A Requiem for a fired coach

One of the first things that I thought about after Josh McDaniels was hired as coach of the Denver Broncos was in regard to his age. Being only a couple years older than myself McDaniels symbolized a coming of age for myself as I was approaching an age where NFL coaches became about my age and younger. Other than that I was hopeful for the future. Mike Shanahan had won two Super Bowls and many games over a more than decade-long career but the team seemed to have stagnated into an also-ran state. It seems that no matter how effective a coach is, there is a shelf life in terms of effectiveness.

Starting 6-0 in McDaniel’s first season I was ecstatic and hopeful for the future. The Broncos proceeded to finish 2-8 and middle of the road again. The problem seemed to be with a defense that had begun the season as a dominant force regressed badly. Still optimistic I thought good things were coming and was pleased with the draft even though the top end concentrated on offense rather than what has seemed to be a perennial need on the defensive line.

This year the Broncos started unevenly as opposed to undefeated like last year and it seemed to be that they were competitive and would at least have the same record as last year if not eek out one or more wins. Today, Denver is 3-9 and in the worst stretch record-wise in forty years. Instead of showing any improvement the team just can’t seem to win. Watching the game this past Sunday I was struck by how little they could do in the red zone. Knowshon Moreno had some fantastic runs with the passing game basically non-existent but once they were in scoring position they could do nothing. It was sad to watch, especially as they had more than a few chances to score a touchdown which would have led to a win.

I wanted Josh McDaniels to be successful as coach of the Denver Broncos for the simple reason that I want the Denver Broncos to be a successful football team. It seems that hiring a coach in the NFL is often a crapshoot and there is never a guarantee but if the right coach is hired a team can get better in a hurry. Josh McDaniels was not a successful football coach and as such is unemployed right now. While some commentary is bitter and wishes our now ex-coach ill will, I refuse. Perhaps McDaniels wasn’t ready to be a head coach in the NFL, perhaps he is meant to be a coordinator or something else. I don’t know and I wish him luck in his future endeavors.

Go Broncos.