Josh McDaniels had two rough stints as an NFL head coach: the first was with the Denver Broncos, and the most recent was with the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders fired McDaniels following a dismal start to the season.
The Raiders sacked McDaniels earlier this week in an effort to salvage their season, but since then, several insider reports have surfaced, highlighting the difficulties of his last few days in command.
One of the issues at Denver was that head coach Josh McDaniels was unyielding in his coaching techniques and practice philosophy, benching several experienced players, including quarterback Jay Cutler.
While this may work in New England, where Belichick has amassed enormous power over the course of his tenure as coach, it may not work as well when one of his coaching protégés transfers to a different team.
It doesn’t seem like any lessons have been learnt because McDaniels was said to have lost the team’s trust once more. It also seems like a tough meeting between the coach and his players before his dismissal went badly.
The way the meeting with his players turned out left McDaniels devastated; according to numerous accounts, the person who showed up for work the days following the meeting was not the same person who had worked there the day before.
According to reports, the players begged McDaniels to alter his coaching technique during the meeting. Although he incorporated the group’s ideas, McDaniels’ approach to the practice sessions that followed was noticeably different. Many believed the end was near. According to an NFL Network story, McDaniels was essentially a “bystander” on the practice field; one source put it that way. Like he had done his first year in charge, he allowed plays to go forward without stopping them midway to make corrections.
While it’s unclear if the Raiders will turn things around right away, Josh McDaniels might find it very challenging to find a third team willing to take a risk on his strategies. Mac Jones’s struggles at quarterback have been attributed on New England’s stuttering offense, but there are now many who believe McDaniels may make a third trip back to Foxboro.
