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At 71 years old, John Fox has no shortage of NFL and head coaching experience.
New Bills head coach Joe Brady, on the other hand is the youngest head coach in the NFL and has not previously held that position at any level.
When Fox got a call in February from Brandon Beane, the GM put Brady on the line and the conversation led to Fox joining the Bills as a senior assistant. In big part due to his belief that the Buffalo roster that can get done what he himself was not able to in three Super Bowl appearances.
Win it all.
Fox went 16 seasons as a head coach with the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, and Chicago Bears. Having spent 33 seasons in the league without a ring has seen and learned a lot that Brady can learn from.
"I didn't want somebody that was strictly just in an office waiting for, 'Hey, when do you need some help?' I wanted a guy that wanted to still coach football," Brady said to The Buffalo News. "Coach Fox is sitting in the defensive meetings. He's giving ideas. He's going through it all. … I know he's the guy that's not going to just be a yes man, right? He's been through it all, and someone that I can lean on in those moments."
When owner Terry Pegula moved on from Sean McDermott in January, they promoted the offensive coordinator who had developed Josh Allen and the offense for two-plus seasons while helping yield the QBs first MVP award in the process. As one of he rising offensive minds in the game, veteran head coaching leadership was needed around him to help him succeed.
"You get a feel for whether a person wants the help or they're threatened by the help," Fox said of Brady. "The key thing for me, even initially, was Joe's eagerness. It wasn't like he was doing it for Brandon, and Brandon is smart enough not to do that to Joe. I just felt really good about it. He felt good about me, and I felt good about him. It was, 'Let's do it.'"
"I felt like I fit. Joe was very open that he has not been a head coach. There are some things you don't know yet. Sometimes avoiding some of the pitfalls can be beneficial. One of the first things I told him is, there is no offseason, because now you're in personnel, you're in this decision, free agency, the draft. So, sometimes you might miss something. I know there's things I missed as a young head coach that I wish I had somebody say, 'Hey, you might want to check this out.'"
The defensive install, personnel, being able to add anything that's missing. Fox will do that and more for a roster that has an MVP quarterback, six straight divisional-round trips and a wide open Super Bowl window.
This offers him an opportunity he sees that he hasn't had before.
"I've told the team, I've been to three Super Bowls and I haven't won one. I think that always sticks in your craw. I know that's the goal here. It's one that I want to be a part of fulfilling," Fox added. "As I told Joe, this is unique in the sense that, typically, when you come in as a new head coach – and I'm not talking about me, I'm talking about Joe's case – you're there for a reason. They've lost. They've changed coaches. They don't have a great culture. They're not close. They don't have a premier quarterback. All the things that people notch to say, 'You've got to win one.' All those things are in place here. Winning a Super Bowl is realistic, to be real honest with you. It's a big reason I'm here."
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Why John Fox came out of retirement to join Joe Brady and the Bills
Continue reading...
New Bills head coach Joe Brady, on the other hand is the youngest head coach in the NFL and has not previously held that position at any level.
When Fox got a call in February from Brandon Beane, the GM put Brady on the line and the conversation led to Fox joining the Bills as a senior assistant. In big part due to his belief that the Buffalo roster that can get done what he himself was not able to in three Super Bowl appearances.
Win it all.
Fox went 16 seasons as a head coach with the Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos, and Chicago Bears. Having spent 33 seasons in the league without a ring has seen and learned a lot that Brady can learn from.
"I didn't want somebody that was strictly just in an office waiting for, 'Hey, when do you need some help?' I wanted a guy that wanted to still coach football," Brady said to The Buffalo News. "Coach Fox is sitting in the defensive meetings. He's giving ideas. He's going through it all. … I know he's the guy that's not going to just be a yes man, right? He's been through it all, and someone that I can lean on in those moments."
When owner Terry Pegula moved on from Sean McDermott in January, they promoted the offensive coordinator who had developed Josh Allen and the offense for two-plus seasons while helping yield the QBs first MVP award in the process. As one of he rising offensive minds in the game, veteran head coaching leadership was needed around him to help him succeed.
"You get a feel for whether a person wants the help or they're threatened by the help," Fox said of Brady. "The key thing for me, even initially, was Joe's eagerness. It wasn't like he was doing it for Brandon, and Brandon is smart enough not to do that to Joe. I just felt really good about it. He felt good about me, and I felt good about him. It was, 'Let's do it.'"
"I felt like I fit. Joe was very open that he has not been a head coach. There are some things you don't know yet. Sometimes avoiding some of the pitfalls can be beneficial. One of the first things I told him is, there is no offseason, because now you're in personnel, you're in this decision, free agency, the draft. So, sometimes you might miss something. I know there's things I missed as a young head coach that I wish I had somebody say, 'Hey, you might want to check this out.'"
The defensive install, personnel, being able to add anything that's missing. Fox will do that and more for a roster that has an MVP quarterback, six straight divisional-round trips and a wide open Super Bowl window.
This offers him an opportunity he sees that he hasn't had before.
"I've told the team, I've been to three Super Bowls and I haven't won one. I think that always sticks in your craw. I know that's the goal here. It's one that I want to be a part of fulfilling," Fox added. "As I told Joe, this is unique in the sense that, typically, when you come in as a new head coach – and I'm not talking about me, I'm talking about Joe's case – you're there for a reason. They've lost. They've changed coaches. They don't have a great culture. They're not close. They don't have a premier quarterback. All the things that people notch to say, 'You've got to win one.' All those things are in place here. Winning a Super Bowl is realistic, to be real honest with you. It's a big reason I'm here."
This article originally appeared on Bills Wire: Why John Fox came out of retirement to join Joe Brady and the Bills
Continue reading...
