Sean McDermott Show, Week 5

I'm Steve Tasker and once again we're joining coach Sean McDermott. Coach, thanks for spending some time with us. Yeah, thanks for having me, Steve. Yeah. It's those games that are so close, one possession games are particularly frustrating. But you gotta know too, you're still you got the second best record in the conference behind two pretty good teams with Super Bowl aspirations. You measured up pretty well, but man, bitterly disappointing to fall just that short. Well, it is. There's a lot

of positives we can take out of it. There's no moral victories, but that's not how we that's not what we believe or how we how we think in this building, and that said a lot. We need to get corrected. We have pulled out some close games, so I know we can execute at a high level. I know we're mentally tough, and I know that we can get people into the fourth quarter and that eventually will prevail it. We've done it enough, and so we came up short

this week. We didn't execute at a high enough level and our fundamentals didn't carry over from practice to the game. So we go back to the back to the practice field. I've been in those disappointed locker rooms obviously. What was your message right having when the heat of the moment and the guys are particularly frustrated, how did you bring them back together and get them focused on what was ahead? I think it's big picture perspective, right. I understand that

the game, it was not our season. It's one game. We need to learn from it and then understand the opportunities we did have to win the game, and why we have the opportunities first of all, and then second of all, why we didn't capitalize on those opportunities. So another learning opportunity for our young football team. Well, one of the reasons you had a chance to win that game was your defense. Patriots had thirteen possessions, seven of them were three and ounce. Those guys are really growing

and putting something together on that side of the thing. Yeah, it really fun to watch, it really is. We've got we've got obviously more continuity on that side of the ball. So the offense is a little bit younger in that regard, but the defense, I thought it was a good plan by coach Fraser and the staff well executed. The guys played fast, they played physical, They were able to recognize some things pre snap, which you know how important that is.

And then they brought their fundamentals to the game. And you got a twenty one year old kid in the middle of the defense, Tremaine Edmonds. How good could he possibly be? He seems to be making strides. There are a couple of plays where he seemed a little bit ahead of the game even he was in their backfield stuff and a run play before really developed. Yeah, he's Look, we got to take a one game at a time.

There's still a young players. It's just in the fourth game now of his second year, and I think again the key was he was playing fast. He was able to play fast, recognize what was going on, and then and then pull the trigger, and you saw him make some plays at the line of scrimmager in the backfield. And he's able to use his speed. I mean, he's

extremely fast. So it was a good game overall and a good sound defensive effort, you know, even though the offense struggled to score points, they seemed to move the football yet and three hundred plus yards of offense, you moved up and down the field. But like always a Patriot defense hard to score points on. Still some positives to take out of this game on the offensive side too. Yeah, And that's the sound of a good defense. They're a

good defense. They had yet to at that point to give up a touchdown in a game we scored once on them in terms of a touchdown, and so good defenses gets you know, tighter and stiff as as you crossed the fifty. And that's what they did. And so we did move the ball again. I thought, we beat ourselves with a lack of fundamentals, a lack of execution, and then at the end of the day, we've got

to take care of the football. And even in this loss we've talked about in the first three weeks of the season, even though you were three and oh you come out after halftime time. Offense was kind of strolling. You went into a lull almost, and it seemed like maybe that was going to cost you a couple of the games earlier that you won. Not so against the Patriots.

Came out in the third quarter and put together a long, sustained driving really had your most productive quarter yardage wise and really production wise of offense of the entire game. That was maybe what a sign of growth even it was, I mean, we had struggled coming out of the locker room on offense and the third quarter, and so I loved how we adjusted at halftime. Everyone stayed calm, and as we say, calm breeds calm, and the guys came out.

