McDaniels may be next Pats assistant to leave

He’s the son of former
Warren Harding coach Thom McDaniels.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) — Eric Mangini angered Bill Belichick after he left his mentor to become head coach of the New York Jets.

Josh McDaniels, the Patriots offensive coordinator, may be the coach’s next young protege to leave for a top job in the NFL. But he’s not quite ready to go.

“If your name is ever thrown around for something like that, it’s flattering,” he said Friday. “I think, in the middle of the season, it’s nothing that you can really concern yourself with.”

McDaniels — whose father, Thom, was the head coach at Warren Harding from from 2000-06 — is just 31 years old and in his second year as mastermind of perhaps the most productive offense in NFL history. Mangini left as defensive coordinator two days before his 35th birthday in January 2006.

Belichick was annoyed by the way he took off, reportedly contacting some Patriots assistant coaches and free agents to join him with the Jets. Their relationship chilled further when the Jets turned Belichick into the league for having a video assistant tape New York’s coaches from the sideline in violation of NFL rules in the first game this season.

There appeared to be a thaw, though, after the Patriots beat the Jets 20-10. Belichick smiled broadly afterward as he shook Mangini’s hand and said, “Good game, Eric. Good game. Awesome.”

McDaniels has less experience as a coach than Mangini.

As recently as 2003, he was just a coaching assistant with New England, working with defensive backs and breaking down film. He spent the next two years as quarterbacks coach, working with Tom Brady, who is just 15 months younger, and became offensive coordinator last season.

“Josh has done a great job of understanding the strengths of our team and of our offense and the weaknesses of our team,” Brady said.

Is he ready to make the jump to head coach?

“I have no idea how close I am to it,” McDaniels said. “As a coach or as a player, you’re always trying to strive to do the best thing that you can now for your team and if that takes you to another step and you feel that’s the right thing to do at the time, then you make that decision when it comes up.

“I haven’t really given it much thought,” he said. “If it’s in the cards, great. And, if it’s not, then I’m sure I could live without it.”

With three Super Bowl titles in the last six years, the Patriots have found their assistants to be in demand. After ending the 2004 season with their latest championship, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis became head coach of Notre Dame and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel took over the Cleveland Browns.

Mangini spent one year as Crennel’s successor before he also moved up.

Belichick and Mangini had another link. Both attended Wesleyan University. McDaniels was a wide receiver at John Carroll, which has an even more illustrious alumnus in former Miami coach Don Shula. The Patriots will try to improve to 15-0 against the Dolphins on Sunday.

If the Patriots score 34 points, they’ll break the NFL single-season record of 556 set in 1998 by the Minnesota Vikings. New England beat Miami 49-28 earlier this season.