Oct 20, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak talks to head linesman Mark Hittner (28) against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 17-16. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports
The Denver Broncos officially announced the hiring ofGary Kubiakas the teams 15thHead Coach on Monday. Kubiak will be introduced at a press conference on Tuesday at noon. The press conference can be seen onwww.denverbroncos.comand most likely on NFL Network.
Now that it’s official, let’s take a look at what Kubiak brings to the Broncos and how he will make them better.
The running game:The Broncos will be able to run the football next season and not just because they feel like they have to. Kubiak’s offenses have always ran the football extremely well and everything he does in the running game is designed to set up something else. The play action will be a bigger part of the Broncos offense next season and the quarterback, whoever it is, will be better protected thanPeyton Manningwas last season. Here’s a tip if you play fantasy football, draftCJ Anderson.He is perfect for Kubiak’s system and is in line for a big season in 2015.
Zone blocking returns:Part of the reason that Kubiak’s offenses run the ball so well is because of zone blocking. In its simplest form, zone blocking is defined as an offensive lineman being assigned an area and he is to block anyone in that area. The running back then reads the blocks and hits the hole wherever it is. It takes a running back who can read things quickly, put one foot in the ground and get up field. That describes Anderson to the letter.
As for the current offensive lineman on the roster, they should all be able to convert to this system easily. The only one that will have issues and will probably be gone is,Manny Ramirez.With Kubiak in the fold, the Broncos need to make every effort to re-signOrlando Franklin.Franklin is perfectly suited for zone blocking and would excel in this offense. It will be interesting to see who Kubiak brings in as the offensive line coach.
A winning history:Kubiak’s record as head coach with the Houston Texans is a little misleading. If you take away his first season when he inherited a 2-14 team and led them to a 6-10 mark, and his last season where everything went wrong in a 2-14 disaster then he was 11 games over .500. Kubiak led the Texans to their only two playoff appearances and went 2-2 in the postseason.
As an assistant coach, Kubiak has won three Super Bowls and was an integral part of the Broncos back-to-back championships. At the time, everyone gave credit toMike Shanahanfor the Broncos offense in those days and he deserves his fair share. However after Kubiak left for the Texans, the offense was never the same.
Quarterback guru:In the season before Kubiak left for the Texans,Jake Plummerenjoyed his greatest season as a pro. The next season without Kubiak, Plummer regressed and was eventually benched in favor ofJay Cutler.Kubiak has won with quarterbacks likeMatt Schauband almost won a road playoff game withTJ Yates.Baltimore Ravens quarterback,Joe Flaccoalso had one of his better seasons under Kubiak and looked like a much more confident player.
If Manning returns and I believe he will, Kubiak will tailor his offense to what Manning does well and the Broncos will feature balance. When Manning does retire, Kubiak is the perfect coach to developBrock Osweiler.It may not seem like it because the sample size is so small but Osweiler has the perfect skill set for a Kubiak offense. Kubiak was hired for a lot of reasons but his ability to develop Osweiler was very high on that list.
Leader and motivator:Don’t let the calm demeanor fool you, Kubiak is as intense as they come. He’s not going to wave and scream on the sidelines but his former players will tell you that no one is more competitive than Kubiak.Joel Dreessensaid last week that he would “take a bullet” for the guy and that his Saturday night speeches had his “arm hair standing up.”
Some of you remember the story ofJohn Elwayselling his pool table after someone finally beat him on it. The person who beat him, Gary Kubiak.
When Elway started the search for his next head coach, he wanted someone who is competitive, like-minded and burns to win. Kubiak fits all of those traits and now the two of them will team up to hopefully bring the Broncos another World Championship!
Welcome home, Gary!
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