Two Bills Drive

'Ryan made a lot of noise and boasted with little results. McDermott will be fiery, but he also won't bring out the bold silliness. Gase was the right type of no-nonsense personality to put in a division with Bill Belichick. McDermott fits that profile, too.'

'McDermott has been the defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers for the past five seasons, ranking in the top-10 in four of those years. McDermott replaces Rex Ryan who was fired before the end of the 2016 regular season.'

'The biggest problem is potentially finding a middle linebacker that's as quick and instinctive as Luke Kuechly was for McDermott in Carolina. While Preston Brown would be better suited in a 4-3 defense, he's not nearly as quick as Kuechly and could struggle in the zone-based coverages McDermott employs.'

'“Sean McDermott is an excellent football coach and we feel he is the perfect leader for this team," Bills General Manager Doug Whaley added. " Sean’s intelligence, leadership qualities, and vision for our team impressed us throughout the interview process. I am excited to begin working with Coach McDermott and his staff."'

'"We've got some stars so hopefully he can make them into a superstar so I don't know what they're going to do with the offense so we'll see," said another fan.'

'The four free agents accounted for 1,350 of Buffalo’s 3,250 passing yards and eight of the 17 passing touchdowns this season.'

'Since 2011, the Bills have drafted 13 players who have appeared in the national championship game during their college career. That’s more than two players per year. Almost a quarter of those picks (4) have come in the second round for Buffalo. Here’s a look at all the Bills draft choices since the 2011 NFL draft that appeared in a national title game.'

'McDermott’s playing career was self-made at the college level. He went from a walk at William & Mary to team captain by his senior season. For two of those seasons Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin was a teammate of McDermott’s with the Tribe.'

'The Bills could finalize an agreement with McDermott within the next day or so.'

'“I don’t really feel like I hit the ball poorly at all this year,” Carpenter said during locker cleanout. “I feel like I struck the ball better this year probably than I have in the last two years, for sure. So it’s just things like (hitting the uprights), it’s frustrating. You’re talking inches when you’re 48 yards away or whatever.”'

'Does all this displayed history make it more painful for patrons to watch this season’s Buffalo-less Wild Card, Divisional and Championship action inside the Tree? That all depends on whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist, two predilections I jostle between on a daily basis.'

'In the process, Watson gave NFL teams needing a quarterback — and there are plenty out there — a lot to chew on.'

'This season, the Panthers defense did not fare nearly as well as it had in the past. Carolina's defense was 26th in points allowed (25.1), 21st in yards allowed per game (359.8), 29th in passing yards allowed (268.2) and sixth in rushing yards allowed (91.6).'

'Sanjay Lal, Buffalo's wide receivers coach, could be retained by the next head coach, but if he's let go Lal may find work rather quickly. According to ESPN's Adam Caplan, the Philadelphia Eagles are interested in adding Lal for the same position with their team.'

'Corey Davis, wide receiver, Western Michigan.'