Josh Allen has Sean McDermott’s back.
The Bills quarterback spoke of how much confidence he has in McDermott after the head coach received criticism for some decisions he made in the team’s AFC Championship loss to the Chiefs on Sunday.
Allen and McDermott have pushed the Bills to the precipice of the Super Bowl but have been thwarted by the Chiefs four times in the past five years.
Allen was asked about McDermott’s leadership.
“This is going to sound weird I’m just so proud of coach. I don’t know why he’s not recognized more in the award stuff,” Allen said on Monday in his end-of-season press conference.
“That’s the crazy thing about it. … Time in and time out he’s got us in position… we’re fighting to get over that hump and he gives his life to this… he is so committed to doing whatever it takes. And to see him adapt and really grow as a coach has been fun to watch. It’s the growth from my first year to now… He has let players be them and given us the keys… it’s not easy to do that… I respect the hell out of coach.”
McDermott was criticized for several decisions in the 32-29 defeat to the Chiefs.
Star running back James Cook, who averaged 6.5 yards per run and had three catches for 49 yards, did not touch the ball on the Bills’ final drive.
The Bills also opted for the tush push on a crucial fourth-and-1 when leading 22-21 in the fourth quarter.
Allen was controversially ruled to be short of the first down, giving the ball back to the Chiefs who immediately drove down the field for a touchdown.
Allen said he was “extremely confident” in McDermott being the coach who will ultimately help the Bills get over the hump.
McDermott is 86-45 in eight seasons as Bills coach and has taken Buffalo to the playoffs seven of those years.
While no one is calling for McDermott’s job at the moment, questions are inevitable when you have a player of Allen’s caliber and a lack of trips to the Super Bowl.
“It sucks,” Allen said when asked about the Bills’ final drive that ended with a turnover on downs.
“You keep going back thinking about what you could have done differently, plays throughout the game it’s something that’s so little — dropping that snap on second-and-6 and turning it into a third-and-9… things that won’t be in the stat sheet but as a competitor you think if I could’ve done this differently. Any time you lose you are going to have those thoughts in your head. You are not promised those opportunities all the time… You just can’t knock on the door you got to kick it down and that’s something all offseason we’re going to try and do.”
