The Buffalo Billsfired Sean McDermott, who returned the franchise to prominence and guided seven straight double-digit win seasons,only to promote Joe Brady from offensive coordinator to head coach.
The decision raised eyebrows far beyond western New York.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane apparently wasn't surprised. Beane, who also received a promotion followingthe Bills' AFC divisional-round exit, was prepared for "the outside" to question the anointment of a 36-year-old Brady, the executive revealedin an interview with Go Long.
"F*** the outside," said Beane, now also the Bills' president of football operations, via Go Long. "It's about the right selection for this team. And if we win, they'll love it. It's the same thing I said when I took Josh Allen. If I'm wrong, the moving company will be at my house. So, I understand. And I'm not going to have regret of choosing someone to appease the outside if I thought it should have been something different. If I'm wrong, I'll f***ing take my job and f***ing go home.
"I don't want to be wrong — see him go somewhere else — when my gut told me it was Joe Brady. I'm never going to do that."
Beane added, per Go Long: "I would love for everyone to cheer every move, but it's not about winning the press conference. It's about winning games over there."
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Even before the Bills gave Brady the nod,they lost a press conference. Beane was part of it, as he sat beside team owner Terry Pegula on Jan. 19. They fielded questions about the state of the franchise, and, more notably, the reasoning for McDermott's dismissal.
Pegula referenced a "playoff wall" that he felt the Bills hit under McDermott. And he defended Beane, pinning Buffalo's much-maligned decision to select former Michigan State and Florida State receiver Keon Coleman in the second round of the 2024 draft on the coaching staff.
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Coleman has struggled to fulfill expectations during his first two seasons in the league, and Pegula noted that Beane was "being a team player" when the Bills made that pick.
Since, Pegula has been criticized heavily, and so has Beane, especially aftera video circulated on social media showing Beane's interest in Coleman as a prospect during the pre-draft process.
In the aftermath of that PR nightmare, Coleman'sreceived support from not only Brady but also quarterback Josh Allen.
Brady will be tasked with maximizing Coleman, if he remains on the roster, and finding a way to get Allen over the hump in the postseason.
But Beane's roster construction will stay under the microscope, as it's been scrutinized for years now, and not just regarding the receiver position.
How he handles this offseason will be watched closely. The same goes for the approval rating of Brady's promotion to head coach.
