First let me say Happy New Year to everyone and their families. There’s a lot of emotion flying around out there and that’s O.K. because we’re all fans and bleed Broncos Blue and Orange.
I tend to keep things simple in my mind. Pointing fingers has really never been my style. Welcome to the NFL. The cold hard facts are as Mike said. He didn’t win and it’s his job “ultimately” to win. Pat Bowlen in one of the best owners in the league. I can speak personally to that. Why because I’m a lot closer to that aspect than most, unless you played in the NFL.
I have mixed feelings. Why, because I played for Mike and have a lot of respect for what he has done for the organization and I have the same respect for Pat Bowlen. Respect is something that is earned with me. Not a given, because you own the team or you make more money or your a head coach or you have a better job. There’s plenty of those guys out there that I have very little respect for but that’s a different story.
No one is perfect. We can all look in the mirror and see that. Mike didn’t get it done in the last few years and Mr. Bowlen felt he needed a change. He’s the owner and it’s his team, he calls the shots whether you like them or not — his team.
If you listened to the interview it was simple. Two friends going in different directions. The NFL is a tough place for players and coaches. Perform or you won’t be there very long…that simple. That’s not an easy concept to understand if your a paid employee in a corporation. Yes, you can be laid off like anyone else but often it has nothing to do with performance. If you work for yourself you have a better understanding, because everyday when you get out of bed, either you perform or you go out of business.
I’d like to thank Mike for the time he was here and wish him luck. He’s a class guy and always will be in my book, regardless of what some of you think or say in this blog. I’m not calling anyone out because your welcome to your opinion as I am. Sometimes folks get emotional and carried away a little..that’s why we’re all fans..that’s what we do, that’s why it’s fun.
Personally I’d love to see Elway take a operational position in the organization. I think that would be a huge plus. I text him last night when I heard the news. I think he’s ignoring me. 
)
He has the ability and he would bring another level or professionalism to an already highly respected group, from the front office to the back, leaving no one out.
By the way, I’m not sure you all know how well respected the team, organization, and Mr. Bowlen are around the league. FIRST CLASS.
So where do we go from here? Speculation…that should keep us busy for a while. Let’s keep it simple. We have one of the best offenses in the league and with some revamping on Defense the futures so bright you have to wear shades.
Who would you like to see as the next Head Coach?
-Coop
Tags: Denver Broncos, Mike Shanahan, Pat Bowlen
NICE POST COOP!
Mike Shanahan has proven to me he is THE CLASSIEST MAN ON EARTH, and it will be tough to fill those shoe’s.
Personally I think there is only a couple of real choices even though I know Mr. Bowlen will look at all of them out there.
My first choice would be Coach Billick, he runs a control type O and you know he would bring in a good DC!
Best of wishes to Mr. Shanahan and thank you so much.
COOP I didn’t see your choice what gives?
TIME OF POSSESSION ! ! !
GO BRONCOS ! ! !
Jim Johnson- Coop, did you know that 16 different players had a sack for him this year ?
This is not a typo.
If you want aggressive, go to the master.
The Eagles defense knows only one way to play and that is to attack. From 2000-07, Johnson’s units rank tied for first in the NFL with 342 sacks, second in the league in 3rd down efficiency (34.3%) and red zone touchdown percentage (43.0%), and fourth in fewest points allowed (17.6 per game).
In 2001, Johnson’s unit became the fourth team in NFL history to go all 16 games without allowing more than 21 points. Their streak of allowing 21 or fewer in 34 straight games was second longest in NFL history (Minnesota, 1968-71). In 1999, Johnson’s unit forced a NFL-best 46 turnovers, including a team-record 5 interceptions returned for TDs.
As the Eagles defensive chief, Johnson’s defense has produced 24 Pro Bowl selections: Brian Dawkins (6), Troy Vincent (5), Jeremiah Trotter (4), Hugh Douglas (3), Lito Sheppard (2), Trent Cole (1), Michael Lewis (1), Corey Simon (1), and Bobby Taylor (1).
