Ex-Patriots Captain: Josh McDaniels Trying Something New With Raiders

Getty Josh McDaniels

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he New England Patriots and Bill Belichick have created a culture of winning over the last twenty years and a former coach won’t be bringing that same mentality to his new team.

Josh McDaniels is now the head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in what will be his second stint as a head coach. McDaniels was the Denver Broncos head coach for two years and ended up going 11-17 before losing his job in 2010.

The offensive guru ended up coming back to New England where he spent a total of 18 seasons on Belichick’s staff. While McDaniels learned a lot during his time with the Patriots, he won’t be trying to replicate the same culture now that he is in Las Vegas.

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Three-time Super Bowl champion and former Patriots safety Duron Harmon appeared on “Good Morning Football” and he isn’t trying to bring the “Patriot Way,” to the Raiders.

“He’s trying to create a culture that is not the Patriot Way,” Harmon said. “He’s said it over and over.”

Learning From Mistakes

When in Denver, McDaniels tried quite hard to replicate the culture that was in New England.

“Aside from the intricate Patriots-style offense he’s installing in place of the West Coast system that’s been here since the 1990s, the Broncos’ new coach is instilling a tenet prized by his mentor, Bill Belichick, who, for the sake of team unity, never panders to superstars,” reads a 2009 ESPN story.

Jabar Gaffney, a former Patriots wide receiver who joined McDaniels when he went to Denver, also talked about how McDaniels operated as a head coach.

“Just how he handles business, the way he goes about treating everybody the same. Not showing favoritism to any one player who is supposed to be I guess a ‘star,'” Gaffney said. “They don’t care. They want a team. A team to go out there and win. Because the individuals won’t win.”

Leave it to Bill Belichick

It will be quite difficult to replicate what Belichick was able to create with the New England Patriots. The head coach was able to create a culture of winning that was not seen in modern football and in return has six Super Bowl rings to his name.

With that type of resume, a coach is given some freedom. They have the ability to do the things they want and force players to fall in line.

But when the winning and Super Bowls go away, even a coach of Belichick’s caliber has to change. Patriots fans have seen his mood change as he gets older.

One moment that stands out from last season is when Belichick took the time to apologize to the media after being “short” with the press after a loss.

“I’ll just start off here; look, fellas, I apologize if it seemed like I was a little short with you after the game. Obviously a frustrating game. Down 20-0. Didn’t do anything well enough. mean, there isn’t really much to say at that point without watching the film,” he said, via ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

So when Patriots fans watch their former coach lead the Raiders, don’t expect to see him in a hoodie looking angry on the sidelines. McDaniels is looking to forge his own path in Las Vegas.