Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was happy to add Josh McDaniels onto the staff this weekend and said he'll be an asset moving forward.
McDaniels, who was rehired Sunday, spent eight seasons with the Patriots, from 2001-08, including his last three as the team's official offensive coordinator. McDaniels will serve as an offensive assistant in the playoffs before taking over as the offensive coordinator when Bill O'Brien departs for Penn State.
"It's good to have Josh on the staff," Belichick said. "He's a person that I've spent a lot of time with, have been in a lot of different situations, have a lot of confidence in him. He's smart, has a great, experienced background, and he knows our system. I've enjoyed our conversations the past couple days, have gotten caught up on some things and moving forward into the playoffs here. I think he'll be a good asset to our team."
Belichick said he wasn't sure if McDaniels would coach Saturday's game against the Broncos from the sidelines or up in the booth, but that determination would be finalized later in the week. With the staff's familiarity with McDaniels, though, Belichick said he doesn't "really anticipate it being a problem."
Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio was especially excited to reunite with McDaniels. The two were teammates together at John Carroll University, where Caserio actually beat out McDaniels to become the starting quarterback.
"I think it's great, and I have a lot of respect for Josh, not only as a coach, but as a friend," Caserio said. "I've known Josh a long time. It's no secret. I think it's great to have him back. It's great to have him a part of our program and our system again. His goal and our goal is for everyone to work as hard as they can in preparation for this game, and that's what we'll try to do."
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