McDaniels still weighing options

GLENDALE, Ariz. — He might be the longest shot to become the Washington Redskins’ next coach, but New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels didn’t totally close the door yesterday to listening if Dan Snyder calls after Super Bowl XLII here Sunday.

“If [the chance to be a head coach] happens to be the case, we’ll deal with that after the Super Bowl,” said McDaniels, who previously declined interviews for since-filled openings in Atlanta and Baltimore. “All my effort has been put into the preparation for this game. If that [chance] comes and I feel like I’m totally ready to go and if the best thing for me and my family is to do that and the time is right, that opportunity would be something you would have to take a hard look at.”

In his second year as coordinator, McDaniels’ offense scored an NFL-record 589 points in 2007. Tom Brady’s 50 touchdown passes and Randy Moss’ 23 touchdown catches also set single-season marks.

“I’m very happy with what I’m doing here,” McDaniels said. “I want to be a New England Patriot. When the time is right for me, when the opportunity is there at some point in the future and I feel like I’m ready to go and do that, but right now I’m a Patriot.”

The baby-faced McDaniels looks even younger than his 31 years, leading Donte Stallworth to question his role after signing with the Patriots last March.

“I thought Josh was a student trainer,” the Patriots receiver said. “They told me he was the offensive coordinator, and I was like, ’All right, dude, what do he really do?’ He’s the guy behind the curtain that you never see. He’s the little mad scientist.”

But there’s more to McDaniels than X’s and O’s.

“Josh does look pretty young, but he gets respect from everybody in that room,” Pro Bowl offensive tackle Matt Light said. “I can’t say enough about what he’s done. He’s one of our driving forces.”

McDaniels’ father was an outstanding high school coach, so he has been around the game his entire life.

“Give the players information that will help them be successful [and] they’ll buy into it no matter how old you are,” McDaniels said. “It comes back to the quality of experiences that you’ve had. If you’ve had [them], there are a lot of people willing to listen to what you have to say. I don’t think [Patriots coach Bill Belichick] ever put me in a position that I wasn’t capable of doing. You gain confidence from doing a good job at whatever responsibility somebody gives you. They’ve given me a lot of responsibility here, and hopefully I’ve done the most with those opportunities.”

McDaniels started in coaching as a graduate assistant under Nick Saban at Michigan State in 1999. Saban, who coached under Belichick with the Cleveland Browns, recommended McDaniels in 2001 to perform mundane tasks like analyzing game tape for the Patriots’ defensive coaches.

McDaniels began helping coach defensive backs in 2003 and earned a promotion to quarterbacks coach in 2004. The Patriots lost in the divisional round in 2005, and one of Belichick’s responses was naming McDaniels to fill the coordinator’s spot that Charlie Weis had vacated a year earlier.

“Josh is so knowledgeable,” backup quarterback Matt Cassel said. “He has helped us develop in learning defense and how to attack them. He has a great presence. He started on the defensive side of the ball, so when he transitioned to coach quarterbacks, that detail from the defensive [point of view] was something I hadn’t had before — their technique, what kind of adjustments they’re going to make. Josh has all the qualities you would want in a head coach.”

Brady’s four highest-rated seasons have all come under the tutelage of McDaniels, who is less than 17 months older than his star quarterback.

“Josh has done a great job as a leader and as a communicator and obviously as a coordinator,” Brady said. “We’re lucky to have him.”

But how much longer will the Patriots have McDaniels? Will he at least listen to an overture from Snyder, who can offer millions of dollars and the only remaining coaching chance for 2008?

“Josh is an outstanding coach, one of the best that I’ve worked with,” Belichick said. “I know he’s young, but he does a great job and has done [that] in a number of different areas in this organization and for me personally. I think he has a tremendous future as a coach.”