Five weeks ago, Sean McDermott walked into a meeting with Buffalo Bills GM Brandon Beane and owner Terry Pegula. He did what coaches are supposed to do: he told them the truth.
He pointed out what the roster lacked to win a Super Bowl.
And for that honesty, he got fired.
According to veteran NFL reporter Vic Carucci, neither Beane nor Pegula was pleased with McDermott's assessment. And now, after another playoff disappointment, McDermott is out after seven seasons - including four straight division titles and consistent playoff appearances.
Let me be clear about something: this is not how championship organizations operate.
When your head coach comes to you and says "we need more talent," you don't get offended. You listen. You evaluate. You have a conversation about whether the coach is right, whether the resources are there, whether the plan makes sense.
You don't shoot the messenger.
McDermott wasn't perfect. The Bills never got over the hump in the playoffs, and there were legitimate questions about his game management. But this firing feels less about his performance and more about organizational dysfunction.
Think about it: McDermott went 102-69 in the regular season. He helped develop Josh Allen into an MVP-caliber quarterback. He built one of the NFL's most consistent defenses. The Bills became relevant again under his watch.
But he had the audacity to say they needed more help to win it all. And apparently, that was too much truth for ownership to handle.
The irony? McDermott was probably right. Look at the Bills' roster - they've got Allen and a lot of good-not-great pieces around him. They haven't invested enough in the offensive line. They've cycled through receivers. The defense, while solid, isn't elite anymore.
Championship teams have honest conversations about their flaws. Dysfunctional teams fire people for bringing them up.
The Bills just showed which one they are.
Now Buffalo enters yet another coaching search, hoping to find someone who can finally get them over the playoff hump. Good luck with that - especially if the new coach isn't allowed to tell ownership what they need to hear.
That's what sports is all about, folks - sometimes the biggest obstacles aren't on the field.
