Archives for January 14, 2017

'At his introductory press conference, McDermott never stumbled … he was prepared, concise and direct. No bluster, no ego, no predictions.'

'"I understand the expectations that come with a job of this magnitude, and I accept that challenge," he told a crowd of reporters, Bills front-office staff and a few team alumni at the AdPro Sports Training Center. "I'm looking to build a culture of winning and that starts inside these walls, and extends to our community. It's an honor and a privilege to lead this football team and this organization … and as I mentioned before, one we will look to do as a team."'

'"When you look at quarterback play in this league, it’s critical," McDermott said. "Really at this point, whether it’s Tyrod’s situation or any other position, let’s not get ahead of ourselves right now in terms of those positions.'

'The on-stage population was reduced by half. Only McDermott and Whaley occupied it Friday for questions from the media. Owners Terry and Kim Pegula were present, and Terry introduced the new coach before returning to a spot in the front-row next to his wife. In 2015, Terry Pegula occupied the stage with team President Russ Brandon, General Manager Doug Whaley and then coach Rex Ryan.'

'"In my opinion, this was the best job on the market," McDermott said. "Mainly (because of) the ownership, Terry and Kim. I have seen what great ownership looks like and we have two great owners. … Secondly, when you talk about a fan base, I've been up here and I've played here before and I've seen those fans, capacity crowds, screaming. … That's what I want to be a part of."'

'Later, McDermott called himself a "meticulous and thorough guy." Intended or not, it was a retroactive knock on Ryan, who was famous for his lack of attention to detail. No one has yet given a reason for Ryan's firing, but that was clearly a reason for his downfall as the Bills' coach.'

'"The offensive coordinator position is an extremely important one, and just like the rest of the staff, it’s an active situation right now," McDermott said during his press conference. "As soon as I was offered the job I went to work on beginning to put this staff together. I believe in quality staff and hiring staff that are great teachers, great motivators, care tremendously about these players and will put them in a position to be successful.'

'"I like it. If (it doesn’t sit well with the players), they won’t be here," Kelly said. "The coach is the guy. When Marv Levy came in, he told us the way it was; we bought into it. It took us a little time – I think everybody remembers those days – until we put our individual egos to the side and realized it’s all about the team."'

'"He is going to demand things of his players not just on the football field but in their character — in the way they approach the game," Tasker said of McDermott. "And, I think that's a must at the NFL level."'

'This is our type of town; we look forward to making Buffalo our home.'

'The Pegulas continued to believe in the integrity of their football structure, enough to keep Doug Whaley as their general manager after dumping Rex Ryan as their coach. They simply chose to fill the Ryan hole with Sean McDermott. Khan didn’t have the same trust that all was fine at the top. After showing Gus Bradley the door, he not only elevated Marrone from interim to full-time status, but he also made former Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin executive vice president of football operations.'

'Ryan won the room that day when he took the microphone from owner Terry Pegula and his very first words were, “Is this thing on? Because it's getting ready to be on. And, that's the truth.” Which, of course, it wasn’t and he was canned inside of two years.'

'Castillo spent the past four seasons as the Ravens offensive line coach. A 22-year NFL coaching veteran, Castillo reunites with McDermott in Buffalo after spending time with him in Philadelphia. Castillo spent 18 seasons with the Eagles, filling the role of the team’s offensive line coach from 1998 to 2010 and then was the team’s defensive coordinator in 2011 and 2012. Castillo originally got his NFL start with the Bills, participating in the team’s Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship in 1992.'

'As for the new coach and the direction owner Terry Pegula and general manager Doug Whaley went in this time, holy smokes. It’s like they gave up margaritas and steaks and became teetotaling vegetarians.'

'“Outstanding move. I honestly believe Sean has what it takes to move forward pretty quickly when it comes to leading guys. Look at where he’s been and who he’s learned from in this league — Jim Johnson, Andy Reid and Ron Rivera. Those are three quality bosses to learn from."'