Josh McDaniels on seeing Drake Maye’s potential in training camp

Josh McDaniels mirrored on rejoining Patriots, teaching Drake Maye: The turnaround of the Patriots‘ offense from back-to-back 4-13 seasons to the staff’s present 11-2 file is because of a number of main components (principally centering round quarterback Drake Maye).

However among the many causes for the success in 2025, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels returning to New England for what’s now his third stint within the function ranks extremely. The previous Broncos and Raiders head coach got here again to the Patriots forward of the 2025 season, partnering with first-year New England head coach Mike Vrabel.

McDaniels has earlier expertise alongside Vrabel, although it got here twenty years prior when the latter was nonetheless a Patriots linebacker.

“He was an superior man to be round as a coach when he was enjoying, so good and did every part he may presumably do to assist our staff win, together with enjoying on offense,” McDaniels mentioned of Vrabel during a recent interview with ESPN’s Peter Schrager.

The New England assistant identified that he shares a background with Vrabel, and that the 2 are solely separated in age by a number of months.

“We grew up about quarter-hour aside from each other in Ohio. I had at all times been conscious of him even earlier than he got here right here,” McDaniels mentioned of Vrabel previous to assembly in New England.

After he was fired by the Raiders in 2023, McDaniels — who had been the Patriots’ offensive coordinator between 2006 and 2008, after which once more between 2012 and 2021 — returned to the Patriots previous to the present season.

He instructed Shrager that he went via interviews similar to each different candidate.

“It was very well accomplished by way of the communication was the way in which it needs to be,” mentioned McDaniels of the method, and that he had a possibility to speak with each Vrabel and government Eliot Wolf.

“Wasn’t precisely positive what I used to be going to do, the way it was going to go, however definitely when the chance was offered to me, this was a quite simple resolution,” he mentioned of coming again to the Patriots.

Upon seeing Robert Kraft following his second return, McDaniels joked about his earlier departures.

“It was cool, it was like why do I preserve leaving?”

“My finest reminiscences definitely in professional soccer have all occurred right here, and I don’t assume that’s a secret to anyone,” McDaniels defined of his staff with the Patriots (throughout which he was part of six Tremendous Bowl wins). “Lots of people since I’ve been again have been unbelievable, and I sit up for persevering with to construct this factor right here with [Vrabel].”

In between the top of his tenure with the Raiders and taking the job once more with the Patriots, McDaniels spent the 2024 NFL season away from soccer.

“I believe the very first thing I used to be doing was actually making an attempt to get wholesome by way of simply you’re teaching for twenty-something years, it’s plenty of stress, it’s plenty of time-on-task, it’s plenty of placing your self on the back-burner type of while you’re doing this factor and grinding on each ends. So it gave me a possibility to essentially type of put myself and my well being first,” he mentioned of the break.

“I really feel nice. That was a extremely large a part of final 12 months for me, which I actually loved,” McDaniels added of his well being. “Received to take my youngsters to high school on a regular basis, spend time with my spouse, see my son play faculty soccer, take my oldest daughter on faculty visits. I bought to be a dad, truthfully.”

“I believe by this time final 12 months, I had a peace and a pleasure about myself that I don’t know that I had…I didn’t lose it once I was teaching, however I simply know that I had regained it [in 2024], and had a distinct perspective on life and what I used to be in search of,” he mentioned. “If [another coaching role] was going to current itself or not, I didn’t know. However I definitely discovered peace and pleasure, and I’ve that to this present day.”

His success within the first 12 months with Drake Maye has been a shock to a lot of the NFL. McDaniels credit his younger QB for his demeanor and work ethic.

“He’s a particular child, and I’ve instructed his dad and mom a variety of instances [that] they’ve accomplished an unbelievable job with their boys, and simply being round him each day,” McDaniels mentioned of Maye. “You discuss a child who’s bought his priorities straight, he’s of the best character. He’s a terrific teammate, he’s straightforward to teach, he’s the man that’s going to work and grind as arduous as anyone else. Desires to win, however needs his teammates and the individuals round him to win additionally.”

McDaniels, a scholar of the sport as a longtime offensive coordinator, mentioned that Maye was rapidly asking “superior questions” which inspired him.

“That was one of many first issues that I spotted once I began to have the chance to work with him within the assembly room, was the questions he requested had been simply questions that man that had been within the league 4, 5, six years would ask,” McDaniels mentioned. “So that you knew you had been coping with a man that would assume the sport of soccer. That doesn’t even embrace the bodily attributes, and the issues that he can do bodily, that are superior too.”

Requested if there was a second early in coaching camp when McDaniels first acknowledged that he (and the Patriots) may need one thing particular in Maye, the veteran assistant chimed in.

“There was one in coaching camp I believe the place there was a damaged play and he scrambled to his proper, and Pop Douglas was on like an intermediate route someplace, then he took off down the sector. [Maye] was working to the sideline, and he was like actually nearly out of bounds. It was like a pair toes from the sideline, and I didn’t know if he was going to simply run out of bounds, throw it away, no matter. [Maye] threw it, and it needed to be like 60 yards, and Pop’s working down the sideline and I’m like, ‘There’s no means he can get the ball to this man, proper?’”

“It actually landed [in his hands] and Pop scores, and the place goes nuts.”

“I type of regarded round like, ‘Did anyone else see that? As a result of that was nuts,’” McDaniels remembered. “He’s been blessed with bodily capability and instruments, however I don’t need that to remove from all the opposite issues that he does to essentially put himself in place to be a extremely, actually nice participant, and affect his teammates. He’s a particular man, and we’re trying to have the chance to work with him.”

Trivia: What two gamers did Josh McDaniels’ Broncos decide within the first spherical of the 2010 NFL Draft?

(Reply on the backside).

Trace: A large receiver from Georgia Tech, and a quarterback from Florida.

Scores and schedules:

The Bruins defeated the Blues 5-2 on Tuesday, Boston’s third win in a row. The Bruins will face the Jets on the highway in Winnipeg tomorrow at 8 p.m.

Tomorrow, the Celtics face the Bucks in Milwaukee at 8 p.m.

Extra from Boston.com:

Tom Brady’s weekly energy rating: The previous Patriot QB ranked his ex-team on the high, noting that “hat and t-shirt video games are formally again in Foxborough.”

On this present day: In 2012, the Patriots and Texans faced off in what was anticipated to be a heavyweight common season matchup. The Texans (11-1) and the Patriots (10-2) had been potential playoff rivals.

Houston arrived on the sport infamously donning letterman jackets, which (whereas innocent sufficient in summary) became a meme-like creation for fans, significantly after Tom Brady and the Patriots scored a 42-14 rout of the Texans. After beginning the 12 months so nicely, Houston tailspun to a 1-3 file down the stretch (ultimately dropping once more to the Patriots within the playoffs).

Day by day spotlight: Mass. native A.J. Dybantsa threw down a robust dunk in BYU’s dramatic comeback win towards Clemson on Tuesday. Dybantsa completed with 28 factors, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists.