McDermott "officially" calling D plays

[JohnBonhamRocks]

28 minutes ago, HOUSE said:

This could mean less clapping and more coaching 

Nope. His playcalling signals will be essentially clapping in a Morse code type of pattern.

[AlCowlingsTaxiService]

So a head coach who already has his struggles with some of the finer points of coaching is now going to spread himself even thinner?  Not sure I’m a big fan of this approach. 

[frostbitmic]

One thing that made the McD defense in Carolina was his MLB. I almost expect either Sanders, Simpson or Campbell in the 1st even if it's a bit of a reach.

 

DT in the 2nd round could be on tap as well

[NewEra]

11 minutes ago, Einstein said:

Carolina buddy who had McD as a DC for half of a decade says "that Bills defense is Mcdermotts defense". 

 

I wouldnt expect much change, considering its always been McD's defense.

Ask your buddy some specifics- tendencies, assignments, play calls.  
 

Your post reeks of you being you.  
 

The few people that I trust with X’s and O’s  disagree with your buddies assessment.  

[Brand J]

You guys realize how large the playbooks are, correct? McD won’t call a “different” defense, the playbook and calls will remain the same, but his approach will most certainly be different from Frazier’s. If Frazier spent more time in the cover 2/zone portion of the book, perhaps McD’s time is used to further explore other pages, or to incorporate more variety in the scheme. Same defense/language, but different approaches. I’m all for it, McD has to have an answer for why his unit has been underperforming in the playoffs.

[BillsShredder83]

27 minutes ago, frostbitmic said:

One thing that made the McD defense in Carolina was his MLB. I almost expect either Sanders, Simpson or Campbell in the 1st even if it's a bit of a reach.

 

DT in the 2nd round could be on tap as well

As much as i hate to say it, id be ok with DT/MLB picks in the top 3 as long as a T gets gobbled up too.  Heck make a smallish trade down to pull it off and id be really stoked.  We had a very successful free agency so far, and we can pick as close to true BPA as really any team other team, I def have preferences, but theres not a position I would say we MUST pass up if theres a player from a higher tier avail

Edited March 27, 2023 by BillsShredder83
changed from RT to just tackle, as we can get creative w/ Dion if appropriate

[bmur66]

This will either be a great thing or major crash and burn.

[LeGOATski]

3 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

I put "officially" in quotes because McD gives more great coach-speak saying "the current plan". That can always change later.

 

Starting a new thread on this since it has been rumored and discussed, but I've never seen it out of McD's mouth like this.

 

IMO, not great. It may be an improvement over Frazier, but I'm not a fan of Head Coaches calling plays. Seems like the boss is wasting time doing other peoples' jobs.

I don't see how that's "coach speak". It's the current plan, but I'm sure they'd love to find and have faith in a DC to call plays eventually.

 

Seems like just common sense speak to me...

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

3 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Still not a general fan of the philosophy even if you can show one example of it working.

 

I also dont think McD is the "Andy Reid of Defense".

 

Also, you may see that change with Nagy back as OC this year.

 

I'd also add Reid has been HCing for over 20 years. He hasnt always called plays. He has enough experience to do both with one hand tied behind his back.

 

McD is going on year 6 and has shown he still has some skills to develop.

 

 

 

 

Bill belichick?

[Shaw66]

53 minutes ago, DrPJax said:

      This is about all that wasn’t coach speak , which mcd has become an ultimate professional at , so much so i admit i clicked away after 2 min and missed the above statement. Imo, the whole preseason talk from one BILLS DRIVE, is non productive listening time and i get just as much insight from certain posts on here compered  to small tidbits of things this staff dwell in. The signings are interesting , but after last year I’m  sorry , IMO until i see something happen on the field,  the rest of all the talk shows, mock drafts, etc mean nothing and are no longer predictive of anything. It’s just constant talk, opinions from content creators reaching for something relevant.  After trading for Hines, bringing in smoke, Beas, drafting cook, shakir , etc and all sparingly being used, i have no reason to trust “TALK” until i see the actual product being used or created on the field during the actual season. Sorry, just an evolution what one can expect with this staff  regarding the team at this time of the year, reminding all this is still even prior to the draft so factual roster composition is impossible. 

