The New England Patriots’ move to keep offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was intended to save the relationship between head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady. McDaniels was set to become the Indianapolis Colts head coach, but the Patriots made an aggressive late push to convince him to stay in New England. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Patriots agreed to sweeten McDaniels’ contract. Also, McDaniels considered his children’s education in his decision to stay with the Patriots and he was not comfortable with the idea of relocating his family to Indianapolis.
Mike Reiss of ESPN said that Belichick promised to take McDaniels under his wing and show him how he deals with important coaching decisions, such as roster building and managing the salary cap.
However, the move to keep McDaniels was to keep Brady happy. According to Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com, there have been reports of increasing tension between Brady and Belichick for most of this season. Also, the two were not communicating at the same level they have been. Also, the issue involving cornerback Malcolm Butler could add to their rift. Belichick decided to bench Butler in Super Bowl LII, depriving the Patriots of a tested defensive player that could have helped stop the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense.
Brady liked Malcolm Butler’s post
The cornerback defended himself from unfounded reports on his Twitter account. In a lengthy post, Butler denied that he had broken team rules or that it led to his benching. The post was liked by Brady and other Patriots players, including Rob Gronkowski, Brandin Cooks, and Dion Lewis. Brady also added fuel to the fire by commenting on the post with, "Love you Malcolm.
You are an incredible player and teammate and friend. Always!!!!!” Brady’s move is considered a direct criticism of Belichick and his decision to bench Butler in their most important game of the season.
McDaniels to keep Brady happy
According to Hannibal, keeping McDaniels around will keep Brady happy, and at the same time, provide the team with a middleman between Belichick and the quarterback.
Earlier, it was reported that Belichick and Brady will meet after Super Bowl LII to iron out issues that hounded them during the season. Earlier, Belichick stripped Alex Guerrero, Brady’s trainer and close friend, of some team privileges, including joining team flights and staying on sidelines during games. Belichick also barred Guerrero from treating other players in his Gillette Stadium office, with the exception of Brady.
