McBeane Approval Rating?

[Billl]

81-90, closer to 81 than 90.  Basically they’ve done as good of a job as can be done without winning a game against NE, winning the division, or winning a playoff game.  I think at least one of those will happen this year.  If not, the grade goes down dramatically.  If two or more happen, the grade goes up .

[Augie]

4 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

Why do we have to lump them together? Beane is in charge of the roster. McDermott is in charge of coaching. They have different jobs. They are different people. They should receive different grades.

 

 

Are you SURE? 

 

I gave “them” an A, but a low A because I’m an easy grader. I love the direction and what they both offer for the most part, but I want to see more sustained winning and, well.......the KB move still has me scratching my head. All FO’s blow some moves, but that one seemed tainted by some pre-conceived notions. He was a tub who didn’t care and stole game checks. 

[Just Joshin']

2 hours ago, MJS said:

Who's the one who put 21 to 40? Some fans just love to be miserable...

I am guessing they could be narrowed down to a few.

[Mr. WEO]

5 hours ago, BuffaloBillies said:

91.

 

Love the culture and expectation of winning.

Many shrewd moves (Phillips, McKenzie, Duke, Wade, overhauling OL, snaking draft picks for cast offs)

Great drafts! (young, cheap TALENT)

 

But some clunkers too (Benjamin, Vontae, overpaying Star, pursuing AB, etc)

 

Overall, love riding the upward trend with this team. Next 5+ years look VERY promising!

 

McKenzie, Duke and ....Wade were shrewd moves?  How so?

 

One isn't even on the roster and has never played football (American).

 

One they refused to play (or even dress) after 3 games in October...until week 17.  He caught 16 passes all year.

 

One was a 5th receiver option on a team with paper thin depth at any type of receiver.

 

Plus, the O-line is not yet overhauled....

[Mr. WEO]

Just now, ScottLaw said:

Their offense has been bad for 3 straight years..... Beane is a genius. 

 

 

I think if guys are giving out A's for bringing in players like that....well that's got to be "we're just happy to be here" crowd.

[BuffaloBillies]

9 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

McKenzie, Duke and ....Wade were shrewd moves?  How so?

 

One isn't even on the roster and has never played football (American).

 

One they refused to play (or even dress) after 3 games in October...until week 17.  He caught 16 passes all year.

 

One was a 5th receiver option on a team with paper thin depth at any type of receiver.

 

Plus, the O-line is not yet overhauled....

 

Giving Duke a second chance from CFL is a "move". McKenzie is cheap and was a smart "move" bringing him in as depth and speed. Taking advantage of the international rule for Wade was a clever "move" (not counting against roster). 4 new starters on the O-Line isn't an overhaul? Maybe it's not perfect yet, but that's an overhaul to me.

[Mr. WEO]

2 minutes ago, BuffaloBillies said:

 

Giving Duke a second chance from CFL is a "move". McKenzie is cheap and was a smart "move" bringing him in as depth and speed. Taking advantage of the international rule for Wade was a clever "move" (not counting against roster). 4 new starters on the O-Line isn't an overhaul? Maybe it's not perfect yet, but that's an overhaul to me.

 

Serially replacing O-linemen...I guess you could call that a perennial "overhaul", but the OP said overhauled, which in popular parlance suggest it a job completed...for the better.

 

OP also said "shrewd" moves.  Singings of scrubs and long shots that you won't even play (even at positions of desperate need) don't really count as "shrewd moves".

[Kirby Jackson]

42 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

 

Are you SURE? 

 

I gave “them” an A, but a low A because I’m an easy grader. I love the direction and what they both offer for the most part, but I want to see more sustained winning and, well.......the KB move still has me scratching my head. All FO’s blow some moves, but that one seemed tainted by some pre-conceived notions. He was a tub who didn’t care and stole game checks. 

I like the job that both are doing. There are certain things with each that I wish was a little better. I didn’t grade them because I would have them in 2 different brackets (both good though). 

