Joe Brady stood nervously at the podium before the crowd of media and special guests assembled in the weight room at One Bills Drive, as if the enormity of the moment hit him all at once.

Several times during his opening address, he stopped to draw a slow breath, as if to keep himself steady in the moment. It was as emotional as you’ll ever see a head coach at his introduction.

And when you think of exactly what Brady has been through the past two weeks, it’s perhaps easy to understand.

That includes losing the AFC Divisional playoff game at Denver in overtime on a controversial call which his own head coach and owner insist was incorrect. Seeing his head coach, Sean McDermott, the man who brought him to Buffalo, fired despite being the only coach in the NFL to win a playoff game in six straight seasons. Being the first one interviewed to take McDermott’s place and then having to sit back and watch eight others go through the same process. All while interviewing for five other head coaching vacancies around the NFL.

So yes, there were sleepless nights, a lot of them. And a mind that was no-doubt racing in all directions, not knowing where he and his family would be living, what job he’d be doing or where.

And then came the call Tuesday morning, offering the one job he wanted more than any other.

“Buffalo is not just where I work, it’s where my life changed,” said the 36-year-old. “There is nowhere I’d rather be … This city and this organization have put so much life into me.”

Brady came to the Bills at the start of the 2022 season as the quarterbacks coach, which turned into interim offensive co-ordinator halfway through his second season in Buffalo.

He took over the job fulltime for 2024, a season in which Allen became the league’s MVP and the Bills had the highest scoring team in franchise history.

This past season saw an overall regression on offence for Buffalo, but the Bills still ranked among the NFL’s top-five or top-10 in most key offensive metrics and James Cook became the Bills’ first NFL rushing champion since O.J. Simpson.

All of which one might think would make him a popular choice among Bills Mafia.

Except that there were times this season when the offence went cold for long stretches and its overall consistency was an issue, as was ball security.

While McDermott took the fall in large part for three straight three-point playoff losses, Brady was present for each of those. In fact in each of them, the Bills offence had the ball late in the fourth quarter with enough time to score a game-winning touchdown and did not.

McDermott’s firing created an anticipation of something drastically new on the way, the consolation prize for parting with McDermott.

Now the Bills have gotten rid of one part of the playoff wall while wrapping their arms around another.

Which will be the biggest thing Brady will have to overcome when next January hits.

“I didn’t take this job to stay away from expectations,” Brady said. “I know what I signed-up for.”

On the football side, speculation is already rampant about what kinds of offence and defence Brady will run as head coach.

On the offensive side, Brady said Thursday that he had complete control of the offence under McDermott, although if that wasn’t the case, it would be hard for him to come clean with that at this point in time.

Brady stressed that teams have to evolve each season on both sides of the ball, which means that wrinkles in the offence won’t necessarily mean those are things Brady would have done if not for McDermott.

It’s widely expected that Buffalo’s receiving corps will get a heavy upgrade this off-season, which could change Brady’s playcalling dramatically.

Beane made a point Thursday to highlight how excited he was by Brady’s vision for the defence, one built on an identity of attacking opposing offensive co-ordinators and quarterbacks and with a defence that dictates to opposing offences.

That’s a style that runs counter to the principles under McDermott, where he ran schemes built on flooding passing lanes with zone coverages and taking away big plays.

Aggressive pass rush or run-stuffing fronts were never the way under McDermott. So if that’s what’s coming, those expecting change will get their wish on the defensive side of the ball.

What’s happened in Orchard Park, N.Y. the past two weeks is that Bills owner Terry Pegula has gone all in on general manager Brandon Beane, and Beane has gone all in on Joe Brady.

Now we get to see if it’s a formula that can get Buffalo to where it’s never been, while soon-to-be 30-year-old Josh Allen is in his prime.