by Tyler Fransen
Broncos fans, like myself, are two things: spoiled and reactionary. Spoiled because we’ve enjoyed tremendous success in the NFL, and reactionary because, well, we’ve enjoyed tremendous success in the NFL. Peyton Manning shattered every quarterback record in the book in 2013, and Denver’s defense shattered every quarterback in 2015. Five consecutive division titles, two conference championships and a Super Bowl ring have made Denver one of the best in the league in the last seven years.
Not only has this team been good on the field, but they’ve also enjoyed the relatively positive media coverage, and were never rocked hard by scandal (cough cough Deflategate, cough cough Ray Rice). Peyton Manning was “the sheriff” riding off into the sunset, Demaryius Thomas overcame family struggles, the defense was the “No-Fly Zone,” and before Peyton Manning, there was, “Tebow Time.”
Not only has Denver been able to win, but they’ve also been able to capture the hearts of Americans, which brings me to point number two: Denver fans are reactionary.
Remember way back when Peyton Manning was coming to Denver, and Tim Tebow was going out? There were a lot of passionate Broncos fans, myself included, that asked, “why do we need Peyton Manning when we have Tim Tebow?” Now, hindsight tells me that I’m a moron. In the interest of complete fairness, this was the Peyton Manning that hadn’t played in over a year, had multiple neck surgeries and didn’t seem like he was ever going to be his usual self. Again, hindsight tells me I’m a moron.
So when it comes to Vance Joseph and his recent hiring as the Broncos head coach, I feel it’s important to calm the flames of a reactive Broncos Country because I’ve been there, and trust me it’ll be okay.
Broncos fans have always been vocal when it comes to head coaches. When Mike Shanahan was fired, I can distinctly remember thinking that Pat Bowlen had made one of the worst decisions as owner of the team. Turns out his worst, though in some ways the best decision came when he chose Shanahan’s successor, Josh McDaniels. McDaniels will forever be regarded as a total failure in Denver, but had it not been for his complete destruction of the team, Bowlen never would have needed John Elway to become General Manager, and we would not enjoy the riches we have today.
The same can be said of Shanahan’s firing in the first place because without it the team would have remained a sub-.500 team with great potential, but ultimately stagnated. If there is one thing Elway and the Broncos hate its stagnation.
Which is why we need to give Vance Joseph a chance when it comes to being the Broncos head coach. Elway hired John Fox to be the change that Denver needed, and it brought on four division titles and a trip to the Super Bowl. However, when Fox couldn’t get the job done in the Super Bowl and when the team failed to get back the following year Fox was fired, and in his place went Gary Kubiak, and the rest is history.
We know that Elway will simply not let Vance Joseph get away with another subpar season, especially after this year with a 9-7 record, no playoffs and a mediocre offense. Joseph is making sure that not only will he be a good coach, but that he brings on the talent around him. Mike McCoy will come back to Denver to be the offensive coordinator, Joe Woods has been promoted to defensive coordinator, Jeff Davidson was brought on for offensive line coach, and Bill Musgrave will be the quarterback’s coach.
The problem that many coaches face when they’re brand new to head coaching is being both the offensive coordinator and the head coach simultaneously. Mike McCoy had that exact problem when he was coaching the Chargers because managing the play calling and being head coach stretched him thin. Kubiak had the same problem because even though the team was winning the stress of being the coach and play caller was taking a toll on his health. If the Broncos had gone with Kyle Shanahan, it would have been the exact same scenario with Shanahan calling the plays and being the head coach at the same time.
With Joseph, he can give the defense to his coordinator Joe Woods, who created the “No-Fly Zone” as the Broncos secondary coach, and he can give the offense to Mike McCoy who at one point made Tim Tebow look competent in the fourth quarter, and made a formerly broken down Peyton Manning into the greatest statistical quarterback of all time.
Vance Joseph also brings with him the title of being the first full-time African-American head coach of the Denver Broncos. This is historic for not only the Broncos but for the league as Joseph joins the company of only a handful of African-American head coaches, including Mike Tomlin, Jim Caldwell, Marvin Lewis, Todd Bowles, Hue Jackson and most recently Anthony Lynn. This is not including the list of former head coaches who enjoyed plenty of success in the league including Tony Dungy, Lovie Smith, Dennis Green and others.
This Broncos team is comprised of players from all backgrounds, and Joseph brings with him an understanding of many of those players’ experiences which can only be a positive. I will never complain about a head coach being a positive role model and a leader in the locker room. Especially when he’s a young, passionate guy with a super powered defense, and talented coaches around him to give him the best chance to win.
So please Denver fans, I know that it would have been nice to bring on Kyle Shanahan and keep up the legacy of the Shanahan name, but at the end of the day, we need to give Vance Joseph a chance. He’s a charismatic leader. He has plenty of talented players and coaches around him. He has passion and an understanding that this will be a job in which he cannot disappoint. If John Elway gave him a chance, I only think it’s fair that the rest of Broncos Country give Vance a chance.
