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Kiszla: Drew Lock or ? Unshackled from ’s outdated offense, possibilities endless for Broncos’ of future. By Mark Kiszla Denver Post Jan. 13, 2019

Now, the ’ quarterback of the future can be anybody. Well, it can be anybody except , now that Gary Kubiak won’t be the .

At long last, the Denver offense can join the NFL revolution. The Broncos can get on with the business of firing back at division rivals in Kansas City and in Los Angeles.

By embracing a modern offensive technology, the Broncos’ next QB can be Missouri’s Drew Lock, who at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds looks like your grandfather’s idea of a field general. Or, if the Broncos want to get wild and crazy, it could be Heisman Trophy winner Kyler Murray, who’s built more like an NBA point guard.

Welcome to the future, Broncos. I think you’re going to like it.

What went during the past 72 hours at Dove Valley headquarters seemed a little bizarre, because the team decided against what everyone in Broncos Country had assumed was a foregone conclusion. Newsflash: Kubiak won’t run the offense for new coach .

And that’s a very good thing, unless you enjoyed snoozing on the sofa when a nap-inducing offense averaged 21.5 points per game during the two seasons Kubiak served as Denver’s .

While putting the kibosh on Kubiak was a stunning development, maybe the real news is Fangio has been empowered more than ever was as coach.

Although I never was sold on the idea of Kubiak returning as offensive coordinator, it did make sense to me to have him on the field to school young players in the fundamentals and serve as a sounding board for Fangio, a first-time head coach at age 60.

During his first day on the job in Denver, however, Fangio told us all: “If I have to lean on (my assistants) more than a few times, then I’m in trouble.”

In our best Scooby Doo voices, maybe all of us should have reacted to that warning from Fangio by saying: Rut ro.

Fangio is his own guy. He didn’t need Kubiak to tell him how to win football games.

The way Denver played to win 50? Well, the Broncos still believe in a strong defense. But their offense will no longer be stuck in the ’90s. Kubiak won’t be getting his band back together, and we no longer have to listen to “All the Small Things” by Blink-182 on a continuous loop.

Elway still loves Kubiak like a brother. But Elway loves winning more.

The last three seasons, which have seen Denver fail to qualify for a playoff game, much less win one, gnaw at Elway’s gut. What’s more, I can say with certainty the most iconic sports figure in Colorado history not only hears the criticism, it irritates Elway. In fact, the losses and the bashing might irritate Elway so much he’s willing to re-evaluate how the Broncos conduct their football business, from offensive schemes to talent evaluation.

How much is Elway willing to change in order to win? He refused to draft in 2012, because the quarterback was too short. Does this mean Elway would now consider Murray in this year’s draft, or further embrace an offensive revolution by taking a strong look at Alabama quarterback in the 2020 draft? Only time will tell.

But I do know Elway definitely loves Kubiak like a football brother. They arrived in Denver together as rookies way back in 1983, roomed together as Broncos teammates and won together as middle-aged guys who had seen it all in this crazy game.

On the football field, however, I’m quite certain Elway is ultimately loyal to only one thing: winning. Maybe that’s why he grinds so hard on coaches. And that’s why Kubiak wasn’t going to install an offense as dull and dated as a 1997 Oldsmobile Cutlass in training camp, just because he was Elway’s longtime buddy.

Kubiak is a man who intensely values and faithfully practices loyalty, a rare and admirable trait in the dog- eat-dog business of football. But he also can be stubborn to a fault and slow to embrace what’s next. And the last thing the Denver offense needed was to be stuck in second gear on the slow Sunday drives favored by Kubiak and sidekick Rick Dennison.

Elway not only listened to his new coach, he let Fangio do his thing. If Elway had insisted on Kubiak being the offensive coordinator, the Broncos would have been doomed to repeat the mistakes of their recent past.

Now, the Broncos can get on with the business of finding their quarterback of the future.

Kickin’ it with Kiz: Phillip Lindsay is da bomb. But were voters drunk on Orange Kool-Aid to name him state’s pro athlete of year? By Mark Kiszla Denver Post Jan. 13, 2019

Broncos Phillip Lindsay deserves to be Colorado’s pro athlete of the year, for being an underdog out of high school to being an underdog leaving CU, when he was not even invited to the NFL combine prior to the draft. After being disrespected, Lindsay has come so far, it’s hard to overlook.

G.M., Colorado proud

Kiz: We all love Lindsay. He’s a remarkable athlete and an inspiring story. But when the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame decided Lindsay was the professional athlete of the year, were the voters drunk on Orange Kool-Aid? Yes, this is a Broncos town. But there are at least three obvious reasons Lindsay was not the top pro athlete in our fine state during the past 12 months: 1) Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon, who was a bona fide MVP candidate; 2) Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, and 3) the most dominating pro athlete in 2018, Mikaela Shiffrin. Oh, yeah. We forgot to mention Rockies pitcher Kyle Freeland.

Serious question: As an Olympian, is Shiffrin categorized as a professional athlete?

Ron, former Marine

Kiz: Here are fun facts to tell friends who might still be living in the 1960s or a cave. Shiffrin earned $738,000 in prize money last season as the world’s No 1 skier. The NFL paid Lindsay $488,000. Oorah!

Could you help me understand how letting DJ LeMahieu go makes sense for the Rockies? I’m still unclear on that … unless it frees up money to sign third baseman Nolan Arenado to a long-term contract.

