The Buffalo Bills had come close to the mountaintop, but they hadn't yet reached it under Sean McDermott.
And with Josh Allen approaching his 30th birthday, there was no more time to waste.
The Bills needed a change, and they made it on Monday.
McDermott has been fired, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
McDermott was the Bills' coach for nine seasons. He had a 98-50 record in the regular season, and was 8-8 in the playoffs.
But now he's gone.
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Why did the Bills fire Sean McDermott?
The Bills fired McDermott because they haven't gotten over the hump in the playoffs.
Allen has been arguably the best football player on the planet in recent years, and yet the Bills haven't even made it to the Super Bowl, let alone won it.
There is only so much of Allen's prime remaining.
It's the classic definition of insanity -- trying the same thing over and over and expecting different results. The Bills did that long enough with McDermott.
Now they have chosen the alternate path. They're going to find a fresh face on the sideline.
It's not guaranteed to work. Nothing is a guarantee.
But the Bills owed it to themselves to try. It would be silly to proceed forward with a franchise legend like Allen and not try to do everything to maximize what's around him.
Buffalo is taking a step toward a new era. Allen will lead, and a new head coach will join, and they'll try to do something that McDermott couldn't find a way to do.
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