I haven’t gotten a song out of my head for the past week and a half.
Just beneath the surface of every waking thought, a 1990s power ballad has played on a relentless loop.
“(Everything I Do) I Do it for You” by Bryan Adams was a monster hit. Most of us know it. The title track from “Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,” a karaoke staple, I’d imagine.
But how did it worm into my subconscious?
Then it dawned on me.
The Satchel solved my mystery. The answer became increasingly clear as I answered your questions about the Buffalo Bills’ fascinating offseason launch.
The lyrics emanated from dramatic words and emotions expressed by owner Terry Pegula, football boss Brandon Beane and new head coach about their heartbroken hero. Josh Allen cried after the wrenching overtime playoff loss to the Denver Broncos, and it was then that Pegula decided longtime coach Sean McDermott must pay the price.
“I looked around. First thing I noticed was our quarterback with his head down, crying. I looked at all the other players. I looked at their faces and our coaches. I walked over to Josh, he didn’t even acknowledge I was there.” — Pegula
Look into my eyes. You will see
What you mean to me.
“Josh Allen wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for (Beane), pushing and pushing and pulling a Houdini in that draft to get to a position where we could pick him.” — Pegula
Search your heart. Search your soul.
And when you find me there, you’ll search no more.
“He had given everything he had to try to win that game. And looking around, so did all the other players on the team. I saw the pain.” — Pegula
Don’t tell me it’s not worth trying for.
You can’t tell me it’s not worth dying for.
“I’m so excited to continue this journey with him. I have so much love for that man right there. All I want is for him to get everything that he deserves, and that’s all I do it for.” — Brady
You know it’s true. Everything I do, I do it for you.
“We’re going to continue to evolve and change and grow our offense based upon the personnel that we have. Josh is going to continue to grow and get better, and then we’re going to be able to put an offense around that.” — Brady
Look into your heart. You will find
There’s nothing there to hide.
“Josh Allen is the best player in the NFL, and I have to grow, right? And part of me growing is that that’s going to allow him to be a better version of himself.” — Brady
Take me as I am. Take my life.
I would give it all. I would sacrifice.
“We got 17. When we show up every single day, they’ve got to know they’ve got to f—— play us and not the other way around.” — Brady on “The Pat McAfee Show”
Don’t tell me it’s not worth fighting for.
I can’t help it. There’s nothing I want more.
“Every decision this organization makes, it’s with the thought of Josh Allen and the players in mind. I’d be crazy not to.” — Brady
You know it’s true.
Everything I do, I do it for you.
“We have an MVP quarterback who just completed his eighth season here. We have got to help him get to the Super Bowl and bring a championship to Buffalo.” — Beane
There’s no love like your love.
And no other could give more love.
There’s nowhere unless you’re there.
All the time. All the way.
“They’ve got to play Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills and not the other way around. It doesn’t matter the day of the week. The time of the day. Is it outside? Is it inside? It doesn’t matter. Just put the damn ball down and let’s go play.” — Brady
I would fight for you. I’d lie for you.
Walk the wire for you. Yeah, I’d die for you.
“When you coach Josh Allen, that’s the organization. … I want Josh Allen to get everything that he deserves. That’s why I do what I do. I see the way that he plays the game. He plays the game the right way, the way that he should be hoisting trophies.” — Brady on “The Rich Eisen Show”
You know it’s true.
Everything I do … Oh, yeah, I do it for you.
(Questions have been edited for length and clarity)
How much of the Brady-Beane press run, which became national, felt forced based on the way the team and owner handled the Sean McDermott firing and subsequent press conference? — Matt F.
New coaches usually make the national media rounds. The atmosphere is almost always positive — congratulations, backslaps, attaboys and softball questions. The Bills have inherent shortcomings given their market size and weather stigma. It’s wise for them to take every opportunity to advertise their fresh face to the football world and establish the next era in a positive way.
Brady, Beane and the Bills’ front office also need to notch as many easy media victories as they can because they’ve been getting obliterated across the country. Adore him or despise him, Stephen A. Smith has been mocking Beane for weeks.
In a “First Take” segment Tuesday morning, Smith said the AFC East still runs through Buffalo, while Super Bowl-winning co-hosts Jeff Saturday and Chris Canty picked New England. Saturday spat Beane’s name like it was a pejorative.
“To just say it runs through Buffalo because Brandon Beane thinks he’s got it right?” Saturday said.
Canty cackled at the comment.
