Sullivan: Bills' McDermott choked away Super Bowl-caliber season

[Nextmanup]

13 hours ago, FilthyBeast said:

 

I can't imagine Frazier is going to be with this team next year. If I had to guess they are waiting to see if he gets a HC gig, if not you'll see something about agreeing to 'mutually part ways'.

 

I like Frazier and his schemes are great against inexperienced and mediorce starting NFL QB's. But the body of work is there over the last 5 years that show when this team facings the elite QB's rarely does this defense hold up and it's simply inexcusable to allow nearly 600 yards of offense in such a high stakes game. Most astute fans knew all along the #1 ranking was as misleading as it gets and was validated on Sunday.

 

If McDermott is truly ready to evolve it's time for a different perspective on defense and there are more than enough qualified candidates outside the organization to fill that role.

I hope you are right, but honestly, I do NOT think Frazier will end up a HC and I do NOT think McDermott will effectively fire him this off-season.

 

I'd be surprised if he isn't here next year.

If he is GONE, I'd be surprised that McDermott was that proactive, but I'd love the surprise.

 

 

[Seventeen]

21 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

I hope you are right, but honestly, I do NOT think Frazier will end up a HC and I do NOT think McDermott will effectively fire him this off-season.

 

I'd be surprised if he isn't here next year.

If he is GONE, I'd be surprised that McDermott was that proactive, but I'd love the surprise.

 

 

 

I disagree ... there are nine openings as of this morning and despite the playoff loss, his defense was highly regarded. Remains to be seen how much he playoff loss damaged his rep. 

 

[DabillsDaBillsDaBills]

I think it's a little ironic how much Sullivan gets dumped on around here with how many "Fire X,Y, and Z" posts we see after every loss. Yes, he's critical of our favorite team, but he's also fair. This article is no exception. 

 

 

[McBean]

On 1/25/2022 at 5:07 AM, Nextmanup said:

Extremely fair and accurate accounting of the game, reflecting several key themes that have been ALL OVER this message board since the moment the game ended.

 

He has high praise of Allen, speaks of the folly of the current OT rule, and offers fair and accurate criticism of McDermott's playoff in-game management, which is not particularly strong.

 

He also correctly points out that the Pegulas will almost certainly not have any issues with McDermott...but perhaps someone should be asking if what McD brings to the table is enough to match Josh's promise.

 

I'm sure this won't stop an army of posters here from trashing Jerry and the column, despite never reading a word of it.

 

Such is the way of ignorance.

 

 

He’s spot on.

 

McDermott is trash. Pure trash.

 

We will not go to the Super Bowl with McClappy. Ever.

 

He’s 1000% at fault here. Him. Nobody else.

[extrahammer]

2 minutes ago, McBean said:

He’s spot on.

 

McDermott is trash. Pure trash.

 

We will not go to the Super Bowl with McClappy. Ever.

 

He’s 1000% at fault here. Him. Nobody else.

 

It's always nice to see someone show their emotions. 

[mannc]

3 hours ago, Roy Hobbs said:

 

I disagree ... there are nine openings as of this morning and despite the playoff loss, his defense was highly regarded. Remains to be seen how much he playoff loss damaged his rep. 

 

I think he’s radioactive. 

[bigduke6]

alot of strong opinions around here.

 

McD isnt perfect,  this is his first head coaching gig.   he's taken a perennial terrible team to the playoffs most of his tenure.   gone deep twice.

he has shown the ability to learn from his mistakes and change.

u dont just throw that guy away,   and bring in somebody new.   zero guarantee that the new guy meshes with everybody,  personality,  scheme,  etc.

consistency,  and growth is how u build perennial PLAYOFF teams.

 

if McD doesnt learn from this,  then its time to rethink his status,  be careful tho,  the grass isnt always greener.

[Greg S]

Just now, bigduke6 said:

alot of strong opinions around here.

 

McD isnt perfect,  this is his first head coaching gig.   he's taken a perennial terrible team to the playoffs most of his tenure.   gone deep twice.

he has shown the ability to learn from his mistakes and change.

u dont just throw that guy away,   and bring in somebody new.   zero guarantee that the new guy meshes with everybody,  personality,  scheme,  etc.

consistency,  and growth is how u build perennial PLAYOFF teams.

 

if McD doesnt learn from this,  then its time to rethink his status,  be careful tho,  the grass isnt always greener.

 

I would say if we fall short in the playoffs next year or don't make them then his seat gets hot. He will be the coach in 2022 so people can want him gone but it isn't happening right now.

