Coaching is the key!

[KOKBILLS]

Coaching is certainly a huge part of why the Bills are where they are...

 

The game plans in all 4 losses were flat out awful... And this team has become a poor 1st half team dating back to 2024, and that points straight to coaching...

But I think Bills fans are going to have to come to the realization that it's not coaching or the front office...it's a combination of the two... The philosophy of what players are provided, and the development of those players has combined to create a roster that is full of average talent playing uninspired and all to often far too predictable schemes waiting around for their all world QB to bail them out of trouble. And that has been further complicated by a massive amount of injuries, especially on Defense. 

[Ayjent]

It’s both coaching and talent.  The team has incessantly invested in Defense over the McD Beane era and it has never been a D that can dominate a meaningful game or stretch of games in the clutch part of any season.  It has been on the back of their QB that they’ve won.  So when a team invests so heavily in some aspect of its team and the results don’t change much there is a severe flaw in the organization and that’s not even getting into the offensive regression, which is more concerning, because we know the talent they have at QB1 and RB1.

 

McD talks about growing and learning all the time but they have not learned that the D they play is never going to be dominant.  They haven’t learned that small, undersized LBs are how you stop quick teams but also how you get pummeled by physical ones.  This has been an issue since the Bills hired McD - see Titans under Vrabel.  The complexity in the backend doesn’t allow the players to be aggressive and the results of people who know the system well enough to start doesn’t lead to some amazing result.  So for what use is the complexity?  To give up 3rd and longs on the regular?  This team has never gotten after the QB on the regular no matter what they invest in it and certainly not with hand picked, home grown guys.  It’s pretty clear that this is going to come in better and worse variations as we’ve seen over the years but at its core it’s still the same flaws.  
 

I don’t have faith in the Pegulas to hire another regime but the limitations of this one are very clear.  I’ve been hesitant to be too critical but this is the worst version of the Bills we’ve seen in quite a while, and the team unraveled against a physical opponent in a way that signals bigger issues.  Also, the absolute stubbornness to not give the tackles help last game was dumbfounding. But look - we can point the finger at Brady and he deserves some blame but the D is an absolute disaster given the investments.  Injuries you say?  Sure but injuries happen to all teams - this is about the D they run and how it sucks no matter what talent they amass.  Just bc there was a 2 game run with Hoecht where it looked good doesn’t mean that would have been the result with him all year and if one guy makes that much of a difference why wasn’t he the most coveted FA in football?  I refuse to think that was the key to this Defense being good. 

Edited 8 hours ago by Ayjent

[nedboy7]

14 hours ago, Lionel Hutz said:

Just like Dorsey was the issue? How many coordinators are gonna take the fall before you realize it's McDermott that is the issue?

Maybe he is at some level.  Doesn’t mean Brady and Dorsey were bad coordinators.  You could make an argument as to why they were hired.  

[zow2]

I wish we had Ben Johnson as our HC.  I thought he'd be below average as a HC, not a leader of men.  I was wrong.  He's a very good coach and obviously knows offense and schemes.

[mjt328]

It's definitely both.

 

Sean McDermott has never been a gameday coach, who outsmarts the guy on the other sideline.  He's a player-friendly guy, who emphasizes high character, organization and fundamentals as the primary keys to winning.  Both of these elements were key in laying the foundation of a winning franchise in the early years.  The problem is that his scheme has gotten outdated over the years, and the talent level has dropped off a cliff.  He's got no ideas on how to adjust or adapt.  Bobby Babich was an internal hire, who brings nothing to the table other than to echo what McDermott already gives us.

 

Joe Brady had some success when he was new, because his style was 180 degrees different from our previous OC Ken Dorsey.  Now that defensive coordinators have figured out his tendencies and our talent limitations, he also has no idea how to adapt.  He doesn't change gameplans for opponents, and doesn't recognize what is happening in-game in order to make adjustments.  

