Ranking the top 5 head coaches in Bills history

Where does current head coach Sean McDermott rank in the history of Bills coaches?

Overview

Sean McDermott has been the coach of the Buffalo Bills since 2017 and has entertained immediate success with the team. Throughout the history of the Buffalo Bills, they have had some incredible seasons under the likes of Marv Levy, but there has also been plenty of dark days under the likes of Rex Ryan and Chan Gailey. So, where does the current head coach of the Bills land on the list of the best Bills head coaches in history? Take a look at my top five list below:

5) Chuck Knox (All-time record: 37-36)

Chuck Knox comes in at number five. Knox was the head coach of the Bills from 1978-1982 and finished with a record of 37-36, just a game over a 500 winning percentage. Knox’s tenure was exciting with the Bills. In his first official season, he finished with a 5-11 record but then followed that up two years later with an AFC East title (the first AFC East title in team history) and an 11-5 record. Still, unfortunately, that season ended in the Divisional Round with a loss to the Chargers. In the following year, he helped the Bills reach the playoffs, defeating the Jets in the Wild Card Round but then losing to the Bengals in the Divisional Round. After the shortened year in 1982, he was unable to reach an agreement with owner Ralph Wilson and left to become the coach of the Seahawks.

Knox was a solid coach with the Bills in the early 80s, winning a playoff game and making two playoff appearances. But, his ability to barely get above 500 and not have longevity as a Bills coach slides him to No. 5 on the list.

4) Wade Phillips (All-time record: 29-19)

Coming in at No. 4 is Wade Phillips. Before Phillips was the head man with the Bills, he was the defensive coordinator under all-time great Marv Levy. After Levy retired, Phillips was given the reigns. He was a productive coach and fielded a very competitive Bills team during his tenure. He led the Bills to the playoffs in 1999 and suffered a heartbreaking defeat to the Titans by way of the Music City Miracle. After an 8-8 record in 2000, owner Ralph Wilson decided to part ways with Phillips.

If you look at Phillips’ overall tenure with the Bills, he was pretty successful, but his stubbornness to not fire special teams coordinator Ronnie Jones and the Music City Miracle still looms over his term. A 29-19 record speaks for itself, but the lack of playoff success does as well.

3) Lou Saban (All-time record: 68-45-4)

Lou Saban was the coach of the Buffalo Bills two different times: the first from 1962-1965 and the second from 1972-1976. Saban, in essence, was a very successful coach for the Bills finishing with a 68-45-4 record over two separate “glory eras” for the Bills.

“Trader Lou” was a former all-star lineback with the Cleveland Browns. In ’64 and ’65, the Bills went 12-2 and 10-3-1 on their way to winning back-to-back AFL championships. This led to Saban being named Coach of the Year twice. However, after winning his second title, he left to become the coach for Maryland.

Saban returned to Buffalo in 1971 and took over a 1-13 team. He eventually brought them back to a respectable 9-5 record by 1973 behind a team led by O.J. Simpson and a dominant offensive line. Simpson became the first pro running back to run for over 2,000 yards in a season in 1973.

2) Sean McDermott (All-time record: 49-32)

Coming in at number two on the coaching list for the Buffalo Bills is current coach Sean McDermott. McDermott’s coaching tenure has been a fresh of breath air for Bills fans. Yes, I know they haven’t won a Super Bowl yet or even made it to the big game, but after the 17 long years of the drought, having a legitimate team contending year after year is impressive. In McDermott’s first year as head coach, he led the team to a 9-7 record and earned them a playoff spot for the first time in 17 years. In his third season, he again led them to another Wild Card birth but fell short. However, in the past two seasons, led by an elite QB in Josh Allen, McDermott has helped guide the team to two division titles, three playoff wins, and an AFC Championship appearance, all with the Bills very much knocking on the doorsteps of a Super Bowl.

The one thing that is holding McDermott back is that Super Bowl, but with how he and Brandon Beane have built this team, and under the leadership of Josh Allen, a Super Bowl is only a step away.

1) Marv Levy (All-time record: 112-70)

Now it is time for the most outstanding Bills coach in the franchise’s history, Marv Levy.

Levy, along with Jim Kelly, Bruce Smith, Andre Reed, and Thurman Thomas, helped put the Buffalo Bills back on the map. He made the Bills the talk of the town with a couple of successful seasons leading up to the 90s and then winning four straight AFC Championships and appearing in four consecutive Super Bowls. In his 11.5 years as Bills head coach, he finished with an 11-8 playoff record and became the winningest coach in Bills history.

Yes, I know Levy never got the Bills that Super Bowl that the city of Buffalo desires, but he turned the Bills from a laughing stock in the NFL into a team that was in the Super Bowl for four straight years. We can only hope that McDermott follows the same path and then, in the end, brings it home for the city of Buffalo. But at this point, without a doubt, Marv Levy is the greatest coach in the history of the Bills.