Sean McDermott end of season press conference 1/26 11am

[Reed83HOF]

Just now, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

 

To be fair, IMHO the press does a horrible job of asking questions.  Most of them muddle about apparently formulating their thoughts into expressions as they speak, then say some version of "is that right?" and McDermott takes what they say and echoes it back to them.

 

If they perhaps gave a 1-sentence intro then asked him an open ended question, they might get better results.

Jw ( I think, I was more interested in listening than jotting stuff down) asked a very good question about scheme and the bend but don't break...

 

Sean did mention being bigger and faster...

 

But some of the questions were terrible.

 

I came away with the impression that Sean is highly reflective and sees a lot of the issues we saw with kc

[NoHuddleKelly12]

13 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

 

To be fair, IMHO the press does a horrible job of asking questions.  Most of them muddle about apparently formulating their thoughts into expressions as they speak, then say some version of "is that right?" and McDermott takes what they say and echoes it back to them.

 

If they perhaps gave a 1-sentence intro then asked him an open ended question, they might get better results.

 

This guy might've done a better job...

 

 

Edited January 26, 2021 by NoHuddleKelly12

[WideNine]

2 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

 

To be fair, IMHO the press does a horrible job of asking questions.  Most of them muddle about apparently formulating their thoughts into expressions as they speak, then say some version of "is that right?" and McDermott takes what they say and echoes it back to them.

 

If they perhaps gave a 1-sentence intro then asked him an open ended question, they might get better results.

 

At least they have kind of gotten past that uniquely American greeting of asking how the coaches are doing and the disinterested not waiting for an answer before launching into questions.

 

Our coaches would forge ahead answering how they were doing and early on it was funny and awkward.

 

 

[4BillsintheBurgh]

3 minutes ago, WideNine said:

 

Been wondering too, but it drifts into Covid discussion area.

 

The cardiac arrhythmia covid link is a thing, not sure of long term prognosis.

 

 

 

Yeah, I think I saw 3-6 month recovery, was just wondering how it was going for him.

[Giuseppe Tognarelli]

After taking in the postgame and season-ending press conferences from McD, it seems like the focus is going to be on improving the running game, pass rush, and speed.

 

Can't wait to hear Beane tomorrow.

Edited January 26, 2021 by Giuseppe Tognarelli

[RobbRiddick]

16 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

I think Physicality was the biggest factor. And most surprising.

 

San Fran came out and tried to bully us, and we came back even harder and bullied them. Same with NE and a couple other teams.

 

That's why it was so surprising to see us look so weak and timid and soft and flat against KC. We were missing an edge, big time.

We looked just as we did against the Titans

[Success]

Personally, while I like more aggressive play and think McD was much more aggressive overall this season, I agreed w/ the more conservative decision of taking points at the end of the 1st half.  That was a long drive, and it would have been very demoralizing not to get some points there.  Get the points and regroup at halftime, with some momentum.

 

It's funny how hindsight works.  Reich DID go for it in the same situation a few weeks back, and was 2nd guessed all over the place for not taking the points.

 

[Reed83HOF]

18 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

I think Physicality was the biggest factor. And most surprising.

 

San Fran came out and tried to bully us, and we came back even harder and bullied them. Same with NE and a couple other teams.

 

That's why it was so surprising to see us look so weak and timid and soft and flat against KC. We were missing an edge, big time.

We don't have that guy on defense to rally the troops, Jordan Phillips lit a fire, I truly think his loss was felt more than any of us expected. LorAx as well.

 

We need a nasty OL player too

[DrDawkinstein]

Just now, Reed83HOF said:

We don't have that guy on defense to rally the troops, Jordan Phillips lit a fire, I truly think his loss was felt more than any of us expected. LorAx as well.

 

We need a nasty OL player too

 

Yep, I've mentioned him and Lawson regarding losing their attitudes on D.

 

I thought Feliciano was "that dude" on the OL, but he got punked Sunday. Ford can be nasty too, so missing him probably hurt.

 

But definitely need more guys who play on the edge. Bring me those Brandon Spikes/Richie Incognito types.

[Reed83HOF]

19 minutes ago, SCBills said:

 

I somewhat disagree with you here. 

 

Mahomes is a year older, and much more experienced, than Josh Allen. 

 

They lost the AFCCG in 2019 and saw what they needed to get over the hump.  A few months later, they went out and got Frank Clark.  They also went out and added even more speed on offense.  

 

They are a full step ahead of us.   That step is them realizing what they were missing to get to the Super Bowl.  I think we now have a much better idea of what is needed as well. 

