Colts GM sends bold message to the Patriots after they swiped his coach
New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels turned the football world upside-down Tuesday night when he changed his mind and passed on the head coaching job with the Indianapolis Colts.
McDaniels got a nice raise to remain in New England, but reportedly was offered no written assurance that he’ll be Bill Belichick’s eventual successor.
He’d better hope that works out.
Hope things work out in New England for Josh McDaniels, cause if not, good luck getting another NFL job!! https://t.co/L8Yz4zf1NY
— Joe Thomas (@joethomas73) February 7, 2018
After accepting and then rejecting the Colts, it’s hard to imagine McDaniels landing a head job anywhere other than Foxborough, a point his agent reportedly made clear.
According to NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo, McDaniels’ agent, Bob Lamonte told him that he was making what could be the biggest mistake of his career by changing his mind so late in the process.
Of course, Lamonte sees this from both sides — he also represents Colts General Manager Chris Ballard, the man who was left at the altar.
Naturally, Ballard was not pleased at having to start the process again.
But he told reporters at a press conference Wednesday he didn’t try to persuade McDaniels to change his mind.
“I want someone who is 100 percent committed. … I live in a black and white world. Either you’re in or you’re out. I didn’t want the explanation,” he said.
Ballard said the most important thing is finding the right person to replace the fired Chuck Pagano, no matter how long it takes.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re the first out of the box and everybody praises you, or you’re the last one to make the hire,” he said. “We want to be right.”
Ballard’s closing words, however, suggested he won’t soon forget McDaniels’ reversal.
“The rivalry is back on,” he said.
The Colts and Patriots have had a rivalry going back to the days of Peyton Manning vs. Tom Brady.
It intensified for New England after Indianapolis tipped off the NFL regarding the deflated footballs in the 2015 AFC championship game.
There wasn’t much of a rivalry this season, as the Patriots went 13-3 and Indianapolis was a dismal 4-12.
But now that Kraft has “stolen” McDaniels back from the Colts, it’s obvious that tensions are heating up again.
The rivalry is back on, the Colts don’t have a coach, the Patriots have their succession plan in place.
And the agent is stuck in the middle.
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