As the personal coach of the franchise quarterback, Jeremy Bates appreciated the sentiments of Jay Cutler.
Not that Cutler carried much clout with Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, as it turned out, but the gesture was cherished, just the same.
Cutler knows only one way to answer questions: honestly. The Broncos quarterback expressed disappointment upon learning head coach Mike Shanahan was fired Dec. 30 and urged the Broncos to retain Bates, his position coach and play-caller.
“It was nice that Jay said that,” Bates said Tuesday after he was officially hired to join Pete Carroll’s staff as quarterbacks coach and assistant head coach at the University of Southern California. “But at the end of the day, it’s a business. You just have to move on. But I wish Jay all the success in the world. I think the future is very bright for him.”
Six days after Shanahan was fired, Bowlen replaced him with New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Within two days after McDaniels took charge, Bates learned there would be room for only one 32-year-old play-caller on the Broncos’ coaching staff.
“Josh and I coach the same position, and I think we both have the same mind-set as far as controlling the offense,” Bates said. “Josh had to make a decision. He made it, and we both moved on.”
Termination leads to freedom, which brought Bates the opportunity to coach for a national powerhouse known for its explosive offense. Carroll interrupted his recruiting schedule Monday to fly into Centennial Airport, where he met with Bates and offered him the job.
Even if Bates will essentially hold the same responsibilities with USC as he did with the Broncos, people familiar with both teams understand this is more than a lateral move. Given the success of recent top USC offensive assistants, Bates is well positioned to fulfill his desire to be a head coach.
Lane Kiffin went from USC offensive assistant to head coach of the Oakland Raiders and then the University of Tennessee. His successor at USC, Steve Sarkisian, is now head coach at the University of Washington.
Neither coach has yet to celebrate his 35th birthday. Both are leading once-proud football programs.
“There’s no question, my ultimate long-term goal is to become a head coach,” Bates said. “I’ve been around some great head coaches already with Jon Gruden and Mike Shanahan, and I think it’s going to be great to be around Coach Carroll. I’m looking forward to learning how he’s become so successful.”
Until then, Bates is charged with bringing along four USC quarterbacks who will compete to replace Mark Sanchez, who is skipping his senior season to enter the NFL draft.
McDaniels, who has coached Tom Brady, will now oversee Cutler’s development. Bates, who helped take Cutler’s game to the Pro Bowl level in 2008, will coach the likes of Mitch Mustain and Matt Barkley.
“As a pro coach, you love watching how USC plays,” Bates said. “They play pro-style football. It’s a concept offense. It has a lot of similarities to what we did here in Denver. I think I’ll be able to step in and feel comfortable and help out these young quarterbacks.”
Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com