 

        That’s said, thanks for posting this ,( those are two of the more entertaining cover 1 guys , along with Greg, Eric, and Aaron who are quite knowledgeable , very good in SMALL doses, compared to at times  the lengthy podcasts that are longer than the NFL games they report on or analyze! 😊) and I appreciate the fact this came from MCD personally.  Pretty shocking as i would have thought he might have held on to this post draft , up till the 1st game as i was certain he would state the opponent not knowing the exact D play caller would be a competitive advantage!!!   😂.  

 

       This is great , now the D results can be evaluated knowing for the 1st time , 100% who is making those 3rd & long calls, who is responsible for rotations, who is calling blitzes , etc!  I  think this is happening related to those  prior EPIC PLAYOFF LOSSES ( Keeping Frazier’s move included, as he may be experiencing true burnout or considering retirement but knows you cant put that out there till you do it or perceptually you have retired),  and it is quite possible SEAN may have perceived finally that playoff failures , despite reg season success , are not a  path to a long future with the Bills.  This is perhaps the BEST direct way to determine IF you have the CORRECT man leading the BILLS now, who have  a franchise QB in place, or might owners need to CONSIDER a change in the future if they fall short of reasonable expectations baring unforeseen complications like an injury to a player of Josh’s stature for example.  

 

          I really like this move and IMO, is as key as any player additions.  Other HC’S also call plays , and have demonstrated success, so MCD who is in all likelihood the best dc currently on this staff, should give this years rendition its best shot to compete for a SB title. There is no confusion, it removes communication errors that cost a crucial loss in the past, and now the D’S play and philosophy is CLEAR from day 1 !!  I really believe this keeps the BILLS equal with other EAST teams improvements , because the failures have usually been defensive breakdowns and i think we see a more aggressive D than at any time under FRAZIER.  KUDOS to MCD for accepting this added responsibility AND making it fully transparent, and there is no way this choice can be viewed as an excuse if we see similar defensive gaffs at crucial game times or during the playoffs.  Thanks again for the post ! 

I find it kind of funny that you say that you no longer listen to any of the off-season talk because it's all just talk until they do it on the field, and then you take off from this piece of off-season talk and say some really insightful things.   Made me laugh. 

 

I think you're right in many respects.  As some one else said, McDermott is pulling on the big-boy pants, and now we're going to see what he's made of.  There won't be any ambiguity about who's in charge.  He had a great defense in Carolina, and now he's going back to having a defense that is largely his.   He's probably known this for a month or more, since they made a couple of coaching hires then the Frazier decision.  And he knew when they let Edmunds go.   He must have some pretty clear thoughts about where he wants the defense to go, and Edmunds didn't fit the plan.  

  

[Shaw66]

19 minutes ago, JayBaller10 said:

You guys realize how large the playbooks are, correct? McD won’t call a “different” defense, the playbook and calls will remain the same, but his approach will most certainly be different from Frazier’s. If Frazier spent more time in the cover 2/zone portion of the book, perhaps McD’s time is used to further explore other pages, or to incorporate more variety in the scheme. Same defense/language, but different approaches. I’m all for it, McD has to have an answer for why his unit has been underperforming in the playoffs.

Correct.  The defense is going to be 4-3, 4-2-5, rush four, etc.  But McD will "expore" pages in the playbook for sure.   And if he's the one responsible for calling the defense, it means (1) he has to have studied the opposing offense during the week and introduced the schemes and refinements that he will want to have at his disposal during the game.  

 

It's almost certainly the case that McDermott didn't believe that Frazier was as good as he needed to be at doing that nitty-gritty analysis and scheming.  If McDermott believed Frazier was getting the job done, Frazier would still be with the team in an active role. 

