OK. OK. OK. I know we’ve been on a run of AFC East teams on HBO’s Hard Knocks with the Jets and Dolphins. As intriguing as the preseason hype was around Aaron Rodgers before he tore his Achilles, and as intriguing as the hype is around Miami since they’re the No. 1 seed in the AFC, all that pales in comparison to whatever the hell has been going on in Buffalo in recent years.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott just got a contract extension in June. Go Long‘s Tyler Dunne dropped a three-part, mega 20,000-word feature on McDermott that’s at least partially behind a paywall. Thank goodness, there’s more than enough access to primary points made in the piece, all of which underscore how much of a complete and utter moron McDermott is.
I mean, there is so much in here that merits discussion. Not least of which was McDermott getting pissed at the offense for scoring too quickly in that famous Chiefs-Bills Divisional Round playoff game, where Patrick Mahomes carved up McDermott’s defense in a matter of seconds to kick a tying field goal, force overtime, and proceed to win. Buffalo hasn’t been the same team since that day. Somebody with the team called McDermott’s statement about the offense’s rapid march down the field “ludicrous.” Another labeled McDermott as a narcissist who “never takes accountability for anything.”
So never mind that seven sources consulted with by Go Long confirmed the following story to be true, because McDermott will just deny, deny, deny. But get. A load. Of this. From training camp all the way back in 2019:
A couple reactions from players as described by Dunne when he raised this particular topic: “Horrified” and “almost falls over, clapping and laughing hysterically.” Here are the links to Part I, Part II and Part III of Dunne’s McDermott deep dive, so that you, dear reader, have them all in one place.
Just think for a second how preposterously out of touch with himself and the rest of humanity Sean McDermott must be to try to relate team-building to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. If I were in the front office, or the team owner, and caught wind of that doozy McDermott attempted to deploy as a unifying/motivational tactic, I’d fire his a** on the spot.
The wild thing is, the Bills succeeded thereafter in spite of McDermott’s nonsense. Makes you think maybe defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier deserved more credit. Also makes you wonder a little less why Frazier took this entire 2023 season off. Like, got out of coaching for a breather. If I had to work with McDermott, I wouldn’t have lasted near as long as Frazier did. This might actually help Leslie Frazier land a head coaching gig. Not even kidding.
Do I even need to remark more on McDermott’s stupid story? The guy is a clown. No wonder Stefon Diggs is venting all over the place all the time. Dude is probably losing his goddamn mind out there. And how the f*ck is Josh Allen keeping it together? Ken Dorsey didn’t do that bad as offensive coordinator. McDermott scapegoated him all the same. I’m blaming Allen’s occasional penchant for interceptions on a brief loss of mental faculties due to how downright absurd McDermott is painted out to be. How can anyone thrive under such working conditions??
Guess what? This iconic Josh Allen GIF has never been more fitting:
Maybe this is why Giants head coach and ex-Bills OC Brian Daboll is reportedly a raving lunatic at his current job. McDermott drove him up a wall. Working with an elite talent like Allen wasn’t anywhere near appealing enough for Daboll to stay.
You know what the even nuttier part about all this is? On account of being more disturbed and nonplussed than in a laughing mood when I read about McDermott’s failed 9/11 analogy, there’s another McDermott story from Go Long‘s feature in Part II that almost made me piss myself. A true McDermott Special. More than two years out from that infamous 9/11 monologue. So yes, this is indeed a pattern of behavior from our boy Sean McD:
“Take the ‘Niagara Falls’ speech. In December 2021, locals will recall the news of a woman deliberately driving into the waterway that spills into the falls. 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.”
I feel like we have to tiptoe around certain terms when it comes to mental health in modern times. Rightfully so. I agree. I don’t use any of those affiliated terms lightly. That said, given that it’s the title of a 2020 movie starring Russell Crowe, and is the only word I can think of to summarize the text above, how else do you describe that McDermott diatribe as anything other than unhinged?
How is this man not fired? The Bills should’ve axed McDermott yesterday. And by “yesterday” I mean more than four years ago.
This is the epitome of “cap.” You will never find an NFL head coach or any coach in professional sports for that matter with a more extreme example of “cap” than what Sean McDermott reportedly (according to many, many, many sources) did over his years in Buffalo. These stories are a microcosm of the macro picture behind the scenes. Imagine what relaly goes on.
I don’t care about the rules HBO and the NFL have established. As long as McDermott is coaching the Bills in 2024, they must be on Hard Knocks. We need team meetings where McDermott is addressing everyone. We’ve been robbed of this for his whole tenure. We deserve this while we can still get it. Do the right thing, Goodell. CALL IT IN!
