After weeks of drama, the disgruntled Cutler was traded to Chicago April 3 for quarterback Kyle Orton, two first-round picks, and a third-round pick. Many fans viewed Cutler as the franchise cornerstone, and McDaniels was criticized for not getting enough in return. Marshall also appeared to have Denver in his rear-view mirror after his contract and trade demands were denied. When Marshall made a mockery out of practice, making no effort to catch the ball, McDaniels made a point to the rest of his team, suspending his star for nine days.
Burying himself in meetings, film study, and game planning, McDaniels ignored the gloomy expectations of fans and criticism from the media, who cracked wise on his evasive injury reports and penchant for wearing hooded sweatshirts, a la Belichick.
For almost any other successor to Mike Shanahan, comparisons with the architect of the Broncos’ 1997 and ’98 Super Bowl titles would have been inevitable. But McDaniels owns three rings from his eight seasons in New England, the past three as offensive coordinator, and patterns his approach on Belichick.
“The philosophies about how to win come straight from Bill, most of them, if not all of them,’’ McDaniels said. “The things that they do to try to win games, we are doing many of those things here. We are trying to do many of those things, and not because we are copying some other team, but because they have been successful.’’
Among some Broncos players, the Patriots pedigree afforded McDaniels credibility.
“What he had done in New England, offensively, for the past three years spoke for itself,’’ said backup quarterback Chris Simms. “So guys had to have confidence in that. And then when you start to see how smart he is, and the attention to detail, it can only build confidence.’’
