Twenty years ago when the Buffalo Bills had a message board on their website I was posting regularly about my strong belief that NFL teams were missing an important variable in building a successful NFL roster. There were howls when I suggested it was just as important to put a team together with the right personalities and team chemistry was as important as physical ability on a relative basis. For the most part it was received with more requests for a sandwich from the kitchen.
I get it. It’s easy to dismiss something intangible.
So when Sean McDermott came along and waxed poetic about “the right DNA” or players being mentally built “the right way”, I thought I died and went to heaven.
FINALLY, a coach who gets it.
And got it he did. McDermott is not alone in focusing on the intangible aspects of player and team development. It’s not really a coincidence the Buffalo Bills will face the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday at Bills Stadium. Frank Reich is another ‘new age’ thinking head coach who gives great thought to building a team with significant consideration given to character analysis.
Both enter the playoffs with something to prove this season.
[Author Note: Don’t miss reading this gem by Jerry Sullivan for wivb.com. Jerry captures the upcoming matchup on Saturday between the Bills and Colts better than anyone. It’s great storytelling and I for one am glad to see Mr. Sullivan back at his craft.]
McDermott and Reich understand the importance of accumulating the right type of personalities to enhance team chemistry. Many fans think team chemistry just happens like spontaneous combustion, and sometimes it does happen that way.
Here’s something I posted on the BuffaloFAMbase.com blog (August 2019) about McDermott’s emphasis on love and compassion. He obviously had his personality criteria well established before he ever become a head coach because he was ready to roll this out right from day one at One Bills Drive.
These days there’s greater consideration given to evaluating the psyche of a player. For example, in Sean McDermott’s process, he appears to place low value on players exhibiting narcissistic personality traits. He appears to want no part of players who value self-glorification over players who inspire each other, and he builds his roster around that belief.
I haven’t honed in on exactly what attributes Frank Reich seeks in his players, but I suspect there is a lot of overlay with McDermott’s variables/personality traits. Both coaches practice their profession coming from the philosophy of assisting players to become the best versions of themselves, rather than coaching using intimidation and fear as motivators.
It will be interesting to see how both McDermott and Reich fare with their teams over the next five years. The Colts appear to be a young franchise QB away from being a solidly talented team from top to bottom. These two teams have a bright future and are set up to flourish in the years ahead.
As has been stated many times, the NFL is a copycat league. If the Bills and Colts set a new standard for roster development by including an emphasis on evaluating personality traits and become successful, other organizations will soon follow suit.
~The Caboose~
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