When an NFL team hires a young head coach, people will always ask if they’re ready. How do you really know though?
“Well, I wasn’t the last time,” said New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels (via Jeff Legwold of ESPN).
The last time was 2009, when a then 33-year-old McDaniels was hired as the head coach of the Denver Broncos. After getting off to a 6-0 start, he crashed and burned. McDaniels wouldn’t even last two seasons in the Mile High City, getting fired after a 3-9 start to the 2010 season. His legacy in Denver will be defined by an 11-17 record, brash and alienating behavior and a failure to adjust to adversity.
Now 40, McDaniels is in the same job he occupied before coming to Denver. A little older, a little wiser, he does not regret taking the Broncos gig, despite his struggles.
“All the experiences I’ve had in coaching, I hope, have made me a better person, better coach,” McDaniels said. “Some of the things I failed at before, I think I learned from and am better for it.”
