Broncos introduce McDaniels as new coach

ENGLEWOOD • Pat Bowlen said he never had any apprehension about Josh McDaniels' age when he hired him to be the Denver Broncos' head coach.

McDaniels' youth is striking, however. He is 32 years old and the youngest head coach in the National Football League. As he addressed the media Monday evening for the first time as Denver's new head coach, he sounded confident and prepared, and said he doesn't dwell on his age any more than Bowlen did. Five players on the Broncos' final roster were at least 32 years old.

"I've coached older players, I've coached older players - I don't think age is a factor," McDaniels said. "What they care about is what I'm saying and whether or not it's going to help them win."

He embarks on a big challenge. The Broncos have plenty of talent in place, but former coach Mike Shanahan wielded as much power as any coach in the NFL. Many areas of the organization will change under McDaniels.

McDaniels said he didn't know if he would keep any of the remaining Broncos' assistant coaches, saying he would evaluate them. He will hire a defensive coordinator. McDaniels said he has talked to former 49ers coach Mike Nolan about the opening, but his hiring is not official.

Bowlen, the Broncos' owner, said he didn't plan to hire a general manager, although he wouldn't completely rule it out. That means vice president of football operations/player personnel Jim Goodman will have final say in personnel matters.

Although McDaniels spent the past three years as New England's offensive coordinator, he said he considers himself an all-around coach and will help fix Denver's defense, which ranked 29th in the NFL last year.

"I'm a football coach and I want to have an opportunity to affect the kicking game, defense, offense, every phase of the game," McDaniels said. "My goal as the head coach is not just to improve the defense, it's to improve the team."

McDaniels, who said during his press conference that the only thing he had seen of his office was his nameplate on the door, said his evaluation process will start right away.

"There's a lot of things, I'm sure, I have never dealt with before," McDaniels said. "But I'm looking forward to that."

McDaniels has credentials that belie his age. He spent eight seasons on the Patriots' coaching staff. Three of those seasons ended with Super Bowl championships. He was born in Canton, Ohio, home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and said he has been around football training camps since he was 5. His father, Thom, was a longtime coach at McKinley High in Canton and then Massillon Jackson High in Massillon, Ohio, two of the better known high-school programs in the country.

Bowlen said he thinks younger coaches are better prepared to assume such a high-profile position than the last time he hired a coach. He said he had a gut feeling about McDaniels - he cited a gut feeling when he explained why he fired Mike Shanahan on Dec. 30 after 14 years as head coach - and didn't see his age as a detriment.

"Maybe that's a good thing," Bowlen said. "He's 32 years old, he's obviously the youngest coach, but that doesn't scare me one bit.

"He's aggressive, he wants to have this job and I'm sure he's going to work hard at it and he's got all the education he needs to do it."

Whatever challenges McDaniels faces in the near future, he said he is excited to get started.

"This is an opportunity that doesn't come along very often," McDaniels said. "I know I'm coming to a place where winning is the most important thing."

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