Why Bills fans shouldn't be concerned that interim OC Joe Brady was once fired by a bad NFL team
The Buffalo Bills made a big move on Tuesday by firing offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and installing quarterbacks coach Joe Brady as the team's interim offensive coordinator. Brady has been the Bills' quarterbacks coach since the start of the 2022 season. He came to Buffalo after less than two years as the Carolina Panthers' offensive […]
The Buffalo Bills made a big move on Tuesday by firing offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey and installing quarterbacks coach Joe Brady as the team's interim offensive coordinator.
Brady has been the Bills' quarterbacks coach since the start of the 2022 season. He came to Buffalo after less than two years as the Carolina Panthers' offensive coordinator.
In late 2021, Brady was fired by Panthers head coach Matt Rhule amid Carolina's offensive struggles. Essentially, Brady was in the same situation that Dorsey found himself in on Tuesday.
It would be understandable if Bills fans are concerned that things won't get better with Brady. But there's a reason that shouldn't be a concern.
Brady didn't work out in Carolina because it was a bad situation. Rhule proved to be a terrible head coach (he was fired a year later). And Rhule, who only had offensive coordinator experience from his stint with Temple a decade earlier, meddled far too much in Brady's offense. Rhule essentially didn't let Brady fully run the offense.
There's also the fact that Rhule didn't seem nearly as "all in" as Brady during their time together in Charlotte.
At one point during the 2021 season, Rhule went out of town during the Panthers' bye week, while Brady stayed back in Charlotte to put in extra work.
From The Athletic: “A week or two before the Panthers’ Week 14 bye week in 2021, Rhule told players he was headed out of town during the week off and encouraged them to get away, too. After a 23-point loss at Miami on Nov. 28 dropped the Panthers to 5-7, Rhule kept his travel plans, as did others in the organization. Meanwhile, offensive coordinator Joe Brady and quarterback coach Sean Ryan spent part of the bye week at the stadium watching tape and meeting with [Cam] Newton, who had re-signed three weeks earlier and was trying to get up to speed with the offense.”
That story alone shows what kind of situation Brady was in with the Panthers.
Getting fired by Carolina was a setback for Brady's career. Before he joined the Panthers' staff in early 2020, he was considered one of the most in-demand offensive minds in the sport after helping lead LSU to a historic season in 2019 as the Tigers' passing game coordinator. Brady is still that same innovative guy. He just unfortunately took a job that was nearly a career-killer.
Brady will certainly have to prove himself as the Bills' play caller, but he deserves a blank slate despite the way his time with the Panthers ended.
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