Front Office Choice (Just sayin)
Tom Heckert
General Manager,
One of the league’s top executives, Tom Heckert is in his 8th season in Philadelphia after being promoted to his current role of general manager on January 2, 2006. In this role, he works closely with Andy Reid in all player personnel matters while managing the player personnel department, which includes both college and pro scouting. On May 30, 2008, the team extended his contract through 2011.
“The lifeblood of building a successful NFL team is having a strong player personnel department.
His first draft with the Eagles produced Lito Sheppard, Michael Lewis, Brian Westbrook and Sheldon Brown, the first three earning Pro Bowl selections. In 2004, the Eagles added two-time Pro Bowler in Shawn Andrews and another Pro Bowler Trent Cole in 2005. Prior to the 2004 draft, he also engineered the trade of 3rd-string QB A.J. Feeley to the Dolphins for their 2nd round pick in the 2005 draft, which was used to select WR Reggie Brown.
Heckert has also shown a knack for finding key rookie free agents (S Quintin Mikell, C Jamaal Jackson, DT Sam Rayburn, WR Greg Lewis, and LB Akeem Jordan among others) who not only earned roster spots, but have been solid contributors to the Eagles recent success.
Over his 17-year career in the NFL, Heckert’s teams have experienced just one losing season, won their division eight times and made the playoffs 12 times, including five in Philadelphia.
During Heckert’s tenure in Miami, he worked under two of the most successful head coaches in NFL history – Don Shula and Jimmy Johnson – who both personally recommended Heckert for his current post with the Eagles.
Said Johnson when Heckert was hired, “I told Coach Reid if I were to come back as a head coach, Tom would be one of the first guys I’d try to hire.”
superchop7 nice post Great info.
Thank-you.
I can’t take all the credit, this was a consensus pick from the boys at the bar.
They will be hot as hell if an offensive minded coach gets hired.
If you look at Spags, where did he learn the business ? (Johnson) If you look at Rex Ryan, the guy is a ticking time bomb in the personality department.
The boys want a pedigree and professionalism, not a flash in the pan.
If Shanny was a defensive coach, he’d be Jim Johnson.
The beauty of their choice involves Tom Heckert, these guys work together, having a GM and Head Coach on the same page is paramount to success.
Hey, I think they (boys at bar) are dead on, I couldn’t agree more.
The D on the helmet, has a history.
DEFENSE !!
Personnaly I like Spagnuolo, and I would’nt mind a Offensive Coach if he brought with him a Great DC.
I agree with you on REX, BOOM!
What do you think of Stoops?
And where are the other Fans? isnt this an important enough subject? Are they all still pissed? Let’s get this party started!
I agree. great info superchop. i had no idea about Heckert. I like Spagnola alot and agree on Rex Ryan completely. I like Raheem Morris but is he ready? i’m not so sure. Keep Jim Bates as OC but not head coach. dont think we could pry jim johnson away from the eagles but that would be great. Bob Stoops is one i have no idea on earth about. You just can never tell about those college coaches. How about Pete Carroll? Hes been in the pros twice. i think he’s where he needs to be to succesfully run a pro organization and like coop said this is a top one that could pull him away from USC. We should definately get a GM and a head coach this time tho. no one person to run everything again. Thats why i dont think we should hire Bill Cowher, he wants to run it all. I’m not pissed at all i loved shanahan but it was time to go. without a doubt it was time. well put Mr. Cooper. your whole blog was great especially explaining mikes firing like it is and letting fans who may have forgotten know they have the greatest organization in sports to cheer for. Keep your head up Bronco fans we are gonna be back on top soon.
I would like to see Spagnuolo as Head Coach. The Giants defense continued its dominance even after the retirement of Strahan and the injury to Umenyiora. If Bob Stoops thinks about going to Denver, Oklahoma will probably offer him a huge contract extension. I think that getting Stoops might be too expensive and I don’t know that I would trust a college coach anyways.
Hey Coop, another great blog!
I’d much rather have a coach with our defense at mind. That area and special teams need ALOT of work… mostly defense. If anyone touches what we have on offense I’m gonna be out of this world angry… as if I’m not already. Spagnuolo I think is the best choice so far… still wish there was even a slight chance we could get Cowher.
