ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Carrying his morning protein shake with “Coach” written on the plastic cup and wearing a familiar Bills bucket hat to protect him from the August sun, Sean McDermott looked at ease making his way to practice during training camp.
Amid a rash of injuries, and two days into over a contract dispute, McDermott casually stopped to chat with alums from his alma mater, William & Mary, before being introduced to country artist Chris Young.
His pace was unhurried, even as the pre-practice stretching period began. McDermott trusts his players and staff to take care of the fundamentals.
“Do I feel more relaxed, at ease?” McDermott said. “The older you get, the more experience you have in life and in this job, you gain not only wisdom from that experience, but perspective on what truly is important in life.”
The hard-won realization is among the rewards that come with entering his ninth season in Buffalo in a profession where long-term job security is scarce.
But make no mistake, McDermott is not getting soft.
Adapting his approach
As much as McDermott at age 51 has eased his grip and adapted his approach — for example, he now allows a DJ to make weekly appearances in the locker room — his values are unchanged.
His faith and family come first. A sloppy practice will lead to McDermott blowing his whistle to have his team run sprints. Every player earns his way on or off the roster. And one season’s success does not carry over into the next.
McDermott is no less driven to win a Super Bowl, not only for himself but for the community he now proudly considers home.
“I don’t forget where I was raised, believe me,” said McDermott, who is from Philadelphia and spent his first 12 NFL seasons working for the Eagles. “That said, I consider myself from Buffalo.”
McDermott is fully invested, captivated by the underdog spirit of a Rust Belt region and a passionate fan base seemingly undaunted by its teams’ notable losses. Among those: the Bills’ four consecutive Super Bowl defeats in the 1990s.
Defending Buffalo
McDermott has defended Buffalo in the face of detractors, most recently following the Bills’ AFC divisional round playoff win over the Ravens in January, when a Baltimore reporter referred to Buffalo as a city of losers.
“That’s honestly what drives me more than anything to win,” McDermott said. “They don’t know this community. They don’t know us.”
McDermott deserves credit for restoring the franchise’s luster, beginning with his arrival in 2017, when the Bills ended their 17-year playoff drought. With the help of Josh Allen, McDermott has realized his vision of transforming the Bills into perennial contenders during a six-year playoff run that includes five straight AFC East titles.
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“We take a lot of pride in what we’ve done here. And nobody has more internal drive and internal expectations (than) I do,” McDermott said.
“The fire to win a Super Bowl that burns within me is unmatched,” he added. “But you can’t get there tomorrow. We have to take it one day at a time.”
Trust the process
McDermott draws strength from the “trust the process” mantra he instilled into the Bills upon his arrival.
“He did a great job the first year of laying that foundation. That foundation is solid, man, and that’s why the team is always good,” said cornerback Tre’Davious White, with Buffalo. “The standard is the standard. The young guys come in and they do a great job of buying in. And the older guys do a good job of saying it and walking it.”
General manager Brandon Beane has seen the dynamic evolve to the point where McDermott has eased his grip.
“That’s been part of his maturation,” Beane said. “These guys know what the expectations are. And he wants them to police themselves.”
Just as important are McDermott’s self-awareness and ability to learn from experience, good and bad.
“Some guys aren’t able to talk through the truth and what’s worked and what’s not working,” Beane said. “He’s as determined as ever, as confident as ever. And if he wasn’t, then I think you wouldn’t see the calmness.”
McDermott pores over video of games, especially playoff losses, to understand what was lacking. He’s grown as a communicator, learning how to hone his message — an aspect of the job that was seen as a weakness earlier in his tenure.
He’s more comfortable during news conferences, occasionally coming up with an amusing quip. This summer, the guarded coach — who barred media from revealing the weekly motivational messages posted on TVs inside the team’s headquarters — to provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse.
Being a Buffalonian
It took McDermott his entire first season to appreciate the difference between living in Buffalo and being a Buffalonian.
He was in the visitors’ locker room in Miami following a season-ending win over the Dolphins when he heard the roar of Bills fans celebrating the team qualifying for the playoffs. It got even better when thousands braved temperatures near zero degrees Fahrenheit to greet the team’s arrival at the airport.
“That’s when it really hit my heart that I was like, we’re here for a reason,” McDermott said. “And it goes well beyond the football field.”
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