[LSHMEAB]

4 hours ago, Kirby Jackson said:

I just don’t think that makes any sense. What if you like the roster but not the in game decisions? What if you like the preparedness of the team but think that the roster has major holes? We don’t say, “what’s your opinion of Hallen (Josh Allen and Jerry Hughes)?” Why, because they do different things!! There’s no reason to lump 2 people with very different roles together. 
 

Maybe my annoyance from this comes from my time in sports but these are very different roles. 

Agreed. I'm personally far more sold on the coaching staff maximizing roster talent than I am the roster construction(thus far).

 

We'll see how things progress, but this is an important offseason for Beane.

 

I get what's occurred thus far; they made the conscious decision to gut the roster and "start over." You can't argue that they've collectively produced far more than any Bills regime this century. 

 

But can they field a championship roster? Time will tell.

[Augie]

1 minute ago, Kirby Jackson said:

I like the job that both are doing. There are certain things with each that I wish was a little better. I didn’t grade them because I would have them in 2 different brackets (both good though). 

 

Who would get the higher grade? 

 

I’d lean to McD, but it would be very close. They play hard and are ready on game day. The offense needs talent and play calling can get too cute, but still I’m a fan. That’s on both sides. Some game day stuff makes me wonder, but in general positive. I like Beane too, and I know they both had input into all decisions, but I have a hard time getting past the KB move, among others. Nobody is perfect. Keep making progress. 

[BuffaloBillies]

12 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

Serially replacing O-linemen...I guess you could call that a perennial "overhaul", but the OP said overhauled, which in popular parlance suggest it a job completed...for the better.

 

OP also said "shrewd" moves.  Singings of scrubs and long shots that you won't even play (even at positions of desperate need) don't really count as "shrewd moves".

 

I am the OP, and you ignored my other examples also (Phillips & snaking draft picks for cast offs - in particular Teller and Bodine (getting the better of NE on that too)).

Anyway, not sure what the problem is. I guess you don't like the use of the word shrewd. Whatever.

[MJS]

49 minutes ago, Just Joshin' said:

I am guessing they could be narrowed down to a few.

 

35 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

McKenzie, Duke and ....Wade were shrewd moves?  How so?

 

One isn't even on the roster and has never played football (American).

 

One they refused to play (or even dress) after 3 games in October...until week 17.  He caught 16 passes all year.

 

One was a 5th receiver option on a team with paper thin depth at any type of receiver.

 

Plus, the O-line is not yet overhauled....

 

33 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Their offense has been bad for 3 straight years..... Beane is a genius. 

 

Found some candidates for those low scores.

[Kirby Jackson]

4 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

Who would get the higher grade? 

 

I’d lean to McD, but it would be very close. They play hard and are ready on game day. The offense needs talent and play calling can get too cute, but still I’m a fan. That’s on both sides. Some game day stuff makes me wonder, but in general positive. I like Beane too, and I know they both had input into all decisions, but I have a hard time getting past the KB move, among others. Nobody is perfect. Keep making progress. 

I’m probably in the minority but I’d lean towards Beane. The depth and talent that they’ve added over the last few years is insane. Outside of KB there haven’t been a lot of bad misses (although time will tell with Ford). This is a big offseason for the Bills but one more good one and this team will be loaded.

 

I like McDermott a lot too. He’s built a phenomenal culture. His team’s play hard and are prepared. They RARELY just flat out beat themselves. With that being said, his clock management and challenge uses leave A LOT to be desired. At this point he’s much further head during the week than on Gameday. The good news is that it sounds like they are adding a title to a coach to focus on that. The sign of a good leader is recognizing issues and getting them fixed. 
 

I have confidence in both moving forward. My point was (and always will be) stop lumping 2 totally different jobs into 1 person. Evaluate them each on their own merits and responsibilities. That’s why I used the Josh and Hughes example. We’d never say was your opinion of “them?” They don’t do the same thing.

[Billl]

4 minutes ago, Augie said:

 

Who would get the higher grade? 

 

I’d lean to McD, but it would be very close. They play hard and are ready on game day. The offense needs talent and play calling can get too cute, but still I’m a fan. That’s on both sides. Some game day stuff makes me wonder, but in general positive. I like Beane too, and I know they both had input into all decisions, but I have a hard time getting past the KB move, among others. Nobody is perfect. Keep making progress. 

