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Is McDermott or Frazier the Architect of the Defensive Scheme?


Chaos

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My understanding is that McDermott is a "Defensive HC".  A lot of people think the defense will get better if Frazier is gone. If this defense is McDermott's scheme, and the personnel we have on the roster have been picked for their fit to the scheme, what is the expected upside of replacing Frazier?  Is it simply play calling, or do people think McDermott is going to give free reign to a new DC to install their own system? 

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The problem on defense is personnel, imo. They have missed on draft picks and it shows. 

 

Outside of Von Miller, who has stepped up at the first level? Outside of Milano, who has stepped up at the second level? There is no one to even speak of in the secondary this year, they were all hurt and mostly non existent. 

 

The scheme isn't the problem, execution and players making plays is.  Listen to McDermott press conference, he admits it.  They knew what Cincinnati was doing and they couldn't stop it. Why? Because Cincinnati was too talented for them. 

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1 minute ago, TwistofFate said:

The problem on defense is personnel, imo. They have missed on draft picks and it shows. 

 

Outside of Von Miller, who has stepped up at the first level? Outside of Milano, who has stepped up at the second level? There is no one to even speak of in the secondary this year, they were all hurt and mostly non existent. 

 

The scheme isn't the problem, execution and players making plays is.  Listen to McDermott press conference, he admits it.  They knew what Cincinnati was doing and they couldn't stop it. Why? Because Cincinnati was too talented for them. 


Agree with this to a point. I think it’s an unholy marriage between the rely-on-rushing-4 scheme and 4-who-can’t-rush talent. 

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The secondary is a shell of its former self - mostly due to injury. The LBs were never very good -Milano aside. The DL failed to perform. Tackling has been an issue for awhile. Edmunds failed to shed blocks and was stiff/ mechanical as usual. The Bengals didn’t look super talented to me - that sounds like an excuse from McD. They targeted our weakest spots and executed basic plays. The Bills D is suspect at the fundamentals of blocking and tackling. In less than ideal weather conditions and with a beat up OL, the Bengals coaches smartly went to the basics. They outclassed the Bills players in that dept for sure. 

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43 minutes ago, TwistofFate said:

The problem on defense is personnel, imo. They have missed on draft picks and it shows. 

 

Outside of Von Miller, who has stepped up at the first level? Outside of Milano, who has stepped up at the second level? There is no one to even speak of in the secondary this year, they were all hurt and mostly non existent. 

 

The scheme isn't the problem, execution and players making plays is.  Listen to McDermott press conference, he admits it.  They knew what Cincinnati was doing and they couldn't stop it. Why? Because Cincinnati was too talented for them. 

 

Then what explains the 3 playoff losses then?  It's the same story in ALL of them. Timid defensive scheme that allows the other team to do whatever the hell they want all game long. 38,42 and 27(could have been 50) points.  There is no way that is simply on players when they were one of the top D's in the NFL in terms of points allowed all 3 years. That is being afraid and giving up way too much soft stuff underneath while trying to prevent deep balls over the top.

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48 minutes ago, TwistofFate said:

The problem on defense is personnel, imo. They have missed on draft picks and it shows. 

 

There is no question scheme was a huge problem. Check out the image below. How the hell can you rush 7 and play the CBs deep on third and short? With the poor footing from the snow there was no chance of this working. Bills started pressing on early downs after the 1st quarter but on third down it was consistently soft all game. It was too easy for the Bengals offense.

 

FnGvW_JXwAQW1Zu?format=jpg&name=small

 

Edited by Wraith
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The systems on defense AND offense AND special teams are what McD wants to run for his vision of complimentary football. Coaching, game planning, and play calling still fall on Frazier. Then can absolutely get someone different and it would affect all those aspects of the operation.

 

Do you all remember when McD took over play calling duties from Frazier in his first year and it suddenly got more aggressive with better-timed blitzes and pressure? 

 

They absolutely should bring in a new coordinator. If McD can't fire Frazier, it's a problem.

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They both deserve a lot of flak.  McD goes on and on in each presser about how the Bills need to learn and grow from mistakes, but there's zero accountability as far as we can tell. 

 

There's no self-reflection on this team.  McD can't even evaluate his own talent effectively. Can anyone tell me with a straight face that Dane Jackson needed to be in for the majority of that game over Elam?  

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10 minutes ago, Wraith said:

 

There is no question scheme was a huge problem. Check out the image below. How the hell can you rush 7 and play the CBs deep on third and short? With the poor footing from the snow there was no chance of this working. Bills started pressing on early downs after the 1st quarter but on third down it was consistently soft all game. It was too easy for the Bengals offense.

 

FnGvW_JXwAQW1Zu?format=jpg&name=small

 

I was screaming about that. This DL  rotation and head-scratching defensive schemes is really starting to make me hate “the process” instead of trusting it.