As for Elway – he would make a GREAT GM. Not much I can say about him other than I would love to see him get involved with this team somehow, someway. He learned most (if not all) of what he knows about football from Shanny and if he took, let’s say the GM spot, we’d still have a bit of Shanahan’s legacy left running this team.
We just need to get our defense straightened out and something needs to be done… its completely out of control right now. And yes monodono, I for one and still p’od BIG time about this decision. I completely understand Bowlen’s motives but I don’t see firing Shanny as the solution. I just can imagine this team being run by someone else as head coach… really really bothers me. Shanahan’s been on this team as long as I’ve been alive… I’ll never admit this was a smart move because it wasn’t. But there’s nothing I can do so I guess I stay completely ticked off for quite some time.
Shanahan is the classiest guy and I’ll always respect him for that and for being so humble about things. He’ll always be the head coach of this team in my book. He set this team up (mostly offensively) for us to go really far in the future and you have to give him the credit for that. Yeah, of course he had people helping him out but he masterminded alot of it. I’m gonna miss you man – I wish you all the best Shanny & God bless.
With faith…
GO BRONCOS in ’09!!!!
Hi Mark,
If Jim Johnson is a defensive co-ordinator, and we want to make him a head coach, nobody can stop us !
This is the brightest move I can think of, He is SMART, he wants to be a head coach, and he is cheaper than his pupil.
GET HIM !!!!
Thanks,
Linda
First I want to say thanks for another great year of blog entries Mark! I enjoy the input you give regarding the team and other things regarding football.
As for the whole coach and general manager situation, I am a bit disgusted at how the fan base has totally jumped on to bandwagons for certain canidates and help spread the rumors regarding them. We have thus far found out that the Stoops mumbo-jumbo was a rumor, and recently there is talk we will try to lure Spagnuolo with Eckert from the Eagles…let alone that the interview this evening between Steve Spagnuolo and Pat Bowlen is strictly informal. We can not hire him, or offer him the position till the Giants have ended their post-season run and Pat Bowlen is smart enough to wait and interview all those he sees as qualified before doing so.
In my honest opinion a defensive minded coach is the worst thing that could happen to the Denver Broncos organization. We are an offensive football team and have been for a long while. With that said I think the top canidates for this team should be Josh McDaniels, Jason Garrett, Jim Fassel, Todd Haley, Pete Carmichael Jr., Brian Shottenheimer and Marty Mornhinweg. After them I would say though older, Kevin Gilbride, Dan Reeves and even Marty Shottenheimer are better choices as the Head Coach then Morris or Spagnuolo.
Kevin Gilbride, Dan Reeves,
Lancane, I agree with you we should hire an Offensive minded Coach, but one that has NFL experience at HC one that would bring in a good DC. Marty Schottenheimer isn’t a horrable choice and Dan Reeves been there done that. One you didn’t mention is Brian Billick all three of these guy’s run a control Offense and I think would bring in a good DC. I hate the idea of brining in Jim Fassel.
To be honest with you I think Mr. Bowlen will probably go with someone younger. an up and comeing Coordinator like Jason Garrett or Steve Spagnuolo but we shall see.
It’s been fun speculating, keep it up! P.S. 07Elway I love your conviction.
TIME OF POSSESSION ! ! !
GO BRONCOS ! ! !
With the personel we have on the offensive side of the ball it would be a huge mistake to bring in a conservative, ball control type of coach like Reeves or Schottenheimer. Shanny was a very aggressive offensive coach and we have the people on offense to continue that. With that in mind I think Garrett is the best choice. Shanny was a young coordinator when Bowlen gave him his chance, I hope he will do the same with Garrett or another young aggressive offensive coach. Then bring in Morris as DC.
monodono, superchop7 & Lancane – great blogs and points. I also agree with monodono about Dan Reeves, been there and done that. Not a guy I really want to see back in Denver. Billick and Marty are very intriguing candidates that hopefully would bring in a good DC. It would be nice to see Elway involved in some type of capacity.
I’m on board with 07elway. I am not happy about Bowlen’s decision to fire Shanny. I think his decision was a bit premature and could have been handled better, but that’s just my opinion. Maybe this is the change the team needed, but only time will tell. I’m still disappointed with the decision, but what’s done is done.
