Pegula and Beane believes the roster wasn't the problem - Link

[MasterStrategist]

1 minute ago, GunnerBill said:

 

Oh his actions in season tell me here was a GM in panic because this spring bravado gave way to a fall realism. He wasn't willing to give a 2026 pick for Waddle but was happy to offer a 2027 pick because he was hedging that if he failed to upgrade this roster the 2027 pick might not be his problem to think about. 

Or Miami was going to balk at the 2026 1st rounder too.   

 

I forgot you were in these conversations between Grier and Beane.  Do tell more?

 

Nobody knows the extent of how much McD limited Beane with "demands", veto players, etc.  

 

We do know that a defensive head coach -  made horrible past hires as coordinators, rubbed coaches the wrong way, has struggled to get rookies actively contributing and most importantly --- drfense constantly being the reason we lose our last game each season.

[Low Positive]

3 minutes ago, GunnerBill said:

 

It's very clear there was a loss of faith and each blamed the other. I tend to think McDermott was more right than Brandon Beane. But the situation we have now with one side winning and the propaganda war raging is why I have always felt firing one and keeping the other was the least attractive solution. 

It looks like the status quo had become untenable, so someone had to go. As I said in another thread, they had to go this route due to timing. There is not enough time to hire a GM and to let him hire his coach this late in the cycle. And any GM worth hiring would demand hiring his own coach and a clear reporting line. As strange as it sounds, the Bills may have been better off missing the playoffs and cleaning house. But as of now, we had to keep Beane so that we can jump into the deep end of the coaching search pool right away.

[teef]

i'm starting to feel worse about this today than i did yesterday.

[BuffaloBillyG]

2 minutes ago, Rocbillsfan1 said:

The roster was 1000% good enough to win the Super Bowl. We played undisciplined against Denver and that’s on the coach. We should have won that game by 20 points. Sure there are some holes but there are holes on all the teams. Sounds like McDermott just wanted a built in excuse for not getting the job done after 7 terrible playoff loses. 
 

Ogunjobi jumps offside negativity a turnover resulting in 3 points. Josh Allen halftime turnover 3 points. Josh Allen skipping a pass to Shakir cost them 7. Josh Allen missing wide open Knox cost them 7. Josh big game hunting throwing an INT could have cost them 3. McDermott playing Savage for some bizarre reason cost them 7. 
 

we should have blown Denver out. They lost 2 of their WRs and were playing with an injured Surtan and we were running the ball all over them. 
 

cam Lewis played great. Bishop played great. Milano and Thompson were playing at a high level. Tre White and Benford have been very good. Like what else did people want? 

I think the undisciplined play in MANY games this year cost us. The presnap penalties. Guys lining up Offside. Just a lot of lack of attention to detail. Which is odd for a guy like Sean. 

[Augie]

4 minutes ago, alg said:

I read the same thing and come to the opposite conclusion.

The message coach sent out was, The team isn't good enough to win the Super Bowl.

That he was right is not the point. Meaning:

 

He was making excuses before he even lost in the playoffs. That's called CYA.

 

So, are you on record as being happy with our WR room? Was that a championship caliber group of talent? 

[NoSaint]

23 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

If this is true, I'm incredibly concerned.  The consensus by pretty much everyone is that the roster was not up to par this year and Josh was having to do too much.  If this meeting really happened and led to McD getting fired because Pegula believes Beane did enough, that I'm more worried than I was yesterday.  

 

If the people making the decisions and survived this exodus believe our issues were not roster related, I don't know how to trust any decisions they make going forward.  

I go back and forth. 
 

it was not a traditional Super Bowl roster. 
 

with 1-2 plays we might’ve won the Super Bowl.

[SectionC3]

2 minutes ago, Kirby Jackson said:

As far as I am concerned they are all wrong. The talent isn’t good enough and the coaching fell short. They should have cleaned house IMO but this was better than status quo. I think Beane has done a worse job than McDermott. At the same time, I do not believe that McDermott has the DNA to win a championship so I wanted someone else. 

 

The propaganda machine is working overtime. It’ll be ugly for a little while and then will get better. Clearly there was division between them as many had said prior. Get the right guy in here AND add a bunch of talent. You have all your picks and as much cap space as you’ve had in a while. You need to be aggressive on all fronts.

 

 

 

 

You and I are on the same page.  Talent in key spots could and should have been better.  Coaching should have adjusted a little better at key times.  I would have nuked them both if McD definitely had to go.  I do get keeping Beane through the draft, to a point, but I never would have promoted him and offered him that security.  

Edited January 20 by SectionC3

[MasterStrategist]

Just now, Einstein said:

This is genuinely scary.