Danny, Denver

Kiz: LeMahieu is a righteous dude. Slick glove. Smart bat. Awesome teammate. In Colorado, DJ will be missed by many, both great (Rockies skipper Bud Black) and small (me). But it was time for LeMahieu to go. Unless you’re the New York Yankees, and print money, a major-league roster has got to churn. Why pay LaMahieu $12 million a year into his 30s, when the Rockies have young players who can do 80 percent of what DJ did at a fraction of the cost?

The majority of the Avalanche’s core is a bunch of 18- to 22-year-old players. Of course, this is taking time for them to grow. Did everyone think they would be championship contenders after one good season?

Marc, loves hockey, eh?

Kiz: After a recent public spat on the team bench, coach Jared Bednar and MacKinnon have bro-kissed and made up. They’re all good. But the team? Not so much. If the Avs don’t get their act together, they’re going to miss the NHL playoffs. Is it too much to expect meaningful progress from the young core? Joe Sakic still has a way to go before proving he can build anything close to a championship contender.

And today’s parting shot is fired in defense of the direction the Broncos are taking under the guidance of general manager , whose first five years on the job were outstanding.

Kiz, I’m honestly confused with what you are saying, like you are scared you will jinx the Broncos if you say something good or get excited.

Braxton, Pocatello, Idaho

John Elway’s new Broncos coach, Vic Fangio, is a “man of few words, except when you get him mad” By Sean Keeler Denver Post Jan. 13, 2019

Even before this week, a little piece of Vic Fangio’s heart had been wedged into the Rampart Range for decades. Tony Fangio, the older brother of the Broncos’ new coach by five years and the second-oldest of the four sons of Victor and Alice Fangio, moved here in 1978.

“I know what it was like when John Elway retired,” Tony, 65, told The Post from his home in Colorado Springs. “And I know what it was like when retired.”

Groovy. But does Vic know?

A pause.

“I think he knows more about this town,” big brother replied, “than people give him credit for.”

Say what you will — and you will — about Vic Fangio, the man does his homework. And the more you do the same on the cat to whom Elway just tossed the keys, the more it becomes clear why Broncos fell hard for the 60-year-old NFL lifer who had never been a head coach until last week.

“I’ve never seen a harder-working man than him,” Tony said of his little brother. “Back when he was with the Saints, back in the ‘80s, he brought me out to a game with my parents. They won the game — if I remember right, it was a shutout.

“After the game, we went out to eat and when we got to his place, he started this chart and started sketching plays and X’s and O’s (for the next opponent). I said: ‘You just won the game. Don’t you take a break?’ He said, ‘That game is gone. We’ve got a new game coming up.’ That’s how dedicated he is.”

He’s the proud son of a tailor, a prouder son of Dunmore, Pa., a burg of 14,000 and change tucked next to Scranton along the northeast corner of the Rust Belt. He’s the father of two, a golf nut with a 9 handicap. He digs talking about the Sixers, the Phillies, Harold Melvin, and Earth, Wind & Fire, and hates talking about himself. So we asked a handful of friends and loved ones to take a crack at the honors.

Victor John Fangio was born in Dunmore on Aug. 22, 1958, graduating in 1976 from Dunmore High School, where he had played safety and for legendary coach Jack Henzes, who has the second-most wins (435) of any prep coach in Pennsylvania history. Much of Vic’s immediate family, including mother Alice, now 92, still reside in or around Dunmore.

Alice Fangio: I think (he wanted to coach) when he came out of the womb. His father was really interested in sports, so Victor followed that. And that was his whole life: Sports. Not piano lessons.

Tony Fangio: Two kids across the street from us were the same age. One was my age, one was his age. And we’d go over to the Dunmore Little League (field), which was right across the street, and practically every night we’d play football there against the two neighbor kids. It was Pat and Mike — they lived across the street from us. In our house, we had two adjoining rooms where one room met another room and there was a big opening. I don’t know if you remember the little pixie football, the little rubber footballs. We would play tackle football. I would throw it to him, he would run at me and I would tackle him. And he’d throw it at me and I’d run at him and he would tackle me. That was a lot of fun, too. No (furniture damage), we kind of pushed everything aside. A lot of rug burns, though.

Cory Fangio, Vic’s nephew: If we played a board game, we’d kid about Victor — he’d always find a way to cheat to win if he was losing. He hates to lose. Hates to lose. My grandmother still kids him about this, tells the story that after any Little League game or midget football game, she said, “If Victor lost, he came home crying.” She tells that story all the time. She always talks about “Victor, how he hates to lose. If he ever lost, he’d cry, he’d take it personally.”

Tony Fangio: (Vic is) probably more like my father. If I had to pick one, I’d say my father, maybe (because he’s) strong-willed.

ACT II: EAST STROUDSBURG AND PHILLY

Fangio never played , falling victim to the coaching bug while attending Division II East Stroudsburg University, where he was studying to be a high school P.E. teacher, hoping to follow in Henzes’ footsteps. As an undergrad, he commuted 45 minutes each way back to his alma mater, where he worked under Henzes as coach and, later, .

Dennis Douds, former East Stroudsburg football coach: He never played for us. I taught Football 1, Football 2, Football 3. When he was in (college), he coached at Dunmore High School and he would come in my office, he would ask questions. He’d be in there at 8:30 a.m. and he’d be there at 9:30 at night. Was he dedicated? Yes. Did he have a passion for the game? Yes, at that age, to be able to say that’s what he wanted to do, that’s my walk in life.

Henzes: He was our free safety for three years. He was a coach on the field. I knew that he had the makings to be a good football coach. I told him three things: No. 1, be a good listener. No. 2, be the last guy leaving the office. No. 3, don’t talk about the guy next to you, because you never know when he could become a head coach.

