The first shot of “Buffalo Bills: Embedded” shows a group of players and their significant others recording a video for head coach Sean McDermott to wish him well on his birthday. While “Embedded” takes you behind the curtain in so many ways, this camaraderie is such a specific thread throughout both episodes made available to the media prior to Sunday night’s premiere.
Working for the team, acting as one, pumping up each other and everyone, playing for the fans as a whole; these are the highlighted hallmarks of the Kyle Williams-narrated internet docu-series produced by the team premiering tonight at 7 p.m. Eastern. From the building of the team’s brand-new training facility through the players actually using it in offseason workouts, you can see the team-building thought process that went into the design and which runs through the plans laid out by head coach Sean McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane.
Beane is the one highlighted in the first two episodes as free agency takes center stage in episode 1, while the NFL Draft process is the focus of episode 2. Throughout meetings with his staff, interviews with players at the Combine, and even discussing his evaluations with McDermott in Indianapolis, you see the focus on building a sum that is greater than the parts. While team-building is highlighted frequently, so is team building, as in adding players to the roster.
Fans will get a sneak peek inside Lorenzo Alexander coaching his young son’s basketball team, a Josh Allen autograph session, Micah Hyde’s new San Diego home, a Shaq Lawson hike, and a whole lot more, and while that’s fun, it’s the work being done in board rooms and training rooms that is the real center of the series. It’s beautifully shot and edited, and Pegula Sports and Entertainment does a top-notch job with the visuals.
I was skeptical when they announced Season 1 of Embedded last year because I wasn’t sure how much actual content they would share, but they answered it with a good first season and these two episodes raise the bar for the second year. While the fluff exists, there is plenty of meat on the bone to satisfy every Bills fan.
“Buffalo Bills: Embedded” premieres tonight on the Buffalo Bills YouTube channel at 7 p.m. Eastern.