FOXBORO, Mass. — Josh McDaniels is expected to receive significant interest as a head-coaching candidate next month.
One of McDaniels’ longtime colleagues believes any team would be wise to hire him.
New England Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia on Friday delivered a rousing endorsement of McDaniels, the team’s offensive coordinator for 12 of the last 15 seasons.
“I would never have come back here if he was not here,” said Scarnecchia, who temporarily retired after the 2013 season before returning to the Patriots’ coaching staff in 2016. “I mean that. He’s just such a really good coach and a great guy for me personally to work with — for all of us to work with; I don’t want to speak for everybody. He’s very bright, a football guy through and through. He understands the game from the front to the back end and the whole width and breadth of everything. He’s a coach’s son, born into the game and just a pleasure to be around and to work with. A hard-working guy — just a really, really good coach.
“Someone’s going to be very lucky to have him as a head coach someday.”
McDaniels flopped in his first head-coaching stint, leading the Denver Broncos to an 11-17 record before being fired midway through the 2010 season. Indianapolis attempted to hire him last February, but he left them at the altar, choosing to remain with the Patriots after agreeing to become the Colts’ head coach.
That decision subjected McDaniels to widespread criticism and a belief that he’d torpedoed his chances of landing the top job anywhere outside New England. That speculation proved inaccurate. McDaniels already is generating buzz ahead of Black Monday, with Albert Breer of The MMQB reporting Thursday he’s likely to receive interest from the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns.
Carolina already fired head coach Ron Rivera, and Cleveland could choose to part ways with Freddie Kitchens after failing to meet its lofty preseason expectations. Dallas also could be an enticing opportunity if the Cowboys fire Jason Garrett.
“For me, (McDaniels) is an easy guy to get along with,” Scarnecchia said. “He’s fun to be around. But he’s a no-nonsense guy in a lot of respects. He’ll tell you, ‘Don’t you think we need to do this? Don’t you think we need to do that?’ And I just appreciate his candidness, and I appreciate the way he’s able to get everybody to work together on the offensive staff and see the game through one set of eyes.
“That’s always been something that we covet around here, getting everybody on the same page. So I think all of those things make it very easy to work with him. I really love the guy. He’s a good coach.”
McDaniels first joined the Patriots organization in 2001. He’s been on staff for all six of the franchise’s Super Bowl championships.
