Usually, it's the players who have the nicknames, not the coach.
Not so with the Broncos. Josh McDaniels has more nicknames than he does defensive backs, and many have evolved from what he wears on Sundays. You know, of course, where we're going with this.
Yep, we're talking hoodies.
Hoodie Junior. McHoodie. The Unacoach. McDaniels has heard them all. His favorite? That would be none of the above.
"McHoodie? Why do they have to say that stuff?" McDaniels said. "I don't really care, but he reads it."
"He" would be McDaniels' old boss, Bill Belichick, who has turned hooded sweat shirts into part art form and part fashion statement. Along the way, he converted McDaniels into a hoodaholic.
"It's ust where I kind of got used to doing it," he said. "I don't like wearing those big puffy things they give you in the wintertime. I'd rather put layers on under the hoodie so it doesn't feel cumbersome."
So it's a weather thing, huh? No, says McDaniels. It's more of a whim thing.
"I never really plan on when I'm going to wear it," he said. "That's the truth. I actually put something else on when we went to Seattle, then changed. I don't know. I just felt like wearing it. It's like when I wore it to work this morning at 5:30. It's a comfort thing for me."
Mike Shanahan was more of a golf shirt guy in the summer, then moved on to sweat shirts in the fall before hauling out the heavy stuff, usually a Broncos-logo parka, when Old Man Winter came calling. But then, he never had a fashion forefather like McDaniels had in New England.
"I know people tease him about it, but I think Bill wears it pretty good," McDaniels said. "He's the right type of guy to wear it. I think he's kind of got that rock 'n' roll thing going on. He's like a rock star out there."
Bill Belichick, rock star. If you say so, Josh. Boring Bill no doubt will haul out the hoodie on opening day and keep it on 'til the Patriots' season ender. McDaniels may, too, but he promises one thing: no cutoff sleeves.
"That's a Belichick thing," he said. "Only he can get away with that."
Then and now
Mike Shanahan: There's a reason Pat Bowlen once referred to Shanahan as his coach for life. Shanahan is the winningest coach in franchise history and is one of six coaches to win back-to- back Super Bowls. As for his sideline apparel, he usually started with golf shirts, then moved on to sweat shirts and parkas, depending on the weather.
Josh McDaniels: He oversaw an offense in 2007 that made confetti out of the NFL record book. He helped turn Matt Cassel from benchwarmer to solid NFL starter. But still, he's 33 and never had a head coaching gig until this one. Be certain of one thing about McDaniels: We're going to see a whole lot of the hoodie. No tattered sleeves, though. He'll leave those to Bill Belichick.
