Can a McD team be tough enough?

[boater]

Defeat Monday threads are absolute dreck.

[JakeFrommStateFarm]

The Bills have lost 4 times in the last 5 years in the playoffs to the chiefs. 

 

The answer is no

[ganesh]

1 hour ago, JGMcD2 said:

Gosh, this is so overplayed.

 

They hang tough more often than not - the guy has a .650-win percentage for ***** sake. 

He is also 0-7 on the road in the playoffs and 2 losses at home.   What matters is the playoffs

[elroy16]

9 minutes ago, BananaB said:

It’s the same way we been bounced out of the playoffs year after year.  I’m not freaking out but I’m sick and tired of this soft defense. Use to this *****! Who else can we complain to besides the people on this board. McD and Beane are off chasing one or two plays year after year instead of trying something different on D. 

 

At least Beane went hard after the D-line this year in the draft and FA.

 

I'm always surprised Beane doesn't get more heat for the failures in the playoffs. When you look at who's rotating and playing a lot of snaps in the playoffs, it's not a huge surprise the D struggles against good teams. Austin Johnson, Jordan Phillips, AJ Klien, Elam (I can't believe they didn't try Ingram), Dodson, Linval Joseph, etc. 

A bit of it is ***** luck with injuries at the worst times, but I'd really like to shift away from signing 30 year old vets just because you trust them in your system.

[BananaB]

8 minutes ago, Bruffalo said:

Most teams don't get past the playoffs. If you think it's because the team isn't "tough enough" then I don't know what to tell you. I think toughness that has very little to do with it.

It’s because our D is soft, not sure what else to say. McD has these guys playing on their heels terrified to make big mistakes so they give up a lot of easy plays waiting for the opposing team to make the mistakes. Against better teams they get chewed up, that’s why all our playoff exits look similar. Even the Ravens game, it wasn’t our D that made a play at the end to save the game, Ravens walked down the field with ease to score a TD. Bills got lucky Ingram dropped an easy catch where our D had no one in the vicinity of him to actually break up the play. 

[Captain Hindsight]

2 hours ago, JGMcD2 said:

Gosh, this is so overplayed.

 

They hang tough more often than not - the guy has a .650-win percentage for ***** sake. 

Right? And they have been blown out in like 3 games over 5 years. Bills fans love being miserable 

[GunnerBill]

17 minutes ago, GoBills808 said:

we run sub packages at one of the highest rates in the league

we have 3lbs on the field at probably the lowest

usually keeping safeties high ie away from los

we tend to rely on turnovers and disguising coverages- that can feel reactive instead of imposing

 

i dont know if tough is the word id use but it's not a fearsome system in the sense that old time nfl heads would use it

 

Yea, I think that is what it is. That isn't toughness, but it is a more cerebral way of playing defense than old timers remember.

[T master]

2 hours ago, Trust The Process said:

McD defensive philosophy is conservative, bland and not creative, not aggressive, and soft like Charmin

It's pretty funny that 2 years ago when McD was calling the D it wasn't nearly as conservative as it was prior to Frazier leaving, they did a lot more blitzing and such it could be that he knows he needs to play to the strengths of the players he has which some aren't very good .

 

Since Hyde and power have left that has made a huge difference to go from those 2 to Hamlin and Rapp even though Rapp isn't nearly as bad as Hamlin there is still a drop off since then . 

 

I think seeing as it's pre season they are playing very vanilla and I hope we see a much better product come week 1 . That game will tell us a lot about how this D will be and for that matter the offense too .

 

To this point the only guys I have seen at WR that have been good are the ones that were here last year Palmer and Moore with all the hype haven't been much hell bring back Cooper at least that guy had some game & with another year working with Josh I think that could be a really good combo ...

[Bruffalo]

10 minutes ago, BananaB said:

It’s because our D is soft, not sure what else to say. McD has these guys playing on their heels terrified to make big mistakes so they give up a lot of easy plays waiting for the opposing team to make the mistakes. Against better teams they get chewed up, that’s why all our playoff exits look similar. Even the Ravens game, it wasn’t our D that made a play at the end to save the game, Ravens walked down the field with ease to score a TD. Bills got lucky Ingram dropped an easy catch where our D had no one in the vicinity of him to actually break up the play. 

I don't know why you're equating scheme to "toughness", but okay.

 

I'm no huge McD fan and I've been on the record saying I'd be okay with moving on for an offensive minded head coach but I don't think his coaching style is making players soft.

[BigDingus]

2 hours ago, JGMcD2 said:

Gosh, this is so overplayed.

 

They hang tough more often than not - the guy has a .650-win percentage for ***** sake. 

 

Primarily due to 17. 

 

The defense has been the weak point the past few years. Crazy that "offensive-minded" Andy Reid has found a way to make his defense a strength, while "defensive-minded" McDermott has gone backwards. 

[SoonerBillsFan]

2 hours ago, JGMcD2 said:

Okay, what does that have to do with being tough?

 

Lost @Jacksonville in 2017 10-3 

Lost @Houston in 2019 22-19 (OT)

Lost @Kansas City in 2020 38-24

Lost @Kansas City in 2021 42-36 (OT)

 

Man, they're getting their ***** kicked in on the road in the playoffs! Average margin of loss is 1 score!

Yes, "a few bad games" describes the entire body of work. 

Did they win?  That's all that matters.

[blacklabel]

Of course they're tuff enuff. They wrestle lions and grizzly bears!

[BananaB]

11 minutes ago, Bruffalo said:

I don't know why you're equating scheme to "toughness", but okay.

 

I'm no huge McD fan and I've been on the record saying I'd be okay with moving on for an offensive minded head coach but I don't think his coaching style is making players soft.

I think the scheme can dictate the players aggressiveness. 

[eball]

2 hours ago, Trust The Process said:

McD defensive philosophy is conservative, bland and not creative, not aggressive, and soft like Charmin

 

 

[Matt_In_NH]

He is in like the 8th percentile for all time winning percentage.....he does that by fielding wimpy teams?

[Toledo Bill]

35 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

He is in like the 8th percentile for all time winning percentage.....he does that by fielding wimpy teams?

No, by having Josh Allen.

[uticaclub]

42 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

He is in like the 8th percentile for all time winning percentage.....he does that by fielding wimpy teams?

Also, 69th overall....nice

He’s has the 5th the highest winning % of non-championship coaches. Being behind George Allen, Jim Harbaugh, Matt LaFluer & Kevin O'Connell.

Edited August 18 by uticaclub

[TheFunPolice]

1 minute ago, uticaclub said:

Also, 69th overall....nice

He’s has the 5th the highest winning % of non-championship coaches. Being behind George Allen, Jim Harbaugh, Matt LaFluer & Kevin O'Connell.

 

I cannot stand Lafleur or his ridiculous dodgeball team. 

[uticaclub]

Just now, TheFunPolice said:

 

I cannot stand Lafleur or his ridiculous dodgeball team. 

If you dodge a wrench, you can dodge a ball

[SoonerBillsFan]

51 minutes ago, Matt_In_NH said:

He is in like the 8th percentile for all time winning percentage.....he does that by fielding wimpy teams?

He does that by having #17.