How has McDermott done with this team so far?

[ProcessAccepted]

1 hour ago, Sunshower said:

How so? I just think Josh needs to generate more points and limit the turnovers. In no way am I calling him a bust, I just need to see him take care of the football and grow into his own more. We need a 2:1 TD:INT ratio to push deep into the playoffs.

Take the time to look into Josh's journey to the NFL. He's a work in process.

 

We drafted a guy with high intelligence and athletic abilities that are off the charts but has never been coached at a high level before. He's survived solely on arm strength and athletic abilities. This coaching staff is catching him up on the fundamentals that are required at this level. Going into the season everyone wanted the completion % to come up which has happened. Be patient Josh is an elite qb in the making. 

 

 

[TOboy]

7 minutes ago, Putin said:

You forgot our  middle LB IMHO he’s A STUD 

And if none of our guys on defense make the Probowl this year it will be a travesty 

GO BILLS  !!!

I hope you're right!!!

[RochesterLifer]

I gave McDermott and A. He came into a stinky swamp of failure and has built a culture of responsibility with a team focused on responsibility and improvement. It has been, and is, a joy to watch. Maybe the most exciting part of this, to me, is the promise of youth on this team. A quality case can be made that the table is set for a serious multi-year run of excellence for Buffalo. I'm lovin' it.

 

This however, is also a to-be-continued scenario. Our offense and quarterback must, must, grow and improve. I like what we have and am satisfied with where we are at. But, if we are here in a month, it will be disappointing. Our young QB and many new parts have not yet adequately come together. I believe they will. But a serious fan will acknowledge that the improvement is needed. I actually love "the process" and believe in it.

 

Also, I am enjoying the comments in this thread. Some thoughts are more skeptical than mine. But, they are thoughtful and insightful and I respect the input.    

Edited October 17, 2019 by RochesterLifer

[GunnerBill]

I'm a huge McDermott fan he was the guy I wanted after Rex. Indeed he is the guy I wanted before Rex was fired. I voted B+. Win double digit games and make the playoffs this year and he gets an A. 

31 minutes ago, Chandler#81 said:

He gave daily medical updates beyond “yeah, I’m not really sure. Haven’t talked to the trainers or medical staff”. He gave insights on games just played including key plays & players, unlike “well, I’ll have to look at the film tomorrow”. Of course he’s a clown. But I looked forward to his pressers. Sean hasn’t uttered a word worth quoting. Again, it’s the best way for a coach to act. It’s just boring as hell.

 

Yea. I love Sean but man his press conferences are dull. Just to be clear the dull pressers does not play into my grade. What does keep him below an A is I think he mishandled the QB situation a couple of times early on, he challenges the spot of the ball..... they are challenges you should never make because you never win, and there have been too many blowouts. But if he wins double digits this year (first time in my fandom we would have won more than 9) and makes the postseason for the 2nd time in 3 years after inheriting a 17 year drought then it is impossible to keep him below an A in my estimation. 

Edited October 17, 2019 by GunnerBill

[Augie]

1 hour ago, wppete said:

Who’s the moron on here that voted F????

 

I’m guessing it was someone who grew up all too familiar with the dreaded F. 

[Gugny]

53 minutes ago, Chandler#81 said:

My A- is due to the fact he never shows his hand. I get it, and I respect the hell out of it. I just want more insight.

 

In this regard -and ONLY this regard, I miss Rex.

 

I also give him an A-.

 

I love that he never shows his hand.  The more pages he takes from the Bill Belichick book of handling the media, the better, IMO.

 

I can't believe you said you miss Rex.

 

My ding on McDermott is his horrible record with the red flag.  Not sure if that's to blame on someone upstairs of it's on him.  Either way, "the Bills," suck at taking advantage of reviews.

[Stank_Nasty]

15 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

I'm a huge McDermott fan he was the guy I wanted after Rex. Indeed he is the guy I wanted before Rex was fired. I voted B+. Win double digit games and make the playoffs this year and he gets an A. 

 

Yea. I love Sean but man his press conferences are dull. Just to be clear the dull pressers does not play into my grade. What does keep him below an A is I think he mishandled the QB situation a couple of times early on, he challenges the spot of the ball..... they are challenges you should never make because you never win, and there have been too many blowouts. But if he wins double digits this year (first time in my fandom we would have won more than 9) and makes the postseason for the 2nd time in 3 years after inheriting a 17 year drought then it is impossible to keep him below an A in my estimation. 

i agree. i said something similar to this earier. love almost everything that's happened so far. only reason i'm going B+ and not an A is because of the unforgivable Nathan Peterman saga. 