“I’m not riding with Beane either,” Smith replied. “It’s the Brady-Josh Allen combo. I’m not sold on Beane either in light of what’s happened.”
Now, you might say these are just talking heads. But the NFL watches them; TVs in locker rooms across the league stay tuned to these channels.
Sam Monson and Steve Palazzolo, formerly of Pro Football Focus, railed on their “Check the Mic” podcast about Beane’s history of bullying and unbecoming behavior. They shared how an irate Beane would call PFF about their player rankings and threaten to pull business if they weren’t changed. Monson called Beane “pathetic” and “unbelievably petty and childish.”
“Anybody childish enough to be phoning up and threatening to pull business,” Monson said, “over a random content article that’s written — two of them, in fact — is so childish that the idea that they can run an NFL organization correctly is mind-blowing to me, particularly when that’s almost specifically cited as the reason for their elevation. Like, ‘Whatever I think about the roster construction, I’ve seen this man’s leadership skills up close, and that’s what’s made me determined that he’s the guy to run the building. Meanwhile, everyone on the outside is, like, ‘Fire Brandon Beane.’”
Such criticism must hurt Beane’s heart. He’s hyperconscious of his image and the Bills’ reputation within the football community, and rightfully so. He helped rebuild a proud organization from the sands of a 17-year playoff famine, turning an NFL outpost into a destination free agents actually consider. Upholding that status is important to the Bills’ culture, although it appears to be slipping away.
Matt, you noted how Brady’s rollout felt forced to you. What I found interesting was how much Brady’s behavior changed based on the show he was on. Take two live ESPN properties, for instance. On Eisen’s show, the first-time head coach was genteel. A day earlier, Brady joined McAfee’s and detonated F-bombs like he and Beane made a bet to see how many effs a Bills leader could drop into a single interview.
I understand those interviewers are polar opposites, but choosing to work blue while introducing yourself through ESPN’s massive audience as the Bills’ new “CEO” was provocative.
Just another in a long sequence of curious moments the past three weeks.
We’ll get to know Brady more in the coming months and see how comfortable he is in his own skin, but first impressions suggest he’s a chameleon. That can be a strength when dealing with a locker room full of alpha males from different regions, religions and socioeconomic backgrounds. But if you get pegged as a phony, then that can be a problem. The players seem to love him, but those aren’t the only people an NFL coach must win over.
Brandon Beane and Sean McDermott enjoyed success together for many years with the Bills. (Jeff Zelevansky / Getty Images)
I can understand the rationale for firing McDermott, although I actually thought last year was one of his better coaching jobs with the roster limitations and injuries. But why did they have to treat him so s—– on the way out? Is there more to it than performance? — beaubill4345
For the multitude of fans who are bothered by the circumstances, this is a significant reason.
The primary problem is that two men essentially arrived in Buffalo together and experienced the same successes and failures along the way, turning a joke organization into a perennial contender. Yet one was fired, while the other given almost all the power. You could give McDermott an edge in the turnaround because he was involved in the 2017 draft that acquired All-Pro cornerback Tre’Davious White, franchise left tackle Dion Dawkins and All-Pro linebacker Matt Milano. Beane didn’t arrive until after that draft, when the Bills finally fired GM Doug Whaley.
But until Brady finally — mercifully — took time during his introductory news conference to praise McDermott, the organization seemed to go out of its way to snub the coach who set its win percentage record. “Thank you” social media posts and tribute videos are trivial in the grand scheme of things, but fans noticed their prolonged absences. Misspelling the fifth word in the announcement was an honest mistake, but it showed carelessness in handling an event that deserved gravitas.
The disses were noticeable and they added up. To hear Pegula slant every comment and rationale away from McDermott and toward Beane was disappointing. Pegula’s odd “5-2-3-2-2-2-6” recitation to praise the Bills’ roster totally dismissed that McDermott earned the same seeds. Pegula never could articulate how one man deserved to be fired and another granted consolidated power despite identical results.
Pegula’s decision to use underachieving receiver Keon Coleman as a ploy to defend Beane and shade the coaching staff backfired mightily.
As I wrote in a column after Brady’s elevation, the whole ordeal has felt personal. For nearly an hour, Pegula and Beane explained how the Bills needed a new voice to help them get over “the proverbial playoff wall” but couldn’t demystify the concept of one man being catapulted into unemployment and his former lockstep partner promoted. They’d have us believe Pegula made an emotional move — not exactly reassuring — and that Beane didn’t know about it until the very morning Pegula named him president of football operations. Then they hired a McDermott underling whose voice has been heard for four years and who installed a few of the cinderblocks in that playoff wall himself.
