Bills hire Sean McDermott as head coach

The Buffalo Bills announced that former Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott will be the franchise’s 20th ever head coach.

It appears the Buffalo Bills’ search for their next head coach is over.

In truth, the Bills’ front office are unlikely to have an issue with such a change, especially after how the defense performed during the two past seasons under Ryan.

“I understand the expectations that come with the job of this magnitude and I accept that challenge”, he said.

The Panthers’ defensive scheme was not overly complicated at the beginning of McDermott’s tenure.

McDermott already is off to a better start than Ryan. He was an important part of the team reaching the Super Bowl in 2015. One of the squad’s strongest leaders, McDermott was elected as a team captain for his senior year (1997). So within that, I’ve gone to two Super Bowls, I know what that looks like, smells like and tastes like.

“I called my family first and they were so excited”, said McDermott, when asked what he did when he heard on Wednesday that he had the job. “I’m confident, like I mentioned before, in the Pegulas”.

The Bills’ other option is to keep Taylor and attempt to build on a 7-9 performance this past season that Whaley believed was “close” to earning the Bills a playoff appearance.

On Wednesday, the Buffalo Bills became the third team to hire a new head coach this offseason.

What’s certain is that McDermott was one of the leading coordinator candidates for an National Football League head-coaching job. With respect to specific players, Tyrod in this case, there’ll be a time for that.

“Being in Charlotte was a phenomenal experience”, McDermott said. “There’ll be a time for that”.

The Bills restructured the quarterback’s contract in August, giving him a five-year extension while retaining the right to opt out of the deal by March.

One of McDermott’s first staff additions in Buffalo actually took over as the Eagles defensive coordinator when McDermott was let go. Holcomb has worked closely with McDermott the past four seasons since arriving in Charlotte.

The Panthers will host the McDermott-led Bills during the 2017 regular season. That is unlikely to happen, even though the Los Angeles Rams have reportedly interviewed him.

Ryan opened his news conference by tapping the microphone and saying: “Is this thing on, because it’s getting ready to be on”.

Another major question is McDermott’s plans for Taylor. “We were looking for a coach who agreed with us in building a foundation for a team that could consistently win championships”. It may seem surprising that the Bills chose to go with a defensive-minded coach after the perils of the Ryan regime, but going from Ryan to Ron Howard’s fairly blasé younger brother is a departure in its own right. Words like thorough, smart, decisive and faith-based victor. Sean McDermott was as valuable to this team as numerous players on the field and his service will be severely missed. It all sounds great, but McDermott knows as well as anyone that results are what count in the NFL.

Whaley said he is taking a team-first approach with McDermott.