Pritchard: ‘Perception’ why Broncos HC Vance Joseph is on hot seat

Oct 16, 2018, 1:47 PM

Head coach Vance Joseph of the Denver Broncos on the sideline during the second quarter on Sunday, October 14 at Broncos Stadium at Mile High. The Denver Broncos hosted the Los Angeles Rams in week six. (Photo by Eric Lutzens/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

(Photo by Eric Lutzens/The Denver Post via Getty Images)

Though the first 22 games of the tenure of Vance Joseph, the first-time head coach has a record of 7-15 with the Denver Broncos.

Similarly, the man connected to Joseph during Denver’s search for a new head coach in early 2017, Kyle Shanahan, has a 7-15 record during his first time as a head coach with the San Francisco 49ers.

So, if both Shanahan and Joseph have the same record as a first-time head coach and both entered into the job at the same time, why does the latter sit on the hot seat?

“Perception,” said “Pritchard and Cecil” co-host Mike Pritchard.

“The perception is created, and perceptions precede results. We know that. So, after one and a half years, both of these guys have the exact same coaching record, but yet perception is that Kyle Shanahan is a better head coach than Vance Joseph,” Pritchard said.

Pritchard’s co-host, Cecil Lammey, said there’s a perception that Shanahan will “get it figured out” and that he’ll “be on the right path.”

And Lammey said it comes down to “conditioning” among the 49ers and Broncos fan bases.

“For the most part, that fanbase has been conditioned to be a joke. That’s it. They’re not the 49ers that we used to know and some love,” Lammey said. “The Broncos fans, they’ve got Super Bowl 50 right there. You’re staring at it all the time.”

Said Pritchard: “It is fueled by Broncos Country. … They want heads to roll. They want people accountable. And it’s also the perception that there’s a great head coach out in San Francisco. I’m like, well, if he’s so great why does he have the same record as the guy that everybody has on the hot seat?”

Pritchard also pointed out Shanahan’s history, not only with his success as a coordinator but also his legacy from his father, Mike Shanahan.

“As a coordinator he was extraordinary. But as a head coach, he’s 7-15. That’s reality. That’s results,” Pritchard said. “But the perception that he’s on the right track is all because of what Mike did.”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.