The Broncos positioned Jonathan Gannon as their backup plan
Jan 24, 2022, 7:00 AM
This weekend, a surprise named emerged as a legit contender to replace Vic Fangio. Once considered a long shot, Jonathan Gannon was suddenly being touted as someone who could come out of nowhere to be the next head coach of the Broncos.
Clearly, word was “leaked” by Broncos PR. Like clockwork, all of the usual suspects were saying the same thing: Gannon really impressed George Paton and the rest of Denver’s search committee.
The news was met with a collective groan in Broncos Country. When the interview process began, Gannon was the least popular of the 10 candidates.
In part, this is because no one has ever heard of him. He’s been a defensive coordinator for one season, operating in relative anonymity in Philadelphia.
At no point during the season was anyone touting the Eagles defense. Gannon wasn’t hyped as a top candidate in this cycle of head coach hires.
But he got an interview with the Broncos. He also talked to the Texans and Vikings. He’s was a legit candidate.
But why was he suddenly getting the PR bump by the Broncos? There were only three possible reasons.
For one, Gannon might’ve dazzled Paton and Company. He could’ve killed it in the interview, standing out from the other nine candidates.
If that’s the case, the Broncos should’ve hire him. Otherwise, what’s the point of doing interviews?
Another option is that the team is positioning Gannon as “their guy” in case they miss out on their top options. If Dan Quinn goes to the Giants, Nathaniel Hackett ends up with the Dolphins and Kevin O’Connell lands with the Vikings, the Broncos will have to convince their fan base that they didn’t have to settle for their fourth option.
If they plant the seed now, it won’t look like they are scrambling in a week. It’ll allow Paton to say with a straight face that Gannon was their top choice after the interview process.
And finally, it might be all about positioning. Gannon could be used as a way to make the actual hire look better.
The early feedback from Broncos Country was lukewarm on Quinn. When he emerged as the early front runner, the fan base reacted with a collective yawn.
But if the other option is Gannon, a guy with virtually zero track record for success, people would be relieved if Quinn got the job. He’d be the lesser of two evils.
All of a sudden, Quinn looks like a good choice. The pick could’ve been much, much worse.
Reports started to circulate on Sunday that the Broncos were lining up finalists. Now, we know the three names on that list – Quinn, O’Connell and Hackett.
Gannon didn’t make the list. But that doesn’t mean he’s 100 percent out of the mix.
The Eagles defensive coordinator was always a dark horse. Now, he’s even more of one. But if things go awry, the Broncos have their backup plan.
