1 on 1 with Beane and Brady: Bills double down on Keon Coleman

Summary

Buffalo Plus: A Buffalo Bills Podcast - Episode Summary

Episode Title

1 on 1 with Beane and Brady: Bills Double Down on Keon Coleman
Date: February 25, 2026
Hosts: Mike Catalana, Jenna Cottrell, Dan Fates
Location: NFL Combine, Indianapolis

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1. Overview of Main Theme

This episode takes listeners inside the first day of the 2026 NFL Combine, focusing on exclusive one-on-one interviews with Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady and General Manager Brandon Beane. The team discusses their insights on Josh Allen, the evolving leadership dynamic, and the ongoing saga of wide receiver Keon Coleman. The episode provides a candid look at the Bills’ offseason priorities, the combine environment, and what’s ahead for the franchise as they retool their roster and staff.

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2. Key Discussion Points & Insights

A. Behind-the-Scenes at the NFL Combine

• The combine is described as the "center of the entire NFL world," with all major media and team personnel onsite.
• The Bills’ staff are active on "podium day," speaking not just to Western New York media but a national set of outlets (CBS, Yahoo, NBC, etc.).
• Podcast Row banter includes comparisons of their low-key set-up to neighboring slick booths and friendly exchanges with Yahoo Sports staff.

B. Joe Brady Interview: Evolving Relationship with Josh Allen

[07:19–09:14] – Interview conducted by Mike Catalana

• Brady addresses his progression from Allen's quarterback coach to head coach and the natural conflicts that arise in a high-stress, competitive environment.
  • "Yeah, absolutely...There's definitely frustration at times, right. He's not perfect. ... There can be honest transparency with it." (Joe Brady, 07:48)
• Brady welcomes the shift to a head coaching role:
  • "I'm not the offensive coordinator anymore…when those (mistakes) happen…now I get to celebrate with the D (defense) and roll from there." (Joe Brady, 08:18)
• He admits he never saw his rise to head coach coming:
  • "No, not at all. I mean, I didn't think it was a possibility nor did I want it…But…I'm grateful to be here." (Joe Brady, 08:45)

C. Analysis: The Changing Dynamic for Brady & Allen

• The hosts discuss how Brady’s role will be less centered on Josh Allen, expanding his focus across the whole team.
• There’s curiosity about how Brady will adjust to calling plays from the sideline amidst field-level chaos, as opposed to the relative comfort and focus of the booth:
  • “It is tremendously different…and I’m very curious to see how that’ll work, because up in the booth…you’re out on the field for four hours. It changes the dynamic.” (Jenna Cottrell, 12:20)

D. Brandon Beane Interview: Aggression, Team Building, & Keon Coleman

[21:12–25:16] – Interview conducted by Mike Catalana

• On taking "big swings" in team building:
  • "I'm wired aggressively if you're around me...But I try not to be reckless...All those things have to line up and make sense." (Brandon Beane, 21:12)
• On the blueprint for a championship roster:
  • "It starts with a franchise quarterback. …Then can you affect the quarterback? ...Does your roster allow you, is it good enough to get in the playoffs? ...Is it good enough to win playoff games?" (Brandon Beane, 22:18)
• On Keon Coleman and patience:
  • "Keon, deep down is a very good young man. He's conscientious, he doesn't get in trouble. ...We all grow up in different phases at different times. ...We're confident that he'll attack this offseason." (Brandon Beane, 23:37)
• On his role with new head coach/DC:
  • "We're all just going to roll our sleeves up...Joe and I collaborating, working together...We're going to put our heads together and try and build the right program." (Brandon Beane, 24:33)

E. The Ongoing "Keon Coleman Situation"

• The Coleman storyline consumes significant attention. The hosts note the disconnect between Coleman's flashes on the field and the team's continued messaging that he needs to "mature."
  • "We talk about him more than we talk about Josh Allen...Shouldn't we be past that guy's going into year three?" (Mike Catalana, 26:55)
• Trust issues remain, both regarding play (on-field reliability) and personal development:
  • "Josh (Allen) doesn’t care about your age when he's deciding to throw you the football, but he does care if he can trust you." (Jenna Cottrell, 27:14)

F. Team Philosophy: Actions vs. Words

• There is debate over whether the Bills are genuinely supportive of Coleman or positioning him for a potential trade.
  • "I think it's more of them saying, we tried to be tough on him last year and it didn't work. Now we're going to be nice to him and see if it works." (Dan Fates, 28:46)

G. Other Bills Notes & Cap Management

• Dalton Kincaid's fifth-year option will be picked up.
• The team restructured Spencer Brown, saving $10.4 million against the cap.
  • "They're gonna hit the piggy bank for Josh Allen's contract. Poof, they're gonna have 20 more million dollars." (Mike Catalana, 29:44)

H. The Human Side: Banter and Hotel Rivalry

• The episode is also peppered with personal anecdotes—hotel "status" one-upmanship, wardrobe mishaps, and Combine grind complaints—lending a relaxed, insider tone that defines the Buffalo Plus brand.

