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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- For the first time in over 14 years, the search for a head coach is on at Dove Valley, and there is a plethora of potential candidates.
President and CEO Pat Bowlen said Tuesday he would like to have his next head coach lined up "quickly," and the Broncos are wasting little time in their efforts to fill the void.
Beginning tomorrow, Broncos brass will dine with current Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and Sunday they'll meet with New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
The Broncos have also confirmed an interview with Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris next Wednesday in Denver, and they plan on interviewing Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett at some point next week.
Offensive Coordinator/Offensive line coach Rick Dennison will be an in-house candidate to be interviewed next Wednesday as well. Dennison has spent the past 14 seasons with Denver and has been the Offensive Coordinator since 2006.
"We are excited and energized to begin our head coaching search," Chief Operating Officer Joe Ellis said. "Although we are still in the early stages of an extremely thorough process, there are a number of qualified individuals whom we are looking forward to speaking with in the coming weeks. We are confident that we will find the right fit for the Denver Broncos."
But one thing is certain -- whoever the Broncos decide on, he will be more than completely qualified for the job.
"I want him to be a 10 in every area," Bowlen said in his press conference Wednesday. "I want somebody to come in here and win a Super Bowl. That is my No. 1 goal. With good coaches and good players, and good personnel, that is what our goal is every year. So I hope I can pick the right coach, personnel people and right players and we can go on and win the next Super Bowl."
THE CANDIDATES
Rick Dennison, Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach, Denver Broncos: Here's the in-house candidate for the Broncos' top job. He completed his 14th year on the Denver Broncos' coaching staff in 2008 and his third as offensive coordinator, a position he was named to before the 2006 season and one that includes the instruction of the club's offensive line. Dennison, 50, spent 11 years working as an assistant for the Broncos, coaching the offensive line from 2001-05, special teams from 1997-00 and serving as an offensive assistant from 1995-96.
Dennison played linebacker for the Broncos from 1982-90, appearing in 128 games (52 starts) and three Super Bowls. In 1989, he received the Ed Block Memorial Courage Award. Dennison ranked second on the team in tackles in 1988 with 133 and led the team with three fumble recoveries for the year. Perhaps the best performance of his career came in a 1987 playoff game against Houston when he registered eight tackles and one quarterback pressure. He also had an excellent season in 1984 when he had 164 stops and a career-high three sacks in his first full season as a starter. Dennison was a free agent acquisition by the Broncos in 1982.
Dennison joined the Broncos after a fine collegiate career at Colorado State University, where he was a second-team Academic All-American as a senior and earned three varsity letters. In 1979, Dennison received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from CSU followed by a master’s degree in the same field from CSU in 1982.
Rick, his wife, Shannon, and sons, Joseph and Steven, along with 4-year-old twin daughters, Abrynn and Allie, and newborn son Trey reside in Centennial, Colo.
The Broncos will meet with Dennison next Wednesday.
Jason Garrett, Offensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach, Dallas Cowboys: He's in just his fourth year as a coach in the NFL, but Garrett has already established himself as one of the top young offensive minds in the league. And as such, it's only appropriate that the Broncos take the time to consider Garrett as a candidate for their next head coach.
He began his coaching career with the Miami Dolphins in 2005 as quarterbacks coach. He spent two seasons there, coaching five different starting quarterbacks in 32 games, before joining the Cowboys before the 2007 season as offensive coordinator. In his first year as OC for the 'Boys, Garrett coached the Dallas offense to a team-record-tying 13-3 season. Under his instruction, the team ranked second in the NFL in total scoring and fourth in total offense.
Seven players from that 2007 offense went to the Pro Bowl, including quarterback Tony Romo, who finished as the NFC's top rated passer with a 97.4 quarterback rating in his first full year as a starter. And were he to join the Broncos as head coach, he'd have another strong-armed young quarterback to work with -- Jay Cutler.
Garrett played quarterback as a key backup for most of his career, playing with the Cowboys, Giants, Dolphins and Buccaneers. Over the course of his 12 seasons as a player, he completed 165-of-294 passes for 2,042 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions in 40 career games.
