History shows a positive precedent for Bills firing Sean McDermott

History doesn't repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme. 

The Buffalo Bills are hoping that statement rings true in the coming years after they fired head coach Sean McDermott on Monday, following six consecutive seasons in which Buffalo advanced to at least the AFC divisional round without even making, much less winning, a Super Bowl. 

For all intents and purposes, McDermott was a great head coach. He had nearly twice as many wins as losses with a 98-50 record and took the Bills to the playoffs eight times in nine seasons. He was the man who led Buffalo back to the postseason in 2017 to snap a 17-year playoff drought. 

On the flip side, however, he was unable to break through and deliver Buffalo its first Lombardi Trophy. The Bills' heartbreaking 33-30 loss to the Denver Broncos in the AFC divisional round was the sixth playoff loss for McDermott in a one-score game. He was 0-2 in AFC Championship Games as Buffalo's head coach.

McDermott was a great head coach in Buffalo, but never pushed the Bills over the edge to a championship. He's not the first head coach in NFL history to meet those parameters and certainly won't be the last. 

Two previous examples fit McDermott's situation in Buffalo, and they paint a picture of positivity for the Bills going forward. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Tony Dungy/Jon Gruden

For their first two decades of existence, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were a perennial afterthought, making the postseason only three times before 1996. That changed when Tony Dungy became the head coach in 1996. 

Under Dungy, Tampa Bay became a consistent contender, making the playoffs four times in six seasons. But like McDermott's Bills, Dungy's Bucs never made it to the Super Bowl. His tenure became disappointing and ended with a pair of blowout losses in the wild-card round. 

Tampa Bay moved on from Dungy in favor of Jon Gruden in 2001, a change that immediately yielded the success the Bucs were looking for. In Gruden's first season in Florida, the Bucs won the Super Bowl for the first time. 

Denver Broncos: John Fox/Gary Kubiak

In four seasons as Denver's head coach, John Fox led the Broncos to four straight AFC West titles and was never bounced in the wild-card round. He even took the Broncos to Super Bowl XLVIII. But a blowout loss to the Seahawks seemed to paint a vibrant picture: Denver wasn't going to get over the hump with Fox at the helm. 

Enter Gary Kubiak, who, in his first season with Denver, presided over Peyton Manning's final NFL season and one of the best defenses in league history. Kubiak capped his first season with the Broncos by beating a Carolina squad that featured MVP Cam Newton at QB in Super Bowl 50, finally bringing the Broncos out of playoff purgatory.