Jim Leonhard starts his tenure with the Bills off on the wrong foot with shocking and controversial admission
Come on, Jim Leonhard.
The Buffalo Bills held an introductory press conference for several new members of the organization, including offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. and new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
Leonhard stole the show, discussing various ways that he wants to be aggressive with a new look defense, pumping up the Bills Mafia, and having them ready to run through a brick wall for their new defensive coordinator. His history with Buffalo and familiarity with the organization ultimately drove him to choose Buffalo over any other option, and the team is better for it.
That’s not to say that there wasn’t some controversy with some of Leonhard’s remarks during his presser. With Leonhard coming from the Denver Broncos, he was asked about the controversial catch during the playoff loss in the divisional round, and his answer isn’t going to make many fans happy. He did have an important caveat, while saying everything with a smile.
“(It) was not, we caught it, Denver caught it that time,” Leonhard said. “I’ll have a different opinion here very soon. Once this season, to me, it’s still the 25 season, the Super Bowl hasn’t been played yet, so I have to have a little bit of loyalty there. Ask me in another week, and I’ll give you a different answer.”
All love for Jim Leonhard, but he was wrong and that’s okay
Loyalty is important, but Leonhard is just flat out wrong here. In another week, he’ll see the truth and come out with a sound bite talking about how he always knew it was a catch for Buffalo, but he needed to say that because it was still the 2025 season. Nevertheless, he was wrong, and that’s okay.
Brandin Cooks caught the ball, came down with possession, was touched on the ground, and then had the ball ripped away from him. Clear as day that’s a catch, in my opinion, and another chapter in a series of heartbreaking defeats in the postseason for the Buffalo Bills in recent history.
Fortunately, Buffalo has an aggressive defensive coordinator who hopefully won’t allow a team to hand a 30 burger on their heads in another playoff game. Far too many times, like the heartbreaking defeats, the defense has fallen flat in some of the biggest stages, leaving fans devastated once more.
There’s going to be plenty of change coming for Buffalo in the 2026 season, and a chunk of that starts with Leonhard and his vision for the defense moving forward.
“We’re going to be an attacking defense up front and in the back end,” Leonhard said. “We’re going to attack the football [ . . . ] we are going to be aggressive and fly around [ . . . ] we are going to force them to react to us. I don’t like to counter punch.”
That mentality is exactly what Buffalo has been missing when the lights are the brightest. The Bills don’t need a defense that reacts, explains, or hopes that a call or decision goes their way. They need one that dictates, overwhelms, and leaves no doubt on the scoreboard when it matters most.
Leonhard may be wrong about the catch, and he absolutely is, but he’s dead right about one thing in particular: aggression travels. If his words turn into action on the football field, the Bills won’t be talking about controversial calls next January; they’ll be the ones forcing them.
If that’s the future of Buffalo’s defense, then Bills Mafia should be more than ready to run through that brick wall, I know I am.
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