[Don Otreply]

1 hour ago, BullBuchanan said:

He's also a likely a top 5 all time NFL coach. The exception doesn't prove the rule.

Whatever…, 

[Einstein]

57 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Your post reeks of you being you.  

 

I never watched McDermott in Carolina so I cant really have an opinion on it. His opinion has formed my opinion though.

 

Post the tweets/articles of the people  you trust with X's and O's that say his Carolina defense was different. Im willing to listen to both sides.

[DrDawkinstein]

40 minutes ago, LeGOATski said:

I don't see how that's "coach speak". It's the current plan, but I'm sure they'd love to find and have faith in a DC to call plays eventually.

 

Seems like just common sense speak to me...

 

Any qualification of "current plan", "for now", "right now", etc. When the fans are looking for a solid statement on the actual plan for the season. It's minor, but coaches always use those qualifiers. Not a big deal, just something to note for the discussion here on what else could happen.

 

 

46 minutes ago, Pine Barrens Mafia said:

Bill belichick?

 

Todd Bowles, Dennis Allen?

[fergie's ire]

4 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Right. And now he has a new job that has an entire set of new, higher pressure responsibilities.

 

 

Seems so, yes. We were much more aggressive when he temporarily took over in 2018(?)

Yes, I remember the same thing.  I want to say it was against the Chargers, but can't say for sure.  Took over play calling at half time.  I was listening to the game on the radio and they said once McD took over they started going to unbalanced D-line and other techniques to get more pressure...was much more creative and aggressive.

[HappyDays]

4 hours ago, boyst said:

mcd has greater things to worry about and that the org didn't have a plan beyond frazier is interesting. even if he announced it without informing the Bills they still should have had a plan in place. you can't be a business like the nfl and not have every layer ready to peel

 

Last I heard from a source, their original plan was to hire from within and Bobby Babich was the leading candidate. Not sure what changed. My guess is McDermott does plan on modifying the scheme and wants to be the one in control while it gets implemented.

[NewEra]

21 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

I never watched McDermott in Carolina so I cant really have an opinion on it. His opinion has formed my opinion though.

 

Post the tweets/articles of the people  you trust with X's and O's that say his Carolina defense was different. Im willing to listen to both sides.

They aren’t tweet or articles.  They were conversations with friends.  2 of which are professional sports bettors and really understand all of the nuances of the game.  
 

Recalling from memory- more aggressive and less predictable, more cover 3-4-6 (as opposed to mostly tampa 2), more disguised coverages and variations of coverages.  Less of the same
 

the fact that you didn’t post any shows me all I need to know.  Smells like you made it up.  As if your Carolina fan buddy watches all the Bills games to know that it’s the same D.  👌 

[Beck Water]

4 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

IMO, not great. It may be an improvement over Frazier, but I'm not a fan of Head Coaches calling plays. Seems like the boss is wasting time doing other peoples' jobs.

 

Someone when this was first brought up asserted that some fantastic number - 3/4 or 2/3 or something - of head coaches call plays on one or the other side of the ball.

 

When I asked "who are these coaches then?" or where the info game from I got blown off, but it's actually an interesting question to me.

 

Here's a list of NFL HC, anyone know how many of them call plays?

 

4 hours ago, Jauronimo said:

I knew it before the time period you're describing.

 

I went on a picnic with my Dad and came home with my Mom....Wait, What?

[JPPT1974]

H.C. do call plays whether they are offensive, defensive, or even special teams.

[GoBills808]

3 minutes ago, NewEra said:

They aren’t tweet or articles.  They were conversations with friends.  2 of which are professional sports bettors and really understand all of the nuances of the game.  
 

