Josh McDaniels isn't dodging blame for Super Bowl LX. That's refreshing, even if the Patriots offense got dominated by Seattle last February. The offensive coordinator is pointing at himself—"I didn't do a good enough job"—which tells you something about his character. But character doesn't fix schematic breakdowns or poor execution under the game's brightest lights. The question now isn't whether McDaniels will own his mistakes. It's whether he's made the adjustments necessary to prevent a repeat.
Here's what we know: the Seahawks figured something out against New England's scheme, and McDaniels has spent the offseason presumably identifying what went wrong. Working under Mike Vrabel, who has defensive pedigree and won't tolerate excuses, McDaniels should have the accountability structure in place to demand better. But accountability is only half the battle. The Patriots need execution from their skill players—A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs, Kayshon Boutte, and whoever emerges at tight end between Austin Hooper and Hunter Henry. The offensive line, anchored by tackles like Morgan Moses and Will Campbell, has to hold up. Tommy DeVito (or whoever takes snaps) can't beat the Seahawks' secondary if protection breaks down.
The rematch itself is months away, but McDaniels' willingness to absorb responsibility publicly matters now. It signals he's not making excuses, which means he's probably not making excuses internally either. That's the kind of coaching honesty that filters down to players. They'll either respond to it or they won't.
The real test comes when the games start. Words about owning failure are cheap. Scheme adjustments that actually work? That's when we'll know if McDaniels learned from February's humbling.