J-Mac dissed in Denver ..

[MauiRam]

Fox brings stark contrast to McDaniels in Denver

BY MARK KISZLA | THE DENVER POST STLtoday.com |


Anybody who thinks new Denver Broncos coach John Fox knows X’s and O’s better than the departed Josh McDaniels is nuts.

But football IQ isn’t always the best measure of a coach. Fox instinctively understands something McDaniels never quite grasped: how to be a man worthy of his players’ trust.

What has changed at the Broncos headquarters? An adult is again in charge of the sideline. A mature coaching response to any future crisis the Broncos might encounter could have far greater impact on the success of this team than the fierce pass rush brought by first-round draft choice Von Miller.

McDaniels was a Bill Belichick wannabe.

Fox is like having Dan Reeves back in town.

The Broncos have stopped the madness and returned to business.

“Anytime you have a different leader, the attitude is going to be different. You react as your leader reacts,” Broncos linebacker Mario Haggan said on the first day of summer practice. “If your leader is a guy who’s out there cursing and making life hard, it trickles down to the players. If your leader is having fun and makes work fun in a way that coincides with what his players like to do, that shapes how his guys will be.”

So mark the Broncos down for twice as many victories in 2011 as last season. In an unsettled AFC West, an 8-8 record might keep Denver in playoff contention until the final snap of the final game. I can’t promise you rookie offensive tackle Orlando Franklin will keep quarterback Kyle Orton in one piece or that 37-year-old safety Brian Dawkins will be a reliable pass defender on third down.

But after observing Fox turn down the tension and ramp up the professionalism during preseason sessions, maybe the best reason to believe Denver will win more frequently is there’s guaranteed to be a dramatic reduction in nonsense emanating from the team’s headquarters.

McDaniels exerted so much whistle-twirling nervous energy trying to act like an NFL coach that he didn’t get as much meaningful coaching accomplished as Fox does in the 30 seconds it takes him to fist bump an impressionable young quarterback or look a veteran linebacker square in the eye.

The trouble with McDaniels was not arrogance, as is often assumed by detractors who never saw past the former coach’s hoodie. The problem was McDaniels never was comfortable in his own skin. He hid the insecurities of a 34-year-old NFL coach behind that hoodie and never let Denver players, much less the team’s loyal fans, inside his heart for more than fleeting seconds.

A Broncos helmet can still be found displayed behind the bar of Harmon’s Pub in Canton, the football-obsessed Ohio town where McDaniels played quarterback in high school. Matt Cunningham, a lifelong pal of McDaniels’ and the proprietor of this fine establishment, has a knack of connecting with strangers from the first handshake. Any friend of Cunningham’s can’t be all bad. As the friendly barkeep filled shot glasses with a diabolical combination of Captain Morgan, Coke and Red Bull for a rowdy crowd on a recent Saturday night, Cunningham shrugged and wondered why Denver never got to know McDaniels.

Maybe it was McDaniels who never gave us a decent chance to root for him.

There was a small moment worth remembering during Denver’s recent 24-23 loss to Dallas. In the second half of a relatively meaningless preseason game, after the top players for both teams had retired to the bench, Broncos running back Jeremiah Johnson rumbled 13 yards to the end zone. On the sideline, Fox made certain Johnson knew his coach was as genuinely excited about the touchdown as a player working hard to secure a roster spot in the league.

In terms of pure football intelligence, here’s a guess Fox might not be able to match McDaniels.

The secret of winning NFL games, however, is far greater than the sum of X’s and O’s.

[FestusRam]

Guess this writer forget it was Mcdaniels first head coaching gig in the NFL. He was probably out of his comfort zone and never got a chance to settle in.

I think its funny how this guy just predicts a double in wins from this alone.

What a joke

[sb2sb2sb]

Some truth in this article. You could easily tell that McDaniels wasn't ready for the head coaching gig. He was young and immature. He made some pretty stupid moves. However I think that gave him a lot of experience. No question in my mind he is a born to be OC. He will be awesome at the spot no matter where. But he wasn't cut out to be a headcoach. A head coach deals with so much more than just being an OC. Then again, Spags learned from the best and McDaniels can easily put together what he learned from belicheck and will from spags...and maybe become a head coach again.

[r8rh8rmike]

Justin Bannan certainly had no problems coming to play for a team that employed his ex-head coach. In fact, he openly credited McDaniels for helping to seal the deal with the Rams. I guess the premise of this article is open to interpretation.

[TekeRam]

Ok, fine. The writer is correct that the duties and qualifications of a head coach are more than just knowing X's & O's. And he's probably right that Josh didn't have a handle on just what kind of head coach he should or could be. But don't think that having a mastery of football strategy means that you're giving up wins. If the Bronco's go 8-8 this year I'll eat my crow, but somehow I really doubt it.

Personally, I'm thrilled to have a master of tactics and strategy as our new OC, which is exactly where he should be.

