Different take on Beane vs McDermott situation

[streetkings01]

18 minutes ago, TheFunPolice said:

This could have been part of what felt like a pattern for McDermott: passing the buck

 

Small defensive players are definitely McDermott's specifications so I can see some frustration there when he complained. 

 

A run first offense was also McDermott's idea, as shown when Dorsey was fired and Brady put in place. The offense immediately became more run heavy, proving that is what McDermott wanted. 

 

It could very well be that Beane did what he could to find players that fit McDermott's requirements and then McDermott tried to throw him under the bus this time around. 

 

 

I forgot about Leslie Frazier and that entire mess...

 

 

That’s what I was saying in post…..we can agree that the players picked are mediocre but they fit what McDermott wanted.

[stlbills13]

Neither McDermott nor Beane have done a good enough job supporting a generational quarterback 

[TheFunPolice]

10 minutes ago, boyst said:

one big thing was that the team had a players only meeting. they decided Dorsey had to go. they went to McD with this. McD didn't do anything. team came out and laid a stinker against the Broncos because they quit on McD.

McD's hand was forced by his team to cut Dorsey.

 

this is fact. this is not rumor or speculation. this is 100% truth and happened.

 

wow, this is the first I've heard of this...

 

I also wonder how much "the players are ANGRY!" is really true overall. Sure there will be a few here and there, but that NFLPA survey rated the HC one of the lowest in the league, which was surprising and makes you wonder if things weren't as great behind the scenes as thought. 

[streetkings01]

McDermott doesn’t strike me as HC that would stick around if he had no say so on personnel decisions. He seemed to be more outspoken this past season regarding the team’s personnel which leads me to believe that he had more of a say so on personnel decisions and was given an ultimatum this season…..win or you’re gone!

Edited January 20 by streetkings01

[BCAS Baritone]

59 minutes ago, BillsFan130 said:

Beane definitely had to be frustrated with McDermott.

 

Look no further than Poona ford and Tim Settle. Those guys barely got a game day jersey when they were here , and now they are both meaningful pieces to good defences.

 

It is clear Beane felt like McDermott didn't maximize the talent, especially on the defensive side. In which I would agree with him 

 

 

Yeah, the Poona Ford and Tim Settle things are definite negatives for McDermott.  It's one thing if a guy is washed up and can't play any more, but that is obviously not the case with those two guys.

 

Kair Elam simply stinks wherever he goes.  Same for Boogie Basham.  So you can't blame the coaching for that problem.  You can blame whomever said "that guy is a good draft pick at that spot."  If Beane was the guy that wanted them then fire Beane, if McDermott was the guy that wanted them then fire McDermott.

 

You should never expect unanimity on who is the better/worse guy with something like a draft.  There's too many variables.  So at some point you break ties via some method.  It's not unusual to break ties in favor of the coach - he's the guy that will have to live with the pick day-to-day.  So it's quite believable that Beane deferred to McDermott if McDermott felt strongly about a guy.  I'm sure it's also true that McDermott had a belief that "I can coach this guy up."  So if that's the reason they made that pick and it didn't work out, then it's obviously on the coach - "You said you would make this work and you didn't make it work."

 

For Keon Coleman, it kind of felt like he was being coddled at the start of the season.  Except for Week 1, he stunk in every game after that.  But he still led all receivers in snaps.  Is that because McDermott or Brady had said "this is the guy we want" and were trying to justify the pick?  Is it because Beane said "this is the guy we want" and pretty much forced them to keep playing Coleman?  Until the discipline issue became too much and you just had to bench him.

 

(I don't believe for a minute that Josh is the one that ranked Coleman above the other guys.  Far more likely that Josh said "I like any of these X number of guys and would be happy to add them to the room."  Even if Josh said before the draft "Anybody but Coleman", after the draft he's going to say "Yeah, Keon was my guy".)

 

[BillsShredder83]

1 hour ago, Dinoman said:

Both times he did, the D got better. Hard to complain about that.

No, its easy to complain about.  He hired piss poor coordinators, he was fully in control of that.  Him having to take on side missions away from HC'ing, to cover for someone else not pulling their own weight is bad.

