Despite the New England Patriots rehiring former Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels as a member of their offensive coaching staff just days before facing Denver in the playoffs, people on both sides of the ledger were bending over backward to say that it doesn't mean much.

"It has nothing to do with us playing the game," Broncos linebacker Wesley Woodyard​ said. "Best of luck to Josh McDaniels, but we've got to play a game."

McDaniels had a year remaining on his contract as St. Louis Rams offensive coordinator when the Rams fired head coach Steve Spagnuolo​. The Patriots had to get permission, which was granted by the Rams, to interview McDaniels. The Rams likely were hoping to get a big part of McDaniels' $1.5 million salary for 2012 off the books. Whatever he is paid by the Patriots will be deducted from what the Rams will pay him for next season.

McDaniels' return to the Patriots — he was their offensive coordinator before coming to the Broncos — puts him in position to offer detailed evaluations of many players on the Denver roster before Saturday's playoff game. Asked Tuesday what McDaniels could "bring to the table" for the Patriots, Broncos coach John Fox said: "I hope all the coaches — ours and theirs — bring it all to the table. We change players routinely between teams and for that matter we coaches routinely change between teams. So I don't think that's anything new and different."

During a conference call with reporters, Patriots coach Bill Belichick didn't reveal the specific role McDaniels would have in helping the 13-3 team prepare for the Broncos or the role McDaniels would have during the game.

McDaniels was on the practice field with the Patriots on Tuesday. Belichick said McDaniels would help the Patriots, but the Broncos are a different team with Fox's coaching staff in place.

"It's a new coaching staff and a whole different situation (in Denver)," Belichick said.

McDaniels was fired 12 games into the 2010 season after the Broncos went 5-17 in his last 22 games as their head coach.

 

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Brady's bunch of coaches get good gigs

Does the player make the coach, or the coach make the player? New England quarterback Tom Brady​'s success in running the Patriots' offense has helped assistant coaches land big-time gigs, and big-time contracts.

Charlie Weis

Weis was the Patriots' offensive coordinator from 2000-2004, designing and installing the base offense the Patriots continue to run. In Dec. 2004, he signed a six-year contract as head coach at Notre Dame; he signed a 10-year extension the next fall. Weis was fired in 2009, and received $6.6 million in termination pay, according to the Chicago Tribune. He spent a year each as the offensive coordinator with the Kansas City Chiefs​ and the University of Florida before being hired as the new head coach at the University of Kansas, where he signed a 5-year contract guaranteeing him $2.5 million per season.

Josh McDaniels

McDaniels started his NFL coaching career as a low-level assistant in 2001 and became Weis' successor in 2005. In 2007, he called the plays as Brady led the Patriots' record-setting offense in their 16-0 regular season. McDaniels received a four-year, $8-million contract to become the Broncos' head coach in January 2009. He was fired near the end of the 2010 season, and spent a year as the offensive coordinator in St. Louis. He's now back with New England, and expected to resume his role as offensive coordinator in 2012.

Bill O'Brien

A long-time college assistant, O'Brien joined the Patriots in 2007. He took over play-calling duties in 2009 after McDaniels left and was officially promoted to offensive coordinator for the 2011 season. He was hired last week as head coach at Penn State, signing a five-year contract worth upwards of $2 million a season. It is his first head-coaching assignment
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When God-fearing Tim Tebow and Golden Boy Tom Brady [stats] square off in what experts predict will be a ratings-busting rematch of December’s Patriots [team stats] beatdown of the Broncos, we’ll see more than Tebow’s scrambling leather helmet-era quarterback vs. Brady’s disciplined, omniscient power passing.

We’re talking a matchup between two sports deities that could dwarf the whopping 42 million who watched the Broncos’ heart-stopping overtime win over bad-boy Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers Sunday night.

“It’s Jesus vs. the Prophet,” said Henry Schafer of the celebrity-pollster firm Marketing Evaluations, referring to Brady’s Dec. 18 postgame prophecy that the two would meet again. “Given Brady’s success and Tebow’s attraction right now, coming from a lot of different angles, I would not be surprised if this becomes the highest-ever rated playoff game.”

Tom and Tim rank among the most popular, polarizing and appealing players in the game. Marketing Evaluations’ Q rating, which measures the public’s awareness and opinion of celebrities, lists Tebow as the NFL’s sixth-most-appealing player, and Brady as the 13th.

“Two out of three Americans age 6 years and older knew who Tom Brady was, and two out of five knew who Tim Tebow was,” Schafer said. “That’s crazy. That’s telling me (Tebow) is more of a national personality than anybody thought, even before the season started.”

