The NFL is ’s life. He refused to let it be the death of him.
“You can’t kill yourself over this game,” Broncos cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said Sunday. “You don’t want to die being a coach. You don’t want to die like that.”
Saying goodbye to a job and team he loves was painful, as uncomfortable as the arms crossed across Kubiak’s chest, as if his heart might burst, after the Broncos beat Oakland 24-6. In his heart, however, Kubiak knew he had to say goodbye, because as much as he loves the Broncos, he loves his wife and family more.
The team was never the same from the moment Kubiak was hauled away from the stadium in an ambulance after a loss to Atlanta in October. He suffered a mini-stroke while coach of the Texans in 2013, and the second health scare was too much to bear. He wore the stress in his face, yet refused to quit until this 9-7 season was done.
“In all honesty, I struggled this year,” admitted Kubiak, holding back tears.
apountry, however, should not be ashamed to shed a tear. Watching Kubiak walk away from a team where he has devoted half his 55 years as a quarterback, offensive coordinator or head coach felt like the end of an era.
So raise a glass and toast a magnificent six-season run, a return to glory that began when returned to the franchise in 2011. The Broncos shoved their way past New England and Dallas as America’s team, with as quarterback. It was a celebration as loud as a million Colorado voices cheering when the Broncos returned home with the Vince Lombardi Trophy from 50.
The party, however, never lasts forever. So on the first day of 2017, it felt like road’s end. Before Kubiak walked off the field and disappeared in the tunnel with a humble wave, the crowd chanted his name. All day long, as news of the coach’s imminent departure spread, shock and denial preceded the sadness of Kubiak’s resignation. “I was just in disbelief,” Denver receiver said.
The Broncos need to be reborn. This is more than a re-tooling. This is a franchise in transition, with a transfer of power from longtime owner Pat Bowlen in need of resolution. Itap fair to ask if Elway is committed to working with Mr. B’s heir, because you can bet the Los Angeles Rams are wondering the same thing.
More positive: Hear the heavy sigh from Buffalo to Los Angeles, in every NFL city in need of a coach? Denver is suddenly the best coaching gig available in the league. The Broncos figure to have roughly $40 million in cap space to remake the offensive line, refortify their defensive interior and maybe chase a veteran quarterback.
Kyle Shanahan, son of the mastermind and current offensive coordinator of the high-scoring , represents the juiciest candidate, offering a plot twist thatap positively Shakespearean. He is 37 years old now, but I can still see him as a skinny teenager, standing in the back of a postgame news press conference , a silent apprentice taking notes as his father explained the X’s and O’s of a win or loss.
But is the younger Shanahan the best man for the job or the best fit with Elway? The bond between Elway and Kubiak was forged over a generation, born of falling asleep as Broncos roommates on the road, as black-and-white reruns of “The Andy Griffith Show” flickered on the hotel-room television.
Coaching the Broncos is not kid’s play, as we discovered the hard way with Josh McDaniels. Elway needs to cast a wide net. Explore a trade with the for Sean Payton? Thatap not a bad idea. But I would start with a call to Stanford. David Shaw is the real deal, and he would only consider leaving the Cardinal for an elite NFL team with a championship mindset.
“We’re not that far off,” Harris insisted. “The last time we had a coaching change, it gave us the extra juice and we won the Super Bowl.”
Look out world! The Broncos will be back! But the feisty optimism of Harris does not make it true.
Fresh eyes and honest analysis are welcome on almost every aspect of the team. Is gambling on the health of linebacker really worth the risk? Could Sanders or cornerback have the most value to the Broncos as trade bait? Is quarterback more like Kyle Orton or Jake Plummer? And did rookie learn that talent without focus won’t cut it in the NFL?
Please indulge me one personal observation. I hung out for a day with Kubiak in his modest apartment on the edge of town in 1983, when he was a rookie quarterback and I was a cub reporter. In more 33 years of covering sports in Colorado, Kubiak leading the Broncos to a championship is the best coaching job I have ever covered.
Let the healing for the Broncos begin. First, let us all pray: Get well and stay well, Mr. Kubiak.
