McDermott - Excuses, Valid but concerning

[SCBills]

-WC Loss to the Houston Texans.  We weren't ready.  Second half collapse, but Year 2 Josh Allen.  Not the end of the world.

 

-AFC Championship Game vs KC.  Defense was handed an early lead and proceeded to lay an egg.  But hey, we're making strides and weren't ready for that moment.  But we're on the right track.

 

-AFC Divisional Game vs KC.  13 seconds.  Abject failure that falls directly on the coaching.  We'll apparently never know where the disconnect was in those final moments, but ok.

 

-AFC Divisional Game at home vs CIN.  No show all around.  Damar Hamlin, mental exhaustion... ok.  Fine. 

 

-AFC Divisional Game at home vs KC.  Defense is an absolute dumpster fire.  McDermott leading that Defense.  But we have injuries, so...  Spags had injuries too, and managed to make life difficult in that second half, but ok...

 

Playoff wins over Miami with a backup QB, Pittsburgh with a backup QB, Baltimore, New England and Indianapolis.  

 

Every year, aside from 13 seconds, he's had a valid excuse.  First two years, building, making strides...

 

But then 13 seconds happened, and our Defense has been an absolute liability against the Bengals and Chiefs.

 

He gets next year, I'm sure, but there can't be anymore excuses.  Valid or not.. he's used all of them up.  We talk about needing luck yet NE ran the AFC for a decade + and now KC is doing the same.  It's not luck, as much as we want to pretend it is.  And when we watch Allen play Mahomes.. it's not the QB.  So what is it?  Rhetorical question, because we all know.. and he's out of excuses.  Valid or not.  You can't have one every year. 

[BeastMaster]

McDermott is the definition of insanity

 

If you think the result will be different in the playoffs next season, then you don't live in reality

[warrior9]

We will never win a SB with McDermott as our coach, it's as simple as that. 

[rm -rf /*]

2 minutes ago, BeastMaster said:

McDermott is the definition of insanity

 

If you think the result will be different in the playoffs next season, then you don't live in reality

 

This.  Pretty sure there was one of these threads last season too.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

His defense collapses in almost every difficult moment dating back to the Texans. 

Nice guy.

It's time to move on.

Harbaugh or Belichick wins multiple SuperBowls with Allen in the next 4 years. 

[BBFL]

I’ve said this before, the wins McD has in the playoffs aren’t that great…

 

A Phillip Rivers led Colts team who literally gave the game away. 
 

Baltimore Ravens, needed an insane 99 yard pick-6 for a win. 
 

The other 3 wins are now:

 

Barely beating Skylar Thompson and the Fish. 
 

Blowing out Mac Jones and the Cheats. 
 

Beating an injured Steeler team on their 3rd string QB…

 

Guy just can’t beat the quality teams when it matters. After all, Andy Reid did give him the foot in the door of his NFL coaching career… maybe student can’t beat the master?

 

Have no problem with McD back next year, he has this team as a success. Just won’t be expecting anything other than one and done. 

[Dillenger4]

Something about Vrabel tells me this team would be that much harder to beat with him at the healm.

FIRE MCD!!!!!!!! I used to like him. even up until kickoff yesterday. That, last night, was pathetic coaching.

Let's run Cook up the middle, over and over again.

Let's call a fake punt.

let's play safe so we can get the FG.

unreal.

 

[BuffaloRebound]

Mcdermott saved his job the last 2 months. Ask Sirianni how his switch in coordinators went?  I wanted Mcdermott gone after the denver game but he showed me a lot since then.  This season was by far his best coaching job and deserves another year.  

[dorquemada]

5 minutes ago, BBFL said:

 

Have no problem with McD back next year, he has this team as a success. Just won’t be expecting anything other than one and done. 

 

Good post.  Especially this last line.  Let's celebrate the fact that we're out of 7-9 to 9-7 purgatory and instead get a playoff game or two each year and be happy with that.

[BigDingus]

Let's not forget Andy Reid's playoff history before Mahomes.

 

How many NFC playoff games did he lose with those Eagles teams? Then a few more with the Chiefs. It took him a long, long time to get where he is now. 

 

McDermott doesn't have the wins now, but Reid made the playoffs a dozen times before getting over the hump (yes, he did make a SB appearance with the Eagles once too).