 

Mcd also brought up that KC is in year 8 and we are in year 4...

 

Huge point there. We need to identify our core and build around them with bigger faster bodies 

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

32 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

When is Brandon up?

 

I love Sean but I know his press conference off by heart:

 

"proud of the players"

"it's part of the process"

"growth mindset"

"every year is a new team"

"some plays we'd like back"

"hungry and humble"

"people that love the game" 

Don’t forget:

 

”I think consistency is important” 

[Reed83HOF]

Just now, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Yep, I've mentioned him and Lawson regarding losing their attitudes on D.

 

I thought Feliciano was "that dude" on the OL, but he got punked Sunday. Ford can be nasty too, so missing him probably hurt.

 

But definitely need more guys who play on the edge. Bring me those Brandon Spikes/Richie Incognito types.

I was wrong on Phillips,  he cost a ton, but when you look at what we spent overall on the DL replacements I would have been happier with him and playing Zimmer and horrible Harry a bit more.  This needs to be a big focus.

 

Feliciano was going 1 on 1 with Jones, tough assignment and he got his ass handed to him. I think he can be part of it, but I don't even see Ford having that nasty streak. We sure could use it there...

 

Not to lump this in, but I hope Frazier ends up in Houston, get the comp picks and move to a slightly more aggressive scheme...

[Rc2catch]

25 minutes ago, SCBills said:

 

I somewhat disagree with you here. 

 

Mahomes is a year older, and much more experienced, than Josh Allen. 

 

They lost the AFCCG in 2019 and saw what they needed to get over the hump.  A few months later, they went out and got Frank Clark.  They also went out and added even more speed on offense.  

 

They are a full step ahead of us.   That step is them realizing what they were missing to get to the Super Bowl.  I think we now have a much better idea of what is needed as well. 

 

And I think it’s fair to say an offensive genius like Reid might stay a step ahead building his offense. Each piece he adds to the offense almost immediately has designed plays to work to their strengths. Their system has been in place so long, even before Mahomes some of those guys were already in this system so they can keep adding. We’re honestly only in year two of our offense with most of this personnel 

[WideNine]

8 minutes ago, Success said:

Personally, while I like more aggressive play and think McD was much more aggressive overall this season, I agreed w/ the more conservative decision of taking points at the end of the 1st half.  That was a long drive, and it would have been very demoralizing not to get some points there.  Get the points and regroup at halftime, with some momentum.

 

It's funny how hindsight works.  Reich DID go for it in the same situation a few weeks back, and was 2nd guessed all over the place for not taking the points.

 

 

True...a very thin line between gutsy/genius call, and WTF was he thinking - fire him.

 

I do think there was some "play not to lose" mentality and timidity that crept into the team that was uncharacteristic.

 

 

 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

 

Quote

 

I have mixed feelings about this.  McDermott said Cole is a "shining example"

 

I know there's the "Gladiator Culture" in the NFL and that a lot of guys play through injury. 

 

But there is a line, where someone is less effective and should sit down.  Milano clearly crossed that earlier this season when he was playing in a game where he couldn't lift his freakin' arm to tackle.  I think Cody Ford likewise - he was playing in games where it was clear he struggled to get one arm up to block.

 

It kind of made me feel that for the Bills, the line may be too much on the "play through it" side.

 

Edit: tweet of actual McDermott quote

 

 

[Giuseppe Tognarelli]

49 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Not really BS, imo.

 

Go back to 2013 and do the same draft/FA analysis for the Chiefs. No one is perfect, and everyone has misses. A lot of impact players we DID bring in that you left off your list.

I agree with @Process that it is BS. It didn't sit well at all with me when he said it. What's next -- they're in year 9, we're in year 5? They're in year 14, we're in year 10? I mean, come on. I think by the time you get to year 4, you don't get to say things like this anymore.

[DrDawkinstein]

7 minutes ago, Reed83HOF said:

I was wrong on Phillips,  he cost a ton, but when you look at what we spent overall on the DL replacements I would have been happier with him and playing Zimmer and horrible Harry a bit more.  This needs to be a big focus.

 

Feliciano was going 1 on 1 with Jones, tough assignment and he got his ass handed to him. I think he can be part of it, but I don't even see Ford having that nasty streak. We sure could use it there...

 

Not to lump this in, but I hope Frazier ends up in Houston, get the comp picks and move to a slightly more aggressive scheme...

 

Yeah, tough when we are paying Quinton Jefferson almsot $7M a year and Phillips got $10M. Would've been worth it.

