When Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula stepped into the team locker room after their playoff loss to the Denver Broncos on Saturday, January 17, he was particularly struck by the sight of quarterback Josh Allen in tears. Two days later, head coach Sean McDermott was fired.
“My decision to bring in a new coach was based on the results of our game in Denver,” Pegula, 74, said in a press conference on Wednesday, January 21. “I want to take you in the locker room after that game. I looked around, the first thing I noticed was our quarterback with his head down, crying.”
Pegula continued, “He sat there sobbing. He was listless. He had given everything he had to try to win that game. And looking around, so did all the other players on the team. I saw the pain in Josh’s face at his presser, and I felt his pain. I know we can do better, and I know we will get better.”
Pegula added that when he approached Allen, 29, the quarterback “didn’t even acknowledge I was there.”
Hillary Trubisky, the wife of Buffalo Bills quarterback Mitchell Trubisky, shared her emotional reaction to the surprising firing of Bills head coach Sean McDermott. In an Instagram Story posted on Tuesday, January 20, Hillary gave Sean, 51, and his wife, Jamie McDermott, a shout-out for their friendship and support. “Jamie and Sean are a huge […]
The Bills lost to the Broncos, 33-30 in overtime in Saturday’s AFC Divisional game, marking the seventh straight year they finished first or second in their division, but failed to reach the Super Bowl. It was also their fourth loss in five years in the divisional round.
A critical moment in the game came when Allen appeared to connect with wide receiver Brandin Cooks on a 44-yard catch before Cooks, 32, had the ball taken away by Ja’Quan McMillian of the Broncos.
What Pegula said he thought should have been called a catch was instead ruled an interception, setting up the Broncos’ winning drive.
“I did not fire Coach [McDermott] based on a bad officiating decision,” Pegula said. “If I can take you into that locker room, I felt like we hit the proverbial playoff wall year after year — 13 seconds, missed field goal, the catch. So, I just sensed in that locker room, like, where do we go from here with what we have? And that was the basis for my decision.”
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen has no hard feelings about Patrick Mahomes’ recent post-game meltdown. “He reached out to me, and I was just like, ‘It’s football, it’s a game of emotion.’ I know he didn’t mean anything by it,” Allen, 27, told reporters on Wednesday, December 13. “I know the cameras kind of caught […]
Pegula also praised the consistency that his team showed under McDermott’s leadership.
“You see teams in the league — I’m not going to mention team names — but they have a great year, good year, and the next year the success doesn’t continue,” he said. “You don’t get in the playoffs seven straight years in this National Football League, where there are very few blowouts and dozens and dozens of close games every year. You don’t get there without having talent and a great organization, and Brandon and his staff have brought in, regularly, players.
Pegula told reporters that he had a conversation with Allen before announcing his decision that he wished to keep private, but that the former MVP did not have a say. He did, however, say that Allen would have input on who the team hires next.
“We have an MVP quarterback in Josh Allen,” Pegula said. “I’m looking forward to having a successful coaching search. I know this is a desirable job. Our phones are ringing and we’re going to begin that process.”