BUFFALO, N.Y. — Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll has been named 2020's NFL assistant coach of the year by the Associated Press.
Daboll, who is in his third year with Buffalo, was the madman behind the Bills' impeccable passing. He also helped Josh Allen throw for more than 4,500 yards and 37 touchdowns, both franchise records in a single season.
Despite having multiple head coach interviews for next season, Daboll will remain in Buffalo.
Daboll not only helped Buffalo to a 15-4 record and a spot in the AFC championship game, he oversaw the rapid development of quarterback Josh Allen in his third pro season. Allen not only had a 107.2 passer rating, fourth in the NFL, but threw for 37 touchdowns against 10 interceptions, and completed 69.2% of his passes, a vast improvement over his 58.79% in 2019.
The Bills’ attack was bolstered by the addition of receiver Stefon Diggs in a trade from Minnesota. Diggs has his best season with a league-best 127 receptions for 1,535 yards and eight touchdowns, making the All-Pro Team.
“I think it is important to develop relationships with your players and make sure they understand you care about them not just as players but as people off the field, that is the first thing,” Daboll said. “The second thing is those guys, they have a very similar mindset and personality, and they hit it off I would say off the field. They got together in Florida in the offseason along with the other receivers, tight ends, backs, started to develop a relationship there, and it continued to grow.
“You know, we meet a lot as a group, particularly in the passing game with the receivers, the tight ends, the quarterbacks, and we really try to let those guys’ personalities show as long as it fits in the framework of the offense. And I think with building relationships and meeting together and spending time together, I think that helps when you are on the field.”
Daboll’s creativity and teaching skills were directly responsible for those impressive numbers — and many others on one of the NFL’s most potent offenses. Only Green Bay with 509 scored more than Buffalo’s 501 points.
Daboll received 28 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league. He easily outdistanced Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley (5 1-2), who now is the head coach of the Chargers.
Having spent time in a variety of jobs with six NFL teams has contributed strongly to Daboll’s success.
“It has helped out a lot, all of my experience since I started out working on the defensive side of football to getting moved over to the receiver coach then to the quarterback coach, offensive coordinator, tight ends,” he said. “I was able to be in the offensive line room sometime. All of those experiences dealing with not only different positions but different groups of guys has really helped out.”