BUFFALO, NY. (WKBW) — Buffalo Bills head coach Joe Brady told reporters during his introductory press conference that there was no job on his staff more important than another.
But given his control of the offense for the Bills, you could make the argument that his defensive coordinator hire was, in fact, the "most important" hire he could make.
So as he steps into his first-ever full-time NFL defensive coordinator position, Jim Leonhard might know better than anyone else why expectations are so high.
"The energy you recognize. You see the stadium, and you're like I know this place. I didn't know the place across the street, but I'm excited to get in there," Leonhard said. "That's when it really hit, you get here and are driving around and are like, I know this place. This isn't something I have to come in and figure out how to navigate the fanbase and what the city really wants this team to look like."
WATCH: Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard lays out his vision for defense
Coming from the Denver Broncos system, Leonhard laid out a pretty clear vision for what we can expect to see from this defense heading into next season.
"It's going to be a change for them, but we're excited as a coaching staff to really be able to create something that is best for their skill set and fits their personalities. We're going to be an attacking defense up front, in the back end," he said. "We're going to attack the football. That's the biggest stat in football is turnovers. We're going to be aggressive, we're going to fly around, and we're going to communicate and play well together. We're going to cause issues for offenses and make them react to us."
When it comes to the personnel he'll have at his disposal to start shaping this defense, one of the first names that comes to mind is Christian Benford. He was asked about the prospect of working with a cornerback of his caliber.
"Very talented player. He's had opportunities in the past to travel and track number one receivers," added Leonhard. "It's something we will consider as we go on. I'm really excited to deep dive into the personnel, into the skill sets to create the best package for them."