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12 minutes ago, Wraith said:

 

There is no question scheme was a huge problem. Check out the image below. How the hell can you rush 7 and play the CBs deep on third and short? With the poor footing from the snow there was no chance of this working. Bills started pressing on early downs after the 1st quarter but on third down it was consistently soft all game. It was too easy for the Bengals offense.

 

FnGvW_JXwAQW1Zu?format=jpg&name=small

 

 

I love this picture. We show them this look. Joe Burrow knows this ball is going to Chase. I knew this ball was going to Chase. I was telling my gf he will throw the ball to Chase. Perfect, now you can have someone get their hands up on the edge rush to stop it....

 

This was a prime opportunity to bait Joe....but nope...we just call a play and thats it. No mental warfare.

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Just now, Ramza86 said:

 

I love this picture. We show them this look. Joe Burrow knows this ball is going to Chase. I knew this ball was going to Chase. I was telling my gf he will throw the ball to Chase. Perfect, now you can have someone get their hands up on the edge rush to stop it....

 

This was a prime opportunity to bait Joe....but nope...we just call a play and thats it. No mental warfare.

Right! First time I saw this on third down I thought they were showing blitz but were going to drop back back to clog passing lanes and maybe get a pick but nope, everyone rushes and literally every receiver is wide open at the sticks.

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McD has said since day one that this is Leslie's defense. I'm sure he has input and after all, he picked his D coordinator. But one thing Sean has done very well as a HC is delegate to his coordinators. One thing for certain is that no way Sean was calling the D at any time this year.

 

If Beane decides that the D must change, then it will be Frazier, not McDermott that has to go.

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28 minutes ago, LeGOATski said:

The systems on defense AND offense AND special teams are what McD wants to run for his vision of complimentary football. Coaching, game planning, and play calling still fall on Frazier. Then can absolutely get someone different and it would affect all those aspects of the operation.

 

Do you all remember when McD took over play calling duties from Frazier in his first year and it suddenly got more aggressive with better-timed blitzes and pressure? 

 

They absolutely should bring in a new coordinator. If McD can't fire Frazier, it's a problem.

 

I say put McDermott on the hot seat and have him call plays next season. Promote from within so someone can handle the day to day stuff. I don't them see them bringing in someone from the outside and installing a new system.

Edited by billieve420
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2 hours ago, Chaos said:

My understanding is that McDermott is a "Defensive HC".  A lot of people think the defense will get better if Frazier is gone. If this defense is McDermott's scheme, and the personnel we have on the roster have been picked for their fit to the scheme, what is the expected upside of replacing Frazier?  Is it simply play calling, or do people think McDermott is going to give free reign to a new DC to install their own system? 

Whether it's McD or Frazier is dumb either way.

 

I can't say I've ever seen a defensive scheme that brings a big blitz on 3rd and 4, but also has all the DBs playing at least 10 yards of the ball.

 

Mind-numbingly frustrating to watch.

1 hour ago, TwistofFate said:

The problem on defense is personnel, imo. They have missed on draft picks and it shows. 

 

Outside of Von Miller, who has stepped up at the first level? Outside of Milano, who has stepped up at the second level? There is no one to even speak of in the secondary this year, they were all hurt and mostly non existent. 

 

The scheme isn't the problem, execution and players making plays is.  Listen to McDermott press conference, he admits it.  They knew what Cincinnati was doing and they couldn't stop it. Why? Because Cincinnati was too talented for them. 

So my question then...is McD trying to throw Beane under the bus there or does McD have some culpability in these draft picks that aren't panning out?  I wonder how much McD is involved in who we end up picking.  Seeing with how defense-heavy we have gone, I would have to say he's been deeply involved.

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It's McDermott's scheme, it's primarily a Cover 3. He's the architect. There's nothing wrong with that scheme. Frazier comes from a Tamp 2 background but he's more than capable of running variations of Cover 2 or a Cover 3 scheme. I'm not convinced the scheme needs to change.

 

It's a lot of everything, to my eyes. Play calling and the game planning was not great yesterday. Then's there's the players. They still have to preform. Poyer played his worst game I've ever seen as a Bill. And within McD's scheme it requires intelligent and instinctive players in secondary. We know Tre is a shell of his former self, Elam is a man CB still learning zone, Dane Jackson lacks the instincts and so on and so on.

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The scheme isn’t the problem. Players and execution is.

 

There is also a case to be made for being too ‘soft’ in coverage, on a far too regular basis, but even that has sometimes been on the players.

 

I think it’s also fair to say that at different times, we missed too many of the guys who make the scheme really work - from Hyde, to Miller, and yesterday Jones. 
 

It’s probably between Jones and Milano, as to the defensive MVP on the team.

 

Corner play has been very up and down, with good play one minute, and then rubbish the next.

 

White helped with communication, but has yet to regain form.

 

Johnson has been the one truly consistent performer of that unit.

 

Safety issues were also obvious, with Hyde out, and Poyer banged up a lot.

 

The difficulty with the guys who we missed, was that they are the ones who the lesser lights could feed off, or be freed up by.

