Signs are pointing to the Eagles hiring Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as their next head coach, succeeding Doug Pederson.
I don’t know if that would be the best decision.
Sure, McDaniels has had a ton of success in his career as an assistant coach, helping the Pats win six Super Bowls alongside head coach Bill Belichick.
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And if we’re judging Pederson by his most recent season, then yes, he deserves to be fired. A 4-11-1 season, and a catastrophic season at the quarterback position, is certainly a situation where you can take a good hard look at firing a head coach, no matter what kind of recent success he’s had.
One thing, aside from Belichick and McDaniels, that ran in common during the Patriots’ two-decade run at the top of the football world is the quarterback, Tom Brady.
No matter what you think about Brady, the Patriots aren’t nearly the same team without him. And McDaniels isn’t the same offensive genius without him.
McDaniels and Brady have been together as QB/OC in New England from 2006 through 2020, with the exception of four seasons: 2009-2010, when McDaniels was head coach of the Broncos; 2011, when he was OC of the Rams; and this past season.
NFL
Let’s look at how McDaniels’ offenses did in the four seasons without Tom Brady:
Not a pretty picture. He won his first six games in Denver, then went 5-17 before being shown the door with four games left in his second season.
His 2011 Rams had Sam Bradford in his second season, and running back Steven Jackson, who had gone to the Pro Bowl in the previous two seasons. They scored more than 16 points three times.
This past season he had Cam Newton, who had his 2018 and 2019 seasons cut short due to injuries, but at 31 still seemingly had enough in the tank for Belichick to sign him, and Newton ran for more touchdowns (12) than he threw (eight).
McDaniels, when paired with Brady, made a super duo. But a harder look at the numbers shows that he’s far more Robin than Batman.
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