The McDaniels Effect... Passing Numbers up across the board

[Thelonious]

I understand that he seems at times to be weirdly persistent in staying with the run, and that he gets a little too clever at times in first-and-goal situations; but I have faith that he's trying set stuff up down the line or has some other wizardry in mind. All in all, I think we are really fortunate to have him around, particularly when we are developing a new OB. I think he's the best OC in the league, and I am really skeptical that those who criticize him know more about football than he does.

 

[jdlboot14]

JMD is a very distant 3rd when it comes to credit accolades for this teams turnaround.
Vrabel & Maye are 1a/1b in all discussions, but JMD deserves to be in that trinity.

He's not just "calling plays" - he has clearly been the primary person to refine Maye, teach him how to see things, instilling patience, poise, decision making and mostly - Josh has developed a great sense of calm & confidence that he brings to an offense with a remarkable resume.
Let's face it - Vrabel played with Brady, but wasn't intimately involved with how Tom & that offense developed and became historic. JMD was. And he was instrumental in running it. Meaning, Josh is showing Maye how Brady processed and executed everything in their tape sessions. Vrabel couldn't give that level of guidance.
I just hope Josh stays around for at least 2 more seasons, because I totally believe a SB run is realistic with a couple more seasons of growth, talent addition, and consistency.

 

[Love The Drake]

JMD is a very distant 3rd when it comes to credit accolades for this teams turnaround.
Vrabel & Maye are 1a/1b in all discussions, but JMD deserves to be in that trinity.

He's not just "calling plays" - he has clearly been the primary person to refine Maye, teach him how to see things, instilling patience, poise, decision making and mostly - Josh has developed a great sense of calm & confidence that he brings to an offense with a remarkable resume.
Let's face it - Vrabel played with Brady, but wasn't intimately involved with how Tom & that offense developed and became historic. JMD was. And he was instrumental in running it. Meaning, Josh is showing Maye how Brady processed and executed everything in their tape sessions. Vrabel couldn't give that level of guidance.
I just hope Josh stays around for at least 2 more seasons, because I totally believe a SB run is realistic with a couple more seasons of growth, talent addition, and consistency.

I think I was the only person on this board that advocated for Kraft to Keep McDaniels over Belichick at both his head coach departures.
Similar to How Atlanta and Washington should have kept their offense gurus in place and let the old x and os def coach out the door in a passing league.

 

[Love The Drake]

I think I was the only person on this board that advocated for Kraft to Keep McDaniels over Belichick at both his head coach departures.
Similar to How Atlanta and Washington should have kept their offense gurus in place and let the old x and os def coach out the door in a passing league.

Josh is going to at the very least be made the highest paid OC in the league and be given a fancy new title.

I wouldn’t be shocked if a team that wants to develop a young QB doesn’t have Josh at least penciled in for a interview.

 

[captain stone]

looking at the numbers in the passing game here, comparing last year to this year through four games...

2025 11 different receivers have caught passes... they have gone 91/121 (75%), 988 yards, 10.9 ypc, 7tds through 4 games
2024 10 different receivers caught passes... they went 65/103 (63%), 558 yards, 8.6 ypc, 2 tds through 4 games...



Inside the 20 is even better...

2025 6 receivers, 11/16 (68.75%), 88 yards, 6 tds
2024 5 receivers, 7/11 (63.63%), 30 yards, 2 tds




The additions the Pats made in the off season have really paid off so far... From the front office, head coach, position coordinators/coaching... and don't forget to toss in the draft picks and free agents who have been worth every penny.... McDaniels in particular has really breathed life back into the offense... Overall the team is playing much better football than last year... demonstrably better numbers in the Passing Game through four weeks of the season... Its good to see... I know the EP gets knocked on around here, but i am not sure why... Its just as effective as the wco or mcshanny (mcvay/shannahan) ball...

we still have work to do... we can always be better... but the team is moving in the right direction after spending the last four years treading water...

2025 Advanced New England Patriots Stats | Sortable 3rd Down, Red Zone Passing and Rushing Patriots Stats.

The Best Patriots Stats Source with sortable 2025 3rd Down, Red Zone Passing and Rushing Stats for this season.

www.patsfans.com

2024 Advanced New England Patriots Stats | Sortable 3rd Down, Red Zone Passing and Rushing Patriots Stats.

The Best Patriots Stats Source with sortable 2024 3rd Down, Red Zone Passing and Rushing Stats for this season.

www.patsfans.com

And the numbers in the running game...?

 

[ViperGTS]

Josh is going to at the very least be made the highest paid OC in the league and be given a fancy new title.

I wouldn’t be shocked if a team that wants to develop a young QB doesn’t have Josh at least penciled in for a interview.

Thats not enough of a draw because there aren't any out there of Mayes caliber. Remember Vrabel came here in large part because of Maye.

There is no other young QB out there right now who would take to McD like Maye is. None. Also, he would he a HC which is isn't good at and would not be able to spend as much time with the QB as he does now. It would be a fraction of the time.

