Ex-Bronco shares where Josh McDaniels went wrong as head coach
Aug 4, 2022; Canton, Ohio, USA; Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels reacts during the Pro Football Hall of Fame game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Josh McDaniels may have a football IQ that’s through the roof, but his ability to connect with people on a human level seems to be lacking.
That issue appears evident now that McDaniels is with the Las Vegas Raiders. The problem was abundantly clear during his time with the Denver Broncos, according to one former player.
In a series of tweets sent during the week, former Bronco Tyler Polumbus shared some issues McDaniels had in Denver. Polumbus, who played under McDaniels in Denver in 2009, said that McDaniels was lacking social skills. Polumbus also said McDaniels broke down how the coach treated grown men like children.
2.After completing training camp with fully padded 2 a days as often as was legal he hyped up a special reward after practice. It was an ice cream truck and a t-shirt that said “Ironman”. Our reward was ice cream….thanks for the creamsicle
— Tyler Polumbus (@Tyler_Polumbus) September 29, 2022
Polumbus said that instead of building players up, McDaniels made it a routine point to tear them down. Polumbus says that is how every single day started for the Broncos.
4. We had about 25 slogans painted on the walls. God Forbid you forget what the slogan was above the door entering the cafeteria…Josh would call players out in team meeting & ask what each slogan said. If you forgot a single word…Ass Chewing…
— Tyler Polumbus (@Tyler_Polumbus) September 29, 2022
Even after the 2010 season had concluded and McDaniels knew he was on his way out, he wasn’t able to reel himself in. He shredded the players during their exit interviews — all while calling out upper management.
“Coach are you alright”. Response.. “That’s a hard man to work for”. Me..”So are you coming back?” Coach..”Hell no.” Me..”you getting fired or leaving?” Coach..”I don’t care but I’m getting the hell out of here”
— Tyler Polumbus (@Tyler_Polumbus) September 29, 2022
Ultimately, Polumbus came to the same conclusion many others came to: McDaniels has a brilliant football mind but like many other Bill Belichick disciples, struggles with the human element.
I will cap this thread off w/ 1 final thought…
Josh knew the X’s and O’s as well as any coach I’ve been around. You won’t hear any former players saying he doesn’t know football. He just didn’t know how to handle people.
He says he has learned from his mistakes. Time will tell
— Tyler Polumbus (@Tyler_Polumbus) September 29, 2022
McDaniels has already come under a lot of criticism this year following the Raiders’ 0-3 start, and it shows no signs of slowing down.