If you weren't thrilled about the Brady hire as HC do you feel any better about it now?

[BearNorth]

Sirianni won the Super Bowl in his 5th season, second trip to the SB.  Career Record is .694 4th all time behind a couple of guys named Madden and Lombardi.  Grew up in WNY.

[Scott7975]

 

I never hated the hire. I'm just a wait a see guy. When McD was hired, I bet a lot of people hated that too. Then we got to see his body of work. McD was a very good coach for us and although he didn't get us to the trophy, he did bring a lot of success. 

 

I felt it was time to move on so I didn't hate the firing. I am just not going to praise a hire when I haven't seen a body of work yet. A couple things I can say is that I like the staff hires and I also like that we have an offensive head coach. If it works out, we don't have to worry that we are losing Josh's OC.

 

Can't wait for the season to begin! Go Bills!

[AlCowlingsTaxiService]

I’m intrigued but I’m also pretty certain that I won’t be attending any championship parades at seasons end. Bills fans in general talk themselves into wild success at every turn.  Every coach is an awesome hire, every player drafted is a beast …. You’ve heard it all before. Call me when September’s near 🤷‍♂️

[Heavy Kevi]

18 hours ago, Another Fan said:

Well it was 5 months ago yesterday he was announced as HC.

 

 

When he got hired I'll admit my reaction was very negative.  I think off the emotion of the Broncos loss, the messy press conference over the firing of McDermott, and my feeling was at the time the Bills didn't really interview a lot of candidates.  

 

 

While I'm still not sold about the hire my feeling months removed from it all is that I'm willing to roll with him as HC.  

 

Yeah I think really I didn't (and somewhat still don't) like what the Brady hire represents. It felt like the easy move for Terry, who is understandably overwhelmed by the franchise since Kim's health problems, with the new stadium, sky high expectations, and infighting between Beane and McD, feeling like the moderator.

 

I really wanted to move off of McDermott, but I was shocked when Beane stuck around. It's clear that keeping Beane around was for Terry's benefit. He wanted to stop being directly involved on a daily micromanagement level.

 

I hated the Brady hire at first blush.

 

The only things that have changed since that moment are assistant coaching hires and fa/draft. I feel like on the coaching hires front, it's solid. Some smart hires to help Brady along like Fox and Carmichael... But the real one in Leonard. If the defense does great then I think Brady can succeed.

 

On the personell level, this off-season feel really "Beane-ish". Nothing new from him. Same approach. Though I feel like some of the middle round picks are high potential great value picks, I don't feel like he did anything out of his wheelhouse. Early picks were head scratchers. We committed a huge contract to a near 30-year old receiver. Etcetera, etcetera...

 

The real change for me was altering my perspective. It was helped along with coaching hires, but I really wanted a young up-and-comer HC and, well... That pretty much what Brady is. Even though he seems a little goofy, he seems to have struck the right balance of recognizing what Sean had built, but also not being afraid to change course significantly. It's a "continuity with new-ety" move trying to leverage the good and change the bad.

 

Fundamentally, we needed an offensive minded coach to give Josh some stability with the playcaller, and the ability to change the defense with a coordinator change. Brady "fits the Bill" so to speak.

 

In another way the Brady hire feels a lot like the Mcd hire in that now it was "well let's see who Brady brings in for DC", and then it was "well let's see who McDermott brings in for OC'. It's a qualifier because we don't/didn't fully trust them yet.

 

The Leonard hire was seemingly a good one. I think that philosophy makes sense when you have Josh Allen. I'm not sure I'm in love with most of the success or failure lying squarely on the side of the ball that our new HC doesn't control, but it is what it is. We will see. 

[nuklz2594]

most fan bases think they win the off-season with this that and the other....only matters what is done on the field. 

that being said...Im optimistic

[Lost]

All I know is if Brady doesn't work out, I want to completely ban the Buffalo Carolina connection for the rest of eternity.   That includes, GMs, coaches and players.

[Kirby Jackson]

21 minutes ago, AlCowlingsTaxiService said:

I’m intrigued but I’m also pretty certain that I won’t be attending any championship parades at seasons end. Bills fans in general talk themselves into wild success at every turn.  Every coach is an awesome hire, every player drafted is a beast …. You’ve heard it all before. Call me when September’s near 🤷‍♂️

Maybe not but as of this moment there is only one team with lower odds. You don’t have to squint very hard to see a team that should be competing for the title. 

[Lost]

Just now, Kirby Jackson said:

You don’t have to squint very hard to see a team that should be competing for the title. 

 

[Einstein]

I do not see a leader when I look at Joe Brady. I do not see someone who players will run through a wall for. I do not see someone who is going to outsmart another coach. I see someone who will get cute at inopportune times. 

