Josh McDaniel enters his new role as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders lacking a great track record in such a prominent gig.
Never mind the fact he spurned the Indianapolis Colts at the last second, but his time with the Denver Broncos wasn’t great. He went a respectable 8-8 in 2009 but missed the playoffs, only to regress and go 3-9 the next season before getting canned.
Chalk it up to any number of factors. But McDaniels explained during his introductory press conference with the Raiders why things didn’t work in Denver.
“When I went to Denver, I knew a little bit of football,” McDaniels said, via ProFootballTalk. “I didn’t really know people and how important that aspect of this process, and maintaining the culture and building the team was. And I failed, and I didn’t succeed at it. Looking at that experience has been one of the best things in my life in terms of my overall growth as a person, as a coach. What do I need to do different, how do I need to handle my role, if I have another opportunity, and do better at it? I feel like that’s really an area that I’ve tried to grow in.”
McDaniels, after a quick stint with the St. Louis Rams, returned to the New England Patriots and focused on improving those skills. Whether that helps him in Vegas remains to be seen, but at least he has confidence, perhaps to a ridiculous degree, in his quarterback.
