Zach Gelb labels Sean McDermott a ‘mor*n’ after Bills HC’s controversial 9/11 analogy - “What are you going to do next, praise Hitler?”
Sean McDermott has found himself under fire for comments he made in 2019.
That season, McDermott used a 9/11 analogy to motivate his players, according to a three-part Substack feature by reporter Tyler Dunne about McDermott's seven-season tenure in Buffalo that was published on Thursday.
"He told the entire team they needed to come together. But then, sources on-hand say, he used a strange model: the terrorists on September 11, 2001. He cited the hijackers as a group of people who were all able to get on the same page to orchestrate attacks to perfection," Dunne reported.
McDermott has since apologized, saying that he had intended to discuss the importance of communication and unity within the Bills, but the condemnation has not stopped with the fans.
Sportscaster Zach Gelb also joined in on his CBS Sports radio show:
“Well, I've just learned that Shawn McDermott is a jackass. ... When addressing the team in training camp, he is trying to show how they work together in a methodical way, and the point(s) of reference that he uses are the terrorists in 9/11 and how smart they were to work together?
"That's what you're using? Like, what are you going to do next? Praise Hitler? Are you kidding me? I used to be a big fan of Sean McDermott. I wanted Sean McDermott to be a head coach before anybody. McDermott's a moron!”
Should Bills fire Sean McDermott after the 2023 season? Rochester-based writer thinks not
When he first joined the Buffalo Bills in 2017, Sean McDermott was hailed as a potential savior of the then-struggling franchise alongside then-new general manager Brandon Beane. To his credit, he did, helping the team make the playoff for the first time in 18 years.
The following season, the Bills drafted quarterback Josh Allen, who immediately thrived as a rookie starter. By 2020, they won the AFC East and reached the conference title game for the first time since the days of Jim Kelly in the 1990s.
But since then, they have failed to get past the divisional round; and amid this latest controversy and shockingly subpar play that has put them outside the playoff picture at 6-6, McDermott may be shown the door.
However, the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle's Sal Maiorana believes now is not the time for Buffalo to fire McDermott:
"Would (missing the playoffs) be a massive disappointment if that happens? Of course. But firing a coach who would have led your team to the playoffs in five of his seven seasons and forcing the team to start all over again is just a foolish, knee-jerk reaction to a tough season, one that, by the way, isn’t dead just yet."
Delving further, he wrote that his bad moments have still not fully overshadowed the good ones:
"Like every NFL coach, he has suffered some terrible moments and made some awful decisions. Remember, this is the coach who actually named Nathan Peterman the starting QB not once but twice. And, of course, the 13 seconds debacle fell squarely on his shoulders, as did this year’s too many men on the field penalty which cost Buffalo the Denver game.
"There are regrettable incidents, too, because also like every other NFL coach, and like any of us, McDermott is not perfect. But there has been much more good than bad since he and general manager Brandon Beane arrived in 2017."
He concluded by saying that he will start entertaining the notion if the Bills miss two straight postseasons with Allen.