What’s more, that measure was taken in September, before backup QB Tebow stepped up and turned his 1-4 Broncos into the NFL’s 8-8 comeback kids, very publicly professing love for Christ and admiration of his teammates the whole way through. Just yesterday, ESPN Sports ran a poll showing Tebow is American’s favorite active pro athlete, ahead of Brady in fifth place.

Indeed, a December report from Dallas-based The Marketing Arm says Tebow has just a shade less influence than Lady Gaga, and more than Tom Hanks. And he’s head-and-shoulders above Brady, who has about as much pull as Bruce Willis and Robert Downey Jr.

“You have two interesting guys here,” said Darin David, a Marketing Arm account director. “As great as Brady has been — there’s probably been nobody better — there’s part of the country where they’ve seen him as a pretty boy.

“What Tebow gained last week was he was able to pull off what a lot of people didn’t think was possible. Here’s another opportunity for him.”
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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Browns have only themselves to blame for the quandary at quarterback they face this off-season.

They didn't need to tank their season and lose more games to get a legitimate shot at Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, the consensus prize of the 2012 draft. They simply needed to take care of business on Nov. 13. On that day, the Browns lost to the St. Louis Rams, 13-12, on a series of late-game sideline and special-team blunders.

The game defined their season and muddled their immediate future.

Had the Browns not given away the game, St. Louis would have finished with a 1-15 record. They would have moved in front of the Indianapolis Colts (2-14) and "earned" the No. 1 pick.

Instead, the Colts held on to the No. 1 pick on a tiebreaker.

Colts owner Jim Irsay has made it clear that he intends to use the pick on Luck to provide a seamless transition from Peyton Manning, the face of the team since 1998 and whose career is in doubt as a result of uncertain recovery from a third neck surgery.

The Rams, however, have a different situation. They've invested millions of dollars and two seasons in developing quarterback Sam Bradford, who is only 24 and a surer thing, they believe, than Luck. Their intention was to trade the No. 1 pick and use the bounty from such a mega-trade to surround Bradford with offensive weapons.

"Ownership and management seem pretty clear on that," said Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Thus, the 13-12 collapse served two purposes. It surely underscored the travails of first-year head coach Pat Shurmur, while blocking a path to the franchise quarterback the Browns so sorely need.

The Rams arrived at a critical juncture in Shurmur's first season. Back-to-back losses in San Francisco and Houston had dropped the Browns to 3-5 and left them physically banged up. With upcoming home games against the Rams and Jaguars, the hope of evening their record at 5-5 was realistic.

The Rams were reeling in their own right. They were 1-7 with Bradford trying to play through a high ankle sprain. Moreover, they were the team with which Shurmur was most familiar. He was their offensive coordinator the previous two seasons.

At the time, injuries to running backs Peyton Hillis and Montario Hardesty left Shurmur with Chris Ogbonnaya, signed two weeks earlier from the Houston practice squad, as his only running threat. The occasion called for offensive creativity -- anything to produce a win against St. Louis. It was evident throughout the game that Shurmur was selling out to win this game. He dusted off the Wildcat formation for Josh Cribbs and also dialed up a razzle-dazzle play that resulted in a Colt McCoy pass to Seneca Wallace for 21 yards.

Against his nature, Shurmur also incorporated more shotgun plays to accommodate McCoy. The quarterback responded with his best game in over a month. He completed 20 of 27 passes for 218 yards and a passer rating of 97.5.

McCoy's numbers were better than Bradford's except for one thing. Bradford produced the game's only touchdown in the second quarter on a pass to Brandon Lloyd -- the quality receiver the Browns had refused to pursue when the Denver Broncos made him available for trade a month earlier.

It looked as if the Rams would score another touchdown in the fourth quarter when they reached the Browns' 9. But a Phil Taylor sack of Bradford forced a field goal and a 13-12 St. Louis lead.

The Browns had one more possession. They moved to the Rams' 19. Shurmur called for four straight safe handoffs to eat the clock and set up a field goal. On the third one, fullback Owen Marecic was nicked up and he left the field. Two plays later, the call was for another quick handoff to the lead fullback. But Shurmur was unaware Marecic had not returned.

Unbeknownst to Shurmur, tight end Alex Smith took Marecic's place. Instead of calling a timeout, the Browns tried to execute the called play. McCoy's handoff to Smith was fumbled. Smith had never taken a handoff in his NFL career. Cribbs fell on the ball at the 7.

Ogbonnaya carried to the Rams' 4 on the next play. With 2:13 left, Shurmur used a timeout to settle the team for what surely would be the go-ahead field goal.