[Buffalo03]

10 minutes ago, BigDingus said:

Let's not forget Andy Reid's playoff history before Mahomes.

 

How many NFC playoff games did he lose with those Eagles teams? Then a few more with the Chiefs. It took him a long, long time to get where he is now. 

 

McDermott doesn't have the wins now, but Reid made the playoffs a dozen times before getting over the hump (yes, he did make a SB appearance with the Eagles once too).

Andy Reid went to 5 championship games and a Super Bowl in Philly. He just got unlucky in those championship games. The guy went to 4 in a row there, I believe. We can't even get that. The guy also had tons of success with Alex Smith. He was still better than McDermott at this point. It's not like Mahomes made Reid

[warrior9]

12 minutes ago, BigDingus said:

Let's not forget Andy Reid's playoff history before Mahomes.

 

How many NFC playoff games did he lose with those Eagles teams? Then a few more with the Chiefs. It took him a long, long time to get where he is now. 

 

McDermott doesn't have the wins now, but Reid made the playoffs a dozen times before getting over the hump (yes, he did make a SB appearance with the Eagles once too).

We don’t have a “long long time” with Josh Allen in his prime. If you’re saying you’re ok with waiting to win (when we have the talent right now to do it) because Andy Reid had failures, you are absolutely insane. 

[Dillenger4]

23 minutes ago, BuffaloRebound said:

Mcdermott saved his job the last 2 months. Ask Sirianni how his switch in coordinators went?  I wanted Mcdermott gone after the denver game but he showed me a lot since then.  This season was by far his best coaching job and deserves another year.  

I agree with you 100% - until... last night.

He really showed his ugly side again. Outcoached, under prepared team.

[BuffaloBillyG]

14 minutes ago, BigDingus said:

Let's not forget Andy Reid's playoff history before Mahomes.

 

How many NFC playoff games did he lose with those Eagles teams? Then a few more with the Chiefs. It took him a long, long time to get where he is now. 

 

McDermott doesn't have the wins now, but Reid made the playoffs a dozen times before getting over the hump (yes, he did make a SB appearance with the Eagles once too).

Difference here is McDermott already has had his "Mahomes" for years and hasn't gotten the "results". 

 

He's a good coach. A good guy. There is definitely a place in the NFL for him as a HC. He's just not the guy to get you there. It's ok to appreciate the job he's done and appreciate how far he's taken this franchise and admit that he's likely gone as far as he is ever going to go with this franchise. It's just time for a fresh set of eyes and a fresh line of thinking with this team. 

[Yobogoya!]

34 minutes ago, BBFL said:

Barely beating Skylar Thompson and the Fish.

 

Beating an injured Steeler team on their 3rd string QB…

 

The absolute most concerning thing about McDermott is how often we keep teams playing terrible QB's in the game, playoffs or not.

 

Easton Stick, Mac Jones, Zach Wilson, Skylar Thompson, Rudolph, Tyrod, etc. etc.

 

An elite defensive mind does not repeatedly lose and/or win one score games to these types of players. They dismantle them. They embarrass them.

[SCBills]

Ben Johnson, Bobby Slowik, Jim Harbaugh, Mike Vrabel..

 

I'd take any of these guys over McDermott.  This seems like as good a year as any to make a move given the roster reconstruction we'll be going through these next two years.

 

I don't want a defensive HC but do I think Mike Vrabel would've coached a better defensive effort last night?  Unequivocally yes.

[BBFL]

1 minute ago, Yobogoya! said:

 

The absolute most concerning thing about McDermott is how often we keep teams playing terrible QB's in the game, playoffs or not.

 

Easton Stick, Mac Jones, Zach Wilson, Skylar Thompson, Rudolph, Tyrod, etc. etc.

 

An elite defensive mind does not repeatedly lose and/or win one score games to these types of players. They dismantle them. They embarrass them.

that’s absolutely valid and becomes more concerning when you’ve plowed an insane amount of resources into building a DLine that can rotate and still be productive… until it isn’t… in the playoffs..

 

That might be my biggest and only gripe with McD outside the idiotic and catastrophically rough game management. 
 

He’s built a good team and can definitely coach a unit to play above their skill sets/capabilities in terms of the secondary. 

