Josh McDaniels was fired yesterday as the Denver Broncos head coach to become the third NFL coach to be canned this season, joining both Wade Phillips and Brad Childress.
Although this may not come as a shock to football fans, it is odd that it happened when it did. Just last week, Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said that “Josh McDaniels is the head coach of the Broncos, and you always strive for stability at that position.” He went on to hint that this might be McDaniels’ last season with the team but never suggested that it would be his last week.
Since Josh McDaniels was hired in Denver, the team has been on a roller coaster ride of controversy and questionable deals. In his short two seasons as head coach, he has traded away Pro Bowlers Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall and also Peyton Hillis, who has become a premier back in Cleveland.
In Addition to giving away the team’s main base of talent, McDaniels burned a first-round draft pick on quarterback Tim Tebow who was expected to be available into the second and even third round. In 12 games this season, Tebow has thrown just one pass but that could change at this point of the season with the team sitting in last place at 3-9.
His most recent indiscretion resulted in a $50,000 fine for illegally taping a San Francisco 49ers practice. Although McDaniels has stated that he declined to watch the tape, the backlash against him stood strong… as it should have.
Despite starting his career off in Denver with an impressive six-game winning streak, the Broncos are now 11-17 under Josh McDaniels and have lost seven out of their last eight games. Their 3-9 record this season is good enough for dead last in the AFC West and 28th in ESPN’s latest Power Rankings.
With no chance of making the playoffs, Pat Bowlen had to make a decision and that decision resulted in naming running backs coach Eric Studesville the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.
The good news for Broncos fans is that if the NFL trend continues, then they can look forward to a few more wins this year. The Cowboys and Vikings interim head coaches are a combined 5-1 this season, and both teams have been playing remarkably well since the head coaching changes.
The bad news for Broncos fans is that their team still sucks. The Denver Broncos defense ranks 31st in opponent rushing yards and 22nd in opponent passing yards. And let’s not forget that their rush offense is one of the worst in the league. Just imagine what the team would be like if they still had Brandon Marshall and Peyton Hillis.
With the remaining four games against teams without a winning record, the Broncos will look to gain some momentum into the off-season. Don’t be surprised if they win all four under Studesville and send McDaniels a message in the process.
Used with permission of the author.
Los Angeles Based Logan Rhoades is the Associate Editor of the website JocksBehindBars.com. With an extensive knowledge of ESPN topics and celebrity gossip, he is known for mixing sports and pop culture. Check out his “Skip to My Logan” blog and Follow him on Twitter @loganrhoades.
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