Pittsford, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane spoke Wednesday after his team's first training camp practice at St. John Fisher University.
When it comes to expectations for this season, Beane and head coach Joe Brady are in lockstep. Beane says it starts on Day 1, and you can't rush the process.
"It truly is one day at a time," Beane said with reporters in Rochester. "We just finished one practice and there are some things that I'm excited about, but we've got to do it. There's no quick build to a team. Build a comradery, the glue, you know in the season you're going to have ups and down."
Beane has had the full offseason program to look at his new head coach and to see how Brady operates.
"It's been fun to see Joe. While there's been similarities of what you saw as a quarterbacks coach and a coordinator, there's also now like, 'I'm in charge of this whole ship.' So Joe has a great way about him. He's got a natural presence," Beane said.
"He can be firm, as I saw him jumpin' some dudes today. He's got a good balance, and in camp there'll be ups and downs. So he'll have tests along the way, but as a head coach, I thought he had a great plan. And talking about it and doing it is not always easy, and I thought Joe was very real in his interview, and was very authentic in how to plan. It hasn't just been hollow words. He's been methodically doing it step-by-step."
There have been games where defensive tackle Ed Oliver lines up on the line and looks like a future Hall-of-Famer. Unfortunately, there have been two games where he's been invisible. Beane seems to be excited about Oliver with new coaching,
"Ed was one of the first names that [new defensive coordinator] Jim Leonard brought up," Beane recalled. "'I know what this guy does well, I've studied him, and I know him even better. And I think I can get him some more opportunities in some 1-on-1 matchups.'
"Ed, as a 1-on-1 guy, is tough, he faces a decent amount of doubles, and that's where you love that Jim already has that in mind."
Beane brought in a very productive safety in C.J. Gardner-Johnson. He's going into his eighth NFL season after stints with the New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans and Chicago Bears. Twice in his career, Gardner-Johnson has had six interceptions, and he won a Super Bowl with the Eagles.
However, his personality can rub people the wrong way, and he seems to wear out his welcome.
Buffalo is desperate at safety, and Gardner-Johnson is the athletic safety the Bills need.
"He's had success, he's bounced around, but not because the lack of talent," Beane remarked with the 28-year-old. "He's made big impact plays, he can find the ball, he's a ballhawk. He will strike you, knock your head off, and he brings a great skillset to the position. And he's super competitive, and sometimes his competitiveness maybe went a little far. We talked about these things before we signed him. We spent a whole day with him, and I thought he was open and honest about things he could've done better, and maybe he thought things were interpreted differently in some situations than he was trying to do. He knows he can still play, but he's got to make sure he keeps it within the lines. If he can do that, you love that edge."
Sticking with the secondary, Beane says he's stayed in touch with cornerback Tre'Davious White, which means it's possible he'll be back at some point this season.