 

Talent-wise, this team was built mostly on Josh Allen, Doug Whaley's pre-firing additions (Poyer, Hyde, White, Dawkins, Milano) and the trade for Diggs.  What Beane has added in actual rookie talent since drafting Allen is actually ridiculously pathetic.  His free agent classes have been equally bad, and gotten us into terrible cap trouble.  When the team has a mid-season hole, he's like a deer in the headlights.  It used to be grab an old Panther.  Now it's grab an old Bill that nobody else in the NFL wants to sign.

 

The Bills are a stale coaching staff combined with an aging low-talent roster.  

[Fleezoid]

The Bills organization broke the key off in the lock!

[Southern McButterpants]

16 hours ago, Since1981 said:

The question is: if Sean were unemployed, would any NFL team hire him as a head coach or defensive coordinator? I’m inclined to say no.

 

Coaches and GMs aren’t bound by the salary cap, so unlike players, teams can simply outbid or overpay for the right coach. It’s time to start recruiting.

Not to defend anyone in this regime as I am in favor of a total house cleaning as well, but you're delusional if you think a guy with a 66% win rate over the past 8 years is going to be unemployed for longer than a minute. 

[stlbills13]

The reason this team hasn't won the Super Bowl in year's past = coaching

The reason this team won't win a Super Bowl this year (and likely at least next) = GM

 

Beane has fallen off dramatically lately. Yes he's hit on some later round picks but he's swung and missed big time in free agency and with contracts. 

 

But when the roster was good enough, coaching let the team down. 

 

Coaching has still not been good this year. The Falcons, Dolphins, and Texans losses legitimately felt like we didn't even have a gameplan. But the talent is just sickeningly low outside of QB and RB 

[MasterStrategist]

17 hours ago, SoonerBillsFan said:

No he didn't,that is the point.

 

One is a multi time SB coach, the others terrible scheme is whe we dont get to a superbowl.

We don't get to the SB because of the talent.

 

Our best shot was when Josh was on his rookie deal --- but Beane has proven to be good, not great.   

 

Year after year, DL investments -- it's a smart choice, but if Beane would've had hit at a single point on DL we wouldn't have to continue investing.  You simply can't get to the SB these days without a stud DL (or a single stud DL), or w/o a above avg WR/TE crew.

 

We have neither of those right now. It's extremely pathetic that Beane gets to keep his job.  Josh is elite, sure he gets all the credit in the world for him.  But he has built a slightly above avg roster around him since Josh has had to be paid his 2nd contract.  

 

Beane is good at turning over a roster, but not sure he has it in him to find any more elite talented players.

[Haslett_Stomp]

My daughter said it all last night while watching the Rams vs Bucs game:  "Why does it look so easy for the Rams (offense) and so difficult for the Bills?"

[tigerthelion]

34 minutes ago, zow2 said:

I wish we had Ben Johnson as our HC.  I thought he'd be below average as a HC, not a leader of men.  I was wrong.  He's a very good coach and obviously knows offense and schemes.

Proof positive that coaching matters.  That Bears team only knew how to lose last year, and the year before that, etc....  2025 -- 8-3 record. 

[boyst]

35 minutes ago, zow2 said:

I wish we had Ben Johnson as our HC.  I thought he'd be below average as a HC, not a leader of men.  I was wrong.  He's a very good coach and obviously knows offense and schemes.

This is tangent to my thoughts on Mike Vrable. I think he is a solid coach that has the ability to motivate men to run through a wall. I think he has the ability to build a team that can even get the AFC championship on some luck and effort. But I don't see him as the type of guy to run a football organization at the highest level. If he does have success it will be hand in hand with Josh McDaniel, and the entire staff. 

 

He knows defense, he knows every scheme, even if it's just from his experience.

[dave mcbride]

3 minutes ago, Haslett_Stomp said:

My daughter said it all last night while watching the Rams vs Bucs game:  "Why does it look so easy for the Rams (offense) and so difficult for the Bills?"

Well, the Bills scored 44 points vs that team the Rams were facing last night and should have had 46 if not for an errant throw to Gilliam on the 2 pt conversion. 

[Sweats]

Maybe our FO is just poor with talent evaluation..........granted, drafts are a crap shoot, but even the law of averages would suggest that you'd hit on at least more than one legit round one stud.

