FOXBORO — Josh McDaniels had scruff.
A lot of it, in fact, as he walked to a podium Thursday morning inside the Patriots’ facility.
The image cut against most you’ll find of McDaniels from his previous stops in New England, spanning 2001-08 and 2012-21. Those pictures reflect a coach with a tight haircut, clean-shaven face and eyes laser focused.
This McDaniels, however, was relaxed. Reflective. Smiling. Days ahead of a season opener where Patriots players and coaches have admitted they don’t know what to expect from the Raiders, it’s easy to say the same of McDaniels this year.
Over the last eight months, the 49-year-old has been surrounded by assistants he’s never worked with before. He’s installed plays he’s never run. For the first time in New England, McDaniels isn’t taking orders from Bill Belichick or abiding by whatever your definition is of the Patriot Way.
This is now the second time McDaniels has found refuge in Foxboro. Of all the players and coaches who ever left New England with big dreams only to return hat in hand, he sits atop the list. McDaniels is the true prodigal Patriot.
Austin Hooper, the Pats’ veteran No. 2 tight end, witnessed McDaniels’ fall from grace as the Raiders’ head coach after just 20 months. In 2023, Hooper was the starting tight end in Las Vegas, his last stop before New England. This week, Hooper steered clear of comparing the McDaniels he played for then and the coach he plays for now.
Hooper did note, however, the weight on McDaniels’ shoulders is much lighter compared to his Vegas days; perhaps the driving force behind his apparent rejuvenation.
“That’s the biggest difference, right?” Hooper asked rhetorically in front of his locker Thursday. “Going from the ultimate responsibility being the head man to an incredibly large (offensive coordinator) role, but you don’t have to worry about all three phases, coach all three phases and communicate with all the coaches. Instead, it’s just like, ‘All right, let’s get in our offensive room, and let’s make sure we’re good with what we’ve got going on.’ ”
In that room, McDaniels has help.
Former New York Jets passing game coordinator Todd Downing looks on from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
Former New York Jets passing game coordinator Todd Downing looks on from the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
New tight ends coach/passing game coordinator Thomas Brown and wide receivers coach Todd Downing are longtime coaching veterans with experience working under other top offensive minds like McDaniels. Accomplished. Sharp. Some, like Brown’s former boss in Los Angeles, Sean McVay, even have Super Bowl rings, too.
What Brown and Downing have done, following comments Vrabel made last March, is help pare down the verbiage in McDaniels’ system. Near the end of his second tenure in New England, McDaniels’ offense collapsed under the weight of its own complexity. Not just in terms of total concepts, but the language associated with them.
Nowadays, instead of teaching a series of related plays all with different names, the Patriots have grouped them into “families,” and cut down the language.
“As Josh’s offense has kind of evolved, it kind of gets added on to the bottom,” Vrabel said at the owners meetings. “I think what Thomas can do, with Todd, is kind of look and get things cleaned up and put it in more of a bucket. And being able to be a coach that’s learning it – how they would be able to teach it? I think that’s something that we always want to look at – how would we teach this to the players?
Vrabel continued: “Having a fresh set of eyes with Thomas, and Todd, and (quarterbacks coach) Ashton (Grant) or (running backs coach) Tony Dews, allows them to say, ‘Hey Josh, let’s clean this up.’ Or, ‘this is how we did it with the Rams.’ Or ‘this is how we did it with the Jets.’ …. Having those communications where maybe it was Josh took it for granted; these new coaches are like ‘I think they can hit the players’ brain a little bit better this way.’ Or ‘here’s how I’d like to coach it.’ And I think they’ve been able to clean it up.”
Hooper said he couldn’t recall how McDaniels installed his offense in 2023, but seems to sense a difference in New England.
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, left, and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels during a July 30 practice in Foxboro. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, left, and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels during a July 30 practice in Foxboro. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
“Here, the installation, the teaching, the communication has been fantastic,” Hooper said. “It’s been a great environment for young and veteran players. So I’m very, very appreciative of that.”
