Sean McDermott is a scumbag (3 part series)

[MVike28]

The McDermott Problem, Part III: Let Josh be Josh

“He wants to run through your face and establish the fact that he’s the biggest alpha male dog quarterback in the history of pro football." Buffalo needs to do what's right for its QB. Time's ticking.

www.golongtd.com

Hidden behind paywall. But this is nuts alone.

This is the most important part its over for this weirdo


There are two distinct versions of Josh Allen this 2023 season. One is fun. One takes off on the run — “The crowd loves it!” Al Michaels professes — and holds the football over the goal line while staring down a Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback. All at full speed.

This version gets a Cincinnati Bengals safety to leave his feet with a pump fake, points, laughs and runs in for a TD. Flag ‘n fine, be damned. Meanwhile, Sean McDermott, spits on the turf and purses his lips. Fifteen yards lost on a kickoff likely means more to the Buffalo Bills head coach than any momentum gained by his backyard quarterback rediscovering himself.

This version, at rain-slopped Philadelphia, rams through Reed Blankenship at the goal line, chucks the ball against the backstop and — flanked by teammates — swaggers right into the teeth of those trash-talking Eagles fans as if welcoming a dark-alley fight. The TD launched a tour de force for the quarterback: 420 total yards, four touchdowns.

“No. 17 is just a different bird,” said one friend and former pro teammate. “He’s wired different. He’s not like most of these quarterbacks. He wants to make dikk jokes and run into people.”

If Buffalonians could create the quarterback they’ve always desired in a lab, it’s exactly this.

But then, there’s the other Allen. The pale, stupefied, knockoff version who trudges to the sideline after an interception vs. Denver with McDermott screaming in his ear.

Unlike his boss, Allen does not come remotely close to assigning blame. Doesn’t embarrass receivers on national TV. Doesn’t snipe into earholes on the sidelines. Doesn’t kindly remind the public what McDermott said back in March when, in truth, it’s fully within his rights to alert your attention to these trainwreck comments. When, in reality, this is everything a former Bills assistant coach meant when he said this team is forced to “overcome the head coach.” Everything a former teammate meant by McDermott serving as a drop of “poison.”

A smart coach does everything in his power to accentuate the first version of Allen.

Realize you’ve been gifted a Marvel character at the most important position in sports and let him fly.

Then, there’s McDermott sitting down with NFL Network last March. He made it abundantly clear that Allen needed to siphon these sorts of plays out of his game.

“I don’t think that that’s a healthy way to play quarterback in this league,” said McDermott, in a video posted by the team. “It’s really undefeated that things are going to happen when you play that style, that brand of football. So, we’ve got to get that adjusted. It’s never going to go completely away but it has to get to where it’s workable. I don’t want to take his personality away from him as far as that goes. His signature. But there needs to be an adjustment in that style of play.”

Manually warping the “style” of your most valuable commodity should’ve slotted in as the 2,789th item on the Bills’ offseason agenda. But this was no surprise.

This is a head coach with a low Quarterback IQ.

Start with the player who helped him become a head coach: Cam Newton. When the former No. 1 overall pick shapeshifted into molten lava on NFL defenses throughout the 2015 season — an MVP season, a 15-1 season — McDermott was the Carolina Panthers’ defensive coordinator. One of many individuals to directly benefit from Newton throwing for 3,837 yards, rushing for 636 and scoring 45 touchdowns in leading Carolina to the Super Bowl. In 2016, the Panthers went 6-10. In 2017, McDermott was named the 20th coach in Bills history.

This did not stop McDermott from bashing Newton in staff meetings.

