ATLANTA — The simplest way to describe Patriots defensive line coach Brendan Daly? People who know him seem to love using two words.
“All ball,” said one of his former players.
“All-in,” said a former colleague who coached with him in college.
“Not just mentally and emotionally, but physically, if he has to be,” he added. “That’s what I love about him — that intensity. But he always has the best interest of the player at heart.”
All ball. All in. Daly is a guy whose coaching chips have always been pushed to the middle of the table. And now, that could pay off with another promotion: if the Patriots follow history and promote from within when Brian Flores leaves for Miami, Daly appears to be well-positioned to be New England’s next defensive signal caller.
From his time as an undersized tight end at Drake University to his stretch as the leader of New England’s defensive line the last four years, Daly has consistently charted a path as a forward-thinking football mind, mixing passion and smarts, all while keeping his teammates' (and later, his players') best interests at heart.
That approach has rubbed off on his players — one Patriots’ defensive lineman said Monday night he and the rest of the defensive line hope Daly is the one that gets the call.
“He deserves it,” he said.
There are a handful of other reported candidates for the position, including Bret Bielema and Greg Schiano. But Daly would certainly fit the mold as the next guy — young, a deep knowledge of the system, and a guy who has the full support of the players at his position.
Asked about it on Monday night, the 43-year-old smiled. He’s self-aware enough to know it’s a possibility, but he said that’s just not where his focus is right now.
“There are a lot of hypothetical situations out there, and I prefer not to deal in the hypotheticals,” he told BostonSportsJournal.com. “Honestly, I’m just so excited to be here again and have the opportunity. I’m so dialed in on the opportunity to play in this game and get the chance to play, that’s where my entire focus is.
“I understand that there’s some stuff out there that will come up once this game is over, and when that time comes, I’ll be ready to deal with it. Until then, that’s where I’m at.”
Daly’s football education took root in the mid-1990s at Drake. An overachieving tight end at a tough academic school, his college coach Rob Ash recalled Daly as a player who didn’t have great physical gifts, but managed to make it work.
“He was undersized and really hard-nosed,” Ash said. “A tough, hard-nosed player who was a great blocker — his hands weren’t the best in the world, but he was the second tight end in our two tight-end sets. I’d play him on running downs — when we had passing downs, we had another guy come in with better hands who was a little faster.
“But he was a terrific team player who did whatever the coaches wanted him to do. A terrific team member and great leader.”
That approach wasn’t enough to get a sniff from the NFL as a player, but it did get him hired as tight ends coach on Ash’s staff after he graduated.
“He absolutely loved the game and he committed to it. Not just in-season, but all offseason. There were rigorous summer workouts, and he was always right there,” Ash said. “He always could talk to everybody. He was very transparent and very honest and open. He always had a smile.”
Daly made his bones as a college assistant, working his way from his alma mater to Villanova, Maryland and Oklahoma State, usually while working as a tight ends or defensive line coach. In that time, he made two different stops at Villanova, first as the tight ends coach in 1999 and then, as the defensive line coach in 2005, his final job before he made the leap to the Vikings and the NFL.
Daly is still recalled fondly by the people at Villanova. Even though he’s more than a decade removed from his time in Philadelphia, a conversation with the receptionist at the football office revealed nothing but positive memories about the Patriots’ assistant.
“Tell Brendan everyone here says hi,” she says brightly.
While with the Wildcats, Daly distinguished himself as a hard-working assistant who was always willing to go above and beyond.
“He was not one of those young coaches you had to do a lot of work with. A lot of young coaches know football, but they can’t teach it. He didn’t have that problem. And he was able to relate to guys,” said Andy Talley, who was head coach for both of Daly’s stints at the school.
“He was very business-like and very detailed,” he added. “He was very exacting, and totally committed to getting the most out of his players. He was a very competent coach, and just a pleasant guy to work with. Everybody liked him — I think he had a Midwestern twang about him that just made everyone feel comfortable. He’s kind of homespun. He’s not really complex — what you see is what you get.”
Mark Ferrante was an assistant on those Villanova staffs with Daly.
“He’s a loyal, open, honest guy who can tell you exactly what’s on his mind,” said Ferrante, who became Villanova's head coach in 2017. “He’s also someone who can treat people fairly.
“There are times where he can be really laid back, and there are times where he can be really fiery and intense and passionate,” Ferrante added.
His position players continued to overachieve, and as a result, it wasn’t long before the NFL came calling. He was hired as an assistant defensive line coach with the Vikings at the age of 31 before becoming the defensive line coach with the Rams and Vikings. Defensive lineman James Hall played for Daly from 2009 through 2011 in St. Louis.
“When he got to St. Louis, it was his first time as a full-time coach at the NFL level — I had him when he was new to it,” said Hall. “He’s always been passionate about football. You can see that, even if you only spend a few minutes with him.”
That was followed by a jump to New England in 2014 where he was a defensive assistant, followed by a quick promotion to defensive line coach in 2015. He’s been in the job ever since.
“When he went to New England, I thought it was a good fit for him,” Hall said. “He comes from a different era — kind of an old-school guy. And as you watch these New England Patriots, you see an old-school mentality in the way they go about their business and the way they perform between the white lines. They play sound fundamental football. They play hard. And it works.”
The one thing that’s interesting when you talk to Daly’s current crop of defensive linemen? When you ask them about Daly, the first thing most of them do is smile. One said he's "a guy with broad shoulders" -- Daly can dish it out, but he can also take it when it's warranted.
“He’s a very passionate coach,” said Deatrich Wise. “A coach who is real big on details — even though we might have a perfect play or perfect game or perfect whatever, he finds little small things. And it’s very nagging. But at the same time, I know he’s trying to make me a better player. I appreciate that.”
Ultimately, Daly remains coy about his coaching future. But you talk to some people, and they’ll tell you people will be using another two-word description for him sooner rather than later: defensive coordinator.
“He’s definitely a great coach,” said defensive lineman Trey Flowers. “He’s a guy who is high in fundamentals and high in techniques. Just him being able to catch that at that level and get the most out of guys in terms of fundamentals, that’s huge.”
“He’s a coach who never stops coaching,” said Lawrence Guy. “You cherish that.”