The Buffalo Bills broke the NFL’s longest playoff drought when they clinched a Wildcard berth after winning and getting the requisite help on the final day of the 2017 regular season, but there is much more work to be done for the team to get where it wants to go.
Coach Sean McDermott addressed the media at the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine Wednesday morning and spoke about the Bills not being satisfied with simply getting into the playoffs.
“We made a lot of progress in a short amount of time, made some big-time gains in that first year, and it was a team effort, really,” McDermott said.
“The biggest thing for us is making sure we hit the reset button. We’re not as far along as maybe some people think we are. We’ve got a lot of work to do, and at the same time, remaining true to who we are, as an organization, and our core values.”
Being in the AFC East Division, where they have two games a year against the New England Patriots, the Bills get a first-hand look at the type of consistency the organization wants to have, as it did during Buffalo’s run to four straight Super Bowl appearances in the early 1990s.
“We’ve got a lot of work to do, especially with the Patriots and how successful they are,” McDermott said. “Hungry is a great word to use. We’ve got to be hungry and embrace that mindset.”
Part of that process of building the Bills into a sustainable winner includes adding depth and talent to the roster every offseason, which is what McDermott and Buffalo’s decision-makers are in Indianapolis to do, find the players that best fit the needs and the demands of the organization’s plans.
“This whole process has evolved,” McDermott said. “It’s evolved to watching film during interviews and drilling down with questions instead of just drilling in.
“Our scouts do a good job of gathering information throughout the year. Not only have the meetings changed, but so has what teams are asking. It’s nice to see the combination of good athletes and good people off the field.”
