Evans: The Broncos finally got the wake-up call it needed

My thoughts and observations from three of the most interesting days in Denver Broncos history:

1. I wonder if Vance Joseph is still the Broncos head coach if …

… Houston’s Bill O’Brien or Washington’s Jay Gruden had been fired.

So many coaches around the league held onto their jobs when it seemed likely they would be pink-slipped — Dirk Koetter, Marvin Lewis, and Joseph to name a few. I believe they survived, in part, because their teams felt there really wasn’t anyone out there who seemed better.

That may be the case here with Joseph and the Broncos.

2. Bringing back Joseph for a second season was the right thing to do.

Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t have hired him in the first place. I made my feelings known before the hire.

I don’t want Denver to be the training ground for first-time head coaches. NFL history is littered with guys who failed in their first go-round. The memory of Hurricane McDaniels was fresh in my mind.

But, once he was hired, you had to see it through. That means living through the mistakes and rocky patches any rookie goes through.

Why is that we tend to show infinite patience for rookie players and brush off their “rookie mistakes” but in Joseph’s case every misstep was a fireable offense?

3. General manager John Elway needed to give Joseph another year.

Elway was aware of everything I said about the pitfalls of going with a first-time head coach. He signed up for this when he brought in Joseph — a guy he targeted for some time while not bothering with an extensive interview process with other candidates.

Elway decided to hire Joseph in the first place. Firing him would’ve been an embarrassment. Also, even more ominous, Elway is gaining a reputation around the NFL as someone who is difficult to work for and will blame everybody but himself.

Firing Joseph would have only added to that unfavorable view.

4. When I first questioned how much say Joseph had in hiring his assistants …

… I was shouted down with claims of “fake news” and making stuff up.

Of course, these were Joseph’s choices — or V.J. and Elway’s.

Really?

Do those same critics want to come around and admit this was Elway’s show and Joseph was like any other first=time head coach, desperate to get his chance and going ahead with what the legendary Elway proposed?

Listening to Joseph say he did a poor job of “coaching the coaches” and praising new offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave while wishing he had spoken up earlier in the season about the direction of the offense was a direct shot at how little chemistry he had with former play-caller Mike McCoy, who more and more looks like Elway’s hire.

Or, when the great assistant coach purge of ‘18 went down, there were a number of coaches let go who were here long before Joseph came into power.

As my radio partner, Mark Schlereth, likes to say: “Coaches are either appointed or they are empowered.” Joseph was simply appointed to coach out Elway’s vision.

Now, maybe, V.J. will get the chance to do things the way he wants.

5. While Elway’s verbal smackdown of my Syracuse brother DMac grabbed the headlines …

… The most meaningful part of Tuesday’s press conference was the tone taken by Broncos president and CEO Joe Ellis.

I’ve talked with Ellis many times, and I’ve never heard him as serious and as “in charge” as he came across in that press conference.

When he was talking about no longer assuming the Broncos were meeting the lofty expectations of the franchise and it was time to shake off the lethargy and complacency that has enveloped the organization, I heard a man aware of the talk that the club is a rudderless ship lacking leadership at the top.

Ellis has been very careful not to come across as infringing on Pat Bowlen’s leadership, but it got to the point where someone needed to sound like they were in charge.

And Joe sounded like that guy.

6. I have been critical of Elway for some time.

I believe he has done a poor job in the draft, and there’s been an overall talent drain on this team.

I never called for him to be fired, but I thought was a lazy argument to defend him with an argument centering around his past success as an executive.

Who cares if he won AFC West titles and one Super Bowl? It doesn’t change the fact this franchise is trending the wrong way. And any refusal to acknowledge that speaks directly to the complacency Ellis talked about.

For Ellis, Elway, and Joseph to come out and admit things have to change makes it a good day to be a Broncos fan.

7. Admitting you have a problem is the first step … and it’s a good one.

Now, what do the Broncos and Elway do about it?

Here comes the hard part.

Follow Mike Evans on Twitter at @MikeEvans1043 and “Schlereth & Evans” at @StinkAndEvans.

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