Joe Brady tabbed as 'the perfect fit' in being named 19th head coach in Bills history
At his introductory press conference, new Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady acknowledged the immense pressure he will be under in year one – anything less than a Super Bowl will be considered a failure – and didn’t shrink from it.
A new era of Buffalo Bills football started Thursday.
In introducing Joe Brady as the 19th head coach in franchise history, president of football operations/general manager Brandon Beane laid out what he meant when saying that the team was searching for a “CEO type” for the position.
“What I'm talking about is a fresh new vision for the Buffalo Bills,” Beane said. “Somebody who values strong culture, collaboration and alignment. We wanted a highly intelligent, aggressive and excellent communicator. We wanted alignment. Joe Brady is all of that and more.”
The Bills staged an introductory news conference inside the team’s weight room at One Bills Drive for Brady. Of course, nobody needed much of an introduction, since he has been with the team since the 2022 season, first as quarterbacks coach, then as offensive coordinator starting midway through the 2023 season, and now as head coach, replacing Sean McDermott.
Bills new head coach Joe Brady is welcomed by president of football operations/general manager Brandon Beane during a news conference on Thursday.
Harry Scull Jr., Buffalo News
Brady led top-five scoring offenses in his two full seasons as the coordinator, but now, he slides into the big chair.
“What I and our team learned through this process was Joe's vision for how he would run an entire football team,” Beane said. “Specifically, his thoughts on how our defense would play under Joe if he was given this job. He wants a defense that attacks opposing quarterbacks and play callers pre-snap and post-snap. A defense that dictates to the offense.”
Beane started in Carolina as an intern and worked his way up with the Panthers to interim general manager. Despite that, he said, it's hard for some people to change how they view a person. In Brady's case, most of Beane's conversations with him were narrowly focused on the offense. It was never a holistic view of the organization, because that wasn't Brady's responsibility. It is now, which is why the Bills didn't spend a ton of time when interviewing Brady asking about the offense. The group knew those answers. The questions instead pertained to everything else that comes with being a head coach.
How exactly that will look, including the key decision on who will serve as the defensive coordinator, will come later. On Thursday, Brady had the opportunity to look back at the journey that brought him here.
He was overcome with emotion almost immediately upon stepping behind the podium as he looked at some of the players present for the announcement, a group that included quarterback Josh Allen, right tackle Spencer Brown, tight end Dalton Kincaid and others.
Brady started by thanking team owner Terry Pegula and his family. He was overcome with emotion when discussing the support he’s received from his wife, Lauren, with whom he has two children.
He was gracious in discussing his three years working under McDermott and detailed in recognizing the other coaches he has worked for in his career.
He could barely look at his players without becoming emotional. His love for them is genuine.
Brady said all the things you would expect him to say about coming to love the city and its fans. He acknowledged the immense pressure he will be under in year one – anything less than a Super Bowl will be considered a failure – and didn’t shrink from it.
Bills head coach Joe Brady waits to be introduced at a news conference at the Bills practice facility on Thursday.
Joshua Bessex, Buffalo News
Brady was the first of nine candidates the Bills interviewed for the job. Despite knowing him well, Beane said the team tried to approach their interview with Brady with a blank slate.
“I would say the odds when you have one person from the building and eight outside the building, I would say the odds were against Joe being selected,” Beane said. “That's just God's honest truth, and I can tell you there are some candidates that we interviewed that are going to be really good head coaches.”
No candidate was going to check every box. Brady, for example, has never been a head coach at any level, so experience in that regard works against him.
One key that worked in his favor, however, is alignment. That is a word that came up more than once Thursday. As it was discussed, it was hard to shake the feeling that – after nine years together – the alignment between McDermott (and the coaching staff) and Beane (and the front office) had deteriorated to a significant degree.
“Alignment doesn't mean agreeing on everything,” Brady said. “Alignment, to me, means we're both open and open to conversation and communication and understanding that we don't have to be yes men, but when we make a decision, when that door opens, there's no going backward and there's no second guessing, and we're going all out with it.”
That shared vision is important for the franchise moving forward. It will show itself first in the coaches who fill out Brady’s staff, and then in the players acquired through both free agency and the draft.
“If there's something that Joe doesn't think makes sense, he's going to speak up,” Beane said. “If there's something that I don't think makes sense, I'm going to speak up. But we're going to collaborate on every part of it.”
Because McDermott was fired after the divisional round of the playoffs, the timing of the Bills’ search was not ideal. The team couldn’t interview candidates from the four teams to make the championship round.
With the Seahawks winning Sunday, that meant the Bills couldn’t speak with Seattle offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak until after the Super Bowl.
“We can't even Zoom anyone on either of the remaining teams,” Beane said. “You hate to rule it out, but I think you would unfairly hurt them, because all the staffs are going to be filled up. I just don't know if it would be fair to them or the Bills to wait any longer.”
Had the Bills gone through nine interviews and felt like the right man for the job had still eluded them, Beane said the team would have waited. That ended up being a moot point.
“We had some very good options when we did this, and clearly, at the end, Joe was the man for the job,” Beane said.
Like Brady, Beane is fully aware of what’s expected from the team next season. The Bills had their best sustained run of success under McDermott since the Super Bowl years. The team has advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs six straight seasons. The goal, now, is advancing beyond that.
“Any time you hire someone for the first time, and they're doing this, there is a little bit of unknown,” Beane said. “But I believe his plan, his vision, and our communication, I think we'll be able to support him where he needs it, which he will.
“Joe is the perfect fit for our team right now.”
