Buffalo Bills | |
---|---|
Position: | Head coach |
Personal information | |
Born: | Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. | March 21, 1974
Career information | |
High school: | La Salle College (Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania) |
College: | William & Mary (1993–1997) |
Career history | |
As a coach: | |
| |
As an executive: | |
Head coaching record | |
Regular season: | 83–43 (.659) |
Postseason: | 5–6 (.455) |
Career: | 88–49 (.642) |
Record at Pro Football Reference |
Sean Michael McDermott (born March 21, 1974) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL coaching career as an assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2001, serving as defensive coordinator from 2009 to 2010, and was later the defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers from 2011 to 2016. Following his six seasons with the Panthers, which included an appearance in Super Bowl 50, he was hired in 2017 as the Bills head coach.
McDermott's head coaching tenure in Buffalo has seen improved fortunes for the franchise, which had been mostly unsuccessful during the 2000s and 2010s. In his first season, he led the Bills to their first playoff appearance since 1999, ending the longest active postseason drought in the four major North American sports. Three years later, McDermott helped the Bills clinch their division and win a playoff game for the first time since 1995 en route to their first AFC Championship Game appearance since 1993. He has led Buffalo to a total of five consecutive division titles and seven playoff appearances.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska, McDermott grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs. His family lived in West Chester and Paoli before settling in Lansdale when McDermott was in second grade. [1] McDermott first attended North Penn High School before transferring to La Salle College High School, where he was named All-Southeastern Pennsylvania at defensive back in 1992 and graduated in 1993. [1] He was also a national prep champion wrestler in 1992 and 1993. He received a bachelor's degree in finance while at the College of William and Mary, where he was an all-conference safety (1997). He was teammates with future Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, who was a wide receiver and faced McDermott frequently. [2] He also received Academic all-conference honors in 1996 and 1997 and NSCA Strength and Conditioning All-America accolades.[ citation needed ]
McDermott originally joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999 as a scouting administrative coordinator, a position he held until being promoted to Andy Reid's coaching staff in 2001. [3] He became defensive quality control coach and later assistant defensive backs coach. In 2003, he replaced Steve Spagnuolo as defensive backs coach, as Spagnuolo was assigned linebackers coach. [4] In 2004, McDermott saw both of his starting safeties (Brian Dawkins and Michael Lewis) earn Pro Bowl berths for the first time in team history.[ citation needed ] McDermott and the Eagles appeared in Super Bowl XXXIX that season but lost to the New England Patriots, who won their second straight Super Bowl title. [5] Under McDermott's watch, Dawkins went on to earn two more Pro Bowl berths following the 2005 and 2006 seasons. [6]
In 2007, McDermott was assigned linebackers coach, after Spagnuolo had left to take the defensive coordinator job for the New York Giants. On January 28, 2008, Eagles head coach Andy Reid named McDermott as the secondary coach again. [7]
On May 18, 2009, McDermott was named the interim defensive coordinator as a result of defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's medical leave of absence. On July 24, of that same year, due to the continuing decline of Johnson, the Eagles announced McDermott would take over as full-time defensive coordinator. [8] [9] [10] Johnson died four days later. Thanks in part to what he learned under Johnson, McDermott would go on to implement a variety of blitzes in his later defensive gameplans. [11]
McDermott was fired as the defensive coordinator on January 15, 2011, after 12 years with the Eagles. [12]
McDermott was hired as the defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers on January 17, 2011. [13] McDermott was reunited with new Panthers head coach Ron Rivera, a former Eagles assistant whom McDermott served alongside from 1999 to 2003. [14] McDermott was Pro Football Focus's second runner up to their Defensive Coordinator of the Year award in 2015. [15]
As the Panthers' defensive coordinator, McDermott led the team to finishes in the top ten in overall defense from 2012 to 2015. [16] [17] [18] [19]
In the 2015 season, McDermott and the Panthers reached Super Bowl 50, which was played on February 7, 2016. His defense only gave up one offensive touchdown in the game, but the Panthers fell to the Denver Broncos by a score of 24–10. [20]
This article needs to be updated. The reason given is: doesn’t include 2023.(July 2024) |
On January 11, 2017, McDermott was hired by the Buffalo Bills as the 19th head coach in franchise history. [21] [22] [23] [24]