Douds had another Dunmore native poking around his office at that time, a wunderkind named Joe Marciano, a pal of Vic’s who would eventually join the staffs at Villanova (1980), Penn State (1981) and Temple (1982). Marciano nailed a low-level gig breaking down film for the nascent Philadelphia Stars of the USFL in 1983. When the Stars’ special-teams coach left the next year, Marciano pitched coach Jim Mora on a promotion, setting the wheels in motion for an old friend to join the party.

Douds: To make a long story short, Jim Mora talked to Joe and said, “Do you know anybody who can take your job?” And he said, “There’s a guy back in East Stroudsburg named Vic Fangio.” And Mora called and got a hold of Vic, and Vic was on his way to break down film and sleep in the cafeteria. So don’t tell me there’s a silver spoon around here.

Cory Fangio: (Visiting Vic), we would watch the Phillies games from behind home plate (at Veterans Stadium), like in the groundskeeping area, me and my grandfather. To be able to watch the games, stuff like that, as a kid, was just unbelievable. So we could go down for the weekend, we’d catch a Phillies game and then the Stars game. It was like, “I got to do this because of Uncle Vic.”

•

ACT III: NFL LIFER

The rest is NFL defensive history: Mora took Fangio and Marciano with him to New Orleans, where the pair coached the Saints’ linebackers and special teams, respectively, from 1986-94. The Big Easy revival hit its apex in 1992, when Fangio’s four starting linebackers — Sam Mills and Vaughan Johnson on the inside, Pat Swilling and Rickey Jackson on the outside — were all selected on the first ballot to the , becoming the first unit of four linebackers from one squad to do so.

Swilling: About my third year or fourth year, we had a blowup on the . I was going off on him, and he was going off on me and I jumped up in his face and he jumped up in my face. But the point is, when it was over, it was back to just Vic and Pat, just coach and player. He may get in your face. He may get on your (expletive). At the end of the day, it goes back to just coach and player. He never was vindictive. He never held any of that against me.

Jackson: He taught me to make sure that I followed the . What I was doing was, I was beating up on guys and they didn’t have the ball. You see what (Bears ) Khalil Mack was doing, getting at that football and making plays. He was more about getting the turnover and making plays. He taught me to get the ball; get the ball back to the offense and you’ll win more games. He was one of those coaches where he would have a look at film and he would have you see a play coming before it comes.

Swilling: I opened up a business down in New Orleans. I had some people who opened up a nightclub and they used my name. I asked him to come. He could come a couple of times and show support. No question, (Vic) cared more about me off the field than he did on the field. I’ve been in the real estate business for 30 years. I build buildings for myself and build condos and things. It’s kind of funny, a couple years ago, I saw Vic at a game and he said, “I’m in real estate, too.” I asked him, “When do you have time for real estate?” And he kind of laughed. Vic is one of those guys off the field that the guys will be able to relate to. He’s not just a football coach; he’s a smart guy.

Mora and Fangio reunited with Indianapolis in 1999, with the former famously losing his job because he refused to fire the latter at the request of then-Colts GM Bill Polian. Fangio became the defensive coordinator of the Texans in 2002, then joined the Ravens as a special assistant to coach in 2006.

Billick: He was great. And I was calling plays at the time in Baltimore and he was that extra set of eyes to challenge me. And he says, “Here’s what I think the defense is going to do to you,” and when you’re a play-caller and a head coach, you need someone to keep you on track in terms of that head coaching side. Of course, as a head coach, you’re on the phone with everybody (during a game). The (staff) would joke about it, that when Vic is on the phone, everybody shuts up. In clear and no uncertain terms, that he was the guy I wanted to hear from in those certain situations, just because of the confidence that you know he had.

Swilling: Those (Broncos) guys, if you’re not passionate about playing, you’re going to have a hard time with Vic. He’s a disciplined coach. He’ll let you have fun. He’ll let you be yourself. You’re going to be in the meeting rooms on time. You’re not going to be late for practice. All those things. I’ve heard that (the Broncos are young) … He knows how to deal with millennials. He knows how to deal with older guys. Vic can find what buttons to push.

•

ACT IV: DENVER

Coordinating a top-10 scoring defense (17.4 points allowed per game) for at Stanford in 2010 begat four seasons of top-10 scoring defenses with Harbaugh in San Francisco (2011-14), where the Niners reached a Super Bowl and two NFC title games. Orchestrating two more top-10 scoring defenses (2017 and 2018) helped open the door to the opportunity of a lifetime.

Cory Fangio: He loves coaching. That’s who he is, what makes him tick. My son was able to finish his (prep) career under Coach Henzes, and Vic would always text my son after every game and they’d talk back and forth. He still always checks up on his hometown and still texts me every Friday: “Did the Bucks win?” Every football Friday I get a text from him: “What was the score?” He still cares about what’s going on.

Jackson: I sent him two text messages telling him how happy I was. It almost made me cry. That’s something I’ve never done before. I’ll tell you what: I was so excited for him, it almost brought tears in my eyes.

Cory Fangio: (On Thursday), one of the things when I was watching that news conference, I thought, “My grandfather is looking down and just beaming that his son is a head coach of an NFL team.”

Tony Fangio: I told him I waited 25 years for this, and it finally happened. I have to wrap my head around it: He’s not getting on a plane and leaving. He’s staying here.

Alice Fangio: He was very short (Wednesday). He said, “I got the job in Colorado, and I’ll be going out there to talk to them.” And then he said, “I’ve got to go now.” He’s a man of few words. Except when you get him mad.

