Alright, welcome back to the Buffalo Bread podcast.
We are here in week 13.
The Buffalo Bills are on a bop.
This week has been again somewhat newsworthy.
It seems like the hits just keep on coming.
They lost in an absolute crusher to the Philadelphia Eagles in overtime and dropped to 6-6 on
the season.
The Football Power Index still has them like third best in the league, but they're the
only team at 500 that's outside of like 15th in the league.
So it's kind of crazy that they have such a poor record but are still considered metrics
wise, measurements wise, and even in some cases eyeballs wise, one of the best teams
in the league.
They of course lost to the Philadelphia Eagles who improved to 10-1 on the season.
And it was a lot of things.
I think that probably Mosta Bills Mafia is really mad at Sean McDermott again.
Mosta Bills Mafia is super jacked to see Josh Allen back to his passionate kind of murderers
row when it's dark and bleak.
You want that guy in your corner mode because he was crushing it.
Probably the best player in the NFL on the field for that week.
And we really like to see that.
How are you feeling about this, Dan?
And where do we want to go with a podcast in the by?
I'm feeling like I'm experiencing deja vu.
And I'd love to start with the Philly game and then talk about a couple of things I know
you and I have been texting about on this bill's biowek is potential storylines for
this unit.
But I think it makes sense to start with the game because it sets up the bills in a place
where they are now six and six currently.
And they listen, they basically need to win out.
If they win their next five games and finish the season 11 and six, they have a 97% chance
of making the playoffs after that 10 and six is anywhere between 60 and 40%, depending
on how the rest of the AFC goes.
So if you want to, and this is a horrible sports cliche because it makes no sense.
But if you're a bills fan, you want them to control their own destiny, they absolutely
have to win out at this point.
And it is a situation they have squarely JJ put themselves in with their poor conference
win loss record in the AFC, their poor division when lost record point differential seems
to be the only thing about this team that is in a positive margin for them when it comes
to playoff calculations because there's still plus one oh one and margin of victory over
over their opponents, which is insane to think about for a six and six team.
A lot of where the bills are at has to do with luck in not falling their way.
The injury bug, of course, as we know, biting them on on defense.
But it's also been, I think, a cascading effect of that and what feels like JJ at a
death by 1000 paper cuts every week.
An interception here on untimely fumble here, a drop touchdown pass here, a stalled a stalled
out series or two here.
These bills just seem to not be able to overcome not large factor circumstances that are in
large factor circumstances that are keeping them from winning because they're still not
getting blown out.
But it is the these one score close games that we have seen over and over again from
this unit where they continue to fail things continue to fail to fall their way, but they
also continue to fail to execute in the little ways that you need to win those games.
Sean McDermott since 2020 JJ is 15 and 16 in in one score games.
This season, this team, I believe is two and four in one score games.
This was a problem for the 2021 unit as well.
And this was a problem for the first few games of the 2022 season as well.
One score wins are one of those metrics where everybody eventually regresses back to the
main.
So teams that were really good at it one year, they're not going to be so good at the next
year and vice versa.
But this JJ seems to be a consistent struggle for the bills to get out of their own way
in these one score games.
Some of it is player execution.
But I think what bills Mafia is more or less focused on right now is the level of deja vu
they experienced in watching that Philly game.
Another met another amazing performance from Josh Allen and then maddening decisions by
the head coach in the fourth quarter and overtime from a play calling and game management standpoint
that I'm sure a lot of fans feel like cost them the game.
And as I was watching this game JJ, I kind of transported me back to 2021, the 2021 Tampa
Bay game against the Tom Brady led Buccaneers.
I did a side by side because I was pretty confident after the Philly game that this was a marker
in history that was worth comparing.
So here JJ is the side by side comparison of the 2021 Tampa game, the Philly 2023 game,
and why I feel like similar to that year in 21, this Philly game could be a jumping off
point for the bills to finish the season on her run.
So that 2021 Tampa Bay game, also an overtime game against a strong NFC opponent for the
bills, the bills lose that game in OT 33 27 to drop to seven and six.
Josh Allen, our Lord and savior has 417 total yards in that game, 309 passing 108 rushing
and three total TDs to one INT.
Flash forward two years later to the Philly game 37 34 bills lose an OT not dropping
to seven and six, they're dropping to six and six 2021 for 17 total yards for for Allen
in 2023 for 20 total yards 339 passing 81 rushing for total TDs one INT and JJ Stefan
digs in both of those games 74 total yards receiving on seven receptions in 2021 and six
receptions in 2023.
I feel like there is some sort of karmic universal quotient at work for us here.
And I am hoping that that karmic bend in the universe goes in favor of the bills like it
did in 2021, because after that Tampa Bay loss, which everyone said was the turning point
of their season, they figured out how to unleash Josh Allen, the the reins had kind of come
off the offense at that point, and they were really finding their groove.
They went on to win out and finish 11 and six by beating Carolina, New England, and
their revenge game for that ridiculous weather game in Buffalo.
That funky Atlanta game against Matt Ryan, where you and I were both, I think Josh Allen
turned it over four times in that game.
And the bills still won.
They won a low scoring affair with Josh Allen playing probably his worst game of the season.
Absolutely.
But defense kind of pulled it out because yeah, it was matter.
Yep.
And then they finished up with a win against the Jets.
So I am hoping JJ that similarly to 2021, this Buffalo bills 2023 team, though there
are some key differences can also somehow find this devastating Philly loss is a way
to buoy them into a playoff run because they're going to need it.
They're going to need another 11 and six record, which you want to get into the playoffs.
And you and I both said at the beginning of the season, the ceiling of this team felt
like 11 wins.
So they're going to have to hit that ceiling this year.
Well, and I think that, you know, it's the corollaries are really, you know, the comparison
is so interesting.
And I think that most people felt that way too is like, like I said before, this is a,
you know, for most of Bill's mafia, losing an overtime to Philly was a weirdly buoyant
performance in that it was absolutely heart wrenching.
But also you feel like this, this is a team, the team I saw in the field against the, arguably
the best team in the entire NFL shut them down on shut down the Philly offense in the
entire first half.
Like they were pitiful, they turn on the second half, they had great, you know, second half
adjustments.
And that's something we can talk about a little bit when we get into the kind of the
tournament conversation is Philly figured out a way to attack us and was successful in
it.
And the bills did not kind of have a counter punch on defense for that.
And I think that's going to be something that down the stretch is dangerous.
But back to my prayer point, I think that most everybody just saw that game and were
like, Oh my gosh, Josh Allen running all over the yard, throwing and running.
For touch for multiple touchdowns with his arm and legs.
Players really stepping up.
And even though there were some costly drops, there were some really costly penalties and
different things, things, non calls that I think that everyone's pissed off about and
should be because the officiating was absolute, absolute correct.
The worst.
It was the worst I've seen in any game.
And like, you feel like, you know, it's sometimes like, Oh my, am I just a Homer?
Is this a Homer take?
But then you watch other games with similar plays happening and the officiating is better.
And it's just like, how, how is this like, I'm pretty sure that Darius Darius sleigh was
basically passenger fare.
He was he was committing passenger fare every single snap.
And I don't think he got called one time, but in clear, crucial downs and distances.
He was holding sure he tackled sure field before the ball got there.
He was like grabbing and pulling on stuff on Dick's Jersey to keep him away from the
wall.
