The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
McDaniels: No promises came with return
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — In his first public comments since he declined at the last minute to accept the Indianapolis Colts’ head coaching position, Josh McDaniels denied Friday that he’d made any deal to succeed Bill Belichick as coach of the New England Patriots.
McDaniels listed several reasons for remaining in New England as Belichick’s offensive coordinator — some personal, some football-related. But he said his job is no different than it was before his near-departure for Indianapolis.
“No, I mean my role is the same,” McDaniels said when asked if he’d received any assurances of becoming the Patriots’ next coach. “Look, I think if you’re here, you have an opportunity to work with and for some of the best people in our game, maybe some of the best people that have ever done those things in our game.”
That role will continue to be calling plays and working with quarterback Tom Brady. “Whatever happens in the future’s going to happen,” he said. “I’ll be happy with whatever that is.”
McDaniels and the rest of the Patriots’ assistants spoke to reporters at Gillette Stadium on Friday for the first time since New England’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl on Feb. 4.
The Colts thought they had hired McDaniels two days later, tweeting out a welcome and even scheduling a news conference for the next day. Instead, McDaniels, who was coach of the Denver Broncos from 200910, changed his mind and returned to the Patriots for his 10th season as offensive coordinator.
“You know there’s a lot that goes into those things and it can be very complicated,” he said. “I’ve stated again and again that I definitely want to be a head coach again. At the same time, I love being here. This is where my kids are born and raised and we’ve made a pretty special life here and that’s not an easy thing to leave. It was a difficult process and I’m very happy with the decision that we made.”