McD strategy blunders

[GunnerBill]

1 hour ago, stuvian said:

If we're going to criticize Clappy we should also point at Andy Reid who refused our invitation to run Kareem Hunt down our throat. We were in dime defense the whole game and our run D is a known vulnerability 

 

Hunt sucks. That's why.

[Matt_In_NH]

It is not as easy as people think it is.   And no one on this board judges other coaches as harsh as they judge McDermott.  A couple weeks back I watch Kyle shanahanntake a terrible second half timeout to get the defense right.  Yet I bet people think he is far superior. 

[ganesh]

On 11/4/2025 at 6:51 PM, WIDE LEFT said:

 

Sunday McD strikes again. A strategy coach would have strongly advised against kicking that last field goal. A punt, a punt angled out of bounds ( to prevent any possible return) was the correct strategic decision. It’s virtually impossible for a team drive the ball down the field, 80 + yards, in 22 seconds with zero timeouts. It’s even unlikely a team could even get in position to throw a Hail Mary under those circumstances. Recall the 13 seconds game KC had all three timeouts and only needed a FG. Instead McD blunders again, and Mahomes second last pass was way too close to tying that game. These games are won on the margins, especially playoff games, and his strategic blunders have cost the Bills playoff losses in the past, and I don’t see any improvement in this area.Hire a strategy coach, not to make the final decision but to present best options away from the chaos that is an NFL sideline 
 

 

Ideally, they should have gone for the 4th down instead of kicking the field goal.  Even if they don't make it (as long as they don't take a sack) the Bills would have gained another 8 yards than the missed FG.  And if they make the 1st down, then they simply can run out the clock.   It was possibly the right decision among the three choices. 

[WIDE LEFT]

Famous Seinfeld episode - George finds success by doing the opposite of what he thinks the right decision is. McD should give it a try:

1. 13 second game - no brainer. From the decision to kick it out of the end zone to the ridiculous way he set his defense, if he just would have done the opposite of what he decided to do, we win the game.

2. Home opener last year - less than 2 minutes to go, up by three at Arizona 15 yard line, he takes the ball out of Allen’s hands, runs 3 straight times, settles for field goal, Bills up by dreaded 6. A Kyle Murray pass to our 5 yard line is defected by the finger tips of our db, game saved. Two weeks later v Houston, minute to go, Bills at our OWN 1 yard line, tie score, he now decides to throw three times. All the things that can go wrong with ure QB throwing out of the end zone, ie a holding penalty for a safety etc. His decision cost us this game. In both situations, he should have done the opposite.

3. Yesterday- for all the criticisms of his bend but don’t break scheme, the one time he really NEEDED to deploy that scheme, he mangles it. Cinci last drive  - we could afford to have them score a TD, but it was absolutely necessary to keep everything in front of them, make CINCI burn clock before scoring their TD. But no, not McD. He allows a 50 second TD drive. The last TD pass to Higgins he blitzes, leaves Trey White one on one with Higgins. The EXACT OPPOSITE of the type of D scheme he should be employing in that situation. Allen then bails him out again, with his 3rd & 15 scramble to put away a game that should have been put away by then, except for another McD meltdown.

 

Rest of the league is 6 & 42 when their D gives up more than 32 points. The Bills are 3-0. Allen constantly overcoming McD failures. It’s his defense, his scheme, multiple draft & free agent resources given to his D. And it consistently fails miserably against top competition, playoffs & top QBs. How long do you stay with this guy who is lucky enough to have the best QB in football yet undermines him at every turn

 

i can appreciate the positives McD brings, but it’s not enough. It’s not just me, a regular fan. Andy Reid is going to the HoF someday, and it was his decision to fire McD and the McD scheme. Reid has never employed a D scheme like that since.

 

 

 

 

 

[Simon]

8 minutes ago, WIDE LEFT said:

Famous Seinfeld episode - George finds success by doing the opposite of what he thinks the right decision is. McD should give it a try:

1. 13 second game - no brainer. From the decision to kick it out of the end zone to the ridiculous way he set his defense, if he just would have done the opposite of what he decided to do, we win the game.

2. Home opener last year - less than 2 minutes to go, up by three at Arizona 15 yard line, he takes the ball out of Allen’s hands, runs 3 straight times, settles for field goal, Bills up by dreaded 6. A Kyle Murray pass to our 5 yard line is defected by the finger tips of our db, game saved. Two weeks later v Houston, minute to go, Bills at our OWN 1 yard line, tie score, he now decides to throw three times. All the things that can go wrong with ure QB throwing out of the end zone, ie a holding penalty for a safety etc. His decision cost us this game. In both situations, he should have done the opposite.

3. Yesterday- for all the criticisms of his bend but don’t break scheme, the one time he really NEEDED to deploy that scheme, he mangles it. Cinci last drive  - we could afford to have them score a TD, but it was absolutely necessary to keep everything in front of them, make CINCI burn clock before scoring their TD. But no, not McD. He allows a 50 second TD drive. The last TD pass to Higgins he blitzes, leaves Trey White one on one with Higgins. The EXACT OPPOSITE of the type of D scheme he should be employing in that situation. Allen then bails him out again, with his 3rd & 15 scramble to put away a game that should have been put away by then, except for another McD meltdown.