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2 hours ago, Big Turk said:

 

Then what explains the 3 playoff losses then?  It's the same story in ALL of them. Timid defensive scheme that allows the other team to do whatever the hell they want all game long. 38,42 and 27(could have been 50) points.  There is no way that is simply on players when they were one of the top D's in the NFL in terms of points allowed all 3 years. That is being afraid and giving up way too much soft stuff underneath while trying to prevent deep balls over the top.

Look who we lost to.  People need to keep that in mind. Mahomes and Burrow are the two best Qbs in the NFL. 

 

Getting to SB is no easy task and both the Chiefs and Bengals are more complete than the Bills in terms of personnel. 

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4 minutes ago, TwistofFate said:

Look who we lost to.  People need to keep that in mind. Mahomes and Burrow are the two best Qbs in the NFL. 

 

Getting to SB is no easy task and both the Chiefs and Bengals are more complete than the Bills in terms of personnel. 

 

And look how we played them in the regular season. We won both times against KC the last 2 years and gave up 20 points in both games

Edited by Big Turk
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7 hours ago, Billz4ever said:

Whether it's McD or Frazier is dumb either way.

 

I can't say I've ever seen a defensive scheme that brings a big blitz on 3rd and 4, but also has all the DBs playing at least 10 yards of the ball.

 

Mind-numbingly frustrating to watch.

So my question then...is McD trying to throw Beane under the bus there or does McD have some culpability in these draft picks that aren't panning out?  I wonder how much McD is involved in who we end up picking.  Seeing with how defense-heavy we have gone, I would have to say he's been deeply involved.

My guess is the bad draft picks are on both of them.  This doesn't seem like an organization where the left hand does not what the right is doing.  They are making these picks together. 

 

I think the problem is we go after too many guys who we think can be developed long term, who are picked for value. 

 

All I know is this secondary is average at best this season. Outside Poyer who is aging and injured, there is no star power out there.  Tre may never be the same again, time will tell.  Elam hasn't done much at all and was a 1st rounder.  Jackson has been hurt and abused this season, often times an inch away from big play after big play but could never make the play. 

 

Hard to put your finger on one thing, but I have to assume the defensive play calls were to protect a defense they knew was suspect and couldn't hold up vs man. 

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8 hours ago, TwistofFate said:

The problem on defense is personnel, imo. They have missed on draft picks and it shows. 

 

Outside of Von Miller, who has stepped up at the first level? Outside of Milano, who has stepped up at the second level? There is no one to even speak of in the secondary this year, they were all hurt and mostly non existent. 

 

The scheme isn't the problem, execution and players making plays is.  Listen to McDermott press conference, he admits it.  They knew what Cincinnati was doing and they couldn't stop it. Why? Because Cincinnati was too talented for them. 

He admits nothing. He was outcoached and out prepared. This is passive aggressive nonsense from him "I did my job, but the players didn't do theirs". Its BS. 

Edited by Chaos
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2 minutes ago, Chaos said:

He admits nothing. He was outcoached and out prepared. This is passive aggressive nonsense from him "I did my job, but the players didn't do theirs". Its BS. 

Well the stats are out there on this board, Buffalo called the right defense nearly 50% of the time, which is above average. 

 

Mcd clearly said they knew what the Bengals were doing or trying to do, we just couldn't stop it.  They have more talent, it's that simple.  Right away people want to blame it all on coaching.  Outside of Milano and possibly Poyer, where is the star power on the defense?  Where are the impact players?  I'll wait. 

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Just now, TwistofFate said:

Well the stats are out there on this board, Buffalo called the right defense nearly 50% of the time, which is above average. 

 

Mcd clearly said they knew what the Bengals were doing or trying to do, we just couldn't stop it.  They have more talent, it's that simple.  Right away people want to blame it all on coaching.  Outside of Milano and possibly Poyer, where is the star power on the defense?  Where are the impact players?  I'll wait. 

Seriously, the Bengals had more running yards than in 16 of 17 prior games.  With three starting online members out.  If they had "more talent", then you should be screaming for Beanes head. 

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8 hours ago, TwistofFate said:

The problem on defense is personnel, imo. They have missed on draft picks and it shows. 

 

Outside of Von Miller, who has stepped up at the first level? Outside of Milano, who has stepped up at the second level? There is no one to even speak of in the secondary this year, they were all hurt and mostly non existent. 

 

The scheme isn't the problem, execution and players making plays is.  Listen to McDermott press conference, he admits it.  They knew what Cincinnati was doing and they couldn't stop it. Why? Because Cincinnati was too talented for them. 

If you are on the fence about Beane or McDermott, look no further than their last few years drafts.  Absolutely pathetic.  4 1st and 3 2nds on Dl!!  Where the hell are they?  Not 1 has played to where they were drafted.  They also draft 3 to 1 Defense over offense.  They have massively failed in the draft and its finally to start really hurting the team and obvious now

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