Best of wishes to you and your family Mike. Thank you for all of the great memories. You are a class act and you will be missed.
I’ve never been a huge Peyton Manning fan, but after learning that he called Shanny this past week to talk about what happened, my view of him (Peyton) has completely changed. What if Tony retires and Shanny becomes the coach of the Colts?? Could you imagine how much that would suck???
Coop – Thanks for the blogs and always keeping up updated. Always a pleasure to read what you have to say.
GO BRONCOS!!!!!
I like Josh McDaniels whom we are interviewing today. I think he is the brightest upcoming coach in the league. Look at the job that he did with Matt Cassel… He is an offensive genius! With him and Jeremy Bates running the show on offense, we could be the best and most explosive in the league! Also, I think he knows to have a good DC cause he learned from Belichick. I like Spagunolo too but I don’t want to slow down this offense. We better keep Bobby Turner. He is awesome.
Hey Coop How about your Bud Keith Bishop tough minded guy who would bring a great attitude hard nosed toughness no nonsense approach to the HC possition what do you Think
Now that i think about it, it may have been another step back to get rid of Shannahan…. shoulda just got rid of the defensive coaches
skivit, I don’t think it would be a mistake to bring in a control oriented HC, in fact that’s exactly what I think this TEAM has been missing for the last three years, Control. But I do like Garrett.
C2, carefull with the Genius tag, and I don’t mind Bates sticking around as QB Coach but I don’t want him calling play”s anymore and Bobby Turner is THE MAN at runningbacks Coach.
I just read that Brian Billick and Mike Nolan are shopping themselves around as a tandem! Me likey! Control and D!
TIME OF POSSESSION ! ! !
GO BRONCOS ! ! !
What do you guys think about Mike Nolan as DC?
why not steve spagnola, this guy is D minded which is exactly what we need. and if we could get jim johnson that would just b amazing. we need a defensive minded coach that can take this d to a new level
Well I don’t have a list of guys that I might wanna see as coach but I do have some I don’t want to see. Bob Stoops, Pete Carroll, and any other College coach. I think the college coaches should just stay put in college. Too many have tried 2 make the switch and too many have failed. Now is not the time for us to try and make some college coach look like a NFL Guru or another college coach who failed!
I hope we get a guy that’s gonna provide more overall unity and intensity. I’m not saying that we need a rah rah, or in your face all of the time coach but we do need more intensity. We need it on Offense, Defense, and Special teams as well.
I do agree with that we should keep our QB and RB’s coach! As far as Garrett…. He’s ok and nothing to brag on. I guess I say this bc our Offense ranked higher than his Dallas Offense. So they kind of leads me to say that we don’t need him.
superchop7 & Mondono loved the input and the blogs…I didn’t know much about Johnson or Heckert either…pretty impressive and I’m kinda shocked those names aren’t out there floating around. Very odd.
I like Fassel and Spags but really would love to see Elway in there in an Operations capacity GM whatever.
o-line_fan 67…brings a name out of the past. Love Bish, All-Pro, and he’d make a great O-line coach and to be honest..many of us that played for Gibbs for all those years would too. So, I’ll throw my name at the O-line job….just kidding
)…got you thinking…didn’t I? I’d love to see one of the fellas a our line coach. The new head coach will make that call and it’s somewhat of a good ole boys network in that many already have their favorites.
You know what’s fun, you guys & gals coming up with some of the facts and info you have and making everyone else think about it…great job all year too…by the way. I’ve enjoyed it and learned a lot from you all.
It’s going to get interesting, so stay tuned. A defensive coach may be the answer with all the firepower we have in waiting.
Steve Spagnuolo appears to be the best fit with our defensive shortcomings. His defense did shut down the high powered Patriots in last years Super Bowl. Bowlen alluded to the fact that Denver is very lucrative, and it should be for any potential coach to come in, as we already have a franchise QB in place. From what I’ve read , sounds like Spaguolo has an outstanding resume and is ready to take on the next step.. Heach Coach of an NFL Team.
My vote is going to Steve Spagnuolo our defense could be dangerous with him, we don’t really need Josh McDaniels our QB is already a star.
