McDaniels' take
FOXBOROUGH -- Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels held his bi-weekly press conference today at Gillette Stadium (10:30 a.m.) and was asked about his name surfacing as a possible head coach candidate around the NFL.
Some of the Q&A:
This is the time of year when head coaching positions open around the NFL. As part of media speculation, your name has surfaced as a possible candidate. Are you aware of that, and what are your thoughts on that?
"If your name ever is thrown around for something like that, I think it's flattering. I also think that in the middle of the season, it's really nothing that you can concern yourself with. That's kind of my approach to anything that would come up, whether it be now, or at sometime in the future, or later on in my career. I think I just focus on the job that I'm doing here and I believe my career, whatever path it's going to take, it will take. But the best thing for me, and the best thing for our team, is to work hard at what we're doing right now and win the game against Miami, and do the best we can in terms of our preparation, and then everything else will take care of itself."
Do you have aspirations to be a head coach, and how close to that do you feel you are?
"I have no idea how close I am to it. I think that as a coach, or as a player, you are always trying to strive to do the best thing you can do now for your team, and if that takes you to another step -- and you feel like that's the right thing to do at that time -- you make that decision when it comes up. I haven't really given it much thought, to tell you the truth. I'm really trying to focus in on what I'm doing here, and again, just let everything kind of fall out when it does eventually. If it's in the cards, great. If it's not, then I'm sure I could live without it."
Why is everyone so enamored of him? Does he really make great play calls and adjustments? I don't see it. Tom Brady is maybe the best quarterback in the history of the NFL, and that makes McDaniels's job considerably easier, but he doesn't seem to have the same flexibility in game that Charlie Weis demonstrated, for example; and he certainly has a lot more to work with. Personally, I think this team is too quick to go to the pass, but too slow to go to the screen. They run too many plays out of the same formation, although I'm sure a lot of that has been lack of TE depth. I'm sure he works hard and does fine, but I think another team would be making a mistake to get him so young and inexperienced, with only three or four seasons. In fact, he's awful. You don't need to hire McDaniels. He's not the coach you're looking for. Move along. Move along.
Someone will throw a good amount of money in McDaniels' way to make him think twice about staying put. Granted, not for 10 years as ND did. He would be wise to staying put for a couple of more years for the experience. But rest assured, other teams will shake the Bellichick tree for as long as he is a head coach. Personally speaking, McDaniels does not have the experience necessary to be a head coach...but then again, who the hell am I...
I COMPLETELY AGREE WITH THE PREVIOUS COMMENTS. I BELIEVE CHARLIE WEISS HAD A LOT MORE VERSATILITY.
Take a look at the coaching bio's.... the wide receiver's coach was the QB at that proverbial football powerhouse in Ohio... no not OSU, but JCU... as in John Carroll University in Shaker Heights Ohio... his # 1 wide receiver was the present offensive co ordinator... Is this an indication that it is the system, or the head coach, or even the O line Coach who deserve far more credit than he receives..
The the WR coach and the QB coach played together for three or four years. Maybe their alma mater will make one of them a big time offer like ND did for Weis. BTW does JCU still have a football program? The Head Coach and the QB are the keys to the success. The other folks are in the right place at the right time..
I was not a big fan of Josh McDaniels. However, I will say that in the current season he has shown some maturity. Of course, having the players that are on the offensive side of the ball this season certainly do make quite a difference.
He still, IMO, is a little slow to make changes and adjustments as was the case in last year's AFCCG when in the 2nd half, the Colts defense made adjustments and it appeared as if it caught Josh off guard and he had no way to counter the adjustments.
As far as being a head coach, I believe he is far too green, and far too young and inexperienced at this stage of his carreer. That may change, but for now, he still needs to mature into his current role.
I think that part of McDaniels' success is his ability to call crazy plays, that's only part of his success because if he was calling these plays for the Dolphins they'd still have approximately the same record. It is, as in the case of many coaches, they're ability to make the best use of the talent, not just them. We would not have the same record without Brady, even if we still had McDaniels (by the way, if this ever happened, I'd probably move to Baltimore.)
John Carroll has a football team in Division III. Not many D3 schools throw money at head coaches.
Don Shula and London Fletcher (current LB for Wash.) are alums of John Carroll as well as the WR/Of cord.
Nice Star Wars quote JJCRUISER.
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