Pritchard: Earning players respect a top priority for T.C. McCartney

Establishing credibility among the players is a challenge for every coach, said Mike Pritchard on Wednesday, and one that new Denver Broncos quarterbacks coach T.C. McCartney must make his No. 1 priority.

The “Pritchard and Cecil” co-host said on Wednesday it’s the “No. 1 job” for McCartney — or any coach, really — to “establish credibility.”

“I don’t care if you’re a quarterbacks coach, a running backs coach, a receivers coach, offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, or a head coach. You have to establish credibility,” Pritchard said. “The players, they have to know that you know what you’re talking about and that you can actually have that authority, that command of the room.”

Pritchard said that he believes that Broncos quarterback Case Keenum is “respectful enough” to give McCartney a chance to “earn that credibility.”

“But he still has to earn it in that room, no matter if it’s Case Keenum, Hogan, or any other quarterback out there for the Broncos,” Pritchard said. “So, it’s a tremendous opportunity for T.C., but, again, job No. 1 is earning that credibility.”

The Broncos made the hire official yesterday with an announcement from head coach Vic Fangio via a press release.

McCartney, a Boulder native, is the son of late Buffs quarterback Sal Aunese and grandson of legendary CU head coach Bill McCartney.

He served as an offensive assistant with the San Francisco 49ers for the past two seasons under then-quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello, whom the Broncos hired two weeks ago as its offensive coordinator. He also served in that role with the team in 2015.

Before his latest stint in San Francisco, McCartney was an offensive assistant at his alma mater, LSU. A Fairview High School graduate in 2007, McCartney played quarterback for the Tigers from 2007 to 2010, winning a national championship his freshman season.

LSU was also McCartney’s first coaching opportunity, where he was a graduate assistant in 2011 before spending 2012 and 2013 in the same position at CU and then becoming a quality control coach for the Cleveland Browns in 2014.

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

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