And it was just like, I've been called for anything.
And I think he's kind of a trash player.
He was doing his best sauce gardener.
That was just gonna say that like, I was gonna say like, step on your joke.
No, it's all good.
Because he's kind of a trash player who had the benefit of the doubt who's only like real
skill in the league is that he doesn't get penalized for things that are clear penalties
like sauce gardener.
Um, but yeah, I was like, ah, it was so frustrating.
But I think I came out of the game and I like, I was like, you know what, I sort of shrugged.
I was like, they can lose this one and they can lose the Cowboys game and win the rest.
And that's like a coin flip, right?
It's a 50 50 chance.
I kind of like the bills odds, even if they win an earth, they lose another game.
And actually doesn't really matter which game they lose as long as they win four of their
last five.
Um, because I do see, I think the Steelers, the Steelers are they're exactly the opposite
of the bills.
They're a team that has underperformed in every metric measure, but their record makes it
look like they're better than they are.
They are this year's Minnesota Vikings.
Right.
Yeah, their record is way better than the actual team's performance.
And that has to kind of that has to kind of write itself a little bit there.
They're not going to continue to get super lucky with things just bouncing their way,
um, to resolve the wind.
So I feel like they'll come back down to earth a little bit.
The Browns are playing Joe Flacco this week.
They are playing Joe Flacco this week.
I think the Browns are starting Joe Flacco, which should be an absolute shit show and
hopefully helps them, you know, catch an L. Um, the Colts, Colts seem all right.
I'm surprised by, you know, they're overachieving at this point and that's nice for them.
Um, but those three teams are in the five, six, seven of the playoff picture right now.
But I think they all have the capacity to lose at least two more games and bring them
even with the bills.
And then, you know, maybe even three games.
And so between the Steelers Browns, Colts, Texans, Broncos, there's opportunities for
the bills to gain ground on all these teams, even with a loss.
I think that it's unlikely that, um, you know, the Texans Broncos and Colts all win out.
Uh, and, and it's likely they'll drop one, not two, because they also play each other
in a lot of situations.
There's a lot of kind of the, you know, some of these teams are going to be stepping on
each other in the AFC and the bills have a chance to, to clean it up.
So, um, yeah, I mean, that's kind of where I feel the Philly game.
I was really frustrated.
The fact that they did not call a clear horse collar and then instead called an intentional
grounding, um, the fact that on multiple crucial critical plays, um, Darius lay was committing
clear passer interference and was not called.
And then, you know, on top of that, there were some tiki-tak penalties that they called
on the bills that either sustained Philly drives on offense or shut down bills drives
on offense when they were, you know, had the ball.
And it's just like, you never like a situation where you have to beat the team and the refs.
And that was clear what they had to do.
They would have, if they were going to come away with a win against Philly at home error
in Philly, rather.
So here we are, we're at the buy.
We're going to see the only thing that I, that I worry about a little bit is, is this
team going to have the juice when they come out of a box in a week away, um, to kind of
bring that energy and momentum to Kansas.
Think about that.
Uh, I think that is squarely on the shoulders of McDermott to get them there.
This is a team that has played reasonably well in McDermott's career coming off the
buy six.
Yep.
But never on the road after the buy.
Correct.
And they're going on the road to Kansas City, which that team, listen, man, we said at the
beginning of the year, I know Patrick Mahomes does Patrick Mahomes like things, but with
that wide receiving core, this feels like a year where someone is poised to knock off
Kansas City.
And this is the most frustrating piece to me because you ran through all of those scenarios
with the Browns and with the Steelers and with the Texans and, and what that might mean
for the bills playoff odds and the Colts can't forget about the Colts, the Gardner men's
shoe led Colts.
We are better, better than all of those teams.
100%.
And the fact that we have put ourselves in a situation where we need help from those
inferior rosters and those inferior clubs to get to the to get to the playoffs this
season is the most frustrating piece by far for me of where things stand at the buy right
now.
And you know, you encapsulated that Philly game perfectly because yes, I think the officiating
was bad and points were left off the board as a result of that for the bills.
But if Tyler Bass makes two field goals or even one field goal and regulation of the
two that he missed, maybe we're talking about a different game.
If James Cook reels in that wide open touchdown pass that that Alan laid so perfectly to his
hands and stride, we're probably having a different conversation.
It's always a confluence of the most adversity for the Buffalo Bills game in and game out.
It's not just the refs one game, and then the bills making mistakes another game.
It's all of it, all at once, all the time, every game.
It's the team not executing, it's the officials not calling a good game.
It's McDermott not coaching a good game.
We are at a place where if Josh doesn't play a perfect game, we are a unit that doesn't
have a chance right now with the way that we are performing, but also the way that the
flow of the game seems to be coming at us.
So I think yes, I think the bills have a chance.
And I think coming out of the buy is squarely on the shoulders of McDermott to find a way
to get this team juiced up.
Here's what is not happening.
This team has not quit on the field on McDermott.
That defense is undermanned, and they are balling out as much as they can.
That second half against Philly to me felt inevitable.
I think they made some really good adjustments.
And McDermott just did not have the personnel levers to pull to to scheme up something to
stop them.
So I so I think yes, coming out of the buy that is on McDermott.
And I think McDermott can get them there because this team overall is still playing hard.
They're playing as hard as they can on the field.
You know, JJ coming out of the buy, I was also kind of hoping that we might hear that
McDermott might be turning over defensive play calling to Bobby Babbage.
Because I think one of the things and you know, this is kind of skipping ahead to where
we want to be in the segment.
But I think one of the things that could hurt the bills coming out of the buy is the continued
regression that we've seen from McDermott as a head coach this year.
And there is no doubt he can get guys to play for him.
But we have talked about this from a statistical measure and from like eyeball test measure.
McDermott is flubbing it more than he has before and use of timeouts.
End of game management situations.
You have 20 seconds left on the clock against Philly and a timeout and Josh Allen has gone
for 400 total yards.
I would take the 20 I would take 20 seconds.
Not to mention also you're the victim of 13 seconds.
Right.
You know it can be basically broadcasting to the world that you think that Patrick Mahomes
is a better quarterback than your quarterback is what you're saying by kneeling it out
with 20 seconds and a timeout.
You have more time and a timeout.
Even by using a timeout to ice the kicker which is still like I would love to dive deep
into the statistics and find out if that has ever worked in the NFL or like how would you
know right there's no way to know if a kicker is going to hit the kick before they line
up for a second after your timeout or not like yeah the stats are muddled on freezing
the kicker.
Yeah.
It's it will not only they're muddled they're impossible it's impossible to measure whether
or not that's effective.
Unless unless we look at situations where the timeout is called a second before the snap
happens the snap action happens and the kicks actually goes and then we compare the pre you
know timeout result to the post timeout freeze result.
That's the only way that you can actually figure out if it would be effective and just as like
a casual watcher of football feel like the times I've seen that kickers might you know
I'm just thinking of a few games that were decided like that the kicker missed the field
goal when the should know the snap happened but the timeout precluded and then made the
the post timeout you know kick like I just remember seeing that a hundred times in my
life and be like it didn't work.
Oh yeah and to me there's a practice kick.
Yeah.
There's a different calculus the McDermott needs to make there and and I just I have never
seen McDermott do this.
Like if I'm McDermott and I've got Josh Allen, Stefan Diggs, Mitch Morse on the sideline.