McDermott gets the higher grade IMO.  He took a terrible roster to the playoffs in year 1.  Then he turned the 10th pick into an all-pro CB, an additional day 2 pick, and a number 1 the following year.  That’s impressive.  Beane will be judged based in large part by who the extra picks allowed him to draft at QB, and that has been a mixed bag so far.

[Jumpsuit Jim]

Low 90s for me. Good personnel moves and drafts that show quite a bit of potential in spite of their youth combined with said young teams consistently punching above their weight class gives them a 92 from me. 
 

 

[DJB]

Approval jumps into 81 - 90 tier with a playoff victory. 

 

91 - 100 as perennial contenders

 

Honestly though this is the best and most stable management I've been a part of for the last 25 years or so. 

Edited March 11, 2020 by DJB

[Mr. WEO]

23 minutes ago, BuffaloBillies said:

 

I am the OP, and you ignored my other examples also (Phillips & snaking draft picks for cast offs - in particular Teller and Bodine (getting the better of NE on that too)).

Anyway, not sure what the problem is. I guess you don't like the use of the word shrewd. Whatever.

 

You can't blame me for you misuse of the term "shrewd", which you specifically chose to describe those moves.  They were anything but.

 

17 minutes ago, MJS said:

 

 

 

Found some candidates for those low scores.

 

Wrong, yet again...

[Gugny]

Going into a season with Peterman and Allen.

Benjamin.

Kroft.

 

These things chose me to vote 81-90.  Mostly the first one.

[fansince88]

3 hours ago, MAJBobby said:

Their mistakes.  IE Trading for Fat Boy

So you come up with one player who doesnt have a name over some 40 moves that have improved the team in 3 years and thst earned 90%-? How do you rate the performance of your own job? Have you had 1 miscue? Does that reduce yourself to 90% approval by your superiors? I hope not.

[Punching Bag]

15 hours ago, SoCal Deek said:

All in all they've done really well....except for that whole starting Nathan Peterman last year.  What was that about?

 

OC acted like some on this board because starting QB could not do what he wanted with that team and put his balls on chopping block supporting P5t5rman.

He got his balls cut off.

[MAJBobby]

9 hours ago, fansince88 said:

So you come up with one player who doesnt have a name over some 40 moves that have improved the team in 3 years and thst earned 90%-? How do you rate the performance of your own job? Have you had 1 miscue? Does that reduce yourself to 90% approval by your superiors? I hope not.

Win a Playoff game and you get in the 90% rating. I was very clear why I put him where I put him. Yes trading for Kelvin Benjamin mistake. Signing Vontae Davis. Still need offense. Hiring some bad staff. Jesus even having Peterman as a Starter at one point. 

Edited March 11, 2020 by MAJBobby

[SoTier]

I didn't vote because I need to see more success on the field.  I don't care that the FO looks "competent".  That means "nothing", especially when looking at a short time span of three years.  Tom Donahoe looked "competent" three years in as did Doug Whaley.   Beane and McDermott have looked good so far, but unless the team takes the next step -- winning playoff games --  then they aren't significantly better than predecessors.

[Greg S]

25 minutes ago, SoTier said:

I didn't vote because I need to see more success on the field.  I don't care that the FO looks "competent".  That means "nothing", especially when looking at a short time span of three years.  Tom Donahoe looked "competent" three years in as did Doug Whaley.   Beane and McDermott have looked good so far, but unless the team takes the next step -- winning playoff games --  then they aren't significantly better than predecessors.

 

This organization hadn't made the playoffs in 17 years when they got there. In the three years since they have two playoff appearances. Now its time for them to get this team to take the next step and win a playoff game (at least) or go on a run. Both Beane and McDermott have done a really good job up to this point.

[Mr. WEO]

17 minutes ago, Greg S said:

 

This organization hadn't made the playoffs in 17 years when they got there. In the three years since they have two playoff appearances. Now its time for them to get this team to take the next step and win a playoff game (at least) or go on a run. Both Beane and McDermott have done a really good job up to this point.

