Colts' Next Coach

Generally, I refrain from posting much about sports, largely because most of the people I know have forgotten more about sports than I'll ever know. Don't get me wrong, I like to drink beer and watch football as much as the next guy; I just have no idea how to make my team win more and/or the hated Patriots/Steelers (there are many more, but I'll limit it to two today, as I'm talking about the Colts, and straying too far from the AFC is just a distraction).

Anyway, I saw this unfortunate headline in today's Indianapolis Star: "Josh McDaniels nearing deal to become Colts' new head coach." Oh Lord help me.

For starters, I readily concede that the hated Bellichick is probably the greatest coaching talent in a generation. However, his coaching "offspring" have been far from impressive. Let's take a look at some past examples before we assess the enormity of the mistake that the Colts are about to make.

Past Belichick assistants:

• Eric Mangini - remember all of those winning seasons the Jets put together from 2006 - 2008? Me neither; the internet tells me he went 23-25. How about the 10-22 record in two seasons with the Browns? Underwhelming.
• Speaking of the Browns, how could we forget Romeo Crennel? Recall that from 2004-2008, the Browns had the "advantage" of having Bill Bellichick's "defensive guru" coaching them. This advantage translated into a record of 24-40 in his four years in Cleveland. Thereafter, proving that NFL coaches "fail up" more than most other professions, Coach Crennel went 4-15 in a season and change in Kansas City.
• Speaking of "advantages" conferred on the teams that are blessed to have former Bellichick assistants, who could forget Charlie "decided schematic advantage" Weis? He was paid nearly $20m to take Notre Dame to 35-27. Hardly elite level coaching, it seems. He was then paid $2.5m/year to coach the Kansas Jayhawks (football team, for those who didn't realize they had one) to a combined record of 6-22 over the course of three seasons. (Note, Coach Weis got paid for five years, even though he got fired after three).

I could certainly go on. Rest assured, there are some bright spots, such as Nick Saban, who reportedly called working for the hated Bellichick "the worst years of my life." Coach Saban also, and famously, was not nearly as successful in the NFL as he has been at the collegiate level.

Anyway, on to Josh McDaniels. What do they have to say about him in Boston?

His last foray away from Foxborough did not go as planned; a hot start with the Denver Broncos (6-0 first six games) quickly dissolved (5-17 final 22 games) and was surrounded by controversy around a videotaping scandal. His cup of coffee with the St. Louis Rams did not go down smoothly, either, as the Rams finished the 2011 season (his lone season with the team) with the fewest points per game and second-fewest yards per game in the NFL.

Well, to be fair, Boston sports fans are notorious a$$holes, so we can expect their media to be much the same. What about dispassionate observers?

The Pats have by far the best offense in the NFL this year, and while Brady is insanely great and he has one of the greatest TEs in history to throw to, 1)Brady’s 40 and 2)Brady obviously gets more of an edge from clever gameplans, exploiting matchups, etc. than say Rodgers or Wilson or Stafford. At least within the context of Belichick’s system — a big caveat, to be sure — he’s very good at his job. And while he was an abject disaster in Denver he was very young and absurdly given personnel control; it’s entirely possible that he’s matured.

Still, he’s not only failed once as a head coach, he even failed as an OC outside of New England. 

Well, that's a bit better I suppose.

At the end of the day, all we can do is speculate. I am speculating that this coach, much like Coach Pagano and Coach Caldwell before him, will fall short. Perhaps its the pessimist in me; I am a lawyer after all.

So, in closing, here's to hoping for the best (and preparing for the worst). Happy MLK day!