There’s Now a Clear Frontrunner for the Denver Broncos Head Coaching Job
By Joe Morrone
Dec 21, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Baltimore Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak on the sideline during the second quarter against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
If Gary Kubiak is not the next head coach of the Denver Broncos, it would be a shock to almost everyone at this point. Here’s the latest.
Kubiak agreed to an interview with John Elway and the Broncos, and will do so on Sunday. Most people, including myself, believe that once Kubiak agreed to the interview that the job was his. It’s hard to imagine that Kubiak would say no to his very good friend after saying yes to the interview.
Bottom line, Kubiak is going to be the Broncos next head coach and it could be done by the end of the weekend. He was always Elway’s top choice and as we all know, Elway almost always gets his guy.
The Broncos are interviewing Vance Joseph today but even that points to Kubiak being the guy. Some of you may remember Joseph as a quarterback for the Colorado Buffaloes in the early 90’s, and has worked under Kubiak with the Houston Texans as their secondary coach.
The belief is that Joseph is actually interviewing for the position of defensive coordinator on the Kubiak staff. It’s true that Joseph is unknown among fans in the coaching circles, but he’s a rising star to those in the business.
It has also been reported on Friday morning that Kyle Shanahan has turned down the opportunity to interview for other open offensive coordinator jobs because he will come with Kubiak to Denver.
The Broncos will interview former Buffalo Bills Head Coach, Doug Marrone on Saturday. That appears to be the Broncos covering their bases on the off chance that something goes wrong with Kubiak.
Marrone did a good job with the Bills in his two seasons, leading them to a 9-7 record this season. The Bills featured a great defense and a solid running game. However there are drawbacks with Marrone, starting with the fact that he left the Bills hanging by walking away. Marrone had an opt out provision in his contract after this season and he took it in an effort to land a better job.
Marrone also has a reputation as a guy who is impossible to get along with, and is a bully to everyone in the organization. The Broncos went through that with Josh McDaniels and do not want to go there again.
The Broncos did formally interview Adam Gase on Thursday and my guess is that’s the real backup plan should they need one. Gase also has an interview scheduled with the Atlanta Falcons for their offensive coordinator position which also indicates that he sees the writing on the wall in Denver.
Teryl Austin was scheduled to interview with the Broncos on Friday but he pulled his name out of consideration late on Thursday night. He may have done that once he learned Kubiak’s decision to interview. Austin is still a candidate with the Falcons and may have seen interviewing with the Broncos as a waste of time now.
As you can see, everything points to Kubiak coming home.