Recalling from memory- more aggressive and less predictable, more cover 3-4-6 (as opposed to mostly tampa 2), more disguised coverages and variations of coverages.  Less of the same
 

the fact that you didn’t post any shows me all I need to know.  Smells like you made it up.  As if your Carolina fan buddy watches all the Bills games to know that it’s the same D.  👌 

I watched the McDermott defense in Carolina and my impressions:

 

-dline was similarly constructed (lot of combo 1T/3T, in those days Kwaan Short and Lotulelei) and utilized edge guys who could set much like we do

- LBs played more downhill w eyes in backfield a lot more but to be fair they had one of the best of all time in Kuechly and Davis in a similar role to Milano who was excellent and way underrated as an NFL player imo. Still saw a fair amount of deep Tampa2 drops from MLB slot

-Norman in his prime was probably a better man guy than White but they'd mix his coverages up like they do here

-Safeties played more vanilla w fewer rotations pre and post snap because they were playing guys like Tre Boston, back end of McDermott's Bills iteration is far superior which should be no surprise due to much better talent

 

overall the defenses looked similar but certainly not the same

[Einstein]

9 minutes ago, NewEra said:

They aren’t tweet or articles.  They were conversations with friends.  

 

Ahh. 

So the exact same thing as what I posted. A conversation with a friend.

I sent him your post. If he responds i'll let you know.

 

And yes, considering he grew up in Buffalo before moving to Carolina 18 years ago, he does watch a lot of Bills football.

[NewEra]

4 minutes ago, GoBills808 said:

I watched the McDermott defense in Carolina and my impressions:

 

-dline was similarly constructed (lot of combo 1T/3T, in those days Kwaan Short and Lotulelei) and utilized edge guys who could set much like we do

- LBs played more downhill w eyes in backfield a lot more but to be fair they had one of the best of all time in Kuechly and Davis in a similar role to Milano who was excellent and way underrated as an NFL player imo. Still saw a fair amount of deep Tampa2 drops from MLB slot

-Norman in his prime was probably a better man guy than White but they'd mix his coverages up like they do here

-Safeties played more vanilla w fewer rotations pre and post snap because they were playing guys like Tre Boston, back end of McDermott's Bills iteration is far superior which should be no surprise due to much better talent

 

overall the defenses looked similar but certainly not the same

Thank you.
 

 

@Einstein…..  but certainly not the same.  
which contradicts your statement.  
 

do you man.  Do you

[Trogdor]

4 hours ago, drummernut74 said:

His Defenses in Carolina were aggressive, nasty, and forced ALOT of turnovers.  I remember that D in their 15-1 season, and they rode herd on everyone

If you look at any year outside of the Super Bowl run it's not flattering. 

[GoBills808]

1 minute ago, NewEra said:

Thank you.
 

 

@Einstein…..  but certainly not the same.  
which contradicts your statement.  
 

do you man.  Do you

No I wouldn't call them the same at all, couldn't tell you whether that was due to scheme preference or personnel (likely both)

 

My brother is a panthers fan and we used to watch bills and panthers games together every weekend

[Buffalo716]

56 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

I never watched McDermott in Carolina so I cant really have an opinion on it. His opinion has formed my opinion though.

 

Post the tweets/articles of the people  you trust with X's and O's that say his Carolina defense was different. Im willing to listen to both sides.

Well for starters McDermott ran a 43 under in Carolina as a base with a massive cover 3 tendency 

 

That has now morphed in Buffalo as a nickel package… Running a mostly Tampa 2 or cover 4…. Compared to years ago

 

McDermott has also had a slightly more willingness to blitz… If you can’t get home with four he’s willing to send five

 

I would say McDermotts and Fraziers philosophies can exist really well together and he’s given Frazier more trust over the years

Edited March 27, 2023 by Buffalo716

[LABILLBACKER]

5 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Still not a general fan of the philosophy even if you can show one example of it working.

 

I also dont think McD is the "Andy Reid of Defense".

 

Also, you may see that change with Nagy back as OC this year.

 

I'd also add Reid has been HCing for over 20 years. He hasnt always called plays. He has enough experience to do both with one hand tied behind his back.

