Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady took over midway through the 2023 season and helped get the offense back on track, employing a more balanced approach, which helped unleash Josh Allen.
Brady had the offseason to fully implement his plan for the 2024 Bills offense as the club reshuffled the wide receiver room. Heading toward training camp, the OC conceded on the "Centered on Buffalo" podcast with former Bills offensive lineman Eric Wood that the plan is always fluid and will likely depend on how things shake out during training camp.
"I think some of that is still TBD," Brady said. "Look at the end of the day, football depending on -- we all run the same plays, right. They just might be called differently, and you know, the blocking schemes might just be taught a little differently, or some of the routes and the depths of the timing and alignments. At the end of the day, we all kind of run some of the same plays. To me, the biggest thing was about just cleaning up the detail and the execution just making sure we are all on the same page with our splits and Josh's eyes. Knowing where the ball carrier is going and how he's reading it. It's less about the actual plays and more about on how we're doing it and just cleaning that up."
One noticeable change when the Bills fired Ken Dorsey and promoted Brady to play-calling duties was the team's commitment to the run. After Brady took over in Week 11, the Bills generated more than 100 yards rushing in each contest, including a 266-yard Week 15 against Buffalo.
Brady told Wood that leaning on the run game was more a product of how defenses played against Allen and the Bills than a wholistic philosophy.
"What was fun about some of the elements of last year and things you want to grow on is that if you can as an offense find different ways to win, I think it makes it real tough on defenses," he said. "I think there is a fine line on a difference in personality and identity. What I mean by that is you don't want to just sit there and say, 'Hey, we are going to throw the ball in every single play, and there's not going to be a toughness element.' We are going to find different way to win and find what out strengths are against that opposing defense."
The Bills' run game, with James Cook and Allen leading the way, helps open the entire offense. Given the revamped receiving corps, we expect Brady to lean on the ground game once again, particularly early in the season.
Another element of Brady's plan is to simplify things for Allen. The OC wants the quarterback to know he doesn't have to play hero-ball every snap, instead finding the easy outlet to move the chains.
"Josh is, you know, a great quarterback, but just seeing his thirst of wanting to get better," Brady said. "When you show him clips that he might have made an incredible play right here, but you didn't have to make an incredible play. Like, how can we make it easier for you? You're going to make plays that nobody in this world can do, but we don't need you to do that every single snap. Just trying to make the routine plays routinely and clean it up for him. Just trying to make life easier for him and so just seeing a big part of his communication with the skill group even in routes just like, 'Hey guys, this is how I see it.' "
The Bills are counting on Allen to lift the entire offense this season. The ground game continuing to thrive under Brady will help the Pro Bowl QB do just that when the situation calls for it.