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3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the combine experience:
  "We're that house on the street that needs to cut their lawn...We have our hats. That's our setup. That marks our territory." (Mike Catalana, 03:09)
• On Brady’s growth and relationships:
  “If you were to say, ‘No, we get along great.’ It’s like, well, that’s not real…You can’t be authentically honest…I thought it was nice to have the honesty of like, yeah, sometimes it’s not always perfect, because that’s real and that matters.” (Jenna Cottrell, 10:25)
• On Brady’s sideline persona:
  “It’s easy to wear shorts when you’re only outside for, like, 40 minutes. What do you got when it’s like four hours? Different.” (Jenna Cottrell, 14:12)
• On the Keon Coleman narrative: “He was asked about it at the podium…because he was great at training camp. He showed all the things, phase one, phase two. And he had that great game against Baltimore in week one. It’s can you build off that? …You don’t want those off the field issues.” (Mike Catalana, 27:14)
• On team building & risk:
  “It’s the risk to reward. When you’re at the top, why would you risk more? Or some people may say, if you’re that close, why not risk it? I see both sides.” (Mike Catalana, 25:36)

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4. Timestamps for Key Segments

• [07:19–09:14] – Joe Brady 1-on-1 Interview (Allen relationship, coaching evolution)
• [21:12–25:16] – Brandon Beane 1-on-1 Interview (aggression, roster philosophy, Keon Coleman)
• [26:49–28:46] – Extended Keon Coleman discussion (maturity, trust, future)
• [29:44] – Bills cap management moves (Kincaid option, Spencer Brown restructure)
• [31:02–32:20] – Reflections on Joe Brady’s public persona and head coach presence

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5. The Tone & Takeaways

The show mixes deep football analysis with lighthearted, self-aware banter. The hosts balance skepticism (particularly about Keon Coleman’s situation) with appreciation for the staff’s candidness. They’re unafraid to question official narratives but maintain optimism about the organization's direction under new leadership. Their behind-the-scenes access offers real insight into the shifting culture of the Bills—grounded, informed, and rigorously documented for diehard fans.

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“We’ve made nice with our neighbors. There are a lot of really nice setups here. …We just look like we’re cousin Eddie when he pulls up in National Lampoon’s with the RV. That’s a little bit…Hey, we’re starting. This is still a way better setup than kind of the chaos that’s here.”
— Mike Catalana (03:00–04:19)

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Up Next

• Interviews with Zach Berman (on AJ Brown) and Sam Monson (national perspective).
• Combine insights on defensive linemen, linebackers, and specialists.

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For Bills coverage that blends honesty, expertise, and genuine locker room access, Buffalo Plus remains a must-listen for the fanatic and casual fan alike.

Transcript

[Mike Catalana]

Day one of the combine, it's about 2:30 in the afternoon. How many energy drinks have you had so far?

[Joe Brady]

I'm a few in.

[Mike Catalana]

Right.

[Dan Fates]

You've been supportive of Keon Coleman. Yeah, he's in year number three and I know you talk about, you know, some of the off season stuff has been frustrating. Has he tested your patience at all?

[Mike Catalana]

This is the Buffalo plus podcast.

[Jenna Cottrell]

All right, welcome back to the Buffalo plus podcast. I am Jenna Cottrell. Mike Catalana and Dan Fates out in Indy. It was a very big day. We heard from Brandon Bean as well as Joe Brady. Please be sure to like, comment, subscribe and share. Mike and Dan also having one on one interviews with Brady as well as Brandon Bean. Dan asking Brady about his relationship with Josh Allen. Comments on Keon Coleman. A busy day out in Indy. But guys, I want to talk to you. Big day. And this really today kicked off the combine in Indy.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. The first day is coaches and general managers from all over the league. Not everyone talks. I would say the Bills, it was always that way with Bean and McDermott and now it's being in Brady. They speak at the podium. How would you describe the podium interviews, Dan?

[Mike Catalana]

It is not like when they're back in Buffalo.

[Dan Fates]

You mean because virtually no one in Buffalo asked a question?

[Mike Catalana]

Yes, because while we're here, and we have always said that it's the center of the entire NFL world shows up here in Indianapolis, they were asked about Georgia football and LSU and coaches that they did not hire. Grant Yudinsky and Brian Dabel and all of those kind of things. So it was the car wash, as we call it, the industry, as Brandon B. Not only spoke to us, but then he talked to Sirius XM Radio and NBC Sports and CBS Sports and Yahoo. I'm sure as they are right behind us because I, I do think we're still on Radio Row and we're still

[Dan Fates]

here at Podcast Row and this is Buffalo Plus Boulevard.

[Mike Catalana]

Right.

[Dan Fates]

By the way, Jenna, I don't know if you know this, but Yahoo spelled backwards says Buffalo Plus.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Did you know that the more you

[Mike Catalana]

know, we have made friends with our neighbors.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

Because earlier today we're getting set up and they're ironing how their very nice backdrop. And we made a comment of if you guys want to make one for us or you know, steam our coats, like what? We'd really appreciate it. And then of course, Colin, Colin comes over, peeks his head around the corner. Nice guy.

[Dan Fates]

He works for Yahoo.

[Mike Catalana]

Yahoo. And he goes, oh my gosh. My brother was saying he Was listening to this Bill's podcast, and he said they were right next to the Yahoo Sports setup. Thank you. So shout out to Quinn.

[Dan Fates]

Well, his brother is a Bills fan.

[Mike Catalana]

Yes.

[Dan Fates]

And knows us.

[Mike Catalana]

That's pretty world. And so we're neighbors. We've made nice nights with our neighbors. There are a lot of really nice setups here.

