Many around Buffalo are holding Coach McDermott on a pedestal as the coach who ended the 17 year drought. Yes he deserves some credit (as does Andy dalton and Adam Vinitieri). The question I pose is whether he is what the Bills really need.
“Trust the Process” has been the mantra of the team since he took over the reigns as the head of Bills football. Remember, he was the guy who hired his boss and general manager Beane. That in and of itself says tons about the status of this organization. Last year McDermott hired an offensive coordinator who, rather than using his quarterback’s strengths, decided to implement an offense that not only didn’t play to those strengths but actually did the opposite. After a year when the offense floundered he fired him.
McDermott also sent his All-Pro defensive tackle packing for a sixth round pick at a time when his defense had one of the best records in the league against the run. Remember what happened the next three games?
Same guy benched his starting QB for a rookie who’d never started a game smack dab in the middle of a playoff push. Remember how well those 5 interceptions were viewed?
So what has happened since 2018 which makes me write this blog you might ask? Well, first off we traded a bunch of picks to get a prospective franchise QB. We then traded a few more picks to get a prospective stud MIddle Linebacker. Prior to that, however, we had traded Cordy Glenn and had Incognito and Wood retire. That’s 3 of your five starting offensive linemen from the previous year. What did McDermott do to rectify this situation? He used a fifth round pick to select a guy that has shown nothing so far this preseason.
Fast forward to yesterday’s game v the Bengals. Many of us were looking forward to seeing what our Franchise QB could do working with the 1st team. What happened, however, was that McDermott’s neglect in even attempting to rebuild the O Line was exposed terribly. Five sacks. No run game. 34 yards passing on 12 attempts. No first downs. It was an absolutely abysmal showing by an overmatched and talentless offensive line. They were brutal.
In addition to not adding to the offensive line, McDermott still has not addressed the fact that the Bills group of Wide Receivers May be the least talented group in the NFL.
My problem and concern with McDermott is that he’s a dinosaur. It’s all about process and trust and attitudes. It doesn’t seem like he’s got a clue about what football have evolved into in the past ten years. Running to set up the pass has been a joke since Marc Levy. The game has changed. Like hockey, the game is about speed and talent. Rules have been changed specifically to help offenses score points. Our offense, in the McDermott era, has looked like the Green Bay Packers of the 1960s.
In addition, it is clear that McDermott, as a former defensive coordinator, really doesn’t get what’s needed to have a good offense. Defense no longer wins games. Teams are putting 30-40 points a game regularly today. Offense wins football games. Look at last year’s Super Bowl for God’s sake. Brady threw for 500+ yards and lost. A journeyman QB won. How? He never got touched by the Pat’s defense. That’s what the game has become. If you give your QB time to throw you will win even with a marginal QB. What has McDermott done to help his new young Franchise QB? Not a fricking thing. No help on line and no help at WR.
I sincerely hope I’m wrong here but I just can’t stop believing that McDermott is a dinosaur who hasn’t a clue about offensive football in the 21st century.