Tag: joe brady

Behind closed doors, the Saints admit they have to rebuild

Behind closed doors, the New Orleans Saints admit they have to rebuild. A messy salary cap spreadsheet and a four-year playoff drought are powerful motivators:

The New Orleans Saints have drawn a lot of ire over the years for their stubborn resistance to rebuilding their team. They’ve continued to push money into future years and max out their salary cap resources to try and compete. Now, depending on where you look (and ultimately depending on where the NFL sets this year’s spending limit), the Saints are in the hole by $54 million to $72 million.

But now it’s gotten to a point where they can’t ignore the inevitable. After struggling to keep their heads above water in a series of 9-8, 7-10, and 9-8 seasons after Drew Brees retired, they finished the 2024 season at 5-12. That’s their worst record since the Hurricane Katrina-impacted season back in 2005. It’s time for change.

And while general manager Mickey Loomis has pushed back on that notion publicly, that isn’t what he’s telling candidates behind closed doors. During a guest appearance on the Athletic Football Show, Dianna Russini shared some insight to the Saints’ expectations for their new head coach.

When asked about the team’s ledger and whether they understand they may need to take a year to untangle their salary cap accounting, Russini responded: “They do. And that’s been part of the conversations they’ve been having with these coaches that want this job. Which is, ‘We’re going to practice patience here, knowing that we’ve put you, if you were to get this job, in this position. It’s not your fault.'”

That situation isn’t for everyone. Candidates who are in great spots with elite young quarterbacks (like Joe Brady and Kliff Kingsbury) have chosen to stay put. Others have gone for greener pastures with more money to invest in their roster (like Aaron Glenn), or opted to wait for better opportunities to open up in next year’s cycle (like Mike McCarthy).

But for a young hotshot offensive coordinator like Kellen Moore, who got thrown out with the bathwater by the Los Angeles Chargers a year ago? Who the Dallas Cowboys moved on from a year before that? And who just saw someone in his same situation, Bobby Slowik, jettisoned by the Houston Texans a year after getting these same head coach interviews? The fit might make sense. Desperation is a strong motivator. It may be driving Moore to stay in New Orleans after the Super Bowl. And it may push the Saints to finally work on getting out of the salary cap mess they’ve made for themselves, too.

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Bills’ Brandon Beane: ‘Little disappointed’ in Keon Coleman

Bills’ Brandon Beane: ‘Little disappointed’ in Keon Coleman

Bills rookie receiver Keon Coleman was selected in the 2024 NFL Draft as one of the Bills’ first high-profile moves following the departures of their top two targets in the passing game that offseason.

This year, as a new offseason begins, he’ll have some work to do to develop ahead of his second professional campaign to rise closer to the potential for which he was drafted.

Coleman had a notable dip in his production in the final stretch of Buffalo’s season, though in Joe Brady’s offense, his targets could be more situational and less frequent.

Making the need for making a play when the ball is thrown his way all the more important.

During his end-of-season press conference, GM Brandon Beane noted a Week 9 wrist injury as a potential point where that shift took place.

“I would say probably was a little disappointed in the return from the injury,” he said about Coleman’s final six games. “I did not see the same player down the stretch from a physicality, some of the things that he needs to use his size.”

“He was really starting to get it,” head coach Sean McDermott added. “And then he had the injury, he didn’t play his best down the stretch and some of it was due to coming off the injury but it is something he can learn from and improve on moving forward.”

That injury was sustained in Week 9 against the Miami Dolphins when safety Jordan Poyer made helmet contact with the 21-year-old Coleman’s hand, which caused him to miss four games.

Amidst the well-dispersed and spread-out Joe Brady offense, the Bills still don’t have a clear No. 1 receiving option for big moments, which showed at times down the stretch.
For example, when the offense failed to convert a fourth-and-5 against Kansas City in the AFC Championship game.
They did add WR Amari Cooper, who could re-sign with the team as he fits as a high-caliber receiver, and with the Bills’ culture, but who also dealt with injury late in the season.
Regardless, Buffalo will look to high-draft selections such as Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid to take the next steps to put in the work in their offseason in the hope they’ll see a step forward in their development as well.
Beane said as much about both members of the Bills’ offense during his media session while reminding the press that Coleman is still a younger player, and showed some promise in his first season with the club.
“He’s a young player, we got to remember,” Beane said. “And some of the guys that get drafted in the first round are 24 or 25. So let’s give him a little grace here. His career will not be defined by one season, and he did some good things. … He’s going to have to work very hard this offseason, him and Josh continue to work on that rapport together. But I’m optimistic that he’ll do those things and that we’ll see him continue to improve going into year two.”