[Dan Fates]

How would you rank ours?

[Mike Catalana]

We're that house on the street that, like, needs to cut their lawn. Like, we. We didn't. We didn't bring the. The setup next year. This was. This was a trial. This was a great play by Mike. This is great. We have.

[Dan Fates]

We have our hats.

[Mike Catalana]

We've had hats. That's our setup. That marks our territory. We have had interviews that we will have coming up. We have spoke to Zach Berman from the Athletic about A.J. brown.

[Dan Fates]

That was really good.

[Mike Catalana]

Really good. We talked to Sam Monson. Really good on the national narratives of this. So again, we are gathering content and we are bringing them to their. This luxury table and booth with a tablecloth around it. So, yeah, it's today. Really kind of kicked it all off.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Jenna, I'm not shocked that we could. We could work on the proof. The. What is it? The pride of ownership. That's like when you go to a neighborhood and everyone pitches in. Yeah. Well, we'll know for next year, guys.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. In this case, when people walk by, you can see a little. They get a little like.

[Mike Catalana]

Like, they're like, full pot. Like, some of their booths and tables look like the Buffalo Connors and Ferris podcast studio. Like, they look really nice.

[Jenna Cottrell]

That's cool.

[Mike Catalana]

And we just look like our. We're. We're cousin Eddie and pulls up in National Lampoons with the rv. That's. That's a little bit. Hey, we're starting. This is still a way better setup than kind of the chaos that's here. This is kind of a nice little backdrop for us. So yesterday we did it standing up. We're. We're sitting down today. I have a blister on my foot. A lot of walking.

[Dan Fates]

Oh, poor dad.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I don't feel bad for you. Let's get into it, though. It's a crazy day. But why don't you kind of set up what it is like there and just kind of what the setup is and kind of what goes into it.

[Dan Fates]

It's very interesting to see because we're in the room, like we mentioned, where it's all the podcasts and the radio stations and everybody. And then on the other side is the people. Dan was mentioning Sirius Radio then You

[Mike Catalana]

have ESPN and, and cs, NFL Network. Right.

[Dan Fates]

All of them over there. And they're set up to get people like Brandon Bean and Joe Brady and they'll get individual interviews over there. And then there's the podium set up today was the coaches and the general managers. They step up, they do 15 minutes and then the next one comes up after that. So you'll see the media from all the teams around the podium and then it's the same scene. Everybody sort of follows the coach or follows the gm and then they get a little like area where we call it a scrum where there's a bunch of people around it. And then you see individual interviews and then eventually you see them come into here. So we sort of know the way it goes. I will say the Bills are pretty good about getting them to us. We got to do those individual interviews which was fun today.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah. And that's the thing is that. So they go up to the podium, Jenna, obviously. And then it's. Everybody can like we could have sat in on the Titans general manager and asked him a question about hey, do you think you're going to trade Travion Sweat.

[Dan Fates]

Tavontre Sweat.

[Mike Catalana]

There it is. The guy that I said that they're going to trade to the Bills. I could have asked him that question. Yes. So all those kind of things happen and then obviously we get more time with Bean and Brady.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. Do we want to get into your one on one interviews? Because I think you guys, I know it's. It's obviously a big deal to have that time to be there and get those types of interviews and I know a lot of people have heard what Brandon Bean and Joe Brady had to say at the podium but obviously you guys have exclusive stuff there.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. Well, let's start with this. It's a lot for me to give up one of those interviews. So Dan and I dressed identical today.

[Mike Catalana]

So I realized that yesterday when we both wore the buffalo plus hoodie.

[Jenna Cottrell]

I thought you did that on purpose.

[Mike Catalana]

So I brought two sport coats. It was one sport coat too many because this is a much more laid back. But we figured when we were doing the one on one interview.

[Dan Fates]

Oh yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

And I think last year I even mentioned it that I said I wanted to do one of the one on ones and you said we'll see.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. And so today was the day. So go ahead into it with Joe Brady.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah. We wanted to with our one on one opportunities try and have a theme or try and get to in depth on one point. Sometimes you can be asking all the different types of questions. Kind of wanted to stick with one theme. So here's my interview with Bill's head coach, Joe Brady. Joe, at your introductory press conference, you talked a lot about your relationship with players. Specifically, I want to know about Josh Allen. Do you ever get mad at him? Does he ever get mad at you and how does that all work out?

[Joe Brady]

Yeah, absolutely. I think anytime you have a relationship with someone, right, like there's going to be a lot of good. And don't get me wrong, he makes me look a lot better, you know, than the other and the other way around. But yeah, no, there's, there's definitely frustration at times, right. He's not perfect. There's frustration at me at play calls. Like that's part of, part of it, but part of having a relationship is knowing that there's, there's, there is good and there is bad, but there can be honest.

[Mike Catalana]

Right.

[Joe Brady]

Transparency with it.

[Mike Catalana]

He's one of the best trash talkers in the league. You've said before now that you're the head coach in practice. Are you excited to give it back to him when you're rooting for the defense?

[Joe Brady]

Absolutely. Look, look, I don't ever, I know I said it. I, I, I don't ever want him to throw an interception. It's still going to be when you say when I get mad, I get mad at every interception, every fumble. But I'm not the offensive coordinator anymore, right. And so when those happen, it is going to be opportunities to, hey, let's put the ball on, see what the next one. But I get to celebrate with the D and roll from there.

