented players, but talent alone isn’t sufficient when building a team. Clearly we lack a critical mass of top players.

[vincec]

8 hours ago, BillsEnthusiast said:

SAY IT LOUDER FOR THOSE IN BACK SEAN

 

 

Once they hit bottom the building can begin I guess. Or maybe they'll just stay there like the Sabres did. We'll see.

Edited October 4, 2018 by vincec

[oldmanfan]

44 minutes ago, PlayoffsPlease said:

But what would you rather have Mahomes, or a great culture?

Posing an either/or question on a false premise doesn't have merit.

 

 

[Mikie2times]

Anybody in a leadership role has had immensely talented people that don’t fall in line and eventually bring down the overall level of success. So yes, culture is critical. I would also say anybody worth a salt in a leadership role manages to save the majority of talent and or get a buy in, because ultimately not enough talent exists to just make everybody buy into what your selling. I’m indifferent to this quote. This is our regime and will be for some time and if you think this is bad try taking this roster and what few pieces we have added and convert it to a 3-4 or a new system. AKA the last 20 years of Bills football that cycles every 3 seasons. 

[PlayoffsPlease]

11 minutes ago, oldmanfan said:

Posing an either/or question on a false premise doesn't have merit.

 

 

you obviously were not following the conversation. Or else you don't grasp sarcasm. 

Edited October 4, 2018 by PlayoffsPlease

[oldmanfan]

33 minutes ago, PlayoffsPlease said:

you obviously were not following the conversation. Or else you don't grasp sarcasm. 

My bad

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1 hour ago, PlayoffsPlease said:

But what would you rather have Mahomes, or a great culture?

 

I have a science background.  Whenever I hear "great culture" this comes to mind.  I'd prefer Mahomes.

 

1 hour ago, SoTier said:

 

Except for Miller and Dawkins, the Bills OLers are bottom-level starters or career backups.   They are what they are and what they've always been.   Dawkins has taken a step backward after a decent rookie season playing beside Pro Bowler Richie Incognito instead of failed starter John Miller.   Intimating that they could be better if only they tried harder is just so much bull manure.  They simply aren't good enough to be better, no matter how hard they try.

 

Ducasse is at LG next to Dawkins.  Not that the same principle doesn't apply.

I don't know if I agree entirely about the bull manure, though.  At times, I would agree they "simply aren't good enough to be better" - they simply are getting beaten, or walked back into the QB.

 

But some of that is matchup - asking Mills (or worse, Lee) to block Clay Matthews 1:1, for example.  Not gonna happen.  Give that boy some help.

And some of it is scheme - our OL often seems confused, with two guys blocking 1 defender while another runs free.  Or they're being asked to cut block, which they can't seem to do effectively 8 times out of 10.

 

Those things could be improved, although the people who need to try harder are not the players, but the coaches.

 

 

[BuffaloRush]

10 hours ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

I don't buy this. 

 

You don't have to buy it.  McDermott is right though.  He is building something special in Buffalo

Edited October 4, 2018 by Hapless Bills Fan
inappropriate language

[26CornerBlitz]

Just now, BuffaloRush said:

 

You don't have to buy it.  McDermott is right though.  He is building something special in Buffalo and when things get right, maybe we'll let fans like you crawl back on the bandwagon through the doggydoor

 

Is the price $5K?

[BuffaloRush]

1 minute ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

Is the price $5K?

 

Through the doggy door...if you're lucky

[26CornerBlitz]

31 minutes ago, BuffaloRush said:

 

Through the doggy door...if you're lucky

 

Sorry no sale and you don't get to determine anyone's fandom

 

 

Edited October 4, 2018 by Hapless Bills Fan
Inappropriate (nonverbal) language

[BuffaloRush]

30 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

Sorry no sale and you don't get to dfetermine anyone's fandom.

 

Yes I do get to "dfetermine."  You always are posting negative stuff.  You aren't a fan.  I'm sure like many you'll flock back to them when Coach gets things right.  But you will not be welcome.

[Chuck Wagon]

No amount of really nice guys who try really hard is going to consistently overcome scheme and talent disadvantages. 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

2 hours ago, Sky Diver said:

Football is a team sport. Part of building a winning culture is to assemble a group of players that compliment each other and can work together towards a common goal.

 

Now I get the problem!  We're apparently looking for a group of players that "politely congratulate or praise" each other instead of a a group of players that " add to (the team) in a way that enhances or improves it; make perfect."

[Mat68]

As the head coach he personally controls 2 things.  The culture and the strategy the team employs.  To say they run contradictory is pretty crazy.  To me this is one of the worst quotes I have ever heard a coach say.  This year needs to turn, and the light needs to be gleaming at the end of the tunnel for him to survive the season.

[BuffaloRush]

1 minute ago, 26CornerBlitz said:

 

Your hilarity is boundless. Quite simply, Who cares what you think. Certainly not me. Now be gone! 

 

I’m a Bills fan.  I’m going nowhere.  As far as I’m concerned, you are on the outside looking in due to your negativity.  

