After shafting Colts, McDaniels goes all-in with the Patriots
How about this mind-blowing start to the NFL off-season?
Hours after turmoil swirled Tuesday like an Oklahoma tornado around the New England Patriots — over why in the hell head coach Bill Belichick benched starting cornerback Malcolm Butler in Sunday’s Super Bowl — Josh McDaniels blew away that news with a Category 5 hurricane.
We all might go the rest of our lives without ever again seeing one man in public follow up the transcendent moment of his professional life with the stupidest and most disgraceful, not even 48 hours later.
Indeed, McDaniels went from orchestrating only the 40th singlegame, 600-yard offensive output in the 98-year history of the NFL (in New England’s 41-33 loss in Super Bowl LII to the Philadelphia Eagles) to invoking the wrath and scorn of the Indianapolis Colts, of his coaching profession, and much of the sports community by changing his mind after accepting the job as Colts head coach.
Thereby remaining Patriots offensive coordinator.
Thereby going back on his word with the Colts, after confirming with them earlier Tuesday morning he was formally accepting their job after, weeks after agreeing to terms on a contract.
Thereby treacherously stabbing in the back three assistant coaches he’d lured to Indianapolis, who the Colts — to their credit — will retain, but who must now work for a tobe-named head coach whose football philosophies might not even jibe with theirs.
And thereby dropping the jaws of player agents and fellow coaches around North America, past and present. Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy said it best on Twitter, on behalf of his profession:
“There is NO excuse big enough to justify this. It’s one thing to go back on your word to an organization. But having assistant coaches leave jobs to go with you, then leave them out to dry, is indefensible. For COMFORT??”
Right, comfort. Although by the end of Wednesday afternoon McDaniels himself hadn’t explained his shocking move in public, MMQB’s Peter King cited a source close to McDaniel in reporting that the 41-year-old “felt more comfortable staying in New England” after Belichick and owner Robert Kraft worked on him all Tuesday afternoon to stay.
King and others reported that although Kraft did not assure McDaniels he will succeed Belichick whenever the 65-year-old decides to hang up his whistle, the understanding going forward is that the Patriots are making a “long-term commitment” to McDaniels (according to NFL Network’s Judy Battista), wherein “there’s an understanding he would be first among equals” on the coaching staff to succeed Belichick upon Hoody McGrumpypants’ retirement.
So that’s what the Patriots got, and what McDaniels got.
As for the Colts? And McDaniels’ now former agent, Bob LaMont? They’re livid to the core, as you can imagine.
First, LaMont. Numerous reports said he dropped McDaniels as a client on Wednesday, so upset was he over McDaniels’ duplicity. NFL Network reported that McDaniels informed LaMont of his decision to remain in New England only after informing Colts GM Chris Ballard on Tuesday evening. LaMont thus made it clear to the business, to the world, that he wants nothing to do with this stain, a stain as senseless, deep and permanent as black Sharpie scribbling on a white T-shirt.
The Colts, meantime, on Wednesday made it crystal clear how enraged they are.
GM Ballard told a late-morning news conference exactly what transpired a day earlier. That after interviewing McDaniels twice in January and agreeing to terms then on a head-coaching contract, then confirming that deal in discussions Tuesday morning, McDaniels rang up Ballard early Tuesday evening to tell him he had bad news to share.
Ballard said he just asked McDaniels to cut to the chase — are you coming, yes or no?
McDaniels said no, that he’d “changed his mind” and was “going in a different direction,” Ballard said.
That was that. Ballard said there was no point in asking McDaniels why, or in talking any further: “I wished him luck,” then hung up.
What’s next for the Colts? Ballard said his priority is to find a man who “believes in what we believe in” and will be “all in.”
Also, Ballard said the Colts could now interview other assistant coaches involved in playoff runs last month who the club couldn’t, or at least didn’t, line up interviews with.
Reports by Wednesday evening said Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich, the former Buffalo Bills backup QB to Jim Kelly in the early 1990s, is one. He’d be a good choice. Seeing as the Colts are retaining Matt Eberflus, McDaniels’ hand-picked defensive coordinator, it’s almost a certainty the Colts’ new head coach will be offensively trained.
McDaniels can coach offensive football very well. He just hasn’t proved he can do it apart from a subordinate role under Belichick, or without Tom Brady.
It’s likely McDaniel won’t ever get that chance anywhere but in Foxboro, post-Belichick and post-Brady. His reputation is, if not ruined, then at least in tatters.