In opening up his offense to outside input, McDaniels has also added fresh concepts. In training camp, the Patriots drilled designed quarterback runs and movement throws, like bootleg play-action passes; plays that effectively didn’t exist when he coached Tom Brady and Mac Jones. These plays, of course, are to weaponize Drake Maye’s mobility, something last year’s staff failed to do by never once calling Maye’s number as a runner.
Having inherited that same staff’s lackluster receiving corps, McDaniels is also making due with his stable of running backs. TreVeyon Henderson, a blazing fast runner unlike any he previously coached in New England, is suddenly a deep threat. Henderson is running wheel routes from the backfield, double-moves as an outside receiver, and scored on them both in training camp; most notably when he “blew away” the Vikings during joint practices last month.
And Henderson’s snaps may not come at the expense of Rhamondre Stevenson, another weapon available to McDaniels. The Patriots have deployed both backs simultaneously in several practices, a personnel package that should factor heavily in Sunday’s opener. Imagine Maye triggering a triple-option run with Stevenson, keeping the ball and veering off the edge with Henderson behind him.
McDaniels probably has.
And finally, there’s the human element.
Two years ago, reports suggested McDaniels lost his job in Las Vegas because players went over his head. They complained to ownership about McDaniels’ practices, his culture and how rigid and joyless it all was. It was a familiar story.
New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and quarterback Drake Maye talk during a practice in Foxboro. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and quarterback Drake Maye talk during a practice in Foxboro. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
Over 20 years, Belichick disciples became prone to treating players as disposable assets instead of human beings they are supposed to both employ and empower. Vrabel, who never coached under Belichick, isn’t making that mistake. And neither is McDaniels, according to his head coach.
“I think he’s a great teacher,” Vrabel said Friday. “I think the way that the connection with the players – again, it’s a fine line to try to hold guys accountable to what we need to get done, but also having a connection with them. I’ve seen that.”
To be fair, McDaniels may not have needed a nudge in this direction. He spent a year away from the game, regrouped and connected with Vrabel before they were both hired in New England. On Thursday, reflective and humble, McDaniels insisted living and learning has been a lesson unto itself over his career.
“The one thing I know I’ve tried to get really good at over the course of time is just (to) take the lessons and digest those and use them for something positive,” he said. “You know, there’s no reason to — I don’t harbor any ill will towards any of the things that haven’t worked out in my career. And there’s been many of them.”
As his players heard countless times over the summer, McDaniels believes on game days you either win or you learn. Since he last left New England, he’s done a lot of learning. What will that mean for McDaniels this time around?
On Sunday, it will finally be time to find out.
Maye’s growth
Before Maye can attempt a Year 2 leap this season, he had to make small jumps behind the scenes.
According to his position coach, Patriots quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant, Maye’s done just that in two major areas.
“The confidence in the system No. 1 for sure, and then second, just being able to move up into the pocket,” Grant told reporters Thursday. “Trusting his throws and trusting the protection.”
Quarterback Drake Maye of the New England Patriots prepares to throw during Wednesday's practice. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
Quarterback Drake Maye of the New England Patriots prepares to throw during Wednesday's practice. (Photo By Matt Stone/Boston Herald)
Maye has dealt with shaking protection dating back to his final collegiate season in 2023. Last year, he was often tasked with creating plays outside of structure, both throwing on the move and scrambling. Maye finished with 421 rushing yards despite never carrying the ball on a designed quarterback run.
Grant and McDaniels now see a more mature quarterback who’s comfortable working in the pocket and the controls of a new offensive.
“When you come in your first year, there’s a million things being thrown at you and then when you move and progress to your second year, then there’s certain things that we can focus on because the weight of moving to the NFL isn’t as big as it once was,” Grant said.
Quote of the Week
“I think I was referred to as a pain in the ass, pain in the posterior, but I’m going to say exactly what it really was. Obviously, I don’t want to come across as that. And I’m gonna say this. I want to be very clear. I’m an adult. I’ll apologize. I’m not up here to ego trip. I’m not up here to rub anybody the wrong way or say anything for clickbait. If I rub anybody wrong, I really want to apologize moving forward. Obviously, we have the media to play a relationship as professional as I can be. I want to make myself available each and every week.” — Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs, in his first public comments since late July, responding to media commentary from NBC Sports Boston