I know Philly.
I know Philly is going to go for that field goal and I am going to assume that they're
going to make it even though it's a 59 yarder.
I am saving that timeout and while Philly is rushing onto the field to try to kick a
hurried field goal I am pulling in my team captains Josh Diggs Morse Davis and I'm saying
they aft up because we have two timeouts 20 seconds and you guys that kick goes through
you guys we're not taking it to OT you guys are going to go out and win that game for
us get down the field just like in Detroit last year.
Absolutely.
Down the field in like 14 seconds and kick this field goal we're going to walk home like
that's it.
Absolutely.
That's it.
That's how this is going to go right but he he doesn't do coaches scared he coaches
to not lose and that and this is the thing right like I think you're the question you
pose like will this team get up to play.
Absolutely I think the team will get up to play.
My larger concern is will our coach be ready to take us through a very tough challenging
and adverse stretch that this team is going to be facing.
He feels he listen end of game situations have always been questionable with McDermott
this year he feels spread so thin because of these defensive play calling responsibilities
that he has chosen to take on.
I really do feel like at this point where we're at the question isn't about the guys
on the roster because I think they're going to ride or die no matter what especially those
guys on defense they know and we'll talk about this they know a lot of them are not coming
back next season they know this is the last ride.
My question really is about the head coach and does he have the the bandwidth to get
this team through this stretch while still taking on these intense play calling responsibilities
again the thing that I have wanted to see come out of the by is that Bobby Babbage is
our our play caller he's a young up and coming defensive mind he has done a great job as our
linebacker coach look at the look at Bernard look at the development of Milano like Babbage
around the league is Harold is one of these really young kind of savant defensive minds
the next future head coach of someone's franchise and and I just feel like we took a shot on
Brady a young play caller on offense we should be doing the same on defense to free up McDermott
to really shore up where he has been falling short this season and I doubt it's going to
happen but that's the big thing I don't think it's the guys on the roster I think it's going
to be the coach.
Yeah absolutely and I think that I'm with you I really worry about it because I think
that you know that's that's the part that you know the the voices in Bill's mafia and
around the league that say you know why would you ever move on from a you know from a successful
coach are starting to you know those ones are starting to get quieter and the voice
is saying he's a coach who can do great things but cannot do the you know the the top of the
mountain things he cannot get them over the hump he cannot do this again he's a shot
in the high mario he's a he's a coach that does well at making you know teams and cultures
and building a good locker room and having a good program that's strong and kind of precise
but then at the clutch moments is the kind of captain that you need who's going to you
know bring your team through who's going to kick an onside kickoff in the Super Bowl to
start the second half unexpected by everyone to win one like Sean Payton and that's that's
the thing right now is like I think that initially I was kind of laughing at the Broncos situation
and Sean Payton he's actually turned a middling roster into a competitive team they've been
on a heater and I think that's the reflection of a coach who's willing to kind of take some
chances and pull some levers and Sean McDermott just I don't know I don't know man I'm I know
I've been one of the ones who's afraid of you know do we you know do we walk away from
Sean Dermott because I can promise you it can be so much worse like that's my biggest reservation
and of course I want it to be better but but you know what's what's stopping him he always talks
about after games like this he's always like oh it comes back to me I have to be better but then
we see time and time and time again that he doesn't learn from his mistakes he doesn't get more
aggressive he continues to coach scared he gave up I think it was like six or seven consecutive
completions to the sidelines in the fourth quarter to the Eagles as the thing you know you can't
yes and well and that's the thing is like he like it's almost like he takes the wrong lesson from
close losses like the lesson apparently he learned from 13 seconds is that you can't leave the middle
of the field open because they can get up and spike it too fast and like they're gonna move you
know they're gonna beat you in the middle so now he like covers the middle and leaves the sidelines
on you know he uses inside leverage on the on his outside covers and they just basically took
everything outside short um and moved it down and like every snap the Eagles were able to get their
their player with the ball to the sideline and like that's just like what are you doing like
clearly if you're this brilliant defensive coordinator how are you do how are you letting
them basically move the ball down the field in small chunks always with the sideline never taking
more than seven or eight seconds per snap well it was senseless too because he was also bringing
five or six guys in the pass rush so he had on the outside our dbs giving an insane cushion on the
sidelines while also bringing pressure with five or six up the middle it was it was easy for her
just it was easy for her it was just throwing underneath throwing to the open guy underneath
and we were forcing him to do it and he was taking what we gave him it was he's taken it was insane
it was the opposite of how well scheme that first half was right how poorly that that fourth quarter
was yeah and that's exactly it is like he came up like I will never say that he's not a good coach
as a leader of men and CEO of a football operation I think he's an excellent coach at that I think he's
a very very good defensive coordinator and defensive play caller for the most part he came up with an
excellent scheme to completely stifle one of the best offenses in the league for a half
he wasn't able to kind of have a counter punch when they came with a different plan and I think
that that was largely because of his personnel von Miller was getting roasted around the edge
and daondre swift was running the ball um show so was a japan as a on a few snaps like they were
basically like they switched up their their run design and they started hitting the bills where
it hurts and he didn't have the personnel to fix it and so I get that I kind of give him a pass on
that but the thing that bothers me the most about Sean McDermott is that he is he kind of sticks on
the thing that he thinks is the answer and he's unwilling he's stubborn that's my problem okay
I've summed it all up into one thing Sean McDermott is stubborn he is stubborn that freezing the
kicker works he's stubborn that playing for overtime is a strategy he's stubborn that you know
giving up the touchdown is the worst thing that can happen so you should trade you know short
yardage for for time those are things that are like characteristics of the way he calls games
that he's stubborn about and it's almost like no matter how many times he's taught the lesson in
these close losses that doesn't work he'll just continue going back to it yeah so JJ I think it
begs the question if the bills are gonna go on a run what are some of the things that we need to say
see maybe change with this team because I'm I'm not confident that it's gonna be leaning in to
McDermott's ability to learn from his mistakes because you're right while he says it ad nauseam
at the end of every every devastating bills loss we don't only see the same thing repeated we see
it regressed and we see it get worse from week to week and again I think this season it is squarely
because of the extra responsibilities that he has taken on and if I were him I would give those up
but there are some there are some things that are going well for this team that I think
could help propel them to a play out to a playoff berth but then there are also things and I would
say McDermott is one of those things that could keep them from potentially reaching those heights
so JJ why don't we dive into it there so this Philly game has put us in a place where we are
now 500 heading into the bi-week and then going on a murderous row stretch we now have Kansas City
we have Dallas we have the LA the LA Chargers which they always play on the dumbest games I'm
going to tell you right now the Philly bills game candidate for game of the year the bills
Chargers game is likely going to be a candidate for dumbest game of the year because Staley and
McDermott are going to try to outdome each other that entire freaking game then we have
new we've got New England in the mix there and then of course we finish up in Miami where that
game may mean nothing to them other than potential seeding or the the chance to knock the bills out
so they don't have to face them again in the postseason so so lots at stake and it's definitely
a tougher schedule in that 2021 final stretch run was but JJ if the bills are going to make the
playoffs here what are some of the reasons that you think they'll be able to go on a successful run
and make it to the postseason I think that one of the biggest reasons is is Josh Allen
period end of statement you know so he he played like we he played like the Josh Allen we know
love and have missed for a portion of the season I think that the biggest thing I've noticed with
