Elway taps Joseph to lead Broncos
He lost out to Kubiak in 2015
Two years after being a runner-up in the process of appointing the new Denver Broncos head coach, Vance Joseph received the top job Wednesday.
“It’s official. Excited to announce Vance Joseph as head coach of the Denver Broncos!” Denver general manager John Elway tweeted.
The 44year-old former Colorado quarterback built a reputation as one of the league’s best secondary coaches as he worked his way through the ranks in San Francisco, Houston and Cincinnati. He served as Miami’s defensive coordinator last season and helped the Dolphins end an eight-year playoff drought.
“Becoming head coach of the Denver Broncos is a dream job for many reasons,” Joseph said in a statement. “The Broncos have an unbelievable winning tradition and great fan support.”
Joseph, who will be formally introduced Thursday, impressed Elway in 2015 when Gary Kubiak got the job, and the Broncos even tried to hire him as their defensive coordinator, a move Cincinnati blocked. So, he stayed with the Bengals for another year as secondary coach before joining Miami.
Kubiak, 55, stepped down over health concerns last week, capping a tumultuous season by the Broncos (9-7), who missed the playoffs a year after winning the Super Bowl.
Bills agree to hire McDermott as coach: The Buffalo Bills are putting their faith in Sean McDermott to fix their under-performing defense and restore relevance to a franchise that hasn’t reached the playoffs since the Music City Miracle loss in January 2000.
The Bills announced they agreed to hire the Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator to be their next head coach. The deal was reached shortly after McDermott conducted his second interview in eight days with the team. The 42-year-old has no previous headcoaching experience and spent the past six seasons overseeing the Panthers defense.
McDermott replaces Rex Ryan, who was fired two weeks ago for failing to deliver on his bold promises.
Chargers’ relocation deadline extended: The deadline for the San Diego Chargers to exercise their option to relocate to Los Angeles has been extended for two days.
The original deadline was Jan. 15. Because that is a Sunday and Monday is a federal holiday, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the NFL moved back the deadline to Tuesday.
San Diego would become a tenant in the stadium being built in Inglewood, Calif., for the Rams if the Chargers exercise that option. If not, the Raiders would have the option to join the Rams in the Los Angeles area, but the Raiders have indicated their intention is to seek a move to Las Vegas.
Police chief defends Steelers coach’s arrest: Pittsburgh’s acting police chief is defending an officer who arrested Steelers coach Joey Porter outside a bar Sunday night after the independent Citizens Police Review Board announced it’s investigating.
Review board executive director Elizabeth Pittinger says the “high visibility” of the incident prompted the review, even though the board typically doesn’t investigate unless someone complains about police misconduct. Porter’s attorney says they didn’t file a complaint about the officer’s conduct.
Acting police Chief Scott Schubert says video he’s reviewed of the incident supports Officer Paul Abel’s version of events and justifies the arrest. Abel says Porter grabbed him by the wrist after he went to break up a dispute between Porter and a bouncer, hours after the team’s playoff win over the Miami Dolphins.