 

A younger, more fiery DC might help a bit. But we aren't changing much in the scheme. That is McDermott's scheme. It will likely never change that much.

[Reed83HOF]

2 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

 

I have mixed feelings about this.  McDermott said Cole is a "shining example"

 

I know there's the "Gladiator Culture" in the NFL and that a lot of guys play through injury. 

 

But there is a line, where someone is less effective and should sit down.  Milano clearly crossed that earlier this season when he was playing in a game where he couldn't lift his freakin' arm to tackle.  I think Cody Ford likewise - he was playing in games where it was clear he struggled to get one arm up to block.

 

It kind of made me feel that for the Bills, the line may be too much on the "play through it" side.

 

 

He said the same thing about Gabriel Davis, trainers and medical staff gave him the thumbs up and he wanted to ride with the guys who got them there. It is a little bit too much "It was his turn" for me...

[Hapless Bills Fan]

39 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

I think Physicality was the biggest factor. And most surprising.

 

San Fran came out and tried to bully us, and we came back even harder and bullied them. Same with NE and a couple other teams.

 

That's why it was so surprising to see us look so weak and timid and soft and flat against KC. We were missing an edge, big time.

 

This.  We have played more physical games.  We played fast and hit hard against Pittsburgh, against the Steelers, against NE.  Hell, Diggs was knocking Pitts. DB on their ass.

 

Somehow that physical edge that we have shown during some games seemed missing on Sunday.

 

1 minute ago, Reed83HOF said:

He said the same thing about Gabriel Davis, trainers and medical staff gave him the thumbs up and he wanted to ride with the guys who got them there. It is a little bit too much "It was his turn" for me...

 

The unknown with Gabe Davis is just how much of a "reach" it would have been to start Stills.  We don't know how much of the playbook he had mastered or how he looked in practice.  My guess is maybe, not much and not good

[SectionC3]

20 minutes ago, Reed83HOF said:

We don't have that guy on defense to rally the troops, Jordan Phillips lit a fire, I truly think his loss was felt more than any of us expected. LorAx as well.

 

We need a nasty OL player too

 

Totally agree on J Phillips.  Missed his attitude and pressure very, very much this year.  There are a lot of other things that are "wrong" with the D-line, but the absence of an ability to generate consistent pressure probably was the biggest one. 

[Reed83HOF]

Just now, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Yeah, tough when we are paying Quinton Jefferson almsot $7M a year and Phillips got $10M. Would've been worth it.

 

A younger, more fiery DC might help a bit. But we aren't changing much in the scheme. That is McDermott's scheme. It will likely never change that much.

I felt like when you see McD taking over the play calling, we are more aggressive. He wants pressure with the front 4, he has said that for his whole time here, every year. We didn't get that, when I say aggressive it doesn't necessarily mean blitz more, more pressure up front and tighter coverage from the dbs and lbs. 

 

Some of what we called on d this year was to help the team deal with the injuries at lb and cb, which would be more zone. It could be used to mask liabilities, which I do think Edmunds has...

 

I have posted this in other threads, but the team has to decide which of the 2 LBS is getting the 13.5 million contract, I get Edmunds potential and he is 4 million next season, but as of today., I would rather pay Milano and find a true MLB.

[Giuseppe Tognarelli]

29 minutes ago, WideNine said:

 

At least they have kind of gotten past that uniquely American greeting of asking how the coaches are doing and the disinterested not waiting for an answer before launching into questions.

 

Our coaches would forge ahead answering how they were doing and early on it was funny and awkward.

 

 

Unsure what PCs you're watching, because this still happens in every conference with coaches or players and it's 100% cringe

[SectionC3]

4 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

This.  We have played more physical games.  We played fast and hit hard against Pittsburgh, against the Steelers, against NE.  Hell, Diggs was knocking Pitts. DB on their ass.

 

Somehow that physical edge that we have shown during some games seemed missing on Sunday.

 

 

The unknown with Gabe Davis is just how much of a "reach" it would have been to start Stills.  We don't know how much of the playbook he had mastered or how he looked in practice.  My guess is maybe, not much and not good

 

In hindsight, I suspect the team was a lot more gassed than people realized heading into the game.  That, coupled with crowd noise (normally no big deal, but unique in the context of this season), lack of running game, hopeless inability to pressure Mahomes, was just a bad combination.  We played on our heels basically the whole time.  Next year will be different. 

[WideNine]

1 minute ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

 

I have mixed feelings about this.  McDermott said Cole is a "shining example"

 

I know there's the "Gladiator Culture" in the NFL and that a lot of guys play through injury. 

