The Colorado Springs Gazette final

On the hot seat

WOODY PAIGE woody.paige@gazette.com

The Broncos and Raiders’ coaches both have a lot to prove this Sunday, Woody Paige writes.

In the casual photo of the 2022 NFL head coaches taken at the annual league meetings March 28 in West Palm Beach, Fla., behind The Breakers Resort Nathaniel Hackett and Josh Mcdaniels stood a few feet apart on the front row, both wearing gray pants, black shirts and silly, syrupy smiles.

The pair had no idea then of what they do know now.

Through the first three weeks of the season, the new coaches of the Broncos and the Raiders have received much more undesirable attention than they anticipated exactly six months ago Wednesday.

Hackett and Mcdaniels, who share the mutual bond of being Broncos head coaches, confront each other as adversaries Sunday in Las Vegas.

It’s not the first time Mcdaniels, 46, and Hackett, 42, have been on opposite sidelines.

In 2007, when Josh was the Patriots’ young offensive coordinator and Hackett was an even younger Buccaneers’ offensive-quality coach, their teams met in an exhibition. Ten years later, each was an offensive coordinator when Jacksonville and New England played in the AFC Championship, which was not a dream

game for the offenses. The Patriots won 12-7.

Seems as if Sunday’s inaugural Hackett-mcdaniels matchup as head coaches could be similarly close. The Raiders have lost by 5, 6 and 2 points. The Broncos have lost by 1 and won by 7 and 1.

Despite a 2-1 record, Hackett already has been forced to walk on hot coals, walk back his coaching decisions ,and make an important consulting addition. With an 0-3 record, Mcdaniels already has become the target of critics who desire he be fired, and the coach was ordered to a one-on-one meeting with franchise owner Mark Davis after the last loss.

Defenseless Lost Vegas vs. Brncs, the team without an “O.” Mcdaniels and Hackett were very merry in March and somewhat sad in September.

Mcdaniels apparently hasn’t gotten over his futile short stint in Denver and return trips to Colorado. According to the Broncos’ interview schedule this week, Mcdaniels will not be available for a telephone conference with Denver media.

The last time we spoke privately was on the eve of his final game as Broncos coach Dec. 10, 2010. I told Josh, who was 34 then, in Kansas City, Mo., that he was about to get fired unless he publicly offered rational reasons for his retention after winning only five of the past 21 games since Nov. 1, 2009, and because of the Broncos’ video spying scandal in London. Mcdaniels said he would consider the suggestion and call me back later.

Later never happened, and he was dumped unceremoniously after the Sunday 10-6 defeat to the Chiefs.

When Mcdaniels returned to New England as offensive coordinator, the Broncos beat the Patriots in the 2013 AFC Championship, a critical regular-season overtime game and the conference title game in Denver that led to the Super Bowl 50 victory.

Of the Broncos’ past six hires for the head coaching job (including Hackett), Mcdaniels was the first of four who was in the position for the first time. He actually started with the best record (6-0) of any new coach since Red Miller’s 6-0 mark in 1977. His best effort was an overtime triumph against his former team and boss Bill Belichick. But the Broncos splattered until Josh’s departure.

Mcdaniels, only 32 when he became Broncos coach, impressed COO Joe Ellis, who headed the selection committee (while owner Pat Bowlen began to experience shortterm memory problems), with a Powerpoint presentation and because he had served with the Patriots, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.

Shortly after Mcdaniels took over, the Broncos fired their GM and his son and top assistant, and Josh was given control over player personnel. Mcdaniels was unprepared.

As the Raiders named Mcdaniels coach, he said: “When I went to Denver, I knew a little bit of football. I didn’t really know people and how important that aspect of this process, and maintaining the culture and building the team, was. I failed, and I didn’t succeed at it.’’

Early on in Las Vegas, he hasn’t succeeded. And Hackett remains a head coach in progress.

In the March photo, another new coach in the first row along with Hackett and Mcdaniels was Mike Mcdaniel, who was born in Aurora and served as a ballboy and later an intern with the Broncos.

His Dolphins are 3-0. Mike is still smiling.

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2022-09-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-09-28T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://daily.gazette.com/article/282080575712220

The Gazette, Colorado Springs