Denver Broncos wants to find a ‘leader’ among the top nine coach candidates

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. – The Denver Broncos will open the 2022 NFL season with their fourth different head coach in a span of seven years, so it’s not like they haven’t done all this searching for a new leader before. .

But this is the first search conducted by general manager George Paton. And whether you’re looking for run-down, sloppy enthusiasm or quarterback guru or CEO or all of the above remains to be seen. The only word he used over and over again this week was “leader,” and the Broncos had requested to interview nine candidates on seven teams by the time the sun rose Tuesday morning.

“The number one quality is leadership,” Paton said earlier this week. “We are looking for someone to lead this entire organization, lead this community and lead our players. That is trait number 1 we are looking for. Obviously we want the best soccer coach. I’m not worried about which side of the ball, and I’m not worried about a play. We want leadership. That is our number one priority.

The Broncos formally requested to interview New England Patriots linebackers coach Jerod Mayo, Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy; Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, and Los Angeles’ quarterback coach / passing game coordinator. Packers, Luke Getsy.

Many in the league believe the Broncos will also interview Doug Pederson, who won a Super Bowl as the Eagles’ head coach, in the coming weeks. But Pederson is not currently with a team, he is expected to interview the Chicago Bears, so the Broncos can interview him at any time.

Of the group they asked permission to speak to, Quinn is the only former NFL head coach (43-42 in five seasons with the Atlanta Falcons), while Moore is the only full-time player on the offensive side of the ball. . – Packers coach Matt LaFleur allows Hackett and Getsy to call plays during preseason games. Quinn, Glenn and Gannon are currently defensive plays.

All five assistant coaches on the offensive side of the ball are working on a version of the West Coast offense, including three of the candidates in the Packers and Rams versions, who have direct ties to former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan. Rams coach Sean McVay and LaFleur were on Shanahan’s coaching staff in Washington and they use a good chunk of Shanahan’s playbook in what they do.

The Broncos’ last victory in the Super Bowl, to close out the 2015 season, was under the direction of Shanahan’s veteran assistant Gary Kubiak. It was also the team’s last appearance in the playoffs, and the Broncos haven’t had a winning season since Kubiak’s team in 2016 finished 9-7.

Pederson had also handled a version of the offense during his time as playmaker and head coach.

Paton appears to have made a conscious decision among nine requests to walk away from 63-year-old Vic Fangio, who was fired Sunday after the Broncos’ fifth straight losing season. Bieniemy is the oldest, at 52, of the nine assistants the Broncos asked to interview, with Quinn at 51 and Glenn at 49.

And no matter who Paton finally chooses when all is said and done, a plan to repair the Broncos’ clumsy offense certainly is at the top of the list. The Broncos haven’t averaged more than 23 points per game since 2014 and haven’t averaged more than 21 points per game since 2015, with three seasons (2021, 2019 and 2017) in which they averaged fewer than 20 points per game.

“The offense: we need to improve the offense, we know that,” said Paton. Whoever we talk to will have to have a plan for our offense. If you are a defensive-minded coach, you will need to talk about your plan – your offensive coordinator and coaching staff and what your vision is with our staff. All that it implies. Offense is obviously a priority, but we don’t want to take a step back on defense. We also need to raise the special teams. We need someone to take care of everything. operation and not just be focused on one side of the ball, although we really need to improve that side of the ball.

Paton has worked with several of the candidates before, including Quinn with the Miami Dolphins and Gannon with the Minnesota Vikings.

Broncos CEO Joe Ellis used the words “energize” and “inspire,” so it’s clear the team wants more than just a soccer coach who dives into the X’s and O’s. It wants a tactician who can look good and be excited about the job with more than a few wins.

“I think from my point of view and from George’s point of view, we will need an inspiring leader,” Ellis said. “I think our fans are looking for that, and I think everyone can feed off of that. George spoke about someone who has a high level of football sophistication along with leadership, and I think that together these two components will inspire people and we should improve.

Of the five previous head coaches since Shanahan was fired after the 2008 season, only Kubiak and John Fox had head coaching experience. Josh McDaniels, Vance Joseph and Fangio were head coaches for the first time, at any level, and none of the three lasted more than three seasons, as McDaniels didn’t even last two.

Mayo, an eight-year veteran as a player, is the newest coach in the group. He has been on the Patriots staff for the past three years after working in finance for a healthcare company after his playing career ended.

Glenn, Bieniemy, O’Connell and Moore all played in the league before beginning their coaching careers. Glenn played 15 seasons and was a three-time Pro Bowl selection, while Bieniemy had a nine-year playing career with three teams.

“We are looking for a leader,” said Paton. “Vic was a very good leader, but we are looking for someone to lead the whole operation. Vic was a great coach and I loved working with him. I loved what he did on the defensive side of the ball. Vic did a lot for this organization. We don’t want to take a step back in defense, but we want to improve the other phases of the ball. I can’t say enough about “leadership.” We are just looking for the right leader for this. organization.”