McDaniel Dark Horse HC Candidate 2022 & Beyond
Breaking down a potential hot head coaching candidate's potential scheme with film and plays straight from the playbook.
Background
In a league where front offices are scrambling for the next top offensive mind to lead their football team, newly named offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers, Mike McDaniel may be at the top of that list soon enough.
McDaniel started out his coaching career as an intern for the Denver Broncos in 2005 under legendary head coach Mike Shanahan. A year later, he followed former head coach Gary Kubiak to the Houston Texans and worked as an offensive assistant. He worked there for three years before taking a job in the new United Football League.
In 2011, he reunited with Mike Shanahan becoming an offensive assistant for the Washington Football Team, and after two years he was promptly promoted to Wide Receivers Coach. He was a Wide Receivers Coach for the next 4 years for the Washington Football Team, Cleveland Browns and Atlanta Falcons.
From 2011, all the way through 2017 he developed an extensive relationship with his former bosses son, Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan served on the same staffs as McDaniel for six consecutive years. In 2017, when Kyle Shanahan took the head coaching job for the San Francisco 49ers, he hired McDaniel to be the run-game coordinator, a name which he held all the way up until January 18th when he was promoted to offensive coordinator after the departure of Mike LaFleur.
Players rave about the coaching ability of McDaniel, including current 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
If and when a team takes a chance on McDaniel for their head coaching job, we’re going to go over the passing scheme he will implement.
West Coast Roots
McDaniel’s scheme will heavily resemble the scheme of his current boss Kyle Shanahan, which derives from a scheme Shanahan’s father pioneered in the mid 90’s with the Denver Broncos that led to back-to-back Super Bowl trophies. The scheme was based out of zone blocking principles and the Inside and Outside Zone runs.
The zone run is a very versatile running scheme with the ability to implement numerous concepts based off of it including Nakeds and Leaks. In the running game, it allows runners to bounce the run three separate ways.
In the passing game, his scheme relies on the quick passing game with timing routes and play-action. With the threat of the run and the quick game, when defenses try to key in on those principles the opportunity for big plays open up.
Passing Concepts
As previously stated, the scheme features mostly short to intermediate timing routes. Some of Shanahan’s favorite concepts include Drive, Stick, Dragon, Levels and many more.
From Mikes to Kyles, this scheme is widely regarded as quarterback friendly because of the timing aspect and organic separation caused by motions and shifts pre-snap built into the play designs. In 2019, the 49ers utilized pre-snap motion the 4th most in the league with 18% of their snaps including motion. Lets go over these passing concepts in depth with film.
Dragon
This concept is a staple 1-high beater in the west coast system. It’s simplicity is what makes it so effective; it is a slant route with a flat (or diagonal, depending on terminology) behind it.
In this specific example, the 49ers hit big with this concept in a Week 8 matchup against the division rival Arizona Cardinals.
Hoss Juke
If you know anything about Hoss Juke, you probably love it. This concept is designed to get the ball out of the quarterbacks hands quickly. Tom Brady LOVED this concept during his time in New England, and it won them Super Bowl 53.
The outside receivers run hitches, with the inside receivers running fade-options depending on the coverage. Vs MOFO they convert to a post, vs MOFC they continue on their fade. The juke route plays off of his defenders leverage. If he is walling off the outside, the receiver carries across the field. If opposite, the receiver returns outside.
Levels
The goal of this concept made popular by Peyton Manning is to give the QB a high-low read.
The concept can be paired with anything on the backside. In this clip, Garoppolo hits the dig route for a big gain.
Naked Drive
This concept is something I mentioned earlier. It is a play-action rollout based out of the zone run. This style in particular is matched with a Drive concept.
Leak
Leak is a staple in this type of scheme and has seemingly snuck it’s way into almost every NFL playbook. The leak route starts on one side of the field, and works it’s way all the way to the other, Shanahan has brought this concept to all of his teams.
Those are just some of the expansive concepts that Shanahan uses that may rub off on McDaniel. Will McDaniel add his name to the list of successful assistant coaches turned head coaches under the Shanahan tree? If you care about my opinion, I think so.
He has been under some of the brightest offensive minds his entire coaching career and it isn’t outlandish to say he will be the next. This season will be a good sign, as he assumes the role of Kyle Shanahan’s offensive coordinator.