Buffalo Bills: A Culture Change is Coming to One Bills Drive

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Jan 13, 2017; Orchard Park, NY, USA; Buffalo Bills new head coach Sean McDermott speaks during a press conference at AdPro Sports Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Hoffman-USA TODAY Sports /

For the first time in my life, I am actually excited and optimistic about the new coaching staff the Buffalo Bills have hired.

I was only 5 years old when the Buffalo Bills hired Marv Levy and company, so I hadn’t quite developed into a football fanatic until a few years later. It was also more of a low key signing at the time.

Levy mostly developed his legacy during his time in Buffalo, bringing a team that was known as the “Bickering Bills” together and ruling the AFC in the early 90’s.

Since Marv Levy the list of Buffalo Bills head coaches have been less than impressive to say the least. Wade Phillips, Levy’s successor, was the last coach to lead the Bills to the playoffs.

After Wade Phillips, each hire just brought more mediocrity and more frustration for the fans. Each season pretty much seemed the same as the last, an offense that couldn’t get out of it’s own way and a defense that would keep them in games until the 4th quarter, when they would finally give in mostly due to exhaustion from being on the field for the majority of the game.

Along with the uninspiring play on the field, the personnel and management decisions off the field were just as uninspiring. Buffalo Bills fans will always be grateful for everything Ralph Wilson has done for this community, but one thing he didn’t do was adjust to the ever-changing NFL and the spending that is necessary to keep up with the rest of the league.

Especially when it came to hiring coaches and front office staff, often promoting within the organization.

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Fast forward to the change in ownership and the hiring of Rex Ryan. Hiring Ryan came with a lot of hype and attention. There was some mixed reaction, but for the most part the fans bought in. Ryan seemed like the perfect fit for Buffalo, starting his tenure here with a cover story on Sports Illustrated and a motivating speech at his opening press conference, he won over the majority of fans that longed to feel relevant in the NFL community again.

Personally, I was skeptical, but I hoped for the best. I figured since the Bills’ defense was already in the top of the league in several categories, Ryan could possibly make the defense even better. I wondered if his defense had become outdated or if he just needed a change in scenery to resurrect his career.

It turns out I was right and the defense took a huge step back. The only improvement was the running game, which was largely due to the playmaking abilities of LeSean McCoy, Mike Gillislee and the mobility of Tyrod Taylor.

Towards the end of last season, it became evident that the players had lost motivation and maybe even quit on Ryan. Early in the off-season several key players (McCoy, Watkins, Alexander, Dareus) voiced their frustration on topics ranging from leadership to the defensive scheme.

More recently reports came out that suggested Rex turned over the defense to his brother Rob in an effort to resurrect his career, which turned out to be a huge failure.

What makes Sean McDermott any different?

Will he end up being another name on the long list of coordinators who couldn’t make the jump to Head Coach?

I don’t believe so. McDermott comes with high praise from basically everyone who has interacted with him over the years. Former players, assistants, coaches, all gave glowing reviews of McDermott. He brings an impressive resume with nearly 20 years of experience in the league.

He most likely would have been hired as a head coach somewhere last year, but the Panthers run to Super Bowl may have kept him out of the running in most coaching searches.

McDermott is most known for his no-nonsense, high discipline approach that would greatly benefit a young team like the Buffalo Bills. It will be a big change going from Rex Ryan’s country club approach to Sean McDermott’s style, but the players seem to be embracing the change.

It may not happen overnight, but I believe if the players buy in and give maximum effort, we could see that change start to happen this season.

Let’s talk about the roster, which McDermott has had a huge influence on so far.

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