FOXBORO — Josh McDaniels had scruff.
A whole lot of it, in reality, as he walked to a podium Thursday morning contained in the Patriots’ facility.
The picture reduce in opposition to most you’ll discover of McDaniels from his earlier stops in New England, spanning 2001-08 and 2012-21. These footage mirror a coach with a good haircut, clean-shaven face and eyes laser centered.
This McDaniels, nevertheless, was relaxed. Reflective. Smiling. Days forward of a season opener the place Patriots gamers and coaches have admitted they don’t know what to anticipate from the Raiders, it’s straightforward to say the identical of McDaniels this yr.
During the last eight months, the 49-year-old has been surrounded by assistants he’s by no means labored with earlier than. He’s put in performs he’s by no means run. For the primary time in New England, McDaniels isn’t taking orders from Invoice Belichick or abiding by no matter your definition is of the Patriot Method.
That is now the second time McDaniels has discovered refuge in Foxboro. Of all of the gamers and coaches who ever left New England with massive goals solely to return hat in hand, he sits atop the record. McDaniels is the true prodigal Patriot.
Austin Hooper, the Pats’ veteran No. 2 tight finish, witnessed McDaniels’ fall from grace because the Raiders’ head coach after simply 20 months. In 2023, Hooper was the beginning tight finish in Las Vegas, his final cease earlier than New England. This week, Hooper steered away from evaluating the McDaniels he performed for then and the coach he performs for now.
Hooper did observe, nevertheless, the burden on McDaniels’ shoulders is way lighter in comparison with his Vegas days; maybe the driving pressure behind his obvious rejuvenation.
“That’s the largest distinction, proper?” Hooper requested rhetorically in entrance of his locker Thursday. “Going from the last word duty being the top man to an extremely massive (offensive coordinator) function, however you don’t have to fret about all three phases, coach all three phases and talk with all of the coaches. As an alternative, it’s similar to, ‘All proper, let’s get in our offensive room, and let’s be certain that we’re good with what we’ve acquired occurring.’ ”
In that room, McDaniels has assist.
New tight ends coach/passing recreation coordinator Thomas Brown and extensive receivers coach Todd Downing are longtime teaching veterans with expertise working below different prime offensive minds like McDaniels. Completed. Sharp. Some, like Brown’s former boss in Los Angeles, Sean McVay, even have Tremendous Bowl rings, too.
What Brown and Downing have completed, following feedback Vrabel made final March, is assist pare down the verbiage in McDaniels’ system. Close to the tip of his second tenure in New England, McDaniels’ offense collapsed below the burden of its personal complexity. Not simply by way of complete ideas, however the language related to them.
These days, as an alternative of instructing a collection of associated performs all with totally different names, the Patriots have grouped them into “households,” and reduce down the language.
“As Josh’s offense has type of advanced, it type of will get added on to the underside,” Vrabel mentioned on the homeowners conferences. “I feel what Thomas can do, with Todd, is type of look and get issues cleaned up and put it in additional of a bucket. And with the ability to be a coach that’s studying it – how they might have the ability to educate it? I feel that’s one thing that we at all times need to take a look at – how would we educate this to the gamers?
Vrabel continued: “Having a contemporary set of eyes with Thomas, and Todd, and (quarterbacks coach) Ashton (Grant) or (working backs coach) Tony Dews, permits them to say, ‘Hey Josh, let’s clear this up.’ Or, ‘that is how we did it with the Rams.’ Or ‘that is how we did it with the Jets.’ …. Having these communications the place perhaps it was Josh took it as a right; these new coaches are like ‘I feel they will hit the gamers’ mind a bit of bit higher this fashion.’ Or ‘right here’s how I’d like to teach it.’ And I feel they’ve been capable of clear it up.”
Hooper mentioned he couldn’t recall how McDaniels put in his offense in 2023, however appears to sense a distinction in New England.
“Right here, the set up, the instructing, the communication has been improbable,” Hooper mentioned. “It’s been an incredible atmosphere for younger and veteran gamers. So I’m very, very appreciative of that.”
In opening up his offense to exterior enter, McDaniels has additionally added contemporary ideas. In coaching camp, the Patriots drilled designed quarterback runs and motion throws, like bootleg play-action passes; performs that successfully didn’t exist when he coached Tom Brady and Mac Jones. These performs, in fact, are to weaponize Drake Maye’s mobility, one thing final yr’s employees didn’t do by by no means as soon as calling Maye’s quantity as a runner.
