Sean McDermott: “Feels natural” to call defensive plays
Originally Posted by PFTPosted by Josh Alper on April 19, 2023, 6:28 AM EDT
Bills head coach Sean McDermott is taking on some additional responsibilities this year.
The team did not hire a new defensive coordinator after Leslie Frazier stepped down at the end of February and McDermott will be assuming the highest-profile part of that job come the start of the season. McDermott will be calling the team’s defensive plays and he shared how his transition back to a job he did on his way to snagging the top role in Buffalo.
McDermott said he feels he has to have a “two-track mind” in order to be both the head coach and the defensive coordinator, but that his familiarity with the latter role has him excited about taking on the dual roles.
“It’s part of how I got here,” McDermott said, via the team’s website. “So I just think you’ll be in the defensive staff room, having those critical conversations that come up solving problems, trying to evolve where we need to evolve, and where the game is going. And then working hand in hand with our players. Again, that’s been mostly the assistants to this point. Then together with the staff figuring some things out and it just feels good. It feels natural. And we’ll see where it goes in the future.”
One key for the Bills will be to find a middle linebacker because McDermott said the position is a significant part of “the defensive communication” that will now be starting with a new voice.