They were headed toward a breakup long before the season concluded in Denver. We can see it all now. The shots McDermott took at the roster, at the decisions Beane made, at the trades Beane didn’t make.
I recall a moment after the potentially season-saving Week 13 road victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Bills were coming off a disastrous loss to the Houston Texans, who sacked Allen eight times and hit him four more times while passing. Dawkins and right tackle Spencer Brown suffered injuries that sidelined them in Pittsburgh, forcing greenhorns Ryan Vandemark and Alec Anderson into service against T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith and Nick Herbig. Allen wasn’t sacked, hit once, in a 26-7 rout.
Outside the Acrisure Stadium visitors’ locker room, I chronicled all the bear hugs McDermott and his elated players enjoyed. But when Beane approached, the GM merely raised his fist for a nonchalant bump. There was no eye contact. There should be local TV footage of it somewhere because I wasn’t the only reporter down there. I didn’t write about it at the time because I thought maybe that’s how those guys rolled after a massive win.
But the chilly interaction stands out now.
Tim, I have lost A LOT of trust in this organization. With McDermott gone and Beane’s power play complete, I have no faith that a GM who has NOT surrounded our generational QB with the pieces he needs to get the Lombardi and has been a below-average GM when it comes to free agency and the draft, can turn this ship around. Hiring the quarterback’s buddy offensive coordinator as head coach was the cherry on top. (The Athletic poll had this hire ranked No. 8 out of 10). Why aren’t Josh’s tears from being tired of carrying this organization and weak roster on his shoulders year after year? Why should I keep having faith? I am sinking into a state of numbness and apathy. — Kuji S.
It doesn’t sound like you believed Pegula’s and Beane’s protestations about McDermott being the victim of an organizational takeover.
I recognize The Satchel contains hundreds of words describing weird and awkward and dubious developments at One Bills Drive, but don’t surrender hope.
Brady might work. He could join George Seifert and Don McCafferty, winning a Super Bowl in his rookie coaching campaign. Of course, each replaced a future Hall of Famer (Bill Walsh, Don Shula) who built a championship program before leaving on his own accord. Brady also could benefit from, say, a Jerry Rice.
Let’s see what happens in free agency. The spring and summer months will elicit much mellowing. Allen’s boyish charm will win over hearts again. Fans will get excited about the top draft picks at OTAs. We’ll explore all the ways defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard might get after opposing quarterbacks and deploy emerging safety Cole Bishop. The sparkling stadium will have everyone excited.
We’re all suckers that way.
Cole Bishop could be an exciting part of Jim Leonhard’s defense. (Jason Miller / Getty Images)
Laura Pegula seems to have a prominent role with the team, although it would be interesting to know what that actually means. As part of the coaching search, it was noted that two of his other children also participated in the interview process. I believe Jessie, in the past, has also indicated that she intends to take on a role with the team when her playing days are over. So is it a foregone conclusion that the second generation of Pegulas will be running this team for a long time, and is that even feasible with estate taxes, lack of experience, agreement on which child is in charge, etc.? — Brad C.
One of the unanswered questions since Kim Pegula’s debilitating cardiac arrest has been succession planning. We attempted to answer that question nearly two years ago, when The Athletic reported that Terry Pegula successfully filed to have Palm Beach County Circuit Civil Court rule his wife incapacitated and for him to become “plenary guardian of (her) person and property” in 2023. The Bills declined to comment or provide any insight for that story, which revealed Laura Pegula’s rise within the Bills’ and Sabres’ front offices following Kim’s health struggles.
Given that Terry will turn 75 next month, his succession plan deserves some clarity. NFL guidelines require an updated succession plan submitted to the league office each spring. It must designate a second, primary owner in case the controlling owner is no longer is able to continue, for whatever reason.
Neither the Bills front office nor the NFL has disclosed who replaced Kim in this regard, yet two sources close to the Pegulas informed The Athletic that Laura, the daughter from Terry’s first marriage, was that person.
