Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy explains why Vance Joseph is ready for another head-coaching shot

SAN FRANCISCO — Vance Joseph has to wait at least one more year for a second chance as an NFL head coach — to disappointment regarding his own career aspirations, but to the relief of the Broncos and their defensive players, who get to run it back with the architect of a defense that rose to No. 2 in the NFL last season.

But in the eyes of another defensive-minded head coach who got a second chance, Joseph is still in good shape if and when his time comes — and not just because of his work game-planning and strategizing on the defensive side of the ball.

“The thing that I’ve loved, talking to their organization and people there, he’s not just with the defense,” said Tony Dungy, the Hall of Fame coach who now works for NBC Sports as analyst.

“He mingles and coaches and helps the offensive guys. He counsels a lot of their players. He’s been phenomenal that way as a leader. He’s a guy that I feel deserves another head-coaching opportunity, and I think he’ll get it here shortly, but I think he’s been outstanding.”

 

View on Threads

 

BRONCOS KEPT JOSEPH AS MOST HEAD-COACHING HIRES WERE NEWBIES TO THE GIG

Six of the 10 head-coaching vacancies were filled by first-timers. “Retread” continues to be a pejorative, even though 14 of the last 26 teams to make a Super Bowl were led by retread coaches. All but one of the last 13 Super Bowls featured at least one team led by a coach who’d had another head-coaching gig before coming to their current job.

Dungy is an example of a head coach who did better in his second chance. Mike Vrabel took New England one step further than he did the Tennessee Titans.

“I look at it as ‘more experience.’ And experience is a good thing if you learn from it,” Dungy said. “And most smart people do learn from their experiences. I think Vance Joseph is very smart, so, I think it’s an advantage that he’s been a coach before.

“We were asked on our show when the hiring process started who we liked — and at that time, we didn’t know that John Harbaugh and Sean McDermott and people like that would be available — but I thought that Vance Joseph and Brian Flores with that previous experience, being in systems where they’ve been around very good offensive coaches the last couple of years, to me those would be two guys I’d be very interested in.”

Dungy had two bites at the head-coaching apple, first with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 1996 through 2001, then with the Indianapolis Colts for a seven-season run from 2002 through 2008. He turned around the Bucs and led them to their first postseason appearances after a 14-year absence, but then got fired after their progress stalled.

Then, Indianapolis called. With standouts such as Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison and Edgerrin James already on hand, he guided the Colts forward, eventually leading them to their first — and still only — Super Bowl since moving to Indiana in 1984. Dungy did so well that he was able to leave of his own accord, departing the Colts after the 2008 season and seven-consecutive playoff appearances.

Dungy expects Joseph to build from some of the missteps of his initial head-coaching stint.

“If you’re a good coach, you learn from every environment you’re in, so, [Joseph] has learned a lot from different head coaches he’s been under. I’m sure he’s learned a lot from his first head-coaching stint.

“I learned a lot from my head-coaching time in Tampa that I was able to do some things a little bit differently. Stay with the same foundation, but go to Indianapolis and do some things a little bit differently, and I think he’s going to be that much better for when he gets his next opportunity.”

Related

Bo Nix looked good to Sean Payton in his first appearance back on the fieldSean Payton provides encouraging update on Riley Moss and his rib injuryBroncos star CB Pat Surtain II again voted a top-10 player in the NFLIn Broncos loss, they got a win in something specific that truly matteredBo Nix happy with ‘solid’ first TD drive, says return ‘was like riding a bike’Sean Payton unhappy after Packers demolish Broncos, sends message to starters