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With the Tuesday morning firing of New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh, the NFL's coaching carousel is officially off and running, with fans and analysts alike pondering the same question: Who's next? There are certainly a handful of names who have been and remain on the hot seat… Nick Sirianni in Philadelphia, Brian Daboll in New York, Doug Pederson in Jacksonville. The list goes on. But what about one of the longest tenured coaches in the league? What about Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills?
Even though Sean McDermott has led the Bills to four straight AFC East titles and six Playoff appearances in his seven full seasons in Buffalo, there has been growing speculation that the lack of postseason success could soon result in a change in leadership in Western New York. With each postseason exit, or now, with each problematic regular season loss, like the one Buffalo suffered this past Sunday, it appears that Sean McDermott's seat will only grow hotter.
NFL insiders Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler had the following exchange in a Tuesday morning column on ESPN.com:
“Is it time to start talking about Sean McDermott after Buffalo's Week 5 debacle in Houston, Dan?” Fowler asked. “I got multiple texts from people involved in the hiring cycle asking whether McDermott would be on the hot seat. I replied that I hadn't sensed that, but Sunday's ending — a 23-20 loss after the Bills led 17-3 at halftime — was simply not good.”
“Yessir, the texts are certainly flying on that one. The Buffalo job is definitely the early leader for ‘Job that potential head coach candidates and their agents hope comes open,'” Graziano responded. “I have heard many on the outside speculate McDermott could be in trouble if the Bills keep failing to reach the Super Bowl, but I have never once heard from inside the Bills' organization that moving on from him has ever been a consideration.”
It makes sense that potential coaching candidates would view Buffalo as one of the best possible job openings around the league. Since the arrival of McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane, the Bills have been a pillar of stability in a typically hostile setting. Consider, that in just his eighth season, McDermott, along with Sean McVay, is the 4th-longest tenured head coach in the league, trailing only Mike Tomlin, John Harbaugh and Andy Reid. Each of those four coaches have a Super Bowl to their name.
And it's not as if other ownership groups wouldn't be or haven't been eager to move on from a head coach after fewer than seven Super Bowl-less seasons. The Philadelphia Eagles could decide to fire Nick Sirianni as soon as this Monday with a loss on Sunday versus the Cleveland Browns, and Sirianni coached the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance two years ago. In many other cities, Sean McDermott would already be a goner.
Bills' Super Bowl hopes continue to rest on the shoulders of Josh Allen
Being from Buffalo, New York and having spent the first eighteen years of my life there, I feel as though I've always been pretty well tapped into the collective mindset of the Bills Mafia, even if I don't identify as a Mafia member myself. It's not difficult to tell which coaches and quarterbacks especially the fanbase is behind, and which they aren't. Josh Allen's approval rating is about as high as it could be for a QB who hasn't delivered a Super Bowl title.
Most in Western New York will die on the hill that Allen is the guy, and I don't necessarily disagree. For my money, he's the second-best quarterback in the NFL, and has earned that distinction quite comfortably. Even a rough performance against Houston doesn't change that.
There's not nearly as much of a consensus on Sean McDermott.
Some Bills fans will insist that it's been McDermott who has been holding this team back. Others will say it's been his presence that has provided the consistency this franchise desperately lacked. In fairness, I can see both sides.
On one hand, this is a franchise that has lacked stability for decades, and the importance of that shouldn't just be brushed over. The last coach to make it more than four seasons in Buffalo was Marv Levy. Before McDermott, the longest-tenured head coach in the post-Levy era was Dick Jauron, who went 7-9 for three straight seasons before being fired in year four after a 3-6 start.
On the other hand, eventually somebody has to take the fall, and the fans in Buffalo won't let it be Josh Allen. Last year it was Ken Dorsey, who was ousted as offensive coordinator halfway through the season. Who is it gonna be this year?
History says it will be Sean McDermott.