One of the Bills assistants Go Long spoke to for this series said that McDermott’s “frame of reference” as a coach was watching Newton — in his mind — “ruin” the Panthers. “He used to come into offensive staff meetings,” this source said, “and just motherf--k Cam Newton.” Aside from the objective lunacy, this created… awkwardness. Before becoming the Bills’ quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, Ken Dorsey served as Newton’s coach from ‘13 to ‘17. Dorsey was the coach most responsible for Newton’s rise, thus Dorsey understandably wondered if McDermott knew he was sitting in the same room.

and he's a terrible defensive coordinator, Leslie Frazer was responsible for how good that defense was

 

[MVike28]

When the clock ticks closer… and closer… and closer to triple zeroes, all viewers of the Buffalo Bills have been conditioned to expect calamity. Seven years of torture will do that. The sight of Sean McDermott whispering into a headset has become synonymous with impending doom.

The 2023 season is caving.

The Super Bowl window is closing.

Those who’ve worked with the head coach on a day-to-day basis predicted all of this — months in advance — because they’ve seen how McDermott operates on a day-to-day basis. How tangibly nervous he gets in close games. How he has never truly appreciated his gift from the football gods: Josh Allen. How he’s quick to blame everyone but himself in defeat. That’s why one coach — in June — began by asking a simple question: “If they fail again this year? What does ownership do with Sean?”

Three seconds later, he answered his own hypothetical.

“Next year if they fail, you know who’ll be the first person he serves up? Ken Dorsey.”

The coach wasn’t quite sure how McDermott would manage to put Dorsey’s head on a stick. After all, it’s the head coach’s beloved defense that has melted in four straight postseason losses. The honeymoon period with fans ended a long time ago — pointing a finger at his breadwinning quarterback, again, surely wouldn’t work. Yet even back in June, this assistant knew his old boss would find a way to deflect blame.

“Watch,” he said, “if they sputter at all during this year, the narrative’s going to be the offense.”

On cue, seeds of blame were planted loss, to loss, to an agonizing 24-22 loss to the Denver Broncos on Nov. 13. McDermott didn’t lament the jailbreak blitz that teed up a game-winning field goal. Nor did he take ownership for 12 men being on the field, a penalty that gifted the Broncos another field-goal attempt. He gushed over the defense, trashed the offense and canned Dorsey the next day. A card he probably didn’t expect to throw on the table so soon. All the ensuing 37-point offensive outburst in Philadelphia did two weeks later was further brighten the blinding spotlight on the real problem in Buffalo.

A problem that began long before the Bills devolved into a 6-6 team loitering In The Hunt.

The great mystery of the 2023 NFL season — What happened to the Buffalo Bills? — is no mystery at all.

It’s McDermott. It’s always been McDermott.

He’s a coaching relic routinely paralyzed by fear late in games. He never imagines what could go right with 20 seconds left in regulation, instead forever horrified of what could go wrong. Oblivious to the reality that he employs one of the sport’s most talented quarterbacks. The word you’ll hear constantly from those who’ve been around McDermott is “tight.” He’s so incomprehensibly tight, they say, players cannot help but stiffen up themselves. As if the head coach uses the 2-minute warning to administer mass lobotomies on his team.

He’s an unnatural communicator, a “robot.”

He’s described repeatedly as a “blamer.” Coaches see a boss who preaches accountability while taking none himself. As the Titanic inches toward an iceberg, this captain shoves passengers aside to secure his own lifeboat.

He has never managed to truly connect with the most important player on the team: Josh Allen.

This is the man who ended the team’s 17-year playoff drought, who restored order and discipline to the moldy frat house Rex Ryan left behind. McDermott also guided the Bills through the near-death of a player. Damar Hamlin’s heart stopped, a football game was cancelled, a nation was forced to reconcile with its love of football. He deserved every rose of praise for navigating a team through such a surreal moment in time.

But if the goal is to win a Super Bowl, the Bills have one option: Fire the head coach before its too late.

This three-part series is the culmination of 25 extended interviews with coaches, players, personnel men and other team sources who’ve passed through One Bills Drive. Many were granted anonymity to speak freely without the fear of retribution.

Most know exactly when the McDermott Era broke: Jan. 22, 2022 at Arrowhead Stadium.

