Throwback to Another Horrible McDermott Decision

[Cheektavegas Charlie]

Back in 2017, in McDermott’s first year, we played the colts very late in the season in a game we basically needed to win to have any chance at making the playoffs. This was the memorable snow bowl game. Well during this game, with 4:13 seconds left in overtime, McDermott punted on 4th and 1 on the Colts 41 yard line. This game ending in a tie would have all but sunk our chances of ending the drought. Of course we got the ball back on our own 30 with about 2 minutes left, Joe Webb threw the long pass to Deonte Thompson, and then McCoy broke the long Td run, but regardless of that miraculous outcome, the decision to punt there was TERRIBLE. His bad decisions get magnified in big games when we lose, but people easily forget all the other really bad ones when we win. I don’t want a coach who punts 3 times on 4th and short on the opponents side of the field like McDermott did against the Bucs. If Mike Evans turns around we lose that game, and if Joe Webb, Deonte Thompson, and Shady McCoy didn’t pull out an incredibly unlikely win against the Colts in 2017, the drought would have gone on even longer.

[balln]

This needed to be shared. Now. Tonight 

[Joe Ferguson]

McSofty was a wimp then and a wimp now. He will never change.

[DBilz2500]

He is what he is-a good culture builder, a solid defensive coordinator and a bad gameday coach especially in tight games. 

[HardyBoy]

1 minute ago, Joe Ferguson said:

McSofty was a wimp then and a wimp now. He will never change.

 

I thought McCoy ran damn hard when he was here...

[Aussie Joe]

Yeah … that was a bad call… perhaps we can cut him the slightest of slack on that one given his inexperience at the time…

 

No such leeway now however…not in Josh Allen prime years.,.

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

11 hours ago, Cheektavegas Charlie said:

Back in 2017, in McDermott’s first year, we played the colts very late in the season in a game we basically needed to win to have any chance at making the playoffs. This was the memorable snow bowl game. Well during this game, with 4:13 seconds left in overtime, McDermott punted on 4th and 1 on the Colts 41 yard line. This game ending in a tie would have all but sunk our chances of ending the drought. Of course we got the ball back on our own 30 with about 2 minutes left, Joe Webb threw the long pass to Deonte Thompson, and then McCoy broke the long Td run, but regardless of that miraculous outcome, the decision to punt there was TERRIBLE. His bad decisions get magnified in big games when we lose, but people easily forget all the other really bad ones when we win. I don’t want a coach who punts 3 times on 4th and short on the opponents side of the field like McDermott did against the Bucs. If Mike Evans turns around we lose that game, and if Joe Webb, Deonte Thompson, and Shady McCoy didn’t pull out an incredibly unlikely win against the Colts in 2017, the drought would have gone on even longer.

 

Just a quick thought on this one - Shady was on about 30 carries at that point, and the previous play was a run by Cadet.  So my assumption was shady's gassed (running in snow is exhasuting as we all know). Not sure how i feel about a 4th and 1 carry to a running back who averaged .5 yards per carry in the game, and passing with a 3rd string QB/WR/STer.  

 

I'd go for it - at the time i was outraged too.  

[PBF81]

11 hours ago, Aussie Joe said:

Yeah … that was a bad call… perhaps we can cut him the slightest of slack on that one given his inexperience at the time…

 

No such leeway now however…not in Josh Allen prime years.,.

 

It's "Josh Allen prime years" that saved his a$$ here.  

 

 

[strive_for_five_guy]

3 minutes ago, PBF81 said:

 

It's "Josh Allen prime years" that saved his a$$ here.  

 

 

We’re probably lucky that Peterman wasn’t half decent.  Josh probably would still be riding the pine, Kaiir Elam style.

[WotAGuy]

I saw McDermott out Christmas shopping this weekend. He was wearing a plaid sweater with pin striped pants.  What a tool. 

[Charles Romes]

Whatever McDermott tries is wrong. He is normally too lax in crunch time and it blows up in his face. When he tries to be aggressive it also blows up in his face. Vikings in ‘22 going for 7 when up by 10. Deep shots v the Jets week 1 with the lead, all out blitz to try to close out the broncos results in game-losing PI. 

[GerstAusGosheim]

12 hours ago, DBilz2500 said:

He is what he is-a good culture builder, a solid defensive coordinator and a bad gameday coach especially in tight games. 

It's looking like our winning culture walked out the door with Daboll and Leslie.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

The problem is that McD probably didnt even realize a tie was bad. Or worse yet he may have been trying to lose to get a better draft pick the following year to draft a QB.

