Sean McDermott’s wrestling background helped shape his life

By Martin Rogers
FOX Sports Columnist

This weekend’s clash between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills shapes up as one of the postseason’s most electrifying struggles. It promises to be a slugfest, a fight for supremacy, a fork in the road for an evolving rivalry and a closely matched battle of wills with perhaps as much in common with a wrestling match as a game of football.

In that regard, Bills head coach Sean McDermott should feel right at home.

McDermott, for all his efforts in propelling Buffalo to long-awaited relevance over the past five seasons, is still somewhat under the radar as a National Football League coaching personality. As a result, one of his most impressive non-football achievements has largely escaped widespread notice. 

Until now.

During his time at La Salle College High School just outside Philadelphia, McDermott was a wrestling superstar, racking up back-to-back national prep titles with a record of 61-0 while surrendering just one takedown.

He enjoys the sport so much that he still has a 10' x 10' mat in his home, and the lessons he learned from grappling have transferred to his life on the sideline. This week, McDermott used part of his media conference ahead of the divisional-round showdown with the Chiefs to speak about wrestling.

Just more than two years ago, McDermott spent time with wrestling icon Cael Sanderson and his dynastic Penn State program, with his visit happening the day before the Nittany Lions won their eighth NCAA title in 10 years. It is a memory McDermott holds dear.

"It was fascinating to watch the best of the best and how they do it, with the habits they have, the environment around practice, the environment around the program," said McDermott, who was struck by how relaxed the place was ahead of such a serious competition, with the wrestlers taking part in a dodgeball contest in their final practice.

"I think it's just really how an elite coach prepares his team for all parts of getting his players — his wrestlers, in this case — to perform at their best in mind, body and spirit, right? Not just the body but also the physiological part of the approach and what goes into it."

The benefits of wrestling to a football player are both significant and still underrated. The obvious facets of physicality and body control come into play, but there is also strong evidence that the discipline, teamwork and adaptability needed in wrestling translate to the gridiron.

Recently deposed Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer has admitted to looking for wrestlers in the draft, and former Pitt coach and current FOX Sports football analyst Dave Wannstedt — who recruited Los Angeles Rams defensive superstar Aaron Donald — has long believed wrestling gives players a positive edge.

"Wrestlers understand and learn leverage and balance — it’s a real benefit," Wannstedt said. "But mentally, to be a wrestler, there are a lot of restrictions with weight and conditioning and the kind of shape you need to be in, so those guys are all incredibly tough.

"When I was recruiting, if they said the guy was a wrestler, I knew he had a tough mental approach and knew how to take care of himself."

Wannstedt believes McDermott’s wrestling background has had an impact on the fire he has instilled in his team.

"I’ve been a fan of these Bills all year," Wannstedt added. "That win they had last week, it is not very often you have Bill Belichick on his heels. Physically, they got out there. They outhit them."

McDermott says his wrestling background has shaped him hugely, highlighting his ability to overcome adversity, build determination and convert work ethic into recognizable performance.

Those lessons will surely put him in good stead this weekend in what can be fairly regarded as the most important game of his Bills tenure so far. With Josh Allen’s offense putting up seven touchdowns on the New England Patriots in a resounding wild-card beatdown, optimism has never been higher among the long-suffering Bills faithful.

Buffalo thumped the Chiefs 38-20 in Week 5, but that was before Patrick Mahomes & Co. went on a tear. The Chiefs are currently +400 to win the Super Bowl, just behind the Green Bay Packers, with the Bills at +475.

It is quite possible that whoever wins Sunday’s game will ascend to the top spot on the list. The Bills will go into Arrowhead as 1.5-point underdogs, per FOX Bet.

McDermott knows that facing Mahomes and his crew is a different proposition this time of year than in the early weeks of the regular season.

But here is an opportunity for the Bills to make a breakthrough, with a talented squad hungry to show why it is one of the best in the league. It will be a struggle, for certain, but McDermott’s life experiences, including those on the mat, will have him primed and ready.

Martin Rogers is a columnist for FOX Sports and the author of the FOX Sports Insider Newsletter. You can subscribe to the newsletter here.