The Process - Why it's Important and Sustainable

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

I stumbled upon this article from 2017, written between McDermott's hiring and the start of the season.  https://www.espn.com/blog/buffalo-bills/post/_/id/28795/not-just-the-76ers-sean-mcdermott-has-bills-focused-on-the-process

 

In it Mike Rodak (ew) draws comparisons to McDermott and the Philadelphia 76ers who, at the time, had just finished tanking more brazenly than any other team in the history of the 4 major sports.  They also loved the word process.  Rodak assumed, understandably but incorrectly, that McDermott's use of the word is pretty much the same deal - which is to say "We're going to suck for now but just wait til you see us with a 1st overall pick or two."  We all know what happened a few months later, as the Bills would go on to a surprising 9-7 record and a streak-busting playoff berth courtesy of our BFFs Andy Dalton and Tyler Boyd.  

 

Turns out we didn't need the 1st overall pick because the next year McDermott and Beane had the vision to trade up and draft Josh Allen who would likely be the 1st overall pick if there was a redraft at this point.  The rest is history being written as we speak.  Talk about having your cake and eating it too.  

 

So what is Process as it relates to this Bills team, the coaching staff and front office?  It's something that we tend to joke about a little because of how ubiquitously McDermott uses the term but I believe it's a real, tangible philosophy that has made this team great and will continue to do so down the road.

 

I would describe the Bills Process as a philosophy that tacks on concepts like Love, Brotherhood and Respect to the traditional NFL values of Grit, Persistence and Courage.  Those latter things are present too but it replaces the typical "Don't do it for yourself, do it for the team" with "Don't do it for yourself, do it for your teammates and your community."  Go and watch literally any postgame interview video on buffalobills.com and notice how much the players talk about their brothers on the team and refuse to talk about themselves.  Then go watch postgame interviews from a bad team and see how much they talk about themselves when they're not just spouting inane platitudes.  Then go watch Brian Daboll have to choke back a tear describing the leader that Josh Allen is.  

 

This attitude of love is crucial because the NFL is a mercenary sport where 30-40% roster turnover is the norm and the vague notion of laying it all out there for The Buffalo Bills franchise is abstract.  Doing it for the money is concrete but only motivational in a pragmatic way.  Doing it for your brothers, your loved ones, is concrete, motivational and self-affirming in a way that improves the soul and makes you chase the carrot of dopamine and oxytocin again and again.  Watch the reaction when Levi Wallace made the pick on Sunday Night.  Nobody on the Bills felt like an individual had done that.  They felt like they had all done it. 

 

As far as coaching in the year 2020, The Process is ahead of the curve.  The bullying, yelling "I'm gonna kick your ass, *****" coach is about to be a dinosaur.  Maybe you think that's a bad thing but it's a reality.  Players would look at Tom Coughlin or Bill Cowher like he had two heads if he coached today and probably snigger after they left the room after one of their epic tantrums.  Speaking of the Steelers, let's take a look at an anecdote that highlights the difference between McDermott and Mike Tomlin, one of the older school guys.  

 

Tomlin

 

In week 13, second year WR Diontae Johnson drops two passes in a losing effort to Washington and Tomlin comments after the game that if his receivers don't start catching balls the team will find receivers who do.  The message is clear.  You are gone if this continues.  In week 14, Johnson proceeds to drop two more passes.  One wonders if he psyched himself out wondering if he'd need a new job.  Johnson then got benched.  To both men's credit Tomlin said that Johnson handled the benching well.

 

McDermott

 

In week 13, rookie RB Zack Moss commits a bad fumble against the 49ers that leads to an easy score.  He rides the bench for most of the game and McDermott subtly confirms after the game that this was due to the fumble, expressing confidence in the young man moving forward.  In week 14, McDermott trusts Moss to tote the ball 6 times in a final drive that lasted 7:11.  Moss holds on with both hands and ends the game.

 

These are nuanced differences and I'm not saying Tomlin is a bad coach.  He's been and is fantastic.  But I think he's slightly behind the cultural zeitgeist and McDermott is slightly ahead of it.

 

Now here's where it gets REALLY important - the aforementioned roster turnover.  Contracts and the salary cap being the way they are, there's literally nothing that HCs and GMs can do about this turnover if they wish to succeed.  Players who excel get paid more and those who don't get replaced by cheaper ones. 17 players from the 2019 Bills are no longer here and many 2020 Bills won't be 2021 Bills.  NFL GMs never "arrive" at a solid roster, rather they pursue it constantly.  That means if you want to sustain a cogent philosophy you must constantly pursue players who fit that philosophy.  And why is our Process so great for that?  Because players who fit the mold, either in FA or in the draft, are already paying attention and talking to their agents and families about the Bills.  Those who aren't attracted to this atmosphere are inherently ones that we probably wouldn't sign anyway. 