Bills’ Brandon Beane backs decision to trade for Amari Cooper

Bills’ Brandon Beane backs decision to trade for Amari Cooper

Veteran receiver Amari Cooper joined the Bills via trade this season, adding some needed pro talent to a position where the team was looking to replace productivity after losing their top targets in the offseason.

Yet he was the least-used target in their final games, raising questions about his productivity.

Cooper came to Buffalo in a deal with the Browns, making some big plays and contributions in some games while seemingly mostly commanding coverage in others.

“I think he did a great job of learning our offense in fairness to him in due time,” GM Brandon Beane said to the media about Cooper. “He suffered the wrist injury, obviously, banged his back and missed some games but fought through it.”

Injuries to the Bills’ pass catchers were a factor that impacted the passing game late in the season, as was some questionable play-calling as Joe Brady is still developing in his second professional run as an offensive coordinator.

“You guys kind of know the mantra that was established this year by Josh and Joe Brady of everybody eats,” Beane added. “Adding him was not going to get away from that, but does that take a little pressure off of Shakir, Knox, Kincaid, the run game, all that? So I do not regret the move. I think it did help us. I think it did help us despite what his personal numbers were.”

In terms of snaps, Cooper was the least-used receiver in the games he played for Buffalo.

While an injury certainly was a factor, so was the learning curve.

“You’re talking about a player who’s never been in this offensive system,” Beane continued. “He’s got to learn the playbook, he’s never thrown with Josh Allen. You have to acclimate with your team, learn an offense. The games keep going and so I think he did a great job of learning our offense in fairness to him in due time. He suffered the wrist injury, obviously, banged his back, and missed some games but fought through it. Honestly, his wrist could have required surgery and I feel sure that at least one of the doctors recommended it, but he wanted to keep playing.”

Bills QB Josh Allen voiced his support as well.

“I’ve got nothing but love and respect for Amari Cooper,” Allen said. “I will never in my life say a bad thing about him. For him to come into this situation and understand the role that he was brought here to do, he is a true football player, a true teammate, and I’m just honored to share the field with him.”

When asked if he wanted to return to the Bills as he now is a free agent, Cooper said, “I mean, just to give it another run, have another opportunity at doing what we just did. But, you know, obviously finishing, so yeah. Been through a lot this year – injuries, trades, and things of that nature. Just keep going and never stop until you know it’s time to stop.”

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky: Bills must make two moves to reach Super Bowl (video)

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky: Bills must make two moves to reach Super Bowl (video)

As the Buffalo Bills prepare to enter the 2025 NFL offseason, GM Brandon Beane and company will look for ways to improve the roster.

Analyst and former pro signal caller Dan Orlovsky has some insights on where to do just that.

Reaching the AFC championship with a retooled and younger roster in 2024 offers some promise regarding what could be accomplished in the club’s 2025 campaign.

During an appearance on One Bills Live, Orlovsky pointed out where he sees the greatest areas of need for Buffalo to get “over the hump” in such games to reach the Super Bowl.

The former QB has enjoyed a successful second career as an on-air analyst and has indicated on social media an interest in someday returning to the sidelines as a coach.

Here is the full clip breaking down those needs on both sides of the ball:

 

Joe Brady dropping out will leave a stench on Saints head coach hire

Could announcing Kellen Moore as the head coach remove the stench of Joe Brady dropping out of the Saints coaching search?

Joe Brady may not have been the candidate the New Orleans Saints landed on, but it’ll be extremely difficult to wipe away the impact of Brady stepping out of the Saints’ head coaching race. This isn’t about who the best coach will be, because that won’t be decided for a long time. It’s about the view of the Saints hiring process.

New Orleans appears to be aggressively recruiting Kellen Moore. It’s the first candidate you can say that about since Aaron Glenn.

If Moore wins a Super Bowl with the Philadelphia Eagles, you can sell the Saints picking a Super Bowl winning coordinator. It could energize the fan base, to a degree. That won’t change the optics of this looking like a consolation choice.

The worst part about it is there’s no guarantee Brady was going to get the job. Moore could have been the post-Glenn target all along but Brady stepping out of the race presents an image of him being a top candidate to the Saints.

left the stench of undesirableness all over the Saints. Though it’s been called a bad job all offseason, there’s a big difference bad job and undesirable.

Whoever the Saints pick will appear a second, and possibly third, option for New Orleans. Luckily for New Orleans, the only thing that matters is how you perform when you get there.

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Bills’ Sean McDermott thought Josh Allen got first on fourth-down sneak vs. Chiefs

Bills’ Sean McDermott thought Josh Allen got first on fourth-down sneak vs. Chiefs

The Bills’ postseason has again ended in a loss to the Chiefs, and it hasn’t been without a mixture of feelings about the game and the loss.

On the one hand, Buffalo showed signs of strong play at times, though on the other hand, messy play at others. The team stayed focused, however, and pressed on through the game to keep it competitive.

The Chiefs also performed competitively enough to go toe to toe with Buffalo, but their win was not without controversy.

Such as on a fourth-and-1 conversion rushing attempt by Bills QB Josh Allen via a quarterback sneak play from the Kansas City 41-yard line with 13:00 left in the fourth quarter and a 22-21 lead.

Line Judge Jeff Seeman and Down Judge Patrick Holt had different spots and lines of sight, the one with a better potential view of the ball (Seeman) indicated Allen got the first down, but he then deferred to the one who couldn’t have seen it and called it short (Holt).

The officiating crew’s review did not result in overturning the spot and Kansas City got the ball, scoring a few plays later.

However, replays clearly show that Buffalo not only got the first down but also that they did so on the previous play as well, a third-down pass completion to TE Dalton Kincaid.

“The look we had in the stadium … I thought he had it,” HC Sean McDermott said about the QB sneak. “Just short of the line was actually the first down, what it looked like to me when it was sitting next to me with the marker. Just inside that white stripe was the first down. It looked like he got to it. That’s all I can say.”

He also acknowledged how much that fourth-down stop matters in a game like that one.

“Yeah. Of course, it does. Darn right, it does,” he added. “That’s a possession. We’re up one point at the time. A chance to go up maybe multiple scores at that point. It’s a big call. It’s absolutely a big call.”

The miscalled first fourth down attempt that gave Kansas City the ball happened at an important time that would have kept Buffalo’s drive alive.

“It’s been our best play all year at one or inside of one yard (to go), we won some of those, but to your point, they were doing a good job,” McDermott added.

“I thought overall, maybe we could have disguised it. Maybe not. But at the end of the day, we have confidence in Josh and our offensive line to get those. Been getting them all year.”

Allen realized the importance of the points they could have added to the scoreboard to the game outcome as well.

“We’re constantly knocking at the door. And when you’re playing a team like the Chiefs, you can’t just knock. You’ve got to kick the door down,” he said to the media.

The Bills’ second turnover on downs happened with under 2 minutes remaining in the game, with a chance to tie or take the lead in a three-point game Allen amazingly made a pass in the face of blitzing defenders to the hands of Kincaid who didn’t haul it in.

The Bills didn’t get the ball back again.

The first fourth-down turnover in possession led to a Chiefs touchdown while the second one allowed them to run out the clock and win the game.

The game brought under the microscope the need for better regulation of officiating and heightened importance for the NFL to adapt better and modern technology to improve on imperfect processes such as spotting the ball in a scrum.

The league currently uses chips embedded in the balls to measure some information but not to spot location, despite the tech being readily available.

Kansas City has shown a past ability to rise to a level of play that has garnered descriptions from such as “greatness” and “Mahomes Magic,” when describing its quarterback.

However, in the past couple of seasons, imbalanced miscalls from referees in critical situations has undermined and discredited their legacy while driving some NFL fans away.

In the AFC Championship game alone there was a handful of such instances that directly impacted the outcome.

