I thought Patriots’ offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels officially struck out as an NFL head coaching prospect on Feb. 6, 2018. That was the day McDaniels pulled the ripcord on an Indianapolis head coaching job that had already been announced to the public.
With Colts’ general manager Chris Ballard left at the altar and longtime agent Bob Lamonte announcing that his cold-feet client was terminated, McDaniels was a national embarrassment. A punchline. A scoundrel. Strike three.
Strike one for McDaniels was of course his failed two-year tenure in Denver from 2009-2010, complete with a videotaping “incident” (McSpygate), a QB swap of Jay Cutler for Kyle Orton, and a first-round trade-up (up!) to get Tim Tebow in the draft.
Strike two was a historically putrid 2011 stopover in St. Louis as Steve Spagnuolo’s playcaller, a 2-14 season where the Rams scored a league-worst 12.1 points per game.
Shortly thereafter McDaniels came crawling back to Bill Belichick and Tom Brady, happy to ride back-seat shotgun to the two Goats for the second half of the double-dynasty.
But against all odds, McDaniels is back “garnering early buzz” for head coaching openings or soon-to-be openings, per Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. “At (age) 45, I think McDaniels is ready to take his second shot,” Breer wrote this week. “Even if that second shot isn’t perfect.”
NFL reporter Benjamin Allbright provided more McDaniels smoke, writing this about the recently shellacked Los Angeles Chargers: “If and when they move on from Anthony Lynn, Josh McDaniels would be in the mix to replace him.”
I know, we’ve been here before with the McDaniels rumors. Last year, it was Cleveland, Carolina and the NY Giants who had him on their short list before quickly moving on to what they deemed better fits.
But this season has seen McDaniels shine in new ways that change his narrative completely: he’s emerged from Brady’s shadow, developed what appears to be genuine QB-coach rapport with the new guy, and along the way he’s made chicken salad out of, well, you know.
When is managing a 23rd-ranked (scoring) offense in the NFL an impressive feat? When the pass-catching group is among the worst assembled in league history. The running game is third best in yards-per-game without the slightest threat of an aerial attack, unless of course McDaniels schemes a trick play for a wideout to take a chance at chucking one. The Do-Your-Josh offense has been proven to be adaptable, not just a one-dink pony.
Equally as important to McDaniels’ perception, he and Cam Newton seem to have formed an affectionate bond and great working relationship. NFL writer Gary Myers reported that in 2019 Brady was “worn out” by McDaniels and wanted more input into the offensive game plan. 2020 has been a complete 180-degree turn in the QB-coordinator dynamic, with nothing close to those sideline scream sessions we were used to seeing. Granted, it’s a honeymoon year for the new couple, but Newton gushes about the man he calls ‘Mickey D’s’ weekly.
And oh-by-the-way, the relocated Brady isn’t exactly threatening that 2007 67-touchdown offense that McDaniels’ offense once structured for him. No offense to Byron Leftwich, but I bet Brady misses McDaniels and his creativity every week.
But while Brady left town, McDaniels stuck around, and it’s still somewhat of a mystery as to why.
Maybe Belichick and Bob Kraft made head-coach-in-waiting promises during that Gillette Stadium conversation a few years back while McDaniels was boxing up his things, although former Patriot Willie McGinest reported that wasn’t the case.
Maybe some simple access upgrades got McDaniels to stay for the Brady end-of-days, like Belichick offering to “include McDaniels on more of the inner workings of the organization,” as ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported.
Or maybe, as Breer has reported, McDaniels wasn’t completely sold on the Colts’ structure and plan, with clarification supposedly lacking on how every aspect of Indy’s operations down to the strength and conditioning were to be handled.
Whatever the case, we can now say McDaniels was right and we were wrong. Pulling that U-turn on the way to the heartland was genius, and he has a 6th Super Bowl ring to prove it. That, plus Belichick’s innermost secrets, a valuable proving-ground year without Brady and - I’m assuming - a big extra pile of Kraft’s cash.
It’s been a remarkable turnaround for McDaniels in just a few years. It turns out he didn’t strike out at all, he was just working on his timing.