The unthinkable then happened. Reliable long snapper Ryan Pontbriand, who had been uncharacteristically off target for weeks, double-clutched prior to his snap to holder Brad Maynard. The twitch caused movement on the Browns' frazzled offensive line. Pontbriand's snap deflected off the foot of Alex Mack, lined up at left guard.

Maynard retrieved the errant ball and spotted it, but Phil Dawson's timing was shot. He tried to adjust his steps but couldn't. He pulled the ball to the left and it was partially deflected off target by a Rams' lineman. The Rams safely burned the final two minutes to secure their unlikely win. It was the low point of Shurmur's first season.

Somehow, the Browns shook off the horrific loss and beat Jacksonville the following week. But Shurmur never recovered. He became a lightning rod of criticism the rest of the year. The Browns didn't win another game after beating the Jaguars and wound up with one more loss than fired coach Eric Mangini had the previous year.

In his review of Shurmur's first season, President Mike Holmgren said, "I think his perseverance and his ability to handle adversity was tested. I thought he kind of emerged ... [with] a few scars, but for a first-year head coach he went through some stuff that I know I didn't have to go through my first year.

"There was some stuff that went on that was a little unusual."

There was the owners lockout, which canceled Shurmur's off-season camps and opportunity to meet his new team. There was the continual soap opera involving Hillis. There was the McCoy concussion in the Pittsburgh game, which threw his future in doubt.

Ultimately, it was the management of the final minutes of the St. Louis game that perhaps cost the Browns the most -- a real chance to get the quarterback of their dreams.
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BEREA, Ohio — Staying the course, the rebuilding procedure prescribed by Admiral Mike Holmgren, requires a compass to indicate the course is correct. It is fair to say that, at best, signs are mixed for the Browns.

The North Star of the NFL, the one fixed reference point, is stability at quarterback, the most important position in the game. The evasions offered by Holmgren this week when he was asked for an endorsement of second-year quarterback Colt McCoy were telling. He won't "anoint" McCoy yet, but he "loves" him.

Much talk centered on McCoy's "intangibles," which, being unseen and unmeasured, went unspecified. In the actual tangibles -- a passer with a strong arm, receivers with good hands, a right side of the line that did not need turnstiles to slow down the pass rush -- the Browns were lacking. This is an indictment of the admiralty, not entirely of the man wrestling with the wheel.

Dissonance between concept and its implementation has been a trademark of the Browns ever since Carmen Policy signed 49ers veterans who expected a training camp that would conserve their bodies, and then hired Chris Palmer, who was of the "thump 'em again" school of practice plans.

Holmgren's view that the upcoming season will only be the second in the real rebuild is remarkable. It skips merrily over the year lost with Eric Mangini, whose run-based game plans were the opposite of Holmgren's quick passing schemes. Maybe 2010 was all a bad dream, like that season on the 1980s TV series "Dallas," in which the mistake of killing off a popular character was corrected by ascribing it to his wife's nightmare. (Your comment about our long civic nightmare goes here.)

Throughout the news conference, there was no sense that time's a-wasting. Everyone feels pressure, but no one is on the "hot seat," Holmgren said.

He even joked that he's been in "tough spots" before but isn't now. That's due to the backing of owner Randy Lerner, who is not as bad as Ted Stepien, who once owned the Cavaliers, but whose record is a punch line anyway.

Arguments that the Browns showed improvement after a winless season in the AFC North, which sent its other three teams to the playoffs, seemed strained. But if you believe 0-6 can be a great 0-6, that's what Holmgren was selling.

It's unfair to blame Holmgren for the decade-plus of folly that preceded him. But it certainly seemed that the concentration on the stunted offense could have been better spent, at least in part, on the special teams.

The Browns went from elite to "Eek!" "Special teams, I saw crazy things happen I have never seen before in my life," said Holmgren, presumably referring to the St. Louis game, when the once peerless Ryan Pontbriand snapped the ball off a guard's leg, foiling a chip-shot game-winner.

Other things happened repeatedly. Clock management problems recurred. The game seemed too fast for rookie head coach Pat Shurmur, and not just in the decision to return a concussed McCoy to the first Steelers game. Play calls were of blooper-reel quality, including the memorable recovered fumble on a red-zone handoff to a tight end making his first carry of the year.

Even with an offensive coordinator, a promised staff addition for next season, will an offensive coach like Shurmur really want to cede play-calling? Holmgren called the plays in Green Bay and Seattle, and admitted the chess game aspect of that was the fun part of the game.

When Jim Tressel coached Ohio State and the possibility of hiring a progressive offensive coordinator with play-calling responsibilities arose, Tressel said, "What would I do during the game -- eat bonbons?"

