Wow, another heart-breaking loss from the Buffalo Bills. They had a shot in the end to win and Josh Allen played like a true MVP candidate but once again, the Bills defense couldn't get a stop late in the game to seal the win. Is that on Coach McDermott? Hard to say, but I am open to listening to the arguments against him, but I also have a few points to argue for keeping him.
First of all, I'm not for firing Sean McDermott and I'll get into those points later but I'm more than willing to listen to the pros for letting him go. I've been through the four Super Bowl losses, the Music City Miracle, the drought, 13 seconds, and everything leading up to now. I know my fair share of heartbreak when it comes to being a Bills fan and I have to say, this game against the Eagles felt like being back in those Super Bowls in the '90s.
My stomach was in knots and my heart was racing, all the while just thinking, man this would be a huge win for the Bills. Unfortunately, it was not to be, and right on queue, the "Fire McDermott" fans were in full force immediately following the game. But maybe they are right, maybe it's time to move on, maybe McDermott has gotten this team as far as he can. Let's take a look at the pros and cons of firing Coach Sean McDermott.
Pro: The Bills defense can't seem to get a stop late on game-ending drives
This idea has me somewhat perplexed. Is this in fact on Sean McDermott? Hard to say but three times this defense was unable to get a stop late to close out games. New England, Denver and now Philadelphia have all won games in the final seconds this season and nearly a fourth against the New York Giants. Despite the offensive struggles with Ken Dorsey, the Bills found themselves with leads late, only to have the defense give it away.
We've seen this in the past year as well, even going back to Josh Allen's first playoff game against the Houston Texans, when the Bills built up a 16 - 0 lead, only to have given it away in the end. We also have the 13 seconds against the Kansas City Chiefs and now the three games this season. Is it on McDermott?
Pro: Coach McDermott's decision making has been called into question
Ok, this depends on where you stand as far as how aggressive you want Coach McDermott to be. There have been moments throughout this season where I disagreed with his decisions. At times when going for it on fourth down or not going for it. We saw this a few weeks ago, with the Bills in the opponent's territory and he elected to punt each time. There was also the decision to challenge the catch on a minimal gain, which cost the team a timeout.
Many fans were upset with Coach McDermott not utilizing the 20 seconds and one timeout at the end of regulation to go for it and see if the team could get in field goal range, which I can understand but the one decision I didn't like was the overtime drive and kicking the field goal that close to the endzone. With how much the defense was struggling to stop the Eagles in that second half, I would have used all four downs to try to get six and end the game.
Pro: Maybe Coach McDermott is a great team-building coach but not a championship coach
I know some fans aren't willing to give Coach McDermott much, if any credit in helping end the playoff drought but if you're going to blame him for the failures, you should also give credit for the successes. That said, is that who McDermott is? A great team-builder, able to pull a team from the depths of mediocrity and into simply playoff contention.
Maybe, just maybe the next guy will be the guy that helps get this team over the proverbial hump. Perhaps this roster is strong enough and the Allen effect would be enough to lure one of the already proven guys out there to take over this team. Or maybe someone like Eric Bienenemy or Ben Johnson is ready to lead a team. Maybe the team could lure Jim Harbaugh away from Michigan.
Cons: Is the next head coach a guarantee to lead this team to a Super Bowl
Absolutely not. Some fans seem to think that because I'm against the firing of McDermott and bring up the possibility of falling into another drought, means I'm defending McDermott because he led us out of the drought. That's simply not true but what is true is the possibility that the next coach isn't the guy and ruins this team to the point of not even being a playoff team. And to say, "I'm okay with just being a playoff team" is inaccurate as well. Again, you're making assumptions that the Bills will never get past the playoffs with McDermott. Unless you have some sort of crystal ball to know that I'm happy getting to playoffs year after year and always have a shot at a Super Bowl.
In 2000, the year following the Music City Miracle, Bills head coach Wade Phillips was fired, and I didn't agree with the move then. What followed was 16 years of mediocre coaches and missing out on the playoffs. If you think that just hiring the next "offensive mind" will solve everything and get the Bills to a Super Bowl, you are mistaken. While that's certainly a possibility, the odds of that happening are far less likely than the alternative, which is a revolving door of coaches once again.
Cons: Fire McDermott and the entire staff and Brandon Beane likely go with him
Bills fans are in love with new offensive coordinator Joe Brady right now. After two games with this offense putting up over 30 points with him calling plays, Brady can do no wrong right now with the fans. Fire McDermott and the odds are that Brady follows McDermott to his new destination and I guarantee that McDermott lands with a new team. There is the possibility that Joe Brady could be hired as the next head coach of the Bills I suppose but I don't see that happening. But again, it could.
Additionally, you lose Brandon Beane. But some fans will say that's fine too, Beane is a terrible drafter. They seem to want to focus on his misses, rather than his hits. If you think drafting is a perfect science, you don't pay attention to the NFL. Again, fans want to point to the fact that the Chiefs rookies all contributed in some way to their Super Bowl last season. This is in no way the norm folks, sorry to break it to you but that almost never happens. General managers miss far more than they hit on draft picks. That's simply a fact and proven throughout history.
Cons: You risk losing the culture and the roster
This is something that I'm a little surprised that isn't brought up more. Fans want to say, we've got Josh Allen, so it doesn't matter. If that's the case, then why fire McDermott? We've got Josh Allen, so it doesn't matter, right? What happens if the new coach comes in and doesn't mesh well with Allen or some of the other stars? What happens if Stefon Diggs isn't happy with the new coach? The culture that McDermott has built here is a big reason players want to play for the Bills. I know that Josh Allen is also a part of that, but if a head coach and his quarterback don't mesh, it could become very messy.
Speaking of that culture, McDermott and that culture is a big reason why players like Matt Milano choose to take less money to play here. It's part of why Jordan Poyer chose to stay in Buffalo. It's why guys like Von Miller and Leonard Floyd chose Buffalo as their next home. Fire McDermott and the next guy you get in here might be Josh McDaniels.
The bottom line is this, I don't have the answers and can't predict the future. Maybe firing McDermott would work out, perhaps you fire him, and the new guy is the next Sean McVay or Sean Payton. I don't know but what I do know, is what we have now, and I believe this team can still win with Coach McDermott at the helm. And with five games remaining, they can still pull this thing off and get into the playoffs. If they can get it, you never know what could happen.