Despite being on their bye, it still turned out to be a busy weekend for the Patriots. Offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien accepted the Penn State job, news which prompted New England to rehire Josh McDaniels. And now, after a weekend of wild-card games that saw the Texans beat the Bengals and the Broncos beat the Steelers, the Patriots will face Denver and Tim Tebow in Foxboro next Sunday.
First things first, though. McDaniels is back. The 30-something wunderkind who replaced Charlie Weis as offensive coordinator when he left for Notre Dame, eventually parlayed his success in New England into a head-coaching gig with the Broncos. In 2009, McDaniels' first in Denver, the Broncos won their first six games … and then the wheels fell off. They finished 8-8 that season and 4-12 in 2010.
McDaniels was fired midway through that '10 season. Before he left, however, he was responsible for drafting Tim Tebow and Demaryius Thomas, two players who had the best games of their careers against the Steelers Sunday. And now after a one-year stint with the Rams as their offensive coordinator, McDaniels is back with the Patriots helping them prepare to stop two players with which he is intimately familiar.
Does McDaniels give the Patriots a strategic advantage as they prepare for the Broncos? The question has been asked, particularly by folks in the Denver media. But the reality is this: the Pats didn't need McDaniels to blow the Broncos out in their first meeting. And for all McDaniels' prowess as a great offensive mind, his track record as a personnel guy with the Broncos was pretty abysmal. Not only that, but every NFL coach has access to the same information -- every game, every play, from various angles is available to break down. And while McDaniels has coached many of Denver's players, if he hadn't struggled he would still be there. He was fired for a reason.
As for next weekend's matchup, the hysteria has already begun: Brady vs. Tebow, Part II.
"We played them a month ago," Broncos head coach John Fox said Sunday. "It didn’t go very well. That would be kind of my mindset this minute. I think it will be a huge test. It is a well-coached, again, great football team, great organization. It will be at their place, so it will be a huge challenge. It is one we’ll look forward to."
And Tebow, one of the few players to get more media attention than Brady on a weekly basis, offered this.
"They are a very good team. They’ve got one of the best players in football in Tom Brady and one of the best coaches in Coach [Bill] Belichick, so you know they’ll have a great game plan, and you’ll know they’ll be well-rested. They play hard, they play well, and we’re going to have to get ready for them tomorrow."
Tebow was also asked about the midfield, post-game conversation he had with Brady the last time the teams met.
"He was very nice. He was very kind. He just said some very nice things, and I really appreciated it … What an honor it is to play with him again and to have that opportunity. And it’s exciting as well to be able to face one of the best quarterbacks and one of the best teams in the [NFL]."
And Thomas, the other player McDaniels drafted in 2010, said "I am just going to go back this week and watch film from the first time we played them and try to get better from what we did last game. I am going to try and have fun and win another game. ... [McDaniels] drafted me and Tebow, and me and Tebow had the winning score on the last play of the game.""
One day down, four more to go.
