Josh McDaniels will face his former pupil Tom Brady and his mentor Bill Belichick when the unbeaten Denver Broncos battle the New England Patriots in week five of the NFL season tomorrow.
The former Patriots offense coach McDaniels now coaches the Broncos after being hired to replace Mike Shanahan in January. He spent eight years in New England.
Under McDaniels the Broncos are off to a surprising 4-0 start and have a two-game cushion atop the AFC West Division.
PHOTO: AFP
His former pupil Brady is coming off his best game since returning from a knee injury that sidelined him for the entire season last year. Brady will be in tough though as Denver has allowed the fewest points in the league.
McDaniels says the Broncos have a few surprises in store for his former team.
“We don’t stay the same. They’re watching film of us and they know what we’re running. And we’re watching film of them and we know a lot of things they’re running. And yet, we’re going to see some things on Sunday that may be a little different and we’ve never seen before,” McDaniels said. “But I think, ultimately, it’s going to come down to playing and whose players play better.”
Belichick expects McDaniels to have his players ready.
“I was very impressed with the time I spent with Josh here,” Belichick said. “He’s a smart guy, knows football, understands, I think, all the elements of the game — personnel, strategy, offense, defense, motivation, all the different elements of it, and he’s got a lot of poise.”
Denver was able to keep their perfect record intact by beating Dallas 17-10 last Sunday. Their short season also included a miraculous 12-7 win over Cincinnati.
Entering tomorrow’s game, New England is fifth in the NFL in passing offense and has scored 25 points or more in three of four games this season.
The Patriots are coming off a confidence-building 27-21 win over Baltimore last weekend.
In another key weekend matchup, Cincinnati Bengals battle the Baltimore Ravens in a game that will give the winner sole possession of first place in their division.
The San Francisco 49ers take on the Atlanta Falcons, but their new offensive weapon won’t be in the lineup
The 49ers signed first round draft pick Michael Crabtree this week, but coach Mike Singletary said the rookie needs more time to study the playbook.
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