Top Patriots coordinator reportedly jumping ship to the enemy
If there are two fan bases that New England Patriots fans despise with every fiber of their DNA, it’s the New York Giants and the Indianapolis Colts.
The Giants have accounted for the only two blemishes on Tom Brady’s otherwise stellar Super Bowl record.
The Colts, meanwhile, are synonymous with Peyton Manning, Brady’s longtime rival, and are also the team that sparked the entire “Deflategate” controversy.
The Colts were the first team to complain to league offices about what they felt were under-inflated footballs used in the 2014 AFC Championship game between the Colts and Patriots.
Many Patriots construed that complaint as sour grapes after the 45-7 drubbing the Patriots dealt the Colts.
“Deflategate” ultimately saw Brady get suspended for the first four games of the 2016 season, and left many Patriots fans with a bad taste in their mouths.
In short, Patriots fans don’t like the Colts. And Colts fans probably don’t like the Patriots, considering how lopsided the rivalry has been since the 1980s.
The Patriots have a sterling 42-18 record against the Colts since 1980.
So it’ll be fascinating to see how both fan bases handle the reported choice of the Colts’ vacant head coaching position.
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is apparently just waiting for a formal offer to accept, with one expected shortly, and become the new head coach of the Colts.
First reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport, and then followed up by several other outlets, it’s an interesting development.
McDaniels has repaired a damaged reputation as a head coaching candidate after a disastrous stint as the Denver Broncos head coach, but it should be noted that having a quarterback the caliber of Brady can make even a modest offensive coordinator look special.
Regardless, McDaniels has been a hot coaching candidate and this could definitely be viewed as a win for the Colts, who are finally giving franchise quarterback Andrew Luck the young and creative offensive mind that he has sorely lacked through his career.
For McDaniels, he will get a chance to work with a quarterback who isn’t that steep of a drop off from Brady. McDaniels will also have talented wide receiver T.Y. Hilton and emerging tight end Jack Doyle to coach.
That being said, McDaniels will certainly have some work cut out for him as well.
The Colts are very much rebuilding on the defensive side of the football, and McDaniels fielded some of the worst defensive units in the league during his tenure with the Broncos.
Luck is also dealing with a debilitating shoulder injury that seems far worse than anyone in the Colts front office is letting on. Luck never came close to sniffing a full practice, let alone play a down for the Colts this season, after having surgery more than a year ago for a torn labrum.
The Colts are scheduled to play at New England next season.
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