Sean McDermott: “Each Year The Journey Is Special” | Buffalo Bills

Sean McDermott: “Each Year The Journey Is Special” | Buffalo Bills

Good morning. I’ll get you uh the injury information here that you need. So, first of all, Dawson Knox will not practice today. Personal reasons. Um Joey Bosa will be limited. Terrell Bernard limited. Spencer Brown and Joshua Palmer are the same. Both limited. Don Conc will be full. And then Cole Bishop is good to go. He was dealing with that calf that we talked about the other day. So, with that, time’s yours. Did you say full? Yes. Sean Ray Davis is amongst the league leaders in uh yards per kick return this season. Uh how has he provided a spark to special teams and what’s it to say about him? He’s kind of making the most of this opportunity. Yeah, that’s you said it right there that making the most of of one’s opportunities. he’s embraced that um both as a runner in in our offense and then also um with the kickoff game. So, it’s it’s been good to see great example of of doing exactly what you just said. Um and um and he’s done a great job with it. He really has. Sean, how big of a motivating factor is it to defend the AFC East knowing what’s on the line um with a loss this weekend? Yeah, it’s certainly one of our goals every year. Um, we also have other goals amongst amongst that goal as well. So, um, you know, we go into every game with with the mindset of playing our best football. What did you learn, Sean, about this this Patience team with a a new coach, a lot of new players, not so much hex part, but the DNA of what this team is, what they’re going to be in this new regime in New England. Yeah, I mean, they they did a good job changing some of the roster over and bringing in some players, especially along the defensive front. um perimeter players wide receiver wise and and whatnot. And you know, they’re well coached. They do a really good job, Mike does, and and Josh McDaniels and across their coaching staff. You can just feel a difference in in what they’ve done and how they’re doing things and and so, you know, we have a ton of respect obviously for um for the way that they’ve played this year in particular. When you watch tape like this season, what stands out as the biggest steps he’s taken from last year? Uh, you know, just another year of experience, another year of maturity in in the NFL and understanding NFL defenses. Really good player, very athletic, does a really good job in their offense in particular, and Josh does a phenomenal job of developing quarterbacks, Josh McDaniels, and and um he’s done it, you know, he’s done it several times before, and this this is no different. So, he’s uh May is playing at a very very high level. Sean, what can you take from the first meeting with them earlier in the season and and use it as a part of your preparation this weekend? You know, you try and d, you know, take every play and and take everything out of every play that you can from information to what we can do better. And that’s really what where we start with, how we can do how we can do things better on our side. Uh they’re certainly a great team. I think they won 10 in a row or more and where they’re at in terms of the overall AFC picture. Um, so it’s it’ll be a big challenge for us. Off of that, how have you seen your team mature from that previous match up early October to now where this team is at every team’s on their own journey really. We’re on ours and that’s really where our focus is is our journey. What we’re trying to do as a football team, how we’re trying to improve this week um specifically and that’s really what we’re focused on is who we are and what we’re trying to do and how we need to improve week to week. Sean, we asked you a while ago about identity. You said it’s in progress, you know, to figure out an identity and then you look at the last two wins done very differently. Do you see a a common thread in those games even though they were played differently and you’ve won both of them? And have you found an identity, do you think, as a team? No, we’re getting there. I think we’re moving in the right direction. You know, we’ve had a number of different lineups week to week. So, that’s it’s maybe happened a little bit later than than we would have liked. Um, but I really appreciate how the players and the staff have persevered through it all. And, um, these guys are enjoying playing together and they have a lot of trust in one another. So, um, you know, we just take them one one game at a time right now. With the injuries you’ve had at defensive tackle, what have Dave Bond and Jordan meant on and off the field? Jordan Phillips. Yes. Yeah. I mean, their veteran their veteran leadership goes a long way. How they approach practice, how they approach each opponent week to week and and their focus. And I mean, that’s just you can watch a veteran player and learn from them, but then from time to time, you can also, in addition to watching them, you can learn from what they say and how they say things. So, I think that’s been a good thing for us for those young players in particular. Brandon Cook’s been in the building for a couple weeks now. He’s played two games, hasn’t done much yet, obviously, but where do you think he is in his progression, and can you maybe get something out of him here moving forward? Yeah, he’s been a really