McDaniels’ tuck rule comment won’t sit well with Pats fans originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Josh McDaniels has officially left the New England Patriots to become the next Las Vegas Raiders head coach. Apparently, he sided with the Raiders even before his interview.
During McDaniels’ introductory press conference, Raiders owner Mark Davis revealed that the longtime Patriots offensive coordinator made a surprising admission prior to his interview. McDaniels told Davis the infamous tuck rule in the 2001 AFC Divisional Round was a fumble.
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“When I met Josh on Saturday, we met in the hallway as we were passing before the interview process was gonna start,” Davis said. “I introduced myself and everything, he looked me in the eye and said he said, ‘There’s one thing, it was a fumble.’ So Raider nation if you’re worried, he’s already come over to the dark side.”
Say it ain’t so, Josh.
McDaniels may have won over Davis and the fans with his tuck rule quip, but it appears he’ll still have to earn the trust of his players. Some Raiders players reportedly are “disappointed” McDaniels was hired over interim head coach Rich Bisaccia.
McDaniels has spent 18 of his 21 years in the NFL as a Patriots assistant. Two years were spent as head coach of the Denver Broncos, where he went 11-17 before his firing in the middle of the 2010 season.