Including head coaches, coordinators and assistants of all kind, there are around 800 coaches in the NFL right now. Not one of them has more Super Bowl experience than Josh McDaniels: next Sunday, the New England Patriots’ offensive coordinator will coach in his 10th NFL title game.
Considering his history, it is no surprise that head coach Mike Vrabel is using him as a resource. McDaniels has been through the ordeal several times, and knows the potential challenges of the two-week preparation as well as anybody.
Advertisement
“There’s a lot of preparation,” Vrabel said earlier this week. “I think you want to try to avoid doing too much too early. And then also, how do you keep their attention next week, and focused and locked in? So, I think we have a good balance.
“Coaches have been a good resource. Josh has been a good resource. Obviously, he’s coached in these with the extended break. So, there’s just trying to find that sweet spot of doing enough here, but then also still having stuff out there that will keep them engaged.”
McDaniels was part of all nine of the Patriots’ Super Bowl appearances during the Brady-Belichick dynasty, earning six rings along the way. Next week, he will coach in his first big game under Vrabel after both returned to Foxborough during the offseason.
But while Vrabel himself has been part of four Super Bowls during his time as a player, his coaching career so far has never brought him past the championship round. With that hurdle cleared last Sunday in a 10-7 win over the Denver Broncos, he is now only 10 days away from following the footsteps of his former head coach, Bill Belichick.
Advertisement
How Vrabel will conduct preparation remains to be seen, but the Patriots are planning to stick to their regular routine as well as possible. The only difference is that the first two practices this week will be followed by a send-off rally at Gillette Stadium and subsequent flight to Santa Clara for a matchup with the Seattle Seahawks
“We’ll practice Thursday and Friday,” Vrabel said about his team’s schedule. “Give them an opportunity to take a day off on Saturday, and then travel Sunday. Get some movement in, probably light movement back in the weight room before we travel. And then Monday will be like a bonus day, which we’ve used for coming off of a bye week to kind of do some drills and just some movement. And then Tuesday off. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, just try to keep it like a normal week.”