[Sky Diver]

5 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Now I get the problem!  We're apparently looking for a group of players that "politely congratulate or praise" each other instead of a a group of players that " add to (the team) in a way that enhances or improves it; make perfect."

 

Complement, that is, but compliments aren’t bad either.

Edited October 4, 2018 by Sky Diver

[ganesh]

10 hours ago, Philo Beddoe said:

I don't believe he is saying strategy isn't important, just that a good culture - a WINNING culture - can overcome strategy flaws or personnel differences within a game. Take a look at the Pats*...plug in player X, Y, Z who may not be the most talented and they still roll along because they have had a sustained system and winning culture. That's where McDermott wants the Bills to be, IMO. 

The problem is   "Strategy" is almost always objective...you have very clear idea of how to do it....Whereas  "Culture" is a very subjective function...There is no such thing as "Do this to have this culture" other than a broad set of ideas.   Culture evolves over time; you can't do it overnight

[oldmanfan]

Culture is essential to any successful organization. So is talent.  So is strategy.  But the culture leaders set in place helps define strategy and helps identify and nurture talent. If you are on a management position you know that.

 

I work for a health care organization with around 15 k employees.  We have a culture that is focused on one thing:  the patient.  That drives all we do.  As for strategy all of those are planned with the cultural imperative of what is best for the patient.  Talent?  We attract talented people because they are attracted to our culture and buy in.  We spend a lot of time on our top 10-20% of performers thanking them.  We spend even more time with our 60-70% who need some development or that haven't fully bought in.  We want them to be in that top 10-20%.  Our lowest 10%, the ones who complain all the time, low performers, etc.?  We spend no time with them, other than to escort them to the door.  And as our culture fully integrates, we don't really have that bottom 10% issue very much.  At this point they have gone on to poison other organizations, and we attract those who appreciate and buy into our way of doing things.

 

All successful organizations require a solid culture.  Including football teams.  That is what McD is saying, I believe.  It does not replace the need for talent or strategy, but it sets the tone whereby talent can come to the forefront and where strategies can be implemented with clarity of purpose.  His idea of culture from what I see is a dedication to maximum effort, from the number one guy on the team to the practice squad.  That is a sound method IMHO.

 

Look at other successful sports franchises.  Jordan won multiple titles in the NBA, so did Larry Bird, Magic.  All of those guys practiced as hard if not harder than they played in games, held their teammates to that standard.  Three guys among the best to ever play but they led cultures that demanded excellence.  There's a reason Iverson never won anything.

 

i am glad we have a HC with that mindset.   No it does not mean they can win devoid of talent or strategy.  Those claiming he said that are living in an all too common world  now where everything has to be a black or white, either/or answer, when the world actually exists in greys.  Does it mean he doesn't have to get more alienated guys at several positions?  Of course not.  But having a solid culture will ultimately help the players and the team be successful, as most any successful organization will tell you.

Not alienated guys, talented guys.  He'll bring in more talented guys, and the culture should allow them to thrive.

[Philo]

9 minutes ago, ganesh said:

The problem is   "Strategy" is almost always objective...you have very clear idea of how to do it....Whereas  "Culture" is a very subjective function...There is no such thing as "Do this to have this culture" other than a broad set of ideas.   Culture evolves over time; you can't do it overnight

 

Correct. And that’s a process that started the day he was hired. We are now only a quarter of the way through his second season. The culture build is still a work in progress. Luckily, he had some solid vets like Kyle and Lorenzo to lean on to start and now he has some younger, talented guys that he feels are becoming the core of the kind of team he wants. 

[HardyBoy]

15 minutes ago, Mat68 said:

As the head coach he personally controls 2 things.  The culture and the strategy the team employs.  To say they run contradictory is pretty crazy.  To me this is one of the worst quotes I have ever heard a coach say.  This year needs to turn, and the light needs to be gleaming at the end of the tunnel for him to survive the season.

 

You'd rather be 7-9 with no hope of a Super Bowl? Clearly yes...so you're better with mediocrity than with escalating all the dead cap into a single season.

 

Before you say this is about the comment, you would not be responding this way if they were on their way to a 7-9 season, and by the way this schedule is brutal for the first stretch. They aren't this bad, but with a bad culture they will give up before the schedule gets easier and the matchups are better and it won't matter.

 

Not you personally, but this board sucks right now. So much reactionary non-big picture views with hot take after hot take. Wasn't like this back in 08, was much more measured then and the negativity was clever and witty, now it's just tiresome.

[Mat68]

No I would not.  Why cant you create a good culture and create good game plans for the players you have?  At the end of the day you need guys.  Sometimes they are on the edge.  

Edited October 4, 2018 by Mat68

[GreatComeback]

6 minutes ago, Mat68 said:

No I would not.  Why cant you create a good culture and create good game plans for the players you have?  At the end of the day you need guys.  Sometimes they are on the edge.  

 

McDermott makes a lot of good points

[Ol Dirty B]

8 hours ago, joesixpack said:

 

So what's your plan?

