‘First, that if this team had finished with the worst record of any Bills team this century – rather than tied for the best, at 9-7 – few would have been surprised. Yet Buffalo’s first-year duo of head coach Sean McDermott and GM Brandon Beane had insisted all summer long, and well into the season, that despite getting rid of several key performers and recent face-of-the-franchise high draft picks – such as receiver Sammy Watkins, cornerback Ronald Darby and, in October, defensive tackle Marcell Dareus – they had no intention of tanking for a high 2018 draft pick. No matter how convinced fans and media had become.’