Maybe It's Good the Players Are Not Happy

[The Firebaugh Kid]

That mid season lull/slump you're referring to costs us the #1 seed EVERY YEAR. 

That is the one thing this team STILL hasn't accomplished (#1 seed). 

Imagine two home games and poof....you're in the show. 

SO much easier. 

1 hour ago, Captain Murica said:

Some posted stuff on their IG stories. Als had Joe Marino on his podcast stating Josh Allen wasn’t happy with the McD firing. Which I get from a human standpoint, but there is no way Josh is not partly thinking maybe they’ll get a defense that shows up in the playoffs. 

Taron Johnson, Jordan Phillips were the ones I saw. Others have just shared their end of season photo dumps and not mentioned it.

But they're young players with much to lose. It's been vets primarily. 

[twoandfourteen]

22 hours ago, NewEra said:

 

Nobody can conclude that McDermott would or wouldn’t have won a Super Bowl with McDermott.  You can pretend all you want. The only people that think they can conclude that are people like you.  People who think they are smarter than they are.

 

 

 

McDermott had eight years with Josh Allen. No coach/QB combination has ever won their first Super Bowl past five years. 

 

While we can’t say with 100% certainty that it wouldn’t ever happen, history dictates that the door was just about closed. 

 

You are clearly coming from an emotional place, not a rational one. 

[mjt328]

34 minutes ago, The Firebaugh Kid said:

Taron Johnson, Jordan Phillips were the ones I saw. Others have just shared their end of season photo dumps and not mentioned it.

But they're young players with much to lose. It's been vets primarily. 

 

Taron Johnson is one of the first guys out the door with a scheme change.  

Jordan Phillips was one of those vets who we always brought in only because of familiarity, and not because of recent production.

 

I would fully expect longtime vets to be upset with the firing, and would be surprised otherwise.

 

Even players who probably know inside that it's probably the right move are still going to feel bad.

 

[NewEra]

On 1/20/2026 at 7:13 AM, NewEra said:

Ironic that in McDermotts final game-the player that may have saved his job over the last 6 years under threw multiple important passes and had 4 turnovers that directly led to the loss.  2 of the under throws were interceptions (yes, the cooks interception was underthrown and a better pass = game over).  

funny how the world works.  Especially the world of the Buffalo Bills.  

 

This post is what our discussion was based on.  

1 hour ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

you can never really make an argument beyond the above.  millimeters deep...

 

Bills ownership confirmed what many of us already suspected--McD was never going to get this QB and this team to the SB.  You still struggle with this, as you always do with the obvious.  

 

McD was fired.  It wasn't because the reigning MVP was careless with the ball.

it’s ironic that the guy that has saved McDs job over the years had 4 turnovers in his final game.   Which turned into McDs decision at the end of the half and placed 💯 of the blame of that play on McD and none on Allen..  “The best players fumble and throw ints…”. lol.  The best players also understand when they should and shouldn’t be careless with the ball.  He made a mistake. McDermott trusted that he wouldn’t be so careless with the call and in hindsight, made a mistake in trusting him to do so. As stated, we don’t even know what their plan was on that play.   
 

There’s no reason to take any discussion with you more than a millimeter deep. I value my time and you will inevitably change the context of every discussion and we’ll talk in circles.  On top of that, I don’t really care how you feel about this.  You hate McD and will speak to whatever serves your agenda.  Looks like your theory that Mcds plan of hiring Babich as shield was a big mistake. 
 

that said-  I’m ok with the firing- it’s a results business.  He didn’t have the results. We’ve said our peace and feel as we do.  Ain’t no changing that.  Let’s hope that we get the hire right 

[quincy]

The players should be unhappy. Their performance this year and since 2020 as a whole has not been good enough. We have underachieved this decade thus far, we should not be satisfied with either losing in the Divisional round or the AFC championship game – losing to Burrow, Mahomes or Jackson is one thing, we could not stop Bo Nix! As others have said that critical 3rd and 11 play – was anyone honestly surprised that Denver converted that down with supreme ease – Sutton was the widest of wide open having a defensively minded head coach offering up an uncontested layup. The players are sitting at home now when they should be preparing for the AFCCG.

 

There are so many things to this game that can be scrutinized. We could not sack Bo Nix, he had 46 passing attempts. We gave up a 7 yard TD to an unknown eligible OT! Ray Davis had zero rushes, why?! Next man up didn’t seem to work for us this time. We seemed to go into this game with one functioning outside WR in Cooks – the other 3 had one catch each and two of those were touchdowns. Next year we cannot overuse Shakir and Kincaid. Find RB2 if we need Davis as KR.

 

Nobody has a crystal ball, it is true the referees took away a legitimate catch and the potential to advance. We might have played Houston the following week, we might have faced NE. We might have been whooped or we might have smacked them out of sight, we will never know, we might have even missed the go ahead chip shot field goal for all we know.

 

It is gut wrenching that our two best players had huge individual mistakes, they did redeem themselves enough to win the game. James Cook got smoked, I would say Singleton’s hit would be a fumble at least eight out of ten times and Josh Allen left the field in the 4th quarter up by 4 and then got us within FG range to tie.

 

No doubt we have been unlucky, star crossed, whatever, we have got to wish that the new start can rekindle the flame to be stronger and burn brighter than ever before. The players cannot be sad or angry for McDermott, there is nobody I think that can say that he hasn’t had a fair chance to get the job done.

[NewEra]

1 hour ago, twoandfourteen said:

 

McDermott had eight years with Josh Allen. No coach/QB combination has ever won their first Super Bowl past five years. 

 

While we can’t say with 100% certainty that it wouldn’t ever happen, history dictates that the door was just about closed. 

 

You are clearly coming from an emotional place, not a rational one. 

I’m fine with the firing of McD.  
 

I don’t believe that history decides the future in every aspect of football.  

[Mr. WEO]

33 minutes ago, NewEra said:

This post is what our discussion was based on.  

it’s ironic that the guy that has saved McDs job over the years had 4 turnovers in his final game.   Which turned into McDs decision at the end of the half and placed 💯 of the blame of that play on McD and none on Allen..  “The best players fumble and throw ints…”. lol.  The best players also understand when they should and shouldn’t be careless with the ball.  He made a mistake. McDermott trusted that he wouldn’t be so careless with the call and in hindsight, made a mistake in trusting him to do so. As stated, we don’t even know what their plan was on that play.   
 

There’s no reason to take any discussion with you more than a millimeter deep. I value my time and you will inevitably change the context of every discussion and we’ll talk in circles.  On top of that, I don’t really care how you feel about this.  You hate McD and will speak to whatever serves your agenda.  Looks like your theory that Mcds plan of hiring Babich as shield was a big mistake. 
 

that said-  I’m ok with the firing- it’s a results business.  He didn’t have the results. We’ve said our peace and feel as we do.  Ain’t no changing that.  Let’s hope that we get the hire right 

 

you don't understand the concept of situational risk, I get that.  I laid out the situation prior to that decision for you--but I'll help you even more:  the Bills had already turned the ball over leading to a TD in that same Quarter.  PLUS--Josh Allen has now fumbled the ball 15 times in the playoffs.  How is this a hard decision for you??

 

I don't anywhere absolve Josh for that fumble.  He simply shouldn't have had the opportunity to do so. The situation didn't require it.  Take the knee, outplay them in the second half---which, predictably, they did. But to you this screamed "we have to take this shot!!" 

 

You left only with "stupid Josh Allen shouldn't have fumbled".  Solid!

 

As for Babich, clearly McD didn't have the opportunity to toss him under the bus.