 

 

A little context here:

 

Doug Marrone in 2014  led them to  9-7, 2nd in the Division.  They scored more points and allowed far fewer points (4th in NFL) than 2017.  Didn't make the playoffs.  Only 5 AFC teams had losing records that season.  There were 3  9-7 AFC teams, none made the playoffs.

 

McD in 2017 led them to 9-7, 2nd in the Division with crappy Offense and Defense.  They got into the playoffs on a miracle play by a bad team acting as spoiler.  8 AFC teams had losing records that season.  There were 4  9-7 AFC teams.  2 made the playoffs.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

Solid B. Tending in the right direction.

 

big year. Will the improvement trend continues or we see a plateau or regression? 
 

expectations are high! 

[Stank_Nasty]

13 hours ago, Gugny said:

Going into a season with Peterman and Allen.

Benjamin.

Kroft.

 

These things chose me to vote 81-90.  Mostly the first one.

right there with ya. 90-100 would mean playoff wins..... and the multiple Peterman atrocities cant be ignored.

 

that being said I picked 81-90 as well because its been a pretty darn good 3 year run and the future looks really good.

[C.Biscuit97]

1) some posters completely overrate the “disaster” they inherit.  They were had a team that was like .500 over 3 years.  They had a qb, rb, and oline that was a top 10 scoring offense.  They created a lot of holes to “rebuild.”

 

2) I’d argue the 2014 team would have murdered the team that ended drought and probably beaten last year’s team.  
 

That said, they gave definitely laid a nice foundation.  Obviously, the key is Allen and how the y handle the young core as they get second contracts.  The schedule on paper looks much harder so this will be an excellent gauge of where the process is at this point.  I would give them an A on defensive/ STs building and a C for offense.  

[SoTier]

2 hours ago, Greg S said:

 

This organization hadn't made the playoffs in 17 years when they got there. In the three years since they have two playoff appearances. Now its time for them to get this team to take the next step and win a playoff game (at least) or go on a run. Both Beane and McDermott have done a really good job up to this point.

 

Success in the NFL is measured by wins, especially in the playoffs.   The Bills haven't won a playoff game since 1995 or 1996.   New England, Baltimore,  and Pittsburgh all have as many or more Super Bowl victories as the Bills have playoff appearances in the last twenty years.   Last year's team had some unexpected gifts -- the injury to Roethlisberger and playing the Titans before they swapped QBs come to mind.  They once again failed to beat the Patriots in two tries.  They did win 10 games but then they went one and done in the playoffs because they couldn't score late in games when they needed to. 

 

I'm not dissing Beane and/or McDermott because they've done a decent job, but I'm not ready to annoint Beane and/or McDermott as gods for only doing marginally better than some of their predecessors at this early point in their tenure.   Measured against what other GMs/HCs around the league have done in their first three years with other organizations, Beane/McDermott are not all that impressive.

 

1 hour ago, C.Biscuit97 said:

1) some posters completely overrate the “disaster” they inherit.  They were had a team that was like .500 over 3 years.  They had a qb, rb, and oline that was a top 10 scoring offense.  They created a lot of holes to “rebuild.”

 

2) I’d argue the 2014 team would have murdered the team that ended drought and probably beaten last year’s team.  
 

That said, they gave definitely laid a nice foundation.  Obviously, the key is Allen and how the y handle the young core as they get second contracts.  The schedule on paper looks much harder so this will be an excellent gauge of where the process is at this point.  I would give them an A on defensive/ STs building and a C for offense.  

 

This is the thing for me.   Do they give Allen the support he needs to be truly successful if he's good enough?   Are they smart enough to use their cache of cap money wisely to bring in the right players and then draft the right players to make the offense better?   The Bills may make the playoffs but they aren't winning many playoff games without a significantly better offense.  This is 2020 not 2000.

 

Edited March 11, 2020 by SoTier

[Don Otreply]

22 hours ago, Mark Vader said:

I voted 81-90, and I would personally put them at 90.

