Duron Harmon: Josh McDaniels is not trying to build the ‘Patriot Way’ with the Raiders
"He's said it over and over."
As Josh McDaniels begins the second chapter of his career as an NFL head coach, he appears to be trying to step out of Bill Belichick’s shadow.
Many former Belichick assistants have struggled in head coaching positions of their own (a list that includes McDaniels in his short tenure with the Broncos from 2009-2010). Part of the issue might have been down to their attempts to simply replicate the “Patriot Way.”
McDaniels, who took over as new head coach of the Raiders earlier in 2022, is actively trying to avoid the same trap.
According to former Patriots safety Duron Harmon, who recently signed with the Raiders, Las Vegas’s new coach is trying to build something of his own.
“He’s trying to create a culture that is not the Patriot Way,” Harmon told NFL Network. “He’s said it over and over.”
While it’s likely that McDaniels will still take some of the Patriots’ best practices with him, Harmon’s comments signal that the former New England offensive coordinator is aware that he can’t simply implement a Belichick-style playbook in how he runs the team.
Also during the interview, Harmon — who played for the Patriots from 2013 through 2019 — recalled one of his finer moments from playing in New England: Super Bowl LI.
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