Garrett, 42, graduated from Princeton University with a degree in history in 1989, and he and his wife Brill live in Dallas.
The Broncos will meet with Garrett at some point next week.
Josh McDaniels, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach, New England Patriots: Like Garrett, McDaniels is another young and highly-touted offensive guru. At 32, he's a full 10 years younger than his counterpart in Dallas, but he has been coaching in the NFL with the Patriots since 2001.
In New England, he began as a personnel assistant. In 2002, he became a coaching assistant for the defensive staff, and in 2003 he gained more responsibilities working with the defensive backs. Once 2004 rolled around, he was promoted to quarterbacks coach, his first official positional responsiblity. From 2004-07, he guided Tom Brady to his four highest quarterback ratings of his career.
And of course in that 2007 season, he coached one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history. With McDaniels' tutelage, the 2007 offense set NFL records for points scored, touchdowns scored and most players scoring a touchdown. Brady set an NFL record 50 passing touchdowns while leading the league in yardage and passer rating.
But perhaps his job in 2008 has been the most impressive. After Brady went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 1, McDaniels turned backup Matt Cassel into an NFL star. Cassel had been a career backup at the University of Southern California and with New England and hadn't started a game since high school, but with McDaniels tutoring him, Cassel led the Patriots to an 11-5 record. The fourth-year quarterback completed 327-of-516 passes for 3,693 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, earning him a quarterback rating of 89.4. As a result, Cassel will be a highly-sought after free agent, should he hit the open market.
McDaniels played quarterback and wide receiver at John Carroll University from 1995-1998. He and his wife Laura have two children.
The Broncos will meet with McDaniels on Sunday.
Raheem Morris, Defensive Backs Coach, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The youth trend continues with Morris, a 32-year-old who has helped guide the Buccaneers to top five total defensive rankings in five of his six years in Tampa. Additionally, the team had the top-ranked pass defense in three of his seasons with the team. And in his first year as a coach, he helped guide the Bucs and their top-ranked defense to a Super Bowl title.
He's in his second stint with the Bucs, having served in three different defensive posts from 2002-05 before serving as defensive coordinator for Kansas State in 2006. He re-joined Tampa Bay's staff in 2007 as defensive backs coach. While at Kansas State, the Bucs' pass defense suffered, falling to 19th in the league. Upon his return, he promptly got them back where they belong as ranked first against the pass en-route to winning the NFC South title.
He coached in the collegiate ranks as a graduate assistant in 1998 for his alma mater of Hofstra University, where he played safety from 1994-97. The Irvington, New Jersey native also coached at Cornell University.
The Broncos will meet with Morris next Wednesday.
Steve Spagnuolo, Defensive Coordinator, New York Giants: Spagnuolo is the most senior of the outside candidates confirmed thus far, having spent 27 years in coaching -- 15 in the NCAA, two in NFL Europe and 10 in the NFL. Before reaching the NFL ranks, he served as a defensive coordinator with Connecticut and Maine. In addition, he served as assistant coach at Massachusetts, Lafayette, Rutgers and Bowling Green.
His work in the NFL began in 1999 with the Philadelphia Eagles. He worked as an assistant for two years under defensive coordinator Jim Johnson before being promoted to defensive backs coach and then linebackers coach. In his first six years with the Eagles, he helped coach their defensive unit to the NFL's top ranking in third-down percentage, second in points allowed, second in sacks and third in red zone defense. And during that time period, Philadelphia played in four consecutive NFC Championships and one Super Bowl.
Most recently, he has been credited with the defensive success of the reigning Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, whom he joined prior to the 2007 season. The Giants ranked seventh in the league in total defense in 2007. In 20 regular season and postseason games, the Giants’ defense held opponents to 17 points or less 12 times. The Giants were 12-0 in those games. They ranked eighth in the NFL in rushing defense and led the NFL with 53 sacks. And it is the defense, led by Spagnuolo, that gets much of the credit for winning Super Bowl XLII.
Last year's success carried over into 2008, as the Giants finished fifth in total defense while becoming the NFC's number one seed for the playoffs.