[Lagoon Blues]

13 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

My ding on McDermott is his horrible record with the red flag.  Not sure if that's to blame on someone upstairs of it's on him.  Either way, "the Bills," suck at taking advantage of reviews.

It is kind of odd.  Would be an interesting question for a reporter to ask in a press conference if he relies on a single individual.

[Rock-A-Bye Beasley]

1 hour ago, BillsFanSD said:

I voted A.  He's the person most directly responsible for building a strong culture and team chemistry that this franchise has lacked since the SB era.  Since McD arrived, our team consistently pulls out a win or two in games that we have no business winning, which reflects well on the coach.  He needs better game-day management to move up to an A+, but that's a relatively small part of his job compared to the other big-picture stuff.

 

 

Heading into the draft, I was led to believe that Josh Allen was a super-raw prospect from a third tier program who would need to learn the game from the sideline.  Nearly everybody agreed that he shouldn't see the field during his first year, and many argued that he would need to sit and watch for two seasons before being ready for game action.  With that as our starting point, Josh Allen's development has come along much faster than expected.  He's not there yet, but he's in his second year and he's clearly on the right trajectory.  Not much more you can ask of a coaching staff.

 

Two years sitting before playing? Wonder why some had a problem with the pick. 

[Rocket94]

1 hour ago, Chandler#81 said:

My A- is due to the fact he never shows his hand. I get it, and I respect the hell out of it. I just want more insight.

 

In this regard -and ONLY this regard, I miss Rex.

Maybe thats the beauty of it. Keep it somewhat interior for now until it entirely unfolds.

Edited October 17, 2019 by Rocket94

[yungmack]

A+ for the Defense, C- (up from D-) on Offense, C- on Special Teams. The Defense grade overall for 3 years is held down by the Peterman debacle and the failure to have a decent QB room, and the puzzling attachment to Vlad, Benjamin, Zay and others. However, the 180 change in focus on the Offense since last year leads me to believe McD has "got it" and that the trendline is up. I expect the Offense to be at least a solid B by this time next year. Feeling good about the future.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

3 hours ago, teef said:

i'd put him in the b to b+ range right now.  it just depends how this year finishes out.  if the bills get into the playoffs this year, that will be 2 out of his first 3 years here he's done it, (i'm a wizard at math...i know) and for a bills coach this century, that's phenomenal. 

 

FIFY

[Boatdrinks]

B+ right now. Could definitely be bumped up to an A or A+ at some point. Interesting to see how the Bills handle this next four game stretch now that they’ve had some success. It will have a big impact on their playoff positioning come week 17. Schedule is a little tougher from Thanksgiving on. 

[Mark80]

I'm at an A-.  Improve things like timeout and late half game management as well as bad challenges and he can get that up to an A.  A+ is reserved for when he wins the SB.

[DCBongo]

 preliminary grade of B+, 4-1 with a solid defensive effort in the loss.  If the team finishes over 10 wins, Allen continues to develop, figures out how to avoid the 3rdQ slump and earns a playoff birth I will give him a final grade of A.

[PromoTheRobot]

LOL. This was a 6-win team according to most experts and we are #2 in the AFC. I'd say he's doing pretty ***kin' well so far.

[Mark80]

20 minutes ago, yungmack said:

A+ for the Defense, C- (up from D-) on Offense, C- on Special Teams. The Defense grade overall for 3 years is held down by the Peterman debacle and the failure to have a decent QB room, and the puzzling attachment to Vlad, Benjamin, Zay and others. However, the 180 change in focus on the Offense since last year leads me to believe McD has "got it" and that the trendline is up. I expect the Offense to be at least a solid B by this time next year. Feeling good about the future.

 

Just found it funny that you say puzzling attachment to .... 3 guys that aren't on the team anymore.  Made me chuckle.  I know what you meant though.

Edited October 17, 2019 by Mark80

[HomeskillitMoorman]

I'd go with a B. 

I think he's a good leader and teacher. No doubt the guys come to play for him. 

 

He is not a good game manager. This is very worrisome given we're in year 3. As you can see with someone like Andy Reid who is in many ways a brilliant coach...it is something that some coaches just never figure out. 

[BillsfanAZ]

I went with B+ but I think that can elevate moving into the second part of the season. Like others on here I question some of his review choices and game management. I think he is a perfect coach for Buffalo. 

[Freddie's Dead]

I give him a B.  If his gameday management was better, I would give him an A.

[Hebert19]

I gave him an A.  No one is perfect and a few comments about his in game coaching are warranted but a small piece of the whole picture.  

 

My guess is he will be in consideration for coach of the year, his teams are always ready to play...he hires good assistant coaches (a big part of the job everyone has missed) and hes delivering wins. 

