Content available exclusively for subscribers
I think New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels
. . . did the right thing backing out of an agreement to coach the Colts.
And it’s for a reason nobody is talking about.
If I were a head coaching candidate, I’d be concerned about working for Colts owner Jimmy Irsay.
Irsay is a good person, but unfortunately has had some substance issues over the years leading to erratic behavior.
He’s given to strange tweets and some strange actions.
Look, I’m not being judgmental, just dealing with reality.
If I’m a head coaching candidate, who already has been fired once, you need to be very careful with the second job you take, because you likely won’t get a third job.
One reason Bill Belichick quit the Jets job very quickly was an uncertain ownership situation.
He had a tough situation in Cleveland with Art Modell, and he wanted to be very careful with his second job.
Woody Johnson had just took over as the Jets owner when Belichick was elevated to the head coaching position in 2000.
I like Woody personally, I really do, but he’s a little different, and can be unpredictable – see the Tim Tebow and Brett Favre trades.
Now of course nobody knew those trades were going to happen in 2000, but if you meet Woody, while he’s a really nice guy, his quirky personality could turn off some coaching candidates.
I’m trying to be careful here, because I’m not looking to insult.
Belichick high-tailed out of there, part of it was new uncertain ownership (Belichick and Bill Parcells who hired him with the Jets, came aboard with hands-off Leon Hess was the owner).
So I’m sure there were people, perhaps even Belichick and Bob Kraft, who warned McDaniels about Irsay.
Look, if you don’t have to take my word about Irsay, just Google him.
Unforunately, like his father, he’s had addiction issues leading to unusual behavior. This stuff can be hereditary as we know. I feel bad for Jimmy Irsay.
There aren’t many owners in sports better than Bob Kraft – steady, supportive and solid as a rock personality-wise.
So while nobody wants to talk about this in the sports media, to me this decision was partly due to Irsay.
As Belichick could tell McDaniels first-hand, going to work for an unpredictable, mercurial owner can damage your career. Belichick found that out with Modell.
And also, clearly, the Patriots gave McDaniels a huge raise and more power to stay.
Remember, while there is a salary cap for players, there is no such thing for a coaching staff. You can pay assistants whatever you want, and hire as many as you want.
Kraft is worth about $5-6 billion.
He can afford to make McDaniels the highest paid coordinator in football without even sweating it.
So a huge pay raise, not having to move his family, and staying away from a potentially dangerous ownership situation, probably led to McDaniels staying put.
And also staying with probably the greatest QB of all time – Thomas E. Brady.
But even if all wedding plans are made, if you think a marriage isn’t going to work, isn’t it best to call it off, even if it tick off family members and party planners?
February 7, 2018
Premium will return by 9:30 pm on Thursday.