Tale of Two Halves

[NoSaint]

First half -11

second half +127

 

When reflecting on 2025…. This is the story, right?
 

Sure some wild plays, boom and bust players… but a team that came out flat far too often but pressed against the wall could more often than not scrap their way out…. Just not sustainable week in and week out. 
 

Against the broncos -10 in the first half. 

Poor prep during the week with good half time adjustments? 
 

Simply a failed team saved by super man putting on his cape in the locker room? 

How many weeks did McD steal play calling at the half? 

[BuffaloBillsGospel2014]

I'm only looking ahead from here on out. 

[Livinginthepast]

Way too many times with McD we came out flat in games. Way too many games we looked completely unprepared for the opposition. Way too many times young Qbs looked totally at ease with the simple defensive schemes we presented. The Broncos game once again made us look like we had not done our homework.

[NoSaint]

20 minutes ago, Livinginthepast said:

Way too many times with McD we came out flat in games. Way too many games we looked completely unprepared for the opposition. Way too many times young Qbs looked totally at ease with the simple defensive schemes we presented. The Broncos game once again made us look like we had not done our homework.

I got curious-

 

first half points scored 10th, points against 23rd…. 
 

second half points scored 1st, points against 5th

 

so above average offense and below average defense early. Best offense in the league and high quality defense late.

 

i think a touch of super man from Josh helping the shift but…. The defensive shift being more noteworthy. 
 

did they out work us during the week to win scripted series? Did McDermott take play calling or push adjustments on babich at the half that he struggled to make in the first? 
 

I’ll cop to being loud about the WRs for a long time now but in the fight for what went wrong I’ll admit it’s hard to point at first half defense being an outlier as anything but a coaching issue.
 

If someone wants to show me up with special teams, or points on turnover or average field position or that we kicked 17 times and had a huge tilt in drive count actually causing it I’m eager to deep dive but on the surface there are some obvious questions about everything being top ten except first half defense in the 20s

Edited January 24 by NoSaint

[colin]

1 minute ago, NoSaint said:

I got curious-

 

first half points scored 10th, points against 23rd…. 
 

second half points scored 1st, points against 5th

 

so above average offense and below average defense early. Best offense in the league and high quality defense late.

 

i think a touch of super man from Josh helping but…. The defensive shift being more noteworthy. 
 

did they out work us during the week to win scripted series? Did McDermott take play calling or push adjustments on babich at the half that he struggled to make in the first? 
 

I’ll cop to being loud about the WRs for a long time now but in the fight for what went wrong I’ll admit it’s hard to point at first half defense being an outlier as a roster issue and not a coaching issue.
 

If someone wants to show me up with special teams, or points on turnover or average field position or that we kicked 17 times and had a huge tilt in drive count actually causing it I’m eager to deep dive but on the surface there are some obvious questions about everything being top ten except first half defense in the 20s

I've heard and read it said a few times "the first quarter tells you who won the coaching battle".

 

Does anyone remember the old hill walsh 15 scripted plays thing back in the day?  He won chips (3, 4?) by getting an advantage early and using information to gained then to take advantage later on in the match.

 

I think MCD taking over the d helped in a few games late -- the knock there why the hell wasn't he doing it all game?

 

Another data point is we were at or near the best in the NFL in scoring on opening drives -- the on coaching was our best coaching.

 

I think the read through is our coaching set us up to suck bad early, and eventually talent won out and we came back and often won games.  On O josh and go let it rip, and on d guys thought a lot less and just played.

[DapperCam]

55 minutes ago, NoSaint said:

First half -11

second half +127

 

When reflecting on 2025…. This is the story, right?
 

Sure some wild plays, boom and bust players… but a team that came out flat far too often but pressed against the wall could more often than not scrap their way out…. Just not sustainable week in and week out. 
 

Against the broncos -10 in the first half. 

Poor prep during the week with good half time adjustments? 
 

Simply a failed team saved by super man putting on his cape in the locker room? 

How many weeks did McD steal play calling at the half? 

This is a Joe Brady stat to me. In the first half we’re on his script. Once it’s clear it isn’t working they give Allen the green light to air it out and improvise in the second half.

 

Crazy thing is that strategy really only didn’t work 3 times: Atlanta, Miami and Broncos.

[boyst]

Now that the dust has settled a lot of things are finally being exposed to the light. This is a big factor for why it's time to move on. The same defense that was effective to shut down guys like Lawrence or Young was something other teams could scheme and defeat. Watching Mills use good play calling paired with chipping yards each playnwas a great example.

 

Atlanta was a good game where the defense just didn't work. The offense was a mess. I'm wondering if something happened before that game or during that game.

 

The Broncos loss at home as the big upset was just after the secret player only meeting where they decided they wanted Dorsey fired. The leaders went to Mcdermott and he said no. It was Murray, the RB who led this meeting and the entire offense met together.

 

By that point few were in the locker room that existed in San Diego for the Peterman game. Dennison was the OC and he and McD together insisted Peterman start over Taylor. Peterman threw a ton of INTs and at halftime the players were told he would start the second half. Players were texting their family they were dumbfounded, upset, confused, pissed.  Players came out to the HC and OC decision to watch Peterman throw a pick on his very first pass on offense. The entire team was done. 