So, that doesn't translate.

 

[Pape]

And the numbers in the running game...?

have not looked... was gonna do a full comparison after the season

 

[ViperGTS]

have not looked... was gonna do a full comparison after the season

I think it hinges on the center. Bradbury is decent, good backup really. They need to move Wilson to C, find a LG in FA or the draft.

 

[Pape]

I think it hinges on the center. Bradbury is decent, good backup really. They need to move Wilson to C, find a LG in FA or the draft.

Bradbury will be in the C spot next year... Hes on a cheap enough deal

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

I think it hinges on the center. Bradbury is decent, good backup really. They need to move Wilson to C, find a LG in FA or the draft.

And a RG too once they let Onwenu go.

 

[Pape]

And a RG too once they let Onwenu go.

we aren't letting Onwenu go unless they have a replacement ready to step in...

 

[TommyD4207]

we aren't letting Onwenu go unless they have a replacement ready to step in...

There will be a replacement to step in.
There is no way that dude steals another 20 million.

 

[Zuma]

Bradbury will be in the C spot next year... Hes on a cheap enough deal

Wilson will be C and Brown LG. Bradbury will backup both…with Wallace.

 

[Zuma]

This season Onwenu has had very good games and also very average games. If the team is not having $ problems…keep him for 2026.

 

[Pape]

There will be a replacement to step in.
There is no way that dude steals another 20 million.

the way things are rounding out, is RG a top 3 need? RT/C/LG are 1 2 3 priorities on the line ... ymmv on the order... maybe you can mix and match players we have right now... Ben Brown is a good fill in, is not a full starter imo... morgan moses will be another year older... and if you cut Bradbury, slide Wilson to center you now have to fill the LG spot... so two out of the three line positions will have to be addressed at a minimum...

what to do with Onwenu... he is in the last year of his deal, no guaranteed money, the net effect is you have 7.5m from his signing bonus as dead money... so you are going to either cut him or renegotiate, extend him...

cutting him frees up roughly 17m in cap space, a good thing... but cutting him means you have created a hole in the line, and need to address it immediately...

extending him - you can keep him for another year, and you don't need to expend resources to fill the RG spot... and/or you are walking into 2026 with a potential trade chip in your hand leading up to the draft...

to me its a no brainer... you try to extend him, albeit at a lesser rate... Once thats done, its easier to assess whats available because you are working from a position of strength, not need...

 

[Salsalife]

Is it true Kraft forced Vrabel to have McDaniels as his offensive coordinator? The Tennessee reporter guy who hates Vrabel said it...

 

[TommyD4207]

Is it true Kraft forced Vrabel to have McDaniels as his offensive coordinator? The Tennessee reporter guy who hates Vrabel said it...

 

[mgteich]

the way things are rounding out, is RG a top 3 need?

I don't think that need is the issue. We are just fine with a RG with the quality and experience of Onwenu.

That being said, we are contracted to pay Onwenu $17M of new money for his 2026 services. We likely can do better. Onwenu at a lower price would be better, likely with an extension, but I don't him wanting that.

The point is that we can do better for less than $17M. And, no, we shouldn't trade or cut Onwenu until we have a replacement. A player with the contract and ability of Moses and Bradbury would be a major improvement. A 3-5 year top notch starter at would be great, but may not be available, so a transition veteran plus a draft choice may be a better choice, or the team may believe that Wallace is that future developmental player.

 

[TommyD4207]

I don't think that need is the issue. We are just fine with a RG with the quality and experience of Onwenu.

That being said, we are contracted to pay Onwenu $17M of new money for his 2026 services. We likely can do better. Onwenu at a lower price would be better, likely with an extension, but I don't him wanting that.

The point is that we can do better for less than $17M. And, no, we shouldn't trade or cut Onwenu until we have a replacement. A player with the contract and ability of Moses and Bradbury would be a major improvement. A 3-5 year top notch starter at would be great, but may not be available, so a transition veteran plus a draft choice may be a better choice, or the team may believe that Wallace is that future developmental player.

We can do a lot better, for a lot less. That makes it a top 3 need.

 

[mgteich]

We can do a lot better, for a lot less. That makes it a top 3 need.

Semantics
Apparently "need" means a very different thing to different people.
============
For me, SAFETY is a huge need since Woodson and Pettus are our safeties going into the off-season. EDGE is a huge need. And, yes, DT is a huge need. Of course, these needs become much less if the incumbents are extended.

For me, saving a bit of cap money when we have an average or average plus starter is NOT a top need.

One is to "need" a starter. The other is to "need" to save cap money.

For me, there are lots and lots of ways to save say $10M of cap money if that is critical, presuming that a replacement can be had for that amount. And, count on it, we will not go into the draft without a starting RT on the 53. [BTW, I'm fine with drafting our future starter in the late 3rd or in the 4th or 5th.]