On Tuesday evening, the Buffalo Bills officially announced Brandon Beane as the new general manager of the organization. Beane will be introduced to the media on Friday morning but in the meantime, we found out a detail that a number of fans were interested in.
With the new setup and pairing of Beane and head coach Sean McDermott, who has control of the 53-man roster?
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, that distinction will belong to Beane, the Bills new general manager. Though, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News reports that if need be, McDermott will be the one that makes the final call.
The duo worked together for six years in Carolina, and have -- by many accounts -- a very good working relationship from that time spent on the same staff.
Beane will officially be introduced by the Bills on Friday at 10:30 am.
Joe B's Take
Over the years, we've seen a lot of intrigue into the answer to this question. It's essentially a way of trying to figure out which party is to blame -- or congratulate -- for the state of the roster, and the subsequent results on the field from a year-to-year basis.
We've been conditioned to think of it this way over the last four seasons because, in that span of time, we have yet to see a complete head coach and general manager pairing.
Think about it.
Doug Whaley was brought in as the GM in waiting back in 2010 - -right at the start of the Chan Gailey/Buddy Nix era. He was on board through 2013 when Nix, Russ Brandon, and the Bills hired Doug Marrone as the head coach. After the draft wrapped up in 2013, Whaley was officially announced as GM.
Marrone and Whaley were never tied together as a package deal. And neither was Whaley with former head coach Rex Ryan.
Though he was a part of the search, ultimately the decision to hire Ryan was made by Terry and Kim Pegula -- meaning Whaley didn't have the chance to potentially hire the guy he would want.
So, for four years now, we've grown accustomed to thinking it's one or the other's fault for what ails the team -- whether it be in-game decision making or the players that were actually put on the field.
And frankly, it's been hard to establish a "team" on the field, because there really wasn't a "team" between the head coach and general manager. It was more of an arranged marriage than anything -- and those marriages failed the Bills.
This time around, it really is different. While yes, the hires were a little more than four months apart, the Bills hired a head coach and a general manager together as a team -- with the understanding that they'll operate as a cohesive unit.
As Rapoport reported on Tuesday both men are signed to matching contracts, and combined with the familiarity from their shared time in Carolina, nothing gives a better indication that this is a pairing.
If the Bills succeed, they both succeed. If they can't turn it around and the organization is still stuck in neutral or worse, both will run the risk of getting fired as a pairing.
So when it comes to the 53-man roster and who gets the final say on issues, the temptation to indulge in transactions that are made in self-interest will essentially be nullified. And even if it's McDermott that's the one that has the final say... their fates are and should be, tied together.
There is no "I" in Beane and McDermott, but there is a "team."
(Yeah, I hate myself a little for that one, too.)
But, that's how I'll go on thinking of them as they try to navigate their way through the rough waters of trying to return the Bills to prominence.