[Success]

I think McDermott is a very solid coach, and we had a lot of adversity w/ the injuries.

 

But this certainly seems like the ceiling w/ him.  To win a SB, we'll need a lot of luck.

 

I don't think he deserves to be fired. But we may be at a point where we just need some new energy.  This team has almost too much psychological baggage at this point, and a change at HC could be a catalyst for a whole new direction & attitude.

 

[transient]

Yesterday was the sort of "valid excuse" that requires a coach to dial up something unexpected to be able to win the game. Watching Klein playing catch up 5 yards behind Kelsey was not unexpected... but as a defensive plan it was unexpectedly stupid, among other things. This was the sort of scenario that, as much as I hate to say it, Belichick in his prime would do sufficient self scouting and say "How can we not let our opponents take advantage of our obvious weaknesses" and pre-empt what he knew would be coming his way... McDermott is not that coach.

[BarleyNY]

1 hour ago, SCBills said:

-WC Loss to the Houston Texans.  We weren't ready.  Second half collapse, but Year 2 Josh Allen.  Not the end of the world.

 

-AFC Championship Game vs KC.  Defense was handed an early lead and proceeded to lay an egg.  But hey, we're making strides and weren't ready for that moment.  But we're on the right track.

 

-AFC Divisional Game vs KC.  13 seconds.  Abject failure that falls directly on the coaching.  We'll apparently never know where the disconnect was in those final moments, but ok.

 

-AFC Divisional Game at home vs CIN.  No show all around.  Damar Hamlin, mental exhaustion... ok.  Fine. 

 

-AFC Divisional Game at home vs KC.  Defense is an absolute dumpster fire.  McDermott leading that Defense.  But we have injuries, so...  Spags had injuries too, and managed to make life difficult in that second half, but ok...

 

Playoff wins over Miami with a backup QB, Pittsburgh with a backup QB, Baltimore, New England and Indianapolis.  

 

Every year, aside from 13 seconds, he's had a valid excuse.  First two years, building, making strides...

 

But then 13 seconds happened, and our Defense has been an absolute liability against the Bengals and Chiefs.

 

He gets next year, I'm sure, but there can't be anymore excuses.  Valid or not.. he's used all of them up.  We talk about needing luck yet NE ran the AFC for a decade + and now KC is doing the same.  It's not luck, as much as we want to pretend it is.  And when we watch Allen play Mahomes.. it's not the QB.  So what is it?  Rhetorical question, because we all know.. and he's out of excuses.  Valid or not.  You can't have one every year. 

 

The vast majority of winners have valid reasons for losing. They just find a way to overcome those obstacles. 

 

You think KC couldn’t point to their injures or the fact that their WR corps has been poor this season as excuses for losing? Except they don’t need to because they found a way to win anyway. 

Edited January 22 by BarleyNY

[Jay_Fixit]

Dude has to go. It’s time.

[DrBob806]

1 hour ago, SCBills said:

 

 

-AFC Divisional Game at home vs CIN.  No show all around.  Damar Hamlin, mental exhaustion... ok.  Fine. 

 

 

He gets next year, I'm sure, but there can't be anymore excuses.  Valid or not.. he's used all of them up.  We talk about needing luck yet NE ran the AFC for a decade + and now KC is doing the same.  It's not luck, as much as we want to pretend it is.  And when we watch Allen play Mahomes.. it's not the QB.  So what is it?  Rhetorical question, because we all know.. and he's out of excuses.  Valid or not.  You can't have one every year. 

Nope. The Bills were a vastly superior team to Cincy & blew it plain and simple. 

[Nitro]

7 minutes ago, SCBills said:

Ben Johnson, Bobby Slowik, Jim Harbaugh, Mike Vrabel..

 

I'd take any of these guys over McDermott.  This seems like as good a year as any to make a move given the roster reconstruction we'll be going through these next two years.

 

I don't want a defensive HC but do I think Mike Vrabel would've coached a better defensive effort last night?  Unequivocally yes.

Sorry but any defensive mind would have had a hard time with the personnel the Bills had available. 

[SCBills]

13 minutes ago, BarleyNY said:

 

The vast majority of winners have valid reasons for losing. They just find a way to overcome those obstacles. 

 

You think KC couldn’t point to their injures or the fact that their WR corps has been poor this season as excuses for losing? Except they don’t need to because they found a way to win anyway. 

