Coaching/feel for the game

[msw2112]

I think most Bills fans that are old enough know what it's like to suffer heartbreak at the end of a playoff game on a freak play....

[Shaw66]

I disagree with the OP and agree with others who say you take the time out.  I think you want your defense as ready as they can be to win the game, just like coaches often call time out just before an onside kick attempt.   Be sure your team is ready.  Trying to guess whether the opponent is disorganized, confused, flustered or whatever is junior high school stuff.

 

And I have one other, different reaction.  McDermott is in this for the long run.   Like Belichick, he expects his team to get better year after year, for everyone to learn and progress.  McDermott believes that is true as much, or more, for himself as for everyone else.  He studies his decisions, analyzes them, and revises his coaching philosophy as he goes.  As a result, he will be a better coach five years from now than he is now, just like Billy Donovan became a better coach.   If McDermott's analysis after the Cards game, or after similar end game situations in the next few years, concludes that he should have trusted his players and not called the timeout, then that's what he will do in the future.  If he made the wrong decision on Sunday, and I don't think he did, he'll make the right decision in similar situations later in his career.  

[mjt328]

1 hour ago, kirkwoodus13 said:

Like many of you I am still trying to process how the bills manage to loose this last game to Cardinals. When did you realize that we were going to loos this game? I knew it, the moment Coach McDermit call that unnecessary timeout. That timeout like so many decisions he has, made at the end of half or games was so ill timed. Coach does not have a good feel for the game. He remind me of Billy Donavan his first couple years at OKC  coming from college. He would jump in the  air a call time out in the middle of a possession. Leaving Durant and Westbrook confused. Arizona had just wasted 23 seconds on the previous play. They had no idea what they were going to do next. At most they had call two plays and was probably going to run a quick out to get extra yards. By calling that time out, he gave that team a chance to regroup. Murray intentionally rolled to his left. I guaranteed they practiced that play before . That time out showed a coach who more often than not don't have feel for the game.

 

So you knew the Bills were going to allow a Hail Mary that works maybe 1-100 times, simply because we called a timeout?

 

I have absolutely zero problem with us calling a timeout to get our defense prepared.  The clock was already stopped at that point. 

The Cardinals had plenty of time to come up with a plan, regardless of the timeout.  In fact, if you listen to the Arizona players and coaching staff, that play was not even designed to be a Hail Mary.  They wanted to get the ball closer before taking an endzone shot.  The primary read was a 20 yard sideline pass, with DeAndre Hopkins as a secondary option if that wasn't open.  When Kyler Murray got flushed from the pocket, he decided to take the deep throw and it worked.

 

[msw2112]

As to the OP, at the time it was happening, I agreed with what you are saying.  I though the Cardinals were out of sorts and had no TOs left and that the TO gave them a chance to regroup and run what they wanted to.  I screamed at TV - "Don't take a timeout!"

 

Looking back, and after considering what's been said on this board, I think the TO was the right call.  The Bills played it perfectly, including having their 3 best defensive backs in position to make a play on the Cardinals' best receiver.  They had the right call, the right personnel in the right place, etc.  Hopkins just flat out made an incredible play.

Edited November 19, 2020 by msw2112

[Motorin']

24 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

Disagree. You absolutely call the time out there and make sure every single person on defense knows their responsibility. The coaching was fine. Our three best DBs all got beat on one play. 

 

Coaches coach. Players play. 

 

Seeing it again this morning I realized that Poyer came crashing in and knocked Tre White on his ass. Tre would have knocked or ripped the ball away had that not happened. 

 

 

[kirkwoodus13]

I am sure a lot of you have played organized sports before. In basketball do you call a time out if your team has momentum. Usually the other team does to stop a run or regroup. In this case the momentum was on the BILLS side. Arizona had no time outs left. Go and look at the play clock and see what was left before  McDermott call that time out. The cardinals were flustered. They didn't expect the previous play to take that long. The right call in that situation was to have your corners play the sidelines and tackle everyone in bounds. There is no way anyone can say that momentum was not killed by that time out. I also submit that our use of the clock at the end of the half was horrible. Bass bailed him out with 58 yard field goal. why would you run the ball in that situation instead of throwing especially since you have been throwing the entire game. Its call  feel for the game and I am sorry right now the coach doesn't have it. Hopefully its get better from here. 

