‘It honestly pisses me off’ — Sean McDermott delivers passionate defense of Buffalo that Bills Mafia won’t soon forget
A lot of love for Buffalo.
Say what you will about Sean McDermott and the Buffalo Bills’ defense in the postseason, but he’s a helluva coach. We’re going to hit the rewind button to a few weeks ago in a response shared by Matthew Bove, sports director at WKBW.
McDermott sent a loud but emotional message about what it’s like to be from Buffalo, and we couldn’t possibly agree more. His response has quickly gone viral, for all the right reasons. In the ’90s, Buffalo lost four straight Super Bowls, but McDermott wants to make it clear that this team, its history, and the city are no laughing stock. Since his arrival, he’s wanted to change the narrative around Buffalo, and he’s been doing just that.
“They don’t know this community, they don’t know us,” McDermott said. “And just because it didn’t work out four years in a row, nobody is ever going to do that again. Now you’re going to get me going, it does, it bothers me. It honestly pisses me off because people don’t know this town, they don’t know how hard it is to get to four straight Super Bowls, it’ll never happen again. We’re good, I’m good.”
Honestly, even I found myself getting a little worked up watching McDermott defend the place that I hold so dear to my heart. The Bills Mafia is more than breaking tables, and the city of Buffalo is one of the most magical places on the planet. The hardworking nature instilled in me at a young age, along with the kindness I show toward others, is largely due to my upbringing in Western New York.
The nickname “City Of Good Neighbors” isn’t there for show — you can feel it when you arrive in Western New York. Even outside of Buffalo, walking around with a Bills shirt or jersey always gets at least one “Go Bills” from a stray fan, which often turns into a heartfelt conversation about where we were raised and our love for the team. It’s bigger than community. It’s family, and it’s something that McDermott feels deeply.
“Just overall, changing the narrative on Buffalo. That is honestly probably the number one thing for me,” McDermott said. “Like I told that reporter or whoever it was, I think it was after a game late last year at home. That bothers me because that is not what I have experienced with my family. That probably is what drives me more than anything to win. So that these people can finally say [. . .] I hear it on TV, not even watching a football game or not even a football broadcast, and they refer to this area, I’m not even going to say it.”
Buffalo versus the world
It’s been Buffalo versus the world for as long as I can remember, and that’s largely due to the constant disrespect the city and its teams get. When an opposing quarterback or player goes down with an injury during a contest, the Bills Mafia is there to donate in huge amounts. When Josh Allen lost his grandmother before a game against the Seattle Seahawks, once the fan base got wind, they made such an impact that the hospital renamed a wing after over $1 million in donations.
Honestly, one of the most blatant attacks on the city that I adore so much was from a Ravens reporter ahead of the team’s divisional round, where sports radio personality Jerry Coleman called Buffalo a “city of losers.”
He was talking about a previous attack on the city years prior, when Bills Mafia followed it up by donating thousands of dollars in his name after learning that his mother had died from Alzheimer’s. Coleman didn’t care and brought it back up during a press conference that went viral. After the Bills’ victory in the playoffs, McDermott was quick to shout out the city of Buffalo.
“These people in this town are winners,” McDermott said. “I’ve been here for just eight years, but I consider this place my hometown [. . .] They deserve more than whoever said that about them.”
It’ll always be love for Buffalo
I love Buffalo. I will always love Buffalo, and it’s the same sentiment I hear from anyone I meet who’s from Western New York. McDermott getting fired up and emotional defending the city just fills my heart with so much joy, and I hope that in my lifetime I can see the city hoist the Lombardi Trophy, something that generations of my family have been wishing for. But even if Buffalo were to never bring home a championship, the love for the city will never die.
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