Adversity reveals character in any field. Not only did McDermott insult the public by writing off 13 Seconds as an “execution” error. He never owned the defeat privately. He allowed it to linger, and that’s the danger with any trauma. There’s no way for anyone involved to move on unless it’s dealt with head-on. Unless the guilty party takes accountability. McDermott, as Go Long detailed, was the culprit. Yet when his decision to kick a touchback and his defense doomed Buffalo against the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs, there was zero accountability. To delusional proportions. One assistant coach remembers McDermott saying in the locker room that the offense scored too fast and left the Chiefs too much time.

“It was such a ludicrous statement,” the coach said, “that it didn’t move the needle.”

The next day, McDermott continued to point the finger. “You guys need to get away,” the assistant recalled the boss saying. “Recharge, reflect, and figure out what you can do better to avoid that happening again.” With that, he walked out of the room.

“It’s narcissism,” said this coach. “Because narcissists are a unique conundrum. They want the attention, but they’re so insecure at the same time. And that’s him. The issue with the team is the guy at the top. It’s really nothing else. There are so many examples of his insecurity — and his bizarre leadership — that you could talk for days.

“He never takes accountability. For anything.”
Part 1

One quick reporting note because I always want to be upfront with our readers. While Go Long is based in Western New York, the Bills are one of the few teams that have chosen to deny us credentials and, hey, that’s fine. That’s their prerogative. We were told a while back to grab quotes from press conferences online for stories. Of course, that’s a disservice to you. So, in the interest of covering this team to the best of our ability, we’ve brought you the “Isaiah McKenzie Show,” connected with many Bills players independently for longform profiles and, now, it’s time to sift through the rubble to figure out why everything’s going south.

The shame of it all is that this should have been the Buffalo Bills’ golden age. The hierarchy of most important employees should’ve been obvious that fateful night in KC: 1) Allen, the human buffalo of a QB; 2) Brandon Beane, the driving force behind drafting that QB; 3) McDermott, the man who ended the drought.

Rings are missing. But it’s not too late. Owner Terry Pegula can either operate in fear of the playoff-less wilderness or act now while there’s still time, while Allen is still a 27-year-old in his prime.

Complacency will only lead to more torment for all involved.

And that is what’s most telling about these 25 conversations. People who aren’t even working in Buffalo anymore empathize with the torment. Thrilled as they are to move onto greener pastures — as players, as coaches — they’re universally exasperated and saddened for those still in Western New York.

“This job’s too hard to fight from within and that’s what you do there,” one ex-Bills assistant explained. “You’re fighting against the head coach. You’ve got to overcome the head coach. This job is already hard enough. You’ve got to overcome all your opponents, all the dynamics. You’ve got to overcome so much shyt. But then you’ve got to overcome the guy who’s supposedly steering the boat.”

Hold on tight.

The iceberg nears.

 

[Rekkapryde]

The McDermott Problem, Part III: Let Josh be Josh

“He wants to run through your face and establish the fact that he’s the biggest alpha male dog quarterback in the history of pro football." Buffalo needs to do what's right for its QB. Time's ticking.

www.golongtd.com

Hidden behind paywall. But this is nuts alone.

This is the most important part its over for this weirdo


There are two distinct versions of Josh Allen this 2023 season. One is fun. One takes off on the run — “The crowd loves it!” Al Michaels professes — and holds the football over the goal line while staring down a Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback. All at full speed.

This version gets a Cincinnati Bengals safety to leave his feet with a pump fake, points, laughs and runs in for a TD. Flag ‘n fine, be damned. Meanwhile, Sean McDermott, spits on the turf and purses his lips. Fifteen yards lost on a kickoff likely means more to the Buffalo Bills head coach than any momentum gained by his backyard quarterback rediscovering himself.

This version, at rain-slopped Philadelphia, rams through Reed Blankenship at the goal line, chucks the ball against the backstop and — flanked by teammates — swaggers right into the teeth of those trash-talking Eagles fans as if welcoming a dark-alley fight. The TD launched a tour de force for the quarterback: 420 total yards, four touchdowns.

