FOXBOROUGH, Mass.
That dynamic provides context for Patriots coach Bill Belichick recently paying McDaniels one of the highest compliments possible, comparing him to Nick Saban.
“It’s kind of like Saban, when we were in Cleveland.
“He knows what all 11 guys are doing on offense, what their keys are, what their adjustments are, and he knows defensively how guys are taught to play certain blocks or routes or reads and how to attack them.
But there is one specific area McDaniels, 45, has proven to be most valuable to the Patriots entering their road game against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night .
“Josh, obviously, is one of the best offensive minds in football, and I always like to learn how he wants to do it,” Jones said.
Mac, his knowledge of the game is going to be a lot just from Josh and all that he’s seen throughout this league.
In his 12 prior seasons as offensive coordinator, covering two different stints, McDaniels guided the Patriots to eight top-10 rankings, which includes their standing as the No.
In 2008, when Brady tore his ACL on the 15th play of the season, McDaniels showed his coaching chops by helping backup Matt Cassel emerge.
In 2016, when Brady was serving a four-game NFL suspension, McDaniels prepped Jimmy Garoppolo to open the season, and then had Jacoby Brissett ready to go when Garoppolo injured his shoulder in Week 2.
Long-term we want to get to D, E, F and G a month or two from now,” he said, crediting Jones with having “a great attitude and approach” in an ever-changing environment.
“Each defense we play is different.
While that had ESPN NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr.
“I’m just looking at, ‘Did we make progress in this area from last week? And we’re talking about everything: Cadence, stance, drops, pocket movement, eye level, reading the defense, progressions, patience, when it’s time to be aggressive, when it’s not, and his throwing mechanics.
McDaniels has consistently said he hopes to be a head coach again — he was 11-17 in a well-documented disappointing stint as the Denver Broncos boss — although it’s clear he won’t jump at any job.
He’s got great poise during the game, never gets rattled, never loses track of the situation.
“A brilliant mind, very smart guy,” said Patriots Hall of Famer Troy Brown, who serves as assistant receivers and returners coach.
“You’re always trying to figure out how to win the game that particular week,” he said.