Head coaching candidates thread

[germ-x]

Ryans has been my favorite candidate of this process.  Thought he’d be a long shot considering the failures of the last 3 rookie HCs.

I like the fact that experience wasn’t the #1 quality for the search team.  Ryans could definitely fail, but I think he’s the one with the highest upside and could down the road enter into the category of being one of the best coaches in the league.

I think Harbaugh, Payton, and Quinn would’ve been short term hires trying to maximize the Wilson years, which can make sense and could be great moves.

I still like banking on the upside of a long term HC over that approach, even if it could’ve been successful short term.

[Broncofan]

1 hour ago, Zukhyubern said:

How do we feel about Jim Caldwell?

As an OC, maybe.  
 

As a HC, I’m in the no camp.   He’s not enough of a X and O guy to bank on fixing Russ - and his personality isn’t to demand accountability.   He’s just kinda there.     That’s not what we need both with Russ accountability wise and long term.    He also offers very little ceiling as he is what he is at this stage of his career.  

[BroncoBruin]

I think Caldwell is a damn good football coach and can probably put together a hell of a staff. I’d feel good about it.

[AKRNA]

36 minutes ago, BroncoBruin said:

I think Caldwell is a damn good football coach and can probably put together a hell of a staff. I’d feel good about it.

Are we talking about the same Jim Caldwell that retired a few years ago?

[Broncofan]

9 minutes ago, AKRNA said:

Are we talking about the same Jim Caldwell that retired a few years ago?

Well not quite retired.   But yes this one. I did enjoy the memes (and on a serious note he’s been competent as an OC, if somewhat vanilla outside of his time with PFM - which is hard to gauge how much was Peyton).  
 

[BroncoBruin]

It was Rosburg who recommended Caldwell as a candidate. Caldwell has connections to a lot of successful NFL coaches. It’s a short term solution but you could do a lot worse than Caldwell. 

[AKRNA]

29 minutes ago, Broncofan said:

Well not quite retired.   But yes this one. I did enjoy the memes (and on a serious note he’s been competent as an OC, if somewhat vanilla outside of his time with PFM - which is hard to gauge how much was Peyton).  
 

According to PFR he hasn't worked since 2019. Why would we bring in a 68 yo guy to be our HC?

It's one thing to elevate Rosburg, similar age, to HC for a couple of seasons to stabilize our staff. He's already here, shown he can do the job, gets along with and seems to have the respect of the team, staff and FO.

Quite another to bring in an outsider.

[jolly red giant]

Well -

Harbaugh - out

Quinn - out

Payton - looks like a non-runner

So it looks like we are going with another young hot coordinator prospect (a guy with one year of coordinator experience - and a total of three years coaching experience in total - all with the same team). 

I suppose that if you keep appointing coordinators with zero HC experience than you will eventually hit on one that will work (a bit like drafting QBs)

Here is hoping the Texans don't jump ahead of the Broncos - and the team is left floundering looking for someone for next season.

[jsthomp2007]

16 minutes ago, jolly red giant said:

Well -

Harbaugh - out

Quinn - out

Payton - looks like a non-runner

So it looks like we are going with another young hot coordinator prospect (a guy with one year of coordinator experience - and a total of three years coaching experience in total - all with the same team). 

I suppose that if you keep appointing coordinators with zero HC experience than you will eventually hit on one that will work (a bit like drafting QBs)

Here is hoping the Texans don't jump ahead of the Broncos - and the team is left floundering looking for someone for next season.

I think I am okay with Ryans as a first timer, because he seems a bit different to me. Plus, if he can glean some of that 49ers system and bring it over to Denver, while keeping Evero intact so Ryans only has to lead..I am good.  But I would want a well known OC to couple with Ryans.  I don't want a staff of rookie HCs, and bringing in Roseburg a STC doesn't count.  I'd hope Ryans would hire an OC who could run a Shanahan style offense.  

[jsthomp2007]

I would love Demeco Ryans as the HC, so long as you pair him with a veteran OC, who may have had some HC experience, preferably a coordinator who can run a Shanahan-type offense.  I am also okay with this hire, too, if they can pay Evero like the Jones' pay Dan Quinn to stay as the DC so Ryans can focus on HC duties.  And then, I'd bring back, let's say Munchak OL coach (who has some HC coaching experience), and then Roseburg as the STC with the asst. HC title.  

