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Bills HC Sean McDermott, who came to Buffalo with strict rules, has since eased off of them and has passed leadership roles on to the team’s veterans.
“He came in and set the foundation that he wanted, and then he got the vets that he wanted to lead the team the way he wanted it, and that was a rite of passage … like, here you go,” Bills DT Jordan Phillips said, via ESPN. “You guys have earned my respect. I’mma lay off a little bit.”
McDermott said that his goal coming into Buffalo was to eliminate distractions. He’s now learned the balance between focus and creating a strong culture that makes his team want to play for him.
“There are coaches that create distractions for their team and then they can’t focus, and so, there are already distractions,” McDermott said. “You just try and limit those as much as you can. Now, there’s a delicate sweet spot in there that I’ve tried to find lately, because I also saw where you want people to really know the true you, in particular, the team first. And that’s a moving target, I think, too.”
Bills OL Dan Skipper said that McDermott has always been searching for a competitive advantage off the field, and that aspect hasn’t changed about him.
“You learn the players and how you practice, whether it’s sports science, incorporating all that stuff,” Skipper said. “It’s all encompassing in what you do, how you practice, different things like that. But he’s always been very detailed on what he’s doing. That hasn’t changed.”
Bills DL coach Marcus West said that McDermott is a silent leader who leads through strength with high expectations.
“Sean McDermott is quiet strength, but Sean McDermott is intense. He has a blue-collar approach to success,” West said. “We’re going to win because we’re going to outwork you. We’re going to win because we’re going to be more physical than you. He carries the persona of quietness, but he’s not a guy you want to see in the ring.”
McDermott installed DC Bobby Babich as the defensive playcaller in an effort to become more of a true head coach who can see the whole field as it unfolds.
“I have to look our players in the eye and say, ‘I’m the best head coach I can be for you guys every day,’ and split that job up. I don’t see that you’re able to be exactly the best defensive coordinator in the league, the best head coach in the league,” McDermott said. “And I just feel like overall I owe that to them. And so, and more and more, the head coaching job to me is gravitating towards making sure our players are in the right mindset, the right head space every week, every day. And because messaging, my energy, my availability, all of that is what they need the most.”
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