What does "Complementary Football" mean in Bills Coachspeak?

[The Jokeman]

1 hour ago, Chaos said:

I generally understand the concept of complimentary football, trying to harmonize offense , defense and special teams strategizes to create synergies greater than the sum of the parts.  My personal observation is we try to manage the offensive cadence to compensate for problems on the defensive side of the ball, in a way that meaningfully reduces the sum of the parts. 

But my question is what does the coach really mean when he says "we need to play complimentary football". Is he saying 1) as head coach, I am not doing a good job of getting the units working together or 2) the units are not properly executing my complimentary game plan or 3) something else ? 

Basically the offense holds onto the ball and scores points while avoiding making bad plays (turnovers) and not flipping the field aka going three and out and punting leads to the defense to defend 50 yards compared to 70-80 yards. 

[Neo]

1 hour ago, DrDawkinstein said:

So, first and foremost, it is COMPLEMENTARY, not complimentary. Not trying to be a grammar nazi but they are two very different things and if youre looking to define "complementary football" it helps to have the right one.

 

Compliment

Definition: To praise, admire, or express approval.

 

Complement

Definition: To complete, enhance, or make something perfect.

 

In Complementary Football, if each unit is executing properly then they should enhance the other units and make their jobs easier. Like the old saying "the best defense is a good offense" and vice versa. That's literally all Complementary Football comes down to.

 

Offense should play in a way that not only achieves their goals but makes the game easier for the defense. Score points, long drives, run the ball.

Defense should get the ball back and in good field position.

 

 

Probably a mix of 2 and 3. With the "something else" being "I need to say something as a head coach so will just use this buzzword catch phrase and the media will get their sound bite"

 

 

 

 

 

This explains it.   The entire team is unaware of this and are doing their damndest to play COMPLIMENTARY football!  The louder McD asks, the bigger the team misses.

 

[Kelly to Allen]

49 minutes ago, bmur66 said:

It means control the clock and don't score too fast because you will expose the defense.

 

I know this is possibly true, but I don't want to believe it.

 

It makes me feel like I have to throw up if McDermott is purposely shortening the game to protect his defense 

 

I want to vomit 🤢 

[ScotSHO]

TBD's favorite radio host from the stone ages Chuck Dickerson would say that's a bunch of horse poopy and things coaches say when they're whistling past the graveyard.

[Neo]

1 minute ago, Kelly to Allen said:

 

I know this is possibly true, but I don't want to believe it.

 

It makes me feel like I have to throw up if McDermott is purposely shortening the game to protect his defense 

 

I want to vomit 🤢 

 

 

IF?

[The Jokeman]

52 minutes ago, bmur66 said:

It means control the clock and don't score too fast because you will expose the defense.

or avoid going three and out and kill less than  3 minutes of clock. It totally killed the Bills in Super Bowl XXV. 

[dcinmuncie]

It means design a terrible pass game with the greatest bill qb ever to go along with a craptastic run defense. 

[QCity]

It essentially means all 3 units played well. It's coach speak - a way to give an answer without really giving an answer (or blaming a specific unit), and it now feels mandatory for all postgame/sideline interviews. It was brought into the football lexicon by Bill Belichick and is another thing I hate him for.

[GoBills808]

10 minutes ago, The Jokeman said:

or avoid going three and out and kill less than  3 minutes of clock. It totally killed the Bills in Super Bowl XXV. 

bills are second in the league in TOP. we don't have an issue extending drives

 

this is even more miraculous considering how poor our run defense is

 

so if anyone was still questioning if we actually are trying to control the clock and kill the game off...

[Yobogoya!]

1 hour ago, BuffaloBillies said:

My wife and I complement each other perfectly.

I do 0% and she does 100%, so together we do 100%

 

She's a lucky gal!

 

51 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

It essentially means:

 

Offense don't turn it over.

Defense get off the field on 3rd down.

Special teams win the field position battle.

 

So far this season we are not doing a great job at any of the 3.

 

I would say that this season all three units are complementing each other perfectly-- just not in the way our coaches had in mind. 

[Sweats]

I believe that "complimentary football" is used in the same context as "the process"...........nobody really knows and that's the way our FO likes it.

 

Keep them guessing, as in the fanbase, the players, the coaching staff.

 

Nobody really knows.

[US Egg]

No one did "football speak" better than Belichick, because he rarely did it. Too many football bloviators out there in general.

Edited 1 hour ago by US Egg

[LarryMadman]

1 hour ago, Psautcsk said:

It is word salad and is just tossed around to lettuce feel confident in our coaches window dressing.

 

This, it generalizes, also deflects blame away from him as critics cant really focus on one aspect of what is failing. McD is a master of deflection through generalized word salad, a veiled attempt at self preservation. Its starting to catch up with him

[Rousseauisnoschmo]

It means our gutless coach won't throw it more than five yards downfield or more than 25 times a game so we need to be perfect in every phase of the game or we're screwed.

Edited 1 hour ago by Rousseauisnoschmo

[GoBills808]

3 minutes ago, LarryMadman said:

This, it generalizes, also deflects blame away from him as critics cant really focus on one aspect of what is failing. McD is a master of deflection through generalized word salad, a veiled attempt at self preservation. Its starting to catch up with him

that's giving him way too much credit lol

 

he's legitimately confused as to why his plan isn't working. it would be very funny if it was any other team

[sven233]

It means you have a lack of top talent and the only way you can win is with a ball control offense and hopefully limiting the other teams offensive snaps so your terrible defense doesn't have to be on the field as much.

 

What it is, is a losers mentality.  Screw complimentary football.  Build an offense around the best player on the planet and blow teams off the field.  Score 40 and make a couple stops on defense and you will be a much better team.  If you can get out ahead of teams and make them 1 dimensional, you will actually make it much easier on your undersized defense.  But we don't have a coach that wants to play that way.

[Rigotz]

May I simplify things?

 

Play complementary football = "create momentum and maintain it."

 

When the defense makes a stop, drive down the field and score.

 

When the offense scores, make a stop on the other end.

 

If Special Teams pins the the opposing team deep, convert it into a 3 and out, then score when you have good field position.

 

We haven't done enough of that. It's not just coach speak. Both sides of the ball keep letting each other down. It feels like any time we're gaining momentum, we shoot ourselves in the foot on one side of the ball or the other.

[Chaos]

2 hours ago, DrDawkinstein said:

ot trying to be a grammar nazi

fixed. Is there an official nazi grammar salute (although this more of a spelling nazi incident)

[Freddie's Dead]

I'm shocked, SHOCKED, that you actually used the correct term, complementary football.  "Complimentary" football is either football that's free to all, or it's when Josh says "Nice catch, Dawson" and Dawson says "Nice throw, Josh."

[drummernut74]

51 minutes ago, sven233 said:

It means you have a lack of top talent and the only way you can win is with a ball control offense and hopefully limiting the other teams offensive snaps so your terrible defense doesn't have to be on the field as much.

 

What it is, is a losers mentality.  Screw complimentary football.  Build an offense around the best player on the planet and blow teams off the field.  Score 40 and make a couple stops on defense and you will be a much better team.  If you can get out ahead of teams and make them 1 dimensional, you will actually make it much easier on your undersized defense.  But we don't have a coach that wants to play that way.

Thanks!!!! You should go see my post on Pg 1

Edited 34 minutes ago by drummernut74