President and CEO Pat Bowlen said Tuesday he would like to have his next head coach lined up "quickly," and the Broncos are wasting little time in their efforts to fill the void.
Beginning tomorrow, Broncos brass will dine with current Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, and Sunday they'll meet with New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
The Broncos have also confirmed an interview with Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris next Wednesday in Denver, and they plan on interviewing Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett at some point next week.
Offensive Coordinator/Offensive line coach Rick Dennison will be an in-house candidate to be interviewed next Wednesday as well. Dennison has spent the past 14 seasons with Denver and has been the Offensive Coordinator since 2006.
"We are excited and energized to begin our head coaching search," Chief Operating Officer Joe Ellis said. "Although we are still in the early stages of an extremely thorough process, there are a number of qualified individuals whom we are looking forward to speaking with in the coming weeks. We are confident that we will find the right fit for the Denver Broncos."
But one thing is certain -- whoever the Broncos decide on, he will be more than completely qualified for the job.
"I want him to be a 10 in every area," Bowlen said in his press conference Wednesday. "I want somebody to come in here and win a Super Bowl. That is my No. 1 goal. With good coaches and good players, and good personnel, that is what our goal is every year. So I hope I can pick the right coach, personnel people and right players and we can go on and win the next Super Bowl."
THE CANDIDATES
Rick Dennison, Offensive Coordinator/Offensive Line Coach, Denver Broncos: Here's the in-house candidate for the Broncos' top job. He completed his 14th year on the Denver Broncos' coaching staff in 2008 and his third as offensive coordinator, a position he was named to before the 2006 season and one that includes the instruction of the club's offensive line. Dennison, 50, spent 11 years working as an assistant for the Broncos, coaching the offensive line from 2001-05, special teams from 1997-00 and serving as an offensive assistant from 1995-96.
Dennison played linebacker for the Broncos from 1982-90, appearing in 128 games (52 starts) and three Super Bowls. In 1989, he received the Ed Block Memorial Courage Award. Dennison ranked second on the team in tackles in 1988 with 133 and led the team with three fumble recoveries for the year. Perhaps the best performance of his career came in a 1987 playoff game against Houston when he registered eight tackles and one quarterback pressure. He also had an excellent season in 1984 when he had 164 stops and a career-high three sacks in his first full season as a starter. Dennison was a free agent acquisition by the Broncos in 1982.
Dennison joined the Broncos after a fine collegiate career at Colorado State University, where he was a second-team Academic All-American as a senior and earned three varsity letters. In 1979, Dennison received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from CSU followed by a master’s degree in the same field from CSU in 1982.
Rick, his wife, Shannon, and sons, Joseph and Steven, along with 4-year-old twin daughters, Abrynn and Allie, and newborn son Trey reside in Centennial, Colo.
The Broncos will meet with Dennison next Wednesday.
Jason Garrett, Offensive Coordinator/Assistant Head Coach, Dallas Cowboys: He's in just his fourth year as a coach in the NFL, but Garrett has already established himself as one of the top young offensive minds in the league. And as such, it's only appropriate that the Broncos take the time to consider Garrett as a candidate for their next head coach.
He began his coaching career with the Miami Dolphins in 2005 as quarterbacks coach. He spent two seasons there, coaching five different starting quarterbacks in 32 games, before joining the Cowboys before the 2007 season as offensive coordinator. In his first year as OC for the 'Boys, Garrett coached the Dallas offense to a team-record-tying 13-3 season. Under his instruction, the team ranked second in the NFL in total scoring and fourth in total offense.
Seven players from that 2007 offense went to the Pro Bowl, including quarterback Tony Romo, who finished as the NFC's top rated passer with a 97.4 quarterback rating in his first full year as a starter. And were he to join the Broncos as head coach, he'd have another strong-armed young quarterback to work with -- Jay Cutler.
Garrett played quarterback as a key backup for most of his career, playing with the Cowboys, Giants, Dolphins and Buccaneers. Over the course of his 12 seasons as a player, he completed 165-of-294 passes for 2,042 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions in 40 career games.
