Bills’ Sean McDermott explodes on officials postgame about controversial game-deciding play
Sean McDermott left nothing to the imagination with his postgame comments.
Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott was fired up immediately after the heartbreaking loss to the Denver Broncos. There were a few questionable calls by the officiating crew in the contest, but perhaps none bigger than the ruling of an interception during the overtime period.
Wide receiver Brandin Cooks appeared to catch the ball, with his knee hitting the turf, in full control of the ball, when the defender ripped it out after he was already down, and it was somewhat ruled an interception. What makes it even more infuriating is that there was no replay of the critical moment.
McDermott could be in some hot water with the NFL; coming this hard down on officials usually results in some kind of fine. It’s yet to be determined if that’s the case, but don’t be surprised if the NFL goes after McDermott’s pocketbook after his most recent comments.
McDermott opens up on controversial call in Bills’ loss to the Broncos
“It’s hard for me to understand why it was ruled the way it was ruled,” McDermott said. “And if it is ruled that way, then why wasn’t it slowed down, just to make sure that we have this right? That would have made a lot of sense to me. To make sure that we have this thing right, because that’s a pivotal play in the game. We have the ball at the 20 and maybe kicking a game-winning field goal there.”
His emotions took over, and he quickly made a stand for the city of Buffalo and the Bills Mafia. It was an atrocious way to end a football game, ripping the victory out of the hands of the Bills with a play that wasn’t even reviewed. Somethings need to change, and McDermott made that clear
“I’m saying it because I’m standing up for Buffalo, damn it. I’m standing up for us. Because what went on, that is not how it should go down, in my estimation,” McDermott said. “That play, these guys spend three hours out there playing football, pouring their guts out, to not even say hey lets just slow this thing down, that’s why I’m bothered.”
McDermott was furious even after the cameras stopped rolling
After his press conference, McDermott was still fired up and spoke to Buffalo News reporter Jay Skurski about some additional thoughts on the play and the decision not to send it to review. It seemed that after a few minutes, McDermott gained even more clarity on the no-call.
“That play is not even close. That’s a catch all the way,” McDermott said. I was in my locker, and I looked at it probably 20 times, and nobody can convince me that that ball is not caught and in possession of Buffalo. I just have no idea how the NFL handled it, in particular, the way that they did. I think the players and the fans deserve an explanation.”
Buffalo once again ends its season with a heartbreaking defeat in the playoffs, but McDermott wasn’t done fighting for the fans or his players. It’s a shame that the game came down to the hands of the officiating crew; despite Buffalo having five turnovers in the contest, they kept it close until the very end.
“The fans deserve more. The players certainly deserve more,” McDermott said. “They deserve an explanation, and it’s a shame that a game is decided on a call like that, and there is no time spent with the head official going underneath the hood or to the replay booth, right? To the monitor. I don’t understand how that works. I don’t understand how that could be the case when it’s such a close play, so basically there is one person ruling on the play or, only New York ruling on that play? I don’t agree with that. If that’s the case, I don’t agree with that, that that is the best approach to decide a game like that.”
The Bills will have to live with the mistakes they made long before overtime, but that doesn’t excuse how the game was decided. When a season ends on a single, disputed play, one that never even gets a second look, it leaves more questions than answers.
McDermott made it clear he isn’t asking for sympathy, only fairness. And for a team, and a fan base,m and a city that watched everything slip away in an instant, that explanation still hasn’t come.
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