NFL Journal: Broncos TE “crushing” rehabilitation from third ACL tear By Ryan O’Halloran Denver Post Jan. 13, 2019

When new Broncos coach Vic Fangio conducts organized team activities this spring, Jake Butt wants to be on the field following completion of his third ACL rehabilitation.

“I’ll be here all offseason rehabbing and at the very least I’ll be fully healthy for (training) camp,” Butt said. “I’m progressing and I have goals – I want to at least be doing something during OTAs. I feel really good.”

Butt had eight catches for 85 yards in the first three games of the 2018 season, but tore his left ACL for the first time in practice on Sept. 27.

“Literally a bad step,” he said. “I remember the ground giving way just slightly enough that it angled my knee. I heard it happen and I knew right away. … I really worked hard to get back out there and I was pleased with how I was playing and progressing. You understand it’s part of the game, but it was tough.”

Butt tore his right ACL twice in college. The second injury occurred in Michigan’s Orange Bowl game against Florida State in December 2016. Butt was drafted by the Broncos and sat out all of 2017.

After his latest injury, surgeons shaved part of Butt’s left hamstring, tied it in a bundle and used it as his new ACL. He said rehabilitation is going smoother than two years ago.

“Everything is different,” he said. “My first one, I came back in six months and had no pain, but I didn’t have patella tendinitis. My second one, I had a lot of tendinitis, which prevented me from pushing it and getting back quicker.

“This one reminds me a lot of my first one. I don’t even need to ice it half the time. I’m just rolling. Hopefully this is the last one.”

Tight end is a free agent and if he departs, Butt should be in line for a starting spot in 2019, if he continues to progress this winter.

Watch for Callahan. One former Bears player Fangio and general manager John Elway should target is . Callahan, 27, was undrafted out of Rice, but Fangio helped develop him into a quality nickel corner who has started 29 of 45 games and has had four .

Callahan played 675 defensive snaps this past season (including playoffs). If he joins the Broncos, it would allow Chris Harris to stay at an outside corner spot in certain situations.

Hiring quick takes. As of Friday afternoon, six of the league’s eight head-coaching openings had been filled.

Arizona (): Losing record as a college coach, but quarterback tree includes current NFL starters Case Keenum, Patrick Mahomes and . It may not work, but it will be interesting.

Broncos (Fangio): Elway went for the steak instead of the sizzle, going for a super-experienced defensive coach.

Cleveland (): Once the Browns prioritized keeping Kitchens as Mayfield’s playcaller, they decided to make him the big whistle. His defensive staff hires will be critical.

Green Bay (Matt LaFleur): The Packers interviewed a whopping 10 candidates and settled on LaFleur, a former Sean McVay assistant with one year of play-calling experience. I thought LaFleur was a year away.

New York Jets (): The Jets are banking on Gase developing quarterback and thriving now that he won’t have final say on the 53-man roster like he did in Miami.

Tampa Bay (): Love it. Arians, 66, spent 2018 in the CBS booth but now gets a chance to save the career of quarterback Jameis Winston.

Around the NFL Book shelf. The offseason is a great time to catch up on football reading. Each week, I’ll recommend one current book or one from the past. First up is Jeff Pearlman’s “Football For A Buck: The Crazy Rise and Crazier Demise of the USFL.” It is a terrific read about the summer football league that played from 1983- 85. Pearlman deserves credit for exhaustive research and myriad interviews to describe how the USFL was created and began luring players from the NFL with big-money contracts, but ultimately sunk thanks to terrible ownership. Most amusing were the trials and tribulations of the Los Angeles Express and San Antonio Gunslingers.

Foles’ future. leads Philadelphia to New Orleans on Sunday and it could be his last game with the Eagles. The team has a contract option it can exercise and Foles would then have five days to void the option, pay back $2 million and become an unrestricted free agent. If Foles hits the free agent market, he would have no shortage of suitors via short-term/high guaranteed dollar deal.

Peyton’s magic touch. If Peyton Manning ever becomes a team executive, he should have no problem luring free agents if the financial offers are equal. He already knows how to close a deal for head coaches. Tuesday — Manning recommends Gase to CEO Christopher Johnson . Wednesday — Gase is hired by the Jets.

Cousins wasn’t bad. The Vikings were one of the league’s most disappointing teams this past season, going from the NFC title game to out of the playoffs. Quarterback was not the final piece to their Super Bowl puzzle. But he wasn’t a dud, either. He was the first player in league history to pass for 4,000- plus yards (4,298), 30 (30), complete at least 70 percent of his passes (70.1) and throw 10 or fewer interceptions in a season (10).

McCarthy sits out. Upon his in-season firing, then Packers coach Mike McCarthy figured to be at the top of the candidate list. But he was too picky or teams weren’t inclined to give him mega-money ($7 million? $8 million?). The Jets chose Gase over McCarthy. That puts him in the January 2020 hopper.

Footnotes. Harris is a first alternate for the AFC Pro Bowl team and thus needs one player to drop out. His best bet is New England’s Stephon Gilmore (whose team is in the playoffs). The others are Miami’s Xavien Howard, Jacksonville’s and ’s Denzel Ward. … During Fangio’s news conference, the Broncos were smart to make it his day — he was the only one who answered questions at the podium and made the rounds to the electronic media. It was the opposite approach in Green Bay, where president Mark Murphy opened the event to introduce LaFleur with a 13-minute opening statement that sounded like a victory lap. … Three defensive players did not miss a this season: Broncos safety Justin Simmons (1,077), Philadelphia safety Malcolm Jenkins (1,038) and Jacksonville linebacker Myles Jack (1,025).

