Joe Brady is back in the national spotlight. He has a brief audition to prove himself.
The career arc of the Buffalo Bills’ interim offensive coordinator is fascinating. Brady was the playcalling prodigy for the greatest offense in college football history at LSU in 2019. He’s still young — only 34 — and here’s another chance to impress the league.
Brady’s tall task is to fix an offense featuring a mistake-prone quarterback.
Since being drafted No. 7 overall in 2018, Josh Allen has an NFL-worst 94 turnovers. He has a league-leading 14 giveaways this season. Brady will be Allen’s third OC, so clearly, no one has been able to coach the recklessness out of him.
Brian Daboll came close. Allen had his best overall season in 2020, finishing second in the NFL MVP race. Daboll parlayed that success into taking over the New York Giants. As Allen has regressed since Daboll left two years ago, it was easy to blame Ken Dorsey. Bills head coach Sean McDermott made him the scapegoat for the team’s 5-5 record, firing Dorsey and replacing him with Brady.
Can Brady save the day?
From @GMFB: The #Bills fired OC Ken Dorsey, now are set to face the #Jets with Joe Brady as interim OC. pic.twitter.com/qapEjhvAyY
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 15, 2023
“I don’t know if a new coach there is going to cut down on Josh Allen’s turnovers,” NFL Network analyst Marc Ross said. “That’s really the biggest problem. The guy continues to turn the ball over at an alarming rate. Schematically, I don’t think there will be a huge difference. He worked under Dorsey. It’s the same offense. He might have a few new wrinkles, but the personnel is the personnel. Whatever that is with Allen and his propensity to do that, if Joe Brady can unlock that, he’ll work magic.”
The last time we saw Brady as an NFL offensive coordinator, he was with the Carolina Panthers for almost two seasons under Matt Rhule. Brady was fired after Panthers 5-7 in 2021. But before that, blessed with a star-studded roster, he helped LSU win the 2019 national championship. The Tigers were so overwhelming that some thought Brady would quickly become an SEC head coach. Instead, Brady left college for the Panthers after winning the College Football Playoff title.
In Carolina, Brady discovered that his schemes weren’t as effective when you don’t have Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire. He didn’t have enough talent to win then. He certainly has enough talent to win now.
As much as Bills fans grumbled about Dorsey, the offense has been one of the best in the NFL this season. According to Pro Football Focus, the Bills are second in expected points added per play and successful play percentage. They rank third in yards per play (6.0) and touchdown drive rate (29.8%). If you prefer counting statistics, Buffalo is eighth in scoring (26.2 points per game) and seventh in total yards (368.7).
Interim OC on QB1. 👊#GoBills | #BillsMafia pic.twitter.com/lb8tKBGQk9
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) November 16, 2023
The Bills have scored more points than the Kansas City Chiefs and averaged more yards than the Baltimore Ravens. Unlike them, entering this week, Buffalo would miss the postseason. The Bills host the New York Jets on Sunday. If the Bills lose, PFF puts their shot of making the playoffs at 13%.
Brady’s fate will be decided over the next seven games. He’ll get the credit if the Bills turn the corner and Allen plays better. Unfortunately, the Bills have the fourth-toughest remaining schedule with games against the Philadelphia Eagles, Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, and Miami Dolphins. With a stretch like that, maybe it won’t matter who is calling the plays.
Perhaps we’re looking at this all wrong. NFL analyst Warren Sharp believes that McDermott is the problem. Regardless, Brady has a prime opportunity. Let’s see what he can do with it.
Third takeaway of the night for this defense‼️
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 14, 2023
📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/TQd0kCRLAs
