Former Broncos OL Tyler Polumbus rips Josh McDaniels

Los Angeles Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels. Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Former Broncos OL Tyler Polumbus rips Raiders HC Josh McDaniels: He 'didn't know how to handle people'

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated 9/30/22

Former offensive lineman Tyler Polumbus spent parts of three seasons with the Denver Broncos over an eight-year NFL career.

Polumbus was a member of the Broncos in 2009, Josh McDaniels' first season as head coach in Denver. While he spent just one year playing under McDaniels, that was enough for Polumbus, who left to join the Seattle Seahawks the following season.

With the Broncos facing off against McDaniels' Las Vegas Raiders this weekend, Polumbus took to Twitter to revisit the short time he had with his former head coach.

Polumbus began by criticizing McDaniels' decision to break up the Broncos' core at the time, which included trading away the team's starting quarterback, Jay Cutler.

In honor of Raiders week, I present a about my Favorite Hurricane Josh McDaniels Stories:
1. After trading away the young nucleus of our offense including Jay Cutler, Josh said to the entire team “Fellas don’t worry about the QB situation, I can turn a HS QB into an All Pro.”
— Tyler Polumbus (@Tyler_Polumbus) September 29, 2022

McDaniels' motivational tactics were also called into question by Polumbus.

Polumbus wrote that every day with McDaniels at the helm began with a "10-minute bad football reel" followed by a dressing down of players and coaches. Players were also heavily scrutinized about seemingly mundane things, like remembering slogans painted on the walls throughout the Broncos' facility.

Perhaps the most telling reveal, Polumbus described a conversation he had with his position coach during his exit interview following the 2009 season. After the meeting, Polumbus was concerned for his coach because he looked "so depressed and miserable."

The coach allegedly told Polumbus that McDaniels was a "hard man to work for," and he wasn't worried about being fired because he was "getting the hell out of here."

Polumbus wrapped up his Twitter rant with a bit of positivity, adding that McDaniels knew his "X's and O's" but simply "just didn’t know how to handle people."

"He says he has learned from his mistakes," Polumbus wrote. "Time will tell."

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