APThe Bills have “zeroed in” on Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott as their next head coach, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News reported Tuesday night.
Carucci wrote that the Bills and McDermott could have a deal finalized “in the next day or so.”
McDermott, 42, interviewed with the 49ers on Tuesday and previously interviewed with the Chargers in addition to the Bills. McDermott just finished his sixth season as defensive coordinator of the Panthers and prior to that held the same role with the Eagles.
Anthony Lynn, the Bills’ offensive coordinator and interim coach for the 2016 season finale, was probably considered the favorite to keep the full-time job when the team’s search began in late December. Thus far the only coaching opening that’s been filled has been that of the Jaguars, who decided to keep their interim coach, Doug Marrone.
poor bastard
Hey, The Bills just might have gotten it right.
Sean has alway run a 4-3 so I expect Bills to move toward that & Lawson could be a beast at DE
but as a Panther fan I hate to lose him but good luck to him
So they hire the guy that’s been interviewed and rejected for head coaching jobs for about 5 years now….color me unimpressed.
So you fire the defensive coach with the big personality for the serious defensive coach. Between this and the Marrone hire, looks like teams are going safe and low key this offseason in the coaching hunt
Either of the pairings (Lynn/Bradley or Mcdermott/ Mccoy) would be strong choices. If this is true, I have no problems with it
Lynn, you have been kicked to the curb son!
I don’t know either.
Dumb. They need a qb whisperer.
Weird. The Bills made a smart hire? This is the first time in a long time.
He’s better than Anthony Lynn.
Bills making a good decision?
Seems a long time in coming.
I’m sure he’s a fine coach but he looks like Opee (Ron Howard).
Why is this the only team to interview this guy?
There is something in the water in Buffalo.
All of these teams are using Anthony Lynn to satisfy the Rooney Rule he deserves better than that. Watch him end up empty handed
It’s inevitable that McDermott would get a head coaching job, because any successful assistant gets a chance.
I could be wrong, but I think it’s also inevitable that McDermott will fail, especially in this situation.
Good for him. Anyone taking that job is taking on a big challenge and Buffalo can’t hold a candle to NC as a place to live, but with Cam Newton going off the deep end and Kuechly possibly never playing another down, the time to get out of the Panthers organization is now for anyone who has options. Especially when a promotion is involved.
Who? Poor Bills. Nobody wants to go there.
“Zeroed-in”, not a truly negative connotation but as close as it gets.
Would like to see who he’d pick as OC.
I really miss Rex already. His bluster is always entertaining.
Good pick!
Doesn’t matter who your coach is, you are a team that is destine to lose!
Outstanding! Excellent Choice! Lock him down!!
Signed
Dolphin Fan
What a Joke of a franchise. McDermont great guy but are you kidding me? You had a good coach in Marrone and he quit because of the Owner/GM. Rex didnt work, You never know who your QB is going to be. Get a grip Buffalo
I’d be really excited as a Bills fan if they hire McDermott. I consider him among the top coaches available this hiring cycle.
It doesnt matter who you want as coach, and it doesnt matter how good that coach is or isnt, the real question is. How many minorities did you interview first?
Go back to the 4-3 (get Mario back cheap after Miami dumps him) as the BN is speculating, Mike McCoy OC (I dunno, at least he can help McDermott adjust to HC? – lemonade folks) no mention D coordinator yet…..
Sign Kirk Cousins or get him somehow. Resign Robert Woods, get solid 3 WR other than Justin Hunter and Marquis Goodwin….a couple of real safeties, healthy Reg Ragland…
We ayight.
Hopefully Sean can bring his good friend and former Chargers head coach Mike McCoy with him for OC. And to top it off, maybe he can talk Wade Phillips into returning to Buffalo as DC if he’s not retained in Denver. At least something to get excited about during the off season.
Given the characters involved in the Buffalo office, I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that this is a deliberate leak designed to exert pressure on Lynn not to interview elsewhere and to sign in Buffalo now. If so, it could have the opposite of the intended effect.
Obviously it would be great for him, but didn’t the Bills just can a defensive minded head coach? Until that offensive gets sorted out they are just spinning wheels.
They need a real QB like yesterday…
“Zeroed in” …on a coach or anticipating their wins next season?
I liked Sean back in his Eagles days. Pretty solid choice I would think for the Bills.
Well, the Bills must be listening to the football department and not the marketing side for once because this will not sell tickets.
Whatev!
Fail. Again.
Panthers should be blowing up Gus Bradley’s phone for DC !!!
The tough part of this for the Panthers is that the Bills play a game here next season. Oh, well, It is good to see MDermott get a head coaching job.
