New Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels has consistently been of the best offensive minds in the game for some time now. Recently, McDaniels was commended by one of his former quarterbacks, Chris Simms.
While discussing McDaniels and Kyle Shanahan on Unbuttoned, Simms shared insight with regard to his former coach in Denver. Most fans recall McDaniels’ stint with the Broncos, which was less than stellar. To be fair, though, the Broncos did start 6-0 in 2009 under McDaniels. Unfortunately, the bottom fell out and the team didn’t recover, ending the season with just eight wins. That year, Denver was ninth in passing attempts; perhaps the Raiders will follow suit this season. If there’s one thing that McDaniels knows how to do, it’s put together an imposing offense. Simms, who started one game that year, emphasized just how special McDaniels’ coaching acumen is.
“Their ability to understand defenses, to me, is where they are on another level for the rest of football. They know all of those nuances; they could coach defense, so that’s where they’re special.”
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Josh McDaniels continues to be praised in recent Raiders news
The season will hinge on quarterback Derek Carr. That’s undeniable. Despite the recent focus on the Raiders’ run game, the passing attack is what will carry the offense. Further reinforcing that notion is that Carr has been surrounded by one of the most grandiose offenses put on paper. Carr, unfairly nicknamed “Captain Checkdown,” with McDaniels as his play-caller can shed that preconceived notion.
“To me, the dropped-back passing game was better. His drop-back passing game was phenomenal. He has answers for everything. Like we talked about earlier, there are very few checks.” –Simms comparing McDaniels’ passing attack to Shanahan’s more orthodox play-calling
Simms spotlighted McDaniels’ “drop back” style in comparison to Shanahan’s more orthodox style. A style that’s influencing teams to adapt portions of it, thanks mostly to Deebo Samuels’ productivity. Be that as it may, Raider Nation wants to see the ball get thrown down field, and they’ll get that with McDaniels this upcoming season. In the meantime, you can expect to hear more Raiders news about McDaniels’ coaching soon.
*Top Photo: Steve Nehf/The Denver Post