 

Its one thing if he had said from day 1 or any other point 'i plan to call the plays', but he never did that.  When he took over play calling, its because things are not going to plan.  Hiring bums, and always within the org was ultimately what crushed him.  Nobody to blame but himself for that!

[HappyDays]

27 minutes ago, FireChans said:

McD got what he deserved and Beane didn’t is my take. And that is more of an injustice than them sniping at each other via their media mouthpieces

 

Oh well. I had come to believe that under McDermott there was no path to a Super Bowl. I have my concerns about Beane but there is a path with him in charge as long as Allen is here. I'm expecting the priorities of the organization to change drastically once we have our new coach.

[boyst]

4 minutes ago, TheFunPolice said:

 

wow, this is the first I've heard of this...

 

I also wonder how much "the players are ANGRY!" is really true overall. Sure there will be a few here and there, but that NFLPA survey rated the HC one of the lowest in the league, which was surprising and makes you wonder if things weren't as great behind the scenes as thought. 

The players are angry. I've only spoken to one. They're angry in a way that we would not understand. They liked Mcdermott as a man, as a leader, as a person. Their affinity, IMO, is derived by their appreciation of him being a nice man, a good colleague (because a coach is a colleague), and caring about each of them. 

 

We need a football coach and a manager of men for the business of football. Whether that was in Mcdermotts abilities or not we will never know but he certainly never reached that level.

 

I wish him all the success and it's rough to fire him after possibly his best year coaching. His team in 2017 had more talent on defense than our team does now and by standards was better IMO. 

[FireChans]

5 minutes ago, TheFunPolice said:

 

wow, this is the first I've heard of this...

 

I also wonder how much "the players are ANGRY!" is really true overall. Sure there will be a few here and there, but that NFLPA survey rated the HC one of the lowest in the league, which was surprising and makes you wonder if things weren't as great behind the scenes as thought. 

I think an added benefit of constantly bringing back old players is keeping support in the locker room. 
 

We kinda had a steady stream every season of guys in the locker room who loved McD. Micah notably was very vocal about supporting McD after the Dunne hit piece, and the next year is on the PS after basically medically retiring. How much of that was calculated is any guess 

[Warriorspikes51]

2 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

Oh well. I had come to believe that under McDermott there was no path to a Super Bowl. I have my concerns about Beane but there is a path with him in charge as long as Allen is here. I'm expecting the priorities of the organization to change drastically once we have our new coach.

 

I'll reserve judgment....but I'm not confident in that happening presently

[FireChans]

2 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

Oh well. I had come to believe that under McDermott there was no path to a Super Bowl. I have my concerns about Beane but there is a path with him in charge as long as Allen is here. I'm expecting the priorities of the organization to change drastically once we have our new coach.

We shall see. I reserve the right to clown you if the Bills go DE, S and RB in the first 3 rounds, Beane to say he wishes he could’ve found a WR but the value wasn’t there, and the Carolina infection to continue to fester.

[TheFunPolice]

4 minutes ago, boyst said:

The players are angry. I've only spoken to one. They're angry in a way that we would not understand. They liked Mcdermott as a man, as a leader, as a person. Their affinity, IMO, is derived by their appreciation of him being a nice man, a good colleague (because a coach is a colleague), and caring about each of them. 

 

We need a football coach and a manager of men for the business of football. Whether that was in Mcdermotts abilities or not we will never know but he certainly never reached that level.

 

I wish him all the success and it's rough to fire him after possibly his best year coaching. His team in 2017 had more talent on defense than our team does now and by standards was better IMO. 

 

I could see them being upset for McDermott the man but understanding that McDermott the coach didn't get it done. 

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

2 hours ago, streetkings01 said:

I’ll start by saying I agree with most people: if you fire one, they probably should’ve both been fired as a package deal. Where I’m conflicted is who deserves most of the blame. I lean toward McDermott, and here’s why.

 

Timeline matters:

 

2017: McDermott hires Rick Dennison as OC, then fires him after one season.

2018: McDermott hires Daboll and drafts Josh Allen. Early on, the offense clearly lacks weapons.