One was a pass from Mahomes into a coverage battle among two rookies, Chiefs receiver Xavier Worthy and Bills corner Cole Bishop, who went up and made a play on the ball. Bishop almost wrestled the ball away, but regardless, neither had control and it touched the ground as the two came down.

The play was reviewed and ruled a completed catch, the Chiefs scored a touchdown on their next possession to take a 29-22 lead.

On a Chiefs possession, they were not flagged for a delay of game when running out the clock one second before a 2-minute warning.

Another no-flag came when non-factor Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce taunted Bills safety Damar Hamlin after a Mahomes TD run.

Another when he flopped after turning around to find a much larger Bills defensive tackle, Jordan Phillips defending his teammate (Phillips was instead flagged for unnecessary roughness for a helmet butt to Kelce.)

There was also a Chiefs punt return with multiple uncalled holds on Kansas City, and a Mahomes play where a nearby Chiefs lineman held a Bills defender by the neck and facemask right in front of an official.

Still, Allen has his focus on the prize the morning after the game.

“We’re going to continue to turn every stone over…to try to bring a Lombardi back here to Western New York.”

Sean McDermott: Bills will ‘figure it out’ after another Chiefs loss

Sean McDermott: Bills will ‘figure it out’ after another Chiefs loss

The Buffalo Bills fell to a familiar foe in their second trip to the AFC Championship game in head coach Sean McDermott’s tenure.

The Kansas City Chiefs won another postseason matchup against the Bills by a final score of 32-29 to stay undefeated in their postseason matchups with Buffalo in the postseason during the Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen era.

“We’ve got to keep working to get over that hump,” McDermott said during his postgame media availability. “We’ve won a lot of tough games this year against really good opponents, (we have) good coaches and I’m proud of this football team for it.”

He also noted “There’s momentum going into next year” and that he is “Thankful for the success we had this year.”

The spectrum of emotions and reflection on the 2024 season and playoff run were evident among the players and coaches after the loss.

“Everybody’s got one goal, but only one team handles the goal at the end of every year,” veteran cornerback Rasul Douglas said after the game, per The Buffalo News. “All other 31 is just trying to get to that goal.”

Veteran outside linebacker Von Miller is no stranger to big games in the playoffs, having won Super Bowls with the Broncos and Rams. He realizes that it’s normal as players to put this game under the microscope and examine the ways things could have been different, while also acknowledging the positive takeaways.

“Man, after a loss like that, sometimes it’s if we could have did this, if we could have did that, if we could have did this, maybe the outcome would have been different,” the pass rusher said per NFL Network‘s Cameron Wolfe.

“But we did everything in our power to win this game. It just wasn’t for us. Losses hurt. It’s supposed to hurt. Adversity like this reveals character. We’ve got high-character guys in this whole organization, and we’ll be back.”

He was not alone in his assessment that believes Buffalo will play their way back to this round of the playoffs with another chance to advance in the future.

“We could get right back here,” corner Taron Johnson said to the press in the locker room. “We have the ability to get to the Super Bowl.”

The postseason losses to Kansas City do not get any easier, especially when there were opportunities to win the game.

Nonetheless, the mission to overcome those obstacles to advance to the Super Bowl remains in focus for the Bills.

Their front office and coaching staff will now be tasked with an offseason in which to improve the roster and the team’s chances of returning to the AFC Championship game with a chance to do just that.

“This is obviously a challenge for us, but we’ll figure it out,” head coach Sean McDermott added.

Bills’ Josh Allen on another Chiefs loss: ‘We didn’t get it done’

Bills’ Josh Allen on another Chiefs loss: ‘We didn’t get it done’

The Buffalo Bills lost to the Kansas City Chiefs 32-19 in the AFC Championship game on Sunday.

It was the Bills‘ second time reaching the conference title contest in Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen’s career, as the team far exceeded offseason expectations.

The Chiefs, however, continued their winning ways against them in the postseason.

“It’s not fun,” Allen said during a somber press conference after the loss. “To be the champs, you have to beat the champs. And we didn’t do that.”

The Bills overcame a sloppy start to fight into a close game in the second half, but ultimately the Chiefs would score a field goal that would put them ahead, and Allen and the offense would not convert under pressure on 4th down in their final possession.