[JohnNord]

2 hours ago, kirkwoodus13 said:

Like many of you I am still trying to process how the bills manage to loose this last game to Cardinals. When did you realize that we were going to loos this game? I knew it, the moment Coach McDermit call that unnecessary timeout. That timeout like so many decisions he has, made at the end of half or games was so ill timed. Coach does not have a good feel for the game. He remind me of Billy Donavan his first couple years at OKC  coming from college. He would jump in the  air a call time out in the middle of a possession. Leaving Durant and Westbrook confused. Arizona had just wasted 23 seconds on the previous play. They had no idea what they were going to do next. At most they had call two plays and was probably going to run a quick out to get extra yards. By calling that time out, he gave that team a chance to regroup. Murray intentionally rolled to his left. I guaranteed they practiced that play before . That time out showed a coach who more often than not don't have feel for the game.

Fans love to blame coaches or coordinators because it’s easier than calling out players.  The bottom line is that even with the timeout, Mario Addison was in a perfect position to affect the QB. Had he stuck on Murray rather than trying to dive at his feet, it’s unlikely Murray sees Hopkins and very unlikely he throws the ball to that exact spot.

 

 

[Punching Bag]

3 hours ago, BringBackFergy said:

OP: You owe me 54 seconds for reading through that disaster. 

 

You owe me 54 seconds for bumping up thread and reading through that disaster.

 

Whoops no. Master of Disaster is already on ignore post list so I did not read it but I read responses so those seconds count.

[BuffaninSarasota]

OP,

is English your primary language? That was painful to read.

[QLBillsFan]

McClappy has been calling late first half or end game TO’s since he got here. I would say they have been very effective. The guys didn’t execute. You could make the argument that they should have rushed 3-4 and dropped every one deep. It looked like Bills covered the intermediate routes. As has been mentioned it’s unfortunate, bad timing on jumps but rare. I will not blame that play on coaching. 

[Buffalo Bills Fan]

7 minutes ago, QLBillsFan said:

McClappy has been calling late first half or end game TO’s since he got here. I would say they have been very effective. The guys didn’t execute. You could make the argument that they should have rushed 3-4 and dropped every one deep. It looked like Bills covered the intermediate routes. As has been mentioned it’s unfortunate, bad timing on jumps but rare. I will not blame that play on coaching. 

Agree. Hopkins hands might be best ever in NFL.  If it gets nears his fingers he's going to catch it. 

[Chaos]

3 hours ago, JohnNord said:

Fans love to blame coaches or coordinators because it’s easier than calling out players.  The bottom line is that even with the timeout, Mario Addison was in a perfect position to affect the QB. Had he stuck on Murray rather than trying to dive at his feet, it’s unlikely Murray sees Hopkins and very unlikely he throws the ball to that exact spot.

 

 

Its possible that both the coaches & players performed poorly on that play.  

[JohnNord]

6 minutes ago, Chaos said:

Its possible that both the coaches & players performed poorly on that play.  

Yes it is possible....which is why it’s foolish to only blame the coaching staff for not having a good “feel of the game” as this thread did.

 

Personally I didn’t have a problem with the call.  I did have a problem with the execution from Addison for not containing the edge.  I don’t see how you can blame coaching for that play 

[hemma]

Who said remote learning just doesn’t work?

[Sweats]

Move along.........nothing to see here

[Putin]

22 hours ago, Greg S said:

 

 This past week's loss was a tough one but just think of what Oilers fans went through after "The Comeback" and that was a playoff game.

Probably what we’ve felt this Sunday times a thousand 

[Buddo]

As with others, I think the time out wasn't wrong. At that point of proceedings, I believe the coach is looking to make sure that his players do the right thing, and it's a lot less about the opposition, strangely enough.

 

I also think that our coaches, at that point in time, were pretty happy with where they 'had' the Cards. In a game like that, if you were in a situation where the opposition need a TD to win, and have at most 2 plays left and no time outs either, with 40+ yards to go, you would take that game situation, probably 99 times out of a 100.

 

There were two parts to the play that made it successful. Murray's ability to get clear enough to throw the Hail Mary, and then the exceptional catch by Hopkins to complete it.

 

While it was absolutely gutting, it can, and has, happened in the past to other teams. It's simply a great player making a great play (Hopkins).

 

Personally, the only issue I have with the loss, is the fact that before the Hail Mary, we were far too obviously in 'prevent', and gave up too many easy yards in the earlier part of the drive. I disliked that enormously, and I still do. Our D is more than capable of showing pressure, then dropping back into coverage, yet we didn't and made our intentions far too obvious.