2019: Beane responds by signing John Brown and Cole Beasley, and drafting Ford, Singletary, and Knox. Beane openly acknowledges the need to surround Allen with talent—and he does.

2020: The team decides it still lacks a true WR1, trades for Diggs, and drafts Moss, Davis, and Bass. Allen takes a massive leap. The season ends with a loss to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship.

2021: Sanders is brought in as the WR2, Trubisky as the backup, Breida is added, and Spencer Brown is drafted. Reports of friction between McDermott and Daboll surface. Daboll leaves for the Giants job.

2022: Cook and Shakir are drafted, Crowder is signed.

2023: We draft Kincaid and Torrence. After a 5–5 start, McDermott fires Dorsey and promotes Joe Brady. The offense shifts to a more run-heavy approach, and Diggs’ and the receivers’ production dips.

2024–2025: The team leans fully into the “everyone eats” philosophy, doubles down on a run-heavy offense, drafts a big physical WR, and prioritizes a run-blocking TE.

 

 

That’s where my issue lies.

 

Looking at this timeline, it seems clear that Beane consistently acquired players based on how McDermott wanted the offense constructed. When McDermott wanted weapons, Beane went out and got them. When the philosophy shifted to a run-heavy approach, Beane adjusted and brought in players that fit that mold.

 

You can absolutely argue that Beane chose the wrong players—but it’s hard to argue that he didn’t choose the right type of players for what the head coach wanted to do.

 

To me, that’s where the real friction likely started. It feels like Beane saying: I gave you what you asked for—on offense and defense—and you didn’t maximize it.

 

And while the execution can be debated, the roster construction largely followed McDermott’s vision. That’s why, if blame has to be weighted, I think it tilts more toward McDermott than Beane.

Regardless, there’s something we don’t know because as fans, this whole thing seems completely ass backwards to me. Theres gotta be something behind closed doors. I hope so at least because i feel heartbroken especially for Allen. 

[HappyDays]

Just now, FireChans said:

We shall see. I reserve the right to clown you if the Bills go DE, S and RB in the first 3 rounds, Beane to say he wishes he could’ve found a WR but the value wasn’t there, and the Carolina infection to continue to fester.

 

I'll be shocked if we don't make a splash trade for a WR. Beane laid the foundation for that when he went on his little woe is me tour after the trade deadline. I think that would happen even if McDermott had been retained.

 

As long as they make that WR splash move, I don't mind if they go defense heavy in the draft. I hated that strategy while McDermott was here not because I think defense doesn't matter, but because I knew without a shadow of a doubt that all the defensive investments in the world wouldn't matter when McDermott's defense inevitably wilted in the playoffs. And hey what do you know, that's exactly what happened. Now that we will (hopefully) have better coaching and a defensive scheme more attuned to the modern NFL, I have no problem with them investing in the defense. Like last year I was maybe the only one on here that didn't want to trade for Myles Garrett. This offseason I'd be happy with it because I no longer think that a 40 PPG offense is the only path to a Super Bowl.

[FireChans]

Just now, HappyDays said:

 

I'll be shocked if we don't make a splash trade for a WR. Beane laid the foundation for that when he went on his little woe is me tour after the trade deadline. I think that would happen even if McDermott had been retained.

 

As long as they make that WR splash move, I don't mind if they go defense heavy in the draft. I hated that strategy while McDermott was here not because I think defense doesn't matter, but because I knew without a shadow of a doubt that all the defensive investments in the world wouldn't matter when McDermott's defense inevitably wilted in the playoffs. And hey what do you know, that's exactly what happened. Now that we will (hopefully) have better coaching and a defensive scheme more attuned to the modern NFL, I have no problem with them investing in the defense. Like last year I was maybe the only one on here that didn't want to trade for Myles Garrett. This offseason I'd be happy with it because I no longer think that a 40 PPG offense is the only path to a Super Bowl.

Sure a splash move at WR may happen (or maybe not?) but now we need our Jonathan Stewart to pair with our DeAngelo Williams. 
 

