No player on this Raiders team is more familiar with Josh McDaniels than Brandon Bolden. The veteran running back has spent eight of his nine NFL seasons with McDaniels as his offensive coordinator.
Bolden was drafted by the Patriots in 2012, the year McDaniels came back to New England after a short unsuccessful stint as Broncos head coach. And aside from a single season in Miami for Bolden in 2018, he has been a regular part of the Patriots’ offense ever since.
There are a lot of differences between the duties of an offensive coordinator and a head coach. McDaniels found that out the hard way in Denver and claims he learned a lot from that experience. So, how different is McDaniels now from the past nine years with the Patriots? Just ask Bolden.
“The same. He just says it a little more stern now,” Bolden said. “It’s like if you’re getting babysat by your older brother and now the parents are nowhere at home and you’re stuck with your big brother for the weekend. It’s kind of like that.
“Josh has been cool. Just these past years to see him coming from Denver, coming back to New England. I had him since I was a rookie and just to see where he is now, like I’ve appreciated his journey and I appreciate being part of his journey. You know, very glad to be here. But there’s no big difference between Josh the coordinator and Josh the head coach. I mean, he demands perfect, and he wants perfect and we’re going to go out there and practice to make it perfect.”
Hopefully, Brandon had a good relationship with his older brother.