Six For Saturday - McDaniels the Key to New England's Future?
Ian Logue
One of the biggest things to watch in the coming months is going to be what happens with Josh McDaniels, who most analysts believe will, once again, be high on the list of teams who will be looking for new head coaches.
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Really good job of both writing and topic selection.
1. I'm so tired of the whole Guerrero situation. What a tempest in a teapot. This was a simple logistic decision that happens ALL the time in the league. There are dozens of players who have "their guys" to help them get through the season and a few will eventually come in conflict with the team's training staff.
The ONLY effects that BB's decision will have on the team is that the guys who get treatment at TB12 will now have to walk 300 yds to their facility (or a 1 minute car drive
), and when Moses Cabrera tell them to do a set of squats, they will just have to do the damned squats.
From that unbridled speculation has gone from Guerrero bad mouthing BB, and Bill leaving for the Giants, this is why JG is in SF, and the Pats are coming apart at the seams.
2. Another non-story that unfortunately will re-occur every time the Niners win a game or Jimmy throws for 300+ yds. Hey, the fact JG might become a perennial all pro, doesn't change the FACT that the contract clock had simply run out on his time in NE. You DON'T pay $25+MM to a guy who is the 2nd best QB on the team. You just don't. It's THAT simple.....and unfortunate. Well I guess we can blame Alex Guerrero for that too. If it wasn't for him helping Brady maintain into his 40's, then JG would be the QB next year.
Another thing that isn't being mentioned enough is the fact that JG has had 3 and half years to learn his craft...and he learned from the best. He's ready to play. It might not have gone as smoothly if he'd had to play a lot in his first couple of years.
3. I loved THIS part of the Britt interview best. In it he mentions that with the Pats you are just as likely to get an "attaboy" from the coaches and your team mates for a good block, that no one else will see, and never get on a stat sheet, than you are for making a great catch.
This shows how critical the small details are, not only to the coaches but more importantly the players as well. EVERYONE appreciates the details here. That was a great insight that most people don't see.
4. I'm not as worried about how QB development will be, if/when Josh leaves. Josh became the QB in 2004. Anyone know who the QB coach was before Josh? That would be BB himself. IIRC he actually had the title from 2000-2002. In 2003 there was no official QB (so I imagine it was a cooperative effort between Bill and Josh), and then Josh was named QB coach the next season.
Life will be a LOT easier for the Pats offense if Josh winds up staying. However, if he doesn't, while it will hurt, it won't be a calamity. I'm sure BB has been planning for this day for a while now.
5. It's just ANOTHER little insight into why the Pats are good at developing players AFTER they get here. They recognize all the ways they can get their players to reach their potentials and get better.
I think it been in THIS season that I'm hearing more and more the recognition that the Pats can beat you simply because they are coached and prepared better that their opponents. Injuries don't matter, other teams' strengths don't matter, bad calls don't matter. FINALLY, I think the Pats organization is getting recognized for the job that is done and why the Pats have been able to keep this up for so long.
We've heard it, of course, from time to time over the years, but this season, it seems to be the constant narrative by the media. You just have to listen to Lombardi. Every positive example he uses had a NE basis.
