Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
Razor Shark
This article was produced in collaboration with Cover 1a leading voice that makes the intricacies of Buffalo Bills football digestible. Be sure to subscribe to them YouTube channel And podcast feeds.
Let’s talk about Sean McDermott.
Expectations were a little different for the Buffalo Bills head coach as he entered the 2024 season, his eighth at the helm of the team. A bevy of veterans leaving in the offseason made some people feel like it was the end of an era. Center Mitch Morse, who had been on the team since 2019, was cut to save money on the cap. Three members of the high school team in Buffalo, who had been on the team since McDermott’s freshman season in 2017 (when this particular writer was just a senior in college and annoying his roommates for yelling at the TV so much on Sundays), were also shown the exit door. . Micah Hyde remains in limbo as a free agent, Jordan Poyer went to the rival Miami Dolphins and Tre’Davious White was cut after his second season-ending injury in three seasons.
The cookie on top of that was that the Bills let go of their two best wide receivers. Gabriel Davis came in via free agency to sign a nice deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, who are currently 2-8 this season. Perennial Pro Bowler Stefon Diggs was traded in what could only be described as an ugly divorce from the team, as Buffalo opted to take $30 million in dead money to let him play for a potential playoff opponent in the Houston Texans.
Related: What Bills HC Sean McDermott said about the upcoming game against Chiefs after Week 10
On the one hand, an era was objectively over for this team. They decided to take some tough medicine, prepare for future salary cap flexibility and restructure the way their offense functions. Gone are the blissful coordinators Brian Daboll and Ken Dorsey, succeeded by the once wünderkind Joe Brady, who has ushered in a new style that not only works, but attacks defensive trends by moving the defense deeper to prevent big plays. This was an interesting, perhaps ironic move, as McDermott and former defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier were the first to make this defense a reality in an effort to stop Patrick Mahomes in 2020. It didn’t work, either in the regular season or in the regular season. in the playoffs, but for different reasons.
Why does this matter though? Why am I bringing all this up?
Because those outside Buffalo – and even some Bills fans – simply don’t realize how incredibly good a coach McDermott is. People seem to take for granted the incredible success he has had since taking charge of the team.
There are expectations for this team. The Buffalo Bills did that actual expectations. It’s hard to fully explain how insane this statement is if you don’t remember the drought era, and how everyone had largely accepted mediocrity as the default for this franchise. But once McDermott arrived, the culture changed. They went 9-7, clinched their first playoff ticket in almost two decades and lost a heartbreaker to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The following season was arguably a better coaching job, taking over a roster depleted to a 6-10 record while playing an incredibly raw rookie Josh Allen at quarterback for most of the year. The next two seasons showed incredible growth, going from a plucky Wild Card team to a downright dominant force in the AFC. They have won four consecutive AFC East titles and are looking to go for a fifth consecutive title this year.
This is an unprecedented level of success that this franchise simply hasn’t seen since Marv Levy wore the headset, so why are some fans angry and doubting this coach? Well, it’s largely for the same reason fans were mad at Levy:
They didn’t get the ring.
It is the ultimate goal. It’s what everyone on this team and in this city wants and desires. But is that the only measure of success? There are a lot of great coaches who haven’t won the big ones. There have also been some not-so-good coaches who have been carried to a Super Bowl title. Frankly, this is the nature of the beast. Football is an incredibly difficult sport that you always have to be good at. The short shelf life of players, the salary cap, the lack of a development league, the high expectations that must be met in a short time and having to balance both brains and brawn to achieve victory makes it an incredibly difficult sport to be successful in. to be.
Not winning a Super Bowl doesn’t mean McDermott is a bad coach. It doesn’t mean that another coach couldn’t come along and take this squad to the title everyone craves. It also doesn’t mean he won’t win a title during his time as head coach. For comparison, some people point to Marty Schottenheimer, a great coach who found ways to lose in the playoffs. I look at others like Dick Vermeil, who took the Eagles to a Super Bowl in 1980 and fell to the Raiders. He returned to the NFL with the Rams in the 1990s and broke through in 1999, riding a miraculous Kurt Warner run to a title. I look at Tony Dungy, a coach who was considered too conservative, too relaxed and not fiery enough to motivate players. When he was fired in Tampa and replaced by Jon Gruden, a very fiery coach, Gruden rode a historically great defense (built by Dungy) to a Super Bowl title. This is despite the fact that Gruden’s offense wasn’t as good as it was last season under Dungy. The Pro Football Hall of Famer then went to the Colts and found a way to break through and win a title in 2006.
Not convinced? For fourteen seasons, Andy Reid was mistreated by both the media and fans in Philadelphia due to his inability to win playoff games, poor clock management and unwillingness to run the ball. The Eagles went to multiple NFC Championship games and made a Super Bowl appearance, but ultimately never won the big one. He would move on to Kansas City, where he found more of the same: great regular seasons, high expectations and major disappointments in the playoffs. It seems like ever since Patrick Mahomes became a quarterback and won three Super Bowls, people have developed a collective amnesia about Reid’s time as a head coach, even with the Chiefs. I’m thinking of the 2013 Wild Card game where they surrendered a huge lead to the Andrew Luck-led Colts, or perhaps the 2016 loss to the Steelers in the Wild Card Round where Kansas City’s defense failed to score a single touchdown handed in. Or in 2017, when the clearly unstoppable force of Marcus Mariota and Mike Mularkey mounted an 18-point comeback in the second half (Mularkey was fired after losing in the Divisional Round).
There has been a lot of frustration with McDermott as a head coach. There have been tough playoff losses, bad losing streaks, bad rushing defense, and even bad in-game decision making. Welcome to the life of every NFL team that has ever existed. No team is perfect, no team will win everything every year, and no team will make every fan happy, as some fans want nothing more than to find something to complain about.
All of this is to say that if you don’t think McDermott is a good head coach, you’re allowed to think so. You may also be told very forcefully and with a lot of enthusiasm, data and facts behind it that you are very wrong. He brings culture, preparation, energy and incredibly strong leadership ability to this team, and has completely changed the entire identity of this franchise. His use of analytics has moved this team forward, his ability to see trends in the NFL and adapt to them puts this team ahead of others. His ability to replenish his coaching staff and develop younger coaches makes for a great environment to work in. His ability to work with both the front office and ownership creates a united front that doesn’t fall apart or try to take shots by the media.
Related: What QB Josh Allen thought was the ‘biggest play’ of Bills’ Week 10 win over Colts
If you can see how this team is going best start since 1993 in a season where many pundits expected the Jets or Dolphins to take them for a division title and still can’t admit that Sean McDermott is a great head coach, the problem is no longer Sean McDermott.
Here are some fun stats on the Bills head coach on his way out.
— Enjoy free Buffalo Bills Bills coverage on SI —