 

All that anxiety that we fans feel about players who don't want to travel here and deal with the snow and the small market?  That's a self-solving problem now.  It's a convenient filter.  Anyone who doesn't want in on this?  THAT's who isn't part of the process.

 

I don't know what will happen this year.  It's a crowded AFC and we could beat or lose to any of the playoff teams.  What really matters is that, because of the top-down culture from owner to GM to HC to QB and further, we know we'll be back either way. 

 

Edited December 16, 2020 by SageAgainstTheMachine

[Thurman#1]

IMO you're slightly overthinking this.

 

Process isn't something the Bills or the Sixers invented. It's a common term in leadership studies, in religion, in self-improvement, in business, as well as sports and it has been for decades.

 

It's generally used to point out that people need to focus on the process of getting better rather than the rewards that come when you improve, because the rewards will come intermittently and inconsistently whereas the process will be there every day. Focusing on the process makes your training reliable, it focuses you correctly and focuses you on the things that will make better more consistently and dependably. 

 

If you're a salesman you shouldn't focus on how many sales you make because to a large extent that's luck-dependent. Instead you focus on making a large number of calls, on improving your tactics for finding better customers, on making better pitches, on becoming more trustworthy, on improving your customer service, on re-contacting old customers, on getting more referrals.

 

You don't focus on outcome. You focus on the improvement process itself. In sports this goes back to John Wooden and even further.

 

You don't focus on the Super Bowl or even on winning one game. Some days you will meet better opposition and the ball won't bounce your way. You focus on maxizing improvement. One of the byproducts will be winning more but that's not where your focus goes.

 

I do love the values and the culture McDermott and Beane have brought here.

Edited December 16, 2020 by Thurman#1

[BuffaninSarasota]

On 12/15/2020 at 7:59 PM, Thurman#1 said:

IMO you're slightly overthinking this.

 

IMO props to the OP. It may sound sappy to those outside of Buffalo but we know it's real. Players and agents DO talk. The Pegulas DO pay for the right people (....just not w/ the Sabres.....😅) 

Edited December 18, 2020 by BuffaninSarasota
additional comment

[NoSaint]

16 minutes ago, Thurman#1 said:

IMO you're slightly overthinking this.

We have a qb on a rookie deal and have $30m in extra talent on the roster compared to a team with a vet qb 

 

sure there’s a lot of nice feel good stuff around that but at it’s core that’s the major factor at play. 

[BobbyC81]

The word “process” is somewhat being misused by McDermott. A process is a sequence of events.  For the Bills it is more of a philosophy and culture.

 

For the 76ers, the Process was to get rid of high priced players, tank to get high draft picks, draft top players with those draft picks, develop those players and add supporting players to the roster.  That process is over. You don’t hear people associated with the Sixers still using that term.

[Jobot]

34 minutes ago, ColeB said:

The word “process” is somewhat being misused by McDermott. A process is a sequence of events.  For the Bills it is more of a philosophy and culture.

 

For the 76ers, the Process was to get rid of high priced players, tank to get high draft picks, draft top players with those draft picks, develop those players and add supporting players to the roster.  That process is over. You don’t hear people associated with the Sixers still using that term.

 

It's the process of building a sustainable culture into the Bills organization. It doesn't happen overnight, and every aspect of the team has trended in the right direction since McDermott became the head coach.

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

1 minute ago, Jobot said:

 

It's the process of building a sustainable culture into the Bills organization. It doesn't happen overnight, and every aspect of the team has trended in the right direction since McDermott became the head coach.

 

You could also argue that we were amongst the teams in worst shape with culture after the Rex years.

[Jobot]

It would be an easy argument!

[billsfan89]

The Bills window of contention will be the remainder of Josh's rookie deal and 5th year option. Just enjoy the ride. 

[Ethan in Cleveland]

It's Lean Management or Toyota Production System. McD calls it process. Others call it continuous improvement. Lexus calls it the Pursuit of Perfection. 

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

23 minutes ago, billsfan89 said:

The Bills window of contention will be the remainder of Josh's rookie deal and 5th year option. Just enjoy the ride. 

 

If he's just a good QB, maybe.  If he's elite the contention window will be the length of his career.

[BobbyC81]

52 minutes ago, SageAgainstTheMachine said:

 

You could also argue that we were amongst the teams in worst shape with culture after the Rex years.

