Patriots may not have any assistant coaches at the NFL Combine
The Patriots may need to find a new quarterback of the future, but Josh McDaniels won’t be on hand at the NFL Scouting Combine this week to take a look at this year’s crop.
Bill Belichick, the front office and, most importantly, the medical staff will be in Indianapolis this week for the combine, where they will meet with hundreds of draft prospects and give them exams.
But the Patriots confirmed Monday that McDaniels and most, if not all, of the coaching staff will not attend this year’s combine. The coaches will stay back in Foxborough to catch up on projects that got put on hold because the team made a deep postseason run. A team spokesman said the coaches typically don’t attend the combine after reaching the Super Bowl, and McDaniels hasn’t attended three of the last four.
As teams descend on Indy for the Combine, #Patriots offensive coaches, including Josh McDaniels, are not expected to attend, I’m told. When they go deep into the playoffs, this is their standard plan. Coaches always hang back. Bill Belichick & maybe 1/2 defensive coaches will go
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 26, 2018
McDaniels’s absence means that he won’t be involved in any of the one-on-one interviews that take place with the prospects, and won’t observe their throwing drills with his own eyes. But the combine is just one part of the pre-draft process, and McDaniels will have plenty of chances to spend time with prospects over the next two months.
But his absence might be disappointing for the Indianapolis locals after McDaniels spurned the Colts and backtracked on a commitment to become their next head coach earlier this month. McDaniels instead decided to remain with the Patriots, and the Colts subsequently hired Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich as their head coach.
The Patriots won’t have a media presence at the combine, either. While 28 teams will hold a press conference with either their head coach or general manager – 20 teams are sending both to the podium – the Patriots, Jets, Saints, and Redskins are not scheduled to hold any press conferences. Belichick hasn’t held a press conference at the combine since 2014, and Nick Caserio has only done a short video with the team’s website in the past.
Going by the book
Sidelined all last season by a knee injury, Patriots receiver Malcolm Mitchell found comfort and strength in creative outlets.
“Reading, and I picked up photography,’’ Mitchell said Monday at the main branch of the Boston Public Library. “Those two things really helped me get through that tough time.
“That’s just the message I keep sending is that reading can help you get through stuff. And examples of when I’m hurt just happen to be the best way to explain that because that’s when I really need it the most.’’
Mitchell explained that message to several hundred children from local elementary schools, all of whom got to take home a copy of the latest edition of his children’s book, “The Magician’s Hat.’’
The event was the latest in a tour of “reading rallies’’ Mitchell is hosting to showcase the book and promote its message — that reading can help anyone accomplish their goals. The tour will swing through New York City before heading down to Mitchell’s home state of Georgia where it will stop in Atlanta and end Saturday in Athens, his college town.
The students were riveted as Mitchell read aloud and spoke about his struggles with reading as a child, how he was affected by them in school and how overcoming those struggles allowed him to experience things from the magical world of Harry Potter to learning about his new hobby of photography. The kids were also treated to a magic show and took pictures with Mitchell after the event.
The success of the event, which was attended by Mayor Marty Walsh and Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, was a reminder of everything Mitchell has accomplished off the football field.
As for when he’ll get back on it, the receiver said he’s focusing on being ready for the start of OTAs, though he’s not setting that as a specific goal. It has been a long healing process, though Mitchell said he continued training the whole year.
Late in the season, Mitchell did attend several practices, but he was never activated. Asked if he’d been hoping to make a return, he paused and let out a long sigh.
“I always have hope, but I was more focused on making the right decision, trusting the coaches, trusting, you know, their experience to put me in the best position for long term, for longevity and not making a decision based on what I wanted, because that might not have been the best decision,’’ Mitchell said.
