Josh’s retreat to New England could help Gang Green
IF YOU’RE a Jets fan and you noticed a small ray of hope flashing before your eyes in the past few days, it came from a sliver of a fissure in the bow of the Good Ship Patriots.
If you’re a Jets fan — or a fan of any of the other two teams in the AFC East, which the Patriots have owned for the balance of this century — you had to crack at least a small smile as you watched this public mess New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels created in spurning the Colts just hours before he was scheduled to be announced as their head coach.
If you’re a Jets fan and you’re tired of being bullied by the Patriots, you’re seeing at least the beginning of the end of their dominance in the aftermath of their 41-33 Super Bowl LII loss to the Eagles on Sunday.
The Patriots’ time at the top is naturally nearing an end based on some obvious factors — Bill Belichick will be 66 next season, Tom Brady will be 41 and defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has left for the Lions.
But, in a bigger-picture look, McDaniels’ choice to blow off Indianapolis and stay in New England might end up being a blessing if he is, indeed, staying there to eventually take over for Belichick.
Because, for all the same reasons the Colts — once they wipe the egg off their faces that McDaniels left them with — are better off without McDaniels, so are the Jets that he remains in the division and takes over for Belichick.
Here’s an undeniable fact about McDaniels: The only coaching success he’s had in the NFL has come with Belichick as his boss and Brady as his quarterback.
So McDaniels has been sandwiched between — and insulated by — arguably the greatest head coach of all time and the greatest quarterback of all time. Larry, Moe or Curly could find success surrounded by those two greats, right?
The one time McDaniels ventured out on his own — when he was hired by the Broncos in 2009 to be their head coach — he fell flat on his face, going 5-17 after a 6-0 start in his first year before being fired with four games remaining in his second season in Denver.
McDaniels’ short tenure in Denver was defined not only by too many losses, but by his insistence on drafting Tim Tebow in the first round — as well as episodes of arrogance, petulance and alienating a number of his top players.
an agreement in place for weeks to become the next Colts head coach but suddenly did an about-face, even as the Colts announced a Wednesday press conference in Indianapolis to introduce him as the new coach.
McDaniels is staying in New England after receiving a sweetened contract, assurance, according to ESPN, from Bill Belichick to take him under his wing and, perhaps, a wink-wink promise he is next in line after Belichick, 65, retires.
Yes, McDaniels gets to stay put and not relocate his wife and four young children. But he left the Colts in the lurch and, even worse, bailed on the assistant coaches the Colts hired on his behalf.
“He was already looked at poorly when it came to stuff like this, but this is just horrible. He can’t be trusted. He has no character,’’ an NFL source told The Post. “This is a major thing.’’
The Giants were troubled by McDaniels’ turbulent 28-game run as the Broncos’ head coach, a stay blighted by a record of 11-17 and
bad personnel decisions, poor management skills and shaky interpersonal relationships. No doubt, McDaniels has matured since then — after all, he was a 33-year-old head coach — but the Giants had concerns. Plus, they figured he was the favorite to land the Colts’ job.
When the Giants officially hired Shurmur, general manager Dave Gettleman went out of his way to stress — numerous times — that Shurmur is an “adult’’ and that “I really believe the head coach job for the New York football Giants is a job for an adult. Pat’s every bit of that.’’
Get tl em an was referring to Shurmur and never mentioned anyone else by name, but after what McDaniels pulled this week, it is doubtful, when describing him, “adult’’ is the first word that comes to mind.