Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus was a first-team All-Pro in 2014 while playing in Jim Schwartz’s defense, and the Bills thought he’d fit well enough in Rex Ryan’s defense that they signed him to a huge contract extension in 2015. The previous regimes in Buffalo loved what Dareus did on the field and were willing to overlook his history of off-field troubles. With the new coaching staff, that won’t necessarily be the case.
New Bills coach Sean McDermott’s defense won’t necessarily be as good a fit for Dareus. And as for position coach Mike Waufle?
“It’s been challenging,” Dareus said, via the Buffalo News. “Dealing with an ex-Marine, he don’t play no games, he ain’t cutting no corners with us. But it’s well-deserved; we need it. We’re trying to be the best we can possibly be and he’s a hell of a coach and we’re excited to have him.”
Dareus said McDermott and his staff aren’t taking things easy on the players.
“I mean, the structure, alone, is pretty detailed,” Dareus said. “I don’t want to say he micro-manages, but he makes sure we’re very sharp on what we’re doing. [Coaches] are really on us and they’re paying a lot of attention to a lot of small details, making sure we’re doing the right things. Hey, man, I’m happy for him to be here and just really excited to see what we can do.”
Dareus is heading into the third season of a six-year, $96.6 million contract, and that contract makes him basically impossible to cut. So the Bills and Dareus are married to each other, and Dareus sounds eager to make the marriage work, even if it’s with a very different coach than he thought he’d have.