PHOENIX — If Josh McDaniels had it to do over again in Denver, he might have heard out what his coordinators Mike McCoy, Mike Nolan and Don Martindale had to say about game-planning.

McDaniels might have allowed general manager Brian Xanders or scouting director Matt Russell to have more input on the roster.

“I made a lot of mistakes there. You know that,” McDaniels said Tuesday during Super Bowl XLIX media day. “But I think it was a great learning experience for myself, and hopefully I’ve grown from that and will continue to grow from that.”

McDaniels’ brief term as Broncos head coach from 2009 through the first 12 games of 2010 did not go well, but he has bounced back nicely. So have the Broncos, for that matter.

The Broncos were in the Super Bowl last year. McDaniels is in the Super Bowl this year as offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots.

“I think one of the things I really learned in Denver is the value of being a good listener,” McDaniels said. “When you do something like that for the first time, you feel like you have to run through everything and be in charge of too many things. And sometimes that’s a significant negative.

“I’ve tried really hard in St. Louis and then here back in New England to gather ideas; we listen to one another. Our atmosphere on our staff has been very healthy, and a big part of that is we have a lot of guys that can contribute, and it doesn’t have to come from one source.”

McDaniels was only 32, but coming off a successful run as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, when he was hired in January 2009 by Broncos owner Pat Bowlen to replace Mike Shanahan as head coach.

McDaniels started spectacularly. The Immaculate Deflection to Brandon Stokley in the season opener propelled the Broncos to a 6-0 start in McDaniels’ first season in Denver. But once McDaniels’ ship took on a little water, it sank quickly. The Broncos finished 8-8 to miss the playoffs in 2009. They joined the 1978 Washington Redskins as the only teams in NFL history to start 6-0 and not finish with a winning record. The Broncos went 4-12 the next season — 3-9 when McDaniels was fired not only because of his record, but because of a videotape violation during the team’s trip to London.

The NFL determined Broncos video operator Steve Scarnecchia acted on his own when he taped six minutes of the San Francisco 49ers’ walkthrough practice, but McDaniels was fined $50,000 for not reporting the incident.

He spent one season as St. Louis’ offensive coordinator in 2011, but that also went poorly as the Rams averaged a league-worst 12.1 points per game. It wasn’t until he returned to New England as an offensive consultant in the 2011 postseason that McDaniels rediscovered his niche.

“Josh is a phenomenal coach,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said. “He’s so well prepared. So disciplined. He’s put together a great plan this week.

“We’ve been together for a long time. I think he’s the best in the league at what he does.”

Broncos fans would respectfully disagree — while holding the respect. It’s not that McDaniels failed as a head coach. There was something about his mix of youthful looks and sometimes boorish coaching behavior that didn’t sit well in Denver.

“He’s been very consistent with me,” Brady said. “I wasn’t there in Denver. I don’t know how it went down. He’s a great coach. He’s a great friend. I hope we’re together for as long as I keep playing.”

It has been nearly five years since McDaniels coached the Broncos. He is 38 now, and after his Patriots lost three consecutive AFC championship games, they broke through this year thanks in part to McDaniels’ imaginative postseason play calls.

McDaniels has had some head coaching interviews the past two years, but so far he has withdrawn from consideration to concentrate on the Patriots’ postseason runs.

“Yeah, I’d love to do it again,” he said. “I think the most important thing for me is to be in the right situation and be in a place where I feel good about being. There’s a lot of great teams and great places out there. I happen to be in a good situation for myself right now and my family. If it comes up again where it’s like — there it is, that’s the right spot — then I’d love to do it again and give it another shot.”