[RAMFANRAIDERHATER]

J-Mac = M Martz

Both great OC's, lousy HC.

[fliptalianstallion]

J-Mac = M Martz

Both great OC's, lousy HC.

Only difference was that the Broncos FO was smart enough to realize their HC's incompetence while Frontiere was too oblivious to know what was going on with our team (deep down).

[Nick]

Some truth in this article. You could easily tell that McDaniels wasn't ready for the head coaching gig. He was young and immature. He made some pretty stupid moves. However I think that gave him a lot of experience. No question in my mind he is a born to be OC. He will be awesome at the spot no matter where. But he wasn't cut out to be a headcoach. A head coach deals with so much more than just being an OC. Then again, Spags learned from the best and McDaniels can easily put together what he learned from belicheck and will from spags...and maybe become a head coach again.

Very well said, I think you summed it up perfectly. There are plenty of coaches in this league who have failed as head coaches but are among the best coordinators in the sport. There's no need for people to reinvent history - McDaniels' tenure in Denver as the head coach was pretty bad, no question - but that experience doesn't diminish his ability and history as a successful coordinator.

[r8rh8rmike]

Kind of amazing that insecure, hoodie hiding McDaniels was able get Denver to 8-8 in his first year as a head coach after losing the teams franchise cry baby.

I don't know if he's head coaching material or not, especially after only a year and a half to prove himself, but to write him off is a bit premature at this point. IMO, the book is not closed on his head coaching career.

[dhaab]

Hope JMcD reads that article. Even more motivation for him going forward.

[evil disco man]

A lot of assumptions here based on the writer's opinions, with no facts to back it up...

An adult is again in charge of the sideline.

McDaniels was a Bill Belichick wannabe.

Fox instinctively understands something McDaniels never quite grasped: how to be a man worthy of his players’ trust.

maybe the best reason to believe Denver will win more frequently is there’s guaranteed to be a dramatic reduction in nonsense emanating from the team’s headquarters

McDaniels exerted so much whistle-twirling nervous energy trying to act like an NFL coach that he didn’t get as much meaningful coaching accomplished as Fox does

The trouble with McDaniels was not arrogance, as is often assumed by detractors who never saw past the former coach’s hoodie. The problem was McDaniels never was comfortable in his own skin. He hid the insecurities of a 34-year-old NFL coach behind that hoodie and never let Denver players, much less the team’s loyal fans, inside his heart for more than fleeting seconds.

Maybe it was McDaniels who never gave us a decent chance to root for him.

Sounds like another tabloid reporter whining that he didn't get enough access (sound familiar?), and taking shots once the coach was out of out the building.

Yet, he can't help but give credit to McDaniels for his Xs and Os - well, that's exactly why the Rams hired him. Don't see the problem here.

EDIT: Forgot to add, most Broncos fans I've heard from were most upset by his personnel decisions - nothing to do with coaching. That was probably a bigger reason for his demise in Denver.

[r8rh8rmike]

Forgot to add, most Broncos fans I've heard from were most upset by his personnel decisions - nothing to do with coaching. That was probably a bigger reason for his demise in Denver.

If they didn't like what McDaniels did, I wonder what they think of the complete, convoluted mess Fox created at the QB position with his personnel decisions.

[Nick]

If they didn't like what McDaniels did, I wonder what they think of the complete, convoluted mess Fox created at the QB position with his personnel decisions.

If you're talking about them keeping Orton, I don't think that creates a convoluted mess. If anything, it's the right thing to do if they weren't getting the compensation they wanted. It probably looks like an even better decision since Tebow is being challenged by Brady Quinn for his spot on the depth chart. That's not Fox's problem, as all three of those guys were there prior to him.

[r8rh8rmike]

If you're talking about them keeping Orton, I don't think that creates a convoluted mess. If anything, it's the right thing to do if they weren't getting the compensation they wanted. It probably looks like an even better decision since Tebow is being challenged by Brady Quinn for his spot on the depth chart. That's not Fox's problem, as all three of those guys were there prior to him.

I'm talking about what the fans must think of Fox furiously trying to ship Orton out of town one week, then naming him the starter the next. It could very well be a good decision, but the Denver faithful are surely scratching their heads over it, especially due to the fact that they apparently don't like fuzzy personnel decisions.

[Nick]

I'm talking about what the fans must think of Fox furiously trying to ship Orton out of town one week, then naming him the starter the next. It could very well be a good decision, but the Denver faithful are surely scratching their heads over it, especially due to the fact that they apparently don't like fuzzy personnel decisions.

Yeah, I just don't think shopping a guy and then reinserting him in the starting line-up when trade talks fall through is really that big of a mess, and while I haven't been keeping up with how Denver has been reacting to Fox, I cant imagine they're too upset that they've kept a guy who by all accounts is clearly their best option But I'll leave it there as to not further derail the thread.