Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady is under the most pressure in the NFL as he seeks to lead Josh Allen's side from 'bridesmaid to bride', says Your Site' Phoebe Schecter.Â
The Bills renew their Super Bowl quest this season having endured more playoff agony earlier this year when they were beaten by the Denver Broncos in overtime of January's Divisional Round clash.
It had been deemed a premature end to one of their best opportunities yet to end prolonged Super Bowl agony, with Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs absent from the playoffs for the first time since 2014 and the likes of Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow also nowhere to be seen.
Sean McDermott was subsequently fired after nine campaigns in charge, with Brady being promoted to head coach from his post as offensive coordinator.
"Josh Allen will have had a say with Joe Brady coming in and taking on that role," said former Bills coach Schecter on Inside the Huddle.
"It was just odd at the time in terms of how it happened, that kind of firing in order to promote from within."
Allen's Bills have suffered four Divisional Round exits and two AFC Championship Game defeats since 2020, four of those losses coming against the Chiefs.
Their 73 victories in that period are notably more than any other team in the league, Allen consistently spearheading one of football's most potent offenses.
Buffalo sought to strengthen their quarterback's aerial options by trading for Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore, who hasn't recorded a 1,000-yard campaign since 2023.
"You look at what DJ Moore does for the team when you bring him in," Schecter continued. "That already elevates an offense that has never really had a star receiver.
"They're still trying to keep that mentality, but you pair that with a fantastic running game. We saw James Cook all last season taking over, but it's a very interesting that we have so many teams in the AFC that were having a similar conversation around with your Lamar Jacksons, your Joe Burrows - when will these guys win a Super Bowl?
"That of all the teams the most pressure is on Joe Brady in terms of the expectation is for him to get to a Super Bowl because they've always been the bridesmaid, never the bride.
"It'll be fascinating to see how he manages that pressure, especially as they move deeper into the season. But everyone feels good about it. You've got a new stadium, you've got a new excitement around it and that kind of rejuvenation."
The Bills also hired Jim Leonhard as their new defensive coordinator to oversee a new-look unit that saw the likes of Joey Bosa, AJ Epenesa, Matt Milano and Tre'Davious White depart in the offseason.
"Leonard is the key to this whole deal," said Your Site NFL's Jeff Reinebold. "Jim Leonard is a brilliant young coach, and if he can get that defense just a little bit better than it's been and better balance, this could be Buffalo's year."
Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals stake their only claim as NFL 'nearly men' alongside both Allen's Bills and Jackson's Baltimore Ravens.
The Bengals have missed out on the playoffs for three straight years and managed just one postseason appearance since their defeat to the Los Angeles Rams at Super Bowl LVI.
Burrow, who has missed 16 games through injury over the last three seasons, demanded urgency from his team this offseason as he seeks to maximise, when healthy, one of the most explosive passing attacks in football.
"He said it himself, we all know he's been injured so many times coming into this season, or they've had some big injury within the team, but the time is now and they've got to chase that success," said Schecter.
"The biggest complaint last year was how they were putting so much money into this defense and they were probably the worst performing defense.
"But bringing in Boye Mafe, Jonathan Allen, you get Kyle Dugger from the Patriots, you've got a smart defense. You've got a safety who can now organise everybody.
"They've got to be able to go down and capitalise on having this fantastic trio on offense with Burrow, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins and go attack it. This city needs it.
"The fan base are so desperate for it and you don't have an endless clock with Joe Burrow, especially seeing his injury rate over the past few seasons."
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