The relationship between the quarterback and coach stretches for decades. The pair talk more to each other than they do to their own wives. Tom Brady knows the answers because he’s in constant contact with Josh McDaniels.
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Josh McDaniels was standing in front of his offense at a team meeting. The Patriots offensive coordinator was describing the game plan for the team’s next opponent and wanted to try something new.
McDaniels, attempting to explain a new wrinkle, posed a hypothetical question that no player could answer. At least that's what he thought, until Tom Brady spoke up. The quarterback answered McDaniels' query without hesitation to the surprise of his teammates. Can Brady read McDaniels mind?
Well, yes and no.
The relationship between the quarterback and coach stretches for decades. The pair talk more to each other than they do to their own wives. Brady knows the answers because he’s in constant contact with McDaniels.
“They finish each other’s sentences. It’s the creepiest thing ever,” said running back Brandon Bolden. “Josh will be installing something and kind of ask the offense almost a rhetorical question and the only person that knows the answers, the only person he talks to, is Tom.
“So it’s like, ‘What are we looking for in this?’ And Tom will finish and everyone will be like, ‘Tom is so smart. He is amazing.’ Little do they know ... I sit right behind him. I hear their conversations all the time. I’m like, ‘He just told you that before he stood up.’”
McDaniels became Brady's quarterback coach in 2004. He became offensive coordinator two years after that. At Super Bowl LII on Sunday, the pair’s journey will likely reach its final chapter, as McDaniels is reportedly set to become the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.
Similarities off the field
Last year, the Patriots were preparing to head to Super Bowl LI in Houston when McDaniels and Brady needed to talk about an important issue.
McDaniels wasn’t sure if his youngest child, Neenah, was going to accompany the family to Houston. He checked in with Brady, who was debating the same thing about his youngest, Vivian. Neither child had attended a Super Bowl before. Naturally, McDaniels and Brady came up with a game plan.
“Both ended up going,” said McDaniels’ father, Thom McDaniels. “They reached consensus on that, too.”
The quarterback and coach have more in common than people realize. McDaniels, 41, and Brady, 40, are both proud family men. McDaniels is a father to four — Jack, 13, Maddie, 11, Livi, 7, and Neenah, 5. And Brady is a father to three — Jack, 10, Benjamin, 8, and Vivian, 5.
“They’re about the same age. They’ve got kids, many of them are about the same age, so I think that they relate to each other extremely well because of that,” Thom McDaniels said. “They’re both big family guys in a profession that doesn’t necessarily grant them as much family time as they’d like 12 months a year. For a big portion of the time, they’re away from their families and they talk about those things, too. That matters to them.”
Thom McDaniels is an Ohio high school football coaching legend. He knows all too well about coach-player relationships. The pairing isn’t always perfect and sometimes, it’s just business-like, but the Brady-McDaniels connection goes much deeper than your typical coach-quarterback relationship.
Their work ethic is similar. Football is constantly on their minds. When Brady is at home and has a thought about the game plan or next week’s opponent, he usually FaceTime’s his coach.
A special relationship
During a game on Dec. 3, everyone saw Brady and McDaniels blow up at each other on the sidelines. The Pats were playing the Buffalo Bills and Brady threw a bad pass to Brandin Cooks on third down. Phillip Dorsett was also open on the play.
As Brady retreated to the sideline, McDaniels let him know that Dorsett was open. Brady responded by screaming and swearing at his coach and the cameras caught it. (He later apologized.) It’s not unusual for Brady and McDaniels to disagree, but an exchange like this was atypical.
“I’m the oldest of two brothers; it’s like a big brother and little brother. They’re going to butt heads,” Bolden said. "They might have a little argument, but they love being around each other. That’s just two very competitive people. Both of them want to win. Both of them want to be perfect. That’s all. Usually, when they yell, everyone kind of looks and we’re like, ‘Ah. They’ll be fine. Just go on with your day.'”
“They’re extremely, extremely close. They’re with each other all day,” Danny Amendola added. “There’s definitely nothing personal. It’s all about winning football games. Everyone understands that. They get along perfect. It’s a great relationship.”
When Brady and McDaniels do have a disagreement, they rarely raise their voices in team meetings. Their relationship allows them to work together to come up with the best solution. They’re able to scream at each other after a missed pass, but they’re also able to apologize and move on.
“I don’t think you can get away from that if your relationship is not intimate, if it’s not deeply personal,” Thom McDaniels said. “I think when people aren’t genuinely interested and genuinely caring about the other person, when those things occur, they tend to expand and separate. But when you have that kind of relationship, it’s very close, it’s not just professional. It’s personal, I think that those things can happen, but nothing but good comes out of them.”
Mutual respect
One of McDaniels’ biggest challenges is challenging Brady. After 18 years in the NFL, there’s not much he hasn’t seen. That’s why McDaniels keeps the focus small. Each week, it’s about the game plan, coming up with new wrinkles and ways of attacking a defense.
“He’s very respectful to that. We listen and learn from each other,” Josh McDaniels said. “We have a tremendous relationship. It’s been an honor of my lifetime, in coaching, to have opportunity to work with a guy like that as long as I have.”
The feeling is mutual.
When you hear Brady speak about McDaniels, it becomes instantly clear that this future Hall-of-Famer truly values his friendship with his coach. Not only can they finish each other’s sentences, but McDaniels knows what’s going on with Brady just by looking at him.
“We have a great relationship. We just work so well together over the years,” Brady said. “He knows me so well. He knows me by the look of my face and vice versa. I communicate with him more than I communicate with probably anybody in my life. And I just can’t say enough good things about him and what he’s meant to me and how much he’s taught me, how great of a coach he’s been for me, how he’s got the best out of me, how he motivates me in the offseason. He’s a friend for the rest of my life.”
Brady, likewise, knows how to challenge his coach. The combination creates a perfect pair.
Due to NFL rules, McDaniels can’t yet officially sign with the Colts or even admit that he’s leaving. But if this is the last run for Brady and McDaniels, there’s only one perfect ending to this story.
“If this is our last game together, we’re going to try to make the best of it,” Brady said. “So we need to create another special memory, but that’s going to take a win.”
Mark Daniels writes for the Providence Journal of GateHouse Media.