Buffalo Bills head coach Sean McDermott nearly got into trouble again Tuesday while discussing his team's performance against the New England Patriots.
The Bills struggled to defeat the Patriots on Sunday despite being heavy favorites for a big win, eventually pulling out a 24-21 victory.
Reflecting on Tuesday's game, McDermott stopped using an analogy about flying after comments he made in 2019 about 9/11 surfaced in 2023, causing outrage and forcing the Bills head coach to apologize.
As Go Long first reported, McDermott used the 9/11 attackers as an example to people gathered at a 2019 training camp. Four years later, when that aspect of his speech became public, McDermott apologized unreservedly in an unscheduled press conference.
“I regret mentioning 9/11 in my message that day and immediately apologized to the team,” McDermott said in December 2023. 9/11 was not only a horrible event in our country's history, but also a day when I lost a good family friend. .
'September 11 was mentioned in the context of the team meeting. The focus of the team meeting was the importance of communication and being on the same page as the team.'
Sean McDermott was asked to give his impressions on the #Invoices First half performance against the Patriots. He was about to use an airplane analogy, but stopped short.
If you don't learn from the past you are condemned to repeat it. #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/yK05boUtHF
—Alex Brasky (@alexbrasky) December 23, 2024
Now, on Christmas Eve, McDermott was talking about what frustrated him about the Patriots' victory.
“Um, let's see, I was about to use an airplane flight analogy, but I'll stay away from that,” he said.
Go Long's report from last year said: 'He (McDermott) told the whole team they needed to come together.
“But then, available sources say, he used a strange model: the terrorists of September 11, 2001. He cited the hijackers as a group of people who were able to get in sync to orchestrate attacks to perfection.
'One by one, McDermott began asking questions of specific players in the room. “What tactics do you think they used to join together?”
This year, even after the narrow victory over the Patriots, McDermott and the Bills are enjoying a brilliant season.
They are among the favorites to reach the Super Bowl and the Patriots' victory on Sunday leaves them 12-3 and winners of the AFC East. Quarterback Josh Allen is also a leading candidate for the MVP award.
The Bills return to NFL action on Sunday against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets.