Josh McDaniels: Self-Named and Preordained Genius

Is there anything in this world more annoying than a snotty-nosed, arrogant, rookie?

When I think of a spoiled brat, I can't help but think of Coach McDaniels. Let me set the record straight—I don't know McDaniels personally and I am not even a Denver fan, but I sure do love Mike Shanahan and his truly genius mind.

Though I am not blaming McDaniels for the firing of Shanahan, his arrogance bothers me and many other NFL fans. But that has nothing to do with his coaching, right?

Let's start with the spring cleaning that went on in Denver.

Remember the mile high meltdown the Broncos went through at the end of the 2008-2009 season? The offense was great but the defense was problematic at the very best. In addition, management felt that it was in their best interest to get rid of a great coach who showed no signs of aging.

The only problem was that this legendary offensive-minded head coach had one of the top offenses!

Instead of making a move to get a new defensive coordinator, the organization took it upon themselves to clean house all together, sending Shanahan into early retirement.

This is when the self-appointed guru McDaniels came to town and rocked Denver.

His first decision was to challenge what didn't need to be challenged at all—Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler.

Some people complained that Cutler was being a baby about the nerves of McDaniels to even mention trading him for one-hit wonder Matt Cassel.

How would you like it if you had been working for a construction company for 15 years, never missed a day, worked your way up to being a foreman, and out of nowhere you heard your boss was going to fire you?

Then you hear that you're being replaced by a local kid who just graduated from high school, simply because that kid graduated with a 3.0 GPA. Wouldn't you be mad?

I assume that is how Jay Cutler felt about what McDaniels did to him.

Adding insult to injury, McDaniels denied trying to obtain Cassel for Cutler and wanted him to just forget the whole thing without any form of an apology.

Then, McDaniels started out 6-0 and it looked as if the guy knew what he was doing despite all the drama that surrounded him even before the first mini camp.

Eventually, he too suffered a meltdown, the same that ruined Shanahan and the blame fell upon Mike Nolan and his 3-4 defense. (Funny how that wasn't a thought when Shanahan was around.)

Brandon Marshall didn't at all like what happened to Cutler, and took it upon himself to express it to the new coaching staff. They eventually had a turnaround, and all seemed well in Denver until this offseason, when yet another move was approved by Dictator McDaniels.

Along with guys like Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald, Marshall is a top three receiver in the NFL. And for reasons only McDaniels knows, the Broncos felt he wasn't worth the investment. But I guess Warren Sapp sums it all up when he says, "If Coach McDaniels doesn't like you, then you're going to be gone."

I don't mind when a coach comes in and tries to change the culture of a team—bring in a new attitude that nothing is more important than the team. But why take a shot at a guy who did nothing wrong? Doesn't that just sound a little elementary?

This is coming from the guy who had to steal the Belichick hood, with the halfway cut sleeves to help make a name. We aren't even talking about Charlie Weis, the guy who led the Pats to three Super Bowl victories as the OC. We are talking about Josh McDaniels, a guy who only made it to the Super Bowl with the help of Tom Brady and Randy Moss.

Since then, he hasn't even done anything! His attitude just kills me. He seems to sincerely believe that it's his coaching (not his coaching and his players) that makes a successful organization.

It's safe to say that his residence in Denver will take a Mile High miracle—transforming Tim Tebow into an NFL quarterback—to keep critics like me off his back.

It's also gratifyingly safe to assume that while McDaniels job seems to be safe, GM Brian Xander and owner Pat Bowlen know that McDaniels has to make it to the playoffs this year or his seat will heat up like Texas in the middle of the summer.