Joe Brady is and I think a lot of people have like talked about this there was even like a
cartoon in the Buffalo news of the charging Buffalo logo with the red stripe and it was like being
cut a clip as if it was a leash holding the bills back and it was referencing the change from you
know from Dorsey to Joe Brady and I think that that's the thing that we're seeing that is the
biggest that is the biggest positive for this team is they need the defense desperately needs
the offense to play from ahead most of the Philly game the defense had an advantage in that
Philadelphia had to try to do some things uncomfortably because the bills had a lead and I think
that the big change in the second half Philly saying okay we are behind we're behind by multiple
scores but we have to run the ball because they are shutting down our passing attack
and they are getting too much pressure that's what brought them back into the game and the
bills offense desperately needs to play defense by being aggressive offense they just need to
build up a lead and let their defense go after the quarterback because that's the strength of
this team that is one thing that gets me gives me hope for the stretcher on Josh the offense getting
things done I think that they also you know the offensive line like you know me I love offensive
line play I'm so impressed with this offensive line I think other than a few snaps here and there
of Osiris Torrance versus some top tier competition in the Philly game they had a super clean game
and offensive line they were able to get some rushing lanes going a little bit it's against a
difficult defense they were able to get Josh Allen involved with his legs it was you know they've
been top two or three offensive line in terms of pressure rate pressure percentage sacric and sacks
when it comes to pass protection and they're top five maybe just outside the top five in in rushing
they have one of the highest yards before first contact for running backs which is excellent
and I you know I know that builds my face a little bit frustrated at times with
propensity to run and running especially like the the shot and draw play to Latavius Murray straight
up the gut with no blocker in head of him is like great some of the tackle wrap stuff with
the un-darkens we've talked about is awesome it seems to work you know most of the time and so
I think that those are some you know there's some hope there with improved offensive line the
offense is the hope that's how they can go on a Kansas City's offense is actually pretty far
behind the bills in a lot of ways but Kansas City's defense is pretty far ahead of the bills this
is probably the first time since Sean McDermott has been in Buffalo that Kansas City's defense
of secondary is better than Buffalo's yeah they can they can the Chief's offense can be got I think
for the first time in the McDermott era dude doesn't like just a quick sidebar doesn't this AFC
playoff picture feel so weird this year like you've got Jacksonville who plays solid defense but
their offense can't find a rhythm and they they've never proven anything before other than that
comeback Wayne against again the dumbest team in the league in the LA Chargers um then you've got
Baltimore who seems disinterested in playing football most weeks and they just kind of like
string it together and they go through the motions and somehow find a way to win they just turn it
out into the second half and play like one quarter of good football like I think that's the thing
that's also funny is like we're talking about you know possibly firing Sean McDermott there are so
many fan bases who are experiencing the same crap we're the exact same thing where they're watching
their team like middling the Chief's like Patrick Mahomes uncharacteristic turnovers in a constant
basis like it's a lot of yeah the Dolphins Dolphins not beating any team above 500 still right and
while their defense is playing good they're playing good against mediocre competition
and and the offense people seem to have figured out that offense we'll see what happens this week
against um we'll see what happens this week for them with a Chan coming back but I mean
that that offense teams do not seem to be afraid of it anymore and you've got to rekill
battling lower body injuries that this year it feels like that the team in the AFC that gets the
first round by the one seed feels like the only team in the top four that is certain to move on
this really does feel like a season where in the wild card round you could see the five six and seven
seeds all provide road upsets and move on to the divisional round wouldn't that be great if one of
them was the Buffalo Bills wouldn't that be great which is a great way to jump back into this so JJ
I think you laid out perfectly why the Bills can go on a run here and I think the reasons why on my
side of the coin why they won't we've already talked about McDermott but I think we're going to talk
about a little bit more here moving on but his regression is a head coach with his in-game decision
making has been on full display that Philly game included but again you look at the the record in
one score games and when you get into the postseason you're only playing good teams and most of those
games are going to be one score games it really does weigh on you does McDermott have the bandwidth
to change up the way he's been managing these situations that have caused directly caused the
Bills to lose games and I think JJ the other reason is no secret because we also tapped this as a
reason why the Bills would not make a Super Bowl run this year it was the age of the defense
potential relying on players that were coming back from injury and the potential deterioration
of that roster due to age and injury as the year went on we set it in the preseason unfortunately
we were correct and this is also a reason why this team may be held back from from a postseason
birth because this defense while it can play good in stretches does not have the personnel in depth
to make a lot of adjustments and I also think too JJ I'm gonna I'm gonna lean again into McDermott
here I think some of the personnel groupings have been highly questionable you mentioned Von Miller
who may not be factoring into our end of season plans because of the domestic abuse situation
right now that he is currently under investigation for his play on the field would indicate a guy
that is not fully healthy and not able to contribute but Jordan Phillips getting the snap share that
he is getting over a guy like punaford too seems insane to me all Jordan Phillips really does is
like try to get the crowd juiced up by waving his arms and beyond that he's been a non-factor and he
does penalties and he gets turned out of his gap on critical rundowns like that's all he does he
just gets pushed out of his gap on the critical rundowns because he lets the he lets the opponent
opponent off its of line get under his pads and move him aside like I I cannot understand for
the life of me why he is getting snap share away from punaford who I granted was still figuring
out the scheme right but and now is in mothballs he's been Kyler elamed but punaford tim seddle
and Linval Joseph who's a great and limited reps for the bills give Linval Joseph all of all of
the Jordan Phillips snaps well and maybe they are because Linval Joseph is still in his preseason
right he's played two games off the couch so maybe he's getting up to football shape and
and his getting his wind up I would be fine if if Ed Oliver got more than two thirds of all the
defensive snaps against Philly I'd be fine if Linval Joseph got this a similar snap number and
was in there all the time additionally I like I'll tell you this the best four that they could
probably put on the field are Leonard Floyd at Oliver Greg Russo except inside yeah Greg Russo
inside and then AJ Epineza put that on the field and then as as you have to rotate the third person
of Shaq Lawson um Russo or with Epineza and Floyd like that's that's that's what you should be working
with yes and then everyone else on your defensive line should be an emergency replacement only if
somebody needs a breather like just keep those five cycling through and then everybody else is
is there just in case Puna Ford he can get some snaps he can get one of those one third shares
in the inside but like honestly I think Jordan Phillips is one there's all this stuff with
like Jordan Phillips and Shaq Lawson I guess like threatening fans or fans threatening them like
and it's the kind of thing where like nonsense yeah you can't like I get I get it that fans can
especially I've said this the you know Philly fans are scary they're not just intense they're scary
they're the worst many many you know different sports many different athletes in different
sports have said that about Philly so I'm not talking out of my ass here but I think that it's
the kind of thing where I don't see it on the field from Jordan Phillips I don't see his contributions
to this defensive effort other than waving his arms in the air and it just I didn't think I don't
get it I didn't think he was great I think we talked about it when he left the team the first
that his like huge sack numbers were all just like luck sacks none of them were skill sacks
and him coming back I think he had he's had a couple of nice splash plays here and there
but every other snap if you watch him closely he's just getting blown up yeah he's a he's a total
liability on the interior of that defensive line and they just they've they've got they've got a
bench him like they've got a swap out poona forward spot on the inactive list with Jordan
Phillips and they've got to see what they've got with Joseph a rotation of settle ford and and uh
Joseph because Phillips is not Phillips is not the answer I mean yeah I agree it was I'm sorry to
