Josh McDaniels has made a career in the NFL and the New England Patriots offensive coordinator was offered the opportunity to take the job of head coach for the Colts. He agreed to the assignment but just prior to departure, he couldn’t go through with it and decided that he belonged with the Patriots. His dedication to the team is heartwarming in a way. This is one of the things about Josh that makes him who he is as a professional and as a human being and here are 10 more things you didn’t know about him.

1. His father inspired him to coach

Josh McDaniels grew up with a coach as a dad. In fact, his father was the USA Today High School Coach of the Year in 1997. He was an Ohio legend in high school football. Josh would go to his father’s practices when he was young and this inspired him to enter the field of coaching. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree in this case.

2. He started out as a player

Josh McDaniels began his career in football as a wide receiver, playing for the Blue Streaks. His run with them extended from 1995 through 1998 before he joined the NFL. During his time with the Blue Streaks, he scored seven touchdowns and he caught 41 passes for 732 yards in two seasons. Former teammates said that he obsessed over football.

3. McDaniels coached for the Denver Broncos

Josh McDaniels was the head coach for the Denver Broncos. He was just 32 years old at the time, in 2009. Their record wasn’t impressive that year with an 8/8 statistic and the following year when the season showed a 3/9, the Broncos fired McDaniels. During the time he was the head coach there, he drafted Tim Tebow.

4. He returned to New England in 2011

McDaniels was with the St. Louis Rams for a year as their offensive coordinator prior to returning to New England. He’s the offensive coordinator for the team currently. Although he’s had offers to move on to other teams in head coaching positions, Josh has declined them and decided to stay with the Patriots.

5. Josh grew up with wall projections of football

Because his father Thom McDaniels was so invested in coaching the game of football, it was practically a way of life for Josh as well. We learned that his father coached quite a few different high school teams before being awarded the USA Today distinction in 1997. Josh’s dad would study tapes of the team’s plays by projecting the films onto the walls so he could get a more detailed look at what had occurred during play. He was an all-in kind of coach and this is where Josh learned about the nuances associated with coaching. It’s as much a mental game as it is a physical one.

6. He has a close and intense relationship with Tom Brady

McDaniels and Brady are just a year apart in age and the two professionals in the NFL serve the organization in different capacities, but they’re both team players. They each have a competitive streak as well as an obsession for football. Although they have a fiery relationship, they are friends and they get along very well. Brady thinks very highly of McDaniels and he’s shared the fact that he holds him in high regard because he knows how to motivate Brady to play at his very best and this goes on throughout the off-season as well. Brady refers to him a friend for life.

7. His brother is an NFL offensive assistant also

Josh McDaniels and his brother are both in the business of serving on NFL coaching teams. Ben McDaniels is an NFL offensive quality control coach for the Chicago Bears. Before Ben joined the NFL he worked with collegiate coaching. It was his brother Josh who brought him on board with the NFL when he was the coach of the Broncos in 2009.

8. Both of the McDaniels brothers played for their dad

When Josh and Ben McDaniels were in high school, they had the opportunity to be coached by their own father as players. This was when the boys were attending Canton McKinley High. Ben made an impressive show in his high school football career by setting records for touchdowns and passing yards.

9. Josh and Ben took very different approaches to football

When they were youth before they were even playing the game in high school, you could immediately see a difference in how Josh and Ben approached the game of football. When they were young and attending practices with their father, Ben would spend time visiting with the other coaches sons but you’d find Josh studying a copy of the playbook. He’s taken coaching seriously since he was a very young boy.

10. He was disliked by some Denver Players

When McDaniels served as head coach of the Denver Broncos, it wasn’t all rosy. One payer, in particular, was particularly vocal. Mitch Berger, punter for the Broncs went on a radio interview in 2013 and very openly discussed the fact that McDaniels wasn’t well liked by several members of the team.

ncG1vNJzZmiblaGyo77IrbCtp5%2BXe6S7zGhoaWWknbavs9JmsKitXZm2pbrTZqKnp6dirqO71K1ko6ejnXqur8OapaKdnKh8