Sports

/

ArcaMax

Ed Graney: Josh McDaniels failed as Raiders head coach, but excels as Patriots OC

Ed Graney, Las Vegas Review-Journal on

Published in Football

LAS VEGAS — It’s the same NFL narrative as ones written about Norv Turner and Wade Phillips and Romeo Crennel and others.

Much better coordinators than head coaches.

Josh McDaniels is again proving the point. Like, in a major way.

The former Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders coach again is one win away from the sport’s pinnacle as the offensive coordinator of a New England Patriots team that plays in the AFC championship game Sunday.

And should they win in Denver, the Patriots and McDaniels will have returned to what was once familiar territory for the two.

McDaniels has been part of six Super Bowl championships with New England, three as its offensive coordinator.

Yes, he had the luxury of Tom Brady as his quarterback, but rings are rings.

And nobody can argue the results produced when McDaniels was running that side of the ball.

———

But you never would have known such success existed by taking into account his time coaching the Raiders. He went 9-16 over parts of two seasons into a six-year contract before being fired.

It was a string of questionable personnel decisions, blowing big leads, in-game mishaps and inexplicable losses (hello, Jeff Saturday and the Indianapolis Colts).

McDaniels was never known in Las Vegas or Denver, where he also failed as a head coach with an 11-17 record over parts of two seasons, as a players coach. There always seemed to be a disconnect between him and his teams.

But if his calling is not to run an entire roster and merely collaborate ideals and teaching a quarterback, McDaniels has proven himself to be one of the league’s best.

He’s at it again in New England.

McDaniels and second-year quarterback Drake Maye have done more than their share to deliver the Patriots to this point, the two forging a relationship this season that has seen Maye develop into an MVP finalist.

And he gives much of the credit to McDaniels, who returned to the sidelines this season to coach under Mike Vrabel.

 

“Beyond grateful,” McDaniels told ESPN. “This has been a really special place in my professional career, but not just that, in my personal life. My kids, my wife, my family has really grown up and been raised here in New England. To have this opportunity to be with Mike in this place, and to be around this group of people every day, there’s a lot of joy in it.”

There wasn’t much of it during his time in Las Vegas.

The Patriot Way didn’t work.

“In watching it and being around this sport for a long time and watching, I’ve seen the excellence that was brought to the field by the Patriot organization,” Raiders owner Mark Davis said at the time of McDaniels’ hiring.

They began his tenure 0-3, including blowing the largest lead (20 points) in franchise history in losing to the Arizona Cardinals.

A month later, the offense failed to cross midfield until the final two minutes, and the Raiders lost, 24-0, to the New Orleans Saints. It was their first shutout loss since 2014.

And so it went all the way into a second season with no more semblance of success.

———

But that’s all behind McDaniels now, and it certainly looks as if he has found a home again with the Patriots.

He just always seems to come back. Back where he has made a significant contribution each time.

And this current one while coaching Maye is no different.

Given what has occurred both times he went the head coaching route, McDaniels might never leave this time.

It’s all part of sports. Some are meant to be in charge. Some are meant to be good soldiers and members of a unit.

Nothing wrong with that. There are worse fates than being an offensive coordinator in the NFL.

It’s where Josh McDaniels obviously fits best.


©2026 Las Vegas Review-Journal. Visit reviewjournal.com.. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

 

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus