This is the second time McDaniels has struggled as soon as he stepped away from his coordinator job in New England. And things aren't getting any better in Las Vegas.
The thing is that he is an absolutely fantastic coordinator. Top tier, best in class, offensive mind. He’s really, really good at that.
I don’t know why specifically he isn’t translating to the head coaching world. Is it because he lacks the ability to manage what is very good at, while also managing the rest of the operations? Is it that he doesn’t build a relationship well with all of the players? Is it that his focus on the offense is primarily cerebral, whereas relationships with players, and building a team culture, is more soft-skills than choosing the perfect play at the right time?
There are plenty of people who get promoted because they’re fantastic at their job but don’t make great managers. McDaniels seems like that guy. Sometimes it’s good to just be an individual contributor and recognize that you aren’t particularly at your best, or even happiest, when you’re managing a team of people.
Where’s he gonna go next? Truth is, I wouldn’t mind seeing him here in SF as a coordinator working with Kyle Shanahan. If you combined McDaniels passing game with Shanahan’s running & playaction game - and that actually worked out - that would easily be the best offense the world has ever seen.
The thing is that he is an absolutely fantastic coordinator. Top tier, best in class, offensive mind. He’s really, really good at that.
I don’t know why specifically he isn’t translating to the head coaching world. Is it because he lacks the ability to manage what is very good at, while also managing the rest of the operations? Is it that he doesn’t build a relationship well with all of the players? Is it that his focus on the offense is primarily cerebral, whereas relationships with players, and building a team culture, is more soft-skills than choosing the perfect play at the right time?
There are plenty of people who get promoted because they’re fantastic at their job but don’t make great managers. McDaniels seems like that guy. Sometimes it’s good to just be an individual contributor and recognize that you aren’t particularly at your best, or even happiest, when you’re managing a team of people.
Where’s he gonna go next? Truth is, I wouldn’t mind seeing him here in SF as a coordinator working with Kyle Shanahan. If you combined McDaniels passing game with Shanahan’s running & playaction game - and that actually worked out - that would easily be the best offense the world has ever seen.