There seems to be something of a disconnect between Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott and members of Bills Mafia. As a Western New Yorker myself, I’ve spoken to enough Bills fans over the last handful of years to have heard a familiar chorus numerous times… Sean McDermott has got to go.
Now on the surface, this has seemed somewhat strange to me, though, my lifelong fandom of the Chicago Bears very likely skews my perception out of what you’d want out of a head coach. McDermott’s success — and we’ll get to the specifics momentarily — is unassailable, at least in comparison to every other head coach of the Bills since Marv Levy retired back in 1997.
Seriously, run through the list every post-Levy full-time head coach, and it paints a picture that Buffalo is actually being spoiled by McDermott’s success.
Wade Phillips (1998-00) – 29-19 regular season record, 0-2 postseason record
Gregg Williams (2001-03) – 17-31 regular season record, never made postseason
Mike Mularkey (2004-05) – 14-18 regular season record, never made postseason
Dick Jauron (2006-09) – 24-33 regular season record, never made postseason
Chan Gailey (2010-12) – 16-32 regular season record, never made postseason
Doug Marrone (2013-14) – 15-17 regular season record, never made postseason
Rex Ryan (2015-16) – 15-16 regular season record, never made postseason
Boy oh boy, that’s a whole lot of never made postseasons, ain’t it? So again, I’m left to wonder, why is it that Bills fans seem, for the most part, ready to move on from Sean McDermott?
Well, the postseason shortcomings at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs have served as annual hits to McDermott’s reputation, particularly since his decision-making and in-game adjustments have come under fire in a handful of those games. Though again, I’d like to point out that in the two decades prior to McDermott’s arrival, Buffalo played in all of two postseason games and lost both of them.
The whole “work together like the terrorists on September 11th” motivational tactic that Sean McDermott attempted to use in 2019 that came to light in 2023 likely hasn’t helped his cause, nor has the perception that he has a prickly persona.
McDermott arrived in Buffalo and immediately attempted to implement a stricter culture, which isn’t necessarily the worst approach to take, but it rubbed some — both inside and outside of the organization — the wrong way.
But just like the rest of us, Sean McDermott has grown and evolved over time, and now he seems to be the exact coach the Buffalo Bills want and need.
Bills Players Dish on Sean McDermott’s Evolving Attitude
After coming in and immediately removing all games from the locker room, ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg notes that cornhole is now a staple in the Bills locker room, as is air hockey, a card table and a small area for golfers on the team to practice their putting.
McDermott also barred explicit music in the Bills locker room as well, but now, Buffalo has brought a DJ into the locker room on numerous occasions.
The Bills now even adopted a ‘dad joke Friday’ which has helped to keep the mood lighter throughout the long grind of an NFL season.
These minor changes in the way that Sean McDermott has coached his players have come to make a huge difference in the vibes in the locker room. It’s likely helped to put the Bills at ease and play with a ‘don’t blink’ mindset.
“I just think it’s the way that he approaches guys in the locker room and how he talks to people. He’s loosened up on some of the rules within the building,” Josh Allen told Getzenberg. “He lets guys be themselves.”
“He came in and set the foundation that he wanted, and then he got the vets that he wanted to lead the team the way he wanted it, and that was a rite of passage … like, ‘Here you go. You guys have earned my respect. I’mma lay off a little bit,’” defensive tackle Jordan Phillips added.
So what is it that prompted this change? According to McDermott himself, it came about as a result of the disappointing conclusions to each of the ‘grueling’ seasons his teams have played in, realizing that everyone will be better for it if they’re enjoying each step of the way and remaining true to themselves.
“You want to be around people that you enjoy working with. You want to be able to be your true self, and I think that’s important to people becoming the best version, achieving that level of success,” McDermott explained. “How do you do it if you can’t express your true personality? … I think that’s important for me too. I don’t want to be in here and be walking around like a robot.”
The Underrated Legacy of Sean McDermott
The Bills have won at least 10 regular season games in each of the last six seasons, which is something that not even Marv Levy managed to accomplish at the height of his success in Buffalo. In fact, compare the most successful six season run for Levy — 1988-1993 — and compare it to the same sample size for McDermott — 2019-2024 — and you’ll see the amount of success is quite similar.
Marv Levy (1988-93) – 70 regular season wins, 10-6 postseason record
Sean McDermott (2019-24) – 71 regular season wins, 7-6 postseason record
In total, McDermott has won 90 regular season games during his Bills tenure heading into Monday night’s game at the Atlanta Falcons. Of the 52 head coaches in league history that have 90 career regular season wins, only six coaches have won at least 66% of their regular season games and 50 percent of their postseason games. Sean McDermott is one of those coaches.
But then there’s this telling nugget, and this will likely remain the primary sticking point for Bills fans until that day when Buffalo finally wins a Super Bowl… McDermott is the only one of those six coaches that doesn’t have a championship to his name.
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