ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) 鈥� Joe Brady did not dismiss the past while looking ahead to leading the Buffalo Bills into the future .
Before outlining his vision to bring the same attacking element to defense as he introduced to Buffalo鈥檚 Josh Allen-led offense as its coordinator for the past two-plus seasons, Brady first paid tribute to his immediate predecessor during his opening news conference on Thursday.
Brady acknowledged he鈥檇 otherwise be starting from scratch without Sean McDermott laying the foundation of sustained success and a winning culture over a nine-season tenure that ended with his firing last week.
The challenge now for Brady is taking a franchise that鈥檚 accomplished everything but reach the Super Bowl one step further.
鈥淚 understand that I鈥檓 walking into this role in a much better position than Coach McDermott did. I鈥檓 not naive to that,鈥� Brady said.
鈥淚 also understand that the expectations are higher as well. I didn鈥檛 take this job to shy away from expectations. I sure as hell did not do that,鈥� he added. 鈥淚鈥檓 embracing it. I鈥檓 understanding it. And I鈥檓 meeting it full on.鈥�
The 36-year-old Brady has big shoes to fill after McDermott went 98-50 in the regular season and 8-8 in the playoffs 鈥� ranking second on the team in wins behind only Hall of Famer Marv Levy 鈥� and transforming the Bills from long-time losers to perennial winners.
And Brady has a challenge in addressing the team’s postseason shortcomings.
Owner Terry Pegula believed the Bills had reached in deciding to fire McDermott two days after a 33-30 overtime loss at Denver in the divisional playoff round. It marked Buffalo鈥檚 third consecutive playoff loss to be decided by three points. And the Bills became the NFL鈥檚 first team to win a playoff round in six straight years but not reach the Super Bowl.
Brady was hired on Tuesday following a six-day search process in which the Bills held nine interviews before deciding to hire their only in-house candidate.
Though he has no previous head coaching experience, Brady brings an element of continuity and familiarity to a team on a seven-year playoff run, and led by an elite quarterback in Allen.
鈥淲e all know Joe. Joe is a brilliant offensive mind,鈥� general manager Brandon Beane said of an offense that produced the AP NFL MVP in Allen a year ago, and featured the NFL鈥檚 rushing leader in James Cook this season.
鈥淛oe鈥檚 offenses know how to attack in many different ways,鈥� Beane added. 鈥淏ut what I and our team learned through this process was Joe鈥檚 vision for how he would run an entire football team.鈥�
Brady is from Florida, played collegiately at William & Mary, and broke into the NFL coaching ranks as an offensive assistant on Sean Payton鈥檚 staff in New Orleans from 2017 and 鈥�18. Brady then left to become passing game coordinator on an LSU team 鈥� featuring Joe Burrow at quarterback 鈥� that won the 2019 national championship.
Brady returned to the NFL as the Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator before being fired before completing his second season in 2022, and hired as the Bills quarterbacks coach a year later.
Brady credited Payton, now coaching in Denver, for providing him 鈥渁 doctorate degree on offense.鈥� And it鈥檚 an approach he wants to carry over to the entire team.
鈥淭he mentality as we go forward that it is a nameless, faceless opponent that we鈥檙e going against, and they鈥檝e got to play us and not the other way around. And I mean that with everything,鈥� Brady said.
鈥淚t does not matter the day of the week. The time of the day. Is it outside? Is it inside? It doesn鈥檛 matter. Just put the damn ball down and let鈥檚 go play.鈥�
Brady took the podium with Allen seated in the front row, and with the silhouette of the Bills new $2.1 billion stadium evident through the shaded windows of team鈥檚 training facility.
鈥淐ulture starts with them,鈥� Brady said, pointing to Allen and several teammates in the crowd. 鈥淭he men in the locker room set the culture, regardless of who the head coach is. And it鈥檚 my job to make sure I鈥檓 allowing them to be their personality, allowing them to play to their personality.鈥�
Allen, walking with crutches after having , played a role in the search process by sitting in on candidate interviews.
The quarterback lamented playing a role in McDermott’s firing.
鈥淚f I make one more play that game in Denver, we鈥檙e probably not having this press conference right now. We鈥檙e probably not making a change and in all honesty,鈥� he said, before backing Brady. 鈥淚’m very looking forward to Joe and guys getting behind him and rallying behind him and understanding his vision because I do believe in it.鈥�
Brady’s immediate priority is building out his staff with openings at defensive, offensive and special teams coordinator and various other positions.
Brady鈥檚 hiring still raised questions over the team鈥檚 vision. Though he brings continuity and has a tight relationship with Allen, Brady鈥檚 also spent four seasons as part of a coaching staff that fell short of Super Bowl aspirations.
Though Buffalo鈥檚 offense scored 24 or more points in each of its past three playoff losses, the unit has struggled in the clutch.
Buffalo鈥檚 final drives in each of those losses ended with an interception in overtime against Denver earlier this postseason; turning the ball over on downs at midfield in a 32-29 loss to Kansas City last season; and a missed field goal in a 27-24 loss to Kansas City in 2023.
鈥淚’m just as responsible, right?鈥� Brady said, noting the five turnovers the Bills committed against Denver were on him, not the players. 鈥淛osh Allen is the best player in the NFL, and I have to grow.”
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