It’s Time to Pump the Brakes on the Criticism of Patriots OC Josh McDaniels
· Yahoo Sports
"Conservative play calling" is a phrase used over the past seven days to describe New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. That critique is familiar, as the longtime Patriots OC has been known to manage games he's coached with that style of play. This dates back to his time under Bill Belichick.
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McDaniels, no argument, is one of the best offensive coordinators in the NFL today. Sure, his two jumps into head coaching have been a disaster; that can happen to anyone, though.
Some people are better suited to understand the nuts and bolts of one side of the ball than to oversee a whole team.
Playing conservatively in a game where your quarterback doesn't need to be a superhero is a chess match that can pay off big for an offense. So what does conservative play calling actually entail?
For starters, it establishes the run, keeps defenses honest, and prevents them from blitzing every down. It protects young quarterbacks and gives them patience to understand reads.
McDaniels' bread and butter has always been plays like quick screens, short passes, and draws up the middle that slow down aggressive 4-man rushes or heavy blitz packages without exposing quarterbacks to deep hits.
Protecting the lead is also key. Running the ball effectively when up by one or two scores drains the clock and adds pressure on the defense to try and manage time. It is also key in the field position battle. Many low-scoring Patriots games over McDaniels' tenure have come down to where the ball was on the field. A prime example: last year's AFC Championship Game, when the Patriots weren't gelling offensively, so punting the Broncos deep in their own territory and letting their defense win the game eventually became their way of hoisting the Lamar Hunt trophy.
To extend an olive branch to those who have been critical of McDaniels this last week and anytime his style of play-calling has backfired, yes, there needs to be some more creativity put into some of his schemes from time to time. Especially when momentum shifts to the other team when on the road. Case in point: last week's loss to the Seahawks.
But the grass isn't always greener if you break down the numbers compared to, let's say, Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson (who interviewed for the Patriots head coaching position after Jerod Mayo was fired).
Yes, Johnson's Bears dropped 50+ points on the Carolina Panthers in Week 1. However, Johnson's Bears ranked 9th and 6th in scoring and yardage in 2025. McDaniels' 2025 Patriots offense finished 2nd in scoring and 3rd in yardage.
Without McDaniels as the play caller over the last few years, the Patriots were a joke offensively. Finishing in the bottom half in PPG from 2022-2024. In 2021, when he coached Mac Jones, they finished 6th. Last season, in his first outing with Drake Maye, the Patriots were 2nd.
Sure, you can question his play calling at times, but let's be real: offensively, the Patriots need him in the building for Maye's development and because he knows what it takes to win.
Lastly, if we really want to get into internet theories and online football trash talk, we can always look at the main argument centered on the two-decade-long dynasty run.
Many still ponder if it was Tom Brady or Belichick responsible for the Patriots dynasty, but let's not forget that McDaniels got back to a Super Bowl without either of them.
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