Bills Mailbag: What's one way Sean McDermott has changed in 8th season as head coach?

Welcome to Week 16.

Bundle up if youre headed to Highmark Stadium on Sunday for the Bills game against the New England Patriots.

Lets get right to your questions ...

Bills coach Sean McDermott pumps his fist after a defensive stop during the second half of the Week 15 win over the Lions.

Brenda Alesii asks: Ive heard a different tone in some of Sean McDermotts comments this season.

He doesnt sound as programmed as usual with his coach speak.

He seems to be more engaging with reporters.

Then there was the snow angel on national TV.

Since you see him on a regular basis, do you notice a change in his demeanor, more loose and willing to joke? Or do you think hes just happy that hes not coaching the Sabres? Jay: Ouch.

The Sabres are catching strays in the Bills Mailbag.

Thats deserved, though.

As for McDermott, thats a pretty astute observation, Brenda.

Id say, in covering McDermott since he joined the Bills in 2017, that this is as loose as hes been.

Now, keep in mind, the bar is pretty low in that regard.

He generally keeps things pretty close to the vest, especially when it comes to the media.

Of course, there has been a lot to feel good about in this season.

As mentioned above, the Bills are greatly exceeding expectations.

Id say McDermott has grown more comfortable in his dealings with the media.

Thats to be expected.

He has been around a lot of us who cover the team for eight years now, so Id like to think there is a comfort level that he has established with us that naturally wasnt there in his early years as coach.

Thats not to say hes immune to criticism.

Hes taken some of that, including from me with how he handled the end of the game against the Rams most recently.

Overall, though, he seems very comfortable in the job, and maybe thats what youre seeing in his news conferences.

The next challenge, and its the biggest, is to achieve a level of success in the postseason, and that would mean a trip to the Super Bowl.

AJB in Buffalo asks: The Wall Street Journal recently had a nice article about Josh Allen.

It made some great points about him possibly being MVP in the NFL.

Any comments? Jay: I didnt read the article, but if the point was Allen should be the MVP, I agree.

Watching him every week, Im amazed at what he does.

It seems like hes doing something that has never been done in NFL history in every game.

There are other deserving candidates Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson among them but the Bills were supposed to take a step back this year.

Allen simply wont allow it.

He has been excellent all year and is poised to become the Bills first MVP winner since Thurman Thomas during the Super Bowl years.

Thats a big deal.

Brian asks: Can you ask the Bills scouting department if they are doing their due diligence on University at Buffalo players quarterback C.J.

Ogbonna and linebacker Shaun Dolac? Have to think they may look great in a Bills uniform! Jay: There is no doubt the Bills are doing just that.

The relationship between UB and the Bills has been fruitful.

Cam Lewis, JaMarcus Ingram and Joe Andreessen all are on the Bills 53-man roster after having played for the Bulls.

Thats fairly remarkable for a Mid-American Conference team that doesnt produce NFL talent at a level of a Power 5 school.

It shows that the Bills have a good feel for whats happening at the only Division I football program in the 716 area code.

Dennis Priore asks: About a year ago at this time, the Bills were 6-6 and needed to win the last five games and have the Dolphins lose two to win the division, all of which happened.

This year, the Bills have won the AFC East, but to claim the No.

1 seed, they need to win their final three games and have the Chiefs lose two of their last three.

In your opinion, which feat is/was more daunting? Jay: Tough one.

The Bills job last year was obviously way tougher, because they had to beat the Chiefs as part of the five-game winning streak.

Although, if they are to claim the No.

1 seed this year, it likely will have included a four-game win streak to end the regular season, including a victory over the Lions.

The last three games, starting Sunday with the Patriots, will see the Bills as big favorites.

The issue, of course, is the Chiefs losing two of three, since theyve seemingly made a deal with the devil and refuse to lose.

Because of that, Id say this year is more daunting.

Ed: Happy Holidays.

Seeing that Ryan OHalloran was correct, while yourself, Katherine Fitzgerald and Mark Gaughan all whiffed on your Detroit game picks, which one of you four News sports writers have the best record picks this season? Jay: Thank you for asking, Ed, because I do.

Barely.

We pick every NFL game against the spread.

My record, including Thursday nights result between the Chargers and Broncos, is 122-100-3.

Katherine is next at 120-102-3, followed by Ryan at 117-105-3 and then Mark at 109-113-3.

Ive had a lead most of the year, but Im leaking serious oil coming down the stretch.

Everyone picked up ground on me last week, including Ryan on a real heater by going 13-3.

Unofficial bragging rights are going to come down to the end of the season.

We pick through the playoffs.

Scott in Oregon asks: Seems to me that one of our most pressing needs is a Pat Williams, Sam Adams, Ted Washington type of interior defensive lineman.