Shurmur's offense was sometimes like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates -- you never knew what you were going to get.

Holmgren said Shurmur's openness to giving up play-calling "shows the kind of guy he is." Since a head coach always has veto power over a coordinator and always has the right to stamp a critical call with his own imprint, it might not be that big a deal anyway.

Even during the last yawn of a season, Holmgren said, "We had no [television] blackouts." As a slogan, it seemed to be lacking pizzazz.

"I know this, the fans will stay with us. They will hang in there," said Holmgren, making a presumption of eternal fan loyalty.

The Good Ship Brownie beats on into the dark, with rocky economic shoals all around, while Holmgren expects to hear the cry "Land, ho!" any year now, and while he remains sure the natives will be friendly.
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Cue the circus music because it’s time to relive the Browns’ 2011 season.

From the NFL’s lockout preventing rookie coach Pat Shurmur from meeting his entire team until late July to the Cincinnati Bengals’ quick-snap touchdown in the regular-season opener to the soap opera starring running back Peyton Hillis to the meltdowns on special teams to quarterback Colt McCoy’s concussion to the offense’s clock mismanagement on Christmas Eve, it was a wacky year of football to say the least.

Mercifully, it ended. The Browns lost eight of their final nine games, including six in a row, and finished with a record of 4-12.

While the Browns lick their wounds, let’s review another absurd season:

OFFENSE

2011 rankings: 29th in total offense (288.8 yards per game); 30th in scoring (13.6 points per game). 2010 rankings: 29th in total offense (289.7 yards per game); 31st in scoring (16.9 points per game).

Most valuable player: Left tackle Joe Thomas. He was one of the few players who consistently performed well. He was named a first-team All-Pro selection by the Associated Press for the third consecutive year, and he also made the Pro Bowl for the fifth year in a row. He bounced back from a rough 2010 season and proved he’s worth the seven-year, $84 million contract extension he received in August. He has not missed an offensive snap in the Browns’ 80 games since they drafted him third overall in 2007.

Most notable flop: Hillis. The Madden NFL 12 cover boy fell victim to injuries and distractions stemming from his unresolved contract situation and his rise in popularity. He missed one game because of the strep-throat saga and five more with an injured hamstring. A hip injury also slowed him in a few games. He finished with 161 carries for 587 yards (3.6 average) and three touchdowns to go along with 22 catches for 130 yards. He eclipsed the 100-yard rushing plateau only once. It was quite a contrast from the 2010 season, when he played in every game and compiled 270 carries for 1,177 yards (4.4 average) and 11 touchdowns to go along with 61 catches for 477 yards and two touchdowns.

Best play: McCoy’s 14-yard touchdown pass sailed over the reach of Miami Dolphins rookie cornerback Jimmy Wilson and into the hands of wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi in the back corner of the end zone with 43 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Massaquoi’s catch capped an 80-yard drive and lifted the Browns to a 17-16 victory over the Dolphins in Week 3.

Worst play: Even though the Browns did not have any timeouts left, quarterback Seneca Wallace handed off to Hillis on second-and-goal from the Baltimore Ravens’ 3-yard line with 11 seconds remaining in the first half. Hillis was stuffed for no gain, and the Browns failed to trim the Ravens’ 17-0 halftime lead because Wallace didn’t spike the ball. The Browns rallied in the second half, but their fiasco late in the second quarter haunted them in a 20-14 loss. Wallace and Shurmur lamented their communication blunder after the game.

Biggest surprise: The Browns allowed McCoy to re-enter the Dec. 8 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers after he suffered a concussion from linebacker James Harrison’s devastating helmet-to-facemask hit. McCoy sat out only two plays — about 3 minutes, 50 seconds of real time — before returning to action. He took 17 snaps after taking the hit and threw an interception that led to the Browns’ 14-3 defeat. The following week, Browns President Mike Holmgren said the team’s medical staff did not test McCoy for a concussion until after the game because the doctors and trainers did not see Harrison’s hit and McCoy did not immediately display symptoms of a concussion. The NFL did not penalize the Browns for their role in the incident, but it has since added video monitors to sidelines so medical personnel can watch plays in which an injury occurred. The league has also assigned independent trainers to monitor injuries from the press box. Harrison received a one-game suspension following the hit. McCoy missed the final three games of the season.

Biggest disappointment: Holmgren let Shurmur juggle the roles of a first-time head coach and an offensive coordinator. It proved to be a huge mistake. Shurmur was often in over his head, and his version of the West Coast offense didn’t do much to inspire confidence moving forward. The Browns have vowed to hire an offensive coordinator in the offseason, and Shurmur has suggested he would relinquish play-calling duties if the right candidate comes along. The Browns better hope they find him.