A few bowl standouts who will be in the draft conversation By Andrew Mason DenverBroncos.com Jan. 13, 2019

In the next two weeks, the college all-star games seize the spotlight. Practices for the East-West Shrine Game in St. Petersburg, Florida, and the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Carson, California, begin Monday. Seven days later, approximately 100 prospects will descend upon Mobile, Alabama, for the .

In terms of building draft stock, those games are probably more important than the actual bowl games of previous weeks. West Virginia quarterback Will Grier, for example, bypassed the Mountaineers' Camping World Bowl loss to Syracuse, but will take part in the Senior Bowl.

Nevertheless, the holiday slate of games was still filled with some performances worth noting as these prospects go through the draft ringer in the next four months.

A few standouts:

Edge rusher , Kentucky

Barring something unforeseen, a player named Josh Allen will be selected in the first 10 picks for the second straight year. Kentucky's Josh Allen capped a 17-sack senior season with three sacks in the Wildcats' Citrus Bowl win over Penn State, capping a career-ending burst of seven sacks in his final four games.

Allen has committed to play in the Senior Bowl, and even with two or three potential first-round in the game, Allen seems likely to be the first Senior Bowl player picked in this year's draft.

WR Hakeem Butler, Iowa State

All that was missing from his college finale in the Alamo Bowl was a . But the 6-foot-6, 225- pounder did just about everything else, catching nine passes for 192 yards, good for a 21.3-yards-per- catch average that nearly matched a season-long pace of 22.0 yards per reception, the third-best in FBS.

RBs Darrin Hall and Qadree Ollison, Pittsburgh

You can lump these teammates together because they will suit up on the same sideline once more at next week's East-West Shrine Game.

The 6-foot-2, 225-pound Ollison had the better season-long yardage total, averaging 6.3 yards per carry and rushing for 1,213 yards, a total bolstered by a 235-yard rampage through Virginia Tech that included a 97-yard touchdown.

Hall, a 5-foot-11, 225-pound back, not only had the better season-long per-carry average -- 7.5 yards per attempt -- but was the primary ballcarrier in the Panthers' 14-13 Sun Bowl loss to Stanford, rushing for 123 yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts.

Pitt's history of producing quality running backs -- a long tradition continued by Steelers standout James Conner this season -- bodes well for Hall and Ollison's chances in the NFL.

QB Daniel Jones, Duke

With opting to stay at Oregon for his senior season, Jones could be the biggest beneficiary, as he could find himself as the third quarterback taken behind Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins and Missouri's Drew Lock.

After an early in the Independence Bowl, Jones bounced back by leading Duke to touchdowns on its next five drives, going 20-of-24 for 289 yards on those series as the Blue Devils cruised to a 56-27 win. Four days later, he declared that he would forego his senior season to turn pro.

Accuracy questions linger about Jones, as it took that performance to get his completion percentage above the 60.0 benchmark for the season. He completed 56.7 percent of his passes in 2017. Jones also threw 20 interceptions over the last two years, and his plus-10 touchdown-to-interception margin in that span is easily surpassed by fellow prospects Lock (plus-41), Haskins (plus-45) and Grier (plus-51).

His size (6-foot-5) will be an attribute, as will his background in Duke coach David Cutcliffe's offense. But did Cutcliffe's coaching simply maximize Jones' ability, or will it set him up for future success? That debate will rage over the next few months for one of the draft's most polarizing prospects.

Because Jones graduated from Duke in December, he is eligible for the Senior Bowl in spite of only playing through his junior year, and accepted his invitation to the game last weekend. Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen capitalized on this recent rule change last year and solidified his standing as a top-10 pick last year, going to the with the No. 7 selection.

RB David Montgomery, Iowa State

A typically determined performance in the Alamo Bowl allowed Montgomery to cap his career with his seventh 100-yard game of the season. He averaged 4.8 yards per attempt on 26 carries despite having no runs of over 20 yards, getting much of his yardage after contact. Montgomery also caught four passes for 55 yards, his highest -game yardage total in 20 games.

According to Pro Football Focus, Montgomery forced an FBS-leading 100 missed tackles during the 2018 season, surpassing his total of 86 in 2017 -- which also led FBS, along with 2018 Seahawks first-round pick Rashaad Penny. stick_easton_190112 Copyright 2019 The . All rights reserved

QB Easton Stick, North Dakota State

One would be remiss to overlook 's successor with the Bison, who guided NDSU to its second consecutive FCS title and fourth in the last five years. He capped his career by accounting for 12 touchdowns in his final three games -- six on the ground and six in the air -- including two scoring passes and three touchdown runs in the Bison's 38-24 championship-game win over Eastern Washington last Saturday.

Stick is slated to play in the East-West Shrine Game, whose quarterbacks include Boise State's and Mississippi's Jordan Ta'amu. None are considered first-day prospects, but all have a chance to work their way into the Day 2 conversation with outstanding work next week and at the NFL Scouting Combine.

QB Jarrett Stidham, Auburn

Like Jones, Stidham benefits from the recent rule change allowing fourth-year junior graduates to take part in the Senior Bowl, and he will be one of the eight quarterbacks working that week

Stidham finished with a flourish, going 15-of-21 for 373 yards and five touchdowns in Auburn's 63-14 Music City Bowl win over Purdue. He set career highs for touchdown passes and yardage per attempt (17.8) in the romp. However, it must be noted that his work came against a struggling Purdue defense that allowed 36.3 points per game in the Boilermakers' last four regular-season contests.

DT Christian Wilkins, Clemson

Alabama's Quinnen Williams -- who turned pro along with three other teammates Friday -- will likely be the first defensive lineman off the board. But the reason why this year's defensive-line class is regarded as the best in many years is because of the abundance of prospects like Wilkins, who had a career-high 6 sacks and 14 tackles for loss in his senior season

Quick and agile, the 6-foot-4, 300-pound Wilkins finished with a half-sack in each of the Tigers' College Football Playoff wins -- a 30-3 Cotton Bowl rout of Notre Dame and last Monday's 44-16 romp over Alabama in the national championship.

Wilkins and his edge-rushing teammate, Clelin Ferrell, were both invited to the Senior Bowl, although either has yet to officially accept the invitation.

Sacco Sez: Head Coach Vic Fangio and a good gut feeling By Jim Saccomano DenverBroncos.com Jan. 13, 2019

Many years ago I was driving somewhere with team owner Edgar F. Kaiser, Jr., when he asked my opinion on something. Mr. Kaiser prefaced his question with the phrase, "What does your gut tell you?"

I do not now remember the topic way back then, but I thought of the phrase Thursday when I watched the press conference by new Head Coach Vic Fangio.

The feeling was good, and your gut never lies.

President of Football Operations/General Manager John Elway said at the press conference that Fangio impressed him with "his attention to detail," and that came across very strongly throughout.

But beyond the press conference, when everyone is expected to say the right things, there are a large number of stories out there regarding Coach Fangio's glittering reputation as a defensive coordinator, as well as how long it took for his career path to lead to being a head coach.

He truly has a fascinating career and backstory.

Sometimes we get used to a high level of excellence by an individual, but one of the hardest things to do is to create and maintain longevity at the absolute highest possible level — all while being passed over for the highest rung on the ladder.

But John Elway and the Broncos did not pass him up.

At his press conference the day after the season ended, Elway said he wanted a coach who was "great on one side of the ball and great at what they do."

There is no question that Vic Fangio checks all those boxes on defense.

You never know until you play the games, and I get that, but he has for decades been on the really short list of the best defensive minds in pro football.

He is what is commonly called an old-school guy, and I definitely number myself among those who believe that old school is still the best school.

The now features some high flying offenses, many like those we see in college football. But the game still is played from the ground up, and so too is a team built that way. Blocking, tackling, execution of assignments — time after time, play after play.

Elway also expressed the importance of those values in his introduction of Vic Fangio, and they are the embodiment of how our new coach teaches the game.

Noted Chicago sportswriter and longtime friend Dan Pompei tweeted these thoughts on Fangio:

"He has a great way of being able to keep it relatively simple for his players while creating confusion for an offense."

"He does an excellent job with player development."

"He's got a little in him. And he's going to be popular in Denver."

Pompei closed his comments by saying, "There has been no more solid hire than this guy."

Those comments are from a pro football writer who covered Fangio almost daily for the last four years.

Our new coach gave the media a great sound bite when he noted that there will be no "death by inches." That is, he will not allow a really small thing done incorrectly be allowed to grow an inch at a time until it kills a team.

Accountability matters.

Vic Fangio applies it to himself, and in his regime it will apply to the Broncos as well, individually and as a team.

I think that as more and more fans become exposed to him via Broncos media and other, they will quickly be enamored with Vic Fangio and his straight-shooting approach to all aspects of his job.

Success is always one step at a time, and the first steps have been taken for a new era in Denver Broncos history.

Terry Frei: The good news is, Vic Fangio already proving to be his own man … and was given the chance to be By Terry Frei Greeley Tribune Jan. 13, 2019

We assumed wrong.

Former Broncos quarterback, assistant coach and head coach Gary Kubiak won’t be joining Vic Fangio’s coaching staff — not as an offensive consultant, not as offensive coordinator, and not as anything else.

Clearly, a possible Kubiak step back into coaching was part of the discussion when John Elway met with Fangio on Monday in the Chicago area and then settled in on the Bears defensive coordinator as the choice to succeed the fired Vance Joseph.

Fangio and Kubiak eventually met, and it was clear they couldn’t get on the same page. 9News’ Mike Klis reported that Kubiak, who had come around to a full-time return to coaching as a coordinator, apparently wanted to bring back other former staff members as part of his strategy. That and other issues convinced Fangio it wouldn’t be a good fit.

This is not a knock on Kubiak, a proven coach and an even better man: It would have been a mistake to bring him back to the staff. That came into sharp focus as the idea was floated in the media. It would have undercut Fangio. He is finally getting his head-coaching chance 40 years into his career. He is not a co-coach, not half of a two-headed command, either in reality or perception. The head coach will not have a man who guided the Broncos to a Super Bowl championship looming over his shoulder, so to speak.

Many have pointed out the similarities between this and the successful model I researched and wrote about in “’77: Denver, the Broncos and a Coming of Age.” John Ralston, a brilliant personnel man who deserves credit for building the corner-turning roster, was fired as coach following the 1976 season. The natural choice to succeed him, defensive coordinator Joe Collier, didn’t want anything to to with it because he didn’t enjoy his stint as Buffalo’s head coach and preferred to be the brilliant mad scientist left alone to run what became the renowned “Orange Crush.” He had been adaptive, going to a semi- revolutionary three-man front the year before, when Lyle Aldzado suffered a season-ending knee injury, and the 3-4 was magic.

Collier and , then the Patriots’ offensive coordinator, had coached together as far back as at Western , and Collier essentially recommended and signed off on hiring Miller for his first-ever pro head-coaching job.

In the magical 1977, Collier ran the defense. Red, with only nine assistants and no listed offensive coordinator, pretty much ran the offense. (With seven, the Nuggets have almost as many assistant coaches.)