[popcornpam]

On 1/25/2022 at 7:45 AM, Boatdrinks said:

Someone has to go. Make a big change on defensive side. You just don’t get opportunities like the Bills had to fall into your lap every season. It’s going to be hard to host an AFC title game much less one without Mahomes in it. May never get as good a look at a Super Bowl, even with Josh. 

McDermott always “micromanages” the Defense. Do you think he will give it up even if someone else is brought in. I’ve read that if Frazier leaves he’s just going to let Coach Washington run the defense so they can keep the same scheme they had. 

[extrahammer]

So you're a choke artist if you:

 

broke the playoff drought

led us to the playoffs before Allen arrived

has taken us to the playoffs 4 out of the last 5 years

has made the playoffs 4 out of his first 5 years as an NFL HC

has a record in his first 5 years almost identical to Reid's first 5 years in Philly (Reid 51-29)(McDermott 49-32)

has a record in his first 5 years almost identical to Reid's first 5 years in KC (Reid 53-27)(McDermott 49-32)

has a record in his first 5 years almost identical to Belichick's first 5 years in NE (Belichick 53-27)(McDermott 49-32)

is pretty even in KC matchups the last 5 years

helped find a franchise quarterback

helped develop that franchise quarterback

put the people in places around that franchise quarterback to develop into one of the NFL's best players

has helped assemble one of the most high powered offenses in the NFL

has helped assemble a consistent #1 defense in the NFL

has turned the team into one of the toughest in the league

has us setup to compete for Super Bowls for the next several years

 

like wuuuuttttttt? 

 

 

Edited January 26, 2022 by extrahammer

[FilthyBeast]

4 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

I hope you are right, but honestly, I do NOT think Frazier will end up a HC and I do NOT think McDermott will effectively fire him this off-season.

 

I'd be surprised if he isn't here next year.

If he is GONE, I'd be surprised that McDermott was that proactive, but I'd love the surprise.

 

 

 

If there are no changes to the defensive coaching staff and Beane and McDermot double down on 'continuity' then they better have a real plan to go all in on a big time trade/FA signing to truly generate a pass rush or they are essentially sealing their long term fate in Buffalo IMO.

 

Frazier has been consistent and I credit him for maximizing marginal talent on defense since he's been here but at some point you need a fresh perspective and with some of the big time names out there on the defensive coaching front available now is the time to pull the trigger.

 

The worse thing this team can do is believe the Chiefs loss was a fluke. It wasn't and a loss is a loss whether it's 1 point or 20 points and if Beane and company think overhauling the defense is a mistake how much worse can it possibly get than giving up almost 600 yards and 42 points to the best team in the AFC you are gunning for?

[ArtVandalay]

11 hours ago, JerseyBills said:

Very true. Especially the part about McD bringing enough to suit Allen. We'll see, we're right there. 

Imagine Allen with a Sean Payton though 

Allen and Payton... six to midnight.

[Billsfan4588]

18 hours ago, HomeskillitMoorman said:

You do realize McD was also horrible in 2021’s AFC championship game too right? This was 2 years in a row. He hasn’t learned anything, Josh just gave him an all-time performance. And he still lost. 

 

I get the frustration, but saying "he hasn't learned anything" seems fairly shortsighted. His increase in agressiveness in terms of going for it on 4th down this year is a major step forward. He's showing less respect to teams that they should handidly beat (as he should), where he would previously punt on 4th and short or come into the second half with a small lead and immediately start trying to burn clock, as opposed to now where they come out of the half ready to finish stomping the other team out.

 

Forcefully changing his coaching style in order to better fit the needs of his franchise QB. It's not easy to adjust the way you approach things after spending an entire career doing them a different way. You learn something every loss, if you don't then you should be fired, I'm moving forward assuming he'll never approach a situation like those last 13 seconds that same way again. He's going to carry that all off season, just as much as Josh did last year. I'm fully on board with the idea that McDermott froze in those last 13 seconds, but I think he's getting better, at least I hope so. 

 

Food for thought:

 

McDermott first 5 years HC record: 52 - 36

Belichick first 5 years HC record (Browns): 36 - 44

 

[zow2]

Another bummer is that i thought the McD, Allen, Beane regime would be the ones to kick that Buffalo bad luck to the curb.  And even they are now associated with the “13 seconds” moniker.  Not Allen’s fault of course, but i was so sure these guys would put an end to the Buffalo big game nonsense and this was the team to do it.

[MAJBobby]

Sully was hoping all Season he could write this article. I will not give it a click 

[IronyAbounds]

On 1/25/2022 at 5:58 AM, Casey D said:

In his paywalled article in the BN today, Jim Kubiak alludes to the last 13 seconds as a coaching choice between "preventing disaster" and being "aggressive."  Bills took the prevent approach, and lost.  It does not mean there were ridiculous decisions, given the text and flow of the game.  Let's look at the final 13 seconds.

