The Josh McDaniels Rumors Are Both Intriguing and Concerning
K. Joudry
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Josh McDaniels is a great offensive coordinator. It remains to be seen if he will one day be a great head coach. If you’re a believer in the rumors, then perhaps we’ll know sooner rather than later what Josh McDaniels can do as the main man.
Of course, fans will remember McDaniels for his two head coaching letdowns. The first was in Denver, where he led the way when Tim Tebow became a first-round selection. The 45-year-old didn’t even make it through his second year with the team, getting canned after opening the 2010 season 3-9. Obviously, that’s less than ideal, but it’s worth remembering that that was over a decade ago. People can grow a lot in more than 10 years.
The Colts situation does give reason for pause. Apparently, he accepted the job to become the head coach of the Colts back in 2018. He then backed out, a move that was widely criticized because several assistants had already been hired. I don’t know what went into his decision to back out, so it’s difficult to have too firm of an opinion. All I can say is that it’s certainly a blemish on his resume, one that is made worse by some assistant coaches getting screwed over.
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Perhaps most concerning is the long history of Bill Belichick disciples who have failed. How did things go for Matt Patricia? Joe Judge? Heck, Brian Flores appeared to be the only successful one and he got fired. Toss McDaniels into the mix from his Denver days and it’s easy to see why it’s wise to be a little wary.
With all these red flags, why is Josh McDaniels in the rumors? Well, because he’s a good coach.
He has 16 years of NFL experience. He has 6 Super Bowls. It’s also notable that he has 14 years of being a quarterback coach. He has done double duty as an OC and QB coach for most of his career as a coordinator. In Minnesota, McDaniels would be tasked with either getting the most out of Kirk Cousins or developing a young player. He seems well-suited to that role. The guy has the luxury of having coached the undisputed GOAT for most of his career.
Part of what has made this past season so impressive has been his ability to get the most out of Mac Jones. Their year ended in a whimper, and yet it was a strong performance from the Alabama alum. A 67.6 completion % and 22/13 TD-to-INT ratio is no joke for a rookie, especially in an AFC East division that presents some legit challenges.
Does this mean I want the Josh McDaniels rumors to materialize? No, not necessarily.
What I will say, though, is that he’s far from the worst person Minnesota could hire (a.k.a Mike McCarthy). Hiring an offensive specialist has to be appealing for a team coming off two-straight defensive head coaches. He isn’t in the boy wonder category alongside people like LaFleur or McVay, but he’s far from old. Perhaps he’d be capable of maximizing Minnesota’s abundance of offensive weapons while coaxing the defense back into respectability.
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