C’mon, how can you say there wasn’t a good culture in the Rex years?   He named players as captains for games against their former teams.  Despite a new CBA, limiting the number of practices, he blew off a training camp practice to take the team bowling in support of team building.  He was a good players-coach.  It was the other aspects of his coaching that led to his downfall, like failing to challenge a call in KC because they didn’t show the replay on the video board.

[BobbyC81]

6 minutes ago, SageAgainstTheMachine said:

 

If he's just a good QB, maybe.  If he's elite the contention window will be the length of his career.

I agree.  Unless there is some unforeseen situation, I can’t see Josh not spending the bulk of his career with the Bills.  It may be too early to say, but I also could not imagine a Wentz/Trubisky type regression for Josh.  They seem to have developed him the right way.  
 

Comments from teammates yesterday about Jalen Hurts impressive leadership skills are a telling sign about Wentz losing his job.  You can clearly see that Josh Allen is a strong leader of this Buffalo Bills team.

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

20 minutes ago, ColeB said:

C’mon, how can you say there wasn’t a good culture in the Rex years?   He named players as captains for games against their former teams.  Despite a new CBA, limiting the number of practices, he blew off a training camp practice to take the team bowling in support of team building.  He was a good players-coach.  It was the other aspects of his coaching that led to his downfall, like failing to challenge a call in KC because they didn’t show the replay on the video board.

 

I think Rex has the opposite problem of the hard-ass coaches in that he pretends to have all this bluster but is insecure deep down and wants everyone to be his buddy.  I got the sense that people weren't held to high standards.  Different type of culture problem but a bad one nonetheless. I could be wrong.

[QLBillsFan]

57 minutes ago, billsfan89 said:

The Bills window of contention will be the remainder of Josh's rookie deal and 5th year option. Just enjoy the ride. 

Agree it’s the most optimal timeframe. But I think McBean have given out smart FA contracts that are team friendly to escape. While much more challenging ( see Seattle), it is still possible to stay relevant. But this year and the next two would be most likely for a serious SB run. 

[Shaw66]

2 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

IMO you're slightly overthinking this.

 

Process isn't something the Bills or the Sixers invented. It's a common term in leadership studies, in religion, in self-improvement, in business, as well as sports and it has been for decades.

 

It's generally used to point out that people need to focus on the process of getting better rather than the rewards that come when you improve, because the rewards will come intermittently and inconsistently whereas the process will be there every day. Focusing on the process makes your training reliable, it focuses you correctly and focuses you on the things that will make better more consistently and dependably. 

 

If you're a salesman you shouldn't focus on how many sales you make because to a large extent that's luck-dependent. Instead you focus on making a large number of calls, on improving your tactics for finding better customers, on making better pitches, on becoming more trustworthy, on improving your customer service, on re-contacting old customers, on getting more referrals.

 

You don't focus on outcome. You focus on the improvement process itself. In sports this goes back to John Wooden and even further.

 

You don't focus on the Super Bowl or even on winning one game. Some days you will meet better opposition and the ball won't bounce your way. You focus on maxizing improvement. One of the byproducts will be winning more but that's not where your focus goes.

 

I do love the values and the culture McDermott and Beane have brought here.

Thurman, you're right about what you say, but he isn't overthinking this.  

 

You're right that McDermott didn't invent the notion of process.  What is unique about McDermott is that this is HIS process.   He has learned that process is essential to success in an organization like a football team.   He studied process, both within the teams he worked for and outside of those teams, outside of football, and even outside sports altogether, and he built HIS process.  A couple of years ago he went to Penn State to watch wrestling practice, because he wanted to see their practice process.  

 

As the OP says, a portion of his process is old school - grit, persistence, and courage.  A part of his process, at the core of his culture, is love, brotherhood, and respect.  But there's another part that you touched on but didn't lay out completely: continuous improvement and elimination of mistakes.   Those aspects of culture are relatively new to the NFL, except that I think they are at the core of what Belichick does.  My understanding, however, is that the more recent coaches who are into continuous improvement and elimination of mistakes study the manufacturing management techniques found in Sygma Six and Kaizen. Those techniques rely on having every member of the organization committed to those two principles, and probably some others.   The process is something like teach, practice, evaluate, correct, practice, evaluate, correct, practice until the behavior is learned, then move on to the next behavior.  Everyone is committed to getting better 24/7/365 and to eliminating mistakes.  One reason the love and brotherhood is so important is that the process is intended to be supportive of everyone - that is, everyone who is committed to the process deserves the love and support of his teammates.  That keeps the team together, and it also helps build the confidence and performance of everyone.  The OP uses Zach Moss as an example.  Levi Wallace is another.  