GO BRONCOS
I’m going to disagree with a couple of you guys about wanting an offensive minded coach. I believe and I was always taught that defense wins games. And I truly believe this.
We already have a young and very good offense I think if we can keep most the offensive coaches this next year we will be just as good or even better if we find a solid running back.
Look at Chicago it’s coach is very defensive minded and took the bears with a horrible QB and below average offense to the superbowl….heck there D almost scored as many points as the O that season. If we can get someone like that, the rest of the NFL better look out for the orange and blue
Spags or Rick Dennison… If you bring in an offensive coach they will want their OC if you bring in a Def guy Bates will probably be allowed to stay there for not setting our offense back by having to learn a new scheme or terminology….
broncofannsd, I think that if Mr. Dungy were to retire Mike Shanahan would fit in perfectly. They run the same O He would have a better QB in that scheme and they dont have much of a D either it’s the perfect parallel move.
COOP ! I say get off your ass and get your aplication in
I agree COOP, Shanahan is a class act guy, and he will be greatly missed. I wish him the best where ever he goes. I am proud as a Broncos fan to see what you wrote about how the whole Bronco organization is looked upon by the league.
Of the candidates that Bowlen is interviewing I like Josh McDaniels as head coach. I like an offense minded coach. He does not have to be a QB coach as well and that way Bates will still be around and can keep working with Jay as well as provide him some stability with the departure of Shanny. Then I would like to see Steve Spagnuolo as DC. I think he could do a lot of good to the D and make it pretty tuff. They need a head coach and DC and I think Bowlen is going to look for both regardless so there is no reason not to go for both. I love some of the ideas all of you have but a lot of them are names that have not even been mentioned as interests of Bowlen, which is to bad. We can only hope for the best and pray the transition does not disrupt the team to much and that whoever it is does not destroy the offense and all its weapons. If they can have a back for more then a few weeks next year they could be scary.
I would like to see a two back set with Hillis and Torain. These two with Jay, B-Marsh, Eddie, Schef, Stoke, and the o-line, they are a sleeping Giant, god be with the rest of the league when they are awoken!!!!
Like many of the Bronco fans I was both surprised and noot surprised at Shanny fining. Like all head coachs, the buck and blame stops with me. The Broncos defense has rapidly degenerated into an embarrassment from the top flight D is was only 5-6 years ago. Shanny has gone through several D coordinators and, it would appear, given them what the wanted as much as he could. The best example being the Cleveland Brownification of the D line not so long ago. It’s been one disaster after another. Defensive coordinators fault or not, Shanny picked them and his choices were horrible. The is a business and as both Bolwen and Shanny said their freindship will last forwver, but is was time to part ways no matter how hard it was on either of them.
Whe Elways name was brought up my first thought was the history of failure to succeed as manager, head coach or whatever by any superstar who’d come back to head up a team. Likewise, at first, the thought of him as GM horrified me. Then I got to thinking about his AFL experience and what all it has taught him. Elway as GM, not a bad choice.
Defensive minded or offensive minded head coach. Which is better. I say defensive minded. Our offense is one of the most potent offenses in the NFL and will continue to be for another 8-12 years with the young talent we have. Any offensive minded coach who comes in will obviously want to put his own identity on to. It’s not logical to “fix” something that isn’t broke.
There are several good defensive coordinators out there who would work well for the Broncos.
Ray Ryan: Young, experienced, has the Raiders defense working very well
Steve Spagnuolo: Excellent coach with years under the wing of one of the best D coordinators. A little older than I’d like though.
Raheem Miler: Young, experienced. The ups and down of the Bucs defense with and without him says a lot.
While my personal choice is Raheem Miller, I’d be delighted to see any of the three I mentioned as head coach.