 

 

What's your plan besides asking what's your plan?

2 hours ago, BuffaloRush said:

 

I’m a Bills fan.  I’m going nowhere.  As far as I’m concerned, you are on the outside looking in due to your negativity.  

 

I think you wish you could be 26CB, for real. It's kind of sad.

[Straight Hucklebuck]

Sean McDermott = Dick Jauron

[Mat68]

2 hours ago, FrankReichComeback#14 said:

 

McDermott makes a lot of good points

But you have to have both.  Bad strategy and good culture is meaningless.  I'm glad they all like each other while they get blown out by halftime every week.

[#34fan]

For the record, I never trusted those beady eyes.

[iinii]

11 hours ago, MJS said:

 

As a head coach? We're not talking about coordinator's here. He is obviously a good coordinator, but you don't want that guy running your team.

I responded to a statement that said he hadn’t built anything. Maybe McDermott is just a coordinator. 

[Sky Diver]

The Bills appear to have a clear view of the culture they want to create and the type of players that fit their scheme. They got rid of players who either weren’t a cultural fit or who lacked the right skill set.

 

They are executing on their strategy, but it will take time to get the right players.

 

I think that they will ultimately be successful, but it will take time. This year will be rough and likely next year too. 

[Buffalo Barbarian]

C'mon guys, this is code for our players suck and we are cleaning up next spring, 100 mill cap space and 10 draft picks baby !!

 

just had to get the non culturalists out.

 

 

[Ol Dirty B]

4 hours ago, oldmanfan said:

Culture is essential to any successful organization. So is talent.  So is strategy.  But the culture leaders set in place helps define strategy and helps identify and nurture talent. If you are on a management position you know that.

 

I work for a health care organization with around 15 k employees.  We have a culture that is focused on one thing:  the patient.  That drives all we do.  As for strategy all of those are planned with the cultural imperative of what is best for the patient.  Talent?  We attract talented people because they are attracted to our culture and buy in.  We spend a lot of time on our top 10-20% of performers thanking them.  We spend even more time with our 60-70% who need some development or that haven't fully bought in.  We want them to be in that top 10-20%.  Our lowest 10%, the ones who complain all the time, low performers, etc.?  We spend no time with them, other than to escort them to the door.  And as our culture fully integrates, we don't really have that bottom 10% issue very much.  At this point they have gone on to poison other organizations, and we attract those who appreciate and buy into our way of doing things.

 

All successful organizations require a solid culture.  Including football teams.  That is what McD is saying, I believe.  It does not replace the need for talent or strategy, but it sets the tone whereby talent can come to the forefront and where strategies can be implemented with clarity of purpose.  His idea of culture from what I see is a dedication to maximum effort, from the number one guy on the team to the practice squad.  That is a sound method IMHO.

 

Look at other successful sports franchises.  Jordan won multiple titles in the NBA, so did Larry Bird, Magic.  All of those guys practiced as hard if not harder than they played in games, held their teammates to that standard.  Three guys among the best to ever play but they led cultures that demanded excellence.  There's a reason Iverson never won anything.

 

i am glad we have a HC with that mindset.   No it does not mean they can win devoid of talent or strategy.  Those claiming he said that are living in an all too common world  now where everything has to be a black or white, either/or answer, when the world actually exists in greys.  Does it mean he doesn't have to get more alienated guys at several positions?  Of course not.  But having a solid culture will ultimately help the players and the team be successful, as most any successful organization will tell you.

Not alienated guys, talented guys.  He'll bring in more talented guys, and the culture should allow them to thrive.

 

I'm sorry but what you do has nothing to do with running a successful football team. That post was a huge waste of time.

[Thurman#1]

17 hours ago, Philo Beddoe said:

I don't believe he is saying strategy isn't important, just that a good culture - a WINNING culture - can overcome strategy flaws or personnel differences within a game. Take a look at the Pats*...plug in player X, Y, Z who may not be the most talented and they still roll along because they have had a sustained system and winning culture. That's where McDermott wants the Bills to be, IMO. 

 

 

Yup, this is what I get from it too.

 

He's not saying strategy isn't important, just that with a bunch of quitters, losers and character problem guys you can have a great strategy and it won't mean much.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

5 hours ago, Ol Dirty B said:

 

What's your plan besides asking what's your plan?

 

What’s your plan other than  asking people who ask what other people’s plans are what their plan is?

[oldmanfan]

2 hours ago, Ol Dirty B said:

 

I'm sorry but what you do has nothing to do with running a successful football team. That post was a huge waste of time.

 

2 hours ago, Ol Dirty B said:

 

I'm sorry but what you do has nothing to do with running a successful football team. That post was a huge waste of time.

You clearly have no clue what constitutes a successful organization.

[PIZ]

Anyone in management should understand this quote.  You cannot have a successful strategy if your team members don't buy into your culture.  It never worked for my teams and I've been doing it for 18 years.  One bad team member can destroy your culture and in turn, destroy your strategy going forward.