Buffalo Bills star quarterback Josh Allen shielded his rookie head coach following a sideline blunder, prioritizing team chemistry as the high-powered offense dominated Carolina in a promising preseason debut.
Saturday's win for the Buffalo Bills looked pretty promising for new head coach Joe Brady.
The Bills dominated on both sides of the ball, with the connection between quarterback Josh Allen and new receiver DJ Moore sticking out in a 29-14 win over the Carolina Panthers in preseason Game 1.
The Bills outgained the Panthers 396-201 in total yards. 245 yards for Buffalo came through the air with 151 on the ground.
However, Brady made a rookie mistake on a challenge in the fourth quarter, throwing the red challenge flag down on a down-by-contact call on the field. The Bills didn't win the challenge, and Allen told reporters after the game that he was urging Brady to challenge the play.
"I was in his ear telling him to throw the challenge flag, so I'll take that one. That was on me," Josh Allen said, via the Bills' website.
It didn't really matter when Brady threw the flag. The Bills were up 29-7 and had the preseason game well in hand. However, using the challenge flag strategically will be a major part of the head coach's new duties.
Brady had a few things to work out in his debut as a head coach. He's figuring out where to stand on the sideline and how he wants his headset programmed.
"It was good. Still figuring out where I want to stand and all that, but I felt like our tempo in and out of the huddle, our communication with the sidelines," Brady said. "I didn't feel like it was any different from the box. I felt good about it...
"Every little detail matters in these moments. "I'm sitting there trying to make sure that my communication and the buttons on my headset are exactly how I wanted and there are some things I take note of that I don't like — so everything matters."
Brady has two more preseason games to get into rhythm before the Bills travel to play the Houston Texans in Week 1. Buffalo will travel to play the Cleveland Browns on Saturday before ending its preseason at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
