Could Josh McDaniels pursue head coaching again in the future?
Yahoo Sports’ Jason Fitz, senior NFL writer Frank Schwab and senior betting analyst Ben Fawkes discuss if Josh McDaniels should look to continue his success as an offensive coordinator or look to become a head coach again. Check out the full conversation on “Inside Coverage” - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
He has a shot at this point at yet another ring, and I say that because this is his 10th, 10th Super Bowl appearance.
So Frank, like, here's what I struggle with.
I struggle with what to do with somebody that is obviously, clearly one of the greats of all time at what he does, but is also a head coach that's been fired from everything quickly.
Yeah.
And what- which team was his last team- I, I- -as a head coach of?
I, I don't remember, but- Somebody will look it up.
No, Josh McDaniels, it is, A, he's a very important part of this game because he gets two weeks to cook up something against that really, really good Seahawks defense.
But just his career arc is unbelievable.
I, I can't think of another one quite like it.
He has a chance to set the NFL record with most rings by a coordinator.
He has three right now, six rings overall, three as an assistant, three as a coordinator.
Four rings is the record, by Steve Spagnuolo.
He has a chance to tie that.
Last year we were talking I wrote about, is Steve Spagnuolo a Hall of Famer?
If he would've won his fifth ring last year, he would've got a bump for that.
No coach has ever made it to the Hall of Fame as basically as a, a, a coordinator, not as a head coach, but basically as a coordinator.
So on that ca- you're like, Josh McDaniels has a Hall of Fame case.
He really does.
Yeah.
But there's the Broncos, and the Raiders, and the head coaching fiasco, and I just He, he was so interesting to talk to this week.
I talked to him today, a little bit on Monday, too.
It- w- you know, when asked about being a head coach again, he's just like, "You know what?
I'm not dealing with that.
I'm happy where I am right now.
This is where I'm supposed to be."
I don't know if that He didn't wanna talk about it, ob- obviously, but I don't know if that was a sign of, "You know what?
I'm just happy in this role as a coordinator.
I know I'm good at it.
I could be this for the rest of my life."
Or, you know, does- will anybody give him another shot at a head coaching job?
I think he's just fascinating on so many different levels, and also a big part of this game, because that Patriots offense is a big part of this, this whole deal.
Just took a second-year quarterback to be- Mm-hmm ... probably second in the MVP voting.
He's not even 50 years old yet.
He would be the top candidate for everybody in this head coaching cycle, except maybe Harbaugh, you know, I mean But he's kind of toxic at this point, and yet, you know, the, the reasons he has failed, a- I covered him with the Broncos many, many years ago, is that he just never connects with his players when he's a head coach.
That, that has been It was the deal in Denver, it was the deal with the Raiders.
But yet, there was a moment d- during the AFC Championship Game, this was in my story, too, where Drake May is on the sideline, it's in the fourth quarter, and he's just saying, "This is hard.
Good God."
And, and McDaniels said, "Hey, calm down.
Look at me."
He, he said, "Look at- look, listen, this is hard, it is, but if we get this done over the next six minutes and 30 seconds, this is gonna be one of the greatest moments of your life."
And it was such a reassuring And he talked about being a, a dad of four kids between 13 and 21, and I remember those kids when I was covering him, and I was like, "Oh, my God, I'm that old?"
So but it, it was just like a, why can't that Josh McDaniels come through and be a head coach?
Why can't this offensive genius translate this to being a head coach?
Because he has these moments where you're like, Josh McDaniels is one of the most brilliant football coaches around, just not in the head coaching role.
