He’s not a retread with the Pats that got his job because he coached w/ Belichek in Cleveland or something. He’s the guy with the keys to the company hot rod (the offense) and he know how to drive it very well.

Look, every coach in the league can be criticized.

McDaniels is a Pat’s assistant, and that has a negative connotation because many of his assistants that became coaches weren’t terribly successful, but…

that doesn’t mean ANYTHING.

Thake a look below, many of these guys have and haven’t been a success. I don’t think there’s any one coaching tree with 100% success. This is all from a website, so not my info, but it makes my point.

The Marty Schottenheimer Coaching Tree

Marty Schottenheimer— He got his NFL start in 1975 under legendary defensive expert Bill Arnsparger, but Schottenheimer has spent more of his career teaching others than being taught himself. Perhaps most impressively, Schottenheimer doesn’t just find good assistants, or just teach them to be good coaches — he teaches them to be good teachers.

Bill Cowher— Cowher’s branch of the Schottenheimer tree is pretty impressive itself: Capers, Del Río, Haslett, Lewis, and Mularkey, not to mention ex-Cowboys coach Chan Gailey and former Bengals coach Dick LeBeau, who will probably get another shot if Pittsburgh’s defense is as impressive next season as it was in 2004. Cowher played and coached for Schottenheimer in Cleveland, and followed him to Kansas City before taking over the Steelers.

Mike Mularkey, BUF— Spent eight seasons with Cowher before getting the head position in Buffalo last season. Mularkey played for Chuck Noll for three seasons, and he’s also part of the less-glorious Sam Wyche tree.

Dom Capers, HOU — I’ve listed him as part of the Cowher tree because that’s where he was before his first head coaching gig, with the expansion Panthers. It might be more accurate, though, to put him in the surprisingly impressive Jim Mora tree, since Capers spent six years with Mora in New Orleans and only three in Pittsburgh. Capers also spent two seasons under Tom Coughlin, which connects him to the Bill Parcells coaching tree.

Jim Haslett, NO — Another Cowher protégé, he spent three seasons in Pittsburgh before taking the Saints job. Haslett also traces some of his roots to Mora, though, with two years in New Orleans before Cowher hired him with the Steelers. He played for Chuck Knox in Buffalo.

Marvin Lewis, CIN — Lewis never worked directly under Schottenheimer, but he worked for Cowher for four years, making him part of the Schottenheimer tree. Although Cowher was his primary influence, Lewis also connects to the Dennis Green coaching tree via his work as defensive coordinator for Green protégé Brian Billick.

Jack Del Río, JAC — A loose relation to the Schottenheimer tree, he qualifies because of his three seasons working under Lewis in Baltimore. As a player, Del Río also spent time with Mora, Green, and Jimmy Johnson.

Tony Dungy, IND — He also worked with Dennis Green as Minnesota’s defensive coordinator from 1992-95, but Schottenheimer is his primary influence. Dungy also played for Noll and Bill Walsh. KC’s 1990-91 assistant coaches included Cowher, Dungy, and Herm Edwards, making it one of the best staffs in recent memory.

Herman Edwards, NYJ — Although he clearly has his own style, Edwards is a Schottenheimer guy through and through. An assistant in Kansas City for six seasons, he also worked under Dungy in Tampa Bay before taking over the Jets in 2001. Edwards initially made his name as a player for Dick Vermeil in Philadelphia.

Lovie Smith, CHI — Like Edwards, he’s a distinguished member of the Tony Dungy coaching tree, but unlike the Jets’ coach, he never worked directly with Schottenheimer. Smith is also a distant relation of the Jimmy Johnson tree, via Rams coach Mike Martz, a Norv Turner disciple.

The Bill Walsh Coaching Tree (originally called the Holmgren tree, I fixed it and called it the Walsh tree)

Mike Shanahan – you know the story

George Seifert – you know the story

Gary Kubiak – you know the story

Mike Holmgren, SEA — Holmgren, of course, traces his own roots to legendary 49ers coach Bill Walsh, but he’s established his own style to the point that he deserves his own tree, not just a branch. Former head coaches Dick Jauron (Bears), Marty Mornhinweg (Lions), and Ray Rhodes (Eagles, Packers) were also Holmgren assistants, but they don’t appear on this list. Former Raiders coach Bill Callahan was also part of the Holmgren tree, via Rhodes and Jon Gruden.

Jon Gruden, TB — An assistant for Holmgren from 1992-94, he’s also connected to the Walsh tree through Rhodes, for whom he served as offensive coordinator in Philadelphia.

Steve Mariucci, DET — Ran Holmgren’s offense before taking over the 49ers — there’s that Walsh connection again — but the really fascinating thing is that Mooch also worked for Mike Ditka for two seasons in Chicago. Jauron is Mariucci’s defensive coordinator in Detroit.

Andy Reid, PHI — The most accomplished member of Holmgren’s tree, he was on Green Bay’s staff for seven seasons before joining the Eagles. With Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel gone from New England, Reid probably has the most respected pair of coordinators (Brad Childress and Jim Johnson) in the league. Mornhinweg is also on Reid’s staff.

Mike Sherman, GB — The embattled Packers coach was on Holmgren’s staff in Green Bay for two seasons and followed him to Seattle before returning to become the head coach in Titletown.

The Bill Parcells Coaching Tree

Bill Parcells, DAL — His legacy has really taken off the last few seasons. Parcells was on Ray Perkins’ staff in New York, but even more than Schottenheimer and Holmgren, he’s really crafted himself. Maurice Carthon, who played and coached under Parcells, and Eric Mangini, the new defensive coordinator in New England, are both hot prospects who might expand the Parcells coaching tree within the next several years.

Bill Belichick, NE — This is the one every fan knows. Belichick was an assistant for Perkins, too, and Parcells kept him on when he became head coach. Belichick also worked for Parcells with the Patriots and Jets before returning to New England in 2000.

Romeo Crennel, CLE — Perkins may not have been an exceptional coach, but he knew how to pick ‘em. The 1981-82 Giants had Parcells, Belichick, and Crennel as assistants. Crennel stayed with the Giants until 1992, then went to the Pats when Parcells came out of retirement in 1993. He also followed Parcells to the Jets before joining Belichick’s staff in ’01.

Nick Saban, MIA — Saban is hard to pin down, but the Parcells tree is where he fits best, having spent four years with Belichick in Cleveland. Saban got his NFL start from Jerry Glanville in Houston in the late 1980s.

Tom Coughlin, NYG — The Parcells influence is clear in the way he runs his teams. Coughlin spent three years with Parcells, including the Giants’ 1990 Super Bowl campaign.

Between Schottenheimer, Walsh, and Parcells, 20 of the league’s 32 head coaches are accounted for. That’s an awfully impressive résumé for those three men. The remaining trees have fewer branches.