 

So, did something like that happen this year and we don't know?

[NoSaint]

2 minutes ago, DapperCam said:

This is a Joe Brady stat to me. In the first half we’re on his script. Once it’s clear it isn’t working they give Allen the green light to air it out and improvise in the second half.

 

Crazy thing is that strategy really only didn’t work 3 times: Atlanta, Miami and Broncos.

we were still top 10 points scored in the first half 

 

while the defense was bottom 10 in points allowed

 

 

[colin]

7 minutes ago, boyst said:

Now that the dust has settled a lot of things are finally being exposed to the light. This is a big factor for why it's time to move on. The same defense that was effective to shut down guys like Lawrence or Young was something other teams could scheme and defeat. Watching Mills use good play calling paired with chipping yards each playnwas a great example.

 

Atlanta was a good game where the defense just didn't work. The offense was a mess. I'm wondering if something happened before that game or during that game.

 

The Broncos loss at home as the big upset was just after the secret player only meeting where they decided they wanted Dorsey fired. The leaders went to Mcdermott and he said no. It was Murray, the RB who led this meeting and the entire offense met together.

 

By that point few were in the locker room that existed in San Diego for the Peterman game. Dennison was the OC and he and McD together insisted Peterman start over Taylor. Peterman threw a ton of INTs and at halftime the players were told he would start the second half. Players were texting their family they were dumbfounded, upset, confused, pissed.  Players came out to the HC and OC decision to watch Peterman throw a pick on his very first pass on offense. The entire team was done. 

 

So, did something like that happen this year and we don't know?

 

These stories, and the 13 second one, and the stuff sitch makes me wonder if MCD really had the cultural leadership of men thing people talk about.  Giving in to multiple player mutinies and shipping off the talented loud mouth (adding a 32mm cap hit to do so) instead of getting production out of him doesn't strike me as a better leader than say McDaniels.

[Ecmic82]

Excluding both Jets games and the Panthers game, the Bills played with a two-score lead for a season TOTAL of 72 minutes, give-or-take my quick math.

 

72 total minutes over 14 games. 5 minutes per game on average. That is unacceptable, regardless of who shoulders the blame. 

[Westside Madness]

It make me think of NE during their reign where I referred to them as Borg for the Trek fans. No matter what you did in the first half, they somehow would come out and wreck your team in the second half. The Bills this season def had that energy.

 

Doing almost nothing in the first 30 min of games is counter intuitive...

[dreadlox]

29 minutes ago, DapperCam said:

This is a Joe Brady stat to me. In the first half we’re on his script. Once it’s clear it isn’t working they give Allen the green light to air it out and improvise in the second half.

 

Crazy thing is that strategy really only didn’t work 3 times: Atlanta, Miami and Broncos.

According to teamrankings.com, the Bills were 10th in 1st quarter scoring 5.0 ppg. 2nd quarter they were 18th at 7.1 ppg. 3rd quarter they rose to 2nd scoring 6.8 ppg and in the 4th 2nd again with 9.4 ppg.

 

The defense was 18th in the 1st with 4.5 ppg. 26th in the 2nd with 8.6 ppg. Ranked 1st in the 3rd quarter with just 2.6 ppg. In the 4th they were 17th with 6.4 ppg.

 

Other stats I checked out were scoring offense and defense. O finished 3rd at 28.3 ppg. D was 12th with 22.2 ppg.

The team was 12th in penalties with 5.9 per game.

And holy hell they were 30th on D in yds per rush at 5.1. I knew it was bad but 5.1 yards per rush given up. Only Cincy and the giants were worse.

 

Anyways after scoring first drive TDs in their first four games the Bill’s offense wasn’t exactly great in the first half, but the defense performed much worse. If you look at the disparity between the two units in the 4th quarter that is pretty damning evidence against McDermott’s defensive scheme during crunch time. 

[Arkady Renko]

1 hour ago, boyst said:

Now that the dust has settled a lot of things are finally being exposed to the light. This is a big factor for why it's time to move on. The same defense that was effective to shut down guys like Lawrence or Young was something other teams could scheme and defeat. Watching Mills use good play calling paired with chipping yards each playnwas a great example.

 

Atlanta was a good game where the defense just didn't work. The offense was a mess. I'm wondering if something happened before that game or during that game.

 

The Broncos loss at home as the big upset was just after the secret player only meeting where they decided they wanted Dorsey fired. The leaders went to Mcdermott and he said no. It was Murray, the RB who led this meeting and the entire offense met together.

 

By that point few were in the locker room that existed in San Diego for the Peterman game. Dennison was the OC and he and McD together insisted Peterman start over Taylor. Peterman threw a ton of INTs and at halftime the players were told he would start the second half. Players were texting their family they were dumbfounded, upset, confused, pissed.  Players came out to the HC and OC decision to watch Peterman throw a pick on his very first pass on offense. The entire team was done. 

 

So, did something like that happen this year and we don't know?

