Buffalo Bills

5 Reasons Why Sean McDermott's Hire is Great for Bills

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 5:07 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

Fansided, Josh Wilson/FanSided via BuffaLowDown

Aug 20, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Detailed view of Buffalo Bills helmet during the game against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills have hired Sean McDermott as their head coach. There are plenty of reasons for Bills fans to enjoy the recent hire.

The Buffalo Bills fans have seen their fair share of coaches over the last few years, there’s no doubt about that. Since the year 2000 hit, the Bills have employed seven different head coaches, and none have stayed with the team for longer than three full seasons. So it shouldn’t have been a huge surprise that head coach Rex Ryan was let go before this season ended after the team went just 8-8 and 7-9 in his first (and only) two seasons.

So, yet again, the Bills went on a coaching search to start their offseason, something that is all too familiar to the team. The search was fairly concise, and the team quickly settled on Sean McDermott as their next head coach fairly early on in their interviewing process.

It’s clear that the Bills felt as if he was a good fit from the get-go, and didn’t waste any time in getting him a contract ready to sign.

McDermott is a former college walk-on, and got his start as a staff member in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, and most recently was a defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers, who have — in recent history — had a pretty solid defense.

Moving forward, McDermott looks to be the coach to crack the case in Buffalo. This is his first go-around as a head coach in the NFL, and fans certainly hope that it will be a good one, and perhaps the last coaching search the team has to go through before finally making it to the playoffs again.

There’s plenty of reasons to like the hire, here are just a few of them.

Nov 2, 2015; Charlotte, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott stands on the field prior to the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Bank of America Stadium. Carolina defeated Indianapolis 29-26 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Been around several NFL teams

For some coaches in the NFL, being around different experiences is all you need to start to be a good coach. Sean McDermott, leading up to this, his first head coaching job, has seen a lot in the NFL. Starting with the Philadelphia Eagles, and learning under a good head coach in Andy Reid, McDermott worked as both a scouting assistant, and then worked as a defensive quality control coach. He later became an assistant to the defensive back coach, and later worked up the chain to be the leading defensive backs coach.

He later stepped in for the Eagles as a defensive coordinator after also serving as a linebacker coach before finally coming to Charlotte to be the defensive coordinator for the Panthers, where he most recently worked underneath Ron Rivera.

That’s not a bad resume, and his bosses alone tell a pretty good story about the reputation of McDermott, as it’s filled with a lot of different roles in a lot of different positions. Those positions are not just empty positions, either, they’re strong positions under coaches that were highly competitive with the teams they were leading. He clearly is deserving of a shot at a head coaching job.

McDermott has been around two different teams and in a lot of different roles, and clearly knows how to work up in a system. Especially on defense, McDermott has seen what works and what doesn’t, and despite this being his first head coaching position, he comes with a lot of experience.

That means that McDermott will spend less time as a coach experimenting like some first-timers might, and more time implementing what he already knows. There is no time to waste with the Bills, as fans always have high expectations, so that’s going to help McDermott immensely.

Dec 7, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; A general view of a Buffalo Bills helmet on the turf prior to the game against the Denver Broncos Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Decent defense with Panthers, and a scheme that works

In 2012, McDermott was hired to the position of defensive coordinator with the Carolina Panthers.  That year, the defense was 10th in yards allowed, but 18th in points allowed in the league.

The next year was the big year for McDermott and his defense, as the Panthers proved they would be a force to be reckoned with for even the league’s best offenses. The Panthers defense that year was second best in both points allowed and yards allowed. It was clear that McDermott’s motivation had kicked in for his players, and they were listening to his direction.

More from BuffaLowDown

The next year, the defense would take a step back — just as it did this year — but in 2015 the Panthers defense was solid at 6th in the league in both points allowed and yards allowed. They ranked first in the league that year in takeaway-to-giveaway ratio, forcing 13 fumbles and 17 interceptions that season.

Those setback years can be attributed to the fact that the Panthers had to deal with some of their biggest defensive players leaving or missing games due to injury and other issues, most notably Greg Hardy’s off-court issues with a domestic violence case.

