Mile High City residents either rejoiced or repented their fate Sunday as the Denver Broncos announced Josh McDaniels as its new top staffer. McDaniels hails from New England where he earned serious cred as the ringleader for Tom Brady’s—and then Matt Cassel’s—high-octane offense. The hire comes just days after owner Pat Bowlen’s firing of longtime Broncos head coach (and Denver staple) Mike Shanahan, a 14-year presence with a winning record and back-to-back Super Bowls in 1998 and 1999.
McDaniels spent his first eight years in the NFL with the Patriots, starting as a personnel assistant and working his way to the top as prettyboy Tom Brady and his dominant offense came to power in the AFC, winning a couple of Super Bowls early in the decade. Now, he’ll be the youngest coach ever to take over the Broncos organization—a team that’s put up big offensive numbers but narrowly missed the playoffs each of the past three years—at 32 years of age. McDaniels beat out six other potential candidates for the coveted coaching job, including the New York Giants’ preeminent defensive specialist Steve Spagnuolo.
Coach McDaniels will leave one prolific offense for another; Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler is one of the league’s best passers and a rising star along with wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal.
Buddy Up