 

In the offseason I'm hopefully they extend the beane and SM tandem for another 5 years. 

[msw2112]

I went with B+, but could have just as well gone with A-.  Our Special Teams have been suspect and I question some of the conservative moves he's made (although he went for it twice on 4th down in the last game).  If you have all of your timeouts, more than a minute on the clock and the ball past the 30 yard line at the end of a half, try to get into FG range!  We didn't do that against the Giants and let them back into the game.  That said, the defense has been great, the offense is improving and he has created a fantastic culture that bodes well for the future.  And he got a team with very little talent to the playoffs two years ago, got a team with very little offensive talent to 6 wins last year and has the current squad at 4-1.

[Reader]

I remember in 2017 in a game against the Raiders. Tyrod threw a ball to Tate who maneuvered for a first down before running out of bounds to the Bills soundline. What looked like the entire team huddled around him and celebrated. I cannot remember the last time I saw a Bills team, that looked so much like a team. I hope McD continues to be successful because I love having him as a coach and love having players that fit his mold.

[london_bills]

He's done Well!  He is a very intelligent leader I think. Game management worries me and I would NOT say he's a natural at it. Timeouts etc. I love the 4th down aggressiveness which is not something I thought we would get from him. One thing that concerns me is whether he can really motivate these players continually into the future, alot depends on results but he manages expectations well. We always come out of the half on offense without as much urgency as we do at other times and I ask myself the question is it to do with McDermott's style at half time. Put it this way though, some of the browns office wanted him and they must be KICKING themselves. 

4 hours ago, wppete said:

Who’s the moron on here that voted F????

Haha - Marrone.  you were close.

Edited October 17, 2019 by london_bills

[blacklabel]

I think I gave him a B+... somehow I must've suffered severe brainfarts between voting and scrolling down to type a reply. Ha!

 

I think he's a solid coach. I've said this before and others have pointed it out but he knows how to get a lot out of a little. The 2017 roster wasn't loaded by any means but he gets them to 9-7 and a Wild Card in his first year. We knew 2018 was destined to be the "growing pains" season and although they looked out of their element at times, they were able to get six victories and some invaluable experience for their rookie QB. 

 

I think a lot of folks assumed 2020 would be the season where they'd "arrive for real" but it looks as if they might be a year early, at this point in the season, anyway. Even though this is an entirely different organization from top to bottom, it's still difficult, as a fan, to be confident that they aren't gonna find a way to implode and start 4-1 and finish 7-9 or something. It's not as difficult as it has been in the past but those hot starts/lousy finishes in '08 and '11 still haunt us. I have a lot more confidence now than I did back then, though. 

 

He's gotten every player and coach to buy in, and if someone (player or coach) isn't buying in or isn't producing, it seems as though he can see that and make changes as needed. He's installed a culture, he's created confidence, he's created chemistry among players and coaches and he has these guys playing for one another. Yeah, surely he'll have some mishaps here and there, as every coach does, but given what he's been able to accomplish so far, I don't think there's a whole lot of room to complain. Maybe I shoulda gave him an A.

Edited October 17, 2019 by blacklabel

[billsfan89]

A- or B+, personally leaning more towards a B+ just so far. 2017 was an amazing way to end the drought but even that was by the thinnest margin possible and almost ruined by switching to Peterman still an A+ season in my opinion to win 9 games with that roster. 

 

2018 was a big blemish on the resume. I get that this season was a clearing out of bad contracts and other issues left over from the Rex era. But the managing of the QB situation was just horrendous. The defense did play like a top 10 unit but the offense was a bottom 2-3 unit. The continued loyalty to Peterman and the lack of finding a true veteran QB to play in front or behind Josh was so bad. I would have given McD a D+ for that season. 

 

But 2019 so far has been another A+. Overall it is an interesting ride with McD. I believe that he always had a 3 year plan to take 2017 and 2018 to clear out contracts, gain draft capital to draft a QB, and build his culture. But he overachieved in 2017 which may have warped the expectations for 2018. 

 

But now in 2019 the team has had a chance to execute a proper rebuild in many different avenues.  They have an elite defense a solid special teams unit and a decent enough offense. The team also has cap flexibility to add a piece or two in free agency and maintain what they have, they also have their draft assets going forward. 

 

Overall McD has executed a prudent rebuild with a look to sustain a winning model for the next 2-3 seasons as well. BUT he did mismanage the most important position and potentially risk harming the growth of a rookie QB in 2018 which is so far just under half of his tenure here. So taking into account that bump in the road I think a B+ with an eye towards an A if this team wins 10+ this year. 

[BuffaloHokie13]

B-

 

The grade speaks for itself. 

[MJS]

Haha, who are the two jerks who gave him an F?