McDermott’s most notable quality that makes him a step-up from Ryan’s defense is the fact that he runs a 4-3 defense rather than a 3-4. The 4-3 scheme should, in theory, work much better with the pieces the Bills have to work with on the defensive end, and that makes McDermott a prime candidate for the team.

Ryan’s defense didn’t seem to gel with the Bills, as they instantly became a second — and even in some cases, third — tier defense in the NFL once Ryan came aboard. Hiring his brother, Rob Ryan, who failed as a defensive coordinator with the New Orleans Saints, was a nail in the coffin for the defensive experiment in Buffalo with the Ryan family.

It’s time for some strong McDermott defense, and it’s time for the Bills to get that lock-down mindset back in place.

Oct 23, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; A general view of a Buffalo Bills helmet on the field before the game between the Miami Dolphins and the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Good motivator

Although we could talk about what he will bring to the team defensively all day long, and how he can make a strong defense even stronger, there are some qualities about McDermott that have to be discussed that aren’t just about his past players’ on-field experiences.

McDermott has been credited by his players as being a good motivator, and that should be at the top of the “want” list for any team looking for a head coach in any sport, at any level.

Thomas Davis, one of McDermott’s former players, had this to say about him:

More from BuffaLowDown

McDermott also has been credit for getting a ton out of players that are considered second-string at best by most NFL fans and analysts. Coming into a team that went 7-9, mediocracy may be something that McDermott comes across by general NBA standards with the Bills this year, but he also may be able to elicit high level play from those same players that most people have counted out.

When with his players in training camp one season, instead of getting to know their strengths on the field first, he played “two truths and a lie” with them to get to know them personally, according to David Newton of ESPN. It’s those types of things that make him a likable coach, and a coach that players want to listen to. Ryan never had that rapport with his players in Buffalo, and because of that, there was a lot of rough edges with the team. It’s time to sharpen things up.

The pregame speeches, halftime speeches, and post-game speeches may not be the difference between wins and losses all of the time, but having a coach that can really connect with his teammates and push them to be better is an aspect that is important. McDermott has been effective in the eyes of his players in that regard.

Oct 4, 2015; Orchard Park, NY, USA; A general view of Ralph Wilson Stadium before a game between the Buffalo Bills and the New York Giants. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports

Has something to prove

With Ryan out, and a new coach in, the Bills will enter next season with some big things to prove about themselves. Was the coaching fit that bad, or is the roster just far from being saved?

In the same sense, McDermott has a lot to prove about himself, not just to the Buffalo Bills community, but really to the entire NFL. McDermott is far from being a household name in the NFL at the moment because he has yet to have a head coaching job in football. This will be his first go-around, and although it’s a deserved go-around, it’s not something that he can take lightly.

McDermott will have to come out of the gate strong with Buffalo, and really take training camp as seriously as possible. He’s been a coordinator and assistant coach up until this point, and his first real head coaching job is not one that’s going to be easy.

His character is one that is ready for the challenge, though, and maybe that’s why he was so liked by the Pegula family. His past bosses have liked him as well, as Ron Rivera had some kind words to say about him. Rivers said, “You’ve got to grasp your opportunity and make it your own. [McDermott has] done that.”

McDermott has grasped coordinator and assistant coaching opportunities, and Bills fans should expect nothing less from him here as well.

 Other teams wanted him

The Bills weren’t scraping the bottom of the head coaching barrel with this hire by any means. McDermott was one of the next in line to get a head coaching job in the NFL, and it was much more than just the Bills interested in him.

Good on the ownership and management team hopping on the head coaching search and being so direct early on, otherwise they may have had to settle for a coach that wasn’t a great fit, and a coach that wasn’t going to be good for the Bills yet again.

Instead, the Bills were able to go and get the guy they wanted in McDermott, despite the interest around the league from him. The Chargers reportedly flew out to interview McDermott, and the Denver Broncos seemed to be interested as well.

All around the league, players, analysts, and people who have worked for and with McDermott seem to have nothing bad to say about him, and that can not be by mistake. McDermott is not only a likable coach, but a coach that does his job well, and there’s a reason he was so popular this year.

Bills fans can rest easy knowing that their coach would have been liked anywhere he went, but instead, he can be loved in Buffalo. At least until he does something wrong.

share

Get more from Buffalo Bills Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Buffalo Bills

National Football League