ENGLEWOOD, Colo.—The Denver Broncos are mired in mediocrity, their 24-24 record over the last three seasons the very definition of an ordinary NFL team.
They haven’t been to the playoffs since 2005, their longest drought since Ronald Reagan’s first term in the White House. Their defense has never been more dreadful, their high-octane offense implodes way too often from turnovers and their special teams are as shaky as ever.
And yet, Mike Shanahan’s successor will have some enormous shoes to fill.
One of the NFL’s best jobs opened up last week when Pat Bowlen stunned the league by firing Shanahan, who was 146-91 in 14 seasons in Denver, winning two Super Bowl titles in the 1990s but only one playoff game since John Elway’s retirement.
Shanahan’s resume also includes three AFC titles in his seven seasons as an assistant for the Broncos, whom he helped make one of the most successful and highly regarded franchises in American sports.
“He has Hall of Fame credentials and I hope I can replace him with somebody that can be on the same level that Mike was. That’s obviously very hard to do,” said Bowlen, the only owner in league history to fire a coach who’s won back-to-back Lombardi trophies.
Bowlen has interviewed seven candidates to replace Shanahan, whose 14-year tenure was tied with Tennessee’s Jeff Fisher for the longest in the league.
NFL assistants Steve Spagnuolo, Josh McDaniels, Raheem Morris, Rick Dennison, Jason Garrett, Leslie Frazier and Todd Bowles all made their pitches to Bowlen, chief operating officer Joe Ellis and personnel chief Jim Goodman over the last week.
Bowlen is huddling this weekend with his inner circle to decide whether to offer his top choice the job or if he should bring back anyone for a second round of interviews next week.
Shanahan’s replacement not only will inherit high expectations for an immediate turnaround, but he’ll have less power than Shanahan did. Bowlen is going to split up the duties and hire a general manager after he hires a coach.
Bowlen decided not to concentrate so much power after Shanahan was haunted by so many draft and free agent busts while also serving as vice president of football operations with a final say on just about everything.
With less power comes less money, and Bowlen is also on the hook for Shanahan’s $7 million salary in 2009 if, as expected, his former coach sits out the 2009 season before returning to the coaching ranks.
The new hire in Denver will take over a tradition-laden franchise that faces annually exorbitant expectations. It’s also one with a wealth of picks in the upcoming draft to begin fixing myriad problems.
Where to begin?
The Broncos are just one healthy running back away from having the league’s most explosive offense—so long as the new coach can persuade center Casey Wiegmann to put off retirement for another year, thus keeping intact the best pocket of protection in the NFL.
Nobody knows which of the seven tailbacks who ended up on IR last season will be back and ready to carry the load, and maybe a workhorse back can be found in the draft, where the Broncos own the 12th pick.
The new coach must figure out what to do about kicker Matt Prater, whose leg strength and accuracy betrayed him over the second half of the season, making fans and players alike long for Jason Elam.
The defense is simply dreadful and will need the most attention. The Broncos managed a measly 13 takeaways and allowed an NFL-high 448 points.
There will be no honeymoon, no chance to take a step back before moving forward for Bowlen’s choice. Just hit the ground running and fill those big shoes. After all, Miami just went from 1-15 to 11-5 and the AFC East crown, and the cupboard isn’t nearly as bare here.
“We’re not in the playoffs, so we are a long way away,” Bowlen said. “But that could change in a hurry.
“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,” Bowlen said. “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.”
