As the Bills begin to unpack their latest heartbreaking loss on the doorstep of the Super Bowl, general manager Brandon Beane is taking stock of the entire operation.
He was forced to answer a round of questioning that lasted for more than an hour Thursday, resisting the idea of tearing down the roster after once again falling short of their ultimate goal while pledging to continue his efforts with the same goal in mind: Win a Lombardi Trophy.
Beane feels they're close, and they might already have what is necessary to clear the hurdle that has persistently blocked them in the last half-decade. Perhaps they're just a couple of pieces from getting the job done, a responsibility Beane was happy to shoulder Thursday.
"Blame me. Like there's things I could have done better to help Josh Allen more, or to help Sean McDermott more," he said, via NewYorkUpstate.com. "I don't think there's like magic pixie dust you're going to pour on a coach and he's just going to walk in here and change (what's happened). ... Maybe there's things if I did better, that would have made the play. Maybe if I would have signed a different person, draft a different person. Traded a different ... like there's so many different things that I go through. I think you just got to ignore that noise."
Frankly, Buffalo probably overachieved in reaching the AFC Championship Game, but the mention of a trade is notable. Beane had overseen some significant offseason changes to the roster in the 2024 offseason -- including the decision to trade Stefon Diggs to Houston -- yet the Bills managed to finish just one win shy of reaching the Super Bowl for the first time in 31 years.
Diggs' replacement -- rookie receiver Keon Coleman, a player Beane traded back to select in the 2024 draft -- was notably absent down the stretch, though. Understandably, Coleman's lack of production drew questions Thursday.
Beane pointed to Coleman's Week 9 wrist injury as a possible turning point for Coleman, who faded into the background over Buffalo's final six games.
"I would say probably was a little disappointed in the return from the injury," Beane said. "I did not see the same player down the stretch from a physicality, some of the things that he needs to use his size."
Buffalo lacked a clear No. 1 option in their receiving corps down the stretch, which certainly would've been helpful when the offense failed to convert a fourth-and-5 with the season on the line in Kansas City on Sunday. But it wasn't without trying, and Coleman wasn't the only player who didn't come through in key moments late in 2024.
Beane attempted to upgrade Buffalo's receiving corps during the season, acquiring Amari Cooper in a deal with the Browns before the deadline with this goal in mind. Cooper began his Bills stint with some crucial plays, but by the time they'd reached the postseason, he was little more than a footnote in their offense.
"I think he did a great job of learning our offense in fairness to him in due time," Beane said of Cooper. "He suffered the wrist injury, obviously, banged his back and missed some games but fought through it."
Injuries, it seems, were to blame for the lack of production from Bills pass catchers late in the season. Play-calling could've been a logical culprit too, especially when considering how offensive coordinator Joe Brady avoided handing the ball to James Cook in the latter stages of the AFC Championship Game despite the running back proving to be a major weapon earlier in the contest.
Outside of the final score, 2024 wasn't a failure for Buffalo, even if it seems like one. But after losing to the Chiefs once again, it sure feels like a disappointment.
Beane is hoping better results are ahead for the Bills, starting with Coleman.
"He's a young player, we got to remember," Beane said. "And some of the guys that get drafted in the first round are 24 or 25. So let's give him a little grace here. His career will not be defined by one season, and he did some good things. ... He's going to have to work very hard this offseason, him and Josh continue to work on that rapport together. But I'm optimistic that he'll do those things and that we'll see him continue to improve going into year two."
That just might be the secret sauce they need to finally surpass their big brother residing in Kansas City.