I think too many people think that our offense is fine the way it is. HELLO we went through eight running backs!!!! We need a feature back. Why? For Feature games. Tatum actually played well against San Diego, but what about those weeks before when we could’ve locked the division. The best back in the league that is fresh and has been a backup his entire career is Correll Buckhalter. We need to get someone who won’t be too expensive and will be an excellent back in our system. Correll Buckhalter along with bringing a veteran middle linebacker that brings a presence like Al Wilson used to. Use our first pick in the draft on the best safety available, and we could turn this thing around. We need more elite talent. What about Albert Haynesworth? He’s a free agent this year. Bring in some guys in positions that are truly our weakness. We need a 1,000 yard rusher, we need better safeties, and we need a better D-Line, we fix all that, we can make it to the Super Bowl. I wish I was managing the team sometimes.
Hey Coop,
Why are you not coaching? you should text Bowlen and and put your bid in.
You might do better than Denwu. HA HA! just kidding but no really why not?
Hey Denwu I think most will agree that we need a feature back but our offense needs little tweaking compared to our defense.
Another guy that comes to my mind that could be a good coach is Ron Rivera, look at what he did this year when the chargers moved him to defensive coordinator half way through the season. This guy has an aggressive style of play and he has learned or coached under guys like Buddy Ryan Jim Johnson and of coarse Lovie Smith. I wouldn’t mind taking him away from the dolts.
Denwu – our 8 backs on IR isn’t the fault of our offense, when we get players back like Hillis & Torain – say hello RUNNING GAME!!! Hillis was awesome in the games he played in this season, he’s got all the potential we need to start up our running game again. He is it, along with Royal and Torain. Those 3 are the ones I see with the most potential to give us back our running game. We are just fine offensively… those RB injuries are a part of life and this game… it just happens. Certain injuries could’ve been prevented but during the game when you’re running or trying to thinking “don’t drop the ball” you don’t have time to think about “I have to make this move or my knee will go out” – things like that. We’ve got plenty of time as Bronco fans to just sit tight and be patient as much as it annoys me we have no choice.
With faith…
GO BRONCOS in ’09!!!!
No on Ron Rivera. Havent seen enough to tell me he would be a good HC. i could be wrong. Marty Schottenheimer would be okay but i wanna superbowl and not just great regular seasons. Billick and Mike Nolan tho is interesting. Billick scares me tho he’s supposed to be an offensive minded coach but was carried through his time in Baltimore by the defense. What does that say about him? I like the idea of a defensive minded coach though. not offensive as much but i would rather have just a great head coach no matter what side of the ball he comes from. Hopefully we get lucky like the eagles did with Andy Reid if we pick someone whos never been a head coach.
Rick Dennison is the best option
I agree with most of your post Coop, but in your own words: “injuries make a good team mediocre” or something to that effect. Shanny took the hit and that is that. Like any good leader he accepted the blame so it wouldn’t fall on others.
With all the different defensive coordinators we have had, I have to look at the personal, not the coaches for lack lustre defensive play. That is at least partly Shanny’s fault and if he was unwilling to do anything to rectify that he deserved to be replaced. I’m sure he would agree.
I will say that I do like the idea of promoting from within for the coach and getting a well rounded GM that can bring in some great players on the defensive side of the ball. Less shake up on the #2 offense in the NFL while helping out the defense any way we can. Go Broncos!
Monodono- I like your B. Billick pick. I also love your feedback in this blog. Coop has the best blog going doesn’t he?
I know alot of the fans are having a hard time with the change and the timing of it ect. I am an executive in an organization that can appreciate how hard it is to make these kind of decisions and how important it is to make them. So I fully support Pat’s call to fire Shanny and I loved Shanny too. I do worry about the haste with which it sounds like the position is going to be filled. Finding the right person is much more important than how quickly.
How exciting is this? I truly hope that we bring in a strong defensive minded coach. Spagnuolo is young, energetic and highly motivated. Great choice, my pick, aside from Cowher. I would love to see the Orange Crush revived and feared in the league.
I think we can all relate to Denwu wanting to “manage the team” ourselves at times. But there is much more involved than swapping out a few poor performers. Getting a great manager like Tom Heckert is key to keeping the talent coming in no matter how poor our drafts picks will become because of our future dominance and multiple championships!!!! Am I right?!!
As the week has gone by i’ve started to get more acustom and use to the fact we are going to have a new coach. The ideas of Sapgnuolo and McDaniels make things seem okay…. But after i watch the interviews of Shanahan and all, im really not okay with this move. We got rid of a great coach and made a big mistake. This better not bite us in the ass next season or Bowlen deserves to take a lot of heat.
