Throughout the New England Patriots‘ six Super Bowl runs since Bill Belichick took over as head coach, Josh McDaniels was a very important part of their success. He was the offensive coordinator for three of those championships and led some really good units. He’s now with the Las Vegas Raiders and Belichick has lost his most important assistant.
While McDaniels is one of the best offensive minds in the NFL, his offensive system isn’t considered simple. It was easy for him to run the system in New England due to the fact that he had been running it for over a decade. Offensive tackle Trent Brown has spent two seasons under McDaniels and is quite familiar with his system.
Based on some recent comments, it sounds like Brown believes the Patriots’ offense could be even better with McDaniels gone.
“Definitely simplified,” Brown said, via NBC Sports. “I feel like it’ll make it able for the playmakers to play faster. It’ll allow us up front to play faster as well.”
Brown notably played two seasons for the Raiders and was the highest-paid player on the team during that time. He played a total of 16 games over those two seasons and is a maligned player by the Raiders’ fan base. This slight towards McDaniels will only make things more hostile.
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Who Is the Patriots’ Offensive Coordinator?
Playing fast doesn’t always mean playing better. McDaniels has three Super Bowl rings as an offensive coordinator to prove it. He was an integral part of their success for over a decade. What’s odd is that the Patriots haven’t even landed on a true replacement for McDaniels. Head coach Bill Belichick has yet to name an offensive coordinator.
Reports out of camp are that Detroit Lions head coach and longtime defensive assistant Matt Patricia could get the call. Former New York Giants head coach and longtime special teams assistant Joe Judge will assist. It’s a strange setup in New England. It will be telling to see how they do without McDaniels. If it’s a complete disaster, then it’s clear that the coach deserves a ton of credit for their sustained success.
McDaniels Returning Home for Preseason
McDaniels has moved on from the Patriots and doesn’t need to worry about what they’re doing until the Raiders face them in Week 15 of the 2022 season. Right now, he’s focused on his Raiders preseason coaching debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Pro Football Hall of Fame game. McDaniels is from Ohio and this game will be a homecoming for him.
“It’ll be really an experience. Surreal is probably a good word for it,” McDaniels said of the game, via Raiders.com. “Thinking that he was coaching me and correcting me and calling plays for me many, many years ago. … My family has spent a lot of nights there over many, many years, so it’s a special place for us.”
What makes it even more special is that a couple of Raiders will be entering the Hall of Fame in Cliff Branch and Richard Seymour.
“They’re in this fraternity and it’s a special place,” said McDaniels. “I’ve been through it, I can’t tell you how many times, and each time I go through it, I see something different or new or they’ve added to it. There’s such an element of history and tradition. You just get excited because it’s such an important part of our game. To be able to represent the league and our team, going there, playing with Richard and Cliff going in, it’s just an exciting opportunity for us.”
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Ex-Raider Trent Brown Throws Shade at Josh McDaniels