 

To elaborate, the first debate was whether to kick away or squib.  Most people say we should have squibbed or pooched.  Obviously in hindsight that seems right.  But the Bills had just given up a crushing punt return by Hill.  That being front of mind, the lean would be to kick away.  Nothing terrible can happen on a touchback.  It was a safe call.  It was not profoundly stupid, but it was cautious.  And I think the Hill punt return played into it.  And it was just 13 seconds, no one but Mahomes likely could do what he did in such a short time from the 25.

 

Next was defending the last 13 seconds.  Again, we need context.  Bills took the lead with under two minutes.  At 1:02 KC was back on top.  Why, a 62 yard pass to Hill. Earlier the Bills came right back after a 9 point deficit with a quick 75 yard strike to Davis. Again that would be front of mind with coaches.  But in basically trying to prevent a loss with a deep pass, the Bills almost gave away a FG.  I'm sure the thinking was that in a worst case scenario, giving up a FG was better than a TD.  But then the coin toss, and the rest is legendary history.

 

McDermott got way too conservative in the final 13 seconds.  By nature he is conservative.   He has learned to be more aggressive in some situations, like 4th down.  But in crunch time, when the amygdala kicks in, he reverts to conservative, unduly conservative IMO.  Maybe that is a choke.  But I am hopeful that it won't happen again, because McDermott is evolving  like Josh is evolving.  He needs to learn from this, like he learned from the 2020 championship game that FGs don't cut it against KC.

 

This team has come so far under McDermott, and I think he will learn from this.  Obviously, given the outcome, he should have done something different.  But when Marv Levy was once asked after a failed call cost the Bills a win on whether he thinks he made the right choice, he said "of course not, we lost"  I am sure that McDermott feels worse than anyone on this Board.  Let's hope that pain moves him to improve. 

Everyone brings up Hill on the kickoff return, but if I'm not mistaken it was Pringle back there not Hill. Pringle shouldn't have scared anyone.

[Billsfan1972]

20 hours ago, extrahammer said:

So you're a choke artist if you:

 

broke the playoff drought

led us to the playoffs before Allen arrived

has taken us to the playoffs 4 out of the last 5 years

has made the playoffs 4 out of his first 5 years as an NFL HC

has a record in his first 5 years almost identical to Reid's first 5 years in Philly (Reid 51-29)(McDermott 49-32)

has a record in his first 5 years almost identical to Reid's first 5 years in KC (Reid 53-27)(McDermott 49-32)

has a record in his first 5 years almost identical to Belichick's first 5 years in NE (Belichick 53-27)(McDermott 49-32)

is pretty even in KC matchups the last 5 years

helped find a franchise quarterback

helped develop that franchise quarterback

put the people in places around that franchise quarterback to develop into one of the NFL's best players

has helped assemble one of the most high powered offenses in the NFL

has helped assemble a consistent #1 defense in the NFL

has turned the team into one of the toughest in the league

has us setup to compete for Super Bowls for the next several years

 

like wuuuuttttttt? 

 

 

Or you lucked in to a transcendent QB, that will help cover up every deficiency/error you make for the next dozen years???

 

McD I've come around on.  He is a great coach, however some things he does, decisions and missteps continue to confound.

 

 

Edited January 27, 2022 by Billsfan1972

[Beerball]

On 1/25/2022 at 6:07 AM, Nextmanup said:

 

 

He also correctly points out that the Pegulas will almost certainly not have any issues with McDermott...but perhaps someone should be asking if what McD brings to the table is enough to match Josh's promise.

 

 

 

Who would you have running the team if your last name was Pegula?  Please show your work.

[extrahammer]

1 hour ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Or you lucked in to a transcendent QB, that will help cover up every deficiency/error you make for the next dozen years???

 

McD I've come around on.  He is a great coach, however some things he does, decisions and missteps continue to confound.

 

 

 

 

Or help you make better decisions, yes! Same for me, I think he's good, not great, but I think he's making progress and realistically don't see the Pegulas really needing to make a move for the next few years unless he starts regressing. He's gotten more confident and better at game-day situations, but he's still a 5th year HC when you compare him to Reid, Belichick, and others. 

[Heitz]

1 hour ago, Billsfan1972 said:

Or you lucked in to a transcendent QB, that will help cover up every deficiency/error you make for the next dozen years???

 

McD I've come around on.  He is a great coach, however some things he does, decisions and missteps continue to confound.

To be fair, that QB didn't transcend by himself - look at the other QBs drafted that year, Bills must have done something right...