The Reason I said Bishop is do to the fact he has been helping coach the broncos in offseason training and some in training camp believe he has coaches collage as well just o-line but has some exp coaching For a d cord I say we get someone like our own rind of fame guy Louie Wright knows how to coach and would challange the d to do things
know this is almost impossible lol but then again Bolen does tend to think outside the box who knows mabey have D Smith as our dbacks coach Meck as lbackers coach dline coach Simon Fletcher 
bring back the 80ies and lets kick arse
hey louisianabroncofan the thing with Rivera is he has already been interviewed or a candidate for a couple HC jobs (i.e. Dallas, Pittsburg, Arizona and SD) He has brought a lot of interest to other teams and it wont be long till he gets his opportunity. He’s been successful everywhere he’s been. and he could bring in very good defensive coaches to turn this D around. He has a better resume than some (not all)of these guys that are being interviewed and with his aggressive 4-3 D will change a lot of things like bring a pass rush.
I think Sapgnuolo would be a good choice here too. Dennison may know the team the best but I don’t think he is the best option. Hiring within is always nice….but I want the best options for us is in winning a championship.
Here’s a question for you guys. I know we are looking at hiring a GM after a coach is found. But wouldn’t it make more since to hire a GM first so he has some input on the hiring process of the coach?
Mark,
Great post. This is my first time posting, but I read your posts all the time. I do have to say I am saddened by the clowns on the Rocky Mountain News who have voiced their displeasure with Pat’s decision and have indicated they will no longer be Bronco fans. In my opinion, they aren’t real fans if they are jumping ship. While I myself somewhat expected it, I was disappointed. I have been a Bronco fan for 24 years (31 years old) and have known only three coaches. It will be sad to see Mike go and will certainly be odd seeing him on the sidelines for another team.
That being said, I am pulling for a defensive minded coach to shore up our defense. In part because our defense was dismal this year, but also because I would like to see some of our current offensive staff stay with the team, specifically Jeremy Bates and Bobby Turner. Cutler seems to be very high on Jeremy Bates, as was Mike. I’d hate to lose a guy that could be our O-Coordinator in a few years. I think he still needs some additional experience as his play calling did become a little suspect and predictable at times. That being said, he did a fantastic job in his first year calling plays. I don’t believe we need as many players on Defense as most people think. We have some good young talent on this team, we just need someone to bring it out of them and motivate them. Guys like Woodyard, Doom, Larsen, and potentially Moss are a good young core of Defensive players that when mixed with Champ and D-Wil should help our new coach and D-Coordinator. We definitely need two safeties, CB, another linebacker and a good DT or two. I’m still disappointed that we traded Foxworth at the beginning of the season and don’t understand Mike’s thinking there. I’m sure there was something behind the scene’s there, but he would have been better than Bly and could have filled in better for Champ when he was out.
As for our coach, I would prefer Steve Spagnuolo over McDaniels from New England. I think Spag has more experience and am not convinced that McDaniels is the brains behind NE’s offense. More and more coordinators have come out of NE the past five years or so and very few have done extremely well. I think this highlights the fact that Bill is the one ultimately running the show in NE. I am glad Stoops pulled his name from consideration. I don’t believe in college coaches making the jump to the NFL. They just haven’t panned out well. The game is just so much different. I am not sold on Jason Garrett as a head coach, although I think he might be good for the offense. While I don’t know too much about Morris from Tampa, I think he might be a bit inexperienced to be a head coach yet. He hasn’t really been a coordinator in the NFL yet. I know he was promoted recently in Tampa, but I believe Kiffin was still the coordinator there until the end of the season. I am surprised that more defensive minded coaches haven’t surfaced yet, but it doesn’t seem like many more names are going to surface. I for one was sort of hoping for Marty Schottenhiemer. He is a great coach who wins everywhere he goes despite not having a great QB. His best QB’s were Drew Breese and Bernie Kosar. While he did have Joe M. in KC, that was in the twilight of his career and just wasn’t the same. He is great with the Defense and would bring some discipline to the team, which is needed with such a young group of guys.