 

But there is a line, where someone is less effective and should sit down.  Milano clearly crossed that earlier this season when he was playing in a game where he couldn't lift his freakin' arm to tackle.  I think Cody Ford likewise - he was playing in games where it was clear he struggled to get one arm up to block.

 

It kind of made me feel that for the Bills, the line may be too much on the "play through it" side.

 

 

 

McD has a wrestling background and my kid was in that sport.

 

From my experience folks in that sport....

 

 

[SectionC3]

2 minutes ago, Reed83HOF said:

I felt like when you see McD taking over the play calling, we are more aggressive. He wants pressure with the front 4, he has said that for his whole time here, every year. We didn't get that, when I say aggressive it doesn't necessarily mean blitz more, more pressure up front and tighter coverage from the dbs and lbs. 

 

Some of what we called on d this year was to help the team deal with the injuries at lb and cb, which would be more zone. It could be used to mask liabilities, which I do think Edmunds has...

 

I have posted this in other threads, but the team has to decide which of the 2 LBS is getting the 13.5 million contract, I get Edmunds potential and he is 4 million next season, but as of today., I would rather pay Milano and find a true MLB.

 

Pay Milano now and kick the can down the road on Edmunds.  

[Reed83HOF]

5 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

This.  We have played more physical games.  We played fast and hit hard against Pittsburgh, against the Steelers, against NE.  Hell, Diggs was knocking Pitts. DB on their ass.

 

Somehow that physical edge that we have shown during some games seemed missing on Sunday.

 

 

The unknown with Gabe Davis is just how much of a "reach" it would have been to start Stills.  We don't know how much of the playbook he had mastered or how he looked in practice.  My guess is maybe, not much and not good

I agree with your last part, but he did zip zero zilch, I would rather have had Duke awilliams on the field, but this is semantics and not why we lost. Our lines got their asses handed to them, the crowd affected us, Josh was too worried about finding the right play instead of just calling the play and running it, Spags coverage changing at the last second got in his head....

[DrDawkinstein]

1 minute ago, Reed83HOF said:

I felt like when you see McD taking over the play calling, we are more aggressive. He wants pressure with the front 4, he has said that for his whole time here, every year. We didn't get that, when I say aggressive it doesn't necessarily mean blitz more, more pressure up front and tighter coverage from the dbs and lbs. 

 

Some of what we called on d this year was to help the team deal with the injuries at lb and cb, which would be more zone. It could be used to mask liabilities, which I do think Edmunds has...

 

I have posted this in other threads, but the team has to decide which of the 2 LBS is getting the 13.5 million contract, I get Edmunds potential and he is 4 million next season, but as of today., I would rather pay Milano and find a true MLB.

 

I dont want to pay EITHER of those LBs $14M/yr.

 

I'd pick up Edmunds 5th year option to give him some time to prove it, and us some time to replace him.

 

I'm not paying Milano. I know he is "our best LB", but that isnt saying much. For someone who is supposed to be some great coverage LB, we get destroyed by TEs. Plus he is still a liability in open field tackling.

 

I'm drafting Milano's replacement this year, and looking for Edmunds replacement in 2 the 2022 draft.

[Reed83HOF]

1 minute ago, SectionC3 said:

 

Pay Milano now and kick the can down the road on Edmunds.  

Kick Milano down the road and trade for Khalil. 🤣

Edited January 26, 2021 by Reed83HOF

[GunnerBill]

41 minutes ago, clayboy54 said:

Oh come on. You're better than that!

 

Sean is as honest as a coach can and should be in this league. He brings a human element to these conferences and that's a lot more than most. Would you rather listen to Belichick?

 

No I just don't really listen to Sean. I am a huge McDermott fan. I absolutely do not mind his pressers being dull. I just don't bother listening unless I listen as a podcast on a run or something. 

[WideNine]

1 minute ago, Giuseppe Tognarelli said:

Unsure what PCs you're watching, because this still happens in every conference with coaches or players and it's 100% cringe

 

I thought they had improved a bit.

 

Was the worst with the Daboll interviews because he would wait a bit with a smirk till they were well on their way, then answer.

 

Pretty cringe-worthy when you think about how some of the best interviewers have a ton of patience letting their subject warm up to a topic and spill more than intended.

 

 

 

 

 

[GunnerBill]

41 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

 

To be fair, IMHO the press does a horrible job of asking questions.  Most of them muddle about apparently formulating their thoughts into expressions as they speak, then say some version of "is that right?" and McDermott takes what they say and echoes it back to them.