That worked for the Broncos then, but Miller and Collier’s long-time friendship and trust made it an extraordinary situation.

This would have been different, and not only because more than 40 years have passed. While Fangio will demand an offensive approach more in line with the RPO trends of the times, he still is more old-school than new-wave. I actually don’t buy into the oft-expressed notion that Kubiak should be viewed with suspicion in 2019 because his offensive philosophy — still somewhat on display with the Broncos — is archaic. He hasn’t coached since 2016, and he should at least be given a chance to adjust before he’s pronounced intolerably inflexible.

With Fangio’s age so often being brought into play, you’d think he will have to use a walker when he comes down from the press box to the sideline on game day. He won’t. (Not that there’d be anything wrong with that … and keep in mind that Elway himself is 58.) But Fangio has paid his dues, he is carrying the flag for veteran NFL assistants whose kids have attended seven schools in seven cities before graduating from high school, and he deserves to be given as much control of his own fate as possible.

In some ways, that’s where Joseph was treated unfairly in his first head-coaching chance. He had input, but so much — including personnel and draft decisions made before he was hired and the lack of an elite quarterback— wasn’t of his doing.

Fangio decided not to get the band back together. That’s especially savvy because he wasn’t part of the band that would be reunited.

I’m a believer in the CEO head coaching approach. Hire elite coordinators and let them do their jobs, with input — but not sabotaging interference — from above. Many first-time head coaches tried to follow that model, but then jump in on game day and foul everything up. In that sense, it’s preferable to have the head coach wholeheartedly act as his own coordinator rather than occasionally leap into the process and undercut the chances for success. I’m still uneasy, though, about Fangio calling the defensive signals and running that side of the ball, even if the coordinator title eventually is bestowed on someone else for cosmetic reasons and/or a means of helping an assistant out with his resume and justifying a raise.

First and foremost, he has been an effective coordinator from the birds-eye view in the coaches’ booth at the press box level. Operating as the head coach from there is out of the question. So he will be on the sideline, and it will require an adjustment period for Fangio. Most likely, he also will seek and hire an assistant he knows and trusts to act as his eyes from above as the defensive decisions are made in the time it takes to snap fingers. Others have been their own coordinators, whether that’s acknowledged in the coaching staff titles or otherwise. It can work. But it would be more efficient to have Fangio concentrating on putting his stamp on this team as a head coach. Period.

There are other reasons Kubiak returning to the staff didn’t make sense.

One is that, depending on the model, it often is at least as hard and is more time-consuming to be an offensive coordinator than to be a head coach. Klis and others portrayed Kubiak as having decided he could handle the return to coaching full-time. There, the lights stay on late in the office, though the digital age has made it much easier for entire football operation staff to assemble, summon and study scouting footage. The argument used to be that coordinators don’t have to deal with the media. That’s no longer close to the truth. Coordinators speak to the media once a week and no longer are shadowy figures, and many coordinators’ cell numbers are in the contacts of national and local media members.

Pressure on head coaches is immense. Kubiak, who is going to consider other offensive coordinator possibilities, not so long ago recoiled from that part of the job. It imperiled his health, including when he suffered a mini-stroke in 2013 with the Texans and headache issues with the Broncos in 2016.

It wouldn’t have been much different if he jumped back in as the effective co-coach. If he immersed himself in the job, which coordinators must do to be effective, the health risk would have been virtually the same as if he was the official head coach again. Kubiak is savvy. I assume he knows that some of the sleep-in-the-office dogma is ridiculous and often more showmanship than it is necessary. But, still, no coach — including a first-time head coach — can abide a coordinator whose heart won’t be (and won’t remain) 100 percent into the job.

A better idea was Kubiak returning as head coach. If that wasn’t possible, for whatever reason, it was time to completely move on.

And let Fangio be completely in charge … at least of the staff. Antonio Brown trade suitors could be led by Broncos By Grant Gordon NFL.com Jan. 13, 2019

As the Antonio Brown saga staggers on for the , the prospects of the ultra-talented and unhappy wide receiver being traded look to be gaining momentum.

Among the teams that might be interested, based on salary cap space, are the , New York Jets, and, perhaps leading the way, the Denver Broncos, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Saturday on NFL Game Day Morning. No matter who the suitor is, the asking price is believed to be a second-round pick and more with the Steelers now potentially not just listening to offers, but seeking them.

"I am told to keep an eye on the Denver Broncos," Rapoport said. "They may be one of the teams plotting a run at Antonio Brown."

Brown, despite a season brimming with ups and downs for the Steelers on the field, in the locker room and beyond, put forth a flatout phenomenal season with 104 catches for 1,297 yards and a league-high 15 touchdown grabs.

However, Brown's time in Pittsburgh might well have come to a screeching halt when he missed the final game of the season against the Bengals -- one the Steelers needed to win to keep any playoff hopes alive. Since then, Brown reportedly has not spoken with or returned the calls of coach .

Hence, after initially making it known they be open to exploring trade offers, Rapoport said the Steelers could be proactive in exploring the market.

"Now they may actually seek them. They may go out and say, 'What could you possibly give us for one of the game's premier receiver?'" Rapoport said. "The consensus is they could probably get a second- rounder-plus, maybe a second-rounder and third-rounder, probably not the [first-round pick] that the Cowboys got for Amari Cooper, but this is one of the best players in the NFL, so at the very least they should be able to get significant return."

Sanders: WR Antonio Brown disrespected Steelers By Grant Gordon NFL.com Jan. 13, 2019

Just moments after hearing NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport say the Denver Broncos might be in line to trade for Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Antonio Brown, was asked for his thoughts on the whole A.B. situation.