Despite being name-dropped by every Buffalo coach and GM over the past few years and her prominence at news conferences, we still don’t know what Laura’s title or role is. The team prefers it that way. The Bills, in fact, aren’t keen on revealing much about their front office. What little info the Bills do include online isn’t accurate: Kim Pegula still is listed as an owner, while Brady is one of only three “executives” along with Beane and president of business operations Pete Guelli. We get that the Bills are pushing the whole “CEO” approach that helped Brady get the job, but a head coach is not an NFL executive. In a team-produced video of Brady’s assembly for One Bills Drive employees, he conceded he’ll probably need to stop walking around the cafeteria barefoot. I guess Jimmy Buffett was a successful CEO, but …
Perhaps the decision to scrub the online directory was related to Buffalo’s front office history. More than with other clubs, we’ve gotten to know several Pegula executives over less-than-desirable circumstances.
Only two other NFL clubs don’t provide a staff directory on their websites. The New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons, however, do share that information in their media guides. The Bills’ media guide doesn’t either. You won’t find an official list of their scouts even there. For example, co-directors of pro scouting Chris Marrow and Curtis Rukavina (or at least I think that’s still their title) aren’t mentioned once in the media guide. The Patriots offer bios for staffers as far down the ladder as dietician, assistant equipment manager and software engineer.
The NHL’s website lists Laura Pegula as a Sabres alternate governor, but her name doesn’t appear in the club’s front office directory.
Kim’s children, with the exception of Matthew Pegula’s small role in football administration, have not held a full-time role with either team. Kelly Pegula did have a marketing position with Pegula Sports and Entertainment, the family’s umbrella organization that was dissolved in 2023.
How does this team succeed on a fast turnaround next year when conventional wisdom says the smart thing to do is take your medicine (cap-wise) this year and focus on a full reworked roster to match new schemes for 2027? — Ryan O.
Intriguing question, Ryan. For years, Beane’s message about salary allocation has been consistent: Make sure the roster is built for perennial success and without temptation to load up for a big push. He frequently cited the 2021 Los Angeles Rams as the exemplar for short-term glory at the cost of long-term economic turbulence. Beane strived to avoid salary-cap purgatory. Being a surefire, annual Super Bowl contender was the objective.
The Rams went 5-12 a year after winning the Super Bowl. They have gone 42-19 the past three seasons, reaching the NFC Championship game last month.
So let’s see how Beane acts now. Allen will turn 30 in May, and Beane is talking like a guy who realizes he won’t have much time left on the job if Buffalo doesn’t leap over Pegula’s proverbial playoff wall.
Since they hired Brady, we’ve heard the names Sean Payton and Drew Brees a bunch. Lessons learned from those New Orleans Saints teams are cited as ways Brady might propel the Bills.
What’s interesting about the Brees era (2006 to 2020) is that the Saints were poster children for salary-cap strife, constantly pushing money into the future, leaning on voidable contract years, renegotiating paycuts and releasing quality players just to remain compliant.
The Saints did win their lone Super Bowl appearance (assisted by a harebrained Brett Favre interception in sudden death to get there and a surprise onside kick against the favored Indianapolis Colts), but reached the NFC title game just two other times. They also missed the playoffs six times and posted five losing records over Brees’ 15 seasons.
Even when you have a coach as savvy as Payton, a quarterback as elite as Brees, and a front office willing to put itself through hell every year to push salary-cap boundaries, sometimes you still need opponents to do dumb stuff and the football to bounce exactly so — just to get that one shot.
The big hires were HC, OC, ST and DC. Other than those four, which hires/retentions do you consider home runs, solid, meh, other? — Mike P.
I’m hesitant to evaluate assistant coaches for a few reasons.
First, how the hell would I know? They work intimately with their groups and mostly behind the scenes, in meeting rooms we cannot access. So many of their interactions remain unknown. Individual interactions vary from player to player, so even getting direct insight can be misleading.
Second, over my 20 years covering the NFL, I’ve frequently found assistant coaches to be interchangeable. They are extensions of the head coach and respective coordinators. If they can execute marching orders and are willing to move a lot, then they’ll have long careers.
Third, this is the time of year we hear all sorts of praise for coaches hardcore NFL fans haven’t heard whispers of. Some national reporters are quick to trumpet a rising assistant coach as the next Joe Gibbs. Gotta plant that flag to say “I was on him early!” Or, more likely, doing the coach’s agent a favor.
But I will say the most important hire after the coordinators was offensive line coach Pat Meyer and the retention of O-line assistant Austin Gund.
Aaron Kromer, one of the all-time great O-line coaches and run game coordinators, retired after the season. Meyer speaks fluent Kromer, having worked under him with the Bills in 2015 and 2016 before moving to the Los Angeles Chargers, Carolina Panthers and Steelers. Gund worked directly with Kromer the past three years.
