It’ll be a happy anniversary for Josh McDaniels.

Next month, the Patriots offensive coordinator will mark the two-year anniversary of his firing by the Broncos. And while it’s not likely he’ll do any celebrating, it’s a reminder that when it comes to resurrecting a coaching career, redemption can come in a relative blink.

Being burned in virtual effigy is a rite of passage for football coaches, but few sparked more vitriol in such a short time than McDaniels when he was the head man in Denver. After a 6-0 start -- capped by a win over the Patriots -- it went south quickly, and he was fired after a year-plus on the job when he went 11-17. In his 28 games as coach of the Broncos, he spawned joshmcdanielssucks.com, firejoshmcdanielsnow.com, the greatest Photoshop job in the history of the NFL and a “Fire Josh McDaniels” Facebook page that even now -- almost two years later -- has 344 likes. (Google “Josh McDaniels sucks,” and you get back 110,000 matches.)

It took 23 months -- and a side stop in St. Louis, where he spent a year as Rams offensive coordinator -- but McDaniels has officially been vindicated. He returned to Foxboro as the offensive coordinator, and through the first 11 games of the 2012 season, McDaniels has quieted the doubters by leading the most prolific offense in the league, one that is at or near the top of the NFL in every major category, including total offense (435.8 yards per game, best in the league), points per game (37, also best in the NFL), passing offense (292.1 yards per game, fourth in the league) and rushing offense (143.7 yards per game, sixth in the league).

The return didn’t start out as scripted -- with McDaniels and Tom Brady reuniting (with familiar faces like Deion Branch and Wes Welker, at least at the start of camp), there was a feeling that the Patriots were getting the band back together. But New England began the season 3-3, a six-game stretch that included a surprising home loss to the Cardinals when the Patriots offense was held to one touchdown. Brady looked uncomfortable at times in an offense that had him under center more often than in year's past. And compounding matters was the curious use of Welker early in the season -- the veteran receiver saw a dip in playing time through the first few games, sparking speculation that he was being phased out of the offense.

But over the last month, New England has broken the 30-point plateau on four straight occasions. The 108 points against the Jets and Colts marked the highest two-game total in team history, surpassing the 101 against the Dolphins and Redskins in October 2007. Because they played Sunday and then Thanksgiving Thursday, they became the first team in NFL history to score 100 or more points in a span of five days. And according to Alex Marvez of Foxsports.com, no team since the 1950 Rams has scored more points in a four-game stretch (190).

And while we all believed that the 2007 New England offense was a once-in-a-generation collection of talent, this year’s group actually is on pace to break the single-season scoring record that was set by that team. The 2007 team scored 589 points, or 36.8 points per game. Through 11 games, the 2012 Patriots are scoring exactly 37 points per game -- a pace to score 592 points this year. 

(For what it’s worth, it’s debatable how likely it is New England can keep up this pace, as the teams left on the schedule -- the Dolphins (twice), Jaguars, Niners and Texans -- yield an average of 20.46 points per game. But when you’re dealing with the Jacksonville defense, anything is possible.)

While most of the offensive options are without peer, the fact that New England could set a scoring mark with its two young tight ends missing a sizable chunk of the season is remarkable. Despite the fact that they went out of their way to pick up free agent wide receiver Brandon Lloyd (and while they fancy themselves a game-plan offense), the Patriots spent the offseason fundamentally gearing the offense to suit the talents of their two otherwordly tight ends. To that end, the fact that Aaron Hernandez has missed six games and Rob Gronkowski could miss as many as five games and they’re still on a record-setting pace heading into the final quarter of the season is impressive. (To this point, last season, Hernandez had played 466 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Through the same stretch of games this year, Hernandez has played 221 snaps.)

It’s easy to say that it’s all Brady, and while the quarterback is at his usually ridiculous level, McDaniels has opened up the offense and utilized other facets that previously went untapped, particularly when it comes to the running game. The Patriots have incorporated Stevan Ridley and the rest of the backs far more regularly than in years past. (Through 11 games this season, New England has run the ball 71 more times than it did in the same stretch last year.) The running backs have been targeted more frequently in the passing game. The reality of the situation is that for the first time in eight seasons, McDaniels has created an offense with true balance: For the first time since 2004, the Patriots could boast of having a running back hit 300 carries and simultaneously average four yards per carry. (For more on Ridley’s season, click here.)

After a bumpy start, Welker should reach 100 catches for the fifth time in seven years. While Lloyd has underwhelmed at times, he’ll still finish with more than 60 receptions. And while it’s more of Dante Scarnecchia’s area of expertise, the offensive line has held up masterfully, particularly over the last five games when the quarterback only has been sacked twice. (Through 11 games, Brady has been sacked 15 times. It’s a pace that would see him finish the year with 21 sacks, his fewest since 2009 when he was sacked 16 times. For what it’s worth, Brady was sacked 21 times in 2007.)

As a result, McDaniels has managed to revitalize his coaching career -- he’s already been mentioned as a possible candidate for likely openings with the Eagles and Browns. And while it appears unlikely he’ll bolt this time around (at least not this year), his success this season is a another reminder that when it comes to finding redemption in the NFL, the journey back to respectability sometimes isn’t as long as you might think.