Sources said no assurances were made to McDaniels that he will eventually succeed BelichickGETTY IMAGES
Patriots coach Bill Belichick's "willingness to take his mentorship to a higher level played a significant part" in offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels "reversing course" and turning down the Colts' coaching job to return to the Patriots, according to sources cited by Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Belichick told McDaniels that he would "spend more time with him on the inner workings of the Patriots, including roster construction and salary-cap management, which was viewed as 'extremely valuable' to McDaniels." It is an arrangement that Patriots Owner Robert Kraft and President Jonathan Kraft "endorsed because it could ultimately be part of a succession plan for Belichick, although no assurances were made to McDaniels." Sources said that another part of the Patriots' sales pitch that "swayed McDaniels" was a "long-term contractual commitment that would give McDaniels' four children ... the chance to stay in the same school system for an extended period of time" (ESPN.com, 2/7). THE MMQB's Albert Breer notes over the course of Tuesday, McDaniels "met intermittently with Belichick," Robert Kraft and Jonathan Kraft, spending the "most time with the elder Kraft as McDaniels' thinking started to shift." Patriots ownership was "able to convey" to McDaniels "how much he means to their organization." Ultimately, adding that sort of "personal feeling to the stability" McDaniels has had with the Patriots in a "very unstable profession was enough to keep him" (SI.com, 2/8). In Boston, Greg Bedard wrote there is "no denying" that Patriots QB Tom Brady's comfort level was a "factor in all this, probably more for the Krafts than Belichick." Belichick and Brady "don't have the same communication level at this point," and McDaniels was a "major conduit" between the two (BOSTONSPORTSJOURNAL.com, 2/7).
NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT: In Boston, Tom Curran noted Belichick and Robert Kraft on Tuesday night "dined at Davio's in Patriot Place." Both men "know the speculation that's swirled about their relationship over the past few months," but the fact that they met in the open "implies they wanted the public to see there is no fissure." Or at least that "promised postseason conversations between all Patriots principals" -- Robert Kraft, Belichick and Brady -- are "underway." Sources said that McDaniels' decision to stay was "tied entirely to clarity about the direction of the Patriots." He "didn't know where his future stood with the team" and he "didn't know what Belichick's future plans were." McDaniels had "asked for a status report prior to the end of the regular season and felt it was ambigious." That is "why he decided to move on" and reach a verbal agreement with the Colts. The unified Kraft-Belichick front that spent Monday and Tuesday convincing McDaniels to stay is an "excellent sign for the franchise in the wake of a tension-filled, drama-stuffed" '17 season (NBCSPORTSBOSTON.com, 2/7). Curran said of the Patriots, "I'll bet coming out of Sunday night and having lost the game the way they did going into Monday morning, they started to think, 'We need to create some stability,' which I believe would be a motivating factor to go to Josh McDaniels and try and get something done" ("Boston Sports Tonight," NBC Sports Boston, 2/7). ESPN's Seth Wickersham said McDaniels with this decision becomes a "very important piece" to the Patriots' future, "not only for the short term, but for the long term as well" ("The TK Show," The Athletic, 2/7).
THE CLOSER: Wickersham said Robert Kraft was a "huge, huge piece" of luring McDaniels back. Wickersham: "It was mostly him and I think that a lot of the issues in New England stem from decisions that Robert Kraft has made, but nobody can deny that this guy can close, and he closed with Josh yesterday" ("The TK Show," The Athletic, 2/7). ESPN's Israel Gutierrez said it was a "gangster move by a guy who low-key looks like an actual gangster in Robert Kraft" ("Highly Questionable," ESPN, 2/7). FS1's Colin Cowherd said, "Darth Vader goes right to brand. This is what they do" ("Speak For Yourself," FS1, 2/7).
CAREER ADVICE: ESPN's Bill Polian said McDaniels' career is "essentially married to the Kraft family right now, and he's made that decision, and if that's the right decision, wonderful" ("NFL Live," ESPN, 2/7). The Boston Globe's Chris Gasper said McDaniels "might end up being the heir apparent" to Belichick, and "maybe he got some assurances in that regard, but if he wants to coach somewhere else in the next two or three years, I don't think it's going to come easily to him." He has "backed out of this job and last year he came close to taking some jobs including the 49ers' job. It wasn't this bad but he left people sort of feeling like there was a real possibility he could become their head coach and then backed out at the last second. He comes off here as indecisive" ("Season Ticket," BOSTONGLOBE.com, 2/7).
SOME KIND OF HATE: In N.Y., Manish Mehta wrote McDaniels' decision to "give the middle finger to the Colts" is the "latest reason why so many people hate" the Patriots. The "pathetic attempts by Patriots apologists to justify McDaniels' egregious act only shined a brighter light on his disgraceful deed" (NYDAILYNEWS.com, 2/7). In S.F., Ann Killion writes the Patriots are a "loathsome bunch." They "don't care whom they run over on their path" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 2/8).
CAUGHT OFF-GUARD: Coaching agent Bob LaMonte yesterday confirmed that he has terminated McDaniels as a client after McDaniels' decision. "My word is my bond," said LaMonte. "Once you break that, there's nothing left." He declined further comment. LaMonte is the owner and founder of Professional Sports Representation Inc., which represents about 50 coaching and team exec clients, including Colts GM Chris Ballard. LaMonte is profiled in this week's SBJ (Liz Mullen, Staff Writer). USA TODAY's Jarrett Bell notes LaMonte was "unaware" that McDaniels had "changed his mind until the two spoke" at 7:00pm ET on Tuesday. Before that, LaMonte said that it had been 72 hours "since he talked to McDaniels, assuming that his client would follow through on the verbal commitment and formally sign a contract" (USA TODAY, 2/8).
