AFC Notes: Sean McDermott, Zach Wilson, Bailey Zappe, Bills, Jets, Patriots

Bills

Bills HC Sean McDermott is proud of the way his team responded with their win over the Chiefs amid drama surrounding his comments and the situation involving LB Von Miller.

“Our guys, the staff, the players, were steadfast in their focus. I couldn’t be more proud of a group, I really couldn’t, at this point in the regular season,” McDermott said, via the team website. “To a person, they didn’t flinch. They were focused, they supported one another, they supported me and I don’t take that for granted at all.”

• Jonathan Jones reports that the Bills have hired DJ Mangas as an offensive assistant, who won a National Championship with OC Joe Brady at LSU.

Jets

The Jets coaches told QB Zach Wilson to “let it rip” on Sunday and he did just that, with an impressive performance in a win over the Texans. Veteran CB D.J. Reed and WR Randall Cobb weighing in on what went right for the young quarterback. 

“He told me, ‘I’m playing for y’all. I’ve got nothing to lose,'” Reed said, via Rich Cimini of ESPN. “He said, ‘What’s the worst that can happen, I get benched again?’ That’s what he said and that’s the way he played. It showed.”

“From what I’ve seen, that’s the best he’s played,” Cobb added. “He just went out and played his brand of ball, without feeling constrained. The pressure he’s faced over the past two or three years — he just went out there and put it aside and played phenomenal tonight.”

“As a coach, you’re always like, ‘Don’t throw those,'” Wilson mentioned. “Sometimes they go the other way. So, for me, it’s throw it when you believe it’s there, trust in it. Sometimes bad plays are going to happen, but you’re going to have to trust in those and let it rip. It’s part of football.”

Patriots

Patriots HC Bill Belichick was asked by reporters why the team didn’t start QB Bailey Zappe sooner following their win over the Steelers to start the week. 

“Bailey played earlier in the year. Played in the preseason — played a lot in the preseason,” Belichick said, via Chris Mason of MassLive.com. “But we made the decision when I thought it was the right time to make it. Because we allowed Mac to work through his progression with the offense. We hadn’t had a lot of production. I thought Bailey deserved a chance to play, so he played.”

“Bailey’s been pretty consistent,” Belichick added. “For the most part, he’s done a good job of taking care of the ball at the quarterback position. We haven’t had a lot of negative plays. Turnovers and just negative plays. Penalties that are related to the quarterback position. Delay of game. Things like that. So he’s done a good job managing the team and taking care of the ball. There are always plays that players and coaches can do a little better (on) when you look back over the game, but everybody who plays in the game feels that way. But Bailey works hard and tries to correct his mistakes, trying to learn each day. I’m sure he’ll continue to do that, but that good preparation and attention to detail certainly puts him on the right path for better performance in the games.”