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Patriots fans seem to have a very strong opinion about their offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, not being interviewed for any of the head coaching openings. According to them, 31 NFL teams are dumb for not considering Josh as a head coaching candidate.
This article you're reading is our response to that article.
A response to...
A response to...
First, there are 25 NFL teams who still have head coaches. We propose it is not dumb to not interview someone for head coach when you currently have a head coach.
Second, there are many reasons why the seven teams that actually had head coach openings this offseason might not have considered Josh McDaniels for their respective jobs. We, as Broncos fans and analysts, have a big one - and we're just throwing this out there, because, you know, 2009 sucked - perhaps those seven teams examined his success when he actually was a head coach.
Josh McDaniels was an awful head coach
Let's review Josh McDaniel's tenure in Denver. It was so successful, that Broncos fans even made Josh his own website outlining his time there. Pull up a chair, because this might take a while.
January 2009- Josh is named the 12th head coach by the Broncos, taking over the 8-8 Shanahan built Broncos team, which ranked second in total offense. Josh immediately fires every offensive coach except OL coach Dennison and running backs coach Bobby Turner. This includes firing the quarterback coach, Jeremy Bates, who had developed a strong relationship with the Broncos' young pro-bowl quarterback, Jay Cutler.
February 2009 - McDaniels tries to trade Cutler for Matt Cassel (Tom Brady's backup). The trade fails, and Cassel ends up in a Chiefs uniform while Cutler learns of the trade attempt through the news, which makes Jay feel a little betrayed.
Josh also fires GMs Jim Goodman (after saying he was looking forward to working together in his press conference) and Jeff Goodman, and promotes Brian Xanders from co-assistant to GM. Josh also fires the Broncos' 7-year veteran long-snapper, Mike Leach, who was a favorite among teammates. He signs the Patriots' Lonie Paxton, the 2nd highest paid long-snapper in the NFL.
March 2009 - Josh hires a bunch more former Patriots and fires long-time Broncos players to make a total of 6. Jay Cutler and Josh McDaniels decide they couldn't work out their fight, so Cutler formally asked to be traded.
April 2009 - Cutler is traded to the Bears for Kyle Orton (51.6% completion percentage, 1,869 yards passing, 9 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions) and a 5th round draft pick, plus 1st and 3rd round draft picks in 2009, and a first round pick in 2010. Pat Bowlen feels the need to defend Josh to Broncos fans in a letter because they are so pissed off. Rick Reilly of ESPN proclaims that Broncos fans are screwed.
October 2009 - The Broncos beat the Patriots and start the season 5-0. Josh looks like a frat boy from New Jersey in his fist pumping celebration, which would even be excessive if it had been a playoff game. But Broncos fans had hope that Reilly was wrong. The Broncos beat the Chargers the next week, improving to 6-0.
November 2009 - The Broncos are curb stomped by the Ravens, then lose to the Steelers on MNF. The Broncos play Washington the next week, and Chris Simms comes in for an injured Orton, completing 3-13 passes for 13 yards and an interception. Chris is released soonafter, fueling Phil Simms' awful biased commentary, as Chris is his son.
Josh trash talks, further characterizing his frat boy image, with Shaun Phillips before a Chargers game. The Broncos lose the game 32-3, and the Chargers pass the Broncos to lead the AFC West. He also drops an F-bomb on Thanksgiving day on national television.
December 2009/ January 2010- The Broncos win 2 more games, but finish the season 8-8 and miss the playoffs. Lots of Broncos fans are angry and lots of analysts think Josh is an idiot and Kyle Orton is not a starting caliber QB.
Off-season 2010: Dennison and Turner quit, making McDaniels entire offensive coaching staff different from Shanahan's number two offense's. Defensive Coordinator, Mike Nolan, quits after improving the Broncos' defense. Josh promotes his little brother to quarterbacks coach, despite his extremely limited experience. Josh has a hard time finding a defensive coordinator who wants to work for him.
McDaniels trades Peyton Hillis to the Browns for Brady Quinn, after being one of the best running backs in the NFL the previous season. Josh trades pro-bowl wide receiver Brandon Marshall to theDolphins.
2010 Draft - The Broncos have two first round picks. To make up for Marshall's departure Josh uses the first pick to draft Demaryius Thomas. He uses the second one to draft Tim Tebow, even though he just traded for Brady Quinn and Tebow was projected to be picked in the 2nd or 3rd round because of his inadequacy as an NFL quarterback. The pick came after trading the Broncos 2010 pick to Seattle the previous year to draft cornerback Alphonso Smith, which they used to draft Earl Thomas (later labeled the best player in the 2010 draft).
2010 Season- The Broncos trade Alphonso Smith for Rob Gronkowski's brother, Dan, from the Lions(who was the second to last overall pick in 2009). The Broncos suffer the worst defeat in franchise history to the Raiders, and have a 4-13 record with McDaniels as coach in the last year.
Josh takes another page from the Patriots' book, and his personnel are caught recording the 49ers walk-through. The NFL fined Josh and the Broncos each $50,000 and Broncos fans are embarrassed everywhere.
Just before leading the Broncos to the worst record in franchise history, Pat Bowlen fires Josh McDaniels before he can bring anymore shame on his team.
So in conclusion, Josh must be a pretty inept head coach.
Bill Belichick sends his people as double agents to get revenge
If Josh McDaniels isn't as inept as he looks, the Belichick double agent theory is true, and Bill sent him in to take down the Broncos from the inside after they embarrassed him in the 2006 AFC Divisional game (thanks, Champ!). In fact, as was pointed out on Reddit, Josh wouldn't be the first Patriot to do it. Other teams that have been victim to ex-Pats infiltration include: the Jets, Browns, Notre Dame, and Chiefs. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if that were true.
@docllv @CaptainBronco McDaniels was definitely an inside job https://t.co/fPFFeCSOBT
— Kelly Fleming (@303_Kelly) January 18, 2016
Either way, 31 NFL teams are geniuses for staying as far away as possible from making Josh McDaniels their head coach.