Bills fire special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley after numerous blunders

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) - The Buffalo Bills fired special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley, a person with direct knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Sunday, a move that came after coach Sean McDermott voiced support for his assistant.

The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the Bills have not disclosed the firing, which was first reported by NFL Network.

Smiley's job status was in question following a series special teams blunders in his third season as Buffalo's coordinator.

Opponents twice converted first downs on fake punts, including in Buffalo's 31-7 wild-card playoff win over Denver last month. That happened despite McDermott saying he cautioned Smiley about being prepared for such a tactic after New England converted a fake punt for a first down in Buffalo's 24-21 win three weeks earlier.

The Bills also allowed two touchdown returns, including one off a blocked punt in a 44-42 loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Dec. 8. The loss to the Rams was sealed in the final seconds when Buffalo was unable to muster a punt block after fielding just nine players.

McDermott, however, expressed support for Smiley during his end-of-season news conference on Jan. 30.

Aside from answering, "yes," when asked if he was confident in retaining Smiley, McDermott credited him for doing "a nice job."

"Listen, I know there are plays that have come up and I know he doesn't feel great about them, nor do I. Those are learning pieces for a coach in his position," McDermott said, while noting that Buffalo's unit was depleted by injuries. "All that being said, I'm confident that coach Smiley is going to learn from those situations."

Smiley spent eight seasons with the Bills and was elevated to the coordinator's job after Heath Farwell's departure following the 2021 season. Farwell was let go by Buffalo after a 42-36 overtime loss to Kansas City in a divisional playoff in which the Bills squandered a 3-point lead in the final 13 seconds of regulation.

The special teams unit took part of the blame for the loss, getting second-guessed for kicking off into the end zone with 13 seconds left rather than attempt a shorter kick being fielded with the chance to run more time off the clock.