Sean McDermott

Sean Michael McDermott (born March 21, 1974) is an American professional football coach who is the head coach for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He began his NFL coaching career as an assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2001, serving as defensive coordinator from 2009 to 2010, and was later the defensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers from 2011 to 2016. Following his six seasons with the Panthers, which included an appearance in Super Bowl 50, McDermott was hired as the Bills' head coach in 2017.

McDermott's head coaching tenure in Buffalo has seen improved fortunes for the franchise, which had been mostly unsuccessful during the 2000s and 2010s. In his first season, he led the Bills to their first playoff appearance since 1999, ending the longest active postseason drought in the four major North American sports. Three years later, McDermott helped the Bills clinch their division and win a playoff game for the first time since 1995 en route to their first AFC Championship Game appearance since 1993. He has led Buffalo to seven playoff appearances, five consecutive division titles, and two AFC Championship Game appearances.

Born in Omaha, Nebraska, McDermott grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs. His family lived in West Chester and Paoli before settling in Lansdale when McDermott was in the second grade. McDermott first attended North Penn High School before transferring to La Salle College High School, where he was named All-Southeastern Pennsylvania at defensive back in 1992 and graduated in 1993. McDermott was also a national prep champion wrestler in 1992 and 1993.

McDermott received a bachelor's degree in finance while at the College of William and Mary, where he was an all-conference safety (1997). McDermott was teammates with future Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, who was a wide receiver and faced McDermott frequently. He also received Academic all-conference honors in 1996 and 1997 and NSCA Strength and Conditioning All-America accolades.^{[citation needed]}

McDermott originally joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999 as a scouting administrative coordinator, a position he held until being promoted to Andy Reid's coaching staff in 2001. He became defensive quality control coach and later assistant defensive backs coach. In 2004, McDermott helped replace Steve Spagnuolo by serving as assistant defensive backs coach, as Spagnuolo was assigned the linebackers coach position. That same year, McDermott saw both of his starting safeties (Brian Dawkins and Michael Lewis) earn Pro Bowl berths for the first time in team history.^{[citation needed]} McDermott and the Eagles appeared in Super Bowl XXXIX that season but lost to the New England Patriots, who won their second straight Super Bowl title. Under McDermott's watch, Dawkins went on to earn two more Pro Bowl berths following the 2005 and 2006 seasons.

In 2007, McDermott was assigned linebackers coach, after Spagnuolo had left to take the defensive coordinator job for the New York Giants. On January 28, 2008, Eagles head coach Andy Reid named McDermott as the secondary coach.

On May 18, 2009, McDermott was named the interim defensive coordinator as a result of defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's medical leave of absence. Two months later on July 24, due to the continuing decline of Johnson, the Eagles announced McDermott would take over as full-time defensive coordinator. Johnson died four days later. Thanks in part to what he learned under Johnson, McDermott would go on to implement a variety of blitzes in his later defensive gameplans.

McDermott was fired as the defensive coordinator on January 15, 2011, after 12 years with the Eagles.