OC/DC is more than a new band in Buffalo

While no one should expect Joe Brady to whip out all his new bandmates at once, the electric guitars are in place and they are churning out some interesting sounds. A few side musicians are slowly being added and the band should be well in place long before weigh-in at the NFL Combine.

A few days ago Brady announced he hired Pete Carmichael to serve as his offensive coordinator (OC). I knew very little about Carmichael, other than he served as a longtime OC for Sean Payton in New Orleans. Turns out this guy has a solid resume and bloodline ties to the NFL coaching tree. Here is a great article from Sports Illustrated about Pete Carmichael.

Next up Joe Brady introduced Buffalo’s new Special Teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers, a longtime special teams coordinator, most recently with the Arizona Cardinals. Here is another article from Sports Illustrated about Jeff Rodgers.

Then on Friday Brady welcomed former Buffalo Bill Jim Leonhard as the new defensive coordinator for the team. I could hear the joyous proclamations all the way to Wyoming from the old fart brigade. Leonhard was beloved by those who had the privilege of watching the Bills’ undrafted free agent from Wisconsin step into the role he was born for since retiring from the NFL at the conclusion of the 2014 season after ten seasons.

I remember feeling distraught after Leonhard left Buffalo. He was a versatile piece in the back end of Rex Ryan’s defense. Jim was smart, instinctive and had a nose for the ball. He was a heavy hitter too. Opponents often underestimated his ability because he was not a large man.

So for all of us obsessing about who would be taking over the defense in the Joe Brady era, the answer is like the answer to a prayer. Jim Leonhard was always a Buffalo guy and now he gets to take the next step in his journey in Western New York. It seems fitting.

What may not fit are all the pieces put in place by the prior regime’s 4-2-5 defense. With all defenses now presenting multiple schemes, a base defense is not as critical to understand as it once was. However, the change in what the Bills’ defense will look like compared to last season will be stark. The brass will have to quickly figure out who is not a fit and find a way to get as much return on the investment (ROI) as possible.

With the exception of the wide receiver room, the tweaks on offense will be minor in comparison in terms of scheme. Joe Brady will continue to call plays. However, newly-minted offensive line coach Pat Meyer may have some ideas of his own about making adjustments to starters on the offensive line. Meyer most recently coached the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line and comes from Aaron Kromer’s offensive line coaching tree, so that’s a plus.

I expect the rest of the staff will be filled sometime this week. They will have to hit the ground running in order to maximize the effectiveness of the NFL Draft in a year where there may be big changes in store, especially with respect to defensive scheme. Additionally, there are legitimate questions about the strength and conditioning staff and whether or not they should keep the staff as is, or pivot in another direction.

Eyebrows were raised when Ciano and staff were fired before the 2025 season. I’m sure there will be a lot of analytics to look at that may help sort out whether or not the change in staff affected the number of soft tissue injuries sustained last season. Joe Brady has a lot to do.

However, now that all the hub-bub has died down a bit, it seems Buffalo fans are ready to embrace the present and move on. So far it appears decisions being made by the new regime are in line with what we hoped would happen. The question now is whether or not fans will be ready to tolerate the turmoil that comes with bringing in essentially a whole new coaching staff.

The music won’t be ready until the band practices a lot between now and the NFL Draft.

Editor’s babble: You can also find more of my blabber on X @RobynMundyWYO.