On September 10, 2017, McDermott won his NFL head coaching debut in the season opening 21–12 victory over the New York Jets, becoming just the third Bills head coach to win his first game with the team after Marv Levy and Rex Ryan. [25] [26]
Just after a Week 2 loss to the Carolina Panthers, also McDermott's first return to Charlotte since leaving the Panthers organization, McDermott would lead the Bills to 4 wins in the next 5 games, including a win against the reigning NFC champion Atlanta Falcons. However, they lost the next two games, including a 47–10 loss to the New Orleans Saints, which prompted him to make the controversial decision to bench starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor in favor of rookie backup Nathan Peterman. Peterman played poorly against the Los Angeles Chargers in his first career start, throwing 5 interceptions in the first half. He was benched for Taylor during the second half of the 54–24 loss, which dropped the Bills to 5–5. [27]
Despite the string of losses, the Bills then went on a 4–2 run to finish the season at 9–7, clinching the AFC's 6th seed and their first playoff appearance in 18 years, thus ending both the NFL's and the North American professional sports franchise's longest active playoff droughts during McDermott's first year as head coach. [28] The Bills would go on to lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars 10–3 in the AFC wild card game. [29]
The following season, McDermott's Bills finished 6–10 and missed the playoffs, but had a strong finish to the season after a 2–7 start. After suffering blowout losses in four of the first nine games, partly caused by a lack of offensive talent, [30] the Bills adjusted their roster, allowing them to stay competitive in each of the last seven games. Buffalo's defense improved in 2018. To date, 2018 is McDermott's only losing season as head coach. [31]
McDermott was nominated for NFL Head Coach of the Year for the 2019 season after leading the Bills to a 10–6 record, receiving their second playoff berth in three seasons as the AFC's #5 seed. The Bills would lose 22–19 to the Houston Texans in overtime during the Wild Card Round. [32]
On August 12, 2020, McDermott signed a contract extension through 2025. [33]
The 2020 season marked many instances of growth and success for McDermott and the Bills. Quarterback Josh Allen developed dramatically, turning into an MVP candidate and leading the Bills to their first AFC East Division Title since 1995, as well as a 13–3 record, tied for second best in the league with the Green Bay Packers and behind the Kansas City Chiefs. [34] They also tied a franchise record for wins previously set in 1990 and 1991. After winning their first division title since 1995, they won their first playoff game in 25 years with a win against the Indianapolis Colts in the Wild Card Round, before defeating the Baltimore Ravens 17–3 for a trip to their first AFC Championship Game in 27 years. [35]
In the AFC Championship, the Bills lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 38–24, ending their 2020 season, and ending the Bills' hopes of returning to the Super Bowl for the first time in 27 years. [36] McDermott was questioned by fans and analysts for his play calling, with criticism specifically aimed at his decision making in regards to attempting field goals instead of touchdowns on a pair of fourth and goal situations. The Bills finished their 2020 season with a cumulative record of 15–4. [37]
Prior to the 2021 season, the Bills increased protection for Allen by drafting offensive tackle Spencer Brown from Northern Iowa. After losing the season opener verus Pittsburgh 23–16, the Bills went on a four–game winning streak, including a 35–0 shutout against Miami and a 40–0 shutout over Houston. The Bills had a record of 5–1 within the division, with the sole loss to New England having taken place during particularly poor weather—wind gusts nearby were measured at over 55 miles per hour. Overall, the Bills would finish 11–6. In the AFC Wild Card game, they beat the Patriots 47–17 in a 'perfect' offensive performance, with each Buffalo possession ending in either a touchdown or kneeling to end the period. There was much anticipation going into the next round, as they would be once again be facing the Chiefs, led by Patrick Mahomes. The game was hailed as one of the greatest modern NFL playoff games, with some commentators initially proclaiming it not only as the best playoff game in history, but one of the greatest games ever played, [38] [39] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] a high-scoring shootout between Allen and Mahomes reaching its climax in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter, where a combined 25 points were scored. The Bills had emerged from the fracas with 13 seconds left in regulation and a 36–33 lead. However, Buffalo's defense would not hold, and Kansas City was able to score a field goal to tie the game 36–36 as time expired. The Chiefs then won the coin toss for possession to begin overtime, and ultimately scored a touchdown on the resulting drive to win the game 42–36. [46] After the season, partially in reaction to this result—given Buffalo's offense was not given a chance to participate in the overtime period—the NFL changed their postseason rules to guarantee both teams a possession of the ball, even if the opening drive results in a touchdown. [47]
