The firing of Bills coach Sean McDermott has provoked plenty of reactions. Former Cardinals and Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians recently gave a frank assessment of the situation.
“This one baffles me,” Arians told Pat McAfee, via JoeBucsFan.com. “How [Bills General Manager] Brandon Beane got elevated [to president of football operations] and Sean McDermott got fired, that just blows my mind because they didn’t have any damn players.
“I mean the guy’s one of the best coaches in the league and a great leader of men. He’s taken that team as close as you can get, couldn’t beat [Patrick] Mahomes. [McDermott] didn’t throw any damn interceptions. And the referees screwed him bad and he gets fired. C’mon man. And Brandon Beane gets a fucking raise? I don’t get that one. That one blows my mind.”
Plenty of Bills fans surely feel the same way. And Wednesday’s press conference likely didn’t change many, if any, minds.
But only one person’s vote counts. Owner Terry Pegula decided it was McDermott’s fault. And that Beane not only merits no blame but deserves credit for building the team that McDermott couldn’t get to a Super Bowl.
The Buccaneers appear to be moving closer to making their decision about a new offensive coordinator.
Albert Breer of SI.com reports that they have scheduled a second interview on Thursday with former Titans head coach Brian Callahan for the position. The Bucs fired Josh Grizzard after one season in the role.
Callahan also interviewed for the Chargers’ coordinator position, but they are expected to hire Mike McDaniel to fill that spot on Jim Harbaugh’s staff.
The Bucs also announced the completion of an interview with Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher on Wednesday. Pitcher succeeded Callahan when Callahan left Cincinnati for Tennessee, so the choice in Tampa could wind up being a former Bengals assistant one way or another.
The Falcons have requested an interview with Buccaneers wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon, Matt Zenitz of CBS Sports reports.
The Falcons are seeking an offensive coordinator under new head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Atlanta also requested an interview with Cardinals passing game coordinator/wide receivers coach Drew Terrell.
McClendon has spent the past two seasons with the Bucs, his first NFL job.
He has worked in the college ranks for 17 seasons, mostly at Georgia but also at South Carolina and Oregon. He was interim head coach for the Ducks in 2021 and interim head coach for the Bulldogs in 2015.
McClendon was co-offensive coordinator or offensive coordinator during his four seasons (2016-19) with the Gamecocks.
The arrival of Robert Saleh in Tennessee makes the AFC South spicier, thanks to the presence of Saleh’s nemesis, Jaguars coach Liam Coen. The arrival of Kevin Stefanski in Atlanta makes the NFC South spicier, too.
It started when D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution posted a surprisingly aggressive tweet: “Falcons’ [coach] Kevin Stefanski had a dumpster fire at quarterback in Cleveland — Baker Mayfield and Deshaun Watson failed, which started a chain reaction to 11 other starters. QB Shedeur Sanders closed out last season with seven starts.”
Mayfield saw it, and responded.
“Failed is quite the reach pal,” Mayfield said. “Still waiting on a text/call from [Stefanski] after I got shipped off like a piece of garbage. Can’t wait to see you twice a year, Coach.”
Mayfield is right; it was and is a reach. Mayfield took the Browns to the postseason in 2020, leading them to the divisional round against the Chiefs. Kansas City narrowly escaped, 22-17.
In 2021, Mayfield played through injuries, and the Browns missed the playoffs. In early 2022, someone in Cleveland got the bright idea to mortgage the future for (and pay a king’s ransom to) Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. The Browns traded Mayfield to the Panthers, who at the time were nearly as dysfunctional as the Browns have been for more than a decade.
Mayfield’s three years with the Buccaneers have proven that he’s not a “dumpster fire” quarterback. The Browns were the dumpster fire.
Now, the smoke has spread to Atlanta and Tampa Bay, where the perpetual chip on Mayfield’s shoulder has gotten a little bigger. And it’s awesome.
It looks like Mike McDaniel will not be the next head coach in Cleveland.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that McDaniel informed the team that he is withdrawing from their head coaching search. McDaniel interviewed with the team earlier this month and was slated to meet with them a second time on Wednesday.
McDaniel has also interviewed with the Raiders, Ravens, Falcons, and Titans since being fired by the Dolphins after Week 18. The Falcons and Titans have found their new head coaches, so McDaniel will not be landing either of those jobs.
There has also been offensive coordinator interest in McDaniel from teams like the Chargers and Buccaneers. Teams with new coaches could join them as they begin to fill out their coaching staffs, so there are still a lot of potential landing spots for McDaniel as the coaching carousel continues to turn.
The Browns had a second interview with their own defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, Ravens offensive coordinator Todd Monken, Jaguars offensive coordinator Grant Udinski, and Rams pass game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase also remain in the mix in Cleveland.
