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Buffalo Bills: Key takeaways from Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott's season-ending press conferences

On Tuesday afternoon, the Bills top brass met with the media following another heartbreaking playoff defeat against the Chiefs. The Bills general manager and head coach answered questions about the 2023 season and the future of their team.

By Kieran Drover

Buffalo Bills v Miami Dolphins
Buffalo Bills v Miami Dolphins / Perry Knotts/GettyImages
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Sean McDermott is committed to a pass-first offense

McDermott has often faced criticism for being a conservative head coach, but he certainly wasn't conservative on Sunday when he trusted Bills safety Damar Hamlin to run past the sticks on a fake punt in the final minutes of the fourth quarter against the Chiefs — and he likely didn't push former Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll out of Buffalo for not developing a strong rushing attack.

In fact, McDermott understands the type of quarterback his team has in Allen, and after being a former disciple of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, he realizes that you must throw the ball to win.

"I am a defensive coach, but I'm going to say this, and we just lost to Andy [Reid], but I cut my teeth around Andy Reid who [is] a pass-first, you throw to win [coach]. And that has been my philosophy since pretty much day one here. Especially since Josh has grown into [the] player and the quarterback that he has, really starting after Josh's first season."

- Sean McDermott

With Allen under center, the Bills should always be a pass-first offense, especially if they're able to bring in another dynamic receiver this offseason. But McDermott did acknowledge the importance of the running game's ability to take the owness off their star quarterback, something they certainly improved on this season.

"I do believe though that youve got to be able to control the line of scrimmage and run when you need to run and I like the way that we've been able to blend that in particular this season... I thought this was our best year in that regard."

- Sean McDermott

After the Bills improved their offensive line last summer, second-year running back James Cook was able to break the 1000-yard rushing threshold in 2023 — something that no Bills running back had accomplished since LeSean McCoy in 2017.

While Allen will remain the focal point of the Bills offense in 2024, the combination of Allen's arm and Cook's legs will be an important part of the team's success.

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