Can you elaborate about this Dorsey mutiny? This is the first I’ve seen this claim.  Hard for me to believe given that the offense wasn’t horrid by any stretch and had some impressive moments like that Dolphins blowout. 

[boyst]

8 hours ago, Arkady Renko said:

Can you elaborate about this Dorsey mutiny? This is the first I’ve seen this claim.  Hard for me to believe given that the offense wasn’t horrid by any stretch and had some impressive moments like that Dolphins blowout. 

That's about all their is to it. Demarco Murray helped orchestrate a offense team meeting because many were talking about being unhappy. They voted to list Dorsey. Went to mcd about it. He didn't want to make the move. Players played mnf against the broncos and just didn't give a hoot

[Maybe Someday]

43 minutes ago, boyst said:

That's about all there is to it. Demarco Murray helped orchestrate an offense team meeting because many were talking about being unhappy. They voted to list Dorsey. Went to mcd about it. He didn't want to make the move. Players played mnf against the broncos and just didn't give a hoot

Interesting story. I’m assuming you mean Latavius Murray tho? Demarco never played for buffalo. 

[Livinginthepast]

11 hours ago, boyst said:

Now that the dust has settled a lot of things are finally being exposed to the light. This is a big factor for why it's time to move on. The same defense that was effective to shut down guys like Lawrence or Young was something other teams could scheme and defeat. Watching Mills use good play calling paired with chipping yards each playnwas a great example.

 

Atlanta was a good game where the defense just didn't work. The offense was a mess. I'm wondering if something happened before that game or during that game.

 

The Broncos loss at home as the big upset was just after the secret player only meeting where they decided they wanted Dorsey fired. The leaders went to Mcdermott and he said no. It was Murray, the RB who led this meeting and the entire offense met together.

 

By that point few were in the locker room that existed in San Diego for the Peterman game. Dennison was the OC and he and McD together insisted Peterman start over Taylor. Peterman threw a ton of INTs and at halftime the players were told he would start the second half. Players were texting their family they were dumbfounded, upset, confused, pissed.  Players came out to the HC and OC decision to watch Peterman throw a pick on his very first pass on offense. The entire team was done. 

 

So, did something like that happen this year and we don't know?

Funny in the course of this week of post mortem on the McD tenure I had totally forgotten about the Peterman 5 INT game. I'm not sure how! But I posted in here right after that game that I had serious questions about McD's decision making. I guess the subsequent success must have glossed over that clinic in idiotic coaching decisions. Putting a player into that game who obviously wasnt up to the job (because he was a nice kid of faith) was dumb, sticking with him after 3 INTs was dumb but bringing him out after halftime was insanely dumb and TBH cruel to Peterman. The Bills eventually made the playoffs by a stroke of luck by Andy Dalton, but that loss to the Chargers and the unnecessary disrespect to Tyrod was massive.  I guess my faith in McD improved after that debacle but in retrospect the teams prospects improved with Daboll's tutelage of Allen and the addition of good solid players on offense. So the positive overview that McD was responsible was a mirage. The more I think about the really great victories of the McD era, I start to realize that the majority were due to the Allen and to some great game planning by Daboll. The thanksgiving victory over Dallas, the Pats playoff destruction etc. Take Josh out of the equation and Daboll to a lesser extent and what is McD's record??

Edited January 24 by Livinginthepast

[The Firebaugh Kid]

It’s like we know what’s going to work but we refuse to try that from the beginning. What an odd strategy. 

[boyst]

48 minutes ago, Maybe Someday said:

Interesting story. I’m assuming you mean Latavius Murray tho? Demarco never played for buffalo. 

I'm old and my brain pills don't work right. Latavius, yes. 

[US Egg]

13 hours ago, NoSaint said:

Simply a failed team saved by super man putting on his cape in the locker room? 

There’s a phone booth in the locker room? 

[Simon]

13 hours ago, NoSaint said:

First half -11

second half +127

 

When reflecting on 2025…. This is the story, right?
 

Sure some wild plays, boom and bust players… but a team that came out flat far too often but pressed against the wall could more often than not scrap their way out…. Just not sustainable week in and week out. 
 

Against the broncos -10 in the first half. 

Poor prep during the week with good half time adjustments? 
 

Simply a failed team saved by super man putting on his cape in the locker room? 

How many weeks did McD steal play calling at the half? 

 

It was so regular and so stark throughout the course of the season that the little conspiracy theorist in my head wanted to convince me that it was by design. As if they wanted to save their best stuff for the second half so that opponents didn't have that halftime break to reassess and talk it over and would only be able to deal with it on the fly. But that's clearly too stupid to consider seriously.

I've been harping on this staff about being slow to adjust and stubborn about sticking to their gameplan and I'd guess that refusal (or inability) to make changes in real time, combined with being a veteran team that tends to go through some motions until they sense they're in danger, with maybe a pinch of we don't need to put everything on film hubris were the primary ingredients in that recipe.

Or maybe their shaman was up all night playing video games with Keon and and the native folks buried under the stadium were free to play havoc with the team until he could get out of bed and bring the cowrie shells to work.

Who knows? After 40 years of "what the hell is going on out there", I've pretty much just thrown my hands in the air and accepted the inevitable peculiarity.