 

If they perhaps gave a 1-sentence intro then asked him an open ended question, they might get better results.

 

They do. I hate "can you speak to [insert topic]". Which seems to happen a lot. If I did that when I used to cover soccer pressers in the UK the response I'd have got was "No, ask me a question." 

[YoloinOhio]

 

[billsfan1959]

Love Sean McDermott and this team will be even better next year

[SCBills]

15 minutes ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Yeah, tough when we are paying Quinton Jefferson almsot $7M a year and Phillips got $10M. Would've been worth it.

 

A younger, more fiery DC might help a bit. But we aren't changing much in the scheme. That is McDermott's scheme. It will likely never change that much.

 

We can cut Jefferson though.  I think that would've been much tougher with Jordan Phillips.  

 

Seems to me that this DL was filled with stop-gap players who all agreed to deals we can get out of this year.   He prioritized flexibility in 2021 over committing to Phillips and/or Shaq.

[Straight Hucklebuck]

43 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

 

To be fair, IMHO the press does a horrible job of asking questions.  Most of them muddle about apparently formulating their thoughts into expressions as they speak, then say some version of "is that right?" and McDermott takes what they say and echoes it back to them.

 

If they perhaps gave a 1-sentence intro then asked him an open ended question, they might get better results.

Absolutely, our reporters ask the most generic softball questions. 

 

They're never direct, open ended questions about the results, tactics and strategies from the game. 

 

They're meandering feelings type questions. For example, what article would ever feature the question "can you explain what Josh Allen means to this team?"

 

Who would read about what Sean thinks about the connections between the Super Bowl Bills and the 2020 team?

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

16 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

They do. I hate "can you speak to [insert topic]". Which seems to happen a lot. If I did that when I used to cover soccer pressers in the UK the response I'd have got was "No, ask me a question." 

 

That's not what I meant by "open ended question".  There's a sweet spot.  I'll try to find an example.

 

In the meantime, I'll make hypotheticals.

 

Too open ended: "Can you speak to the role the OL played in today's game?" (Coach says "that's pretty broad, is there a specific question?")

Too closed: "The crowd was really rocking at Arrowhead and Mitch Morse mentioned communication as an issue for pass protection.  Were you struggling to protect Josh because the crowd made communication difficult?" (McDermott will answer something like "Yes, the home crowd can certainly be a big factor but we've got to Find a Way")

Maybe a question that could get a more interesting answer: "Sean, the OL has been able to give Josh enough time even against some of the best pass rushers in the league.  Why did the OL struggle in pass protection against KC today?"

 

 

[appoo]

I think "physicality" is overrated for the KC Game. The Bills hit those dudes. Rarely missed tackles except when facing those elite speed WRs in the open field, which is honestly expected.

 

Rather, I would concentrate on the speed. KC's speed really is what allows Mahomes to be Mahomes. It opens up the field for him, keeps teams from heavily blitzing him.

[Blank Stare]

For me, the goal this off season should be getting pass rushers and increasing overall team speed. Anything else is gravy. I don’t want to go nuts on defense because you have to outscore KC. You aren’t going to hold them down all game, but you can force their hand situationally by disrupting Mahomes. 
 

Our pass rush completely disappeared in some big games this year, and when we did get home, sometimes we struggled finishing and bringing down the QB. I’d scrap most of the dline if they aren’t on a rookie deal. Maybe keep Jerry for leadership.

 

We all saw what our lack of team speed meant the other night, so no need to rehash. 
 

The plus side is that with the culture this team has created, I think we can absorb some guys with checkered pasts as long as their talent and work ethic is worth it. 

Edited January 26, 2021 by TheProcess

[Comebackkid]

43 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

 

I have mixed feelings about this.  McDermott said Cole is a "shining example"

 

I know there's the "Gladiator Culture" in the NFL and that a lot of guys play through injury. 

 

But there is a line, where someone is less effective and should sit down.  Milano clearly crossed that earlier this season when he was playing in a game where he couldn't lift his freakin' arm to tackle.  I think Cody Ford likewise - he was playing in games where it was clear he struggled to get one arm up to block.

 

It kind of made me feel that for the Bills, the line may be too much on the "play through it" side.

 

 

Well as far as bees go he lead the team in receptions and yards against Kansas City so I can't fault that

Edited January 26, 2021 by Comebackkid

[DJB]

If only we had drafted Dobbins instead of Epenesa we wouldn't have a glaring hole at RB. 

 

Instead we have a hole at RB and STILL have needs at DE. 

 

Epenesa was not great to me this year.