AFC Notes: Bills, Dolphins, Patriots

“Chiefs are a good football team,” McDermott said. “And we knew it was going to take a heckuva effort coming out here. And I thought the guys gave us that effort. Starting with Josh and all the way down the line. Obviously, we got to do some things we gotta do better. Those guys, they’re hurt, they’re disappointed. We’re all disappointed, we’re all hurt, sick to our stomach. So, you move on and try to get yourself to learn from it, but it stings. It stings. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. It stings.”

• Allen acknowledged they have to find a way to beat the Chiefs: “This whole offseason really was geared towards beating the Kansas City Chiefs… We’re close, but close doesn’t cut it… We’ve gotta find a way to break that barrier.” (Julianne Pelusi)
• Allen hinted that if OC Brian Daboll gets a head coaching job elsewhere, he would like QB coach Ken Dorsey to be his replacement: “Every QB would love to be a part of that process. There’s a guy in this building that I’m a huge advocate for…He works his ass off.” (Mike Giardi)
• Bills DT Harrison Phillips said he would like to re-sign with the team: “I would hope to be here. There haven’t been any talks yet. But I would love to revenge these three years in a row now in the playoffs, on the road, losing.” (Joe Buscaglia)

Dolphins

• Per Omar Kelly of the Orlando Sun-Sentinel, while it appears the front office might be pivoting toward supporting QB Tua Tagovailoa, his support in the locker room isn’t universal. One unnamed prominent defensive player told Kelly: “He can’t make every throw. He’s only going to take us so far. I’m wasting my career here if that’s what we’re doing.”
• This player was in favor of Miami still pursuing a trade for Texans QB Deshaun Watson: “Watson’s an elite quarterback now. We’re ready to win.”

Patriots

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is among many connecting the dots between the Raiders and Patriots OC Josh McDaniels as their next head coach. The Raiders are still in their search for a general manager, but they’ve requested an interview with Patriots exec Dave Ziegler.

“I don’t believe that as of this morning the Raiders have even put in a permission slip. Until they do, it’s not real. But if they do, then I would say it’s on,” Schefter said in a radio interview with WEEI’s Greg Hill. “I think Dave Ziegler is right in the thick of that. I think if Dave Ziegler takes that job, it’s only logical to deduce that he would have interest in Josh. So that’s something that just continues to float out there. We’ll see what the Raiders decide to do, but yes, that’s probably wise to pay attention to.”

Schefter adds that although Patriots HC Bill Belichick has worked in the past to keep McDaniels in the fold, he doesn’t think he would stand in his way if McDaniels wanted to go to Las Vegas. 

“I don’t think there’s anything Bill could do to get in the way of Josh becoming head coach of the Raiders, if that’s what Josh wants to do,” Schefter said. “If Josh wants to become the head coach of the Raiders, he’s going to be the head coach of the Raiders — if Dave gets the job. I kind of think there’s a little bit of a connection there between the two. If the Raiders go that direction with Dave, I would think — we’re making assumptions — if Dave gets the job, then why would he not be interested in Josh? And if he’s interested in Josh, I don’t know what Bill could do.”