 

Maybe they don't understand how FA actually works and figure they'll throw buckets of cash to sign mediocre players and then be strapped for years with zero talent and no cap room to adjust or deviate from a junk plan. 

 

To me, it all looks like our FO on down is just making it all up as they go........the truly sad part is that they've had 8 years to figure it out and we're still no better off today than day 1.

[JP51]

21 hours ago, Alphadawg7 said:

 

Our issues are bigger than Keon Coleman being a starting WR here. And Coaching is definitely one of those issues. The coaching doesn't get to get off that easy.

 

Keon wasn't even in uniform in the pathetic display of a game against Houston that had loads of issues in it.  

 

This is the truth... coaching is absolutely horrible... this is on McD not only for his mistakes but for his failure to attract and retain top talented CoOrdinators.. you dont need to look farther than the 90s Bills... CoOrdinators from top contending teams are recruited and hired to the next level... Outside of Daboll that has not happened to any of our co ordinators and based on what I am seeing there is no one on staff currently that will fill that bill outside of college...  They are not creative, nor do they seem to prepare for their opponents in the anticipatory ways that they need too... they react at halftime...   the other is personnel both paying C level free agents B+ money and failure to draft difference making players in the early Rds save Allen and Cook...  Keon is emblematic of this too me... one of the deepest WR drafts I can remember with a team who desperately needs WR and we draft a guy who it seems to me could care less...   but it goes past Keon...  lots of changes needed here after this season... I fear precious few will come to pass... JMO

[Sweats]

8 minutes ago, JP51 said:

This is the truth... coaching is absolutely horrible... this is on McD not only for his mistakes but for his failure to attract and retain top talented CoOrdinators.. you dont need to look farther than the 90s Bills... CoOrdinators from top contending teams are recruited and hired to the next level... Outside of Daboll that has not happened to any of our co ordinators and based on what I am seeing there is no one on staff currently that will fill that bill outside of college...  They are not creative, nor do they seem to prepare for their opponents in the anticipatory ways that they need too... they react at halftime...   the other is personnel both paying C level free agents B+ money and failure to draft difference making players in the early Rds save Allen and Cook...  Keon is emblematic of this too me... one of the deepest WR drafts I can remember with a team who desperately needs WR and we draft a guy who it seems to me could care less...   but it goes past Keon...  lots of changes needed here after this season... I fear precious few will come to pass... JMO

 

 

 

 

Whoa, whoa there, fella..........fans were actually scared that Brady would get poached for a HC gig.

 

Can you imagine the piss poor state of affairs for some NFL franchise to actually even consider Brady as a HC?!?.........i wouldn't even let the guy mow my lawn let alone be a coach.

[DaVinci]

 

[JP51]

8 minutes ago, Sweats said:

 

 

 

 

Whoa, whoa there, fella..........fans were actually scared that Brady would get poached for a HC gig.

 

Can you imagine the piss poor state of affairs for some NFL franchise to actually even consider Brady as a HC?!?.........i wouldn't even let the guy mow my lawn let alone be a coach.

I think that is exactly my point... the quality of our assistant coaches is not good at all... most other contending teams are getting them poached... ours are so bad they are lucky if they get co ordinator jobs in the NFL after their stints are over here... they will likely go to the college ranks or be a position coach....  this is on McDermott... 100%  so unless I am missing your point we agree 100%... and I was not one of those fans worried about Brady leaving... I was worried that McDermott would simply again promote from within as opposed to seeking significant talent and bringing it in here...  I am still worried about that. 

[zow2]

1 hour ago, tigerthelion said:

Proof positive that coaching matters.  That Bears team only knew how to lose last year, and the year before that, etc....  2025 -- 8-3 record. 

 

Yep,  in 1st place after 11 games, and ahead of Detroit & Green Bay.  It may not stay that way but that's a heck of an accomplishment thus far.

 

Plus the Bears were missing 6 starters on defense yesterday.

[Haslett_Stomp]

1 hour ago, dave mcbride said:

Well, the Bills scored 44 points vs that team the Rams were facing last night and should have had 46 if not for an errant throw to Gilliam on the 2 pt conversion. 

 

Valid point, however which offense would you say is operating more efficiently at this point in the season.