 

This X 1000

 

Spags has a leaky run defense and lost his best run stuffing DT heading into our game. 

 

He made adjustments in the second half and said nah, y'all aren't running the ball down our throats so find another way.  

 

We somehow took absolutely nothing away from them.  Pacheco running the ball, go ahead.  Kelce wide open, go ahead.  Other WR's down the field, go ahead.  

[Sundo91]

McDermott seems to have reached his peak. Solid man, loved by his team, but sadly I think they need to make a change. KC lost multiple defensive starters last evening, and their defense GOT STRONGER as the game went on. They made halftime adjustments, and the Bills seemingly did not. 

[Cray51]

1 hour ago, BBFL said:

I’ve said this before, the wins McD has in the playoffs aren’t that great…

 

A Phillip Rivers led Colts team who literally gave the game away. 
 

Baltimore Ravens, needed an insane 99 yard pick-6 for a win. 
 

The other 3 wins are now:

 

Barely beating Skylar Thompson and the Fish. 
 

Blowing out Mac Jones and the Cheats. 
 

Beating an injured Steeler team on their 3rd string QB…

 

Guy just can’t beat the quality teams when it matters. After all, Andy Reid did give him the foot in the door of his NFL coaching career… maybe student can’t beat the master?

 

Have no problem with McD back next year, he has this team as a success. Just won’t be expecting anything other than one and done. 

I dont understand how we get to use injuries as an excuse to why wins against those teams aren't meaningful, but we can't acknowledge how DECIMATED our defense was last night - and last year.

[Saint Doug]

Star players are supposed to step up in big games. None of them did. Diggs especially. Nowhere to be found. If he can’t fix his head, he needs to be removed, regardless of the cap implications. As for defense, I’m not sure I can say anyone on there is close to a star because none of them ever take over a game. Miller is the closest thing, but he’s either still injured or washed up. 

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

1 hour ago, Ethan in Cleveland said:

His defense collapses in almost every difficult moment dating back to the Texans. 

Nice guy.

It's time to move on.

Harbaugh or Belichick wins multiple SuperBowls with Allen in the next 4 years. 

I think BB is washed, but Harbaugh would be a really interesting choice. He made Kap look like a HOFer for a few seasons so imagine what he could do with Allen. Regardless, McD is staying and this is all a pipe dream. 

[Yobogoya!]

32 minutes ago, BBFL said:

that’s absolutely valid and becomes more concerning when you’ve plowed an insane amount of resources into building a DLine that can rotate and still be productive… until it isn’t… in the playoffs..

 

That might be my biggest and only gripe with McD outside the idiotic and catastrophically rough game management. 
 

He’s built a good team and can definitely coach a unit to play above their skill sets/capabilities in terms of the secondary. 

 

Yup. The resources we've put into the defense to be let down in excruciating fashion is honestly just too much to stomach.

 

Makes me think we need new/difference criteria when evaluating who's a fit. Maybe less process/character types and more emphasis on talent? This defense could use a monster or two...

[BeastMaster]

1 hour ago, BigDingus said:

Let's not forget Andy Reid's playoff history before Mahomes.

 

How many NFC playoff games did he lose with those Eagles teams? Then a few more with the Chiefs. It took him a long, long time to get where he is now. 

 

McDermott doesn't have the wins now, but Reid made the playoffs a dozen times before getting over the hump (yes, he did make a SB appearance with the Eagles once too).

Andy would have never won it in Philly, and Sean will never win it in Buffalo

 

That's about where the similarities end

[Bob Jones]

37 minutes ago, Nitro said:

Sorry but any defensive mind would have had a hard time with the personnel the Bills had available. 

I mean, maybe tell the safety on Kelce's side to cover him when he runs by Klein? Do something, anything other than just letting him run wide open. Just spitballing here....LOL

[starrymessenger]

2 hours ago, BigDingus said:

Let's not forget Andy Reid's playoff history before Mahomes.

 

How many NFC playoff games did he lose with those Eagles teams? Then a few more with the Chiefs. It took him a long, long time to get where he is now. 

 

McDermott doesn't have the wins now, but Reid made the playoffs a dozen times before getting over the hump (yes, he did make a SB appearance with the Eagles once too).

