Bills’ swoon complicating McDermott’s first season with DC duties

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – How did Sean McDermott set expectations for the Buffalo Bills defense after adding coordinator duties to his head coaching job?

He revisited his past, showing units examples of a Carolina Panthers defense he coordinated from 2011-16.

“In the spring and stuff like that, he was showing us tape of Caroline, ‘This is how we have to play X, Y, Z, bring that intensity,'” defensive back Cam Lewis recalled. “…So I feel like we got the gist of it. We got the message early, so we’re just trying to go out there and play.”

In four of the six years McDermott was the Panthers’ defensive coordinator, they ranked in the top 10 in yards allowed. Over the six-year span, the Panthers ranked second in sacks (261).

“Guys at all levels were calling bullshit. It was almost game time every practice,” said cornerback Josh Norman, who is currently on the Bills’ practice squad and played for the Panthers from 2012 to 2015. “So it was when we got here on Sunday, it was just quiet…I can feel it starting to usher in and seep into this defense and everyone feels it .”

In February, the Bills announced that defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, who had been with the team since McDermott’s first year as head coach in 2017, was taking a year off from coaching. . Frazier currently works with NFL Network as an analyst.

About a month later, McDermott announced at the league’s annual meetings that he would assume defensive coaching responsibilities, adding that dimension to his plate for the first time in his seven seasons as head coach in Buffalo. Even if the unit still had its mark and its contribution, it would be a big change.

Through the first seven games, the Bills defense has had its ups and downs, but now it faces major challenges. A unit that looked among the league’s best entering the season is suffering, with three key defenders on injured reserve. Now, leading a 4-3 team through a key three-game primetime stretch, starting with Thursday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video), McDermott’s abilities as that defensive player and leader are put to the test.

“Sean doesn’t waver from his beliefs, from the way this program has been built and we all understand that it starts with him…” said associate head coach and defensive line coach Eric Washington. “You have to understand what’s going to happen over the course of a season and how the big teams react to it.”

WHAT DEFINES A defense called by McDermott compared to previous seasons?

Aggression is the response from several players who have pointed out McDermott’s style of play.

“More calls, it’s kind of like picking on the quarterback,” nickel corner Taron Johnson said. “Whether it’s blitzes, stunts, moves, just different things to try to keep offenses on their tail.”

Johnson said this style of play makes offenses uncomfortable and unable to find a rhythm during games.

The Bills have the fifth-most pressures in the NFL, but have only blitzed 52 times this season (20.6% blitz rate), which places them tied for fourth in the NFL. However, 31 of their blitzes (60%) included at least one defensive back, which is the highest percentage in the NFL this season.

Last year, 54 of their 130 blitzes included a defensive back (42%). Buffalo is currently second in the league in sacks (25) and turnovers per drive (19.2%).

McDermott also brings a “blue collar” mindset and intensity to the job, reflecting his personality. Defensive end AJ Epenesa said family members asked him if McDermott ever smiled, to which Epenesa reassured them.

“[McDermott] “He has that edge,” Epenesa said. “He demands greatness, and it’s not that our other coaches in the past haven’t done that, but he just has a different feel.”

McDermott’s experience as a head coach has given him insight he didn’t have the last time he led a defense in Carolina.

“The fact that he was probably involved as much on offense as he was on defense gave him a different perspective on how the offensive side of the ball sees things,” senior defensive assistant Al Holcomb said. “[It] gives you another pair of eyes, so to speak, or another opinion on how they view defenses.

Although his views have changed, the project he leads has not changed much. Norman noted that the foundation is the same as in the Carolina era, building on what those teams had.

Taking over the defense means McDermott spends more one-on-one time with players.

“I think one of the results I saw in the spring was moving around the team better,” McDermott said during training camp. “…What will really appeal to me is making sure I’m in both places at once. But I think the result is getting closer and building closer relationships with the players and with coaches, which I’m looking forward to.”.

DEFENSE OF INVOICES started the season strong in the first four weeks. Buffalo allowed a QBR of 23.8, lowest in the NFL, and threw a league-high eight interceptions.

But over the past three weeks, the defense has had to move personnel around and performance has suffered. During this recent stretch, the defense allowed the sixth-highest QBR total (67.7) and recorded no interceptions.

The questions reporters ask McDermott focus on his role in all facets of the team, including the offense. How does he handle a team that has lost two of the last three games and seen two one-win teams (the New York Giants and New England Patriots) take the Bills to the very last play of the last two matches.

“From a head coach’s perspective, I’m involved [in the offense]”, McDermott said. “I also believe in allowing my coaching staff to do their job as well. I try not to micromanage. I speak up when I feel the need to and there has been increased communication over the past few weeks and regardless of the area, I am not going to stay silent.

“So it’s about making sure we’re doing things the right way and getting better as the weeks go by here.”

McDermott’s staff has several former coordinators, and he often points out the role those coaches — in addition to those assisting him with game-day responsibilities — have played in allowing him to both coordinate the defense and be head coach. But the added responsibility always means more demand on him.

“The hardest days are Monday through Thursday,” McDermott said. “Because you’re game planning and you’re dealing with people from a leadership standpoint and a head coach standpoint, and it’s kind of the thickest mud of the week, if you will , which you need to work on – just the but once you get to Friday it usually clears up a bit. And so that’s something to look forward to at least.

But we can’t prepare everything. In two weeks, the Bills lost three defensive starters to long-term injuries: cornerback Tre’Davious White, linebacker Matt Milano and defensive tackle DaQuan Jones. All three are key players, but Milan in particular is essential to a lot of what this defense does in terms of organization and communication. Stopping the run has been a consistent problem, with the Bills allowing 5.2 yards per carry (31st), including the third-highest yards after contact per carry (2.02), with backs having success down the field.

Losing so many starters in a short window is tough, but injuries are part of the game and it’s important to adapt. A number of young players are now filling key roles, with second-year linebacker Terrel Bernard taking on more with Milan out and rookie Dorian Williams playing a significant portion of his time for Milan. That’s before we get into a long list of defensive players who have missed at least one game.

Over the past two weeks, without all three starters, the defense has allowed a league-high 74.2% completion percentage and ranked last in opponents’ red zone drives (10). Their absence could also play a role in Buffalo’s slow starts to games. The Bills have gone from leading the league in point differential in the first halves of the first four weeks (+54) to -20 in the last three games.

So the Bills still seem to be adjusting to the loss of these players. On top of that, their schedule is becoming more and more difficult.

“There’s no replacement for those guys, but we definitely have guys that can play football,” safety Jordan Poyer said. “We’re definitely going to miss those guys, but it gives more guys an opportunity to come in and show them who they are and help us win football games.”

The Bills have the fourth-strongest remaining schedule, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index, with the Philadelphia Eagles (6-1) and Kansas City Chiefs (6-1) still atop the schedule. Playing the Buccaneers in prime time will be another opportunity to move in the right direction against an offense that has particularly struggled passing the ball, averaging 3.1 yards per carry (ranked 31st), and who has the fourth fewest first downs (102). and with quarterback Baker Mayfield throwing an interception in each of the last four games.

Despite the difficult times and the many question marks surrounding this unit, confidence in the ability to bounce back based on this team’s history remains.

“We showed that we know how to win, how to figure things out and how to develop players and find the answer and the solutions, and that’s what we’re here for,” McDermott said Tuesday. “And if you’re at this point in your career…and you didn’t get there without facing adversity and overcoming adversity in your career. So, we’re used to that, it’s what we do.”