“No. 17 is just a different bird,” said one friend and former pro teammate. “He’s wired different. He’s not like most of these quarterbacks. He wants to make dikk jokes and run into people.”

If Buffalonians could create the quarterback they’ve always desired in a lab, it’s exactly this.

But then, there’s the other Allen. The pale, stupefied, knockoff version who trudges to the sideline after an interception vs. Denver with McDermott screaming in his ear.

Unlike his boss, Allen does not come remotely close to assigning blame. Doesn’t embarrass receivers on national TV. Doesn’t snipe into earholes on the sidelines. Doesn’t kindly remind the public what McDermott said back in March when, in truth, it’s fully within his rights to alert your attention to these trainwreck comments. When, in reality, this is everything a former Bills assistant coach meant when he said this team is forced to “overcome the head coach.” Everything a former teammate meant by McDermott serving as a drop of “poison.”

A smart coach does everything in his power to accentuate the first version of Allen.

Realize you’ve been gifted a Marvel character at the most important position in sports and let him fly.

Then, there’s McDermott sitting down with NFL Network last March. He made it abundantly clear that Allen needed to siphon these sorts of plays out of his game.

“I don’t think that that’s a healthy way to play quarterback in this league,” said McDermott, in a video posted by the team. “It’s really undefeated that things are going to happen when you play that style, that brand of football. So, we’ve got to get that adjusted. It’s never going to go completely away but it has to get to where it’s workable. I don’t want to take his personality away from him as far as that goes. His signature. But there needs to be an adjustment in that style of play.”

Manually warping the “style” of your most valuable commodity should’ve slotted in as the 2,789th item on the Bills’ offseason agenda. But this was no surprise.

This is a head coach with a low Quarterback IQ.

Start with the player who helped him become a head coach: Cam Newton. When the former No. 1 overall pick shapeshifted into molten lava on NFL defenses throughout the 2015 season — an MVP season, a 15-1 season — McDermott was the Carolina Panthers’ defensive coordinator. One of many individuals to directly benefit from Newton throwing for 3,837 yards, rushing for 636 and scoring 45 touchdowns in leading Carolina to the Super Bowl. In 2016, the Panthers went 6-10. In 2017, McDermott was named the 20th coach in Bills history.

This did not stop McDermott from bashing Newton in staff meetings.

One of the Bills assistants Go Long spoke to for this series said that McDermott’s “frame of reference” as a coach was watching Newton — in his mind — “ruin” the Panthers. “He used to come into offensive staff meetings,” this source said, “and just motherf--k Cam Newton.” Aside from the objective lunacy, this created… awkwardness. Before becoming the Bills’ quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, Ken Dorsey served as Newton’s coach from ‘13 to ‘17. Dorsey was the coach most responsible for Newton’s rise, thus Dorsey understandably wondered if McDermott knew he was sitting in the same room.

and he's a terrible defensive coordinator, Leslie Frazer was responsible for how good that defense was

ruh roh

 

[MVike28]

“At St. John Fisher College in Pittsford, N.Y., McDermott’s morning address began innocently enough,” Dunne writes. “He told the entire team they needed to come together. But then, sources on-hand say, he used a strange model: the terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001. He cited the hijackers as a group of people who were all able to get on the same page to orchestrate attacks to perfection. One by one, McDermott started asking specific players in the room questions. ‘What tactics do you think they used to come together?’ A young player tried to methodically answer. ‘What do you think their biggest obstacle was?’ A veteran answered, ‘TSA,’ which mercifully lightened the mood,






Dunne has quotes from multiple unnamed players and coaches regarding the incident.

“I don’t know why he’s that awkward but his social skills are lacking,” an unnamed player told Dunne. “Maybe he’s just wound-up thinking about ball. You’ve got to talk to the team every day. That’s one where maybe he heard it on a podcast. Next episode! That’s not the one to lead with. He was trying to bring the team together. It was a horrible, horrible reference. He missed the mark.”

