MMQB talks (extensively) about Joe Brady

[Mr. Scot]

A piece from Albert Breer in his latest MMQB talking about how Joe Brady got where he is now and analyzing how he might do. Also, one NFC executive endorses one of our quarterback coach options.

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Matt Rhule is probably the most interesting coaching hire of the 2020 cycle. You could make the argument his new offensive coordinator in Carolina is No. 2.

We’re gonna introduce you here to Joe Brady, the 30-year-old former passing-game coordinator and receivers coach from LSU who is now propelled into a job running an offense less than 12 months after finishing out the 2018 season as an offensive quality-control guy for Sean Payton in New Orleans. And we’ll do it through NFL guys charged with going through Baton Rouge to scout the crazy talent that Brady had on his hands this fall.

But first, it’s important to explain how a coach ascends like Brady did in 2019.

It happens because you take a program that’s underachieved on offense and, in one year, have it ranked No. 1 nationally in total offense (568.5 yards/game) and offensive TDs (93), and second in yards per play (7.90), despite playing in a conference loaded with tough defenses. It happens because you team up with a quarterback who got beat out at another traditional power, was good-not-great as a first-year starter after transferring, and watch him throw for 5,671 yards and 60 TDs and win the Heisman by the biggest margin ever.

It happens because your group scores 45 on Texas, 42 on Florida, 46 on Alabama, 50 on Texas A&M, 37 on Georgia, 63 on Oklahoma and 42 on Clemson. It happens because the offense is the engine for a traditionally defense-dominant outfit becoming the first SEC team to ever go 15–0 on the way to the school’s fourth national championship.

It happens because—even if you didn’t call plays—you did something extraordinary.

And now the rest of us get to see if it translates. Which is why I’m a little confused by some of the backlash the hire’s gotten. But just to dig a little deeper into it, I checked in with a few college scouting directors I trust who know LSU’s program well to get their takes on the hire. Here are some of the points they made.

Brady’s really good with people. Obviously, the results would indicate that the athletes LSU had responded well to the coaching. I can affirm that based on the people I talked to.

“I wouldn’t say he magnetic, but you just feel comfortable immediately,” said one AFC college scouting director. “He knows how to adjust to get on the same page with people. He’s not this guru, he’s not a weirdo, he doesn’t act like he’s 45. He just sort of jumps right into the conversation, and you get on the same page with him right away. He’s a very likeable guy. I liked him immediately. He has a great vibe, a humble vibe.

“He doesn’t try to be too smart for everyone. It’s a good mix of humility and confidence.”

Brady’s offense creates conflict. There was a play one scout raised in the Alabama game, right after LSU took a 26–13 lead then picked off Tua Tagvailoa to get in scoring position again with less than a minute left in the first half. On the play, with 11 seconds to go, tailback Clyde Edwards-Helaire goes in motion and is stacked behind receiver JaMarr Chase and tight Thaddeus Moss.

Now, first and foremost, those are three guys who’ll play in the NFL. So it’s hard enough for a defense. At the snap, Chase runs the corner off into the end zone. That leaves All-America safety Xavier McKinney by himself in the flat. Moss swings out to that sideline, McKinney takes a step in his direction, and Edwards-Helaire sprints into the space McKinney vacated, the linebacker to that side can’t react, Burrow throws to the pylon, and it’s an easy six.

“Before, LSU had always been beholden to the running back, [Derrius] Guice, [Leonard] Fournette, even though they had receivers,” said the AFC director. “Joe came is and said, ‘Let’s get in empty, let’s go five receivers, so it’s obvious where weak spot in the defense is.’ He creates matchups. You saw it against Clemson. You put [Justin] Jefferson in the slot, and they’re playing 15 yards off of him. That makes it easy.”

Brady’s scheme empowers players. Everyone knows how good LSU’s skill guys were. What they may not have gotten credit for is how smart they are. Brady put a lot on Burrow to exploit the defense; the offense has answers for everything, the quarterback just had to find them. Likewise, it was on the receivers to adjust to the coverage they were getting. Their ability to do that gave the offense an NFL look.

