By CHUCK POLLOCK, Wellsville Sun Senior Sports Columnist
You could argue that the Bills owe the Sabres a debt of distraction.
After losing an overtime playoff game in Denver, Bills head coach Sean McDermott was fired a day later and subsequently the offensive coordinator was hired to replace him, three new coordinators were hired and then the team endured a draft where Buffalo traded out of the first round three times.
To say the least, it was a dysfunctional off-season for the franchise.
But amidst all that, the Sabres ended a 15-year drought and not only made the playoffs but also advanced to the second round. They went from being a laughingstock to one of the National Hockey League elite teams.
An ancillary benefit was that performance distracted from a Bills offseason that left fans much to talk about.
START with the firing of McDermott … not just when it happened but that it occurred at all. Throughout his career, Terry Pegula, owner of both franchises, was known by his oil and gas company employees as “the best boss” they’d ever had.
How did he decide that a coach who had taken his team to eight playoff berths in nine seasons deserved to be axed … especially after a campaign that would make half the NFL salivate?
Was that an apt show of appreciation for a coach whose team was a failed drive (field goal rather than a touchdown) in the final minute of regulation in the playoffs from advancing to the divisional round?
Yet McDermott was gone the next day — the NEXT DAY — the expedience of the firing exuding a most malodorous air.
And that brings us to general manager Brandon Beane.
Beane, in effect, fired the man who hired him.
A year after McDermott was named coach in 2017, he hired his Carolina Panthers colleague, Beane to be GM.
Seven years later, Beane, in a show of profound disloyalty, fired his benefactor.
It happened so quickly, it would seem the move was percolating with team management if the Bills failed to earn a berth in the Super Bowl.
The irony is, many Buffalo fans felt it was Beane who would be let go as he was not exactly the second coming of Ozzie Newsome, especially as a drafter.
Understand, I’ve taken my shots at McDermott in this space over the years and I offer that unapologetically, but to me, his resume merited a return.
Now Beane is on the clock, his choice (and likely Pegula’s) to replace McDermott is the former offensive coordinator, Joe Brady.
Whether he will be a capable NFL head coach is open to question. History is rife with failed top assistants who were promoted to head coaches on both the college and professional levels.
And Beane will be judged by his drafts and his penchant for making trades.
Speaking of that, here’s a trivia question.
How many times since the AFL-NFL common draft started in 1967 has Buffalo not had a first-round choice?
I got this wrong and I suspect most of you will too, especially if you’re going back 59 years. You need only have to recall the past 38 seasons and even then you’ll be tested..
The answer is the Bills haven’t had a first-rounder in eight drafts: 1988, ’89 (both as part of the Cornelius Bennett trade), ’98, 2005, ’15, ’20, ’24, ’26.
This year, Buffalo traded picks No. 26 (first round), 91 (third) and 165 (fifth) for selections No. 35 ( second), 66 (third), 102 (fourth), 125 (fifth) and 167 (sixth).
AS USUAL, when writing about the Bills Draft, I relied on Lindy’s Pro Football Draft magazine. It profiled nearly 300 players with grades ranging from 8.5-9.0 (perennial All-Pro), to 8.1-8.4 (Pro Bowl caliber), 7.1-8.0 (above-average starter), 6.1-7.0 (solid starter), 5.1-6.0 (key reserve) and 4.6-5.0 (just hanging on).
Lindy’s graded six of the Bills draftees: edge rusher T.J. Parker and safety Jalon Kilgore both 8.0, tackle Jude Bowery 7.4, cornerback Davison Igbinosun 6.7, defensive tackle Zane Durant 6.2 and wide receiver Skyler Bell 6.1.
(Chuck Pollock, a Wellsville Sun and Olean Star senior sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@wnynet.net.)