step on your take I was just gonna say also especially with everything going on with the
domestic background situation which at this point the uh respondent has basically said that
they're they're recanting everything and so I don't know what's gonna happen there but with all that
even after we come back from the buy put von Miller inactive and bring poona ford right like
Jordan Phillips can have a he can have a jersey on game day give his snaps away please yeah Miller
it may be a rush to judgment to say Miller looks cooked and that he's not gonna recover but I don't
think it's that much of a rush this is a second second big lower body knee injury that he suffered
his career he's 34 35 no he just 30 just turned 35 right um yeah the young plucky buffalo bill
defense here um and listen they cannot pending what happens with the personal conduct policy
as it relates to this allegation they can't get out of the guaranteed money they owe him next year
so they can get out of it the year following but they are financially tied to the sky um so I see
I see the sense in them hoping they can get something out of them but I think you know
go back a go back to last year Leslie Frazier I think was a little prophetic when he made a very
confusing comment that I know confused a lot of fans at the time during preseason where he said they
were going to find the right situations to use Miller and I think everybody assumed that well
Miller is going to be our starting edge and he's going to get a majority of the snap share and all
this other stuff but you and I said I think this team understands where Miller is at in his career
and I think towards the end of the season we likely see him as a third down closing specialist and
and um clear passing plays and I I think the injuries have probably accelerated the the path
to that point for him because I no longer think Miller at least this year is a viable starter
for this team he's not getting healthier he's not getting better and there are other options
that they need to go to that are more productive on that unit well and I'm correcting myself because
I just looked it up he is 34 he turned 34 in March so and he's going to be 35 next year he'll be
35 next before the start of the season yes where he's owed 17 yeah four million seven four million
which like you know if he's from the the nfl via the personal conduct policy and the you know
owner's exemption list the bills don't owe that money and all of a sudden get back to cap which
would be something but we'll see we'll see what happens there um yeah we will we will absolutely
keep an eye on that uh that situation as it develops but um so yeah so JJ again in summary it's all on
josh and elin in this offense to help lift this team to a run and they may have to do it in spite of
a defense that is deteriorating doesn't seem to have the right personnel mix even for the guys
that are healthy and a head coach who is just he's really really struggled this season and does not
seem to be any closer to figuring out how to get out of that rut so there's a couple of things
working against the bills but we are all all putting our hopes in our lord and savior josh elin so
um so JJ we are now moving on from the filly game and the the impact that that has on bills
playoff soaps we are in the bi week and the bi week is a great time to kind of reflect sit back
take stock of the situation as it is now in buffalo there's a couple of things i think
that have popped up if from a local beat writer standpoint and a national media standpoint around
this team um because that's what happens during the bi you have a lot of time to sit back and
think about things that are not game related and there are some clear themes that have come up one
is mcdermot who and what his status for the future is going to be and i want to hold that to the end
because we've spent a lot of time with him so far um but there's a couple of other things that have
have kind of gotten people reflecting on where this bill's roster stands and regardless of what
happens to the playoff run what it's going to look like in the future and JJ a lot of that
i think starts with what is the future of the core db's that k that reigned in the mcdermot era
and of course we're talking about mica hide jordan poyer all propo and tre white who has now seen
himself back on injured injured reserve as a result of yet another lower body injury this time in
achilles these are three guys two via free agency in hide and poyer and one via the draft and tre white
that have really helped to establish the culture of this team but i think it was on full displays
with higher with hide and poyer jj in that eagles game that those two guys have maybe lost a step
and are no longer the viable every snap starters that we have come to rely on them to be and that
leaves the bills in a really really hard place because that safety position for morasser standpoint
is pretty weak right now you've got rap i think on a one-year contract you've got demar ham on who
you have basically again put on the inactive list for all but two games this season um there is not
a lot that they can fall back on um in the future so you're talking about starting over with that
unit and then tre white who as his career has gone on has really become a technician and a very
skilled technician of the cornerback position but was never the most athletically gifted in that role
now dealing with another injury that is really going to adversely impact his athletic ability
on the field which was already somewhat lacking so he cannot afford to lose any steps and it's like
we covered before uh it's like a 22 chance in the history of the nfl for a cb to return to starter
status after this injury like that's it doesn't happen to the 10 of them actually ever start again
after having that injury so it begs the question you know if the bills don't make the playoffs
will this be the last time that we see mike ahide jordan poyer and tre white donna bills uniform
is this the end of an era well um hide's contract is up at the end of the season poyer signed for a
second year but it's thinking they can get out of it it's not guaranteed it's basically a voidier
yeah i actually think that what they'll do is they'll keep i think they might um here's here's what
here's what i think will happen they will set a price for mike ahide they'll say if you want to
continue playing football in the nfl this is what we think your value is and and they will let
they will let that be a spot you know i think that they'll they he's given too much to this team he's
been um you know as everybody knows he's beloved in buffalo he's been an amazing center fielder for
the team in that deep you know deep safety deep free safety position and i think that there will
be a roster spot offered but i think it's going to be on the cheap it's not going to be vet minimum
but it's going to be somewhere around what poyer was given for this year for this year's contract
um and they'll they'll kind of probably put that out there and say okay you can test the market
but if you want to come back and and play with us here's here's the number and i like that about
brandon bean he doesn't usually overpay for aging veterans um he lets he lets the market determine
what kind of he's willing to pay i think that they'll do that because i think that they will
give the option for poyer and hide to return next year but also think there's a chance that even as
much as the you know mcdirtman bean they've shown that they have loyalty to their own guys they tend
to keep them run um there's a chance that through the draft or via free agency depending on who
becomes available they might upgrade and then it becomes a training camp battle for either of the
veteran uh safeties on the roster there's also the opportunity for um somebody like cam louis who
was trapped safety a little bit in this training camp um they've started kind of pulling some of
those levers to see if there is an upgrade or a younger player to get in there similarly taylor
rap i think that he has not really shown that much um and the safety position he's looked like a
liability in some regards they've brought him in as sort of a positionless player occasionally and
he's looked a little better but i think that when they've given him the full responsibility of getting
everyone lined up and um you know covering his you know the back back third or or playing that
kind of too deep shell uh that the bills like to run he has he has kind of suffered a little bit
in that so you know i don't know i think that like i said it's really unlikely it's difficult to get
out of white's contract um this year um because there is some dead cap there but i think there's
also a savings about 10 million hide and it's 10 it's 10 million against the cap yeah so you you
incur some dead cap but you save 10 overall and net 10 that's that's really interesting um it's
significant yeah the other thing about trey white is like often people will say oh a cornerback who
is a technician should make a good safety trey white is not overly physical he's not the player
who's going to trigger downhill and blow stuff up and so i think that that's probably not going to be
in his cards um i think that a player like if they get anything out of kairi ilam in the corner
position um somebody like benford could be an interesting uh move to safety um but you know i
really like benford rissuel douglas uh and um some of the snaps that we've seen from from
cam luis in the slot of course tarenna johnson still under contract just signed an extension so
there's some pieces there but yeah i think that in terms of your question your prompt
poor hide white um we could probably see none or all of them on the roster uh so that's not an
answer but i think it's likely that like i said expect uh you know hide to be allowed to test
