Joe Brady has changed the season's expectations

[Sierra Foothills]

On 9/24/2024 at 5:14 PM, Inigo Montoya said:

Every year before the season starts my wife who is a Bills fan by marriage, and causal football fan overall, asks me if the Bills are going to be good this year.  She has suffered through more "husband in a bad mood Sundays" than she should have in the 27 years we've been married.

 

I told her I didn't think the Bills would do great this year, we might make the playoffs, but I didn't think it could be a Super Bowl year.   We were getting our salary cap straight and hopefully Beane was setting the table to start a new run the next few seasons with a younger roster and room to maneuver in the free agency.

 

Through the first three weeks it looks like I was wrong.  I think if they keep winning, the urgency for them to win a Super Bowl this year increases exponentially for one reason, Joe Brady. 

 

If the Bills make a deep playoff run, Joe Brady will be a head coach next season.  We will have one year with him here to get over the hump.  I'm not an X's & O's guy but its clear that Brady has designed an offense that is bringing out the best in Josh, can score a lot of points, and win in different ways.  Josh has easy reads, wide open receivers, and a creative and effective running game to support him.  It looks more like an Andy Reid offense than anything we've fielded since Josh arrived.  Teams hoping to find their franchise QB in next year's draft will be lining up to hire Brady. 

 

After the first three games I have a different outlook, I think this is a team that can make a run and win a Super Bowl.  I also think we better get it done this year because the Brady/Allen collaboration is almost certainly going to be a one and done.

 

On 9/24/2024 at 5:35 PM, CincyBillsFan said:

I suspect that Brady won't be to quick to take a head coaching job unless it' the perfect spot.  He was promoted from college to be an NFL OC way to quickly and he wasn't ready.  He suffered through getting thrown under the bus and has to consider himself lucky to have landed with Buffalo.  I doubt he makes the same mistake again. 

 

On 9/24/2024 at 5:36 PM, DCofNC said:

This is the problem with a defensive coach and a superstar QB.

 

On 9/25/2024 at 6:47 AM, Low Positive said:

There is no way that Mike Brown fires Zac Taylor. This is for two reasons. First of all, Mike Brown won't pay people to not work for him. He's actually said this. Also, he is loyal to a fault. Remember, he kept Marvin Lewis for 15 YEARS and Taylor took them to a Superbowl. Zac Taylor is HC in Cincinnati until either Mike Brown dies or he quits. He's not cheap. He's relatively poor for an NFL owner. He doesn't have the cash to pay signing bonuses. 

 

On 9/25/2024 at 6:50 AM, uninja said:

I'm just not that sure this is as attractive as you think it might be. Sure he gets back with Joe Burrow and a lot of cast from LSU but it's not like the situation in Cinn is that great. Ownership is cheap and they're already casting off their defensive picks to make room for Burrow's contract (which hasn't even started yet) and they haven't even paid Chase yet. I just don't know that Brady will want to go to a franchise that doesn't seem that serious about winning, sure Burrow makes them relevant and they had some great players to achieve success but to sustain it you need a great organization behind it and man the Bengals just ain't it.

 

On 9/25/2024 at 6:57 AM, Logic said:

I love what Brady is doing so far. He has surpassed my expectations, and I love the the plays he draws up, the way he calls games in the moment, and the way he uses his players to his strengths. All indications are that he's also a good listener, good collaborator, and high character person. I'll admit I've fallen victim to the "he'll be gone after a year or two anyway" talk, BUT...

I would be remiss not to mention this: Let's see how he does as defenses start to get more tape on what he likes to do. Many coordinators start out hot and then once opponents get some idea of what they like doing and how to defend it, they have no counter-punch. Heck, even Ken Dorsey's first few games as full time Bills offensive coordinator had the team looking pretty sharp and putting up points. Then opposing defenses caught up, and he never countered in his remaining time here.

I think Brady is brighter and better at calling offense than Dorsey, and I have faith that he WILL have some counter-punches, particularly since his offense is so multiple and seems to be able to beat you in a myriad of ways. Still, until he proves that his offense is here to stay, I fear the "somebody will poach him" talk is premature.

To wit: Here's a thread from October 1st last year, posted coming off of 37, 38, and 48 point performances from the offense.
 

 

 

On 9/25/2024 at 8:04 AM, RoscoeParrish said:

I don’t think Brady is one and done. That’s pretty rare.
 

Brian Daboll was credited with turning Josh into a franchise QB from a raw prospect. He was the OC for the Bills during 3 separate playoff runs, including a trip to the AFCCG.

 

Josh played like an MVP for two full seasons before Daboll left.

 

Bobby Slowik had a great year with Stroud, but he didn’t go anywhere.

 

Ben Johnson has been in Detroit for a few years and while he has had offers, he’s still with the Lions.

 

For whatever reason, most NFL teams don’t hand the keys to one year OC’s. 
 

We have two years with Brady, imo.

 

On 9/25/2024 at 9:16 PM, Big Blitz said:

I’m rethinking as the game is changing.  
 

You’re going to see a dramatic slowdown in OCs being favored to get these jobs.  
 

Especially the teams with established QBs.  
 

Defense is back.  And teams need leaders of men to handle guys that just made millions playing college football and can still develop the way the Bills and others have.  
 

Right now, only Kevin O’Connell is making it work - and guess what he did.  Brought in an elite DC.  

 

DCs or known Leaders of men or both

Chargers

Seattle 

Texans 

Washington 

Patriots 

Raiders 

Steelers keep winning

Baltimore keeps winning 

We keep winning 

Jets are winning, for now

Tampa - Bowles 

Arizona- Gannon 

Detroit - Campbell is an offensive guy but unquestionably a leader of men

 

Chicago - stuck with Eberflus management drafted the wrong QB but we’ll be talking more about that later.  It’s Williams.  Not the OC.  The GM botched all this.  
 

OC head guys still getting it done:

Reid, obviously 

McVay 

Shanny (is he?)

LaFleur

 

Currently falling apart:

Miami 

Cincy 

Jacksonville 

Dallas

Tennessee - Levis is bad 

Colts - Richardson is worse 

Browns - Watson is a disaster; defense carried them in 2023 Flacco my rear end 

 

Worth noting:

Ben Johnson - that O doesn’t look as good

Slowik - same as Detroit   

Jury still out:

Canalas 

 

If Brady and other OCs or DCs are smart they don’t have to take the first job.  Which in 2025 in order could be: 

 

Jacksonville 

Giants 

Jets 

Philly 

Chicago 

Cleveland

Arizona 

Dallas 

 

Which one is most appealing?  Which one would want Brady?  Chicago?  Is he a fit with Caleb?  Philly?  Dallas?  
 

More importantly are those teams going to hand it over to a first time coach to fix their current messes.  

 

Brilliant discussion. Great reading.