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