Lighten up, Coach

He even cracked a joke during a Zoom call with reporters on Monday, when asked about the screen saver on his computer featuring an alpaca standing in front of a mountainous setting.

“Yes, I have those at home. That’s my backyard before the snow came. And so I like to keep a picture of my — what are they called?” McDermott said, not knowing the name of the animals. “Yeah, my pet alpaca that I have at home. A friendly reminder.”

Though McDermott is generally cordial, this represents a departure from the stick-to-the-process coach who took over the Bills in 2017.

He’s someone who has stubbornly refused to provide insight into various major coaching changes — including Leslie Frazier’s departure as defensive coordinator following the 2022 season. And then there was the confusion arising from McDermott having to correct himself over receiver Stefon Diggs’ absence from a mandatory practice in June 2023.

AP Photo
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (17) and head coach Sean McDermott make snow angels on the field while being interviewed after a game against the San Francisco 49ers in Orchard Park last Sunday.

Now, McDermott may never approach the larger-than-life persona of his immediate predecessor, Rex Ryan who once ate a dog biscuit as part of a training camp promotion. But his more outgoing approach has captured his players’ attention as the Bills (10-2) prepare to travel to play the Los Angeles Rams (6-6) on Sunday.

“He’s always preached, ‘Be you with us here,’ and let your personality show,” Allen said, Wednesday. “And I think this year, he’s taken more of, I guess, a physical way of showing it, allowing him to be a little looser.”

The quarterback then revealed McDermott’s introduction of sharing dad jokes each Friday. Without saying too much, Allen called it on brand for McDermott.

“I’m a big dad joke fan, so for me, I get it,” Allen said.

Whether by design or purpose, the change in McDermott comes during what so far represents his most successful regular season in Buffalo (10-2).

The Bills have won at least 10 of their first 12 for just the fifth time in team history, and first since 1991. They’re the NFL’s eighth team, and first since Indianapolis in 2009, to clinch a division title with five or more games remaining. And they’re still in contention to win the AFC’s top seed entering the playoffs, sitting one game behind the Kansas City Chiefs (11-1), whom they beat last month.

Edge rusher Von Miller doesn’t see anything different in McDermott in the three seasons since he signed with Buffalo.

“I heard stories about, you know, drill sergeant McDermott. But I haven’t seen it. Like, he’s my neighbor and I haven’t seen that shade of coach McDermott at all,” Miller said. “Whether we’ve lost or whether we won or whether it’s about guys wearing suits on the plane or guys wearing street clothes on a plane — I guess I just came at a great time with coach McDermott, because he’s done a great job.”

Miller recalled being struck by a message McDermott delivered to the team a few months ago.

“He was saying like, let’s not be tied to results. Let’s go out and play free and let’s go out and play our style of football,” Miller said.

For Miller, it initially sounded counterintuitive to not focus on results in a results-based business. He’s since come to realize how beneficial the message was.

“What that does is drives down the anxiety. It’s not about me and how I feel and how I play. It’s about the whole team,” Miller said. “When you drive the anxiety and you really just surrender to the outcome, you play at a level that you wouldn’t normally play. It’s a strange phenomenon, but it’s been working for us.”

Though the Bills have shifted their objective from winning the division to winning the conference, what’s not changed is McDermott’s week-at-a-time focus.

As for whether he feels more comfortable being a coach, McDermott said: “I think I just more than anything, I know who I am and I know what I believe in.”

And that includes the importance of enjoying the moment.

McDermott noted how this week he added a fifth AFC East championship hat to his office collection. He also made it a point to distribute championship hats and T-shirts to others in team headquarters who weren’t in the locker room following the 35-10 win over San Francisco on Sunday.

“It goes well beyond just the guys and gals in that locker room,” McDermott said. “To me, that’s an important awareness piece.”