Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels wasn’t going to talk about his next job, not anymore than co-worker Matt Patricia was last night.
But unlike Patricia, McDaniels has had a head coaching job before, and he was willing to admit that his time in Denver will serve him well next week when he begins his next career as the Colts head coach.
“I’ve learned a lot in my career, whether it’s here, my time in Denver or in St. Louis,” McDaniels said. “Every step of the way has been invaluable to me. There’s so many good people and so many good coaches and personnel people that are willing to share what they know and I’ve tried to pick up things here and there from everyone I’ve worked for.
“Sometimes I think failure is the best teacher.”
He certainly had his share of that. He was fired before the end of his second season in Denver after compiling a 11-17 record as head coach. And when he landed with the Rams as offensive coordinator, he was 2-14 before returning to the Patriots for a second stint which has included a bit more success.
It would be natural to be humbled by his time away from the safe cocoon of working with Tom Brady and for Bill Belichick, and McDaniels seemed comfortable admitting as much, saying he was “nowhere near a finished product.”
“I’m hungry to try and get better and serve the guys that I work for and serve the people who I work with,” he said. “Hopefully that will serve me well as I move forward.”
And perhaps as soon as Monday, he’ll be able to admit that next move is to Indianapolis.