Archives for January 2017

'With McDermott in place, the Bills still have some questions to sort through. Who will have control of the 53-man roster? What will the team do about quarterback Tyrod Taylor? What will the organizational structure look like? McDermott is just the first piece of a complicated offseason puzzle for the Bills, who are attempting to improve on a 7-9 season and end a 17-year playoff drought.'

'Draft analysts believe that Watson will go in the first round so the Bills would likely have to use the 10th overall pick on the quarterback if they wanted to add him to the roster.'

'Hiring McDermott would mean that the Bills would operate out of the 4-3 on defense in 2017. Buffalo has the personnel to make a smooth transition to this scheme. It's likely that McDermott would hire his own defensive coordinator in Buffalo. Aaron Wilson of Houston Chronicle pointed out that Texans defensive backs coach John Butler has ties to McDermott.'

'The Associated Press has also confirmed the hiring.'

'The most important decisions the duo make will be the hiring of an offensive co-ordinator and putting an end to the Tyrod Taylor saga, either by calling him the long-term guy or simply moving on and going searching for a new starting quarterback.'

'McDermott interviewed for the Cleveland and Tampa Bay jobs last year that went to Hue Jackson and Dirk Koetter, part of a trend that saw all seven openings go to offensive coaches.'

'The 42-year-old made his bones overseeing the Panthers defense, which has ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in four of his six seasons and propelled the team to a 15-1 record and Super Bowl appearance in the 2015 season. He prefers a 4-3 defense to Ryan’s beloved 3-4 scheme, and there is no word on whether or not he is prepared to kiss Bill Belichick’s rings.'

'McDermott, 42, had a second interview with the team Wednesday and emerged as the team's choice to replace Rex Ryan, who was fired before the final week of his second season with the Bills.'

'Lynn was considered an initial front-runner to take over on a permanent basis, before the Bills began leaning toward McDermott, who was the first candidate the team interviewed. The Bills also interviewed Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin and Seattle Seahawks defensive coordinator Kris Richard.'

'"His resume should speak for itself," Panthers coach Ron Rivera said last month of McDermott. "Sometimes when you hire people, you need to look at not whether or not they're the hot guy, but what they've done consistently over a period of time."'

'It remains unclear how much control McDermott will have over the Bills' roster and personnel decisions. General manager Doug Whaley had final say over the 53-man roster during Ryan's two-year tenure, though sources told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter earlier this month that the Bills were planning on giving their new coach more power within the organization. Both Whaley and Ryan reported directly to owner Terry Pegula.'

'The Bills might have tabbed McDermott because they feel he's the perfect coach to come in and clean up Ryan's mess. To help run the defense in Buffalo, McDermott will likely bring in Panthers linebackers coach Al Holcomb to serve as defensive coordinator, La Canfora has reported.'

'This will be McDermott’s first stint as a head coach in the NFL. Expectations will be high with Buffalo’s last playoff appearance coming in 1999, so there will be a minimal grace period for him. Rex Ryan lasted only two years despite being just one game below .500 (15-16).'

'Ryan made a lot of noise and boasted with little results. McDermott will be fiery, but he also won't bring out the bold silliness. Gase was the right type of no-nonsense personality to put in a division with Bill Belichick. McDermott fits that profile, too.'

'McDermott has been the defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers for the past five seasons, ranking in the top-10 in four of those years. McDermott replaces Rex Ryan who was fired before the end of the 2016 regular season.'