I hope I am wrong.

[HappyDays]

My take on Brady is that if I was a fan of some random team, I would be underwhelmed by the hire. Nothing about him screams "head coach material" on the surface. For the Bills though I understood the hire. We didn't need to blow everything up and start over. We have been quite literally inches away from getting over the hump on multiple occasions.

 

So Brady represented the safe option. His ceiling isn't as high as some of the less known candidates and his floor isn't as low. We pretty much know exactly what he gives the offense, and Allen signed off on him which is more important than anything else in this discussion. The DC choice is the most important decision he had to make. Personally I think he nailed it with Leonhard but it remains to be seen.

 

We don't need Brady to be Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan. We need him to keep the offense at the level it's been at in the playoffs, while taking the defense from historically bad to like below average. That is our formula for winning a Super Bowl while Allen is still in his prime.

[BillsShredder83]

19 hours ago, DeepPass said:

We're all going to have to "roll with him" for the near future.  Personally, I don't think he's NFL Head Coach material based on his track record in Carolina and resume in Buffalo.  Didn't he wander to the Bills as the QB coach after being fired by the Panthers?  What can be said about a QB coach for Josh Allen?  Did he show him how to escape the rush by running around in the backfield and throwing missiles to receivers down field?  When he moved on to Offensive Coordinator were those types of scrambles part of his game-plan?  Who else on last year's staff could even be considered as a HC?  

 

Joe was lucky to get the job, and the Bills will be lucky to win 9 games!

Quote

Didn't he wander to the Bills as the QB coach after being fired by the Panthers? 

I live in Carolina since 2020, and watch a ton of Panthers. Matt Rhule couldnt possibly have made a more shameful move than firing Brady, trying to save his own arse that year (didn't work).

 

I'm not 100% sold on Brady as HC, but those Panther teams were major over achievers.

 

--CMC was hurt and missed whole year

---Teddy B was QB

 

-DJ Moore, Robbie Anderson, and Curtis Samuel were all at 1k yards, except Anderson, who was like 925-950yds.  They were a fun offense to watch with a bad OL.

[Mango]

I lived through the droight.

 

I have overcome worse ownership/FO moved I've vehemently disagreed with more. Just to show up with an (un)healthy dose of hopium week 1.

 

Choo choo! 

[Mr. WEO]

5 hours ago, NewEra said:

I feel better about it.  I was hoping for Kubiak and wasn’t happy about hiring Brady.  I thought it was the safe pick but understood the move.  It just wasn’t what  I had hoped for.

 

I felt a lot better about the hiring once Jim Leonhard was hired as our DC.  I think his addition will help improve the side of the ball that needed a makeover.  

I get your point, but it’s also true that this team has churned through coordinators, all to the off season delight of many here who consistently believed that the latest combo of coaches was going to put them over the edge. 
 

Im with you on Kubiak.  

[Lost]

25 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

We don't need Brady to be Sean McVay or Kyle Shanahan. We need him to keep the offense at the level it's been at in the playoffs

 

I know it's a chicken or the egg dilemma but I would prefer to see a passing game that extends beyond 2 yards past the line of scrimmage.   Josh Allen was 25th in the league in air yards/attempt last season.  That's pretty abysmal for what most consider the best QB in the league. 

 

Whether it has been the OC play calling or the lack of separators at the receiver position, just please for the love of God give us more of a downfield passing attack this year.   

[atomicpwrd]

I wasn't thrilled when it happened because it seemed like nothing really changed.  I thought we would clean house.  I was not happy Beane was retained.

 

FF to today, I think Beane did an admiral job with the resources he had...I thought he played the draft about as well as he could have.  I am not sold on DJ Moore just yet, because he feels like so many of the other retread WRs we have tried.

 

I am a little concerned about Brady calling the offense as a first time head coach...He does have some senior coaching assistance.  He may pull it off if he leans on them enough.

 

All in all, I am more positive about this team's chances now than when last season ended.  I am worried about the defense...if we lose too many early on it, it will be tough to recover.  If that happens, and Brady keeps the team on track and pulls out a playoff spot, I will be more sold on him.  The offense should be at least as good as last year.

 

 

[Logic]

It's complicated.

On the one hand, I understand and can sympathize with the idea that the Bills have been knocking on the doorstep of a championship, and with the hope that bringing in a fresher, looser mindset and a new defensive philosophy while keeping the core culture and offensive systems in place is the best way to get over the final hurdles. The idea that McDermott and his tightness and his defensive failures were the problem, and that fixing those two issues is the best way to finally hoist a trophy. 

