By CHUCK POLLOCK, Wellsville Sun Senior Sports Columnist
Yesterday morning, I was talking to my daughter, a corporate executive in Charlotte. She ended the conversation saying, “Well, I’m going to open up my laptop and see if there’s any news I need to know.”
My response was “It’s not always good news when you do that.”
Ten minutes later, my Apple told me Sean McDermott had been fired as coach of the Bills, nine years into an inarguably successful career.
Normally a coach earns the right to be axed because of the dismal record they fashion.
But McDermott was the antithesis of that perception, compiling a 98-50 regular-season record for a .662 winning percentage that was the best in franchise history and only Marv Levy (112) had more victories.
The former Eagles and Panthers defensive coordinator ended Buffalo’s 17-year playoff dearth taking the Bills to the postseason seven straight years, winning at least 10 games in each of them. He also won five straight AFC East titles, a streak that ended this year at the hands of New England.
But the blemish on McDermott’s record was no Super Bowl appearances. He made the divisional round six times and two conference championship games losing both.
To be sure, over his tenure, I’ve been critical, mostly over the fact I never thought he was a particularly good game-day coach. But I never disliked him and admired the fact he was a man of sincere faith with quantifiable leadership skills.
Did I ever think he should be fired?
Only once.
His failure to admit his role in the “13 seconds” fiasco at the end of the 42-36 divisional overtime loss to the Chiefs at Kansas City after the 2021 season was egregious.
After that incident he was begging to be fired … but it never happened.
McDermott survived … until Monday, exactly the wrong time.
He had just taken the Bills to Denver, the AFC’s No. 1 seed, and rallied to take the game to overtime where three controversial officiating calls deprived Buffalo of a chance of winning the game in OT. And while the NFL maintained the decisions were accurate, it was small solace to McDermott and his team.
Two days later he was out of a job, one of 10 of the league’s 32 head coaches not to survive the season and the least likely victim.
The problem with owner Terry Pegula’s firing was timing. Had it been after “13 seconds” … have at it.
But he chose a moment where McDermott was a sympathetic figure … a man sacrificed for what appeared to be the dubious officiating that has plagued the league in the last few seasons.
McDermott was fired after what might have been his best coaching job in a game all season. It was hard not to feel sorry for him.
And here’s the irony.
Pegula hired McDermott in 2017 and charged him with picking a new general manager. Given their relationship in Carolina, McDermott chose Brandon Beane, then the assistant GM.
Now Beane leads the committee that will pick McDermott’s successor.
In a press release, Pegula noted, “Moving forward, Brandon Beane will now serve as the President of Football Operations / General Manager of the Buffalo Bills. Brandon will oversee all facets of our football operation, including the oversight of our coaching staff. I have full faith in and have witnessed Brandon’s outstanding leadership style and have confidence in his abilities to lead our organization.”
Beane will be leading the search for a new head coach and will be working directly with Pegula and Pete Guelli, who will now serve as President of Business Operations, during the interview and hiring process.”
(Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@wnynet.net.)