 

Beane and Pegula thinking that a WR room that features Shakir as your #1 WR and waiver signing Brandon Cooks as your #2, is good enough for a Super Bowl… that is downright frightening.

 

Thinking that a backfield with Rapp or Poyer as your starting SS is good enough? Scary.

 

This is bad. 

Yep, reading comprehension is horrible here.

 

Please tell where Vic or Jeremy, says Beane and Pegula thought the roster was not the issue.

 

Thread title is super misleading

[RiotAct]

lulz.

[H2o]

The roster is definitely devoid of talent in certain areas. The WR room is W-E-A-K. We have been relying on a bunch of cast-offs and no names for basically this entire season. If we make the AFCCG then the band is all back together for 2026-2027, but we did not. We got robbed this weekend on what should have been a catch putting us easily into FG range. We had a lot of injuries, but we have been watching this same swirling of the toilet bowl since 13 seconds. Every year there is a failure. How many times has Josh left the field with a lead late in a game only to see a McDermott defense give up the ghost? Josh is not absolved of all guilt. He's made mistakes. Still, he has put us in position to win in all but two games really. If Sean has as much say on personnel as we are to believe, then much of this was his fault anyway. 

 

Again, there will be all kinds of stories that come out over the next two weeks trying to save face for all parties involved. None of us will ever really know the truth because we weren't a fly on the wall.  

[Billzgobowlin]

24 minutes ago, Virgil said:

 

If this is true, I'm incredibly concerned.  The consensus by pretty much everyone is that the roster was not up to par this year and Josh was having to do too much.  If this meeting really happened and led to McD getting fired because Pegula believes Beane did enough, that I'm more worried than I was yesterday.  

 

If the people making the decisions and survived this exodus believe our issues were not roster related, I don't know how to trust any decisions they make going forward.  

In all fairness if injuries weren't as bad as they were it was a pretty good roster.

[Dablitzkrieg]

The blatant attempted gaslighting is old and insulting.   Bills fans are a smart bunch.   We know BS when we see it

3 minutes ago, Billzgobowlin said:

In all fairness if injuries weren't as bad as they were it was a pretty good roster.

This is a joke right?  The WR corp alone should have Beane fired

[boater]

Oh sh--

 

The Bills are becoming the Sabres.

[cgang]

The roster sucked.  I look no further than the WR room to make that assessment.  And I don’t know jack s..t about football.  The

fact (if true) that Beane and Pegs would see different is just crazy to me.  
 

Von, Bosa, draft history, failure at WR, we can go on and on.  I just think we’ll see more of the same from Beane- he will always say that he had to pay Josh so there isn’t much for anyone else.  
 

My only hope is that a new coach comes in, gives a different take on scheme, tells Beane what he needs position wise on that different scheme, and Beane does better to find players to fit that scheme.  There is oppty to do they with players leaving the Bills for free agency. But past history suggests to me anyway that’s wishful thinking.

 

Mcdermott getting fired is ok with me and something I think needed to happen.  But come on if you think that Beane hasn’t contributed to Bills’ failures- what weapons did he give McD and Josh this year that panned out?  Bosa?  Palmer?  Dane Jackson?  And btw, if the meeting happened 5 weeks ago, I’m not sure Cooks was on the team then (so I guess, good job Beane?- lol).

[MasterStrategist]

@Virgil, your thread title is a complete crock of sh*t

 

Would love to have you point out to me, where in the "link" it says what you stated

[BillsPride12]

1 minute ago, boater said:

Oh sh--

 

The Bills are becoming the Sabres.

But are the Sabres becoming the Bills?

[Magox]

I enjoy the Tyler Dunne articles, primarily for his sources.

 

With that said, pretty much all his sources are pro Beane guys but lots of good quotes from people within the organization.

 

Long article but worth the read

 

https://www.golongtd.com/p/why-was-sean-mcdermott-fired

Quote

 

On Monday, Go Long chatted with sources with direct knowledge of this decision.

Here’s why the Bills finally moved on from McDermott.

Defensive playoff failures. The wide receiver position was a mess this season. There’s a legitimate debate to be had about the personnel on the current roster. But let’s also not lose the plot. This season was always going to be judged by how the defense performed in January. Even through a wacky 33-30 overtime loss to the Denver Broncos, Allen has been the best statistical playoff quarterback in the NFL since 2020. All while Buffalo’s defense has allowed 33.2 ppg in its last six playoff losses — unacceptable for a head coach whose expertise is defense. Thirteen Seconds broke the psychology of this team. A new coach with a new message is imperative.

