Welcome to another edition of the soap opera that is the 2023 Buffalo Bills. So much for the bye being the “break” on the schedule. It seems like with this franchise, there is always something going on. Let’s get right into your questions that, not surprisingly, start with the head coach …
Bill Mahoney asks: We've seen it a couple times this year where players have come out publicly and a coach was let go a short time later. It happened to Ken Dorsey, it happened in Pittsburgh when Najee Harris aired grievances about Matt Canada. With this report from former players against Sean McDermott, though the sources were anonymous, do you believe McDermott has lost his locker room if the Bills lose on Sunday?
Jay: I don’t believe that has happened yet, but McDermott does run that risk if the season gets away from him and the team misses the playoffs. You referenced Dorsey, and that is a good example of just how fast it can happen. The Bills’ offensive players were passionate in their public support of the former offensive coordinator … until they weren’t. There was a noticeable change in tone after the loss to Cincinnati, and Dorsey coached in just one more game after that. The players know how much they’ve underachieved this season, but they’ve been in every game. If things go bad down the stretch and the losses start to get uglier, McDermott does run the risk of losing the room.
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GDW asks: News was recently released that Sean McDermott was upset a few years ago that the Bills’ receivers bought their position coach a new truck. I would think that McDermott would be happy that his assistant coach had done such a good coaching job that the receivers wanted to show their thanks and appreciation. Do you think McDermott was mad because he didn't receive the truck? Why would he possibly be upset?
Jay: That was one of the many troubling revelations about McDermott in Tyler Dunne’s series for his “Go Long” website. If McDermott truly was upset about that, it is, of course, asinine. It makes the coach look ultra petty. You’re absolutely right that McDermott should celebrate his assistants forming that type of a relationship with his players.
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott said he sees where fans are coming from if they are upset that Von Miller might still play amid an ongoing legal process.
Mike Scully asks: Even if there were no off-field issues with Von Miller, I think the Bills should consider scratching him from the Chiefs game just based on his ineffective play. Why was he given a veteran's rest day Wednesday after having an entire week off? Seems like he's just become a big distraction that the Bills don't need during this critical stretch.
Buffalo Bob asks: Von Miller has had zero impact on defense and has contributed nothing since coming off of injured reserve. Add his recent off-the-field allegations, and I don't see how he is worth the money the Bills are paying him right now. What are the possible options the front office has to save money if we trade him or release him?
Jay: You won’t get any disagreement here from me, Mike. You’ve been about as impactful for the Bills this season as Miller has. Yes, you, loyal reader. The Bills have an easy out here. They can make Miller inactive for the game, and simply point to his on-field production as the reason why. That buys them time while his legal situation in Texas plays out. It is baffling to me why the Bills wouldn’t do that. Miller has given them no reason why he should be on the field, and that was true before he was arrested. Let’s say he does make a big play Sunday. Are Bills fans really going to celebrate that? If you own one, are you proudly wearing your Miller No. 40 jersey right now, without knowing more about whether he actually assaulted his pregnant girlfriend? It seems best to sit him, but that is evidently not the path the Bills plan to take. I disagree with their decision, and before anyone screams “innocent until proven guilty”, sitting Miller is not suspending him. He is still getting paid.
As for how the Bills could potentially get out of Miller’s contract with a cap savings, timing is everything. If Miller gets suspended by the NFL for violating the personal conduct policy before the start of next season, the Bills could void the remaining guarantees in his contract. If they do that, they could then release him and avoid paying his base salary, which for next season is scheduled to be a little more than $17 million. That base salary will be fully guaranteed in March, so the only way out of it will be through a suspension. The Bills could try to trade Miller before the start of next season, but that would amount to a small savings against the salary cap of about $2 million. It is also hard to imagine a team wanting to acquire him on his current contract given his lack of production and the horrifying accusations that have been made against him.
Brian asks: In your most recent mailbag, your main response to consistent poor officiating is make the officials full-time league employees. Please explain how that would make a difference?
The bye week has traditionally been good to the Bills, as the team is 6-0 after their one-week break under Sean McDermott.
Jay: Isn't it obvious? More time on task. Instead of working as, I don’t know, an accountant during the week and then traveling to a game on the weekend, officials would spend their time training for game situations. Having their focus on one thing only would seem to be a good starting point for improving the overall product. I’m not saying it’s a perfect fix, but it has to start somewhere.
Ed in Tonawanda asks: Sean McDermott is a good coach, but will not be considered a great one until he improves his game management skills and proves he can win the big games. I'm surprised that he hasn't made any progress. I'd be curious to hear what Brandon Beane thinks and what can he do to improve?
