Brian Daboll helped Josh McDaniels get a job with the Patriots back in 2001. They were friends after working together under Nick Saban as graduate assistants at Michigan State in 1999. Daboll was hired by the Patriots as a defensive assistant in 2000 while McDaniels was a salesman in Ohio. The next year Daboll recommended McDaniels to the Patriots, who started out as a personnel assistant in the front office before taking Daboll's place as defensive assistant after Daboll was promoted to wide receivers coach. A few years later, McDaniels took over as the offense's playcaller ahead of Daboll and Daboll left for the hated Jets (under Mangini).