 

That kind of process results in increased attention to detail.  Everything is examined, corrected, and improved.   Everything has a purpose.  I remember when McDermott arrived, he got rid of the pool table in the locker room.  Someone asked why.  He said something like, "because pool doesn't have anything to do with what we're trying to accomplish.  We don't want any distractions."  So, then he was asked why he kept the ping pong table.  "Eye-hand coordination, footwork."   It's that kind of attention to detail that McDermott models and he teaches to his coaches and players.   

 

In McDermott land, the process applies to everyone.  It applies to the guys doing film review - they're getting better at film review every week, and their establishing the process of film review along the way.  The process applies to the locker room people - the towels are always there when needed, and there's always a better way to do it.  

 

The point is that it's a very specific process, and not one he got out of a book somewhere.  It's a process he's designed, and process that he is continually refining and improving.   That's why I speak up when people complain about things like McDermott's challenges.  I don't know if he's good or bad at challenges, but I know he'll better in a couple years than he is now.  Why?  Because every challenge situation gets evaluated after the game, and things are learned about how to challenge better.  The process that they goo through in decidind to challenge gets adjusted based on what they learn in their evaluation.   It's a continuous improvement process.   

 

What's so powerful about the process is whatever happens, the team is ready.  One of the Bills was interviewed in the field house last week, there were tables set up all across the floor.  You could tell that they were there for a team meeting.  The tables are all socially distanced, so the whole team is in there, each guy has a table, but they're all safe.  You cound see it, but undoubtedly there was a microphone and speakers so the coaches could be heard,  The player commented that it was just amazing how effieciently the staff configures and reconfigures that space each day, for meetings, for practice, for meals, for everything.  He said he didn't understand how they could do it.   It's the process.  It's everywhere.  

 

The process is why the Bills have had relatively little trouble with COVID.   The Bills were one of only four teams ready to practice on the first day that the NFL permitted practices this season.  The Bills have dealt with adjustments to the schedule without any significant glitches.  

 

McDermott's process is a system that applies to everything the Bills do.   It eliminates mistakes, it makes players better.  , and it makes the team better.

[Shaw66]

1 hour ago, billsfan89 said:

The Bills window of contention will be the remainder of Josh's rookie deal and 5th year option. Just enjoy the ride. 

This completely misperceives the process.  The whole point of the process is that the Bills can bring in good athletes with the right attitude and they will be effective.   The process isn't about getting star players, although you do need some.   It's about getting your other 40 starters playing at really high efficiency in a team concept.   

 

The whole point of what McBeane are trying to do is get a QB worth paying big bucks, pay him the big bucks, and get all the guys around him to play as a team.  That's exactly what we're seeing now, and it won't change when Allen gets his contract.   

 

And, by the way, the process is why I think Allen is going to give a hometown discount when the new contract comes around.  Allen understands the process, and he understands that his success depends on having the right kind of guys around him.   If he gives back $5 million a year on his next deal, Allen knows that the team will be better.  Allen is a big believer in the process.  

[billsfan89]

1 hour ago, SageAgainstTheMachine said:

 

If he's just a good QB, maybe.  If he's elite the contention window will be the length of his career.

 

If Josh is a stud Top 5 to 7 QB year in year out then you are right in a sense, but there usually is a pattern of regression in the talent around a QB when the big cap hit comes due. I for once don't want to worry about the future and I just want to enjoy the ride now. 

[Rk_Bills86]

"The Process" isn't something that can be so simply as building a family oriented culture. I alluded to it in a few other posts but its pretty broad. The family oriented aspect is there and 100% important but it is also:

 

- Practice the small things - practice makes perfect - practice makes reflex

- Accountability

- Next Man Up but also Best Man Up - you can and will be replaced if they think it's better for the team

- We are not building a contender.... we are building a champion. Our expectation is Superbowl an no less

 

There are so many little things that have been done in the McD/Beane tenure that are overlooked. Credit to the development, implementation, and showing of the team family and how it extends 100% into each players family. When players are traded or drafted to us wives of our players reach out. But there are other things. There is out sales pitch of "Come to Buffalo and be the best you that you can be" - I think this was on the Embedded series where Beane or McD said some players don't want to commit to long term contracts with Buffalo for one reason or another - but they would be happy to come here for 1 year and ball out to earn a better contract (with us or another team). It's a little late for me to get into all the details and little notes but "The Process" is not a small thing that can be trivialized into such few paragraphs. I think many fans haven't been able to step back and see everything from the drought years to our current years for comparison and it's hard to really appreciate all the changes. 

[GVINCENT]

I am 99% on board with the Beane-McDermott process... The 1% I am not on board with regards the Wyatt Teller trade. https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/wyatt-teller/46131... Teller is playing at an elite Pro-Bowl level and The Bills got a 5th rd. pick for him. And he makes under $700K for the next two years. Who is responsible for not recognizing his talent in the one year he played for The Bills... When you can get Pro-Bowl type players for $700K, that is how you get an edge up in this salary cap era... The Bills made The Browns a better team and made their offensive line weaker by trading Wyatt Teller... whenever The Bills face a dominant interior lineman they get mauled... Teller gets elite grades for run-blocking and pass-protection... I'm just sayin...

[mabden]

3 hours ago, GVINCENT said:

I am 99% on board with the Beane-McDermott process... The 1% I am not on board with regards the Wyatt Teller trade.

 

 

I liked the drafting of Teller.  I thought he had the typical 5th round rooky season and worth keeping around.     

[mabden]

14 hours ago, SageAgainstTheMachine said:

Go and watch literally any postgame interview video on buffalobills.com and notice how much the players talk about their brothers on the team and refuse to talk about themselves. 

 

 

I believe this is the true difference between a winning team and a losing team.  Agreed it starts at the top (Kim and Terry Pegula with their commitment to keeping the Bills in Buffalo) and permeates through the rest of the team.

[Kwai San]

6 hours ago, GVINCENT said:

I am 99% on board with the Beane-McDermott process... The 1% I am not on board with regards the Wyatt Teller trade. https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/wyatt-teller/46131... Teller is playing at an elite Pro-Bowl level and The Bills got a 5th rd. pick for him. And he makes under $700K for the next two years. Who is responsible for not recognizing his talent in the one year he played for The Bills... When you can get Pro-Bowl type players for $700K, that is how you get an edge up in this salary cap era... The Bills made The Browns a better team and made their offensive line weaker by trading Wyatt Teller... whenever The Bills face a dominant interior lineman they get mauled... Teller gets elite grades for run-blocking and pass-protection... I'm just sayin...

 

I agree 110% about Teller and his actions on the field.  Who knows about Teller off the field?  I don't and will be the first to admit it.  There had to be SOMETHING that stood out to the Bills braintrust that they didn't need Teller anymore.  I liked Teller from the get go, I thought he was going to be a HUGE addition....turns out as many have sagely pointed out - "good thing you aren't the GM".  There is a ton of stuff that goes on that we as fans are not privy too......      

[Punching Bag]

16 hours ago, BuffaninSarasota said:

 

IMO props to the OP. It may sound sappy to those outside of Buffalo but we know it's real. Players and agents DO talk. The Pegulas DO pay for the right people (....just not w/ the Sabres) 

 

yes they should sell the team so they do not need to deal with peanut gallery comments

[Rochesterfan]

7 hours ago, GVINCENT said:

I am 99% on board with the Beane-McDermott process... The 1% I am not on board with regards the Wyatt Teller trade. https://www.pff.com/nfl/players/wyatt-teller/46131... Teller is playing at an elite Pro-Bowl level and The Bills got a 5th rd. pick for him. And he makes under $700K for the next two years. Who is responsible for not recognizing his talent in the one year he played for The Bills... When you can get Pro-Bowl type players for $700K, that is how you get an edge up in this salary cap era... The Bills made The Browns a better team and made their offensive line weaker by trading Wyatt Teller... whenever The Bills face a dominant interior lineman they get mauled... Teller gets elite grades for run-blocking and pass-protection... I'm just sayin...

 

Totally disagree with this take.  McD talked about Teller after the trade - a good young player, but something they could get an asset for as opposed to losing for nothing.  Teller last year projected (as he has this year) strictly as a guard with no position flexibility and could not beat out Spain or Mongo as a starter.

 

Last year the team went out and tried to find significant improvements for the offensive line.  They signed Spain, Mongo, Morse, Ty,  drafted Cody Ford, Ike, they had Teller, Bodine, and Long, and brought in Bates.  They found a starting 5 and Teller was not one of them (nor should he have been based on his terrible job in Cleveland last year - amongst the worst starters at guard in the league).  The back-ups as has been typical of McD - he wants position flexibility in case of in game injury.  
 

At that time they recognized Teller might have a future with hard work, but he was not making the team because he was not good enough to start and provided poor depth as he was strictly a guard.  The Bills knew he was going to be a depth cut and got something for him.  Teller to his credit really needed the playing time and he was not going to get it here last year.  
 

Teller was one of many choices teams have to make when cutting down players.  To act like the Bills did not recognize the talent is crazy - they drafted him because they thought he could play.  They also knew as a 5th round pick he needed time to develop and they recognized he was not developing on the time line they needed to match up with their goals.  They made a choice and got an asset and Teller went to a team that was a better fit for his talent and more importantly was able to give him a full starting year last year as a guard where he stunk, but the playing time was critical.  Going into this year the Browns were not sure he was going to make the roster, but Teller obviously worked hard in the off-season and the new head coach is a run first guy - that really lines up with Tellers strengths.

 

I have no issues with them trading Teller because what you see today from him was forged in battle last year and he was not getting that here - the Bills had expectations and were not going to suffer the growing pains when they had better players.  

[BuffaninSarasota]

8 hours ago, Limeaid said:

 

yes they should sell the team so they do not need to deal with peanut gallery comments

 

you apparently missed the sarcasm, but I should have used an emoji to make that clear....... I have nothing but the highest aspirations for the Sabres.

Edited December 17, 2020 by BuffaninSarasota
add'l content

[Shaw66]

On 12/16/2020 at 5:39 AM, GVINCENT said:

I am 99% on board with the Beane-McDermott process... The 1% I am not on board with regards the Wyatt Teller trade. 

Once I heard a guy speak who was a career/worker.  He worked on the staff of a Congressman, and he'd worked on multiple political campaigns.  He said there was one thing politicians had in common.  When they woke up on the day after a landslide victory, there was no joy and basking in the glory of just having received 75% of the vote.  What they always ask the campaign chairman is "why didn't the other 25% vote for me?"   That's you.  

 

DId you have a kid in your class at school who got 99 on most of the tests?   Sure, that kid wanted to know what he did wrong on that 1%, but did the rest of the class think?   They thought he was the smartest kid in the class. 

 

I have no doubt whatsoever that McBeane look at Teller and ask themselves whether they should have kept him.  They know why they chose not to.  When they reexamine that decision, they might even continue to think it was the right choice at the time.  

 

Being a successful GM is all about batting average.  No one bats 1.000.   Anyone who thinks Beane is batting .900 should be celebrating Beane, not complaining about it.  In fact, Beane isn't batting .900.  I think he's doing great, but Teller is only one of many decisions we can second guess.  

[Don Otreply]

On 12/16/2020 at 9:36 AM, ScottLaw said:

It will mostly be sustainable because they have a franchise QB....regardless of the "process".

Tell that to Kirk Cousins...

The QB is obviously important, but it needs more than that to make it happen, luckily we have the other things that allows all the parts to work together. 
 

Go Bills!!!

[SCBills]

Most teams win SB's with QB's not on rookie deals, so I'm not sure why so many stay fixated on this.  

 

In regards to roster building with a big $$$ QB, I absolutely trust Beane and McDermott to keep this team contending for a long time. 

 

McDermott will be here, no matter who the DC is, and McDermott is one of the best Defensive minds in football.  He knows exactly what he needs to field a Top 10 Defense, and that doesn't require a bunch of star players.  He'll have his lockdown corner in Tre White and his QB of the Defense at MLB in Tremaine Edmunds.  After that, he's shown that he can turn solid Safeties into an elite duo.  He's shown he can take mid-late round/UDFA talent and coach them up opposite Tre, or in the slot, and have them play at an acceptable level.  

 

He has had the luxury of overspending on the DL, and while there's not a superstar on the line, there are a bunch of good players.  He and Beane will need to hit on draft picks to surround Ed Oliver with a strong rotation, and so far, Harry pre-ACL, Epenesa and 7th Rounder Darry Johnson, show promise that they can do it via the Draft.

 

With McDermott being a great Defensive Coach and knowing what he needs on that side of the ball, that should allow us to majority spend on Offense and, again, we have a method to the madness in regards to the cap...  Spend on QB/OL/WR and then, potentially, continue to use mid-round picks on TE/RB.  We may want a more dynamic RB or more reliable TE, but we have the right mindset in coaching those positions up and making sure we have high level talent protecting Allen and in providing him WR weaponry.   

 

Edited December 17, 2020 by SCBills

[Don Otreply]

39 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

Kirk Cousins doesn't have Josh Allen's skill set and it's really not even close. 

Didn’t say he did, as you could tell by the words I used,  but he is their franchise QB... all Franchise QB are not created equal, and success as you know requires more than a good QB.  It is not a one dimension process to have a successful team...

 

Go Bills!!!

[Don Otreply]

Just now, ScottLaw said:

I don’t disagree.... when I said franchise QB I meant a top QB in this league. I don’t consider Kirk Cousins a top QB at all....... and continued success for the Bills will depend on how they manage the draft/FA with a lot less resources to work with.....as well as how they handle replacing of coaches/scouts once they get plucked from other teams as they surely will be. 

The staffing of players and coaches going forward will be a test unto itself, I do think between Beane & McDermott they will do a good job of it. 