Jay: You’re in luck, Ed. Beane was asked about McDermott on Friday. Here’s what he had to say about the head coach: “This is a hard business. It’s hard to win every single week. We all wish we had done things different and made more plays, not turn the ball over. I’m sure, as he is the play caller now on defense, I'm sure you look back at a game and you are not going to say ‘I called a perfect game today.’
“But everyone is 100% behind Sean. … I know we are 6-6. Everyone is truly focused. It’s been a good week of practice, I know we’ve had a couple hiccups here that we’ve had to deal with off the field, but out there, you wouldn’t know it. I was out there for every bit of that practice. And just to watch that, and see it – the guys are going to rally. There's two things you can do. You can divide, or you can rally. And I expect this team to rally.”
So, Beane has given McDermott a full vote of confidence, but we should point out, that it doesn’t really matter. Both Beane and McDermott report directly to Terry Pegula, so even if the general manager thought it would be wise to change the head coach, he doesn’t have the authority to do so.
Back from the bye, Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane is not looking in rear-view mirror and is focused only on the final five games.
Mike in Florida asks: Will Terry Pegula insist that Sean McDermott hire a defensive coordinator? I think he's in over his head. Late-game collapses seem to be a Bills trademark. Maybe McDermott is not the defensive guru he believes he is.
Jay: It would be nice if we ever got the chance to ask Pegula that question, but he’s decided the paying fans for both of his franchises don’t deserve to hear from him about … anything. I agree with you, Mike, that the addition of a defensive coordinator in the offseason does look like a good possibility. It’s easy to see McDermott spinning it as a move that allows him to focus more on the big picture without having to spend so much time overseeing one unit. Three times this season, McDermott’s defense has taken the field with less than 2 minutes to go holding a lead. In each game, they’ve blown it. That’s something the coach has to own. If those three games go differently, the Bills are currently the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
Brenda Alesii asks: I thought it was curious that the Bills were reportedly interested in free agent tight end Zach Ertz. With Dawson Knox returning and Dalton Kincaid starting to blossom, why would the team have interest in another tight end? Where would that leave Khalil Shakir, who seems to be emerging as a solid slot receiver?
Jay: The interest in Ertz goes back to his time with the Eagles, before he was sent to Arizona. You make a good point, though, Brenda. With Knox returning, it doesn’t seem as though there would be much playing time for Ertz, even if he was an upgrade over Quintin Morris as the No. 3 tight end. As for Shakir, here's what McDermott said Friday when asked if Knox’s impending return could cut into his playing time: “That's some of the blend, right, is it's, ‘Who do you want to be? What proportion of what personnel groups do you want out there?' So, some of that's game-plan driven, as well, based on the opponent week to week. Somewhat of a good problem to have. But the thing I love about all three of those guys that you mentioned is they're selfless in their approach. So they've been that way since they've arrived.” The offensive coaching staff does have some tough decisions to make. Kincaid has thrived as the lone tight end with Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis and Shakir at wide receiver. A big part of the reason he was drafted, though, was because the team wanted to run two tight-end sets with Knox on the field at the same time. To your point, Brenda, doing that means taking Shakir off the field, and that doesn’t seem like the best idea at the moment. Any interest in Ertz at this point doesn’t seem like it would solve any glaring problem. Instead, it actually seems like it might create a problem.
Andrew in Illinois asks: Looking ahead to the offseason, do the Bills keep A.J. Epenesa?
In interviews across the locker room, Bills players from veterans to rookies voiced their support of McDermott on Friday.
Jay: The situation with Miller could play into this decision. If the Bills are able to find a way to void the remaining guarantees on his contract and release him, that would give them a significant amount of unexpected space under the salary cap. That could allow them to keep Epenesa. If they’re forced to keep Miller, keeping Epenesa becomes a bigger challenge. Epenesa has had a good season, but I wouldn’t call it quite great. Keep in mind, too, that Leonard Floyd is also scheduled to become a free agent, and he’s been dynamic all season. It’s unlikely the Bills will be able to keep both of them, and might be difficult to keep even one.
Sam Ruggiero asks: Jay, they just showed a sidelined Joe Burrow during the Monday Night Football game. Is Burrow getting all $55 million of his yearly contract now that he’s injured? How does that work if you can’t play?
Jay: Yes, players on injured reserve generally collect their full salary. I say generally because some NFL contracts call for players to receive a lesser amount when on injured reserve, but that’s usually only true for younger, unproven players. For a superstar like Burrow, he’s almost assuredly collecting his full salary. Players on injured reserve also count against the salary cap, which is different than in hockey when a player goes on long-term injured reserve.
Thank you for all the questions this week. As a reminder, they can be submitted via X to @JaySkurski or via email to jskurski@buffnews.com.