The Buffalo Bills are still searching for their next head coach after parting ways with Sean McDermott, a move that came after yet another crushing one-score loss in the playoffs. While the decision has drawn plenty of criticism, Go Long’s Tyler Dunne believes it was long overdue. Speaking with sports radio host Jim Rome, Dunne happened to address the fragile relationship between Josh Allen and McDermott.

“Not necessarily toxic,” Dunne said. “It’s not like Josh Allen and Sean McDermott were in the weight room wrestling and getting each other pinned down. It wasn’t that bad. But the relationship wasn’t that great, either. I’ve talked to players, coaches, and people around this dynamic, and it’s something that hasn’t been talked about or written about a lot, but I’ve heard it kind of brewing for a while.”

“Sean McDermott took no accountability for [the 13-second game loss],” Dunne added. “He overruled his special teams coordinator, Heath Farwell, who wanted a squib. Sean goes, ‘Touchback.’ Takes over Leslie Frazier’s play-calling. You get your DBs lining up in another zip code, and you lose that game. He basically points the finger at all of the assistant coaches and says, ‘You guys need to figure out what happened here.”

Dunne thinks the relationship between Allen and McDermott has lacked real alignment over time. Yet, the reporter didn’t downplay McDermott’s efforts to transform the Bills.

He highlighted how the former coach ended Buffalo’s 17-year playoff drought in 2017 and recharged the team after it had a terrible 2015 season with a 7-8 record under former head coach Rex Ryan. 

But while McDermott helped establish a winning culture, Dunne thinks everything changed once Allen evolved from a raw prospect from Wyoming into a true NFL superstar and MVP-level quarterback.

The cracks widened after the Bills’ playoff losses, especially the “13 seconds” AFC Championship loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021.

Dunne highlighted how McDermott overruled his special teams and took over defensive play-calling after former DC Leslie Frazier’s exit. And instead of taking accountability, he pinned the blame on his assistants. According to him, both McDermott and Josh Allen have more playoff wins than their counterparts. But they still have not made a single Super Bowl appearance.

To further back his argument, he pointed out that the Bills didn’t thrive under McDermott’s defensive identity. They lost the last six playoff games while the defense allowed 25 touchdowns and 13 field goals, forced only 12 punts, and created only three turnovers. Meanwhile, Dunne’s remarks come after a former Bills player openly supported the coach’s firing.

Jerry Hughes supports Buffalo for firing Josh Allen’s coach

Former Buffalo Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes, who played under McDermott for five seasons, didn’t sugarcoat his stance on the latter’s firing. While reacting to the team’s recent 30-33 loss to the Denver Broncos, he supported McDermott’s sacking. In fact, he went a step further and revealed that they should have done it years ago.

The conversation picked up steam on X when Hughes questioned the lack of an official review during overtime of the Bills’ divisional loss. From there, he circled back to the disappointing 2021 conference loss.

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“If the coach can manage to lose a football game in 13 seconds after the QB put together phenomenal play after phenomenal play. That coach should be fired,” he wrote on January 26. “Seems like someone was on borrowed time.”

Meanwhile, the 42-36 overtime loss against the Chiefs is indeed one of the most painful moments in the franchise’s history. With just 13 seconds left on the clock, Josh Allen connected with wideout Gabe Davis for a go-ahead touchdown. However, they ended up kicking the ball through the end zone and playing extremely soft coverage.

Later, Kansas City scored a game-tying field goal and won eventually in overtime. Hughes made another cutting remark while responding to a user who criticized the Bills’ decision to fire McDermott. 

“If you want to win an SB [Super Bowl], you should,” Hughes wrote. 

Hughes’ stance is hard to ignore, given Buffalo’s defensive struggles in recent playoff exits. They allowed the Broncos to score 23.6 points in the last meeting. In the player’s view, accountability had to start at the top if Buffalo wants a championship. And while Josh Allen is grateful for McDermott’s efforts, the reality of their relationship is a hard pill to swallow.