DEFENSE

2011 rankings: 10th in total defense (332.4 yards allowed per game); fifth in points allowed (19.2 per game). 2010 rankings: 22nd in total defense (350.1 yards allowed per game); 13th in points allowed (20.8 per game).

Most valuable player: Middle linebacker D’Qwell Jackson. After missing 26 games in the past two seasons with torn pectoral muscles, he became the undisputed leader in defensive coordinator Dick Jauron’s 4-3 scheme. He led the team in tackles 13 times this season and reached double digits in tackles in eight games. He finished with a team-high 158 tackles, ranking second in the league behind Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher, who had 166 tackles. Jackson also had 3.5 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and three fumble recoveries. He was named the Browns’ Player of the Year by the local chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America. If he doesn’t win the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award, it will be a shame.

Most notable flop: It was an extremely rough year for defensive end Marcus Benard. Not only did Benard receive criticism from Shurmur for coming to training camp overweight and out of shape, but he also could have been killed Oct. 10, when he wrecked his three-wheeled motorcycle on Interstate 71. Police estimated he was thrown 241 feet from the bike. Luckily, he was wearing a helmet. The Browns never revealed the full extent of Benard’s injuries, only reporting that he suffered a broken hand. Benard, who led the Browns with 7.5 sacks in 2010, played in only four games before ending the 2011 season on the reserve/non-football injury list. He was charged with driving under a suspended license and reckless operation

Best play: Strong safety T.J. Ward strip-sacked Seattle Seahawks quarterback Charlie Whitehurst in the second quarter, and Jackson recovered the fumble near midfield. The takeaway led to the Browns’ first successful field goal of the game, and they captured a 6-3 win over the Seahawks in Week 7.

Worst play: The Browns squandered an opportunity to win their regular-season opener when the Bengals caught them napping with a quick snap. The defense failed to line up in time, and Bengals rookie wide receiver A.J. Green was left wide open — cornerback Joe Haden was supposed to cover him. Green capitalized by catching a 41-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Bruce Gradkowski with 4:28 left in the fourth quarter, lifting the Bengals to a 27-17 triumph.

Biggest surprise: Despite the switch from defensive coordinator Rob Ryan’s 3-4 system to Jauron’s 4-3 scheme, the defense improved and proved to be the strength of the team. Jackson’s successful comeback, an improved secondary and rookie linemen Phil Taylor and Jabaal Sheard, who led the team with 8.5 sacks, sparked the progression. With Taylor and Sheard in the lineup from wire to wire, the Browns became the first NFL team to have two rookies start every game on the defensive line since the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1992. It was also a first for the Browns.

Biggest disappointment: Although the defense served as a bright spot, it struggled mightily against the run. Jauron’s men ranked second against the pass (184.9 yards allowed per game), but they finished 30th against the run (147.4 yards allowed per game). They allowed an opposing player to rush for more than 100 yards eight times. They were also thoroughly embarrassed in two games: Houston Texans running backs Arian Foster and Ben Tate rushed for 124 and 115 yards, respectively, on Nov. 6; and Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice rushed for a career-high 204 yards on Dec. 4. Permanently moving Chris Gocong to strongside linebacker, upgrading at weakside linebacker and finding a legitimate starting right end would help solve the problem.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Most valuable player: Kicker Phil Dawson. He converted 14-of-16 field goals from 40 yards or longer, including 7-of-8 attempts from at least 50 yards. Josh Cribbs and Brad Maynard deserve honorable mentions in this category. Cribbs had kickoff returns of 51, 52 and 63 yards to go along with an 84-yard punt return for a touchdown. Maynard, whom the Browns signed Sept. 13 after Reggie Hodges (Achilles tendon) and Richmond McGee (back) suffered season-ending injuries, placed 32 of his 81 punts inside the 20-yard line and had only one touchback.

Biggest surprise: Long snapper Ryan Pontbriand’s demise was shocking. He misfired on several snaps — some were more obvious than others — and his slump cost him his job. He was cut Nov. 29 after spending nine years with the Browns.

Biggest disappointment: Special teams coordinator Chris Tabor’s first year on the job cannot be considered a success. The Browns were haunted by Pontbriand’s misfired snaps, two blocked field goals — three when counting St. Louis Rams defensive end James Hall’s deflection — and touchdowns on a fake field goal, a kickoff return and a punt return. Shurmur said he doesn’t plan to make any changes to his coaching staff, so Tabor will seemingly get a shot at redemption next season.
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