OPENING KICKOFF
For starters: Perspective on the big news
Tough year for Mike
McCoy. He’s now been fired twice since New Year’s Day.
First, in January after four years as head coach of the (then) San Diego Chargers. Second, on Monday after 10 months as offensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos.
Broncos GM John Elway had made no secret of his impatience and deep disappointment with his team’s embarrassing struggles on offence since Week 3. Denver has lost seven of its last eight games. McCoy paid for it with his job, after being unable to turn either Trevor Siemian or Brock Osweiler into something other than a flailing failure, despite Siemian’s promising play after a 2-0 start. The Broncos named Bill Musgrave as McCoy’s replacement. An NFL offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach since 1997, Musgrave had coached Denver’s QBs since January. This, after Oakland head coach Jack Del Rio surprisingly fired him as his Raiders offensive coordinator at the end of last season. The Oakland attack had been prolific under Musgrave; it’s not now under Todd Downing. The Broncos also announced that Klint Kubiak — oldest son of Gary Kubiak, Denver’s head coach from 2015-16 — replaces Musgrave as QBs coach.
According to the club, first-year head coach Vance
Joseph made these decisions, not Elway, including the “difficult” one to fire McCoy.
“I have a responsibility to do what’s best for our football team,” Joseph said in a statement. “Although this wasn’t an easy decision, we needed to make this change. We have to play a more efficient brand of football offensively as we begin the final stretch of our season.”
In his own statement, McCoy said, in part: “I’m disappointed that things didn’t work out because this is a special organization and a great place to be.”
Siemian seemed far more comfortable last year in the elder Kubiak’s (and offensive coordinator Rick Dennison’s) offensive system, one which emphasizes a lot of nibbling at the short edges, than he ultimately did in McCoy’s more aggressive downfield pass schemes. Osweiler seems ill-fitted for any NFL system.
From Weeks 3-8 Siemian threw eight interceptions against only three TDs. Osweiler, in three starts since Siemian’s benching, also has thrown more interceptions (four) than TDs (three). So, wish Musgrave luck. He’ll need it.
As for McCoy, he’ll surely not be the last offensive coordinator in the league to lose his job before mid January.
Although this wasn’t an easy decision, we needed to make this change. We have to play a more efficient brand of football offensively as we begin the final stretch of our season. Broncos coach Vance Joseph