You know, someone who can clog the middle and stuff the run.

Anyone fit that mold for the 32nd pick in the first round? Jay: Draft questions before Christmas? I see what you did there, Scott, with the first-round pick the Bills will have.

Ohio States Tyleik Williams is ranked No.

32 by analytics website Pro Football Focus on its 2025 big board of the top 250 draft prospects.

Williams scouting report references his positional versatility, between nose guard and 3-technique defensive tackle.

We know that the Bills value versatility on defense.

Well have a lot more on draft needs come the offseason, but keep an eye on Williams during the college football playoffs as a possibility for the Bills.

Sam asks: As some of you mentioned during the week, despite being out there for just shy of 50% of the offensive snaps, Amari Cooper was not targeted even though Josh Allen completed passes to nine different receivers.

Was he omitted purposely based on the game plan from Joe Brady or are these spur-of-the-moment decisions made by Allen based on the best available receiver? Jay: Katherine Fitzgerald caught up with Cooper this week and the receiver said hes been waiting his whole life to be on a team like the Bills.

So, its safe to say hes not throwing any tantrums behind the scenes about not getting the ball against Detroit.

Ill be honest, it didnt even occur to me that he wasnt targeted until I was going back over the box score Monday there was that much going on in the game that it slipped right by me.

Offensive coordinator Joe Brady on Monday said that he needs to do a better job of getting Cooper the ball.

Hes too good of a football player, Brady said.

But part of what were kind of going for here is ...

Hey, as long as you can go game to game, and it shouldnt be that drastic, but you add in a Keon Coleman, you add in a Dalton Kinkaid, some targets are going to get pushed around.

The Bills have lived by the everybody eats mantra all season, and Coopers game against the Lions is a natural continuation.

Its an example of Allen going to the open receiver and not trying to force the ball to one particular player.

I agree with Brady that getting Cooper involved is important, because hes a good player, but its crazy to complain about a 48-point game against a team that had one loss coming into the game.

Mike from Asheville asks: Why does Sean McDermott insist on calling a defensive timeout? He did it against Detroit on fourth and 10 and guess what, the Lions had some time to figure out a gadget play and a first down.

He did it on the Hail Murray play.

He did it in the 13 seconds loss.

He did it on Aaron Rodgers Hail Mary.

It just never seems to work out! I cringe every time he does it, just waiting for something bad to happen.

Jay: There are a couple different reasons why a coach would take a defensive time out.

One of them is to get a look at the formation shown by the opposing offense.

The other is because something is wrong with the defensive alignment either too many or not enough players on the field, or some other kind of miscommunication that makes it apparent the defense is out of sorts.

In the examples you used, Mike, its likely the first scenario that McDermott is calling time out.

You make a pretty good point about when, in some high-profile situations, it hasnt worked out.

Dale S.

asks: Ive often wondered, what or who, prompts a player to go in from the sideline on any given play? Is there a coach yelling in his ear or is there some kind of code word that the player picks up on? Jay: Handling substitutions is the job of the assistant position coaches.

They get the play call and signal to which players are in for that specific play.

Keep an eye on the sideline during a game and youll see them do it.

A defense is permitted to make substitutions if the offense does.

Gerry in Lewiston asks: If only we could get healthy for the playoffs.

I do know this is kind of jumping the gun.

I couldnt decide what jersey to buy two years ago.

Obviously, Josh Allen was a huge consideration, but just loved the way Matt Milano played.

Without a doubt, he was the heart of that defense, then he broke his leg, tore his biceps and now has an injured groin.

He looked a little pensive out there against the Lions.

Is that just rust from two years off or diminished ability? Is it possible he wont be on the team next year? Jay: If the Bills cut Milano after this season before June 1, he would actually cost more against the 2025 salary cap than if he was on the roster.

The team could cut him as post-June 1 move, which would save them nearly $10 million against the 2025 cap, although he would then count a little more than $11 million against the 2026 cap.

The financials would seem to make it likely that Milano is back for at least one more season.

However, I wouldnt call that a guarantee.

The next three games, and especially the postseason, will go a long way toward making the determination.

If Milano can get back to his usual form as a game-changing force, it makes sense to bring him back.

If, however, he appears to have lost a step, general manager Brandon Beane will have a decision to make.

Given that hes only three games into his comeback, its a little early to know whether hes still knocking off the rust or if the back-to-back serious injuries have forever compromised him as a player.

The Bills enter the 2025 offseason in a better cap situation than they were in last year, but with a new deal looming for Allen, cap space will continue to be at a premium.

Thank you for all the questions this week! As a reminder, they can be submitted via X to @JaySkurski or by email to [email protected] .

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