Think what you will about the New England Patriots, and after that game, I understand if you really don't like them as a St. Louis Rams fan. What you can't dispute is that those hated Patriots run a very committed, very successful organization, and head coach Bill Belichick, another man you love to hate, is a big part of that. Need more proof than the umpteen different trips to the Super Bowl? Well, look no further than how he developed a young Josh McDaniels, from a defensive coach to the architect of some of the most prolific offenses in the NFL.
Guesting on 101 ESPN yesterday, McDaniels talked about getting his start in New England on the other side of the ball. That experience was designed to shape McDaniels' approach to coaching the offense.
I think that's really shaped me as a coach on the offensive side. Bill [Belichick] taught me defense first at this level, and I owe so much to him obviously. And then when he transferred me over, what he wanted to me to do is take what the defense was being taught and transfer it to them so that we could use it against them. We felt it could be a unique approach because of the way it was kind of coming to the players from the perspective of defensive players.
That's carried over to his role as offensive coordinator in St. Louis.
Our guys are learning and grasping it more and more every day. But it's exciting when you can understand what they're being taught and then put something together and make them defend it the way they want to and you still beat ‘em. And that's what we're trying to do every day.
Smart football, bringing a kind of gridiron Socratic method and using the work of each unit to inform and strengthen the other, I love it.