Zolak: Patriots would be in good shape with Josh McDaniels at OC
The Patriots are still in search of an offensive coordinator, and while Nick Caley appears to be the leader in the clubhouse, the possibility looms of an old friend making his return to New England. Our own Scott Zolak has cracked open the books and crunched the numbers behind the Patriots offense under the coordination of Josh McDaniels in recent years (without Tom Brady).
Josh McDaniels in New England without Tom Brady hasn’t been half bad
Zolak: “I looked at some numbers here, and this is why I do think that it’s got select numbers… I’m more inclined to look at the numbers without Tom [Brady]. For instance, the Matt Cassel year, Josh was calling the plays there. They were loaded, they were stacked. They went 11-5 with Cassel. They didn’t get in the playoffs that year. I think the Jets beat them. The Jets were the team. The year Brady got suspended. So you got four games without Tom. Three of those were where Jimmy got hurt in the Miami game. [Jacoby] Brissett sucked it up and went with a busted ligament in his thumb. Team went 3-1 without Brady under Josh there. In a 2022, Mac’s rookie year, you went 10-7, and things looked promising. It was Jones’s best year, under Josh’s direction. And in 2020, he went 7-9 with Cam Newton on a team that wasn’t really very good. But you saw some different things run with Cam that Josh didn’t ask him to do. So the question is what offense would you run and how hardcore would you be [to say] “we’re doing it by like the old way”. I think he would adapt to the type of players that we have because of the experience.
“But the bottom line is it’s an overall winning record there without Brady and he’s been here. He knows the team, he knows ownership, he knows the other coaches. He’s worked with these guys before. He’s comfortable here. He’s 31-22.”
Beetle: “I’m telling you, the only reason I don’t want Josh McDaniels is because that dynamic is going to be weird and awkward, and it’s going to suck. And the last thing they need is weird dynamics on the coaching staff when their team blows. That’s what bad teams have.”
LISTEN: Zo crunches the numbers behind Josh McDaniels in New England without Tom Brady