[Mike Catalana]

When you came to Buffalo in 2022, you were Josh Allen's quarterbacks coach. Then you became his offensive coordinator. Now you're his head coach. Could you ever imagine that when you arrived in Buffalo?

[Joe Brady]

No, not at all. I mean, I didn't think it was a possibility nor did I want it. Right. I didn't want it to be a possibility. Right. But it's when the opportunity came up. This isn't in both situations, nothing else I wanted. Right. And so I'm grateful to be here.

[Mike Catalana]

Day one of the combine, it's about 2:30 in the afternoon. How many energy drinks have you had so far?

[Joe Brady]

I'm a few in.

[Mike Catalana]

Right.

[Joe Brady]

I'm a few fast twitches in. I got some tea. Yeah. We got a long night ahead. Right. So there'll be a lot more still to go.

[Mike Catalana]

I appreciate it. Thanks, Joe.

[Joe Brady]

I appreciate you.

[Mike Catalana]

The only other question I wish I would have Asked him was about his apparel on game days. I don't think anybody's really asked him, Jenna, about the shorts and T shirt. It's the same black look that he walks in every single game day, no matter what the weather. But really, you. You get about 90 seconds to talk to them because there are other media outlets, local outlets that come here. So you get about two minutes max. And. But I thought it was. It was nice to hear that they were honest about that Brady was honest about his relationship with Josh and that, like, yeah, like, we don't get along all the time and we work through it. And that's what I kind of expected. I didn't know if that's what I would get. I knew that that's the circumstance, Jenna, because there's. They're competitors and it's the NFL. It's not like some cushy office job. Like, you're having disagreements about the play call. Like, Joe's like, yeah, he gets mad at me about some play calls. I get mad at him about some of the throws he makes. I like to hear that because Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels had screaming matches, Peyton Manning and players on the sidelines. And we don't see that side of Josh, especially in front of the cameras.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah, I think that to me is so important because that shows to me that they actually have a relationship. Like, if you were to say, no, we get along great. It's like, well, that's not real. And you can't be authentically honest about how you're feeling because it's. It's unrealistic to think that these two in a high stakes, high pressure environment would see eye to eye on absolutely everything. So having that knowledge of, like, yeah, we don't always get along, I. I think that's valuable because it's like, okay, so they've obviously had to already work through conflict and they have the rapport that they do. But I thought it was nice to know, like, it's not always rainbow and sunshine and that's a part of it. So how you work through that matters. And it seems like they've been able to do that. But I thought it was nice to have the honesty of like, yeah, you know, sometimes it's. It's not always perf. Perfect because that's real and that matters.

[Dan Fates]

You know what I find interesting, though, Jenna, going forward on that is he's had that relationship with him as offensive coordinator. Well, and quarterbacks coach and quarterback. Now it is a little different, quite honestly. He's going to have less individual time with Josh Allen. And that's going to make the relationship a little different, I think. I mean, let's be honest, what he was worried about for a while was just Josh Allen, and then it was just Josh Allen in the offense. Now he's got a whole team to worry about. So those moments are going to be different for their relationship.

[Mike Catalana]

Well, I was also thinking about the fact that when it's Josh and Joe, like you said, it's just the offense. So when Sean McDermott says, we're going to punt on fourth and two, he can go back to Joe and be like, I can't believe he punted. I can't believe they punted that spot. Now it's Joe Brady that's going to decide whether to punt or go for it on fourth down. And that's where the dynamic changes.

[Dan Fates]

Janet, am I the only one that's making a too big of a deal of the fact that Joe's on the field calling the plays and he's dealing with the chaos of the field? I think that's just so different.

[Jenna Cottrell]

That is tremendously different. And I'm very curious to see how that will work, because up in the booth, like Dan, you mentioned the shorts earlier. I'm like, yeah, the shorts was a cute look because he would take laps around the field and then go up to the nice, heated, cushy box up above. When, you know, it started snowing out and raining and you know you're out on the field for four hours. Yeah. It changes the dynamic of how you see the field. And you're right. Like Mike, you have. You're in the middle of literally everything. You're making all of these split decisions and you're doing it from a different vantage point than you have been in the last couple of seasons. That definitely changes how things will. Will look. But also I'm curious how it will feel for him because it is a different environment when there's already so much more on his shoulders. Now, that's definitely something that I think is interesting.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. And when you're the quarterback's coach or you're the offensive coordinator, you can go on the sidelines, go stand over there and talk to him. We've seen that happen. Right. When he's out there. And it's not. You can't do that as head coach. It's a quick moment over there with your quarterback and. Because you're coaching the entire team.

[Mike Catalana]

Yes.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Dan Fates]

Right. That's his job as the head coach.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

But he has a, you know, he's used to just one side of the ball. He's an offensive head coach. If you were to ask him, are you a defensive or an offensive head coach, he would.

[Dan Fates]

By the way, Chad, I'm gonna ask you about this. You said it was a cute look. Is that what you said?

[Jenna Cottrell]

No, I'm saying it's like, it's cute. Like, it's not actually cute, but, like, you know. You know how we talk about, like, too cute sometimes? To me, it was a little too cute. Joe Brady walking around the field in shorts because he talked about dog mentality. But it's easy to wear shorts when you're only outside for, like, 40 minutes. Do you know what I'm saying?