 

I loved Beane's approach to free agency last season and he brought in some good players for us. Overall he has done a remarkable job. Yes, not every player he's brought in has been a home run, but he is doing everything he can to make the Bills a better team.

 

McDermott's attitude that he brings to the team is fantastic, and the players have bought into the culture. The Bills have become an exciting team to watch again, and I believe that there is a lot more to look forward to and get excited about.

 

To get into the 91-100 range, they have to win in the playoffs.

 

Also, I want to see McDermott approach the game on offense with a killer instinct. My one and only criticism of him.

I agree with your thoughts on this, your last paragraph is also a sticking point for me, through their decisions they stopped the O when it was in a role several times.
 

The Minnesota game was the first time I noticed them doing it, very frustrating to say the least. It is odd and “almost” like SM doesn’t want the offense to get credit for a win. 
 

Go Bills!!!

[BigBillsFan]

They're at 70% until they can prove they can field a competent offense. Defense they get 95% approval and offense 45%.

 

Loved the Singletary pick and the WRs from last FA. We just need a true #1 but Beane says he doesn't believe in #1s (sigh)

[DCOrange]

I went with the 71-80 option. Probably towards the higher end of that spectrum. I'd give a higher grade to McDermott than I would Beane, but altogether, I'm very happy to have them in charge of things so far.

[GreggTX]

Above 80 for McDermott and below 80 for Beane to this point. McDermott was a great hire. Beane needs to start drafting superstars in the 1st round.

[Mark Vader]

51 minutes ago, Don Otreply said:

I agree with your thoughts on this, your last paragraph is also a sticking point for me, through their decisions they stopped the O when it was in a role several times.
 

The Minnesota game was the first time I noticed them doing it, very frustrating to say the least. It is odd and “almost” like SM doesn’t want the offense to get credit for a win. 
 

Go Bills!!!

I look back at the playoff game against Houston, and we settled for a field goal instead of going for the touchdown at the end of the first half.

 

The offense was moving the ball, and the Bills started that drive on their own 4 yard line. Then for some reason, we let the clock run with over a minute to go, with 2 time outs. Imagine if they had scored a touchdown on that drive. The Texans defense would have been demoralized. I was very angry that we did that, and I thought it would come back to haunt us.

 

Yes, the defense played bad late in the second half, but not going for a touchdown before halftime was a crucial missed opportunity that we did to ourselves.

 

I like McDermott a lot, but I want to see him let the offense show that it can be relied on to score at will. I want to see the offense look the way they did in the Dallas game all season.

[BuffaLoko]

On 3/10/2020 at 11:17 AM, whatdrought said:

 

My thoughts exactly. I think I'd be in the 86-88 range if I were to narrow it even further. 

you mean like any other GM Combo when they come and start winning, by 2nd or 3rd year tenure?  like Bellysick?  ... mmmhhh  errrr. no wait, that is not a good example! ?

[Don Otreply]

2 hours ago, Mark Vader said:

I look back at the playoff game against Houston, and we settled for a field goal instead of going for the touchdown at the end of the first half.

 

The offense was moving the ball, and the Bills started that drive on their own 4 yard line. Then for some reason, we let the clock run with over a minute to go, with 2 time outs. Imagine if they had scored a touchdown on that drive. The Texans defense would have been demoralized. I was very angry that we did that, and I thought it would come back to haunt us.

 

Yes, the defense played bad late in the second half, but not going for a touchdown before halftime was a crucial missed opportunity that we did to ourselves.

 

I like McDermott a lot, but I want to see him let the offense show that it can be relied on to score at will. I want to see the offense look the way they did in the Dallas game all season.

At some point he is going to have to trust the offense to get it done.  The Dallas game was/is the benchmark of what needs to be a regular occurrence for our offense.
 

Don’t get me wrong on this, I do think SM is a good HC, but he really does need to unleash that unit and find out what they got. I fully expect Beane to hit big in FA and the draft, and that will help a lot on the offense, imo. 
 

Go Bills!!!

[Billl]

4 minutes ago, Don Otreply said:

At some point he is going to have to trust the offense to get it done.  The Dallas game was/is the benchmark of what needs to be a regular occurrence for our offense.
 