Garrett, 42, graduated from Princeton University with a degree in history in 1989, and he and his wife Brill live in Dallas.
The Broncos will meet with Garrett at some point next week.
Josh McDaniels, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach, New England Patriots: Like Garrett, McDaniels is another young and highly-touted offensive guru. At 32, he's a full 10 years younger than his counterpart in Dallas, but he has been coaching in the NFL with the Patriots since 2001.
In New England, he began as a personnel assistant. In 2002, he became a coaching assistant for the defensive staff, and in 2003 he gained more responsibilities working with the defensive backs. Once 2004 rolled around, he was promoted to quarterbacks coach, his first official positional responsiblity. From 2004-07, he guided Tom Brady to his four highest quarterback ratings of his career.
And of course in that 2007 season, he coached one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history. With McDaniels' tutelage, the 2007 offense set NFL records for points scored, touchdowns scored and most players scoring a touchdown. Brady set an NFL record 50 passing touchdowns while leading the league in yardage and passer rating.
But perhaps his job in 2008 has been the most impressive. After Brady went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 1, McDaniels turned backup Matt Cassel into an NFL star. Cassel had been a career backup at the University of Southern California and with New England and hadn't started a game since high school, but with McDaniels tutoring him, Cassel led the Patriots to an 11-5 record. The fourth-year quarterback completed 327-of-516 passes for 3,693 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, earning him a quarterback rating of 89.4. As a result, Cassel will be a highly-sought after free agent, should he hit the open market.
McDaniels played quarterback and wide receiver at John Carroll University from 1995-1998. He and his wife Laura have two children.
The Broncos will meet with McDaniels on Sunday.
Raheem Morris, Defensive Backs Coach, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: The youth trend continues with Morris, a 32-year-old who has helped guide the Buccaneers to top five total defensive rankings in five of his six years in Tampa. Additionally, the team had the top-ranked pass defense in three of his seasons with the team. And in his first year as a coach, he helped guide the Bucs and their top-ranked defense to a Super Bowl title.
He's in his second stint with the Bucs, having served in three different defensive posts from 2002-05 before serving as defensive coordinator for Kansas State in 2006. He re-joined Tampa Bay's staff in 2007 as defensive backs coach. While at Kansas State, the Bucs' pass defense suffered, falling to 19th in the league. Upon his return, he promptly got them back where they belong as ranked first against the pass en-route to winning the NFC South title.
He coached in the collegiate ranks as a graduate assistant in 1998 for his alma mater of Hofstra University, where he played safety from 1994-97. The Irvington, New Jersey native also coached at Cornell University.
The Broncos will meet with Morris next Wednesday.
Steve Spagnuolo, Defensive Coordinator, New York Giants: Spagnuolo is the most senior of the outside candidates confirmed thus far, having spent 27 years in coaching -- 15 in the NCAA, two in NFL Europe and 10 in the NFL. Before reaching the NFL ranks, he served as a defensive coordinator with Connecticut and Maine. In addition, he served as assistant coach at Massachusetts, Lafayette, Rutgers and Bowling Green.
His work in the NFL began in 1999 with the Philadelphia Eagles. He worked as an assistant for two years under defensive coordinator Jim Johnson before being promoted to defensive backs coach and then linebackers coach. In his first six years with the Eagles, he helped coach their defensive unit to the NFL's top ranking in third-down percentage, second in points allowed, second in sacks and third in red zone defense. And during that time period, Philadelphia played in four consecutive NFC Championships and one Super Bowl.
Most recently, he has been credited with the defensive success of the reigning Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, whom he joined prior to the 2007 season. The Giants ranked seventh in the league in total defense in 2007. In 20 regular season and postseason games, the Giants’ defense held opponents to 17 points or less 12 times. The Giants were 12-0 in those games. They ranked eighth in the NFL in rushing defense and led the NFL with 53 sacks. And it is the defense, led by Spagnuolo, that gets much of the credit for winning Super Bowl XLII.
Last year's success carried over into 2008, as the Giants finished fifth in total defense while becoming the NFC's number one seed for the playoffs.
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