“They were creating problems for defenses based on what the defenses gave them,” said an NFC exec. “If it’s man defense, you see the option routes, friction plays, man-beaters to create separation—and they had athletes who can do it by themselves. And then against zone teams, like you saw in the Clemson game, you see receivers finding the dead spots, sitting down, and Burrow finding them.”

So that’s the good stuff. The flip side that Brady has never been a team’s primary play-caller (Steve Esminger called plays at LSU this year), and there will be a learning curve there.

“I’d have a major concern with that, but I also like it,” said a second AFC college scouting director. “A less traditional way of thinking is good. So I have no problem with hiring him. But I’d say being in that spot, you have to make sure you provide him with players that fit. You don’t want a guy that inexperienced to have to tweak his system already. Give him players that fit his system, and then as he develops and learns, he becomes more flexible.”

“I’d want to bring him in,” said our NFC exec. “Whatever he was doing [at LSU], he was clearly a huge part of their success. It would help have a veteran coach with him—like [Kevin] Stefanski had [Gary] Kubiak in Minnesota. That would benefit him. He’s barely called plays in college, let alone the NFL. So I think it’d be smart to bring a Scott Linehan in, someone that has experience as a play-caller.”

To that end, the Panthers actually have kicked tires on Linehan—who last worked as the Cowboys’ OC before being let go after the 2018 season—as well as couple others with play-calling and head-coaching experience (Ben McAdoo, Mike McCoy). As for finding players who fit, beyond just finding really good players, the onus will be on the Panthers’ brass to find smart guys who can unlock what the LSU guys did this year in Carolina.

Will it work? I don’t know. But I do know this relates to the NFL’s recent trend of going to the college games for offensive concepts and coaches. Kliff Kingsbury’s hiring in Arizona was a part of that, and the Eagles are considering making an offensive coordinator hire that would fit into it as well. And if this experiment works, you can bet there’ll be a lot more to come.

MMQB: Is Joe Brady ready?

[Mr. Scot]

And if one Joe Brady profile isn't enough for ya, check out Joe Person's bio piece in The Athletic. There's some pretty good stuff here too.

Late nights, vacuuming and an allergy to the sun

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Kepa said Brady knew the entire offense, not just the receiver position. And what he didn’t know, he’d ask.

“He was like a gym rat in terms of football,” Kepa said. “He’d be asking some quarterback, he’d go, ‘What the hell do you do on this one? What are your reads?’ He would be asking them things and trying to figure out things. … He was good to have around. He was good.”

Brady also was more than willing to pass that football knowledge on to his teammates, even when they were guys ahead of him on the depth chart.

 

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Laycock remembered arriving at the football offices early one Saturday morning to find Brady had beaten him in.

“He was already there, and he was vacuuming one of the rooms upstairs because he didn’t feel like it presented itself the way that it should. That’s the kind of thing that really stuck with me, because I did that back in my day,” Laycock said.

“He could see things that needed to be done. He can do it. He can figure out problems. He can make things go. And he did a great job for us that spring.”

Brady did such a good job that when a full-time position opened up on the Tribe’s defensive staff, Laycock hired Brady as his linebackers coach, despite his offensive background. Brady said his time as a defensive assistant helped shape his offensive philosophy.

“When I was in college, I started having ideas. Then you become a coach and you start seeing what’s working — you’re a defensive assistant and you start seeing what’s giving you issues from a defensive perspective,” he said. “You kind of just start expanding upon that.”

 

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It was clear to everyone at W&M that Brady had a keen understanding of all facets of the game from an early age.

Pete Clawson, the school’s media relations director, would sit down with Laycock each week to produce a game preview that was distributed to W&M’s football alumni. Before meeting with Laycock, Clawson would first pick Brady’s brain for a quick scouting report.

“He was a guy who knew almost everything about the other team’s personnel. The way they played. Who their standouts were. It didn’t matter that he was only concerned with the offense as a defensive coach at the time. He also knew a whole bunch about the (defense) and could give me a lot of insight that I could use to share,” Clawson said.

“He would know our offensive gameplan and our defensive gameplan because he obviously was paying attention while people were talking. You could tell he was absorbing information every chance he got.”

 

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“He was in there all the time,” said McSorley, who just wrapped up his rookie season with the Ravens. “I don’t know for sure, but it wouldn’t surprise me if he slept in there a few nights. When I tell you literally anytime I went in there, he was around the building and in his office.”

