The Indianapolis Colts are going to have to wait at least two weeks to make it official, but it appears increasingly likely Josh McDaniels will be manning the sidelines of Lucas Oil Stadium for eight regular-season games next year.
McDaniels has been one the hottest head coaching candidates in the league for some time. And while many cite his stint with the Denver Broncos as a cause for concern, it instead can be seen as a learning experience and a reason why he's poised for a successful experience this time around.
In his first season with the Broncos in 2009, McDaniels and Co. won their opening six games before dropping eight of the final 10. The Broncos started 2-2 the following season but lost seven of the next eight and McDaniels was let go after a Week 13 loss in which Denver only mustered six points at home.
It was widely believed that McDaniels, who was just 33 years old when hired by the Broncos, was overconfident and underprepared for the job. His additional time working under Bill Belichick since that failure should aid him in this second transition from coordinator to head coach.
Before and after his time in Denver, McDaniels has worked closely with Belichick and Tom Brady, and the Patriots offense has consistently been among the best in the league with these three men together. The knock on McDaniels is that he's in a system built for his success and that even an average coach would excel in his position.
That's likely true, to some extent, but McDaniels’ play-calling skills and ability to adjust during a game are anything but average.
However, the departure from New England will also mean leaving behind one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. And that's why, just as McDaniels is the Colts' leading candidate, they too should be atop his list of potential landing spots.
McDaniels may be losing Brady, but he will (hopefully) be replacing him with Andrew Luck, who not only possesses incredible physical gifts but has also been considered a highly intelligent player since his time at Stanford. There is perhaps no one more qualified to help groom that ability than the person who has worked with one of the game's smartest quarterbacks for almost 15 years.
But, first and foremost, McDaniels will need to help Luck stay healthy. No one has taken the beating Luck has since his arrival in the NFL in 2012. Some of that is due to poor offensive line play, but as Brady has shown over the years, taking hits and sacks can be as much on the quarterback as it is on his blocking.
The key is adjusting to pressure prior to the snap and not completely relying on Luck's ability to scramble and make plays.
McDaniels would be foolish to totally suffocate Luck's post-snap creativity, as he is one of the best at the position at making something out of nothing. The goal will be to find some balance in the two styles of play.
The Colts will likely incorporate more up-tempo and quick-hitting passing. Luck will be asked to read the defense before the snap, make adjustments at the line of scrimmage, and get the ball out of his hands quickly, often from the shotgun and without huddling.
That doesn’t mean Indianapolis will not throw deep or challenge defenses downfield. In fact, we saw the Patriots do that more than ever this year after adding Brandin Cooks, who has some similarities to T.Y. Hilton. McDaniels is an excellent tactician and should be an upgrade as a game manager - especially in situational football - over what the Colts have had of late.
As it stands today, only the Browns and 49ers have more salary cap space than Indianapolis. After a year in which they were competitive in a lot of games but couldn’t produce more than four wins, the Colts earned the third overall pick in the draft. Indianapolis needs an awful lot on both sides of the ball, but they have the resources to attack those needs and become a vastly improved football team in 2018.
You never know, the pair of McDaniels and Luck could peak together just in time to take over the mantle as the AFC’s powerhouse from the coach's old squad.
Matt Williamson is a former scout for the Cleveland Browns and spent 10 years at ESPN as a scout and co-host of "The Football Today Podcast." Find him on Twitter @WilliamsonNFL.
(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)
