Orchard Park, N.Y. (WGR Sports Radio 550) - The Joe Brady era is officially underway in Western New York after he was named the 21st head coach of the Buffalo Bills last week.
Now the youngest head coach in the NFL at 36-years-old, Brady's hiring comes at a time where many teams have gone with a younger option to shake things up. After it started with the Los Angeles Rams hiring Sean McVay at the age of 30 in 2017, teams time-and-time again across the league have followed that trend.
"I remember after my first year in Carolina [Panthers], I had six interviews. And I'm looking back now and I'm like, 'Was I ready to actually do that?' I'm in such a better headspace now," said Brady on Wednesday during an appearance with the "Jeremy and Joe Show" on WGR. "There are so many different things that come into play: The trends of the leagues change, we've got to make sure we evolve. And I think some of the younger coaches, we don't know any better besides making sure we're trying to stay ahead of the curve, or trying to continue to grow, as opposed to, 'This is just how we've done it for a long time.'"
Brady inherits a Bills team in extremely good shape with the longest active playoff streak in the league at seven years, Josh Allen at quarterback; not to mention a brand-new stadium they are moving into across the street in Orchard Park.
Brady acknowledges none of this is possible without what former head coach Sean McDermott was able to build in his nine seasons in Western New York.
"You don't get to do what coach McDermott did for as long as he did without being a great leader," Brady said with Jeremy White and Joe DiBiase. "You think about all the different things that have happened during his time. I know I'm walking into this building every day, and it's in a way better position than it was when he walked into it. The way he was able to help put together the foundation and establish the culture, and get it to where we're in the playoffs every year. You don't do that by just rolling out of bed. He's an incredible leader."
Shortly after his hiring, Brady has been hard at work filling out the pillars of his coaching staff. He was able to settle on longtime coach Pete Carmichael Jr. as his offensive coordinator, former Bills safety Jim Leonhard as his defensive coordinator, and longtime special teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers to serve in the same role in Buffalo.
While Brady will remain the play caller in Buffalo, as he has been for parts of the last three seasons under McDermott, the defense will likely have a bit of a different look to it under the leadership of Leonhard. Though, Brady admits it's too early to tell what that next version of the Bills defense could look like.
"This is part of what we do in the offseason. Our offense looked different this past year than it did the year before. There's going to be new pieces on our offense, our defense is going to be different," he said. "The thing we always just concern ourselves with is, what's it going to take to win that football game?"
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