[Mike Catalana]

Are you saying. Are you saying cute like a Dawson Knox jet sweep cute? Like, is that what we're talking about?

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah, like, that's what I'm kind of talking about. Like, I'm like, it's. It's a bit. And I get that, but it's easy to do a bit when you only have to be outside for, like, I said, like, 40 minutes. What do you got once it's like 40? Like, you know, four hours. Different.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah, Jetta. Like when we're on the field for four hours and somebody's in that cushy box.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Well, it's not too bad out here. It's like, you don't even know the half of it.

[Mike Catalana]

You don't even know.

[Dan Fates]

It's tough.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

I think that dynamic changes, too, with. With Brady. And he talks about a little bit at the podium about he's not going to change who he is. And I think there is that difference. And I go back to remembering when Bobby Babich made the decision that he said he's too intense on the sidelines and that that's why he would have to go in the booth. And now you're getting Joe Brady, who was on the sidelines with Josh Allen as the quarterback's coach, went up to the booth to call plays, and now he's going to be back down on the field and he's going to be able to have that relationship to some respects, again. I understand he's the head coach of the team and has to also check in on defense, but he will. I guess sometimes you think about the mannerisms that change. Jenna, to your point, like, it's different being on the sidelines in that chaos. We've been on the sidelines there. Like, you know, all the things that we've seen, all the. The craziness that goes on there. Brady's now going to be in it. He can't isolate himself upstairs.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. You're gonna have to make so many decisions in an environment where it's constantly changing. And I'm not saying he can't do that. I'm just saying that is different than what he has been before. You know, before, when the defense is on the field, you know, he can kind of regroup and talk things through, whereas now it's like, okay, what are we doing here? What are you doing there? And I know Jim Leonard is the defensive coordinator, but to think that Joe Brady won't be involved is, I think, a little bit silly.

[Mike Catalana]

Tunnel vision. Up in the booth, you're just focused on what's going on.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah, that's the way I am when I'm up in the booth.

[Jenna Cottrell]

You know, that's me at the buffet.

[Mike Catalana]

Jenna. Jenna.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Did you.

[Mike Catalana]

Did you see that,

[Dan Fates]

by the way, should we tell Jenna about the hotel?

[Jenna Cottrell]

What?

[Mike Catalana]

Yes. Also, if you see us looking off to the side over here, it's because the. The laptop is here. So I'm sure there'll be comments, are like, why is Dan looking off the side? It's just to make sure that we're still in the frame.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Mike Catalana]

Yes. Jenna. Mike is Platinum Elite.

[Dan Fates]

We've traveled a lot. Marriott.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah. They used to steal our points.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Right.

[Mike Catalana]

So when we were in Denver, you were on, like, the 17th floor penthouse suite, and I was the peasant. 18th floor, and I was the peasant on, like, the third floor.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah, third.

[Mike Catalana]

Okay. So we check into our hotel yesterday.

[Dan Fates]

Smaller hotel.

[Mike Catalana]

Yes. We're walking everywhere, hence the blister. And I get fourth floor. Mike gets second floor. And there was a moment of, like, how you like them apples, old man? The elevator first. Then what happens, Mike?

[Dan Fates]

I'm on the fifth floor. I just went down very nicely. Asked the gentleman behind the desk. He's like, thank you for your Platinum Elite status.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. You get, like, a snack when you walk in.

[Dan Fates]

Oh, yeah, we got a snack. It was good, too.

[Mike Catalana]

People in the Midwest are very kind, very nice. People behind the desk, they're going, oh, because of your status, you either usually get points or a gift. And they go, but we're going to give you both, because why not? And they give us a paper bag, and inside the paper bag, sun chips and a bottle of water.

[Dan Fates]

Yes.

[Jenna Cottrell]

So they gave you.

[Mike Catalana]

But Mike, seriously, we go. We came downstairs for dinner, and Mike's, like, holding out his. His room card, and I'm like, I. I don't get what you're saying. And it's like 5:12.

[Dan Fates]

Fifth floor.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah, fifth floor. Like, this is what. This is where we're at now. And I'm like, you would be the guy to be like, yeah, you Totally not my level.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. So when we go up the elevator, Dan gets off first.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Oh, my dad. You thought you had him, too.

[Mike Catalana]

I thought it had.

[Dan Fates]

He did, too.

[Mike Catalana]

Mike just pulls the big dog move of I need to be above Dan.

[Jenna Cottrell]

That doesn't shock me at all. Does not shock me at all. Okay. Anything else you want to touch on from Brady before we get into. I was about to say Jim Bean. Just because I'm looking at Jim.

[Dan Fates]

That's funny.

[Jenna Cottrell]

That's. That's related tonight. I imagine anything from the podium, though. I did think when he was asked about, like, having conversations with players about how he respects the past, but this is year one of the organization, I thought that was pretty interesting.

[Dan Fates]

I think that's the proper way to look at it. I think Joe has said enough times about his respect for the. What's happened. He's thanked Sean McDermott. If you're Joe Brady, you've done that. You just move on.

[Mike Catalana]

Yep.

[Dan Fates]

And. And he is the head coach now, so I'm with you. I like that answer, and I thought it was appropriate for what he's facing now.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Agreed. All right, let's get into Brandon Bean. Dan, you had the interview with Joe Brady. Michael, you had the interview with Brandon Bean.