[Don Otreply]

2 minutes ago, ScottLaw said:

The test will be sustaining success with little cap room after Allen gets paid.... Beane hit big time on Allen but his overall drafts have been pretty average, IMO. 

One would have to objectively compare Beane with 31 other GMs over the same duration, and their teams success rate on drafted players, I suspect Beane is In the top thirty percent of GMs, jmo. 

[ganesh]

On 12/16/2020 at 6:48 AM, NoSaint said:

We have a qb on a rookie deal and have $30m in extra talent on the roster compared to a team with a vet qb 

 

sure there’s a lot of nice feel good stuff around that but at it’s core that’s the major factor at play. 

We have a qb on a rookie deal and have $30m in extra talent on the roster compared to a team with a vet qb 

 

>  We have a franchise QB on a rookie deal. 

 

That is what makes this tick....Ben, Rodgers, Wilson, Mahomes all won the Super Bowl for their teams on their rookie deals.   The Bills need to do the same this year or next year

9 hours ago, Don Otreply said:

One would have to objectively compare Beane with 31 other GMs over the same duration, and their teams success rate on drafted players, I suspect Beane is In the top thirty percent of GMs, jmo. 

You have to view Beane's success in

 

* Draft

* FA signings 

* Trades 

* UDFA signings

 

The success of each component attributes to the fact that the coach and the GM are on the same page.

[Don Otreply]

9 hours ago, ganesh said:

We have a qb on a rookie deal and have $30m in extra talent on the roster compared to a team with a vet qb 

 

>  We have a franchise QB on a rookie deal. 

 

That is what makes this tick....Ben, Rodgers, Wilson, Mahomes all won the Super Bowl for their teams on their rookie deals.   The Bills need to do the same this year or next year

You have to view Beane's success in

 

* Draft

* FA signings 

* Trades 

* UDFA signings

 

The success of each component attributes to the fact that the coach and the GM are on the same page.

Yup, and the Beane McDermott team is doing quite well👍

[CLTbills]

On 12/15/2020 at 10:10 PM, Ethan in Portland said:

It's Lean Management or Toyota Production System. McD calls it process. Others call it continuous improvement. Lexus calls it the Pursuit of Perfection. 

I can appreciate this, working for Lexus for 7 years!

[Big Blitz]

Agree with almost everything here.  Especially the part about the 76ers being a bad example of process.  They literally meant tanking for no 1s overall.  

 

 

I'd add that arguably the most important thing is getting 53 alpha males to buy in.....that they understand why they aren't playing if they feel like they're doing all the right things in practice.  That everyone understands what their roles are and what they do best.  On offense only so many balls to go around.  Some guys role may be as simple as a mentor show young guys how to do things the right way.  I think that's why Lee Smith is here.  That's why we had the backup QBs we had or currently have.  And they all are good with and understand it.  Process.  

 

The way we run our offense you will not see any potential diva RB like Bell on this team until we have SB winning credibility.  They aren't the focus of the O so we would like to avoid headaches like guys complaining about getting the ball.  And I think we thought we could make AB work because he was going to get 150 targets, and the WRs we have would be humble enough to know yes, that's how it is because he's a top 2 or 3 WR in the league.  

 

All this has to be explained to guys honestly while not damaging egos too much (we all want to play) or ticking guys off to where they want to leave, etc.  They need to see great play in addition to great preparation will get you on the field and production will keep you there.  Production will get you paid.  

 

As people have said all this starts with individual improvement and the growth mindset.  Everything will work out some how some way.  You don't need guys that are saints....it's a bonus if high talented hard work guys are.  But you can't have *** holes that are toxic either.  It's a no brainer you are looking for the most talented guys.  But that talent has to "fit" around what we're doing and who is already here.  As long as Diggs is here, no other WR with his make up (he wants the ball) is going to be coming here with that same mentality unless both are good with less targets.  Process.  

[foreboding]

Great post OP, but I think what you described is a result of the process, not the process itself.

 

Sean's process is built around the idea of a GROWTH MINDSET. This was crystallized in the seminal work of Carol Dweck. Sean mentions the growth mindset, often.

 

Read her book, phenomenal.

 

Anyway, the crux is this: and it broadly categorizes folks into two categories, Fixed and Growth mindset.

 

Fixed people hold dear the things that define them. I am faster, the smartest, richest, the best looking..." whatever it is, and they can be nearly delusional in their attempts to prove and remind us all. They do not handle coaching well (they already know everything) and public failure is anathema to them. If you try to challenge their precious self-image they will not react well.

 

Think of public people who mirror this mindset, politics is a great place to start.