We executed, We took with the defense gave us, We spread the ball around, run end pass, and we marched into the end zone. So well executed. That's what we need to continue to do. Right well, before we go, I gotta ask you one last thing. Frankcore fifteen thousand career yards. I know he's here because he can play. We've seen that seventeen carries for one hundred and nine yards. But he's also a kind of guy that man, Oh man, would you love to have a bunch of guys who

do it like he did? That's right, I think every coach would. And you know it was natives a great environment. Right, We've got we had our legends in town. Coach Levy was in town amongst amongst all the players that have played and worn the red, white and blue of the Buffalo Bills. And so to have Frank accomplished what he accomplished this past weekend, what an honor, What an honor just for me as a coach, one an honor just to watch it, and so really cool moment for our fans. Sean,

thanks for spending a minute or two with us. We're going to continue our conversation later in this show, so for us of you join us. We'll be right back on the Sean McDermott Show. Shopping Wood is presented by Saint Bonaventure University, the official education provider of the Buffalo Bills. Welcome back to the Sean McDermott Show, and this week on the tail of tape, where please be joined once again by Eric Wood. Eric, we're gonna chop some wood again. Today.

We're gonna talk about the Patriots Bills game. Give me your thoughts on a disappointing loss for the Bills, but also pretty close loss in a great football game. I gotta say it, Yeah, it was a great football game. And you have two top teams in the NFL likely going toe to toe and they played bad enough on offense to not win the game, but to go toe to toe with the defending Super Bowl champions on a day where you don't really have it offensively is a

great sign. Yeah. And let's let's start with Tom Brady. Held him to under fifty percent completion routes, no touchdown passes, had a pick, and let's talk about that. You know, the secondary did a phenomenal job against the Patriots. They did do a phenomenal job that they mixed up coverages, they made plays down the field, and a number of times they got around Tom Brady enough to get him off his spot. And the key that going against Tom

Brady is make him uncomfortable. And here you see he tries to take a shot down to the bottom of the field at James White, a running back. It's off coverage here, it's the zone looked by the Buffalo Bills, And I assumed he would attack with Edelman and Edmunds towards the top of the screen, where he went a number of times start out the game. Here he takes a shot that James white le By Wallace comes and makes a great pass break up here and the Bills

secondaries just Apps, who was playing phenomenal right now. Later on in the game, the Bills surrendered their only defensive touchdown of the day and there's still seven minutes left in the first quarter. But the rest of the game, the defense really kept it to a one score game, and they were really the difference and given the offense a chance to do something, they did, and they were so good in the red zone and keeping the Patriots

out of the end zone. And here they throw a shot past the Philip door Set, and this is a small play in the game, but a huge play. Philip door Set is not able to get any yards after catch stops him at the three yard line. And again this is another time that the Bills were able to keep the Patriots out of the end zone in small plays like this that add up to just a phenomenal defensive performance. And finally, the Past go ninety three yards down the field for a drive that looked like a

momentum change for New England. But Micah Hyde comes through with an enormous interception. He does, and you do not see Tom Brady throw many interceptions. He had zero coming into the game, and here the Bills are able to force him to roll to his right. Jerry Hughes is coming around the left, tackle beets Marshall Newhouse around the edge, forces Tom Brady out to the right and on the move, Tom Brady makes a critical air he tries to force

a ball in there to Edelman. Micah Hide, with just a phenomenal play, breaks off of his coverage to come back and make this interception. All right, let's transition into Buffalo's Week five opponents, and Buffalo should feel very confident in there in their secondary moving for But last week we saw a breakout performance from a guy from Tennessee, AJ Brown, an Old Miss product. Yeah, he was a

second round draft pick this year. He's drafted fifty first overall out of All Miss. He's six one two twenty six and the crazy thing about him is he's almost like a running back. When he gets the ball in his hand, you have got to show up to tackle him, and oftentimes one guy is not going to bring him down. He is great run after catchability. He did slide in the draft a little bit more than some predicted, but early the part of the season he started to get

some chunk plays. He's up even as a rookie, he is. He's averaging twenty three yards per reception. A couple of weeks ago, the Bills faced the Bengals and John Ross was having an incredible year. The Bills held him to two catches for twenty two yards. They're gonna try and do, obviously the same to A J. Brown, who's off to an absolutely hot start this year. Yeah, he had a breakout performance against at Land in Week two. He had two touchdowns and he shows off the concentration in great

