''The one thing that's been consistent is that if you've done those things well, they've given you an opportunity to move forward and accept more responsibility. That's kind of how I looked at this last season."
Although McDaniels didn't have the title in 2005, he had the playsheet in his hands on game day and was the voice communicating with quarterback Tom Brady on the field. He would often huddle with coach Bill Belichick during breaks in the action, one sign he was handling many of the traditional coordinator duties.
In the final weeks of the season, one Patriots player inadvertently referred to McDaniels as the offensive coordinator.
''We kind of set a standard in place at the beginning of the season and carried it through," said McDaniels, who didn't acknowledge calling any plays, saying the decisions were a group effort.
By promoting McDaniels, the Patriots stabilize their staff at a time when the NFL is undergoing significant coaching changes; 10 teams will have new head coaches in 2006. And that doesn't account for teams that lost coordinators or assistant head coaches.
''We're just going to try to maintain our [offensive] system; it's been in place for a while now," said McDaniels, noting the Patriots are a game-plan offense that tailors its attack based on the opposition. ''The fact that it's not going to change all that much is probably an advantage to us."
McDaniels, a receiver for John Carroll University from 1996-99, grew up in Canton, Ohio. His father, Thom, is a longtime high school coach.
''That would probably be the biggest thing in my entire career and life; I learned more growing up as the son of a football coach than I think I could have learned from a number of different sources," said McDaniels. ''Those experiences have carried me for a long time, not only in my professional life but in my personal life as well."