 

McD is going on year 6 and has shown he still has some skills to develop.

 

 

 

 

He'll never know what to do with the offense but I trust him more than Leslie calling plays. I expect to see a slight increase in blitzes and press coverage.  But the Tampa 2 zone and dime will be alive and well.

[FireChans]

4 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

I dunno.

 

If I'm Terry and this is the best McD can come up with this year, I'm thinking "Then why am I paying you HC wages if you are just a DC? As HC, why cant you build a staff properly?"

 

But I do agree with the accountability aspect. Again, if I'm Terry I'm also thinking "Ok, but any drop off or disappointment by the Defense puts you on the hot seat"

Ready for the lava take?

 

McD is in trouble. How many defensive HC’s “take over playcalling” when things aren’t going great and they are trying to save their jobs?

[Einstein]

16 minutes ago, NewEra said:

Thank you.
 

 

@Einstein…..  but certainly not the same.  
which contradicts your statement.  
 

 

I guess this is the point where you cling onto “well they’re not exactly the same”. Just nearly the same. Sigh.

 

 

 

16 minutes ago, NewEra said:

do you man.  Do you

Thanks! I always will.

 

22 minutes ago, GoBills808 said:

 LBs played more downhill w eyes in backfield a lot more but to be fair they had one of the best of all time in Kuechly and Davis in a similar role to Milano who was excellent and way underrated as an NFL player imo. Still saw a fair amount of deep Tampa2 drops from MLB slot

 

Keuchly was a great coverage defender. My buddy likes to say McD tried to recreate Keuchly and Davis with Edmunds and Milano.

 

.

Edited March 27, 2023 by Einstein

[GoBills808]

2 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

I guess this is the point where you cling onto “well they’re not exactly the same”. Just nearly the same. Sigh.

 

 

Thanks! I always will.

 

 

Keuchly was a great coverage defender. My buddy likes to say McD tried to recreate Keuchly and Davis with Edmunds and Milano.

 

.

Yes it's a decent comparison

 

But Bene Benwikere wasn't so much around the LOS as Taron Johnson iirc, he was more of a cover nickel thus his nickname big play Bene

[Einstein]

Just now, GoBills808 said:

Yes it's a decent comparison

 

But Bene Benwikere wasn't so much around the LOS as Taron Johnson iirc, he was more of a cover nickel thus his nickname big play Bene

 

Taron is definitely a special breed with his ability to blitz and play run support when needed.

[FireChans]

5 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

I guess this is the point where you cling onto “well they’re not exactly the same”. Just nearly the same. Sigh.

 

 

Thanks! I always will.

 

 

Keuchly was a great coverage defender. My buddy likes to say McD tried to recreate Keuchly and Davis with Edmunds and Milano.

 

.

Rare Einstein W.

 

Common @NewEra L

[Donuts and Doritos]

I don't love this idea. I can't think of a team that won a Superbowl without an offensive or defensive coordinator, no matter how involved the HC was. 

 

They're trying to hold the spot open for Frasier to return in a year instead of doing what's best for the team this year. Time to move on, name a full time dedicated D-coordinator. No one is irreplaceable. Lost some respect for Beane & McD w/ this bush league move. 

 

Edited March 27, 2023 by Donuts and Doritos

[Shaw66]

5 minutes ago, Einstein said:

 

Keuchly was a great coverage defender. My buddy likes to say McD tried to recreate Keuchly and Davis with Edmunds and Milano.

 

.

Which explains why Edmunds is gone.  Maybe they thought he grow into a tougher downhill guy ro go with his incredible mobility.  Year five may have been Edmunds final tryout.  

[LeGOATski]

1 hour ago, DrDawkinstein said:

 

Any qualification of "current plan", "for now", "right now", etc. When the fans are looking for a solid statement on the actual plan for the season. It's minor, but coaches always use those qualifiers. Not a big deal, just something to note for the discussion here on what else could happen.