[jolly red giant]

32 minutes ago, jsthomp2007 said:

I think I am okay with Ryans as a first timer, because he seems a bit different to me. Plus, if he can glean some of that 49ers system and bring it over to Denver, while keeping Evero intact so Ryans only has to lead..I am good.  But I would want a well known OC to couple with Ryans.  I don't want a staff of rookie HCs, and bringing in Roseburg a STC doesn't count.  I'd hope Ryans would hire an OC who could run a Shanahan style offense.  

Ryans doesn't appear to have any of the baggage and incompetence of Joseph, doesn't have the outdated approach of Fangio and does appear a far more serious individual than the inept Hackett.

But he is still nothing more than a hot coordinator prospect with very limited coaching experience.

Furthermore, we need an OC who can utilise and adapt to Wilson's skillset to see if he can be 'fixed'

If it is Ryans then I will be my usual optimist self until he proves otherwise. The problem is that if Ryans is a failure - it will be a massive failure. He may have a far higher ceiling than the likes of Quinn or Morris - but the floor is way lower and if he turns out to be useless then it could set the team back a decade or more (we become the Lions or the Browns of the last 2-3 decade)

[jolly red giant]

5 minutes ago, jsthomp2007 said:

I would love Demeco Ryans as the HC, so long as you pair him with a veteran OC, who may have had some HC experience, preferably a coordinator who can run a Shanahan-type offense.  I am also okay with this hire, too, if they can pay Evero like the Jones' pay Dan Quinn to stay as the DC so Ryans can focus on HC duties.  And then, I'd bring back, let's say Munchak OL coach (who has some HC coaching experience), and then Roseburg as the STC with the asst. HC title.  

I can't see young Ryans handing control of the defence to a young Evero - coaches have too big an ego

[BroncoinGermany]

1 hour ago, jolly red giant said:

I can't see young Ryans handing control of the defence to a young Evero - coaches have too big an ego

Interestingly enough, this is the exact opposite of what I would expect from Ryans, given how I have come to think of him based on his demeanor, comments, "feel" from interviews, and articles on him.

He does come across as someone who is able to delegate.

If he were to become our HC, I would hope for and in fact suspect Evero to remain in charge of the defense so as long as he is not hired elsewhere.

Ryans intellectually surely must acknowledge the excellent job Evers did this season and dispositionally does seem as someone self-aware enough to not risk his own success in his first year as a HC when he has - at least on defense - a structure in place that has proven to be successful.

You do not become a captain from your early 20s onwards if you consider the success of people around you to be a loss for yourself.

[broncos67]

2 hours ago, jolly red giant said:

I can't see young Ryans handing control of the defence to a young Evero - coaches have too big an ego

I actually disagree quite a bit here. Ryans will likely want to run a 4-3. We don't have the personnel for a 4-3. In that case, I'd keep Evero, run the 3-4, and then if Evero lands a HC fgig, you get 2 3rd rounders for him and can phase into the D you want.

[Broncofan]

If Ryans is coming in as a 1st-time HC, he would be nuts to try and pull double duty as de facto DC.

There's only been 1 successful year 1 1st time HC in recent memory - Sean McVay.   And he's known to have a ridiculously photographic memory (he can recall plays from 7 years prior on direct questioning).     So that's the exception that proves the rule.

The most successful 1st time HC this year shows the model - Brian Daboll hired Mike Kafka to run the O, down to the play-calling.   Daboll definitely had final say and was involved in pre-game prep, but he was great on gameday because he could let someone else be the details / hard prep guy.    That's what Ryans should be looking for in his DC hire, not a puppet that really is a #2 on D. 

With that said, I'd be hopeful Evero would stay if he doesn't get a HC gig this year.  He's certainly hot enough that another year of success, and he'd be at the top of the list (along with CIN coordinators).    Win-win for all concerned with 2024 departure and us scooping up the picks, obv - but it makes a ton of sense for Ryan to have even more expert help in year 1.   If he can bring in more junior guys to learn under him & Evero for 2023, then they're ready to step in for 2024 as DC (and he can help more in year 2, as well).    So, fingers crossed if it's Ryans, that Evero and he see the fit - it really makes a ton of sense, esp with the real possibility Evero leaves after 2023 - by then, having more junior guys move up is easier to make work in Year 2 as a HC.

Edited January 27, 2023 by Broncofan