the market and come back on a very very team friendly deal if he if there's no suitors he's
old he's got an injury history and he's looked slow yeah you know and it's hard to know but
i think the bills are going to prioritize resigning rissuel douglas because he's played great for that
he's still in contract he has he has next year on him yeah yeah they have the it's a it's a non-guaranteed
year that's right but they did take they took the full contract from green bay so he's got he's got
one more uh one more year on his deal they don't they don't i mean he could set out but they have
his his rights that's right they do so they could look at potentially extending him to
lessen his cap hit for the upcoming season yes but um which i think they're gonna prioritize with him
but um it is it's hard for me to believe that poyer and hide will both be back in a starting
capacity for this team which is why i think if you've re-signed douglas you potentially move on
from tre white you've got benford and hopefully kairi elam figures some stuff out and you look to
the draft to really get younger more athletic and faster at that position i think the thing that the
that would really help a young defensive roster that is going to turn over in multiple places next
season is going to be having some raw athleticism and speed you're gonna have malano coming back
if they make a playoff run rumor has that that malano might come back for the playoff run which
would be amazing but he's also going to be another year older next year he's going to be 32 next year
i think and coming off of back-to-back seasons where he's battled injury so the clock is ticking
there you've got a lot in bernard you've got dorian williams who's got raw speed and athleticism
i think i want to see the bills lean in to some raw athleticism and speed at some of these positions
that they value in their scheme and bring in some guys that fit that i listen man i love hide and
poor a lot they are to me the two guys aside from alan and digs that have built this culture to where
it is but is a business decision it feels like it's time to move on from them they are presenting
themselves as liabilities and we saw it on display in the eagles game um i've never seen i've never
seen hide get beat like he got beat on both of those touchdowns unreal like and one of them he was
in you know and on the rewatch all 22 he was he was put in an impossible position where christian
or torrell bernard did not squeeze did not drip backwards far enough so it made the throw much
easier to get there much faster so that one one of those scores he was in a really tough position
put in conflict on the other score that's the one where he and poyer met at the ball and neither of
them could break up the pass i feel like last year even two years ago one of them would have picked
a ball like they just absolutely more quickness at the point to catch point faster able to kind of
get in there and kind of you know position themselves instead of scrambling to catch up yeah
so it you know so it your take is they'll be back in a respectful financially managed way
and i'm saying i don't i don't know that we can afford that um especially where the cap situation
is well and i think that that being back on on a managed immanageable contract that's no
because it's got to be respectful they're veterans they have a number of recruits it can't be like
the minimum deal right like they've put their blood sweat tears into this thing um if the bills
find a way to reach to extend to quan jones neither of them will probably but do we do we want to do
yes we do do yes we do so he's gonna so he i get it he's going to reclaim the meteoric season he was
he was starting on he was on a heater and we've got even two years two years give me two years of
of an older de quan jones he's 33 but this is what i'll say that's the defensive line position is one
you can play into like look at linvald joseph like you can play really long into your life
and and because you don't need to be you can you need to be quick right need to be strong
and those are two things that stay with age pretty well this is and this is what i'm saying
if if there's no way that they're going to get two starting caliber safeties and a starting
caliber one technique defensive tackle in one draft or one free agency period with the cap
situation there's no way i get listen yeah i get listen i get a bean would have to hit hit on a draft
in a way that he has never hit on a draft before in order for that to happen i i see one starters in
the third round is what i'm talking about that's what he would have to get you have to get like day
one starters and one two and three i i listen i absolutely hear you i but do we want to invest
more money and like we said this we said this is the beginning of the season after you battle
injuries and we've lost to quan jones now at the end of last season to injury and then at the
beginning of the season injury for one game this season one right right it matters but it
matters because it was a it was a game we got our ass handed to us but guys don't get healthier
as they get older so is the answer maybe retaining punaford or something to that effect i listen i i
get what you're saying and they're gonna have a lot of holes on this this defensive roster they're
gonna have to bring back somebody i totally get what you're saying as long as it's not jordan phillips
i don't care right yeah but yeah i to bring back to hope that to quan jones is going to be a productive
starter i mean maybe we'll see it if we make a playoff run because he's another one rumored to be
rehabbing well he's actually been seen around the facility which i think has been great which
which is usually an indication that he is ready to come back or ready to open that window i i could
get on i could absolutely get on board with with where you're at with that i agree and they're gonna
have to do something yeah well and what i'll say too is like yeah i mean you can talk all you want
about you know injury regression age injuries more more constant with age carry elham's on
injured reserve right now he's young as hell you know like that's it doesn't injuries are not a
variable is he is he really injured do we think he's really injured he think he's got into the
the conspiracy bag a little he's got the old sucka kiss injury it's just like a real bad football
right now he is absolutely he's he's he's got his bro he's he's got a broken talent um but
he's a broken spirit yes can you put that on the injury he's got a he's got a sprained skillet
ability um no but like that's that's i guess the point i was getting to is that yes injury is
worse with it gets worse with age players could lose more time to injure two more games in time
to injury the older they get in the in the league that's all trackable but when i look at jordan
poyer and michael hides play on the field compared to dequan's jones play on the field through four
games i want that guy it will give that guy a year or two years of a contract just to see what we
have left if you told me we were getting that back of course i think anyone would sign up for that
oh really um yeah so so but that that's one that i think jj is reasonable to think about is the
the end of the the hide poyer and potentially white era that really rang it rang in this run
that the buffalo bills bet on but you have also i think nicely segued into uh another point of
conversation and it's a really a point of reality that bills mafia has been has been wrestling with
this week which is with all this time we have to think we've been thinking about what if the
bills fail to make the playoffs other than the extraordinary agonizing emotions we're going
to be going through what does it mean for this team moving forward next season to get back to the
postseason and i think you've touched on something that's really important what is this defensive
roster going to look like because i think and i think it's fair bean has caught a lot of heat
for the roster construction particularly on the defensive side of the ball and the lack of rookie
contracts that are producing were present on the defensive side of the ball and the extraordinary
amount to the highest clip in the league of the amount of veteran money that he has tied up in
that defense while also paying a franchise qb a quarter billion dollar valued guaranteed contract
so jj what do you think if the bills fail to make the playoffs this season it might not might not
even hinge on that but if they fail to make the playoffs what does this defensive roster look like
and what are some steps that you think bean is going to take to turn it over next season
i think that um you know we mentioned the defensive field i think there's a big shuffle there i think
that you know with ed oliver and greg russo only two players under contract going through next season
on the defensive line so there's and vaughn miller of course we'll see how that all shakes out so
there's two levels of the defense that are critical need of new blood defensive line and defensive
backfield the linebacker depth right now is not great but it's the kind of thing that i think that
with you know terrell bernard uh healthy matt mulano and dorian williams i think you have a
good three and then you probably want to add a veteran backup who is not a jcl um and my reason
for a nut a jcl is again you just want to get younger you want to like bet on traits and and
try to like get somebody who's on the upswing of their career like they did in 2017 when they signed
poirot right like these were third string fourth string special team or guys who just needed an
opportunity to get on the field and try some things hopefully that you know bobby babbage can
can weigh in on those decisions and help the professional the personnel scouting department
