When the Patriots brought Josh McDaniels back into the fold as an assistant coach, following offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien accepting the head coaching job at Penn State, there was an added bonus that could yield dividends immediately. McDaniels was the Broncos head coach that brought Tim Tebow to Denver, giving him some direct knowledge of the Patriots playoff opponent this weekend.
“He obviously has some inside information on that team and those players, as he coached them,” quarterback Tom Brady said. “I think coach [Bill] Belichick has a pretty good idea of what he’s going to want Josh to do.”
Brady is excited to work with McDaniels again, who previously served as the offensive coordinator in New England from 2006 to 2008, which includes the 2007 season, which was Brady’s best year. The Patriots were 16-0 in the regular season that year, and Brady set a record by throwing for 50 TDs that season.
“He’s a great coach and we’re lucky to have him. I’m excited to get back to work with him,” Brady said.
Brady was also asked about the Tebow phenomenon, and he replied, “He’s a good player, and I think it’s a lot for the defense to prepare for. I know in our preparations for him this last time, it’s a challenge.”
But he was also quick to complement the Broncos as a whole, saying, “It’s certainly not about one player on this team. I know a lot of people make it out to be one player on a lot of teams, but the reason why the Denver Broncos are in this position is because of their team as a whole.”
Reporters also pushed Brady to comment on the best ways to defend against Tebow and the read option. Brady answered with characteristic Patriots Style.
“I’m not sure. I’ve never faced a read option in my life. I’ve never played a snap of defense,” Brady said. “I’m thinking about Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil and Brian Dawkins and Champ Bailey. They’ve got plenty of good players on defense for me to worry about.”