The play got blown up, and Allen was able to make a play despite a full-on rush attack by the Chiefs. His target, tight end Dalton Kincaid, was not able to do so.

“We’re a good team. They’re a good team. It’s just unfortunate how that last play turned out,” Kincaid said in the locker room postgame.

“Should be a catch,” he stated about his final play. “I believe you grow from this but for the time being it hurts a lot.”

This was the Bills’ second consecutive playoff loss to the Chiefs which will be remembered for a dropped pass late in the game, as former Bill Stefon Diggs missed on a deep ball last season.

The game was peppered with some visible incorrect calls by the officials that cost Buffalo and impacted the outcome of the game.

It was also peppered with instances where the Bills had difficulty protecting the ball.

Still, Allen made no excuses afterward for the outcome.

“You can either get it done, or you can’t,” he added, “and we didn’t get it done.”

The Bills have now lost all four postseason meetings against the Mahomes-led Chiefs team since 2020 and have lost eight straight road playoff games. Allen-led Bills teams are 0-2 in the AFC Championship.

It is the first time in NFL playoff history that a team has eliminated another one four times in a five-season span.

Despite this, the Buffalo roster showed signs of being closer to competing and beating the defending champion Chiefs, including an elite performance by running back James Cook and some competitive stops by the defense.

Teams with four-plus touchdowns and no turnovers are 21-2 in the playoffs with the only two losses being Buffalo’s against Kansas City in Sunday’s game and the 2021 Divisional round.

Amidst a mostly silent Bills locker room after the game, offensive lineman Dion Dawkins gave offensive coordinator Joe Brady a hug. “We’ve got the right soldiers to knock. And eventually, the door is going to open” he noted when speaking to the press.

The Bills will now turn to an important offseason where they will need to make the necessary moves off the field to compete to do just that on it next season and beyond.

Report: Joe Brady pulls out of Saints interview, will remain with Bills

Report: Joe Brady pulls out of Saints interview, will remain with Bills

The Buffalo Bills will not have to worry about finding a new offensive coordinator again this offseason.

Joe Brady, 35, is still rolling on in his first full season as the team’s OC as he preps for the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship round. He was promoted into the role in 2023 as the interim and received the full-time gig prior to 2024.

Brady has impressed and because of that, Buffalo’s assistant coach has already been interviewed for head coaching positions in recent weeks.

Of those, the New Orleans Saints were one and wanted to have a second conversation with Brady, meaning he was a finalist for the position.

Brady has responded to that request with a “thanks but no thanks.”

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Brady has declined a second interview and opted to remain in Buffalo:

Nothing is guaranteed in life so Brady declining a finalist shot at a head coach position in the NFL is a huge decision for him.

However, considering the talent the Bills offense has (namely quarterback Josh Allen), Brady will likely get another look or two in the future. Despite there only being so many head coach jobs in the NFL, Brady has opted to remain in Buffalo potentially for a better situation down the line.

Regardless, Buffalo’s players and fans will be happy to hear Brady will stay put.

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Former LSU football assistant turns down New Orleans Saints head coaching job

Former LSU assistant Joe Brady removed his name from consideration for the Saints head coaching job.

Former LSU football passing game coordinator Joe Brady won’t be returning to Louisiana.

On Saturday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Brady opted to stay with the Buffalo Bills and removed his name from the Saints’ head coaching search.

Brady took over the Bills’ offensive coordinator job midway through 2023. Buffalo removed the interim tag entering 2024 and now Brady has the Bills on the doorstep of a Super Bowl appearance.

Brady and the Saints have history. He was an offensive assistant under Sean Payton from 2017-18. That role led him to LSU, where he helped Tigers’ offensive coordinator [autotag]Steve Ensminger[/autotag] build one of the best offenses college football has ever seen.

With quarterback [autotag]Joe Burrow[/autotag] leading the offense, LSU went 15-0 and won a national title.

That put Brady on the map and the Panthers hired him as offensive coordinator. That marriage didn’t work out, but it didn’t take Brady long to bounce back in Buffalo.

The Saints are the last head coach opening left on the board in the NFL.