Having inherited that very same employees’s lackluster receiving corps, McDaniels can also be making due together with his secure of working backs. TreVeyon Henderson, a blazing quick runner in contrast to any he beforehand coached in New England, is immediately a deep menace. Henderson is working wheel routes from the backfield, double-moves as an outdoor receiver, and scored on them each in coaching camp; most notably when he “blew away” the Vikings throughout joint practices final month.
And Henderson’s snaps might not come on the expense of Rhamondre Stevenson, one other weapon obtainable to McDaniels. The Patriots have deployed each backs concurrently in a number of practices, a personnel bundle that ought to issue closely in Sunday’s opener. Think about Maye triggering a triple-option run with Stevenson, holding the ball and veering off the sting with Henderson behind him.
McDaniels most likely has.
And at last, there’s the human ingredient.
Two years in the past, reviews advised McDaniels misplaced his job in Las Vegas as a result of gamers went over his head. They complained to possession about McDaniels’ practices, his tradition and the way inflexible and joyless all of it was. It was a well-recognized story.
Over 20 years, Belichick disciples turned susceptible to treating gamers as disposable belongings as an alternative of human beings they’re alleged to each make use of and empower. Vrabel, who by no means coached below Belichick, isn’t making that mistake. And neither is McDaniels, in accordance with his head coach.
“I feel he’s an incredible trainer,” Vrabel mentioned Friday. “I feel the way in which that the reference to the gamers – once more, it’s a fantastic line to attempt to maintain guys accountable to what we have to get completed, but additionally having a reference to them. I’ve seen that.”
To be honest, McDaniels might not have wanted a nudge on this path. He spent a yr away from the sport, regrouped and related with Vrabel earlier than they had been each employed in New England. On Thursday, reflective and humble, McDaniels insisted residing and studying has been a lesson unto itself over his profession.
“The one factor I do know I’ve tried to get actually good at over the course of time is simply (to) take the teachings and digest these and use them for one thing optimistic,” he mentioned. “, there’s no motive to — I don’t harbor any in poor health will in the direction of any of the issues that haven’t labored out in my profession. And there’s been lots of them.”
As his gamers heard numerous instances over the summer season, McDaniels believes on recreation days you both win otherwise you study. Since he final left New England, he’s completed plenty of studying. What’s going to that imply for McDaniels this time round?
On Sunday, it’s going to lastly be time to search out out.
Maye’s development
Earlier than Maye can try a 12 months 2 leap this season, he needed to make small jumps behind the scenes.
In response to his place coach, Patriots quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant, Maye’s completed simply that in two main areas.
“The boldness within the system No. 1 for certain, after which second, simply with the ability to transfer up into the pocket,” Grant told reporters Thursday. “Trusting his throws and trusting the safety.”
Maye has handled shaking safety relationship again to his ultimate collegiate season in 2023. Final yr, he was usually tasked with creating performs exterior of construction, each throwing on the transfer and scrambling. Maye completed with 421 dashing yards regardless of by no means carrying the ball on a designed quarterback run.
Grant and McDaniels now see a extra mature quarterback who’s comfy working within the pocket and the controls of a brand new offensive.
“If you are available your first yr, there’s 1,000,000 issues being thrown at you after which once you transfer and progress to your second yr, then there’s sure issues that we are able to give attention to as a result of the burden of shifting to the NFL isn’t as massive because it as soon as was,” Grant mentioned.
Quote of the Week
“I feel I used to be known as a ache within the ass, ache within the posterior, however I’m going to say precisely what it actually was. Clearly, I don’t need to come throughout as that. And I’m gonna say this. I need to be very clear. I’m an grownup. I’ll apologize. I’m not up right here to ego journey. I’m not up right here to rub anyone the fallacious means or say something for clickbait. If I rub anyone fallacious, I actually need to apologize shifting ahead. Clearly, we now have the media to play a relationship as skilled as I could be. I need to make myself obtainable each week.” — Patriots extensive receiver Stefon Diggs, in his first public feedback since late July, responding to media commentary from NBC Sports activities Boston