 

Growth mindset people/teachings view life as a process. When you fail, it present an opportunity, rather than you being a failure.  An opportunity to say "cool, what can I learn from this?" Growth mindset people not only want feedback, they crave it as every meaningful interaction brings growth and that IS THE reward. Learn and grow is the continuous end, it is the process. In a world that encourages the individual, this process breeds accountability and community.

 

The natural result are more humble, hungry people who are on a road to success that will never end.

 

Sean has done a masterful job, but it starts with him. If he is not on that same road, it is hypocrisy and we know that is always found out.

 

Edited December 18, 2020 by foreboding

[Billsfan1972]

Not again!!!!🙄

 

So tired of the Process that people have glommed on to.

 

How about well coached and a good culture???

 

Oh yea & finding a "franchise" Qb and discovering that offense plays a key roll in your success?

 

I'm a basketball fan and for the Toronto Raptors.  Never once was the word "process" uttered.  They built a team, got the right pieces, a great GM & coaching staff.

 

 

[foreboding]

21 minutes ago, Billsfan1972 said:

 

 

So tired of the Process that people have glommed on to.

 

How about well coached and a good culture???

 

 

Irrespective of the nomenclature you choose, Sean has labeled it "The Process". It is growth mindset -> leads to a teachable org -> leads to better players and coaches -> winning

[Shaw66]

55 minutes ago, foreboding said:

Great post OP, but I think what you described is a result of the process, not the process itself.

 

Sean's process is built around the idea of a GROWTH MINDSET. This was crystallized in the seminal work of Carol Dweck. Sean mentions the growth mindset, often.

 

Read her book, phenomenal.

 

Anyway, the crux is this: and it broadly categorizes folks into two categories, Fixed and Growth mindset.

 

Fixed people hold dear the things that define them. I am faster, the smartest, richest, the best looking..." whatever it is, and they can be nearly delusional in their attempts to prove and remind us all. They do not handle coaching well (they already know everything) and public failure is anathema to them. If you try to challenge their precious self-image they will not react well.

 

Think of public people who mirror this mindset, politics is a great place to start.

 

Growth mindset people/teachings view life as a process. When you fail, it present an opportunity, rather than you being a failure.  An opportunity to say "cool, what can I learn from this?" Growth mindset people not only want feedback, they crave it as every meaningful interaction brings growth and that IS THE reward. Learn and grow is the continuous end, it is the process. In a world that encourages the individual, this process breeds accountability and community.

 

The natural result are more humble, hungry people who are on a road to success that will never end.

 

Sean has done a masterful job, but it starts with him. If he is not on that same road, it is hypocrisy and we know that is always found out.

 

Thanks.  I didn't know about her, and I don't recall having heard McD talk about her.  But what you and Wikipedia say about her theories clearly is at the core of McD's process.  (I should note that Wikipedia says that other psycologists have not been able to replicate her clinical results, and there is a healthy debate about what the consequence is of her work.)  

 

It's interesting, too, that someone who works for Lexus (Toyota), chimed in above, because the Japanese were onto the growth mindset, apparently before Dweck wrote about it.  Danaher is also famous for strictly seeking this kind of personal development, too.  

 

The growth mindset vs. the fixed mindset is at the core of a lot of discussion about McDermott and the Bills on this forum.  Some people here show they believe in the fixed mindset when they say that McD isn't good at challenges or isn't good at managing the clock or other similar comments.  They say it as if the fact that he didn't do those things well last year mean that he won't do those things well next year.   In fact, McD is a believer in the growth mindset, which means he has in place systems to evaluate how well he does things, like challenges and clock management.  If the evaluation is that he is doing those things poorly, McD views it as an opportunity to improve, so he studies, seeks advice, changes his behavior and reevaluates.  

 

The growth mindset is very much what he wants in his players.  He wants his players not so much to celebrate what went right, but to question and evaluate what went wrong so it won't happen again.  

 

I think we see the result of the process in his defense.   It's very rare that we see defenders after a play looking at each other and making gestures that say, "I thought you had that guy."   The Bills know where they're supposed to be on defense, so they're rarely out of position.  Still, of course, plays work against them, so when they watch film, they're always asking, "what could we do so that doesn't happen again."   Working and practicing like that every day makes the team better and better.  It's called continuous improvement.  

10 minutes ago, foreboding said:

Irrespective of the nomenclature you choose, Sean has labeled it "The Process". It is growth mindset -> leads to a teachable org -> leads to better players and coaches -> winning

And, as I just said, continuous improvement.   That's the real key.   Continuous improvement means Hyde and Poyer get better as a safety tandem, year after year.  It stops only after their pure physical abilities begin to decline.  Continuous improvement your quarterback in the same system gets better, year after year.