“I think it was a little bit of a foreshadowing to how relentless and how tireless he’ll work, and how he does work,” McSorley added. “But then he’s also just super down to earth. I was able to have conversations with him about random things — life and things outside of football.”

But in terms of football, Brady always saw the big picture, according to Moorhead.

“He’s not a guy that was limited to receiver play or quarterback play. Sometimes younger coaches get focused on one area, and he wasn’t someone that was just worried about the pass game,” said Moorhead, who’s headed to Oregon as the Ducks’ offensive coordinator after being fired as head coach by Mississippi State.

“He wanted to know about the run game, the run blocking, the protections, the routes. There were many, many times when it was just Joe and I in the office watching film, kind of kicking ideas around. He’s as good of a GA as I’ve been around.”

 

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In 2017, Payton had an opening for an offensive quality control coach in New Orleans. Brendan Nugent, the Saints’ assistant offensive line coach, told Payton he had the guy for him.

Nugent was a William & Mary assistant whom recruited Brady in high school. It was Nugent whom Brady reached out to when he decided to transfer from Air Force, and the two have remained close over the years.

Payton agreed to interview Brady, and soon Brady was on his way to New Orleans. Quality control coaches are the NFL equivalent of being a GA in college, and Brady started by helping out with the tight ends and pitching in wherever needed.

During his second year in New Orleans, Brady asked offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael if he could sit in on the quarterback meetings, which gave the young assistant an up-close view of Drew Brees and the Saints’ aerial attack.

Brady wasn’t the only person interested in learning more about Payton’s passing offense, which — with its quick, high-percentage slants and other short patterns — has elements of the West Coast system, but also features explosive, vertical routes.

There's the connection with Brendan Nugent. I suspect he'll try for him again once his Saints contract is up.

[DubE_4MR]

I agree with the comment about bringing in an experienced play caller. Scott Linehan is probably my favorite choice of the QB coaching candidates. He would be a good complement to Brady.

[TheRed]

Well I'm moist.

[The Huddler]

Joe Burrow is over rated

 

We got the real goods

[Mr. Scot]

If you still haven't got enough Joe Brady, Alaina Getzenberg has a really good analysis of what his offenses might be like: What the Panthers offense might look like with Joe Brady calling plays

I found this part of particular interest...

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Brady offenses also rely on a strong line. The Panthers allowed 58 sacks in 2019, tied with the Dolphins for the most in the NFL. With LSU running four- and five-receiver formations in the spread offense, it leaves fewer blockers to help in pass protection, forcing the line to have even more responsibility. The Tigers won the Joe Moore award in 2019, given to the nation’s most outstanding offensive line unit.

The line was already an area Carolina needed to address. Guard Greg Van Roten is a free agent. Center Matt Paradis and rookie Dennis Daley had tough years, and second-round pick rookie tackle Greg Little dealt with injuries throughout the season. The inconsistencies up front played a huge part in Allen’s woes the second half of the season. With the hiring of Brady, there will be even more of an emphasis to fix that group.

We’ll get a better feel of what to expect from the offense once the Panthers begin to make their offseason transactions and all of the assistant coaches are hired. But there’s no doubt this group, and the plays they run, will look significantly different in 2020, no matter who is starting at quarterback.

“Our system is going to be what our players do best,” Brady said. “It’s all about a vision you have for your players. Each person on the roster on your offense, you should have a vision for and they all have to play a role. When you can find guys that fit the vision and understand their role, that’s when you have success.”

Matt Rhule is said to be a big proponent of strong blocking as well, which makes sense given he's been an OL coach.

[chknwing]

Draft all OL.  Every round.  problem solved.

[joemac]

I can’t wait to see how this all comes together. It’s either going to be a grand slam home run, or an epic failure. I don’t see much room for mediocrity either way. Let’s get it!

[Mr. Scot]

Here's a thought...

Improve the offensive line and then use that line to block for Christian McCaffrey in plays designed by Joe Brady.

Could be fun

[billionairemonk]

figure out what your players do best and put them in a position to succeed.  

(from his press conference)

finally, a coach who wants to coach and not just run his system.  something this organization has been sorely missing. 

[TheSpecialJuan]

great stuff