Sean McDermott has great contributions to the Buffao Bills. Ultimately, he failed because of the expectations that he himself created. The separation was inevitable. A comment.
By Chris Lugert
Those interested in football who have only been following the NFL for a few years know the Buffalo Bills as a constant contender. But it wasn’t that long ago that the franchise was a typical gray mouse.
While the big division rival New England Patriots dominated the league with Tom Brady and built a dynasty that lasted almost two decades, the Bills were very close as spectators in the AFC East, but very far away in terms of sport. Then Sean McDermott came along – and everything changed.
In 2017, McDermott took over as head coach in Buffalo and achieved something in his first season that the Bills had last achieved in 1999 – getting into the playoffs. At the latest when Josh Allen was drafted in 2018 and became the new franchise quarterback, the Bills became a permanent contender for the title.
But the Bills never got beyond that contender status with McDermott and Allen. Because too often a strong regular season was followed by disappointing playoffs. Finally, on Monday, McDermott was fired. The defeat in the divisional round at the Denver Broncos was one disappointment too many.
Just as Allen became more and more the face of missed opportunities on the field, McDermott represents it on the sideline. The fate of the Bills is similar to that of the Baltimore Ravens, who have also been at the forefront with a top quarterback for years, but never made it to the Super Bowl.
NFL Playoffs: Bills miss historic opportunity
The prospects for Buffalo this year have perhaps never been better. Without the Ravens, without the Kansas City Chiefs, without the Cincinnati Bengals, Allen was clearly the best quarterback in the AFC playoffs. But this historic opportunity was not used.
McDermott wasn’t responsible for the playcalling of the offense, but as head coach he has or had the responsibility to mentally take the team to the next level. To build a championship gene that will make it possible to at least reach the final this year.
After nine years in office, the 51-year-old could no longer refer to his past services. At the end of the day, success in the NFL means reaching the Super Bowl – especially if you are one of the candidates year after year. The last step is the most difficult; McDermott couldn’t take it.
Bills owner Terry Pegula apparently sees it similarly. “I believe we need a new leadership structure to give this organization the best chance of taking our team to the next level,” he said.
In this sense, McDermott became a victim of his own success, which continued to raise expectations. His winning percentage was higher than that of John Harbaugh in Baltimore and Mike Tomlin with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Both are no longer in office with their long-standing teams – Tomlin voluntarily, Harbaugh involuntarily.
Buffalo Bills: There was no alternative to parting ways with Sean McDermott
In this respect, the dismissal of McDermott fits well into this picture of franchises that felt like they had reached the end of a cycle. Nobody knows if the Bills will reach the Super Bowl with a new head coach.
But if those responsible had considerable doubts that McDermott would ever succeed – and this is clear from Pegula’s words – there was no alternative to the separation. Josh Allen turns 30 in May, so it’s the right time to try something different just in time for the second half of his career.
But at the same time, McDermott’s successor won’t have the luxury of being able to build a mediocre franchise over the years. Whoever takes over the Bills must deliver maximum success immediately.
The sacked man himself should quickly become one of the top candidates in the completely wild coaching market in the NFL. Especially for teams that are currently languishing in mediocrity and are looking for a new head coach, McDermott should be high on the list.
Because he has proven that he can deal with gray mice.