 

Rest of the league is 6 & 42 when their D gives up more than 32 points. The Bills are 3-0. Allen constantly overcoming McD failures. It’s his defense, his scheme, multiple draft & free agent resources given to his D. And it consistently fails miserably against top competition, playoffs & top QBs. How long do you stay with this guy who is lucky enough to have the best QB in football yet undermines him at every turn

 

i can appreciate the positives McD brings, but it’s not enough. It’s not just me, a regular fan. Andy Reid is going to the HoF someday, and it was his decision to fire McD and the McD scheme. Reid has never employed a D scheme like that since.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's just go ahead and fold this right into your other McDermott thread you started. 

[Ridgewaycynic2013]

11 minutes ago, WIDE LEFT said:

Famous Seinfeld episode - George finds success by doing the opposite of what he thinks the right decision is. McD should give it a try:

1. 13 second game - no brainer. From the decision to kick it out of the end zone to the ridiculous way he set his defense, if he just would have done the opposite of what he decided to do, we win the game.

2. Home opener last year - less than 2 minutes to go, up by three at Arizona 15 yard line, he takes the ball out of Allen’s hands, runs 3 straight times, settles for field goal, Bills up by dreaded 6. A Kyle Murray pass to our 5 yard line is defected by the finger tips of our db, game saved. Two weeks later v Houston, minute to go, Bills at our OWN 1 yard line, tie score, he now decides to throw three times. All the things that can go wrong with ure QB throwing out of the end zone, ie a holding penalty for a safety etc. His decision cost us this game. In both situations, he should have done the opposite.

3. Yesterday- for all the criticisms of his bend but don’t break scheme, the one time he really NEEDED to deploy that scheme, he mangles it. Cinci last drive  - we could afford to have them score a TD, but it was absolutely necessary to keep everything in front of them, make CINCI burn clock before scoring their TD. But no, not McD. He allows a 50 second TD drive. The last TD pass to Higgins he blitzes, leaves Trey White one on one with Higgins. The EXACT OPPOSITE of the type of D scheme he should be employing in that situation. Allen then bails him out again, with his 3rd & 15 scramble to put away a game that should have been put away by then, except for another McD meltdown.

 

Rest of the league is 6 & 42 when their D gives up more than 32 points. The Bills are 3-0. Allen constantly overcoming McD failures. It’s his defense, his scheme, multiple draft & free agent resources given to his D. And it consistently fails miserably against top competition, playoffs & top QBs. How long do you stay with this guy who is lucky enough to have the best QB in football yet undermines him at every turn

 

i can appreciate the positives McD brings, but it’s not enough. It’s not just me, a regular fan. Andy Reid is going to the HoF someday, and it was his decision to fire McD and the McD scheme. Reid has never employed a D scheme like that since.

 

 

 

 

 

[Sweats]

12 minutes ago, WIDE LEFT said:

Famous Seinfeld episode - George finds success by doing the opposite of what he thinks the right decision is. McD should give it a try:

1. 13 second game - no brainer. From the decision to kick it out of the end zone to the ridiculous way he set his defense, if he just would have done the opposite of what he decided to do, we win the game.

2. Home opener last year - less than 2 minutes to go, up by three at Arizona 15 yard line, he takes the ball out of Allen’s hands, runs 3 straight times, settles for field goal, Bills up by dreaded 6. A Kyle Murray pass to our 5 yard line is defected by the finger tips of our db, game saved. Two weeks later v Houston, minute to go, Bills at our OWN 1 yard line, tie score, he now decides to throw three times. All the things that can go wrong with ure QB throwing out of the end zone, ie a holding penalty for a safety etc. His decision cost us this game. In both situations, he should have done the opposite.

3. Yesterday- for all the criticisms of his bend but don’t break scheme, the one time he really NEEDED to deploy that scheme, he mangles it. Cinci last drive  - we could afford to have them score a TD, but it was absolutely necessary to keep everything in front of them, make CINCI burn clock before scoring their TD. But no, not McD. He allows a 50 second TD drive. The last TD pass to Higgins he blitzes, leaves Trey White one on one with Higgins. The EXACT OPPOSITE of the type of D scheme he should be employing in that situation. Allen then bails him out again, with his 3rd & 15 scramble to put away a game that should have been put away by then, except for another McD meltdown.

 

Rest of the league is 6 & 42 when their D gives up more than 32 points. The Bills are 3-0. Allen constantly overcoming McD failures. It’s his defense, his scheme, multiple draft & free agent resources given to his D. And it consistently fails miserably against top competition, playoffs & top QBs. How long do you stay with this guy who is lucky enough to have the best QB in football yet undermines him at every turn

 

i can appreciate the positives McD brings, but it’s not enough. It’s not just me, a regular fan. Andy Reid is going to the HoF someday, and it was his decision to fire McD and the McD scheme. Reid has never employed a D scheme like that since.