ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss was on ESPN Boston Radio with Adam Jones on Monday afternoon to discuss the upcoming Patriots-Broncos matchup (listen to the interview here). The most interesting part of the conversation centered are the addition of Josh McDaniels. Here’s a snippet:
* What’s the biggest impact Josh McDaniels can make this week?
Reiss: "I feel like the biggest impact will be felt in game-planning and information sharing. Let’s start with the obvious: They wouldn’t (have brought him in now) it if it didn’t have some value. I expect them to downplay the impact publicly, but let’s strip it down to its basic form: Bill Belichick doesn’t do anything if it doesn’t help the team.
“In terms of the way they go about game-planning, a big part of it is personnel. Let’s look at the opposing team, let’s talk about each individual player, what are their strengths? What are their weaknesses? What are areas might we be able to exploit? And Josh McDaniels’ seat at that table in that discussion is extremely valuable because of the time he spent with the Denver Broncos and the intimate knowledge he has of those players.
"I’d be surprised if he has a very involved role on game day. I think this is more about preparation and game-planning, information sharing than anything we’ll see Saturday at 8 o’clock.”
* Should the Patriots have been allowed to hire McDaniels?
Reiss: “Should it be allowed by the NFL? If I was making the calls, I would say no ... There’s something about that that doesn’t feel right to me.
“But if I’m the Patriots and it’s within the rules, I’m going to do it. This is a coup, why wouldn’t I?
“I think it’s very important to differentiate between the two lines of thinking here. If I was in charge of the league, would I allow this? No. If I was in charge of the Patriots, would I make such a move (if it was legal)? Absolutely yes.”
Among the other topics discussed by Reiss and Jones:
* What seemed different about the Broncos team that beat the Steelers than the one that lost to the Patriots?
* What’s the key matchup in Saturday’s Patriots-Broncos game?
* Will the Patriots’ offensive line be healthy?
* What went wrong for McDaniels in Denver?
* Why don't Bill Belichick's proteges have more success when they leave the Patriots?