Thanks again Mark for another great season.
Go Broncos in ’09!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Oldsouthstander,
I have to disagree with you. You indicated that we had a top flight Defense 5-6 years ago. While statistically we were up that high several years ago, our defense has been our problem the entire time Mike was our head coach. When we won the superbowls, we had a pretty good front 4, but our secondary was a little suspect. We had good safeties, but our corners were average at best. We were a bend but don’t break defense. After that, our pass defense has been what has kept us from being a great overall team. Good QB’s have picked us apart because we couldn’t put pressure on oposing QB’s and our secondary just couldn’t cover anybody. Until last year, we could at least stop the run. This year and last year, we couldn’t stop anything. Please keep in mind Mike inherited most of those players from Reeves and Wade. However, give Mike credit for bringing in guys like Alfred Williams and Neil Smith, Romo, Mobley (draft) and Commisioner Gordon. Although I don’t think Mike was in his GM position during that time.
Nice blog as always, Cooper, I do like Spagnuolo and while Stoops would be an interesting candidate, I don’t trust college coaches. Why should I? Coaches in BCS conferences don’t know how to compete for real championships because there is no playoff in Division I college football. With that said, let’s leave NFL jobs to real professionals. In college, petulant brats get what they want all the time so we need someone who’s willing to work.
I hear ya Lepsis-Fan78, I really wouldn’t want Elway doing paper work type stuff but if he would get involved someway would be awesome. And as for him working with Jay in any way… I’d love to see him be like a mentor to Cutler. To have someone like Elway, giving you advice on something he knows all too well… what more could Cutler ask for. I don’t know why but I just don’t see Elway as a head coach and for some reason I don’t want him to be… but I can see him as our GM. He knows this business and our organization, I say he fits right in.
And I couldn’t agree more with you BradJamesBroncoFan… the coaching in the NFL should be left to NFL coaches. I wouldn’t trust a college coach.
With faith…
GO BRONCOS in ’09!!!!
HomeTeam007 COOP does do the best Bolg I just wish he would do more of them, like every day. HA! I did see that you werent worried about the haste in which The Broncos took in chooseing the new Coach, I agree but there is a little curve ball in there. if The Broncos choose an offensive Coach they could possablly revamp the whole squad and lagistically that could take months not to mention the physical moveing inn.
What happens if The Broncos choose a Defensive Coach and He want’s to bring in his own Offensive squad? same thing. Then you have the draft and free agent signings ect….. There really isnt as much time as we all think. I want Mr. Bowlen to take his time and make the right decision but there is a whole lot to do and I for one am excited! I too would prefer Coach Cowher to come to Denver, if only it was a perfect world….
ramz2129 I think a GM first does make more sence or there might be conflict. Superchops007 spoke of Heckert and others have mentioned Elway what’s your thoughts? I don’t really have a clue in that area I just want it to work,… easy huh.
07Elway I actually think Elway would be a good Coach, maybe not HC but I think he would do well as a Coach(I just think He does’nt want to He has bigger plan’s)
I would like Spagnuolo for HC
Raheem Morris for DC
And Elway for QB coach
Elway and Jeremy Bates coaching jay would be unbelievable.
GM should be Scott Pioli or Tom Heckert
Pioli knows alot about personnel and so does Heckert
I want Jason Garrett but i doubt were going to get him so i either want Josh McDaniels or Raheem Morris. I don’t want Elway on the staff because then his legend will never die and us broncos fans will never move on.
ok I will get serious now bowlen while looking for a new head coach is going to take his time evaluate all options try and find someone who is like minded with him knows football as well as Shanahan atm the search is for the HC job it seems the coach from oKlahoma has removed his name from consideration some here have mentioned Marty Shot well lets look at it from a fan perspective Shot is a good coach that seems to be able to get his players to a certain level then they cant progress furthur hence loosing in conference title games. Cowher wants to be the Gm along with HC duties which Bowlen most likely agree with after Shanahan. after watching sat and sundays games one person I think would be a deserving hc canadate is the eagles d cordnator his stats are impresive as far as an offincive coach why not interveiw Fassel see what he has to offer along with a few others