[Dan Fates]

So let's start with this at the podium. Regular questions, like Dan was saying, people were asking about some of the people he interviewed. It was reporters from Jacksonville and Denver. All that was fine. And everybody in from the Buffalo kind of western New York stayed out of it. And then a gentleman stood up and he said the question that he heard a few weeks ago was, why could. Why would you say Sean McDermott got fired and you still have your job?

[Mike Catalana]

And then he vanished.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

He was a guy walking by. He's like, why'd Sean get fired and you get promoted? And he's like, I'm not really going to talk about that.

[Dan Fates]

We're moving forward. And by the way, I thought his answer, his answer was appropriate. He said, you'd have to talk to Terry about that. He was asked and answered. I would give him that, but it

[Mike Catalana]

was kind of something that combine.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. Because people just ask.

[Mike Catalana]

And then he was gone. Like, dropped in.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Just like, why? Why did Sean get fired?

[Jenna Cottrell]

I didn't hear that question. I was like, oh. And then I thought the way that Brandon Bean handled it was perfect. Like, yay for that, That's a Terry question. We're here, you know, and he's answered it.

[Dan Fates]

And he's answered it.

[Jenna Cottrell]

That's very fair. That is also.

[Dan Fates]

Let's get to the one on one, and I got a chance to talk to him and I asked him about a few different things, including the guy they love to talk about, Keon. Here is my one on one with Brandon Beam. All right, Brandon, let's talk about taking big swings now. In your time with the Bills, when you took a big swing, Josh Allen, you're talking about bringing in Stefon Diggs, Von Miller, those usually worked out well. I know you're aggressive, but the big swings haven't come as much in recent years. Is that circumstances? Was that a plan and is that still in you to make that big swing?

[Brandon Bean]

Yeah, listen, I'm wired aggressively if you're around me, you know, that's how I play golf. That's how I make decisions. But I try not to be reckless. And some of it is. Some of it can be circumstances. What assets do you have to be aggressive with? Whether that's draft picks, whether that's salary cap. Obviously, when we did Josh, those were draft picks that we, you know, had a plan to acquire a bunch, you know, that we didn't have to, you know, lose a whole draft the following year just to get him, get a quarterback. You know, when we acquired Steph, that was draft capital, but it was also, we had our cap in good order and we weren't paying a Josh Allen, you know, the price, you know, the price that we were paying him and Vaughn, you know, was. Was a swing as well.

[Mike Catalana]

And there's.

[Brandon Bean]

I think there's just been others, but ultimately all those things have to line up and make sense. I don't want to do something that we look back in three or four years ago. Man, that was. That was a reckless decision.

[Dan Fates]

You've talked about a championship roster and what you felt with this team, but you're building it again right now. What makes a championship roster? Do you. What. What is it? Is it. I mean, you start with Josh Allen, but what is it with a championship roster?

[Brandon Bean]

Yeah, I mean, I think it is. It obviously starts with a friend, franchise quarterback. And so you try to build the pieces around it. You know, are you protecting them? Are you having a balanced offense? And then can you affect the quarterback? How do you. There's different ways to affect the quarterback. That's blitzing, that's rushing with just four. That's the pieces you have in the back end. That are guarding receivers. You know, all that stuff can affect the opposing quarterback. And so a championship roster does. Does your roster allow you, Is it good enough to get in the playoffs? And then is it good enough to win playoff games? And so when you look back every year, do you say, hey, that team had enough talent? We didn't. You know, there's multiple teams every year that have the talent to win it, but only one can actually win it. And so you want to make sure you have the right team, the right components, and also that they have the right mentality to win those close games, win over the top, whatever it is. You know, our games, most of these post seasons have been decided by a player or two here or there.

[Dan Fates]

You've been supportive of Keon Coleman. Yeah, he's in year number three. And I know you talk about, you know, some of the offseason stuff has been frustrating. Has he tested your patience at all? And what makes you feel so confident that he can overcome these things now going into year number three?

[Brandon Bean]

Because Keon, deep down is a very good young man. He's conscientious, he doesn't get in trouble. He. He cares about ball, he cares about his teammates. Like, there's not a guy who thinks he's better or above doing those things. It's just we all grow up in different phases at different times. And, and I know we could probably look at ourselves and say, man, I. I probably could have handled that better or done that, you know, in my 20s or 30s, whatever it is. And I think it's. It's on all of us to continue to support him, him. And I think that's the best way to get the most out of most people, and we're going to continue to do that. He obviously has to do his part, but we're confident that he'll attack this offseason the way he did last year, and we'll kind of go from there.

[Dan Fates]

Last thing, you had a lot of changes in this offseason, but now it's a first time head coach and a first time defensive coordinator. Has your role changed at all? Is there more authority, more responsibility? Do you feel it's different than what it's been with Sean in these past few years?

[Brandon Bean]

No. I mean, listen, we're all just going to roll our sleeves up and do our jobs, and that's Joe and I collaborating, working together, communicating, and kind of, you know, delegating tasks to different people, whether it's scouts, whether it's coaches, whether it's your strength, staff, your trainer, whatever it is. We're going to work together, we're going to put our heads together and try and build the right program, bring the right pieces in, get them developed, whether that's rookies, whether that's second year players, and we're 0 and 0, we start over. So this is going to the 20, 26 iteration is going to be a new version of the Buffalo Bills and we got to make sure that when we come out of training camp that we have a team that we feel confident can be a contender. And that's what you're looking for.