“Grinding on people.” That’s how one team source put it. Scathing accounts from former coaches in our ‘23 series had a positive effect on McDermott. He made a point to loosen up, as if realizing players take on his personality. McDermott also made a conscious effort to broadcast his personality, right down to snow angels on live TV. But one high-ranking source put it this way: Too often, McDermott “resorted back to those ways when the pressure increased.” A decade’s worth of heartbreaking playoff losses is not the product of mere bad luck. Rather, the DNA of the team itself. Tight coaches create tight teams throughout the NFL.

Relationship with the GM. It obviously soured. Two people working together for a decade is a long time.

 

 

Quote

 

Yet, despite it all, Allen nearly made history. Into the weekend, road playoff teams were 1-85 with a turnover differential of minus-3 or worse. And a beaten, bruised, clearly injured Allen had Buffalo in position to be Team No. 2 with a 27-23 lead over the Denver Broncos. Defensive coaches live for this do-or-die play. McDermott’s defense had this Bo Nix-led operation dead to rights: third and 11 at the Denver 37 with 2:38 to go. Buffalo showed blitz. Seven defenders crowded the line of scrimmage and — for a moment — you couldn’t help but wonder if a coach who’s made a habit of shrinking in the big moment would finally go for broke.

And… he backed off. Three of those seven dropped into coverage.

Nix delivered a 25-yarder to Courtland Sutton in the hole.

“You need one ***** stop,” says one team source on the third and 11. “Here it is, defensive coach. Get the ***** stop.”

Four snaps later, McDermott failed to learn a valuable in-game lesson. Earlier, the Broncos noticed that safety Cam Lewis departed with an injury and smelled blood. Head coach Sean Payton had Nix attack his replacement (Darnell Savage) on a 29-yard TD. When cornerback Tre’Davious White left this pivotal 2-minute drive, the Bills coach failed to give his replacement (Dane Jackson) any help. Straight off the sideline, ice cold, Jackson was left alone on an island. Nix connected with Marvin Mims for a 26-yard TD.

 

Quote

 

NFL history is rife with gutting playoff losses that linger. The “Legion of Boom” Seahawks never forgave Pete Carroll for throwing the ball at the 1-yard line. The Atlanta Falcons were doomed after “28-3.”

Four years later, several players and coaches alike still have not gotten over this loss. Diggs never let it go, and he wasn’t alone. The universal belief is that the Bills would’ve hoisted the Lombardi Trophy in Los Angeles.

“You’re not going to get rid of that cloud — the weight of that,” said one team source. “You’re not getting over that until he’s gone. Every failure is just magnified. ‘*****, we blew it when we should have won that game. That was our year.’ Make a blunder that big and you’re messing with guys’ careers. Any mistake from that point on? How do you look at him and have confidence? You end up losing all these close games and the same guy is in control.”

 

 

Quote

 

The GM went all-in on defense considering defense has been the problem. Agree? Disagree? To Beane, that was the best way to help Allen. As a result, the wide receiver room ranked amongst the NFL’s worst. There’s no sugarcoating the GM’s season-long scrambling at the position. But as we analyzed, personnel men across the league still believed this roster had enough ammo to reach the Super Bowl. Allen was the reigning MVP. James Cook led the NFL in rushing. The offensive line was a top 5 unit. In a weakened AFC field, Buffalo could not get it done. After trying to win with a spread offense that attacked teams through the air, Beane tried to evolve this offense into a unit that wins with more balance.

It’s Year 9. The Bills (again) have the talent to reach the Super Bowl, but will they?

 

Rather than pin the blame on the GM, the owner decided his defensive coach should’ve been able to beat a second-year quarterback who finished 29th in passer rating. Regardless of other circumstances.

 

Quote

 

In Beane’s mind, defense was the issue, so he aggressively acquired defensive players in the spring. Was the problem personnel? Coaching? Injuries? In truth, it’s likely a combination of all three.

Multiple sources believe the relationship started to fray with that ’21 playoff loss in KC.

Their personalities are very different, too.

“Sean is a good coach,” says one source in personnel. “He works his ass off. But he doesn’t always handle conflict well or tough situations.”

McDermott, for example, would get upset with coaches for wanting a raise when he wants more money himself. Everyone should. There was also the time he was pissed Bills receivers chipped in to buy their position coach, Chad Hall, a new truck. When such stories went public in our series, co-workers say McDermott tried to conduct himself with more empathy. One source believes the series “woke him up a little bit.”

 

Quote

 

“His intensity wears on everyone in the building,” says one team source, who was pro-McDermott for years.

“I mean, he tries to change. But once you’ve established who you are, come on. Maybe he can ... ‘Oh, I’ll do dad jokes with the guys,’ and ‘Hey, you can wear comfortable clothes on the plane.’ All that stuff is a good change, but day-to-day with staff interactions? He is who he is. That wears on people.”

