Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels addresses the New England media during his conference call on Wednesday, October 7, 2009.
Q: It's been a couple of interesting weeks so far this season, hasn't it?
JM: It has. It's been a lot of fun. Obviously, we feel good about the way we started, but far from satisfied with where we're at so far this year, and excited and looking forward to our preparation for New England.
Q: Are you excited about facing Tom [Brady] for the first time?
JM: Of course. It's a great challenge anytime you can have an opportunity to beat a team we know is as good as they come in the NFL in terms of the organization, the coaching staff and the players. We know they're going to be well-prepared so we're excited for the challenge and we'll look forward to the challenge on Sunday.
Q: You obviously learned a lot under Bill Belichick's tutelage, but what are some challenges you did not realize you would face as a head coach?
JM: I think there're a lot of little decisions that you make on a daily basis that you are really not aware of as an assistant. I think your interaction and involvement with every player on your roster is certainly different from when you were a coordinator just on one side of the ball. And, the decisions your football team needs to make every time of the year that are best to try to win and to try to get better ultimately come down to you and our General Manager Brian Xanders and [Broncos Owner] Pat Bowlen. So, you're involved in a lot of decisions you are not really aware of as an assistant
Q: If you could go back in time a little bit, how did you get from Michigan State to the Patriots?
JM: I worked with [former Patriots WR Coach] Brian Daboll who was a long-time receivers coach there in New England and I worked with him at Michigan State. Obviously, I had a connection - Bill [Belichick] and Nick [Caserio] had worked together and so I went to work for Nick and Nick met Brian and Brian went to Bill through Nick, I think. And then Brian and I kept in contact and asked if I'd be interested in an entry level position. I certainly was, and that's really how I got up to New England in the first place. Then from there, I just made my way.
Q: When did you get the feeling that you could be a head coach?
JM: I don't know that you ever really have the feeling that you know you can do 'this' or you know you can do 'that' when you've never done it before. I think that Bill [Belichick] gave me a lot of confidence in terms of the responsibilities he gave me, back there in New England, throughout my career there. So when the opportunities were presented, I certainly did not take that to mean I was perfectly ready to go. But, I went through the process and felt good about my preparation going into that last year and earlier this year after our season ended last year. I felt pretty prepared through what I'd learned through Bill and the organization there and Robert Kraft and my agent and the people that could help me with that. So, going through the process gave me confidence and gave me an understanding that I did understand a lot of what it would take. I came from the best place I could come from in terms of upbringing in the NFL and learned from the best people and felt like I could have an opportunity to make it on my own somewhere else.
Q: Did you ever have a conversation with Bill [Belichick] where you sat down and he says, 'I think you can be a head coach. Here's what you need to know. Here's a plan' - anything like that?
JM: Bill's helped me out in many different ways in terms of my knowledge about the game, in terms of my understanding of some of the things you need to do as an organization to be successful. Personally, he's helped me out in personal areas of my life. So, there're a lot of things Bill's helped me with. I've had a lot of conversations with him, some of which I'll definitely keep to myself in private. But, he's been the biggest influence on my success and I will always be indebted to him.
Q: Have you had much communication with him [Bill Belichick] at all this week or leading up to this game?
JM: [Laughing] I've had a lot of communication with our staff this week. We're working hard to try to beat them this week. So, that's where my focus is and I'm sure that's where Bill's is this week as well.
Q: Uncanny, Josh, would you believe that he [Bill Belichick] pretty much said the same thing when we asked him that question?
JM: That time difference between Eastern and Mountain Time is pretty interesting [Laughing].
Q: How difficult is it to treat this like any other week and any other game?
JM: I think we understand it's our fifth game. I think the interesting thing is that it is a little unique in that we know a lot about their personnel and their staff. Obviously their offense is very similar to the one we're running here, if not exactly the same in many ways. So, there're a lot of similarities. And, I'm so close to being there - last year - that I think that's the thing that's going to make it a little difference. I think it's exciting to play against a team like that. You don't do this very often in your career, I'm sure, where you play against a team that at least on one side of the ball and in many ways our philosophies are going to be exactly the same. So, in many ways, it may be like staring in the mirror, but our players are totally different and our defenses are different. And some of the things we try to do on game day are certainly different. So, it'll be great fun. It'll be a great challenge and we're all looking forward to it.
Q: How do you combat all the inside knowledge and familiarity with each other's systems?