[PBF81]

17 minutes ago, strive_for_five_guy said:

We’re probably lucky that Peterman wasn’t half decent.  Josh probably would still be riding the pine, Kaiir Elam style.

 

I'm tellin' ya.  Just like Brady would have been had Mo Lewis not done Belichick the biggest favor of his life.  

 

 

[TheyCallMeAndy]

Can someone pass the cheese? Goes good with all this whine. 

[dorquemada]

12 minutes ago, WotAGuy said:

I saw McDermott out Christmas shopping this weekend. He was wearing a plaid sweater with pin striped pants.  What a tool. 

 

cant even dress himself how is he supposed to make critical decisions in the 4th quarter

[WotAGuy]

2 minutes ago, dorquemada said:

 

cant even dress himself how is he supposed to make critical decisions in the 4th quarter

I didn’t even mention the crocs. 

[dorquemada]

5 minutes ago, WotAGuy said:

I didn’t even mention the crocs. 

 

crocs are the footwear version of THE PROCESS, i assumed that if he had anything on his feet at all that it would be crocs

[nedboy7]

Maybe the drought should have gone longer.  You all would be happier discussing the draft. 

[BBFL]

[Livinginthepast]

That game was a perfect example of what many people (including me) have said all along about McD. We have the talent on this team to win despite him! The worst part of all these heartbreaking losses of the past 3 years is that even when McD made a really bad in game decision, we still had the chance (in many instances, but not all) for someone to step up and make a play to decide the outcome in our favor. Philly was just the latest example. But in many of these losses the opposite has happened and we have collapsed and given the game away. In the end the players have to step up, bad coaching management or not and win these close games!

[Billsfan1972]

13 hours ago, DBilz2500 said:

He is what he is-a good culture builder, a solid defensive coordinator and a bad gameday coach especially in tight games. 

Are we so sure?????

[Juice_32]

I’m envious of your memory, maybe I have too many kids or something. I can’t remember what I had for dinner last night.

[Augie]

If my boss came up to me complaining about something I did on the job 5 years ago, I would think there’s definitely something wrong with that guy. 

 

.

Edited December 6, 2023 by Augie

[Billsfan1972]

1 hour ago, Charles Romes said:

Whatever McDermott tries is wrong. He is normally too lax in crunch time and it blows up in his face. When he tries to be aggressive it also blows up in his face. Vikings in ‘22 going for 7 when up by 10. Deep shots v the Jets week 1 with the lead, all out blitz to try to close out the broncos results in game-losing PI. 

Not necessarily the wrong decisions, however the play call.  Sure call a blitz, but how is the defender so flatfooted and no situational awareness (that's not on the coaching)? 

 

I remember the Vikings call, but it was a lousy play call (and was an int too returned some 40 yards).  That was the play where you have a trick play, up-tempo snap,  or funky alignment so the defense is guessing.   

 

Against the Jets, why was it deep pass after deep pass.

[BobChalmers]

1 hour ago, Juice_32 said:

I’m envious of your memory, maybe I have too many kids or something. I can’t remember what I had for dinner last night.

Huh - I'm 60 years old and this game - and the way a miracle catch by a journeyman WR  saved the season and covered McD's ass for a brutal choke job on his part - was the first thing I think of when I think of his gameday failings.  13s in KC too, obviously, but the Snow game hosting Indy was really inescapable in how bad McD could be.

Edited December 6, 2023 by BobChalmers

[Billsfan1972]

16 minutes ago, BobChalmers said:

Huh - I'm 60 years old and this game - and the way a miracle catch by a journeyman WR  saved the season and covered McD's ass for a brutal choke job on his part - was the first thing I think of when I think of his gameday failings.  13s in KC too, obviously, but the Snow game hosting Indy was really inescapable in how bad McD could be.

60 too and remember screaming at my TV at the stupidity of that punt.  

 

As stupid as McD was for starting Peterman, at that time little did I know his ineptitude when it came to game day decisions.  This was a portent of things to come.

Edited December 6, 2023 by Billsfan1972

[Joe Ferguson]

McD never trusted or helped Allen in the draft or during games. Always drafting high on defense year after and never on WR and OL. But every time the Bills win is because of a ***** unicorn we have as QB. And every time Bills lose is because of McDummy and his overpriced defense. 

Edited December 6, 2023 by Joe Ferguson

[Call_Of_Ktulu]

McD has a top 3 QB, a top 10 WR and a top 10 defense. If we don’t make the playoffs this is all on McD. 

