Josh McDaniels

Stephen Holder | IndyStar

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Remember when you were 5 years old and watching afternoon cartoons?

Yeah, well, Josh McDaniels doesn’t. His viewing habits were a bit different.

McDaniels and his father, Thom, a longtime Ohio prep coach enshrined in the state’s high school Hall of Fame, would instead spend hours on end watching game and practice film. Scooby-Doo gave way to sweeps and slants. Mickey Mouse was overshadowed by man coverage.

“It was on the old-school projector,” McDaniels said. “I had the black button and he would let me (run) it until I would screw it up too many times and he’d take it from me. But I remember we’d be in the kitchen and we’d unfold it, set it all up and we’d watch it on the wall. And that’s how I grew up. I’ve loved football since I was old enough to know what it was.”

We can debate whether the New England Patriots offensive coordinator and the next coach of the Indianapolis Colts truly deserves the “offensive genius” label he’s often tagged with. But let there be no quibbling about the fact that McDaniels’ football mind was shaped from the very beginning, long before he knew his times tables.

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At the kitchen table with his dad. Right out of college on Nick Saban’s staff. In 14 seasons with the Patriots. McDaniels certainly is a product of his surroundings and influences, but he’s also got his own principles and priorities.

As Super Bowl LII approaches, interviews in recent days helped paint a picture of Josh McDaniels, the strategist. Soon enough, Indianapolis will have a front-row seat to witness how McDaniels’ mind works.

In the meantime, let’s talk about Brandin Cooks.

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Yes, if you want to get a sense of McDaniels’ pliability as a coach, look no further than Cooks. The former first-round pick spent his first three seasons with the New Orleans Saints, a team fueled by a high-powered, aggressive offense engineered by future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Drew Brees.

When Cooks joined the Patriots, the conventional wisdom was that he might be used in a different role, seeing how the Patriots’ offense has evolved into one heavily reliant on quick throws and impressive run-pass balance.

But then a surprising thing happened: In several telling categories, Cooks posted the biggest numbers of his career this season. His yards per catch (16.6) and receptions of 20 yards or longer (18) in 2017 were career highs. Additionally, 65 percent of Cooks’ receptions went for first downs, topping his previous career best of 58 percent in 2016.

McDaniels adapts, Cooks said, “to your strengths. He’s not asking us to do anything out of the ordinary.”

Aided by the established, proven New England system and quarterback great Tom Brady, McDaniels took what Cooks offered and maximized it. As much as the outside perception of New England is that players must adapt to the Patriots’ scheme, McDaniels goes to some lengths to convince you he really is a strong believer in the opposite.

“I don’t know what it is, but we throw the ball down the field (this season) better than we’ve basically ever done it,” McDaniels said. “And that has generally not been our thing. But you have to change. You can’t be so rigid and try to recreate the same team over and over again or else you’re just gonna get stuck. There’s not many Wes Welkers. And there are no other Randy Mosses. You have to keep going and try to keep adapting to the people who you have on your team and your roster.”

So, before you go putting the 2018 Colts in a box, be careful not to assume they’re going to be defined by the quick-throw passing attack McDaniels is known for in New England. He’s about to take the controls of a team with deep-ball thrower Andrew Luck under center. That doesn’t mean every throw should be a 7-step drop that exposes Luck to the pass rush -- heaven knows he doesn't need to take many more hits -- but you also should not presume McDaniels won’t play to Luck’s strengths.

McDaniels gets labeled as an innovative coach with impressive, complex game plans. Still, you never get the sense that he’s trying to convince you he’s the smartest guy in the room.

His schemes certainly aren't simple, but his overarching philosophy is.

“We’ve had all kinds,” he said. “We’ve had tall receivers. We’ve had fast receivers. We’ve had short, quick guys. We’ve had multiple tight ends. We’ve had pass-catching backs. We’ve had backs who weighed 235 pounds. We’ve had (athletic) linemen and we’ve had linemen who are bigger.

“The biggest thing for us is adapting to what our players do and try to put them in as many successful positions as we can during the course of a game. I think sometimes the word ‘system’ is overused. The best thing for us is our foundation is broad enough that we can accommodate most players and then fit them in and figure out what we do well as a team and do it as many times as we can.”

