ORCHARD PARK — The Bills introduced their new coach — the fourth in six seasons — on Friday afternoon at the team’s fieldhouse.

We’ve been through it all before seven times since the Bills last made the playoffs in 1999. Sean McDermott, Buffalo’s 20th head coach in franchise history, seems to be a fine choice. But so have many of his successors. The new guy always looks good — both résumé and character references — before a ball is snapped. However, it’s what happens on the field that will ultimately reveal whether owners Terry and Kim Pegula have made the proper choice.

Clearly, McDermott is a focused, meticulous, organized coach who looms as the antithesis of his predecessor, Rex Ryan.

At his introductory press conference, McDermott never stumbled … he was prepared, concise and direct. No bluster, no ego, no predictions. And not much power … not unlike Ryan.

Though Terry and general manager Doug Whaley tiptoed around the subject, McDermott made it clear that the GM has control of the 53-man roster … but emphasized he was fine with that.

So was Ryan, though he might now argue that it eventually cost him his job. That reality was a bit disquieting as it appeared that Whaley merely has a new scapegoat in place, even though McDermott admitted that, ultimately, a team’s success comes down to the players.

The other concern is the fate of quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

By benching him for the season finale against the Jets, Bills management, which made the call, was effectively saying it wasn’t going to pay the $27.5 million stipend in 2017 that would activate the last five years of his contract. Oddly, Taylor was there for the introductory press conference, but McDermott was vague about his future, even if he wanted to keep him … considering Buffalo’s only QB on the roster could be last season’s fourth-round draft choice, Cardale Jones, come March.

Terry Pegula, introduced McDermott, concluding the Bills were seeking “a man who could manage and enhance the culture and demeanor of our team on the field and act as the face of our organization.”

Seemingly a shot at Ryan. But he took no questions. However, in an interview on the John Murphy Show on WGR radio an hour before the press conference, also broadcast on MSG-TV, Pegula was more expansive in a 16-minute session.

Of McDermott’s hiring, he told Murphy, “We didn’t interview as many candidates as we did the first time (12 when Ryan was hired), although we researched a lot more candidates than we interviewed.

“One reason was Sean, as our first interview, absolutely nailed it.”

He continued, “Doug, with the help of Jim Manos (director of player personnel), researched all the candidates they felt were logical choices for what we were trying to do … we had a mission plan for the kind of coach we were looking for.

“We were looking for a coach that would be involved in our long-term planning and in the short term be decisive, be a decision-maker and show unparalleled leadership that we felt players would be drawn to. Sean took the lead on that.”

Pegula told Murphy, “We sat through his interview and I’m going to say it was close to seven hours. He never stuttered, never hesitated when asked a question. This wasn’t somebody who was practicing for a job interview … this was somebody who was practicing for what he wanted to do.

“When he walked out, we stared at each other like, ‘Wow, that was impressive.’ He had every answer.”

This was Pegula’s second coaching search since buying the team midway through the 2014 season.

“It means so much to so many people, our fans, obviously our players,” he said of the responsibility of selecting a head coach. “You look at our fan base and they depend on you to make the right decision and I just think there’s something special about Sean McDermott.”

Murphy was in the awkward position of interviewing his boss. When asked about questions involving the Bills’ chain of command, Pegula said,

“(McDermott) asked … which he should, and the answer was short and sweet. I told him the GM and coach work together. Doug was sitting in the room when we were interviewing him so (Sean) knows if he’s being (brought in) by this GM, (he) must like him. It’s not like we’re bringing a new GM in but hiring him as a coach first.

“It’s GM and coach working together and they both answer to the owners. Actually, (McDermott) was most comfortable with that because that’s what he’s seen in the past. I believe it’s more common than it is unusual.”

As for the perceived dysfunction in the Bills front office, Pegula told Murphy, “We all laugh at it in the office because we don’t know where that came from. It’s actually comical to us. We all get along with each other, we all work well together.

“The way I look at it, the more everyone knows what the guy next to him is doing, the better off we all are. I’ve done that in oil and gas for years … my engineers, my geologists, my land men … they all sit in the same meeting. We may be talking about engineering and the land guys are falling asleep but at least they start developing a feel for what happens so that when they do their job they know how it affects everybody else.”

Of the heavy criticism of Whaley by both fans and the media, Pegula maintained, “That’s grossly unfair what he’s going through. I made a comment, ‘If we fail at press conferences but start winning, who cares?’

“Doug does a good job and I like him … he works hard and he’s a smart guy. Doug trained under some pretty knowledgeable people three hours south of here (in Pittsburgh). When he came to Buffalo, he was well-prepared.”

But what of that talk of dysfunction?

“It’s not there … it doesn’t exist.” Pegula said. “We all like each other, we all work together. And that doesn’t mean we’re complacent. I’m a firm believer, when you come to work, you’d better have some fun with what you’re doing or you’re not going to perform as well.”

Of course, there’s that stigma of missing the playoffs for 17 straight seasons.

“I think it affects how people think about us today … even though some of us weren’t here when it started,” Pegula conceded. “I can promise our fans that we’re working diligently at ending that streak. It’s really unfair to a lot of people in the building who’ve been here (but) weren’t making decisions on the field.

“There were a lot of good people in the building when we bought the team and we recognized that. They shouldn’t have to pay that price. A lot of people that were in the building for the drought were also here for four Super Bowls. They did a good job then, why aren’t they doing a good job now?”

Pegula concluded, “A lot of people can’t seem to say anything good about the Bills organization … I wouldn’t fall into that trap because we’re working.”

(Chuck Pollock, the Times Herald sports editor, can be reached at cpollock@oleantimesherald.com)