Two of the Bills’ most attractive free agents are Kromer devotees. This setup will give the club a chance to retain center Connor McGovern and left guard David Edwards. McGovern came to Buffalo specifically to play for Kromer in 2023. Upon switching McGovern from left guard a year later, Kromer identified Edwards as the replacement. Edwards, who began his NFL career with Kromer and the Rams, credits him for saving his career twice.
What is your opinion on Brady calling plays? I think it is a big error and certainly not the CEO style proclaimed. — Michael S.
Brady held a more informal news conference in the One Bills Drive media room a few hours after his introductory news conference. Not as many people caught the follow-up session, but I asked Brady that exact question.
“There’s a lot of different avenues in what a CEO is,” Brady replied. “There’s a lot of successful companies that their CEO is actively involved. There’s a lot of companies where the CEO is not even in the building.
“I have a passion for calling plays. I also understand that if we’re ever in an element where me calling the plays is not the best thing for the organization, then I won’t do that. But I do believe in the flow of the game and the understanding of how things are going to be played and putting together a system.”
Brady said there will be an adjustment, moving from the booth to the sideline and all the in-game discussions he must hold and decisions he must make with clock management, defense and special teams. Brady acknowledged his attention will be spread thin, and he won’t know how much until he actually sees for himself.
“It’s going to be an adjustment because I haven’t done it,” Brady said, “but I don’t think it should be an issue. So many people in the NFL are doing it. … Sean Payton, he did it, and he’s done it at a high level for so many years. So I’ve seen it work and know that it can be done.”
Unloading linebacker Terrel Bernard is a common point of discussion after the DC change. Is there any concern because he’s a captain? If he does go, who leads the defense? — Jason S.
Bernard is a fascinating player to monitor. He is the prototypical McDermott guy, an undersized-but-quick, fearless defender, respected by his teammates and coaches for doing things the right way on and off the field. Not only did he wear the green dot in McDermott’s defense, but for the past two seasons was the only other captain alongside Allen.
The Bills’ defense, however, is about to change. Leonhard hasn’t divulged details, but adding outside linebackers coach Bobby April III portends a 3-4 base. That suggests bigger inside linebackers will be required to thwart the run.
Bernard also has been plagued by injuries. He missed the fateful 2023 playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs, when the Bills started sofa free agent A.J. Klein. Bernard was shelved four games in 2024 and seven games last season, including both in the playoffs.
But a year ago, Bernard signed a four-year, $50 million contract extension with $25.2 million in guarantees. Sports contract database Spotrac reported Bernard’s $8.9 million salary for the upcoming season also became guaranteed Monday.
Have you figured out the difference between Pro Bowl tight end Dalton Kincaid and Mitch Trubisky yet? — Chuck M.
Chuck is referring to a gaffe I made during an interview scrum after Brady’s introductory news conference.
From across the massive training center, a few reporters, including myself, thought backup quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was among the group of players who walked in as the event began. Turns out it was Kincaid. Black beard, similar facial features, black hoodie, black ballcap hiding his eyes a little. Anyway, I walked up to the post-presser scrum late and, while jockeying for a place to put my microphone, I addressed him as “Mitch.” He replied, “I’m not Mitch,” and for an awkward moment I thought, “Geez, is he really going to make me call him Mitchell?” Then I realized what I’d done. When the interview was over and everybody thanked him for his time, I waited a beat so we could make eye contact and said, “Thank you, Dalton!” He laughed at me. My media colleagues laughed at me. Good times.
Now, as for calling him “Pro Bowl tight end Dalton Kincaid,” I need to draw a line. Kincaid was a Pro Bowler like Shedeur Sanders was a Pro Bowler. Replacement players have been ridiculous for years, going back to 2009-10, when Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard made the grade by going 7-9, throwing 15 TDs with 10 interceptions and fumbling a league-worst 14 times.
That’s when Pro Bowl rosters started to turn into thin gruel. Honorees who advanced to the Super Bowl were replaced by alternates (Trubisky was Jared Goff’s alternate in 2018-19) and the exhibition no longer was held in Aloha Stadium each year. Too many players back then already were declining to participate, but without a free trip to Hawaii, the number of positive RSVPs plummeted. That’s how somebody like Baltimore Ravens backup quarterback Tyler Huntley got invited in 2022-23 despite four starts.
From now on, I won’t refer to anyone as a Pro Bowler unless he: A) was selected for the game before the 2009-10 shift; or B) has been honored at least three times, mitigating any random kookiness.
There. It had to be said.