As someone who believes that defense has been our primary problem under McDermott, I'm also very encouraged by the Jim Leonhard hire.

On the other hand, I have lost faith in the ability of Brandon Beane to surround Josh Allen with the offensive weaponry he deserves and to stock the Bills roster, generally speaking, with enough difference makers. So long as he's the one buying the groceries, I'm not fully convinced much will change. Additionally, while Brady has done a good job as offensive coordinator, I still think there's another level Josh Allen can reach, and I had hoped that someone like Klint Kubiak could unlock that level.

That is to say: the decision was made, for the sake of continuity and Josh's comfort level, to keep Josh in the same sort of offense he's been in since he came into the league. But I can't shake the feeling that it's necessarily the BEST sort of offense for him to be in. This brings us to the big unknown with Brady: Just how much of the offense he's been calling the past few years was McDermott's doing. How -- if at all -- will he choose to do things differently now that he's HC? 

Continuity does not necessarily mean much if the era of Bills football we're trying to keep continuity with is one which repeatedly came up short. There is a large part of me that wishes Terry had just ripped the band-aid off, fired McDermott AND Beane, and started completely fresh. It likely would've meant a step back in year one, but Brady's hire and the defensive transition may mean that anyway.

All in all: I've become somewhat more optimistic since Brady was hired (largely based on the Jim Leonhard hire), but that the most I can muster right now is a "we'll see". Something about Brady's personality, communication style, and even some of the playcalling we've seen the past couple seasons leaves enough question marks in my mind that it's hard for me to be as enthusiastic as I otherwise might be with a new head coach hire. Lastly: I would be remiss not to mention the fear that Jim Leonhard will be our Mike McDonald, will be hired out from under Brady after two seasons, and that we'll fritter away another couple years of Josh's prime.

Alas....I will hope for the best.

 

[stevestojan]

He has a good jib. I like the cut of it. 

[bigK14094]

To early to tell.  Wins and losses will define the hire.  Not everybody does the same job the same way.  None the less, this organization has many similarities to the former staff.  McD was solid, just a hair to predictable, and got outcoached in big monents. So, Bean/Pegs rolled the dice.....   I wonder if Brady is complicit in bringing in all the Carolina alums to the Bills.  (Moore, Corbin come to mind)  You would think that connection would be gone by now.

[NewEra]

25 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

I get your point, but it’s also true that this team has churned through coordinators, all to the off season delight of many here who consistently believed that the latest combo of coaches was going to put them over the edge. 
 

Im with you on Kubiak.  

I’ve been a Leonhard guy since he started as DC in Wisconsin and a scheme change on D was overdue imo.  Who knows if the defense will be better.   It’s year 1 in the scheme with a roster put together to play McDs scheme.  I’m of belief that our D won’t be as predictable under Leonhard.  I also think the 3-4 will put our front 5 in better position to get to the QB.  I’m just happy for a big change.  
 

The only problem I had with the offense was WR talent.  Adding Moore and Bell will help in that regard.  Brady did a fine job the last 2 seasons (without any good WEs) with McD fingerprints all over the offense.  I’m excited to see what the offense looks like minus McDs influence.
 

I think Brady will continue to build on the culture McDermott instilled and that’s a plus.  
 

Regarding Kubiak- it may be hard to believe, but I think that Kubiak preferred the Raiders over the Bills.  He just won a Super Bowl with Sam Darnold.  If were him, I’d have confidence that I could do the same with Mendoza.  Less pressure to win a SB in two seasons.  No state tax.  Great weather.   
 

Also, taking into consideration how the nfl rules prohibited us from interviewing Kubiak until after the Super Bowl, we were behind the 8-ball.  
 

The only other available coach I would’ve considered over Brady was Udinski…and he’s a complete unknown.  Makes sense to stick with the guy that have had success.  Bringing in Carmichael is a nice addition as he won’t ever be a HC and will be a steady voice for Josh to lean on as long as we decide to keep him

[GaryPinC]

19 hours ago, behind a post WMS69 said:

I'm hopefully waiting to see what the season brings, though he does say some things that resonate with me. My biggest problem is that he reminds me so much of this big, goofy drunk fnck I used to work with. Guy broke his neck when he fell off a barstool and didn't realize it for 3 days. And Joe is like a clone of him, looks, speech, mannerisms. Just scary.

Yeah, that's the scary part of Joe Brady I thought of when he first got hired and I think the biggest concern, can he be an effective team leader?  I feel a little better about him because in my learning, he's very detail oriented to the game and actually had a firm, organized plan for being a head coach.  We'll see how he executes, I expect growing-pain mistakes so we'll all need some patience. 

Edited June 29 by GaryPinC