I rarely post here but have been a Bills fan for 5 decades; first game in Rich Stadium as a kid was watching OJ run wild over the Colts in the first half but Joe Ferguson getting knocked out in the second and the Bills grinding to a halt, losing 42-35. And so it began. I have not lived in Upstate NY since I left for college in 1987 but have been back for a few games and in Bills Backers bars everywhere I have lived. In Seattle since 1999, and picked them up as my #2 team when the Hawks traded for Marshawn Lynch. And went to the Seattle-Denver Super Bowl. My dominant feeling after that game was that I had not fully realized until then how big the void in my heart is that can only by filled when the Bills win the big one.
the point of this long winded wind up is to say that when I see something like the McDermott speech, not to mention his moment with Diggs on the sideline on Sunday in Cleveland, and the craziness of #17 pulling off the 35 yarder to Diggs with half a right arm, which was a gutsy call, and the weariness in that locker room that McDermott acknowledges and treats with respect, I get the feeling that with this special team—and make no mistake, this is really, really special right now—there is a kind of quiet emotional leadership needed that McDermott appears to provide. I also don’t think he is God’s gift to game time coaching decisions; wish he were better. And strongly believe that no coach is perfect, and you kind of have what you have when your run takes place; new head coach midstream potentially can disrupt things quite a bit. But I think we have a good part of the formula of what is needed with McDermott. If I were Beane I would be thinking really hard with McDermott about whether we need a new OC or DC that can complement him in new ways. But would ride McDermott, who brings a lot, just not everything, which no coach does.