Josh McDaniels pushes back against narrative of his coaching desires

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We've heard a lot in recent years about why Josh McDaniels hadn't landed a head coach job. Now that he finally has the gig, though, the new Las Vegas Raiders head coach would like to clear the air about something.

Speaking to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, McDaniels refuted the narrative that he "craved control" wherever he ended up.

"Nope, it’s actually the opposite," McDaniels told Breer. "You know it’s ironic but it’s actually always been about the opposite for me.

"Would I like to have an opportunity to build the team the way that I feel like is right to do it? Sure. But I also know I don’t want to do every other role. I want to be good in the role that I’m good at, and that I’m supposed to be good at. And to have somebody that you trust and that you can lean on and count on in all those other areas, that’s really important."

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McDaniels has that somebody in new Raiders general manager Dave Ziegler, who was his college roommate at John Carroll University and worked with McDaniels in both New England and Denver.

That "misconception" about McDaniels, as Breer terms it, may stem from the fact that he had personnel control during his brief stint as Broncos head coach. A report also surfaced in January 2020 that the Cleveland Browns passed on McDaniels as their head coach because McDaniels wanted "sweeping" organizational changes.

So, there's some evidence that McDaniels desired a staff built in his image. And in a way, that's what he's getting in Las Vegas with his longtime friend and colleague in charge of personnel decisions.

"He’s kind of grown up a similar way that I did," McDaniels told Breer of Ziegler. "Came into the league, lowest guy on the totem pole, great work ethic. Basically, any task you give him, he figures out how to do it the right way and then asks for more. He’s a great multitasker, he’s very organized, disciplined."

McDaniels' Raiders already have brought one Patriots staffer to Las Vegas in new quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree, and they're reportedly eyeing another Patriots alum in Joe Judge.

So, McDaniels may not crave "control" in the literal sense, but it seems like he's surrounding himself with some familiar faces on the Raiders.

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