This is not to say McDaniels won’t bring very specific elements of his offensive scheme with him to Indianapolis. Of course he will. Players will have to learn a new playbook – and it will be a challenging one, Patriots players say. Colts players will have to memorize new terminology as well.

But McDaniels subscribes to a mantra you often hear repeated in NFL circles: Players, not plays.

“No play is good without good players who execute it,” McDaniels said. “We can all sit here and draw up a bunch of pretty-looking plays. The guys who win the play are the players. So, if you’re putting together some play or plan that they can’t execute, it’s a bad play or a bad plan.”

You might look at the extensive way New England uses its running backs in the passing game and think it’s merely a trait of the Patriots’ system. Perhaps you see it as the exception to the supposed rule, a case of plays taking precedence over players. Granted, New England’s running backs always seem to catch a ton of passes. But even in this area, it's not purely systemic. At its core, McDaniels’ heavy use of his backs as pass catchers is another example of him emphasizing his players’ strengths.

“We know that there’s no position group who’s going to touch the ball more, other than the quarterbacks,” McDaniels said. “So, whether you hand it to them, screen it to them, spread them out and throw to them out of the backfield, they’re going to have the ball in space because they’re the best runners on your team. We’ve always believed in that.”

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Much of the anticipation surrounding McDaniels eventual arrival in Indianapolis centers around the idea of him teaming up with Luck. The Pro Bowl quarterback hasn’t played since the 2016 season after missing all of 2017 because of shoulder surgery. He’s working his way back and will soon begin a throwing regimen with a noted expert in Los Angeles.

This could be the beginning of a great match. McDaniels’ time as a head coach in Denver came while his quarterbacks were Kyle Orton and Tim Tebow. In St. Louis, he had a young Sam Bradford, who had not yet grown into the player he is today. Luck will assuredly be the best quarterback McDaniels has worked with not named Brady.

“I think pairing Josh up with Andrew, the thing I would tell the fans is get ready for a spectacular offense,” said Patriots tight end Dwayne Allen, who was traded to New England from Indianapolis in March. “Get. Ready. Andrew is, of course, a phenomenal player. But we all need someone to challenge us in order to get better. I think that of all the coaching candidates, Josh McDaniels would be the one to give Andrew that challenge he needs to return to the dominance he’s capable of.”

Coaching quarterbacks is something that is near to McDaniels’ heart. He was a quarterback at Division III John Carroll University before moving to wide receiver, and he’s been adamant about continuing to coach quarterbacks during all his years as an offensive coordinator. And he coaches them hard.

“The offense goes through that position,” McDaniels said. “That guy has to be an integral part of the passing game, the running game, protections – all that stuff. And if you can coach him and really help mold that position, it gives you an opportunity to do a lot of things on offense.

“When you go from the squad meeting, to the offensive meeting to the quarterback meeting, it’s like a little private group. You’re talking about very specific things, and they’re involved in a lot of complicated stuff. As we all know, this position in this league is extremely valuable. And that player is really important. I care deeply about doing that. I still try to get better at coaching that position. I think I can do that.”

Which brings us to a related point. McDaniels is widely recognized for his offensive brilliance but he’s still a firm believer in expanding his horizons. He’s constantly looking to borrow interesting concepts and tactics.

Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia calls McDaniels “the best football coach I’ve ever been around. I think he’s a brilliant guy.”

And, yet, McDaniels sees so much he can learn.

“You have to keep thinking and drawing (from) and looking at other people,” he said. “It’s not always stealing plays. But if you see something that sparks an idea or concept in your mind, our staff has great communication and you listen to them. They have great ideas that they think of on their own or from other coaches. I think the biggest thing is just listen to the group, take all the information in and try to do what you think you can do.

“And never be afraid to try something different. If you haven’t done it before, it doesn’t mean that it’s not good. There are a lot of great coaches in this league and they do a lot of great things. And you learn from them from watching their tape and then try to adapt a piece of it into your offense and fit your personnel.”

It all makes sense now. That same little boy who eagerly cued up film and watched with his father is still at it today. He was born to do this. Groomed to do this. Loves to do this.

And just as soon as the Super Bowl concludes, McDaniels will be doing it in Indianapolis.