[Dan Fates]

All right, thanks. Brandon Bean, I know he talks about being aggressive, but, you know, who am I to push back on his answer? But when he said I've been aggressive, not at the level he was in the first few years. And I do understand for a team that's been in the position they've been in, it's a little harder to do that.

[Mike Catalana]

It's the risk to reward.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

When you're at the top, why would you risk more? Or some people may say, if you're that close, why not risk it? I see both sides, but I thought his answer was saying, you know, we have taken swings. If you consider Josh Palmer a swing, if you consider Joey Bose a swing, they just didn't, they didn't land as much. And those seem like smaller swings in my. Yeah, I think in all of our impressions compared to Vaughn and Diggs.

[Dan Fates]

But Jenna, when I asked him about Keon, he did not really answer when I said, has he made you lose your patience? Because I don't know really what he's going to say to that. But come on, he has to have done that. And the amount of time they have spent talking about that player. I joked and said we talk about him more than we talk about Josh Allen. I mean, I know we know what Josh Allen is, but like was very little Josh Allen talk today.

[Mike Catalana]

Correct. And he was also asked. The reason I think you brought it up obviously in the one on one was because he was asked about it at the podium, about what you need to see more or what you need to see out of Keon this offseason into next year. Because look, he's talking about the maturity

[Dan Fates]

thing and aren't we, shouldn't we be past that guy's going into year three in the NFL.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah, that's something you talk about with the rookie and that. Not a, not a guy that's going into his third year. I, I don't want to hear anymore that he's young. I don't want to hear like. And Mike has always said it, right? Jenna, it does not. Josh doesn't care about your age when he's throwing you, deciding to throw you the football.

[Jenna Cottrell]

But he does care if he can trust you, which he has shown Keon has through his actions that he's not been reliable enough on the field and off the field. You could say.

[Mike Catalana]

Right. And so we. The whole answer from the podium, I tweeted it out. It's going to be on shorts and on Instagram. It'll be up on TikTok. It'll be up on YouTube as a short. So all those places, if you want to see it's about minute and 20 seconds is full answer. Because he also talks about, you know, we at training camp. He was great. He showed all the things phase one, phase two. And he had that great game against Baltimore in week one. It's. Can you build off that? Because he said the fact is, is that you don't want those off the field issues. Bean said, I've been around the league for 28 years. I've seen those affect players ability to grow on the field and help. He said their wealth as well, like, that's key on. I mean, second contracts are. Are massive. That's what James Cook wanted.

[Dan Fates]

Forget about second contracts. Jenna, what do you always say about saying and doing don't listen to what they say.

[Mike Catalana]

What do I say?

[Jenna Cottrell]

I don't even know.

[Dan Fates]

Pay attention to what they do.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Pay attention to what they do.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah. So.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Well, that's what I was about to say is I'm curious your thoughts and if you think that this is essentially them trying to prop him up once again, or do you think that they are actively like, all right, maybe this isn't going to work, or is it them trying to get the good praise out there that other people will be like, you know what? Maybe we will take a swing at a guy at Keon Coleman.

[Dan Fates]

I don't think any of it would impact trade value at this point. Somebody has taken a shot at the guy because you're going to admit if you want to trade him, that he's failed going into year three. I think it's more of them saying, we tried to be tough on him last year and it didn't work. Now we're going to be nice to him and see if it works. That's the way I see it.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. It is wild to think that when you have Josh Allen, the player that's being talked about the most and even. Even from the owner. Yeah, I was gonna Say even at Terry Bagula and Brandon Bean's press conference before, it was Josh Allen and Keon Coleman. Yeah. Some other notes from today talking to Brandon being talking on one Bill's Live. He did say that they are. It's not an if. It's a. When they pick up Dalton Kincaid's fifth year. And then they did restructure Spencer Brown so his contract saved about 10.4 million against the cap. Dan, isn't that wild?

[Mike Catalana]

Poof. That's wild. Cap room Brandon was even talking about. It's not. It's what you can do what. What they're going to do to get more money to spend in free agency because, poof, $10 million, they're gonna hit the piggy bank for Josh Allen's contract. Poof. They're gonna have 20 more million dollars. They're gonna hit it on somebody else and go poof.

[Dan Fates]

And the cap's gonna go up this year and next.

[Mike Catalana]

Did you freeze, Jenna?

[Jenna Cottrell]

No. I figured you would say something. Yeah, you're still there. I just. I kind of let you cook, and then I kind of just wanted to make you guys feel.

[Mike Catalana]

I've cooked enough. I don't want to burn it. I. I've. I've hit that, hit that enough.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Anything else?

[Dan Fates]

It's going to be an interesting dynamic this year to see how everything goes because it is a little different. I think Joe. I will say this to wrap up those two interviews. I think Joe is pretty comfortable in his role. Again, he's not coaching yet, but this is a little different. You're in front of the, you know, national reporters, and he's doing all the other things. I think he will show well for the public, for Bill's fans and everybody else. I think he's done a good job.

