ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Joe Brady spoke about his vision for the Buffalo Bills as the team’s new head coach, saying he will build upon the foundation that former head coach Sean McDermott laid out.
He addressed the reporters on Thursday for the first time since he signed a five-year contract as the head coach. The Bills selected Brady to lead the team after the team’s owner decided to fire McDermott following a loss in the playoffs. McDermott led the Bills for nine seasons, took them to the playoffs for seven straight seasons, but the Bills haven’t made a Super Bowl appearance since the 1990s.
Vision for the team
Brady got emotional at times and thanked at least a dozen people, McDermott being among them. Brady served as the offensive coordinator under McDermott starting in 2023.
“Four years ago, Coach McDermott gave me the opportunity of a lifetime. I was able to come coach for the Buffalo Bills and coach Josh Allen. I took immense pride in that,” Brady said. “Over the past four years, I’ve learned a tremendous amount of things from Coach McDermott, how to lead, resilience, and standards.”
When McDermott became the Bills head coach in 2017, the team was amidst a playoff drought that lasted for 17 seasons. Brady said he’s aware that he’s taking over a team in a much better position compared to when McDermott took it over. He also said he’s aware that the “expectations are higher,” with Bills Mafia still longing for their first Super Bowl victory.
Brady said he’s looking to move forward with a new mentality, adding that he believes that communication, accountability, and love are the keys to success.
“Connected teams win. If you love the man next to you, you’ll care more about his success than your own. That’s when you’re going to win football games,” Brady said.
Search for a head coach
Brady said the interview for the head coaching position was one of the most nerve-wracking experiences of his life. He was selected among nine candidates. During the conference, General Manager Brandon Beane said he and other Bills leaders interviewed Brady first, trying to be as objective as possible.
“The best process is not to look at Joe Brady as someone in our building, because we know the good and the bad. It’s like living with someone,” Beane said. “These other people, we don’t know every single thing about them. As so we needed to pretend, I think I said like, Joe’s been coaching for the Green Bay Packers or something.”
Beane said there were other candidates who he or others in the room knew, but tried to pretend like it was their first time meeting.
Structuring team around Josh Allen
Brady spoke about Josh Allen’s role on the team, saying the success of the reigning MVP quarterback is key to the success of the team.
Before the conference started, Allen walked in on crutches, with his foot in a boot, following a foot injury he suffered this season. After the loss against the Denver Broncos in the playoffs, Allen said he “felt like he let his teammates down.” Brady said he couldn’t imagine carrying as much weight on his shoulders as Allen does.
“Everything I think about is trying to find ways to put him in a position of success, because that’s all I care about with him,” Brady said. “Josh Allen is the best player in the NFL and I have to grow.”
Full news conference
You can watch the full news conference, complete with a question and answer session, here:
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