There’s something different about McD this season…

[eball]

…and I don’t mean the eyeglasses.  I know he has always talked about the Bills being a “tough” football team, but he has really ramped up the toughness aspect in nearly every locker room speech or interview I’ve seen.  It’s almost as if he has single-handedly willed this team to be mentally and physically tough.  He knows he already had that guy in 17, but the entire team has now taken on the mentality of overcoming adversity through toughness.  I view it as yet another progression in Sean’s growth as a leader and head coach.

 

[GunnerBill]

I'm not sure there is anything different about him. I think he is who he is - a darn good but not perfect football coach. 

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

I think it has to do with his relationship with Beane. 

[balln]

He’s fine. I think we (Josh Allen) win big games in spite of him mostly. 
 

Eye test. The defense is the worst it’s ever been. There are no consistently great players. Too many injuries

[HoofHearted]

14 minutes ago, eball said:

…and I don’t mean the eyeglasses.  I know he has always talked about the Bills being a “tough” football team, but he has really ramped up the toughness aspect in nearly every locker room speech or interview I’ve seen.  It’s almost as if he has single-handedly willed this team to be mentally and physically tough.  He knows he already had that guy in 17, but the entire team has now taken on the mentality of overcoming adversity through toughness.  I view it as yet another progression in Sean’s growth as a leader and head coach.

 

 

12 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

I'm not sure there is anything different about him. I think he is who he is - a darn good but not perfect football coach. 

I’m with @GunnerBill here. McDermott has always been this guy. It’s why I really liked the hire when they first brought him in. He’s tough nosed, gritty, and won’t shy away from the dirty work in order to improve a team. I think you are hearing it more from him this year than in years past because we are so young. When you don’t have the veteran leadership that we’ve had you have to be that voice. Obviously player led teams are ultimately what you want, but if you know you don’t have that the onus is on you as the head coach to make sure that message is being spread.

 

As a side note, because I feel like it gets glossed over quite a bit around here, McDermott is a true coach. He is teaching fundamentals daily. You’d think that be obvious coaching the highest level of football, but you’d be shocked at how many coaches in the nfl gloss over fundamentals of football for scheme, and just expect every player that comes into their program to be able to do things at a refined level already. Flaws obviously get brought up way more than strengths, but McDermott offers a lot of strengths to this football team.

[SoCal Deek]

He’s most definitely a good football coach. But he’s not winning a championship with the Buffalo Bills. You have to better than ‘good’ to win the Super Bowl. 

[IYKYK]

5 minutes ago, HoofHearted said:

 

I’m with @GunnerBill here. McDermott has always been this guy. It’s why I really liked the hire when they first brought him in. He’s tough nosed, gritty, and won’t shy away from the dirty work in order to improve a team. I think you are hearing it more from him this year than in years past because we are so young. When you don’t have the veteran leadership that we’ve had you have to be that voice. Obviously player led teams are ultimately what you want, but if you know you don’t have that the onus is on you as the head coach to make sure that message is being spread.

 

As a side note, because I feel like it gets glossed over quite a bit around here, McDermott is a true coach. He is teaching fundamentals daily. You’d think that be obvious coaching the highest level of football, but you’d be shocked at how many coaches in the nfl gloss over fundamentals of football for scheme, and just expect every player that comes into their program to be able to do things at a refined level already. Flaws obviously get brought up way more than strengths, but McDermott offers a lot of strengths to this football team.

Have you seen the defense try to tackle anyone? Not so sure about teaching fundamentals with that defense.

[Chaos]

Sometimes good is the enemy of great.  

[HoofHearted]

1 minute ago, IYKYK said:

Have you seen the defense try to tackle anyone? Not so sure about teaching fundamentals with that defense.

Have you seen our missed tackle numbers improve throughout the season? They have. Zero missed tackles vs the run the past two weeks.

[Casey D]

17 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

He’s most definitely a good football coach. But he’s not winning a championship with the Buffalo Bills. You have to better than ‘good’ to win the Super Bowl. 

We all can't be Barry Switzer or Doug Pederson--- truly great NFL coaches to win a SB.

Edited 41 minutes ago by Casey D

[Toledo Bill]

I would use the term "resilient " instead of "tough" to describe the team. Too many times they have had huge letdowns and folded. Players (example... Captain Dawkins) quit on plays. When they play "smashouth" teams  their defense gets pushed around and sometimes I would say they  actually lack toughness.

Just offering a counterpoint to the term.

They are, however, extremely resilient... how can they not be when led by Allen, who as we all know does define toughness .

[Gregg]

McDermott is a good coach. The Bills were a POS organization when he got here. Both he and Beane built a winning culture mostly due to the drafting of 17. He can a take a losing team and build it up to a good one. The problem here is taking that final step. Going from a good team to a championship one. Both he and Beane are failing here and 17's career is suffering because of it. There are too many flaws mostly on the defensive side for them to win the Super Bowl. That is on Beane more than McDermott. If the Bills replace Beane then McDermott goes on the hot seat as the new GM will probably want to bring in his own HC.

[T.E.]

Brilliant strategic move to wear the 38-year old female barista glasses for a few weeks to make the team think he'd gone soft, only to remove them to signal that it's now December and time to get down to business. Almost like a "New Coke" type situation.

[Process]

Nah, there are just a lot of misconceptions about McDermott out there 

[eball]

49 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

I'm not sure there is anything different about him. I think he is who he is - a darn good but not perfect football coach. 

 

Ok, perhaps I phrased the premise poorly…there’s something different in the way he is publicly speaking about the team.

 

I think, in general, it also goes to show that fan comments are almost always completely off the mark because fans have no idea what is going on behind the scenes.  They make knee-jerk reactions and dumb (IMO) statements like “the Bills win in spite of him.”

 

He’s not perfect but what coach is?  Do folks love Sirianni in Philly?  They look awful.  How about Reid in KC right now, or Harbaugh in Baltimore?  Those guys have excuses made for them constantly, and McD never gets the benefit of the doubt from our own fans.

 

I’m always torn about even coming here because the Bills are absolutely part of my identity but I can’t stand so many of their fans.

 

[Roundybout]

41 minutes ago, balln said:

He’s fine. I think we (Josh Allen) win big games in spite of him mostly. 
 

Eye test. The defense is the worst it’s ever been. There are no consistently great players. Too many injuries

This is a Beane problem, not a McD problem