In the 2022 season, McDermott led the Bills to a 13–3 record and a first-place finish in the AFC East. [48] The Bills did not play 17 games in 2022 due to the Damar Hamlin incident in Week 17, which McDermott got praise for helping cancel. [49] [50] The Bills won the Wild Card Round against the Miami Dolphins 34–31. [51] The Bills' season ended in the Divisional Round with a 27–10 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. [52] Following Leslie Frazier's resignation in February 2023, McDermott assumed play-calling duties on defense for the 2023 season. [53] On June 23, 2023, the Bills announced McDermott's contract had been extended through the 2027 season. [54]
As of the end of the 2023 season, McDermott is second on the Bills' all-time wins list, behind only Marv Levy. [55]
In December 2023, independent journalist Tyler Dunne published an exploratory article into McDermott's time as head coach of the Bills, with multiple critiques from Bills players and Dunne himself. In it, Dunne reported that during a 2019 team meeting, McDermott told the team they needed to work together like "the terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001," whom he cited as a group of people who worked perfectly to orchestrate their plan and began asking questions to the team about the terrorists' tactics. [56] Players reportedly were unsure how to answer McDermott, with one jokingly saying TSA was the biggest difficulty to their plan when he was asked a question about it.[ citation needed ]
McDermott was widely criticized in the sports media and on social media sites, with some questioning his leadership ability and calling for McDermott to be fired. [57] When asked about it on the day of the article's release, he stated that he "regretted it and apologized to the team soon after for not better communicating [his] point", instead saying he was only using the attack to "emphasize the importance of communication." [58]
Sean McDermott has worked under two head coaches:
Coaches under McDermott who have become NFL or NCAA head coaches:
Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
BUF | 2017 | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 2nd in AFC East | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Jacksonville Jaguars in AFC Wild Card Game |
BUF | 2018 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 3rd in AFC East | — | — | — | — |
BUF | 2019 | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 2nd in AFC East | 0 | 1 | .000 | Lost to Houston Texans in AFC Wild Card Game |
BUF | 2020 | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 1st in AFC East | 2 | 1 | .667 | Lost to Kansas City Chiefs in AFC Championship Game |
BUF | 2021 | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 1st in AFC East | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Kansas City Chiefs in AFC Divisional Game |
BUF | 2022 | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 1st in AFC East | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Cincinnati Bengals in AFC Divisional Game |
BUF | 2023 | 11 | 6 | 0 | .647 | 1st in AFC East | 1 | 1 | .500 | Lost to Kansas City Chiefs in AFC Divisional Game |
BUF | 2024 | 10 | 2 | 0 | .833 | 1st in AFC East | — | — | — | TBD |
Total | 83 | 43 | 0 | .659 | 5 | 6 | .455 |
McDermott and his wife have two children. [63] He is a devout Christian and has been outspoken on his faith. [64] [65]
In 2021, McDermott revealed that he has been treated for skin cancer "several times" since at least 2017. [66]
William Stephen Belichick is an American sports analyst and American football coach. Widely regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time, he holds numerous coaching records, including the record of most Super Bowl wins (six) as a head coach, all with the New England Patriots, along with two more during his time as the defensive coordinator of the New York Giants, for a record eight combined total Super Bowl victories as coach and coordinator. A renowned American football historian, Belichick is often referred to as a "student of the game" with a deep knowledge of the intricacies of each player position. During his tenure with the Patriots, Belichick was a central figure as the head coach and de facto general manager during the franchise's dynasty from 2001 to 2019.
Frank Michael Reich is an American former professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He played 14 seasons as a quarterback in the NFL. He became a coach afterwards, including head coaching stints with the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers.
Andrew Walter Reid is an American professional football coach who is the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). Reid was previously head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles from 1999 to 2012. From 2001 to 2012, he was also the Eagles' executive vice president of football operations. He is the only NFL coach to win 100 games and appear in four consecutive conference championships with two different franchises.
