Josh McDaniels Has Moved on From NE Reunion Narrative
Between the Las Vegas Raiders' 2022 preseason game against the New England Patriots and their meeting in Week 15 last season, Raiders Coach Josh McDaniels, the former Patriots offensive coordinator, has had plenty of opportunity to get some closure with his old team.
As the Raiders prepare to host the Patriots this week, this time around it's simply another game for McDaniels, who has settled into what is his second season at the helm in Las Vegas.
"I mean, we've kind of -- the horse is dead," McDaniels said when he addressed the media Tuesday. "We've beat it enough. You know what I mean?
"I mean, it is what it is. So, every week you got and somebody used to play there or they know somebody on that staff or whatever it is. So, yeah, it's Game 6 for us.
"We've got to do a good job of focusing on what we can do to improve from yesterday and get ready for a team that presents a lot of different challenges."
McDaniels served 18 seasons on New England's coaching staff, 13 of which he was an offensive coordinator.
During that time, he was as a member of one of the NFL's greatest dynasties of all time, winning six Super Bowls.
Since legendary quarterback Tom Brady departed New England in 2020, the Patyriots have has made only one postseason appearance in three seasons and has started 1-4 this year.
But McDaniels is still confident in his former mentor Bill Belichick and knows not to take any team he fields lightly.
"He's [Belichick] been in every situation you can imagine," McDaniels said. "I can't speak for him on that, but I mean, I've been around them long enough to know that no matter how bad or how good it is, it's usually kind of like this [flat-level composure] inside the building, inside the walls of the building. So, I have great respect for their team and for their coaching staff and obviously for Bill.
"And they'll be ready to play, and they've got a lot of things that they do that create issues for you. So, we're going to have to -- on a short week -- get ready for a lot of different things. We have not seen a team that plays like this.
"So, there are a lot of challenges inherently in getting ready for them. And, like I said, I'm sure he'll have them ready to go."
The Silver and Black will stay home at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to play the New England Patriots on Sunday, Oct. 15, at 4:05 p.m. EDT/1:05 p.m. PDT.
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