Two Bills Drive

'"What makes great leaders great?" McDermott said. "At the end of the day, that's what coaches are. In addition to teachers, this is a leadership role. Coordinator is a leadership role, position coach. You're leading people. I've spent a lot of time and I've become passionate about leadership and creating a culture that is a winning culture. That's, to me, when you look at the way we played in Carolina. Not to go back, but the culture that we're trying to build here is one that defensively I felt like we had in Carolina, where the guys love coming to work. Think about this for yourself. If you love driving down One Bills Drive and you love coming to work, and I get it, it's work, but when you love what you do and you love the people you're doing it with, you can win with that.'

'Will fans be patient with McDermott and Beane? They’ll need to be, because unless Taylor becomes a legitimate franchise quarterback and the defense turns back the clock to 2014, I don’t see this team winning more than six or seven games. There are too many holes and a brutal out-of-division schedule featuring games against Atlanta, Oakland, Kansas City, Tampa Bay and Denver. So, it’s going to take time, perhaps a few seasons. McDermott and Beane are friends, and that’s a plus after the tempestuous relationships between former GM Doug Whaley and ex-Bills coaches Ryan and Doug Marrone. Whaley’s hunger for power and questionable personnel moves fueled the dysfunction.'

'Oh, where have the good times gone? What had been the AFC's winningest team of the 1990s, the Bills have spent the new millennium relegated to afterthought status, compiling the longest active playoff drought in North America's four professional sports.'

'"We're building; every year we are working to win," said McDermott, who refused to term his first season in Buffalo a rebuilding year. "That's not where we're going with this. That's not it at all. It's about winning football games. It's hard. It's a challenge when you say, 'Hey, we focus on the process and the scoreboard takes care of itself' because we're evaluated by wins and losses. But I just know, being a part of two winning organizations before coming here, that in order for us to win we have to focus on that. That'll translate into wins soon enough."'

'“Yeah. I think you hear about that all the time when you're around this town,” he said. “You hear about it. But what's amazing to me is the passion of these fans is unmatched. I mean you're out there yesterday (the final day of minicamp, when the team allowed select fans into the ADPRO Sports Training Center to watch the session) and you see little guys out there that they just bleed Bills, and that's just awesome to see. And the neat part is that the parents who were around in the early 90s have children who have never seen a say 'X' and 'hey, you know, before I pass I want Joe or Jane to see the team the way I saw it.' And I love that.”'

'"The league does a good job, first of all. At the combine they have kind of mock interviews, really, where they bring in a firm and you wear a suit and you go through a mock interview with a spotlight on you, basically. So the league prepares you for it a little bit. I think they've really used that as a video file on each candidate that's out there that you can get some feedback on. So that's a nice little boost that the league provides.'

'“I feel like I did pretty good, but I have a ways to go if I want to benefit this team in any way,” said White. “I’ve got a long ways to go, so I’m looking forward to getting back home and getting to work and working on my craft and getting better.”'

'“When we were in the car riding back to the airport his phone was blowing up from his agent about this Buffalo job starting to brew,” said Beane of McDermott. “He was on the phone the whole time with his agent talking about his options and how the San Fran thing went.”'

'It’s not unheard of for young pass rushers to take some time to adjust to the NFL level. Khalil Mack, the University at Buffalo product who might be the best defensive player in the league today, had four sacks as a rookie, then increased that total to 15 in his second year.'

'Of course, fairness wasn't the point. Javad and Filipowski were just having fun by appealing to sensitive Bills fans who over-react to every perceived slight.'

'He fell on hard times after leaving football. He was charged with resisting arrest after a confrontation with police in Los Angeles in 2014, but a judge ruled him not mentally competent to stand trial.'

'"It got to the point where I thought, 'Man, maybe there's a chance here.' Even though he had told me, 'You're going to help me find the right GM here. You've got a bright future.' I still felt like, you know, there was a lot of momentum in the building for me to get it and a little bit in the city. But you know how it goes, you guys are in that business. A lot of writers are looking for big names. And I wasn't a big name. And I think there was a lot of pressure on (Richardson) to bring in a name other than somebody from the same regime that he just fired from. It was fun for that three months. It was also a little bit gut-wrenching to have it taken away at the same time."'

'"Hopefully the new regime, the new culture, the new way of doing things — what you'd like to see if for Marcell to jump on board," Beane said. "And not only do it himself, but he's been in the league long enough, you'd like to see him grabbing some others. First of all, before you can lead, you have to do it yourself. I'm not just talking about Marcell. That's anybody. But he's gonna be given every opportunity."'

'"Well, it's just the spring, but I'll tell you this about Tyrod: I come in early to work out with some of the guys and he's in here early. The guy does every single thing asked of him, above and beyond, and that's what you're looking for," Beane said. "I respect the heck out of what I've seen here the five or six weeks I've been here. I'm looking forward to watching him take this challenge on and see how it goes in camp, then obviously two weeks in that leads to games, and see how it progresses. I've watched him from afar on cross film, but I did go back and watch some games last season, flipped through some of his throws. Some of it before I got here, some of it since I got here. I mean, he's got some tools. He wasn't accidentally thrown into a starting role here. He's earned his opportunities."'

'"She was just unbelievable in terms of support, but firm," McDermott said. "My dad emphasized athletics. My mom did, as well, but my mom was really hard on the academics end of things and always stressed, 'hey you've got to have the grades, you've got to be prepared for life outside of sports.''