Evans: The last stand for Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph
Oct 16, 2018, 11:54 AM | Updated: 1:54 pm
» Here it is, the first checkpoint along the way for when it would make sense to fire Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph.
The Thursday Night Football game gives the Broncos a mini-bye to make changes before heading to Kansas City.
John Elway laid it out pretty clearly when he said everyone was “fighting for their lives.” Let’s boil that down, shall we? What he was saying is this is Joseph fighting for his coaching life.
» It’s really kind of silly that we’re even in this situation.
If you’re Elway and you’re willing to pink slip Joseph only seven games into the season, then why the heck did you bring him back in the first place, especially when he admitted he had to sleep on it before deciding to keep VJ?
If this is what your gut was telling you then, and all that has happened this season only reinforces it, then why not do the deed last season?
» What makes even less sense is Elway went through this once before.
His gut told him to can John Fox after the Super Bowl loss to Seattle. Instead, he kept Fox, basically leading to a lost season ending with Fox and his coaching staff looking for jobs while they were supposedly preparing for a playoff game.
By dragging his feet on VJ, he’s created the likelihood of another wasted year.
» I’m not a fan of firing coaches just for change sake.
I believe it needs to happen if it has become clear the players are quitting on the coach. But is that the case with these Broncos and VJ?
They’ve won two games and played arguably the two best teams in the NFL — the Chiefs and the Rams — tough. They competed hard, if not smart, against another good team in the Ravens.
Their one undisputed stinker was against the Jets. But one stinker out of six, is that grounds for a coach to be “fighting for his life?”
» I have no evidence that Joseph is a great coach in the making.
However, I balk at the whole “VJ must go” crusade that fans and media are on., not because I’m such a fan but I believe the Broncos’ issues go a lot deeper than just the coach.
» Fact: The Broncos are 12-22 in their last 34 games.
That covers Joseph and the final 12 games of Gary Kubiak’s run here in Denver.
That’s a pretty big sample size that tells me, and should indicate to Broncos Country, the issue is more about the players and personnel decisions made by Elway and his staff than it is about the coach.
» People like to paint me as the guy who says, “Coaching doesn’t matter.”
That’s silly. Of course coaching matters. But, players matter more.
Need proof? Kyle Shanahan is someone Broncos Country would’ve loved to be the head coach when he was a hot offensive coordinator in Atlanta. Young Shanny’s record in San Francisco with Jimmy Garoppolo as his quarterback: 6-2. Without Jimmy G: 1-12.
Players matter, and the Broncos don’t have enough of them.
