Here's the Bills news of note for Jan. 19th.
1 - Bills earn A-minus for McDermott hireThere has been plenty of opinion written about Buffalo's hire of Sean McDermott as their new head coach. On the whole they've been favorable, including a SI.com review of it from Chris Burke. Here was Burke’s assessment of Buffalo's head coaching call of McDermott.
*Grade: A-minus. This hire has the potential to give the Bills everything they wanted from Ryan, without all the bluster that came with having Rex and his brother Rob on staff. McDermott has a no-nonsense personality that should play well in Buffalo (at least with the fans, if not all the players) after Ryan seemingly lost control in 2016.*
*Whether or not McDermott has a legitimate shot to break Buffalo's 17-season playoff drought will depend on what happens above him. GM Doug Whaley held onto his post and led this search, but he still has to be considered very much on the hot seat. If the Bills bail on Taylor, can Whaley find a suitable replacement or, ideally an upgrade? Can he patch the holes elsewhere on this roster?
*
Doug Marrone pushed the Bills close to the playoffs. Ryan did the same, at least once. McDermott can finish the mission, but not all by himself.
2 - Pat Williams on Leslie FrazierFormer Bills defensive tackle Pat Williams is enjoying retirement in his native Louisiana, but in a recent appearance on the John Murphy Show, he forecasted great things for Buffalo's defense under new coordinator Leslie Frazier.
Williams had Frazier as his defensive coordinator the last four seasons of his career in Minnesota.
"I loved coach Frazier," said Williams. "He was a team guy. He'd make us go to church with him on Sundays in the offseason. He was always on me hard. He gave it to you straight, told you the truth. I loved Frazier. He coached us hard, but had fun with us."
The three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle described Frazier as a mild-mannered coach, who would build relationships with players to get the most out of them rather than yelling at them.
"He's real soft spoken. He's not going to holler at you or cuss you out. He's going to tell you like it is and you take it or don't take it," said Williams. "Everybody loved him. He had a good relationship with everybody. He'd talk with all the players. His door was always open at his office. He'd always walk around the locker room and was the type of guy who would talk to all his players."
When asked if Frazier would be good for Buffalo's defense, Williams answered in the affirmative.
"I think he'll be good up there," he said. "You've got some talent up there. Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus so I think he'll make that defense great."
3 - Several teams with an OC job to fillThe Buffalo Bills aren't the only team looking to fill their offensive coordinator position. There are currently six other NFL clubs also in need of an offensive play caller. Houston announced Wednesday that they are not hiring one as head coach Bill O'Brien will call plays.
The teams in addition to Buffalo seeking an OC include the New York Jets, following the retirement of Chan Gailey. The Cleveland Browns following the departure of Pep Hamilton for the University of Michigan.
Jacksonville was interviewing candidates as late as Wednesday for their offensive coordinator post before naming incumbent Nathaniel Hackett as their OC.
Washington still needs an OC after Sean McVay was hired as Rams head coach.
Of course McVay needs an offensive coordinator as well out in Los Angeles, and San Francisco has to name a head coach before hiring an offensive coordinator too.