good addition. Um, as I’ve said before, Sal, he’s uh very much a pro in all ways. Uh, great teammate, tremendous approach week to week. um you know brings energy to our football team. So you know he just goes about his business the right way and takes it one game at a time. Is there an update on Darius Slay? No. If there is I don’t have it. So that’s that’s more of a branding question. Mike Tomlin has that saying I I want volunteers not hostages. Does there come a point where if he’s not showed up you don’t you’d rather he not? You talking about Darius Slay? Yeah. I’m not going to answer questions about Darius Slay. Respectfully, that’s a question for Brandon. I’m focused on on our current team and and um and this game this week. What do you attribute the keys to your team success? Um I don’t know. I don’t I mean it’s you know just every year is different. Every team’s different. So that’s why it gets hard to say, okay, well this team it was it was because of this or or and then the next year it was because of maybe something different, subtly different. So uh really respect your question. I think the hardest thing is to really say, “Okay, with this this team, it’s going to be this because the teams change year to year.” And you guys know, as I just alluded to earlier, it’s the journey of a season. And last year’s team at this point in the year was in a different spot than this year’s team is this year. And and and we know in and u in some form at least why, right, with some of the things we’ve dealt with. So uh but each each year the journey is special and and you need to enjoy it and part of the I think part of the challenge of the journey is how do you how do you make in season adjustments and corrections and um you know you were zigging you need to zag and and so I know it’s a general answer for you but that’s really in my mind at least how I see it. That’s also part of the what makes it so special when you when you um you know do what you can do in December and get on and get on to playing good football is you know all that goes into it with everybody being in it for the right reasons and um all the hands that are in that um equation if you will. So it’s it’s a it’s a fun part of the year. All four of your losses this season you guys have lost the turnover battle three of those on the road. How much more important is that taking care of the ball and then trying to get some takeaways on the road against a good team? Yeah, really good team as I’ve said. Um, you know, I’m sure they’re feeling good about themselves and they should. They’re one of the tops teams, if not the top team in the AFC right now. And, um, you know, we’ll have our our work cut out for us. And you don’t take care of the ball against any team in the league, it’s going to be hard to win, in particular, a team this strong. Sean, you said after the last game you played in New England, we played the game they wanted us to play. How do you make sure that that doesn’t happen? Well, you can’t control everything. If if if you could control everything, this be easy, right? It’s never easy. Uh but the things that we need to control, you’re right, we need to control and um you know that that goes into how we approach the game and and then how we execute on game day. So um the ball is an important piece of all that, right? So, I’m sure for them like it is for us and um and so it’s it’s an important part of winning football and putting yourself in a position to win. Sean, this game a lot of speculation this was going to be moved to a prime time spot. Are you glad it stayed right at 1:00? Yes. 1 o’clock. Yeah. It’s because I’ll be getting home after my bedtime. So, I don’t No, it’s We play them We play them whenever whenever they’re scheduled. So, it’s uh you know, we’ve been up there, you know, late at night quite a few times and playing some uh games up there and they’ve come here and done the same. So, I think it’s really just about two good football teams and and um you know, you play when when the schedule calls for you to play, but uh quite a few night games as well on both sides. What’s your overview of Drake May just in general now that we have a quarterback? I know that what we what you maybe thought of him two months ago can change pretty drastically or or maybe not. No. Yeah. I mean, he continues to grow. And this is what I was saying earlier. I think Elena asked a question of his development year one to year two right away. You look at, you know, the the coaching that he’s getting uh in Josh McDaniels and then you’re looking at the players, the people around him, the staff around them. you’re looking at um I’m sure what he’s I don’t know him, but I’m sure the way he’s wired, he seems like a competitive player who I’m sure works very hard to to improve at his craft like a lot of us do. So, um he’s he’s off to a great start. Any update? I know one more week at least uh on the progress Micole Hartman’s making. Moving in the right direction. Um we’ll see, you know, where it goes one week at a time here. All right. Thank you guys.

Bills Head Coach Sean McDermott met with the media on December 10, 2025 and discussed the latest injury updates, the key AFC East matchup against the Patriots this week, what he’s seen from Drake Maye, the team’s journey, and veteran leadership.

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