It's a normal qualifier to use in any similar situation in any profession or just normal life. It's not coach speak.

 

Coach speak refers to vague cliches relative to the sport in order to avoid giving specific answers.

 

These are two different things.

[DrDawkinstein]

54 minutes ago, Beck Water said:

 

Someone when this was first brought up asserted that some fantastic number - 3/4 or 2/3 or something - of head coaches call plays on one or the other side of the ball.

 

When I asked "who are these coaches then?" or where the info game from I got blown off, but it's actually an interesting question to me.

 

Here's a list of NFL HC, anyone know how many of them call plays?

 

 

I went on a picnic with my Dad and came home with my Mom....Wait, What?

 

@FrenchConnection put some good lists together early in the thread.

 

Mostly offensive coaches for whatever that is worth. The defensive coaches listed didnt do too hot. But not sure any correlations can be drawn from that.

 

And to me, it doesnt matter if a bunch "do it". How many do it well? How many handle the in-game decisions well?

 

I have to go through the lists again, but I know that Bengals fans were CRUSHING Taylor early in the season for a number of really bone-head calls and clock managements. So just because they are, doesnt always mean its a good idea.

 

But "Reid and Belichick" so 🤷‍♂️

[LeGOATski]

 

Coach speak in this situation would be something like "We're reviewing all our options, leaving no stone unturned, and whatever we decide will be what we think is best for the team moving forward"

[DrDawkinstein]

1 hour ago, FireChans said:

Ready for the lava take?

 

McD is in trouble. How many defensive HC’s “take over playcalling” when things aren’t going great and they are trying to save their jobs?

 

Well let's check the list of those that have...

 

6 hours ago, FrenchConnection said:

1. Bill Belichick
2. Todd Bowles
3. Dennis Allen
4. DeMeco Ryans is probably going to call the plays in Houston

Outside of BB, not the best list. It must be noted that this might not work, and it would not be unheard of for this to change before week 1. He has someone on the defensive staff that has called plays in the NFL before so a change could happen after he sees how it goes in the preseason. Brian Daboll intended to call the plays in NY, but ended up handing that to Kafka.

 

Doesnt mean McD can't buck the trend, and all of these are different teams in different situations, but...

 

That said, I hope it goes great. I'm not a doom and gloom guy, just brought it all up to discuss it. Would love to see a more aggressive Defense like the one they had in Carolina.

[DCofNC]

Let’s see if he is what we think he is or if the failures of the D are squarely on his conservative decisions. 

[NewEra]

2 hours ago, Einstein said:

 

I guess this is the point where you cling onto “well they’re not exactly the same”. Just nearly the same. Sigh.

 

 

 

Thanks! I always will.

 

 

Keuchly was a great coverage defender. My buddy likes to say McD tried to recreate Keuchly and Davis with Edmunds and Milano.

 

.

Of course is a similar d.  I never said it wasn’t.  It’s not the same d, like your boy said.  Text messages containing everything we already know means what?  There’s a reason McD canned Frazier-  because Mcdermott wants to do things a bit differently.  He wants to do things his way…..  not a combination of his and Leslie’s way.  

2 hours ago, FireChans said:

Rare Einstein W.

 

Common @NewEra L

Awww my fanboy!!  Hi buddy! 
 

you quoted a text message from troll boys friend- and you’re siding with him.  Thanks. If you didn’t, there would be something wrong with the world.  

 

You think we’ve been running the same exact d with the same tendencies that he ran Carolina too. Good for you.  
 

you’ll both see that things will be a lil bit different next year. 

[Governor]

2 hours ago, FireChans said:

Ready for the lava take?

 

McD is in trouble. How many defensive HC’s “take over playcalling” when things aren’t going great and they are trying to save their jobs?

That’s exactly where we are and I think he’s probably fine with it. If he can’t make it work this season then he should be gone. He will go down with that soft scheme if he has to.

Edited March 28, 2023 by Governor