The head coaches who last in one location for an extended period of time bring a distinct personality to the job. Andy Reid is an old-school coach who still makes his players hit each other in pads. But he has also developed a natural way of keeping things light. McDermott tried. McDermott is also a “Type A wrestler” to his core.

“Intensity is good, but it grinds people,” this team source continues. “The NFL never stops. So to have that year ‘round? That presence? When you’re the head coach — when you walk into a room — everybody’s feeling what you’re feeling. You set the mood. How often can you keep being that guy and dealing with the same messaging, but you keep getting the same results? Which are not what you wanted. So how many more times can I hear: ‘Yeah, do it this way, do it this way.’ And I get the same ***** results. And some of the time, you’re the one that made the bad decision. You’re the one that used that timeout. You’re the one that didn’t know enough to squib it.

“Even when Sean’s being positive, there’s a sense of being on eggshells.”

One fact is worth repeating: Many players loved this head coach. There’s a reason several veterans returned to frigid Orchard Park, NY. There’s a reason so many rushed to the coach’s defense when news of the firing went viral. Under McDermott, the Bills often played like a wrestler on that mat. They refused to quit. Even this past season, the Bills overcame a 15-point deficit vs. Baltimore with four minutes left, stunned Cincinnati with an 8.4 percent chance at the time of Mike Gesicki’s late TD and erased a 21-0 deficit to win at New England.

 

Quote

Several times, he referenced the end of the drought. He made it clear the Bills didn’t win much at all before his arrival. “Look,” McDermott added, “Josh has been a big part of that. There’s more to it than just Josh, though.” As if catching himself, he later said he’s not slighting Allen.

The starting quarterback in Buffalo is the employee of the month… every month. He’ll never say a bad word about anyone. When Allen built a house in WNY, one source remembered a livid McDermott in a staff meeting saying, “Tell Josh to stop worrying about that ***** house! We’ve got the season coming up.” The two were not nearly as close as Allen was with OC Brian Daboll. Words in private and public never fazed Allen. He always backed his boss. If anything, the two grew closer. In an excellent profile, Dan Pompei noted that Allen stops by McDermott’s house for dinner. The coach even attended the QB’s wedding with actress Hailee Steinfeld.

Players and coaches alike often point out that the head coach rarely praised Allen publicly, up to his MVP season in 2024. Their point: McDermott, for too long, believed the team ran through McDermott. Not the QB.

“I think he changed,” one source says, “because he finally saw the writing on the wall.”

 

 

[Einstein]

22 minutes ago, BuffaloRebound said:

Or they weren’t pleased because this is the roster Mcdermott asked for.  

 

People keep saying this but it doesn’t fit with what we saw transpire this season. It’s almost like people are grasping at straws to fill a square narrative into a round hole.

 

Does this sound like a coach who controlled the roster to anyone?

 

[Ayjent]

Who knows but big baller Beane has the opportunity to show he knows best or fall flat on his face.  I'd say those chances are 10/90 but I hope I'm wrong.  The guy has made plenty of enemies with all of this and looks like a guy that is either going to prove it or be the proud owner of a sh!t sammy.

[gonzo1105]

Boy it’s no wonder people believe everything they read. How do we know this isn’t propaganda from the McDermott side? Maybe Vic has a better relationship with him than Beane. 
 

I think of a couple of things that also stand out that are big influences around McDermott and his tightening of players and restrictions. Most of it surrounding Tremaine Edmunds. Edmunds is a scouts dream. I fully believe Beane made that selection, it’s someone a coach would dream of 6’4 240 can run like a man 210 pounds. 
 

The year before Beane , McDermott selected Matt Milano who was give or take 6’1 220 pounds. Milano outplayed Edmunds in their time together but Edmunds was still 21(yes the jokes) and Milano was already 27 

 

If you recall both Edmunds  and Milano were free agents at the same time. At the time, media was reporting  that Milano was going to be cut loose and the Bills were going to build their future LB corps around Edmunds who they were trying to re-sign. Then seemingly out of left field it was announced that Milano had signed a lucrative extension and that Edmunds would explore Free Agency. 
 

Could this be coincidence absolutely. Maybe the price tag for Edmunds was too much etc. I can believe all of this. 
 

Then Edmunds replacement came in the the form of Terell Bernard. This is where I get skeptical. So 4 years before that you drafted a 6’4 240 pound LB who could run like a Gazelle and admittedly wasn’t great and you replace him with a 6’0 215 MLB. That to me makes no sense. Edmunds strikes me as a scouts pick, Bernard strikes me as a coaches pick. That situation reeks of McDermott to me