to find somebody who who may be buried on a depth chart but has some capacity and potential who's
on the right side of you know their their 20s rather than 30s and uh that's what i think you
want to do you want to invest in maybe one linebacker later in the draft and then one through free
agency just for depth to to give you some um snaps on special teams that sort of thing
i also wouldn't mind to rel dodson you know back as long as he's not a starter i think that's a
liability right now um for this team but as a depth piece he's not you know he's probably
pretty solid depth piece when you look across rosters in the league but again on the front line
i think that you know i like to get dequan jones back i'd like to be able to line them up next
to that oliver um we'll see about punaford tim settle you know jordan phillips i think that
i'd be fine with all three of them um walking after this season and i do think that there's
an opportunity to invest young there but i would like to see jones lined up next to oliver as the
one and two starting gregg russo a defensive end avan miller at the other defensive end a japan
eza is up for a contract so we'll see what happens there um a japan eza has an interesting kind of
track because he may get double digit sacks and we know that sacks production gets you paid in the
off season so he might leave on kind of a terminated edmunds deal where he gets way over
paid bills just are not they don't have the capacity one or don't have the interest to
bringing him back but we'll see what a japan eza i'd like to have him back i think he's you know
on the kind of trajectory where he might develop into a solid everydown starter um at defensive
end um and i think shackle osson is another one of those you know i don't know if he's still in
her contract after this year but i wouldn't he's not i wouldn't mind him being there for depth
but like he he's gotten beat the thing that was his calling card when the bills drafted him out of
clemson was it clemson clemson yeah when they drafted him in the first round on a clemson when
rex ryan was here um and shackle osson was playing with rex ryan's son at clemson uh they the thing
that he was was he was expected to be a splash pass rusher but what he showed up as was an
excellent run defender who could occasionally get some pass rush whips um he's still that player or
has been but he in his age has been slipping in the run defense a little bit he's he's selling out
more to try to get pressure and then make big plays and he's not as disciplined as he was as a
younger player and and you know locking down running lanes holding the edge and so um i think
that there was another opportunity there to get young because you'd have to get young and cheap
at defensive it's too bloated ryan it's way too bloated and and that's the point that i think we
have arrived at with this defensive roster is yeah it'd be nice to keep the terrell dodson's and the
shackle osons and all that on the roster we do not have the salary cap space to do that and we
still need to improve some things on the offensive side of the ball because gabe davis is in the
last year of his contract and i get cool chicare has played out of his mind this season he's wide
receiver three yeah you're he's a great wide receiver three yes yes you are so you're going
to be looking for potentially i hope to replace gabe davis that you know it's so crazy though they
fans rag on gabe davis for not showing up that jets game where he didn't have a single target
he got the game ball from the club for doing the doing the dirty work for blocking the
hell out of people but and that's great and that's a great duty you want to have in the locker room
that is not a number two wide receiver so the bills are going to have to reinvest in some
offensive weapons as well um they're probably going to need to reinvest in some depth pieces
on the offensive line too there is just not enough cap space and draft capital to manage all of that
and still bring back some of these veteran defensive guys and again i think this is this is
the piece of criticism that is most fair about brandon bean and we said last year when we did our
Super Bowl preview that the chiefs versus the eagles was the bills passed versus the bills future
as far as how you're going to have to build a roster because the eagles were coming in with a
qb who is still on a rookie contract at that point in jail and hurts and they had signed all of this
hot veteran talent to really bolster their defense and make this run on the other side of the field
you had the canza city chiefs that i think were playing a record high amount of rookies on both
sides of the ball for a Super Bowl contending team and bean even after paying his qb has still tried
to live in where the philadelphia eagles were which is pay a qb and then also somehow keep all of these
bloated veteran contracts not to mention that the bills are also what has been their hallmark which
is re-signing their guys he's given out a lot of money to a lot of players over the years and guarantees
and i think it's fair to say that not a lot of that has necessarily come through in production on
the field and i think of Dawson Knox it is first and foremost as one of those guys who got an extension
from bean and is not really producing the way that we need him to he is a great physical blocker
and a great chipper at the line of scrimmage but he is not delivering on the size of the
contract and guarantee that he got as a tight end so you've got bloke from free agents you've
got maybe some questionable decisions about guys that got second contracts from this jam
it is time to turn the page on some of these positions and get younger we are and we've
said this about bean he tends to be a year behind when identifying the needs that he really needs to
address we should have turned this thing over last season when we had the opportunity and we did not
he's got to do it this year because the salary cap cannot contain it anymore well on top of that i
think that like you know he finally in 2023 has fixed the line from 2020 like the offensive line
right finally after all the money and resources we've dumped into it the line that we needed in
2020 we got in 2023 i really hope that the defensive the fresh young defensive backfield
that we need for 2024 doesn't take us till 2026 when the new state like that's that's what i'm
that's what i'm most worried about yeah and so and and i think that that's that's another one of my
big criticisms of sean McDermott is that and a huge difference you know i want to share just like a
quick statistic um but a huge difference between sean McDermott and andy reid strong mcdermott
this stage of his coaching career andy reid and his more advanced stage of his coaching career
having what i think two dozen seasons now under his belt sean mcdermott having seven andy reid
is willing and this is his old age or whatever he's willing to play rookies he's willing to
give them the chance just stick them out there and see let them you know fly or float or sink or swim
um but sean McDermott is like he is you know again stubborn stubborn is the word that's the
one i'm that's the word of the day um he is adverse to playing young talent adversity playing young
talent he likes to punish young talent for mistakes he is very punitive about it and like
it that is not the way to build a championship team when you have the massive contract of a
franchise top five court you can't do that you cannot keep veteran players on huge contracts in
the in the you know in the fold because you just 40 you have to start to turn it over you start
you have to start to trust people in the in the team to do things for you who are first and second
players and so in that comparison so andy reid first seven seasons with philly 31 and 23
four and six and that's 31 and 23 in one score games including losing a super bowl um and four
and six and overtime in one score game losing record and overtime in his second stint you know
i broke his time with the eagles in the first seven seasons because sean McDermott has been with the
bills now this is his seventh and second says it's seven seasons the second seven seasons of the run
that ended up getting andy reid fired in his second seven seasons in one score games 26 36 and one
significantly losing left record and then atop and in his in overtime in those games
oh two in one what didn't win a single one and so didn't go didn't go to many of them because he'd
lost in in regulation so many times so that compared to you know um sean McDermott who has again the
best you know second best record for as a coach in buffalo bills history he's 68 and 41 um and he's
like 28 and 26 and 26 in one score games and oh and six in overtime the bills like that's worse
that's right and like from that time at that point in time andy reid has become a much better coach
much better in one one score games much better a lot of metrics and i wonder how much of that is
you know he got fired he had to he they moved on from him and philly because he wasn't being
aggressive he wasn't doing the things he he could get them over the hump and the question that we have
with this roster with this team and with the the hopeful championship window that josh allen has
them in right now is can sean McDermott become year 15 andy reid in year eight does he or does he
need to be middling and lose close games losing overtime for another seven years yeah and i think
that i think we have our answer at least conditionally um for next season because this has been the
final thing that a lot of folks have been musing on here during the bills by week which is what
happens to McDermott should this team not make the playoffs and tim graham from the athletic
reported from sources that with direct knowledge of uh pugilist thinking on this is that there is no