Another year and renewed faith that Beane is DEFINITELY gonna fix WR this time bro. Wake me when it happens. Beane probably still has faith in Coleman with McD out of the picture.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

Most posters here and people on the outsdie all felt the bigger issue was the roster, so blame Beane for that and fire him and keep McD.  But the one person who was in the draft room and likely was there when they decided who to go after as FA was Pegula, plus a couple others high ups.  That leads me more to believe Beane did get the players McD wanted for the most part and do think he may have been the bigger issue.  As yesterdays BN article alludes to McD wanted certain type of players, the captains, the leaders and viewed that more than playing abilities.

 

As for not getting along with Daboll I'll give him a pass on that one as based on reports from the Giants Daboll has some real issues.

[MikePJ76]

2 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

I'll be shocked if we don't make a splash trade for a WR. Beane laid the foundation for that when he went on his little woe is me tour after the trade deadline. I think that would happen even if McDermott had been retained.

 

As long as they make that WR splash move, I don't mind if they go defense heavy in the draft. I hated that strategy while McDermott was here not because I think defense doesn't matter, but because I knew without a shadow of a doubt that all the defensive investments in the world wouldn't matter when McDermott's defense inevitably wilted in the playoffs. And hey what do you know, that's exactly what happened. Now that we will (hopefully) have better coaching and a defensive scheme more attuned to the modern NFL, I have no problem with them investing in the defense. Like last year I was maybe the only one on here that didn't want to trade for Myles Garrett. This offseason I'd be happy with it because I no longer think that a 40 PPG offense is the only path to a Super Bowl.

thinking a step ahead here but if they hire Klint Kubiak, he has coached Shaheed and Aiyuk.

 

I think there is a chance if kubiak liked aiyuk he would take a 1 year prove it deal and they can simply just sign shaheed in free agency.

 

No trade needed. Kubiak has been around the nfl as an assistant I am confident he will have a type he likes at wr or former players he can bring in.

 

one former player who could maybe end up in the trade pool is Jerry Jeudy in cleveland...depending on who gets hired there.   Kubiak and Justin Outten coached jeudy in denver.  Maybe that is a 2nd round pick or something. 

[Bruffalo]

I'm pretty shocked how far the pendulum has swung towards support for McDermott, and I don't really get it.

 

I'm not a huge fan of keeping Beane around, and I didn't see it coming. That doesn't mean that McDermott wasn't holding the team back though, or that his scheme and philosophy wasn't completely antithetical to having a top 3 QB in the league. 

 

I'm not happy that Beane was retained, but I'm more willing to give him a shot with a different coach than I am to give McDermott another year with a different GM. 

[streetkings01]

I love Joe Marino’s podcast but I disagree with his take on the Bills Squad Podcast. (33:06)He made it seem like Beane was the one who decided to turn our offense into a run first offense?!?! “The Bills should not be the #1 run aggressive offense in the NFL when Josh Allen is your QB”……I’m confused how that falls on Beane when that’s what McDermott wanted the past 2.5 seasons? Josh Allen was a consistent 4000+ passing yard 30+ TD passing QB……since McDermott’s change of philosophy he hasn’t touched 4000 passing yards or 30 passing TDS!  
 

When McDermott wanted this offense to be explosive it was explosive, when he wanted it to be run heavy it was run heavy. If you really dig deep you can see where a large part of the issue falls on McDermott. He and Daboll had a fallout because (allegedly) because Daboll was too pass happy for McDermott. Dorsey was fired because the offense was too pass happy. Brady is promoted and now the offense is too run heavy. It worked most of the time, but this season showed you can’t be a championship caliber team being built primarily to run the football. This whole philosophy falls mainly at McDermotts feet…..this is what you wanted bruh!

[Jrb1979]

29 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

Oh well. I had come to believe that under McDermott there was no path to a Super Bowl. I have my concerns about Beane but there is a path with him in charge as long as Allen is here. I'm expecting the priorities of the organization to change drastically once we have our new coach.

I disagree. Yes McDermott is at fault but Beane is no better. They have little cap space to fix this roster quickly. I wouldn't be surprised when Beane is shown the door next season when they fail to get any farther then this season.