Harold Wade Phillips is an American football coach who is currently the head coach of the San Antonio Brahmas of the United Football League (UFL). He has served as head coach of the Denver Broncos, Buffalo Bills, Dallas Cowboys, and Houston Roughnecks. He has also served as interim head coach for the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and the Houston Texans. Additionally, Phillips has long been considered to be among the best defensive coordinators in the NFL. In his long career, he has served as defensive coordinator in eight separate stints with seven different franchises. Multiple players under Phillips' system have won Defensive Player of the Year: Reggie White, Bryce Paup, Bruce Smith, J. J. Watt and Aaron Donald. Others under Phillips have won Defensive Rookie of the Year: Mike Croel and Shawne Merriman. In Phillips' lone Super Bowl victory, a defensive player would be named Super Bowl MVP: Von Miller.
Leslie Antonio Frazier is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the assistant head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. He played professional football as a cornerback for the Chicago Bears in the National Football League (NFL), winning a Super Bowl in the 1985 season.
Jim Johnson was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He was a defensive coordinator for nine seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. Widely regarded as one of the best defensive coordinators in NFL history, he was especially known for being a master architect of blitzes, disguising them skillfully and keeping offenses off balance.
James J. Schwartz is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). He was head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2009 to 2013. He was also defensive coordinator for the Tennessee Titans from 2001 to 2008, Buffalo Bills in 2014, and Philadelphia Eagles from 2016 to 2020. In addition, Schwartz was the Senior Defensive Assistant for the Titans from 2021 to 2022. He won Super Bowl LII with the Eagles in 2018.
John William Harbaugh is an American professional football coach who is the head coach for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Previously, he coached the defensive backs for the Philadelphia Eagles and served as the Eagles special teams coach for nine years. Harbaugh and his younger brother, former San Francisco 49ers and current Los Angeles Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, are the first pair of brothers in NFL history to serve as head coaches. Jack Harbaugh, Jim and John's father, served 45 years as a college defensive coach, an assistant coach, and a running backs coach. John and the Ravens beat Jim and the 49ers at Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans on February 3, 2013, by a score of 34–31.
Kyle Derrick Williams is an American former professional football player who spent his entire 13-year career as a defensive tackle for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the LSU Tigers, and was selected by the Bills in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL draft, playing 13 seasons with them before retiring following the 2018 season.
The history of the Buffalo Bills began in 1960, when the team began play as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL), winning two consecutive AFL titles in 1964 and 1965. The club joined the National Football League (NFL) as part of the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. The Bills have the distinction of being the only team to advance to four consecutive Super Bowls between 1990 and 1993, but also the regrettable distinction of losing all four of them.
Brian Michael Daboll is a Canadian-American professional football coach who is the head coach of the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Kansas City Chiefs, Alabama Crimson Tide, and Buffalo Bills. Daboll has also served in various capacities as an assistant coach for the New England Patriots from 2000 to 2006 and again from 2013 to 2016.
Steven Bernard Wilks is an American football coach in the National Football League (NFL). A defensive assistant for most of his career, he was the assistant head coach and defensive backs coach for the Carolina Panthers when they reached Super Bowl 50 and the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers when they reached Super Bowl LVIII. Wilks was also the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 and the interim head coach of the Panthers in 2022.
Stephon Stiles Gilmore is an American professional football cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks and was selected tenth overall by the Buffalo Bills in the 2012 NFL draft. Gilmore spent his first five seasons with the Bills and earned Pro Bowl honors in 2016 before joining the New England Patriots.
Matthew Vincent Milano is an American professional football linebacker for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Boston College.
Brandon Beane is an American professional football executive who is the general manager for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL), a position he has held since 2017. Prior to joining the Bills, Beane served in the personnel department of the Carolina Panthers organization from 1998 to 2016.
Eric Washington is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive line coach for the Buffalo Bills following experience as the defensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers and defensive line coach for the Chicago Bears.
Joseph Brady is an American football coach who is the offensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers from 2020 to 2021. He was a passing game coordinator and wide receiver coach for the LSU Tigers during the 2019 season, winning the Broyles Award for the best assistant coach in college football, and an offensive assistant for the New Orleans Saints from 2017 to 2018.
Bobby Babich is an American football coach and former player who is the defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the North Dakota State Bison and previously served as a coach with the Kent State Golden Flashes, Eastern Illinois Panthers, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and FIU Panthers.
'I'm a Christian man to begin with, and I'm not afraid to say that,' he [McDermott] said in Thursday's press conference.