Yeah but McD does have Allen. 

[PauleeeWalnuts]

Unfortunately, they won’t fire McD this off season when there is a good crop of available, experienced coaches. They will do the “Billsy” thing and fire him after next season, when no one is available. 

Edited January 22 by PauleeeWalnuts

[SCBills]

Syracuse had the mandate this past season, after years of coming up short (on a different level), to improve upon their last season.  

 

When it became apparent that this wasn't going to happen, Syracuse moved on from Dino Babers and hired Fran Brown. 

 

There were some Dino defenders, but most of the fanbase knew it was time.  The urgency was there with the impending conference realignment in the now Power 4.

 

Fran Brown has injected life into the fanbase.. best recruiting class in years.. brought the donors back and has high caliber transfers.  A world I never knew was even possible for Syracuse Football any longer.  

 

We'll see what happens with their future, but it's so much brighter now than I ever thought possible.  

 

Now here we are, in the prime of Josh Allen.  One of, if not, THE most talented QB in the history of this league.  The urgency to get over the hump is real.  

 

Yet, here we are, with a HC who has proven time and time again that he can't get it done on the big stage.  It's known by EVERYONE outside the organization, yet it falls on deaf ears.  

 

I worry that our Fran Brown is available.. An innovative Offensive mind so we don't have to keep worrying about our OC's taking HC interviews in the Playoffs or having sway in the front office that lends itself to heavy investment on that side of the ball to the detriment of the reason we are here.. Josh Allen.   Or maybe Jim Harbaugh, a guy who has won everywhere he's been.  A guy who is not just a leader of men, but someone who rallies a team to be more than the sum of it's parts.  A culture guy, but this time, a culture guy with a track record.  

 

I couldn't take another year of Dino Babers and if Syracuse kept him, they risked falling into obscurity right at the height of conference realignment. 

 

I'm not sure how much longer I can take the obvious coaching disadvantage we have in these high stakes Playoffs Games during Josh Allen's prime.  At some point he will no longer be 27... he'll be 34 and still likely very good, but not running over people and willing the team to victory.  We still have a handful of shots of Josh Allen in his prime, but every year, we lose a bullet from the chamber. 

[TheyCallMeAndy]

I think the team needs to pull the trigger and “mutually part ways,” but I think next year is a near guarantee. 

[4thandGoal]

or Fran Brown will be just like Dino Babers

[SCBills]

Just now, 4thandGoal said:

or Fran Brown will be just like Dino Babers

 

He's already clearly not.  Does that mean success will follow, who knows.. but at least they took a swing in a moment where the urgency was higher than ever. 

[Nitro]

3 hours ago, Bob Jones said:

I mean, maybe tell the safety on Kelce's side to cover him when he runs by Klein? Do something, anything other than just letting him run wide open. Just spitballing here....LOL

I doubt that the plan was to allow him to run free.  It was a basic player doing one thing and the rest of the secondary was doing another.  Poyer is the guilty party if you think the safety had coverage.  

[HomeskillitMoorman]

Yup, we're throwing it away on a coach who is completely in over his head in these big games and moments. This is worse than Babers to be honest. Babers never had championship talent or close to it. That's not necessarily defending Babers, he had trouble recruiting at SU and it is a tough place to recruit football but obviously there was better out there. 

 

But McDermott's failures have been with what most coaches salivate over having, especially obviously at QB. He has not improved at all as an in-game coach, his D gets lit up in every big game and moment, and he still panics late in games and even at times at the end of halves. 

 

3 Divisional Round exits in a row, especially when in 2 of those games he got an all-world performance from his QB, is a massive failure. 

3 minutes ago, 4thandGoal said:

or Fran Brown will be just like Dino Babers

 

It's possible...but Fran's already recruiting better than Babers did. And what did we have to lose by firing Babers?

 

That's probably what I don't understand the most about this. What are people afraid of losing with McD? I literally can't think of anything. 

[TheyCallMeAndy]

Just now, ScottLaw said:

Agree. They are a year away from it unfortunately….when they lose in the WC or divisional round next season.

The lone perk with that is whoever they hire as OC, they’ll know if he’s their guy for 2025. 
 

Lion’s OC seems destined to be hired this summer, haven’t heard if Houston’s OC will return or not.