hands he does. And again we see him get the ball in his hands here and almost like a running back bus out of a play where you think the Falcons haven't completed bad but if he brings the tackle and gets all the way down to the end zone. On our final play, you see Mariota just recognize one on one coverage and the rookie A J. Brown is who he's trying to go to. And here you see a great throw but a great concentration by the receiver over the shoulder catch throws where only AJ Brown can

get it. And it's plays like this that the Bills are going to have to prevent. The Bills have done an excellent job of preventing red zone touchdowns and making sure a J. Brown is covered in the red zone is gonna be a big key keeping the Titans out of the eric. Thanks for your insights. So we're gonna be looking forward to your radio called down in Nashville. Yeah, I'm looking forward to it as well. Game preview is presented by Independent Health from your every day to your unexpected.

That's the Red Share Treatment. I'm Mattie Glab here with this week's game preview. With a quarter of the season over, in Week five, the three and one Bills will head to Nashville to take on the two and two Titans. The AFC South Bow ranks twenty fourth in total offense, but quarterback Marcus Mariota has yet to throw an interception. He has seven touchdowns and a one oh six point

two rating through four weeks. The Titans offense features a few weapons, one of those being running back Derrick Henry, who is the league's eighth best rusher, averaging seventy seven and a half yards per game. Tennessee's defense is allowing an average of fifteen and a half points per game, which ranks for fourth lowest in the NFL. Corner Logan Ryan has two interceptions and six passes defended, which ties

for the best amongst all NFL players. Draw pressured rolls, right looks, right fires into the endot intercepted, intercepted of the dome like a high ensit. The Bill's defensive unit continues to show their strength, ranked thirty in the NFL with the yards allowed. The group averages about two hundred and eighty yards given up a game and ranked second in opposing passer rating with seventy eight and a half.

Buffalo's defense lead the league in three and outs, forcing offenses off the field thirty two point seven percent of the time. The Bills ranked eighth in total offense. All nine of Buffalo's touchdown drives so far the season have been seventy yards or more, with ties for fourth in the NFL, and the last three matchups between the Bills and the Titans, the game has been decided by a single point, with Buffalo going two and one in those matchups.

Steve back to you. Thanks Mattie. Now we're back here with coach Sean McDermot coach coming into this game against Tennessee from a distance, give the fans that I've got a taste of what the Tennessee Titans are all about. Yeah, I mean you look at their running game, really good backfield, including Marcus Mariota, one of the best quarterbacks around, very

mobile quarterback, extends plays. They have the RPOs, the run pass options that are tough to defend in a good receiving cord with a couple of big guys outside that make it very tough, and they catch contested balls. So it'll be a big challenge for us. And then on the other side of the ball, they've got a very active and physical defense with guys in the cover areas that can cover and match up man and man and they're led by their front their front seven. So it'll

be a big week for us. As you said, you're just starting the second quarter of the season, the second four games of the first half of the season. But you've also a lot of positives to go forward with. What's the next thing you have you been working on or messaging to your team about all right, this is the next step we've got to take. Is it more consistent than that or is there one specific Well, I like how fast we're playing. I mean just in terms

of the way we cover. We're covering kicks, we're playing fast. We're in the return game. We got the return game going now with Andrea in a second week back, so we got that going a little bit out. We had the big play we gave up with the block punt, So we've got to make sure we fundamentally get that corrected and continue to grow on our special teams units because that's a big part of the game, the kicking game.

And then offensively, we did move the ball and now we have to continue to grow in that area as well with the continuity and the messaging and the communication. We didn't know we weren't always on the same page. And then defensively, how do we take another step where we stay humble, we stay hungry, we continue to put players in position to be to be successful. Sean, thanks for spending some time with us, and for you at home, don't look for us next week. It's the bye week

after this week. In Tennessee, We'll see you in two weeks where we preview the next Bill's game. Until then, have a great weekend this week and coach good luck in Tennessee. Thanks Steve, all Right, everybody. The Sean McDermott Show is sponsored by Independent Health, From her every day to your unexpected. That's the Red Shared Treatment, and by Yancey's Fancy New York's Urnais and Cheese, the official cheese of the Buffalo Bills.