Why doesn't McDermott call the Defensive plays full time??

[T master]

15 hours ago, Special K said:

I saw somewhere that McD took over the Defensive play calling in the 2nd half.....is this true??

 

The Defense was markedly better in the 2nd half compared to the 1st, and he has done the play calling takeover before when Frazier was DC.

 

This got me to thinking.....why doesn't McD call the Defensive plays full time??

 

All the Offensive minded Head Coaches call their own Offensive plays(Reid, MacVay, Shanahan, even loser Mike McDaniel), so doesn't it stand to reason that a Defensive minded coach should be calling the Defense??

 

Maybe he should put the Defense in his own hands for a while to see if this would make a difference.

He did a much better job I feel when he was calling the D of that season ...

[Mr. WEO]

3 hours ago, NewEra said:

Because he was focused on being the best head coach he could be in my opinion

The defensive performance in the 2nd was most definitely markedly better than the first.  

 until it allowed a 14 play (6 1st downs!) scoring drive in the 4th Q that put the game out of reach.

 

2 hours ago, Taro Nimbus said:

Yes.  But if the offense was at least competent, the Bills would have won that game.  

 

two things can be true at the same time.

Edited 11 hours ago by Mr. WEO

[NewEra]

28 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 until it allowed a 14 play (6 1st downs!) scoring drive in the 4th Q that put the game out of reach.

 

 

two things can be true at the same time.

And it was still markedly better.  Gave up 330 yard and 21 points in the 1st half. 3 points 110 yards in the 2nd half

[Mr. WEO]

8 minutes ago, NewEra said:

And it was still markedly better.  Gave up 330 yard and 21 points in the 1st half. 3 points 110 yards in the 2nd half

 

yes we can all read the box score, but clearly those 3 points iced the game for Atlanta.  The D just had to get off the field. They could not.

[NewEra]

13 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

yes we can all read the box score, but clearly those 3 points iced the game for Atlanta.  The D just had to get off the field. They could not.

But the defense in the 2nd half was 💯 markedly better, which is the point of this thread.   But the point of your post is to single out one drive.  
 

if McD did take over calling plays in the 2nd half, I pray he continues to do so.  The defense was much better in the 2nd.  Too bad the offense sucked the entire game

[Mr. WEO]

9 minutes ago, NewEra said:

But the defense in the 2nd half was 💯 markedly better, which is the point of this thread.   But the point of your post is to single out one drive.  
 

if McD did take over calling plays in the 2nd half, I pray he continues to do so.  The defense was much better in the 2nd.  Too bad the offense sucked the entire game

 

it was the nail in the coffin drive.  14 plays with 6 1st downs late in the 4th Q  sealing the loss is a disaster.  But yeah,  McD late in a game calling Defenses has always been a fantastic idea. 

[NewEra]

34 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

it was the nail in the coffin drive.  14 plays with 6 1st downs late in the 4th Q  sealing the loss is a disaster.  But yeah,  McD late in a game calling Defenses has always been a fantastic idea. 

That’s not what we’re talking about.  Stay on topic.  
 

Babich sucks. We all know that by now.  Would you prefer Babich call plays bs KC in the playoffs or McD?  Because it’s likely going to be one of them unless they give Nielsen the headset 

[LABILLBACKER]

5 hours ago, NewEra said:

But the defense in the 2nd half was 💯 markedly better, which is the point of this thread.   But the point of your post is to single out one drive.  
 

if McD did take over calling plays in the 2nd half, I pray he continues to do so.  The defense was much better in the 2nd.  Too bad the offense sucked the entire game

He absolutely must take over. Clearly the 2nd half reflected inproved defensive play calling.  I know he wants to remain in the roll of HC but he doesn't have that luxury anymore. I don’t understand why he can't just do what a litany of other HC's have done. Sean if that's your expertise than lets see it.

[Richard Noggin]

18 hours ago, JohnNord said:

I can guarantee the idea has crossed his mind and if things don’t get better, it’s something that might happen.  McDermott prefers to be the “CEO” of the team, as most coaches do.  
 

Taking control from Babich is akin to benching your rookie/young QB.  Once you’ve de-committed it’s usually the beginning of the end.

 

i definitely think McDermott believes in Babich and doesn’t him to fail.  Babich has been groomed for this role early in his career so he’s kind of like McDermott’s protege, just as McDermott was Jim Johnson’s protege in Philly.  The two have been together for almost a decade and he has a relationship with Babich Sr.  I think he also knows he’s been hurt by injury/suspension.  
 

 

 

Most "old school" head coaches prefer this approach (Tomlin, Carroll, Harbaugh, McD, etc.) but that's not the structure that works lately. 

 

17 hours ago, DJB said:

He doesn’t call the plays so that he can blame someone else and scapegoat them at the end of the season. 

 

Mcdermott is a coward 

 

Kind of agree. But also, he wants to entrust someone else to call the D for legit reasons, too. 

 

[Buffalo Ballin]

19 hours ago, machine gun kelly said:

Well, the answer he gave yesterday was he didn’t want to damage his confidence as he’s only in his second year as a DC. 

Fire McDermott. Mental midget. Who gives a EFF about Babich's ego? OMG. Only McDermott.

[cwater10]

On 10/15/2025 at 6:08 AM, machine gun kelly said:

Well, the answer he gave yesterday was he didn’t want to damage his confidence as he’s only in his second year as a DC.  To me, you keep him as the DC, but for now McD calls the plays.  Let Babich continue to learn from him.  Something has to stop the bleeding.  So bottom line is I agree with the guys on the board that believe he should assume play calling.

This rang so familiar to me that I had to go to the Google machine to verify I was not having a severe case of deja vu.  Regarding the lead up to Dorsey's firing, Google AI had this to say:

 

"The firing and shift in focus

 

After a disastrous performance in a Week 10 loss to the Denver Broncos, McDermott fired Dorsey on November 14, 2023. In explaining the decision, McDermott shifted his comments away from Dorsey's personal confidence and toward the confidence of the entire offensive unit. 

 

New energy needed: McDermott stated the team needed to "be a confident offensive football team" and that the firing was a way to create "new energy".

 

Team confidence over individual: He explained that when the offense failed to produce consistently over time, "confidence levels spin," indicating that the issue had become larger than any one person.

 

Difficult decision: While highlighting the need for change, McDermott also noted how difficult the decision was, calling Dorsey a "good person" who had worked hard. 

 

Ultimately, McDermott's statements indicate that preserving Dorsey's confidence was no longer the primary concern, as the broader issue of the offense's lack of consistent production and the team's declining confidence became the deciding factor. "

 

So....  No deja vu.  Foreshadowing?  We shall see