Sean McDermott - Bills

we still have a tradition of winning and most of all…

Job security.

we don't fire anyone unless there is gross incompetence and even then…perhaps not.

 

Noooo. You brought up cap hit. I didn’t say a word about cap numbers or cash.

I brought up Hurts and AJ and you immediately went to the cap hit.

The point is there was a window to win with Hurts and AJ when AJ was acquired and they made the most of it.

Allen and Diggs fell short but they were right on the doorstep.

Also, I meant to say All Pro not MVP. I think MVP is more about popularity and momentum.

Look at Allens stats with Diggs.

2020 4500 yards 37 TDs 8 rushing TDs
2021 4400 yards 36 TDs 6 rushing TDs
2022 4300 yards 35 TDs 7 rushing TDs
2023 4300 yards 29 TDs 15 rushing TDs

but he won the MVP in 2024!! 3700 yards 25 TDs 12 rushing TDs

You have to give a top QB a top target.

 

True when you're a runner (even if you caught the ball out of the end zone and brought it in after possessing it).

But if the bold part is true, then a defender can never separate a receiver from the ball with a big hit in the end zone. Which neuters the defense even more than the current rules already do.

I won't be surprised if the league eventually makes this a rule too. But for now, the D still has a chance on plays like that.

It's unfortunate that this also applied to the James play. Because he clearly did not keep possession of the ball while he was going to ground. It's kind of an edge case. Because he did make a "football move" when he turned and thrust the ball over the goal line.

So they brought back the stupid "football move" rule. Which I think is way too subjective. Especially in an era where there's multiple sports betting add in every one of the many commercial breaks in an NFL game.

And I can see how Steelers fans were upset about the James call. Because it screwed us.

But I think the league massively over reacted to an edge case.

Just like when the league totally changed OT in the playoffs because one of their beloved sons never got to touch the ball in OT. Even though he touched the ball many, many times in the first 60 minutes of the game. I think that rule change is also stupid. Maybe I'm in the minority there too...

 

I'm not sure what time you are talking about.

I stated that opponents scored an average of 37.3 points in Tomlin's last six playoff games. Ben only played in three of those games because he retired after the 2021 season. These are the three games Big Ben started.

2017 Jaguars 45 @ Steelers 42 Big Ben - 37 of 58, 469 yards, 5TD, 1INT, 1 Fumble

2020 Browns 48 @ Steelers 37 Big Ben - 47 of 68, 501 yards, 4TD, 4 INT, 0 Fumble

2021 Steelers 21 @ Chiefs 42 Big Ben - 29 of 44, 215 yards, 2TD, 0 INT, 1 Fumble

 

I get that.

I haven't turned on Ben.

As I said in the first post on this subject, I think he's (1) a 1st ballot HoFer and (2) is the best QB I'll ever see wear the Black and Gold.

I think your last paragraph is true of both Ben and Tomlin. I think it's interesting that they both went out basically the same. With great wins against the Ravens at the end of the regular season. Then lopsided losses in the WC round.

Re: Tomlin. I think he has always been a great leader (just like Cowher). And like Cowher, he did his best work when the team surrounded him with good to great coordinators on both sides of the ball. I do think he accumulated too much power, which made him want to be the DC as well as the HC*. I think the failings on offense were (1) Ben getting old and losing his biggest super power (being able to shrug off DL and connect on bombs when everyone thought the play was over), (2) not being able to find a competent QB after Ben left, and (3) thinking that Matt Canada was an NFL OC and that Kenny Picket was an NFL QB.

* This is why I don't want an "offensive guru" or a "defensive guru" at HC. I want a great leader. Preferably one who's young so they are humble enough to accept the wisdom of being surrounded with good to great coordinators on both sides of the ball without the need to collect press clippings about how their running one side of the ball or the other. I think Tomlin was like this in the beginning. And maybe it was easier to be humble like that when the coordinator on your side of the ball is worthy of the HoF as both a player and a coach (LeBeau is the best coach we've had at least since Noll...and I think it's not close). I think we did OK with Butler because there was some creative tension between him (LB blitz guy) and Tomlin (DB secondary guy). But I think Austin seemed like he was mostly just a Tomlin yes man. On offense, I think we had a similar dynamic. I think that Haley (while an *******) pushed Ben to out of his comfort zone so he got better. But Fitchner was mostly a figure head and Ben was the de facto OC.

 

The post you responded to with this was about how when a QB has a cap hit as big as Allen's, they can't afford to pay marquee WRs anymore.

And that the Bills failed in drafting good replacements on rookie contracts.

I did use the word "spend", but it's very obvious to anyone who follows the NFL that means cap hit in this context.

Because it's the cap hit that makes roster management a zero sum game every season.

 

Hold my beer. -CJ Stroud

 

I understand that, and I don't think you're a hater.

Ben was not a perfect player. He did have bad post season games. No doubt.

I agree that Tomlin got too much power and he resisted change. His coaching staff that he hired simply weren't good enough later in his career. I can write a book on how bad Canada was. I said so here many, many times. Just horrible play design and he didn't know how to call a game. How a coach like Tomlin didn't see it watching film of every play or every game is damning. Even though Fichtner was the OC in his last year, Canada's offense was installed and that's what they ran. How Canada's offensive system can last that long without being identified as a fraud is frightening to me. That was when I knew that Tomlin wasn't aware of what he was seeing. That's when he lost me.

I'm fine with a guru, particularly an offensive coach that runs the offense. I like that there is clear responsibility as to who is doing what, and that the guy on the hook is the one making the tough decisions on game day. The one caveat is that they still must be a leader of men. They have to be the dude in the room. If you don't have that, you shouldn't be a head coach IMO.

 

The league's new rules would allow the Jesse James TD to count. They ruled about a year after his catch that his, Dez Bryant's and Calvin Johnson's catches would all be touchdowns.