Don’t get me wrong on this, I do think SM is a good HC, but he really does need to unleash that unit and find out what they got. I fully expect Beane to hit big in FA and the draft, and that will help a lot on the offense, imo. 
 

Go Bills!!!

What would you consider to be unleashing the offense?  Allen threw 46 times in the playoff game, and the only TD the Bills scored was a TD pass from a WR.  The Texans were the 28th ranked team against the pass, and Buffalo managed 1.7 points per possession.  I didn’t see anything conservative about the game plan.  I saw an offense that just couldn’t execute.

[Don Otreply]

21 minutes ago, Billl said:

What would you consider to be unleashing the offense?  Allen threw 46 times in the playoff game, and the only TD the Bills scored was a TD pass from a WR.  The Texans were the 28th ranked team against the pass, and Buffalo managed 1.7 points per possession.  I didn’t see anything conservative about the game plan.  I saw an offense that just couldn’t execute.

I guess what I’m getting at is when Sean seems to sit on small leads, and our OC goes away from things that are working during games, yes execution is part of it, but play calling choices as well have caused us all to wonder why a given play is called at a given moment in a game. The Dallas game was the best play calling game BD had all season imo, it is incumbent upon the OC to put his players in the best position to succeed,  and I don’t believe that was always the case on offense. Jmo I guess. 
 

Go Bills!!!

[SoTier]

13 minutes ago, Billl said:

What would you consider to be unleashing the offense?  Allen threw 46 times in the playoff game, and the only TD the Bills scored was a TD pass from a WR.  The Texans were the 28th ranked team against the pass, and Buffalo managed 1.7 points per possession.  I didn’t see anything conservative about the game plan.  I saw an offense that just couldn’t execute.

 

I don't think the problems on offense stem from philosophy.  I think the offensive problems result from a lack of offensive playmakers which limits the options the coaching staff has to respond to injuries or defensive adjustments.  The Bills essentially had one QB with two reliable WRs and one reliable RB.  The rest of the skill players simply failed to consistently make plays, so if Brown or Beasley or Singletary were taken out of the game by the defense or by injury, the Bills had no reliable alternatives.  What made the Chiefs and Niners so successful in 2019 was that when opponents shut off one thing their offenses did well, they had very real, very dangerous alternatives.

 

 

[LSHMEAB]

3 hours ago, SoTier said:

 

I don't think the problems on offense stem from philosophy.  I think the offensive problems result from a lack of offensive playmakers which limits the options the coaching staff has to respond to injuries or defensive adjustments.  The Bills essentially had one QB with two reliable WRs and one reliable RB.  The rest of the skill players simply failed to consistently make plays, so if Brown or Beasley or Singletary were taken out of the game by the defense or by injury, the Bills had no reliable alternatives.  What made the Chiefs and Niners so successful in 2019 was that when opponents shut off one thing their offenses did well, they had very real, very dangerous alternatives.

 

 

I would also add that even the Bills reliable skill position players are not good enough. There isn't a star. There isn't a game changer.

 

They've done a poor job THUS far acquiring playmakers. So two things must happen. They've got to hit on their draft picks or free agents, and Allen must improve. 

 

This is by no means an offense ready to compete for a championship as is currently constructed. Very big offseason for BB.

[Dopey]

On 3/10/2020 at 1:47 PM, Kirby Jackson said:

Why do we have to lump them together? Beane is in charge of the roster. McDermott is in charge of coaching. They have different jobs. They are different people. They should receive different grades.

He asked about the Beane and McDermott administration(McBeane). I took it as how are they doing together? You don't have to play.

On 3/10/2020 at 2:44 PM, Kirby Jackson said:

I just don’t think that makes any sense. What if you like the roster but not the in game decisions? What if you like the preparedness of the team but think that the roster has major holes? We don’t say, “what’s your opinion of Hallen (Josh Allen and Jerry Hughes)?” Why, because they do different things!! There’s no reason to lump 2 people with very different roles together. 
 

Maybe my annoyance from this comes from my time in sports but these are very different roles. 

Then you give a lower score.