[Mike Catalana]

I agree. And he kind of, a little bit reminds me of Dable in the sense of very buttoned up at his 1. At his Monday press conferences. He didn't really get a lot, but you see the personality more when you're just talking to him.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

That's kind of where we fell in love with, with Day Ball was because he was one way in front of the cameras, which was very polished, close to the vest.

[Dan Fates]

Let's be honest. You fell in love. We like table a lot.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah. But then again, I think that you've heard about Joe Brady's. Like, I joked around about the energy drinks. Like, I think he brings a lot of energy and juice into that building.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Juice.

[Mike Catalana]

But it may not be always seen in front of the camera because I Think he's a little bit more reserved, or at least he has been as the offensive coordinator, which is, I think, what you're supposed to do.

[Dan Fates]

Yeah.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. I'm going to push back. I feel like Joe Brady to me, which. This makes sense. I think he's. I think he's pretty up. No, I don't want to say up front, but I think that he's just nervous in front of the camera, which is fine. I'm not. I'm not, like, saying surprising. Oh, I do. I get, like, a little antsy. Maybe it's because of the energy drinks. Honestly.

[Mike Catalana]

Could be. He said he was going to crush some more later tonight, and he had already had it. He's already a quote, few in.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. And this is his first NFL combine as the Bills head coach. Like, I think there's understandably nerves involved, but to me, I feel like he's still finding his footing, which makes sense because this is a new chapter for him. What? Mike, we talked yesterday about the tone. We wanted to hear things we were expecting. In terms of Bean, what did you make of his tone today?

[Dan Fates]

I thought it was very similar. Bean. I didn't really notice anything different. He didn't seem any different to me than last year when I talked to him here in this setting. Like, they fell short again. And I think he knows that. Obviously, I asked him about. And you heard in the interview about him having more responsibility and maybe more authority. They always push back about that. I don't believe that. I think he does now mean now the coach reports to him. So it's just a different setup. But in terms of his public demeanor, and he was popular around all the interviews, I didn't notice any difference at all from him. I think he's. Now it's a month past all that happening. I think he seemed pretty much like Brandon. Mean.

[Mike Catalana]

Yep.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. Okay. Nice. Any other notes from today?

[Dan Fates]

We talked to two people today that'll be part of our podcast going forward. One is Zach Berman. He writes for the Athletic, covers the Eagles in Philly. And the reason we talked to him was about AJ Brown. And in fact, I think we'll probably use this interview tomorrow in the podcast. Zach was great. And if you think you know everything about AJ Brown, I think he gave a very enlightened perspective on A.J. brown.

[Mike Catalana]

I think we know we see a lot from the 30,000ft he's been with AJ Brown.

[Brandon Bean]

Yeah.

[Mike Catalana]

Covered him and things like that. So I think where maybe, as you only see the snippets on social media or one Thing or one quote from AJ Brown. I think he provided a lot more insight that at least again, Philly guy, not. Not really following the Eagles like that. It was interesting to see and kind of fascinating to hear him talk about AJ Brown's mentality, the respect that he has in the locker room. This is what we call a teaser in the biz. Yeah, this will all be there tomorrow,

[Dan Fates]

but it's not all positive. I mean, there are things. There were issues this year and how that played out in Philly, and I know Nick Sirianni had said there's no guarantee that he's going to be on the roster, so it could be in play, and gave a perspective on the league. So that was good. And we also talked to Sam Monson, who has his own podcast, covers the league and had interesting things to say about the perception of what the Bills did, how Brandon Bean will deal with it, how he'll deal with the criticism from his side, his perspective. So that's another interview that we're going to have this week on the podcast.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah, he didn't hold back. Does not hold back. Sam Monson. So that was. That was a really good interview as well.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Okay.

[Dan Fates]

Matt Harmon, who's right behind us.

[Mike Catalana]

Right behind us. Yahoo. The great backdrop as well.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yahoo. What is that called? An anagram?

[Mike Catalana]

Yes. Buffalo plus backwards. Yes. As well as hope to catch up with Mike Reese as well as some other people. And then obviously, tomorrow we start hearing from the players. So we will hear from defensive linemen and tight ends, I believe.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Linebackers. Linebackers, D. Linebackers, D line linebackers and kickers. Place kickers.

[Dan Fates]

Three areas of need.

[Mike Catalana]

Yeah, there's a lot, possibly.

[Dan Fates]

Yes, certainly the first two.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Yeah. Yeah, that's fair. Okay. All right. Thank you, guys. I appreciate it. Please be sure to, like, comment, subscribe and share. We'll have plenty more coverage from indie as Mike and Dan holding down the fort out in Indiana in your matching outfits. What are you guys going to wear tomorrow? Do you have it planned out? You gonna do a fashion show?

[Mike Catalana]

I have my outfit picked out and I don't think Mike will have it.

[Dan Fates]

Probably not.

[Jenna Cottrell]

Michael, are you gonna go hoodie, sport coat?

[Mike Catalana]

No, we do look adorable.

[Jenna Cottrell]

You really. You gotta remind me of stepbrothers when they're. Love you guys. Just kidding. All right, again, please be sure to, like, comment, subscribe and share.

[Mike Catalana]

The farts seem kind of weird now. The tuxes seem kind of weird

[Jenna Cottrell]

for Mike and Dan. I'm Jenna. Thanks for watching Buffalo. Buffalo plus.

[Mike Catalana]

Buffalo plus.