The Buffalo Bills introduced their new coordinator coaches on Thursday morning, with head coach Joe Brady also speaking with the media mixed in. All four coaches gave Bills Mafia plenty to consider as the offseason gets started and attention begins to shift toward free agency and the NFL Draft.
Of course, things in Buffalo look considerably different already with Brady assuming his new role as head coach. With Brady still holding playcalling duties, naturally, there are questions about what exactly will be Pete Carmichael’s responsibilities within the offense.
Brady and Carmichael clarified what the relationship will look like as the Bills begin their new era.
What Bills HC Joe Brady expects from non-playcalling offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael
“Pete gameplans to call the game. I think sometimes people think, like, that an offensive coordinator that’s a non-playcaller is just kind of like an assistant or like a ‘Hey, just getting everything ready for ya.’ That’s not what I was looking for, and that’s not what Pete is,” Brady said. “If I ever in any moment of the game can’t call the game, Pete is always prepared to call it.”
Brady makes a fine point here. It’s not as though successful backup quarterbacks don’t prepare as if they’re starting quarterbacks themselves, so that they are ready to step in if needed. Carmichael understandably has to be ready to do all the things Brady did last year in the same role.
“How Pete will prepare and go through this season is no different than me last season.”
Of course, Carmichael is familiar with this type of position. He’s worked with Sean Payton in similar capacities for years.
“I did this a lot of years with Sean Payton where he was the playcaller for the majority of the years, but I think the main thing is, when you talk about things that might come up with a head coach that he’s got to deal with and he’s not able to be in the room, that the message that he wants portrayed, whether it’s to the coaching staff, the team, whoever, that the I’m portraying the exact same message that he would want the players to hear,” Carmichael said.
Carmichael comes in with a strong resume, having helped Payton thrive in New Orleans and Denver, with a veteran Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback in Drew Brees and a young upstart in Bo Nix. While Payton deserves the bulk of the credit in both situations, Carmichael obviously played his role well nonetheless. Now he gets to do the same with Brady and Josh Allen.
Of course, Bills Mafia aren’t anticipating widespread changes on offense, but with Brady taking on the added responsibility of being the franchise’s head coach, having a guy like Carmichael, who is experienced in keeping the offense on track with the playcaller’s vision, should help ensure that the offense doesn’t miss a beat next season.
Naturally, there’s some pressure to improve upon last season with the wide receivers and offensive line regressing to a point, but the personnel changes coming in the next few months will help provide more context about where improvements can be expected. In the meantime, Bills fans can take some comfort in knowing that Brady and Carmichael have a shared vision to keep Buffalo’s offense among the most dangerous the NFL has to offer.