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McDaniels Hired by Patriots to Prove His Detractors Are Right

By Chris Malumphy

Make no mistake about it, long term, Josh McDaniels returns to New England to keep their already superlative offense on track. But a key reason his hiring was rushed this week, rather than done further down the road in a more typical time frame, is to help the Patriots stop the Denver Broncos offense this weekend. It is unlikely that McDaniels will get into the swing of things quickly enough to be of much help to Tom Brady's offense this week. His real value this weekend is to the Patriot's defense. No one, other than the current coaches on the Broncos staff who can hardly be expected to become turncoats, knows the now dynamic duo of quarterback Tim Tebow and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas better than the man who put his career on the line when he drafted them. Their 80-yard touchdown connection in the first seconds of overtime in the wildcard round of the 2011 playoffs provides McDaniels with at least some vindication for draft picks that have been ridiculed by many.

McDaniels set the stage for the Broncos' overtime victory against the Steelers when he selected Thomas with the 22nd pick in the 2010 NFL Draft and then traded up to grab Tebow just three picks later, in a selection McDaniels' detractors still question even today. It is truly ironic that McDaniels is being called on now by Bill Belichick to help the Patriots beat the Broncos, by providing insight into how to shut the dynamic duo down, and prove that his detractors are correct--at least for one game.