Do 'Remodeling' Bills Have a 'Leadership Problem'?

Do the Buffalo Bills have a "leadership problem''?

That's a bit extreme.

Do the defending AFC East champs have a "leadership issue''?

“I would say that’s a piece of it,” coach Sean McDermott said in reflection on Buffalo's poor preseason-opening showing, a 33-6 preseason loss to the Chicago Bears - with the subject being the roster's veteran turnover. “I would say it’s more of the continuity that you lose and the experience that you lose, and being around the culture, and so on and so forth. How it needs to look.''

It didn't look good. But McDermott doesn't seem alarmed; this roster is suddenly devoid of vets like Stefon Diggs, Micah Hyde, Jordan Poyer, Tre’Davious White and others.

The learning curve is going to be different.

Said McDermott: “That’s to be expected, a little bit, so you have to balance a little bit of perspective, and yet, make sure that there is, again, understanding, a clear understanding of what’s expected in every part of what we do.”

Still, there standards. McDermott's team isn't in the midst of a rebuild - just a remodel. But the house needs to get fixed ... fast.

“It’s not as much the result,'' he said, "as it is what leads to the result. We’re continuing to double-down on that and make sure that they understand, and the whole team, for that matter, understands the energy that you have to come in with, the mindset that you have to come in with, the urgency that you have to approach every game with, the standard, the fundamentals.

"You can just keep going from there,'' he said.

And Buffalo will go on, trying to teach and learn and achieve that ‘standard’ in its Week 2 preseason meeting with the Pittsburgh Steelers this Saturday.