JM: I think we both change up what we do on a weekly basis. We don't stay the same. They're watching film of us and they know what we're running and we're watching film of them and we know a lot of things they're running. And yet, we're going to see some things on Sunday that may be a little different and we've never seen before. But I think, ultimately, it's going to come down to playing and whose players play better. We're going to try to prepare as hard as we can for what we know they are capable of doing and how they try to win. And, I think they're going to do the same thing and we'll see whose team can play that much better on Sunday.
Q: On offense, [Eddie] Royal hasn't had production at the same rate he did last year. What do you attribute that to?
JM: I think production comes and goes sometimes in this system because I don't think anybody really just tries to force the ball into one player. And, there have been some teams that discourage us from throwing that way sometimes. Other times, there may be a player who is more open or pressure, what have you. So, Eddie Royal's playing fine. Eddie Royal's going to have a good season and we know that. I just think it's a matter of time before Eddie has a number of catches in a game or some big plays that will help us win. He's a patient guy. He understands our system. We do a lot of different things. A lot of people touch the ball and that's how we've always run the offense there in New England and that's how we're running it here. We want our quarterback to get it to the guys that are most open based on the way the defense plays.
Q: Do you think the scene that played out at the end of the Dallas game [hugging Brandon Marshall] is symbolic of the trust you've been able to develop not only with that player, but with the rest of your team?
JM: I can't speak for everybody. I know that I trust our players and I think they trust what we're telling them what we have to do to win each week. I think that was more a player who loves playing football, a coach who loves coaching football enjoying a moment and not really caring that we are having some fun at that point in time. That was all it was and I'd do it with anyone of our players. If they feel the same way, then I'm sure you could call that 'trust' if you will. But, I think we have a lot of good players in this locker room - a lot of good leaders, a lot of good people that understand how to win and how to go about their business and also a lot of people that enjoy playing this game.
Q: You have a lot of guys that were here last year. When you're incorporating a system as a new coach, does it make it easier when you're bringing in guys whose strengths and weaknesses you are familiar with?
JM: I think the guys we brought from New England - Lonnie [Paxton], Jab [Jabar Gaffney], LaMont [Jordan], Russ [Hochstein] and Le Kevin [Smith] - those guys that are here are familiar with the way we do our jobs and the way we work and how we approach each week and all that. It may help in some ways down there where they can answer some questions that other players may have or what have you. It kind of helps us build a team and those guys are all good players that have great roles on our team and do their jobs well. That's why they're here.
Q: Can you talk about what went into the decision to wear the hooded sweatshirt on the sidelines and did you consider other options?
JM: [Laughing] Are you talking about this past weekend?
Q: I'm talking about - I think you had it in the opener and this past weekend. I think you've worn it a couple times, right?
JM: I think last weekend was the first time I wore it. I don't really think much about it. There are a number of options in my locker when I get to the stadium on game day and I just kind of happened to pick that one. It got a little cool. It was in the 50's last weekend here. So you know I threw on the sweatshirt to coach the game. I think there's nothing really else that goes into that decision and I don't even know what I'll wear this week.
Q: Is there anything you learned when dealing with the Jay Cutler situation that you applied to Brandon Marshall and maybe did something different to get him to buy in and keep him in Denver?
JM: No, we're so far past that situation and Brandon did a great job of regaining a lot of this stuff together. There're many things many people don't know. Brandon practices hard and plays hard and understands the game plan. And all of that said, sometimes things get blown out of proportion and are made to seem much worse than they actually are. I've always had a great deal of respect for Brandon and I think he would say the same thing about this organization and our relationship. We're past that and we're excited to be playing this week against New England.
Q: What have you learned from Mike Nolan?
JM: Mike has been a great addition to our staff. And obviously, he has an understanding of some of the things that happen during the course of the year as a head coach because he has experience in that role. He's a very good football coach who comes from a different background in terms of the terminology and some of the things that he has done defensively that I was privy to and understanding in New England. There're a lot of different things that we kind of melted together and we've taken a combination of some of the things that I feel are very important that he has done throughout his career and he does a great job of communicating that with his players. And right now, he has them playing well.
Q: Can you talk about the job Kyle Orton has done this year? He's the only starting quarterback who hasn't thrown an interception and I know in your system and in the system here, how important decision-making is for the quarterback.
JM: Yeah, Kyle's done a nice job of taking care of the football. He understands our system. He understands what we try to do each week to win the game and plays within himself. At the same time, he understands when to pull the trigger on some different types of things and take some chances. We've done that throughout the first four weeks. So, I think he's just getting better each week and that's really where our focus is because Kyle's only played four games in this system and four games for myself and our staff. So, we feel like we have a lot of room to grow and hopefully our performance, not only at the quarterback position but offensively and the entire team, will continue to get better as the year goes on.