chance whatsoever that we move on from McDermott next year so and you know the andy reid comp is
a really good one jj we have of course heard the the schottenheimer comps as well and at the stage
in a coach's career it's really hard to know but i think there is a middle ground for me a middle
ground comp that McDermott is a coach kind of represents and that is or is kind of reflects
and that is tony dungey um tony dungey very famously beloved coach players always played for him
could not get the tambiway buccaneers over the hump gets fired they bring in grun in one season
gets them to super bowl promise land now dungey eventually got his with Peyton Manning and the
colts but i think when you look at not just style of coaching but the character of the coach as well
and this is not to impugn schottenheimer or reid but when you look at like the the background the
principles the standards the the sort of stylistic components of the way that these guys coach i think
McDermott and tony dungey bear a familiar resemblance with each other now does that mean i think
that eventually McDermott is going to get one i have no idea but i think i think it is fair to
say that coaches like dungey and coaches like McDermott they take a while to they need the
absolute right situation in order to build their culture in order to win and dungey found it in
indianapolis it is an open question whether or not McDermott has found it in buffalo and how long
we're going we as a fan base and the pagulas as an ownership structure are going to be willing
to tolerate it because here is the other thing the grass is not always greener we just saw for
the second straight season the carolina panthers fire a coach midseason and frank reich teams
time in and time out owners get the head coach hiring process wrong they get fixated on a great
young play caller or a great young mind and they don't look enough at the guys that need to be
sort of that's have that ceo mentality around the organization we have that with McDermott
and it has not been allowed to shine through the season because of the the self-imposed
restrictions McDermott has put on himself which is the play calling responsibilities of the
defensive coordinator so if the bills make the playoffs jj i believe McDermott is back next year
and how bills mafia feels about that one way or the other is what it is but i do think that is part
of that package he is going to be required he needs to be required to hire a defensive coordinator
to get play calling off of him so that he can go back to being the ceo that has helped bring in this
era of bill success and i'll say i hope that that defensive play caller and i don't know if he has
the play calling ability right i hope i hope it's bobby babbage i think you mentioned earlier in the
pod i hope it's babbage too he's a he's a proven coach i believe he's a smart guy smart guys tend
to do good things and figure things out i hope he'd be a good defensive play caller
you know you just get bobby babbage in to to be the defensive play caller dc assistant coach
whatever that is eric washington continues to run the d-line and then you hire luke keekley
to be new linebacker scotch he's been flirting with the idea of coming back into the league in
in some capacity and so know that um shonmer german has an excellent relationship with with him so
that could be it um it's interesting you bring up tony dungey i just looked up his stats he's
208 and 139 in his i'm sorry one these 208 games coach 139 and 668 win percentage that's amazing
he's a winning culture builder winning coach he just couldn't get it done in tampa bag and they
moved on from him but i'm glad he got one well he's a good guy i'm glad he got in seven seasons with
indy how many seasons did he have less than double digit wins just one i think he only had one one
season with less than double digits incorrect he had no season with less than double digits with
oh my god he won at least 10 games in the 16 game season every single year he was in good to have
paint manning yeah every year he was in indy and that one one year he had 10 wins was the only year
he had 10 wins every other year at least 12 which is wild so he was not the head coach because i was
thinking it was the uh the season where manning went down to injury and they lost him and then
they got them the number one pick to go get andrew luck so he was not the coach during that time
he was not the coach at that time i'm not sure that was 2009 right yeah i think so yeah because
his last season was 2008 and he went 12 and 4 with manning so damn so did he retire i gotta
look that up yeah i'm a big i'm a big tony i love tony dunge yeah and i actually excuse me i think
that shon mcdermot to dungey comp is good um and i and the thing if it is is like i think
shon mcdermot is capable of getting a super bowl with this team i think that tony dungey you know
of course got one so it just i'm with you their style the kind of tense you know uptight way of
coaching the coaching not to lose the super you know traditional and kind of restricted way that they
approach the game you you you can win and you can win a lot and you can win it all
but it has to break your way it's you're never gonna make your own luck shon mcdermot's never
gonna make his own luck he's going to play and regimented in the game and if things bounce
their way they will win and they could win it all but he's not gonna make his own luck like some of
the play some of the coaches we've seen and hate to hate to use the men use this reference like
bella check bella check is the kind of coach who makes luck for his team he sucks he cheats
luck he does he does um but that's one way like he used it he used so many throughout his coaching
career how many times has he manipulated the rules for the benefit of his team in a way that was
not illegal because he just figured it out right like he just stretched out as the way to take
advantage of some obscure thing about timeouts and special teams player whatever um to give his
team an edge and i think that that's the thing and like i of course i think he's a cheater and
if he's a terrible coach without break but oh shon mcdermot has josh allen and i'm looking for him
to i'm looking for a game and like maybe this is it this is the my last thought on shon mcdermot
i'm looking for a game where shon mcdermot does something and i'm like oh he just outcoached
the pants off like right like where he wins it in some incredible fashion and i look to i point to
and i said that's excellent coaching that's great coach i don't think i've seen it since he's been
at the bills no we've seen very good coaching but we haven't seen that moment to me i want that moment
to be kind of like what i described that that fantasy where he realizes that he's got the best
offensive roster in the league and he goes to his franchise qb and he's like here's 20 seconds in
two timeouts kid i know you can win this they f'd up we're not taking this to go get it this is on
you go get it right and i just i haven't seen that i haven't seen that i haven't seen that from him
you know to to make that call i mean harbaugh jim um john harbaugh and baltimore he was on his way
out before they drafted lamar jackson like that that was a locker room that he had lost that was a
roster he was no longer getting the most out of they couldn't figure out the qb situation in baltimore
and her lamar jackson and what does harbaugh do in his first few seasons and it was noteworthy
those on sport center he rides with lamar he basically comes off the sideline for every fourth
down call in every end of game situation is like lamar you want to go for it great let's go for it
doesn't always work out but he's trusting the franchise qb that basically saved his job in
baltimore i just want to see that from mcdermott i would be like yo josh you want to go for it great
let's go for it here right well yeah i don't know man i think the only certainty we know
is that regardless of what happens mcdermott's gonna be back next season oh absolutely back and
it seems like all indications yeah to continue my my andy reid comp it's like you want the moment
from the 13 second game where andy reid went to you know to patrick migholms he's like when it's
when when everything's at its most grim you have to go be the reaper right like you want that like
amazing quote exactly we're like shon mcdermott says that like josh ellen says it in his press
conference after the meeting or after the game and you're just like oh my god like that's amazing
coaching yeah it sucks that came at our expense but yeah that is right it is amazing it is amazing
no it's amazing coaching they they have to straighten our it with that like they got us oh my god
all right my my canadian friend jj they have to center a hey hey hey relax get don't call me good
buddy oh man i'm tired and that well in that that i cannot think of a better way to end the pod on
that um so jj we've recapped the philly game we've given our bi-week observations of what we think
the future of this team holds let's just hope our boys can can go on a run here and we can enjoy
some more bills postseason football because if not i think at least from a roster management standpoint
it that this is going to be an end of an era in one way shape or form that i think i i would like
a few more months before we have to deal in that reality um so jj as always has been great potting
with you sir uh for those of you listening at home like share and subscribe wherever you get your
podcast google apple spotify we are on all of them and as always go bills and this weekend go jaguars
go go texans go titans and go cardinals if those four teams win the bills are not in the playoffs
but they're way closer yes i have to go bills way to break it and go bills
so
you