[JohnNord]

16 hours ago, Cheektavegas Charlie said:

Back in 2017, in McDermott’s first year, we played the colts very late in the season in a game we basically needed to win to have any chance at making the playoffs. This was the memorable snow bowl game. Well during this game, with 4:13 seconds left in overtime, McDermott punted on 4th and 1 on the Colts 41 yard line. This game ending in a tie would have all but sunk our chances of ending the drought. Of course we got the ball back on our own 30 with about 2 minutes left, Joe Webb threw the long pass to Deonte Thompson, and then McCoy broke the long Td run, but regardless of that miraculous outcome, the decision to punt there was TERRIBLE. His bad decisions get magnified in big games when we lose, but people easily forget all the other really bad ones when we win. I don’t want a coach who punts 3 times on 4th and short on the opponents side of the field like McDermott did against the Bucs. If Mike Evans turns around we lose that game, and if Joe Webb, Deonte Thompson, and Shady McCoy didn’t pull out an incredibly unlikely win against the Colts in 2017, the drought would have gone on even longer.

 

LOL this was supposed to be the “mic drop” post from @Cheektowaga Chad

 

Didn’t work out that way, eh Chad 😂😂😂

 

If you want to be critical of McDermott’s

game time decision, you can do better than the snow game.  

[HomeskillitMoorman]

16 hours ago, Aussie Joe said:

Yeah … that was a bad call… perhaps we can cut him the slightest of slack on that one given his inexperience at the time…

 

No such leeway now however…not in Josh Allen prime years.,.

That was bad even for an inexperienced head coach though. He’s always been incredibly unprepared. 

[Utah John]

So the lesson McDermott learned from that Colts game is that he made the right call by punting on 4th and 1.  After all, the Bills got the ball back and scored to win the game. 

 

The problem with that lesson is that most games aren't snow games, and usually defenses are a lot more tired than offenses are.  So usually if you get the ball late in the game your chances of scoring are much better than at other times.  Usually, in the situation with the Colts game, the opponent will take your punt and keep the ball the rest of the game.  

[Billsfan1972]

2 hours ago, Utah John said:

So the lesson McDermott learned from that Colts game is that he made the right call by punting on 4th and 1.  After all, the Bills got the ball back and scored to win the game. 

 

The problem with that lesson is that most games aren't snow games, and usually defenses are a lot more tired than offenses are.  So usually if you get the ball late in the game your chances of scoring are much better than at other times.  Usually, in the situation with the Colts game, the opponent will take your punt and keep the ball the rest of the game.  

Actually now that my memory was jogged, I remember too afterwards Indy's punter got off a great punt that had the Bills back at their 35 yard line or so, meaning they lost 25 yards and in the exchange and it took a miraculous catch on third down on a long pass to get them into fg range (no given in the snow).  

 

McD did everything wrong and somehow they pulled it out when Andy Dalton vaulted them into the playoffs.

Edited December 6, 2023 by Billsfan1972

[Peter]

When I read the title to this thread ("Throwback to Another Horrible McDermott Decision"), my immediate reaction was:

 

Which one?

[Cheektowaga Chad]

1 hour ago, JohnNord said:

 

LOL this was supposed to be the “mic drop” post from @Cheektowaga Chad

 

Didn’t work out that way, eh Chad 😂😂😂

 

If you want to be critical of McDermott’s

game time decision, you can do better than the snow game.  

Wrong poster 

[finn]

6 hours ago, Juice_32 said:

I’m envious of your memory, maybe I have too many kids or something. I can’t remember what I had for dinner last night.

Me, 'm trying to remember the first playoff game against the Chiefs. I recall vaguely that McDermott punted on our 4th and short when we really needed to score and went for a field goal at least once in a game we needed touchdowns. Yes, Allen was a little out of sorts that game, but McDermott made sure to take away the slim chance they had to win it, by being uber-aggressive. You don't always want to be aggressive, obviously, but McDermott's judgment is way off. 

 

It's like, to him, close losses are worth as much as wins. 

[C.Biscuit97]

Why are you bringing this up now??? This is making me think of why i didn’t ask Claudia out until a week before we graduated. 😞

[Steptide]

I'm sure it's been mentioned somewhere, but part of me wonders if in these 2 minute situations at the end of games, if McDermott relies too much on analytics, rather than just doing what he thinks he should do

Edited December 6, 2023 by Steptide