Then there was the so-called “Niagara Falls” speech.

“In December 2021, locals will recall the news of a woman deliberately driving into the waterway that spills into the falls,” Dunne explains. “She drifted down the Niagara River before her vehicle was lodged against a rock about 50 yards from the brink. McDermott studied up and pieced together a speech. The coach explained how members from the Coast Guard did everything they could to save the woman. He built up the drama. Players held on tight for an inspiring apex, and . . . nothing. He said the woman died. End of story. The complete absence of a point had some players biting their tongues, trying their hardest not to laugh.”

 

[Squirrel from Meteor Man]

Anyone with two ears can tell McDermott is an awkward, risk averse wall flower. He’s from the Riverboat Ron Rivera tree. Plays not to lose and doesn’t inspire anybody.

All that being said, Josh Allen is a turnover machine with low IQ. If he was black he would be out of job by now.

 

[DrexlersFade]

Anyone with two ears can tell McDermott is an awkward, risk averse wall flower. He’s from the Riverboat Ron Rivera tree. Plays not to lose and doesn’t inspire anybody.

All that being said, Josh Allen is a turnover machine with low IQ. If he was black he would be out of job by now.

Your not a Bills fan please stop discussing them Low IQ

Yeah he broke Marino record for most touchdowns by 26 but yeah he would be out the league just stop

 

[Squirrel from Meteor Man]

Your not a Bills fan please stop discussing them Low IQ

Yeah he broke Marino record for most touchdowns by 26 but yeah he would be out the league just stop

He leads the league in turnovers going on 2 years. He literally throws the ball to the other team at least once a game, along with fumbling the ball twice a game like a nervous teenager.

He can thank Diggs for making his career.

His IQ is extremely low and he can’t read a defense. The article even tells you:

“No. 17 is just a different bird,” said one friend and former pro teammate. “He’s wired different. He’s not like most of these quarterbacks. He wants to make dikk jokes and run into people.”

Only for a white man would this be a compliment

I know, I know:

But, but he’s a gunslinger just having fun out there. He’s taking chances and putting the team on his back. He needs more help. His coach isn’t any good.

 

[MVike28]

Anyone with two ears can tell McDermott is an awkward, risk averse wall flower. He’s from the Riverboat Ron Rivera tree. Plays not to lose and doesn’t inspire anybody.

All that being said, Josh Allen is a turnover machine with low IQ. If he was black he would be out of job by now.

out of a what now?

 

[MVike28]

He leads the league in turnovers going on 2 years. He literally throws the ball to the other team at least once a game, along with fumbling the ball twice a game like a nervous teenager.

He can thank Diggs for making his career.

His IQ is extremely low and he can’t read a defense. The article even tells you:



Only for a white man would this be a compliment

I know, I know:

But, but he’s a gunslinger just having fun out there. He’s taking chances and putting the team on his back. He needs more help. His coach isn’t any good.

This is such a cheap non game watching, first take style opinion

NBA is that way >>

 

[jay211]

Jeff Fisher without a mustache

 

[Squirrel from Meteor Man]

This is such a cheap non game watching, first take style opinion

NBA is that way >>

You can blame the coach all you want, he’s not the one throwing picks and fumbling the ball six ways to Sunday. Josh Allen is a second tier QB on his best day and it’s been proven.

When the Bills fire McDermott this season and they’re still a mediocre team next year, let’s see what the excuse is

 

[David_TheMan]

McDermett isn't a excellent coach and it seems he has lost the team.
Thats on him.

 

[hood b. goode]

 

[BaggerofTea]

Top down, nfl cats are bozos. Apologies to thr normal rant and file

 

[KidJSoul]

He can thank Diggs for making his career.

His IQ is extremely low and he can’t read a defense. The article even tells you:

Dude just... stop... this is getting stupid.