OAKLAND, Calif. — He was slandered, disparaged, cussed, denounced, ridiculed — what else? — mocked, slammed and put down as a kid who acted like a know-it-all.
Maybe he does.
Josh McDaniels is 33 years old and 3-0.
Not only is McDaniels undefeated early in his NFL head coaching stint, his Broncos are getting decidedly better every week. The Broncos went into Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on a warm Sunday afternoon and destroyed the AFC West-rival Raiders 23-3.
The costumed customers of the Black Hole just got their fill of the Broncos’ new coaching whiz.
Against a supposedly fearsome Raiders front foursome, the Broncos ran off yardage in chunks. Correll Buckhalter got his first 100-yard rushing game with the Broncos, and fast-healing rookie Knowshon Moreno added 90 yards.
The well-designed passing game was a series of clear-out routes with quarterback Kyle Orton efficiently connecting on the drag pattern underneath.
The 3-4 defense utterly overmatched an inept Raiders offense. Instead of wilting under criticism for not building a stronger front, McDaniels instead constructed a defense that has allowed a league-low 16 points while forcing eight turnovers.
. You must be a registered Broncos Premium user. Not registered? . It’s free, easy and will give you access to our best news, analysis and features about the team.