Whaley promised an “extensive search” for the Bills new coach. I guess Doug’s definition of “extensive” is 4 interviews over 2 weeks…..#SchmuckGM
As a Bills fan I would be ok with this hire. I do not think Lynn should be the next coach because he was part of the old Rex regime. You know, where Rex dragged everyone from the losing Jets and brought them to the Bills and made them underachieving sub par team. I don’t see how Buffalo can justify making him the HC. This guy has been with Rex since 2009 and we are supposed to believe he didn’t pick up some Rex’s horrible habits? Move on from anyting Rex related and start fresh. Nothing will matter anyway so long as we have Russ Brandon pulling the strings of “GM Whaley” and Pegula making football decisions from his yacht in Boca Raton.
When I first saw the article title, I misread it and initially thought the person Bills were interested in was Sean McDonough, the ESPN MNF color guy; then I thought, well, it is the Bills, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Anyone is better than Rex.
Doug Whaley either picked him, or didn’t. Either way Whaley is still with the franchise and I want nothing to do with it. Don’t call me to renew seasons. Thanks.
Do teams have to fulfill the Rooney rule if they keep their interim coach?
Doug Whaley either picked him, or didn’t. Either way Whaley is still with the franchise and I want nothing to do with it. Don’t call me to renew seasons. Thanks.
ok, bye Felecia…
In 8 years as a DC his teams finished on average:
18th in Scoring
10th in Takeaways
14th in 3d Down Stops
Of course this doesn’t indicate his ability to lead an entire team but based solely on statistics, he’s an average coach. Add in the salary cap issues the Bills are facing with 24 free agents and only 25 mil (as of now) available, it’s looking like the Bills could be at least 18 years without a playoff appearance.
Sorry Bills fans because I’m not trying to minimize your hopes that change brings but those facts and the questions surrounding Tyrod Taylor as well as Whaley and Brandon’s role in the grand scheme of things is not a lot to be excited about.
If they get McDermott, and he snags McCoy, I could really see them trying to make a play for Rivers. Either way, this is an incredible hire. My memory is a bit hazy, but McDermott succeeded the late great Jim Johnson, correct? Having been around Jim, I have total faith in this hire. Whaley can make his mark with this hire, but he can nail it out of the park with the draft. McDermott has his Keuchley and the D-front in Brown/Ragland and Dareus/Lawson/Hughes/KW. Honestly, I’m more excited for the McCoy hire, if he brings him. The guy knows his QB’s
Sorry iammrbrinky, I’ll take a coach who has led a top-10 defense 3 of the past 4 years over a blowhard coach who has destroyed 2 teams. 24FA, and about a dozen deserving of new contracts. Cap space will be closer to $30 million. I know, I’m pretty in the mirror with the lights off too, to bad there’s 2 sides to every story.
The Bills fan here are all excited over our newest mediocre HC hire just like they were 2 years ago with Rex. Check out this guys stat as a DC. He is nothing to get excited about…
Oh great Unclebuck, who, with your great wisdom, should they hire? Nobody is holding you hostage, and trust me, we won’t miss you.
Tyrod Taylor just looked up from his hospital bed and shrugged before going back to googling yachts.
To Bills fans. Just pray he does not bring McCoy with him. His overall record at SD is 26-37 and that’s with Phillip Rivers at QB. All Buffalo would need is a Phillip Rivers type, an Antonio Gated type, 2 good receivers and they too can go? 26-37. Think about it. Before Manning came to Denver McCoy was not even heard of.
I can BILLieve in a coach McDermott a whole lot easier than the stupid notion that Rex Ryan knows…..anything about football….GOOD LUCK to Coach McDermott….
To Bills fans. Just pray he does not bring McCoy with him. His overall record at SD is 26-37 and that’s with Phillip Rivers at QB. All Buffalo would need is a Phillip Rivers type, an Antonio Gated type, 2 good receivers and they too can go? 26-37. Think about it. Before Manning came to Denver McCoy was not even heard of.
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Oh You mean the coach that brought the Panthers to the Superbowl with Jake Delhomme as their QB?
Or maybe the guy that got top 10 production areal attack out of Kyle Orton in Denver?
Or how about the coach that took that same Orton offense and turned into the league’s best rushing offense with Tim Tebow as QB? Oh yeah, they won in the playoffs that year. With Time friggin Tebow.
Or maybe you mean the coach that got continuous top 10 production out of Phillip Rivers and the rest of the Chargers despite losing more starters than anyone not named Buffalo.
Yeah, just because you never heard of him before Payton Manning came to town doesn’t mean that he’s an unknown. And just because his team failed to make the playoffs with him as a Head Coach doesn’t mean he’s a terrible OC.
But hey, don’t let facts cloud your opinion of him or anything.