New England Patriots GameDay: Five X-factors vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Josh McDaniels, OC
While Tom Brady, the offensive line and the wide receivers have taken much of the blame for the way the offense has performed over the last several weeks, New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has pretty much slid on the radar.
As the season is winding down, it’s time to shift some of that spotlight on McDaniels and the coaching staff in general.
Despite what most NFL pundits will tell you about the Patriots having no talent on offense, the talent is there. It is more about execution and taking advantage of matchups.
When you have players like Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu and a group of versatile running backs, McDaniels should be doing more to mix up the plays and get those players in position to win matchups and make plays.
There are times Josh McDaniels gets too cute. Often those times result in a loss of yards that puts more pressure on Tom Brady and the offensive line. Defenses then tee off on the 42-year-old quarterback rushing him into a mistake or results in even more yardage loss.
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Yes, the playmakers have to execute and be better, but Josh McDaniels is too good a coach not to get this Patriots offense into manageable third down situations. Whether it’s getting the ball more to N’Keal Harry or quicker slant passes to Sanu and Jakobi Meyers, it’s time to simplify things a bit and let the talent make some plays.