Sanders pulled no punches as he delivered an unflinching sound byte on NFL Game Day Morning in regards to his former teammate Brown before saying, with a grin, he would welcome being his teammate once more.

"It all sounds familiar," Sanders said of Brown's behavior. "But one thing I will say, when Art Rooney came out and said that, it's pretty much he's gone, because being around the Pittsburgh Steelers organization, Art Rooney doesn't say too much, but when he says something, he means it. This situation has really, really got out of hand. It's crazy, because I don't like to see, but I feel like Antonio brought it on himself. You cannot turn your back on your brothers, not on the Pittsburgh Steelers organization that gave you an opportunity to make you who you are in terms of Antonio Brown the football player. And so for you to leave on a Wednesday and then have your agent call on a Sunday is the ultimate disrespect to the Pittsburgh Steelers organization."

Sanders, who played four seasons with Pittsburgh before joining the Broncos, also offered up some compelling thoughts on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's perceived disrespect and lack of leadership.

Sanders' thoughts that Brown's departure from Pittsburgh is impending are shared by many as Rapoport had just reported that the Broncos were among a handful of teams that could be possible trade options. Despite his harsh words, Sanders was plenty happy to oblige a possible future transaction.

"I don't like this situation," Sanders said, "but I hear the Broncos, so hey, hey what's up A.B. Come on, man."

While Brown has remained silent since not playing in Pittsburgh's season finale, much has been speculated about friction with Roethlisberger, who's long been outspoken outside of the locker room. One particular incident during the season came when Roethlisberger said he wanted to throw to JuJu Smith-Schuster on every down with the game on the line. On this, Sanders was breathing fire once again to conclude the segment.

"To me, all of that is disrespectful. I would take all of that as disrespect. I remember talking to Mike Wallace, and me and Mike Wallace used to talk about this situation. I said if Ben called me out on a radio show, the next day I would literally walk up to him in the locker room and say, 'Hey man, don't do that, keep my name out of your mouth,'" Sanders said. "You're the leader of this team; be a leader. That's the reason why my comments, when I first became a Denver Bronco and I said Peyton Manning was a far better leader than Ben Roethlisberger, that's the reason why all that now is coming to fruition. I don't lie, I don't hate anybody, I just speak the truth and that's the truth."

With one year remaining on his Broncos contract, Sanders is set to return to a Broncos team that will have a new coach in Vic Fangio and perhaps a new standout wideout. If his torn Achilles doesn't heal up, it became pretty clear on Saturday he definitely has a second career on the small screen.

Nine potential candidates as the Broncos search for a new offensive coordinator By Andre Simone BSNDenver Jan. 13, 2019

After the shocking news that former Denver Broncos head coach, Gary Kubiak, will not be the Broncos next offensive coordinator or play caller, it’s back to the drawing board for John Elway and Vic Fangio in finding the right man to fix the offense.

While it sounds like and his -running scheme are still in play as a potential offensive line coach, the options at offensive coordinator remain mostly unknown.

Here are a few names that could fit the bill.

TODD MONKEN, OC, Monken is a popular guy right now as he’s receiving interview requests left and right. That’s because Monken and the Bucs offense were third in 2018 in total yards behind only the Chiefs and Rams. He played a big part in ’s success early in the year and has experience coaching in college under creative spread attacks.

He’d deserve serious consideration, though the Broncos might be behind the eight ball as he’s already being interviewed by other teams.

JIM BOB COOTER, OC, Cooter was a rising star in coaching circles and has lost a little momentum after a disappointing season in Detriot, but he’s shown he can be a quality play caller. His work with , who’s become a much more cerebral and responsible passer, is notable.

Like Monken, he’s already getting lots of interest around the league; the Broncos would have to get in the mix quickly before Cooter picks his destination.

DARRELL BEVELL, FORMER OC, Bevell has been a coordinator for over a decade in stints with both the Seahawks and . He’s currently unemployed but has a ring and was crucial in Russell Wilson’s development. His offense with Wilson was one of the first in the NFL to adapt more zone-read and RPO looks. His struggles have always been related to issues along the offensive line, which with Munchak on board could be less of a concern. His star has fallen off quite a bit after multiple Super Bowl appearances as the OC in Seattle, but he remains a quality play caller with ample experience.

PEP HAMILTON, QBC, MICHIGAN Fangio’s connections go way beyond Nagy’s Chicago staff, and going back to his days with Jim Harbaugh would make good sense. Hamilton and Fangio coached together at Stanford back in 2010, and Hamilton has already had experience as an OC in the NFL—with the Indianapolis Colts from 2013-15.

In Indianapolis, Hamilton led to his best season as a pro in 2014 where he threw a career- high 4,761 yards and 40 TDs. The Colts never had a losing season in his three years there, but he was let go and needs to show he’s become more creative than he was in his days at Stanford and Indianapolis. As an assistant head coach, quarterbacks coach, and passing game coordinator for the Wolverines this year, he’s adapted nicely to dual-threat QB Shea Patterson and would fit perfectly with Munchak’s gap-scheme.

JOHN DEFILIPPO, FORMER OC, MINNESOTA VIKINGS DeFilippo seemed like the next young offensive coach to get real head coaching buzz coming into the year. Instead, he got canned as the play caller in Minnesota halfway through the season.

In his first year as a play caller, he learned some hard lessons about running a balanced attack and seemed to be missing the third-down magic that the had when he was the quarterback coach back in 2017. His work with Carson Wentz and Nick Foles on the Eagles title run was impressive, but has he learned enough to be relied on as a play caller?

DAVE RAGONE, QBC, Here’s another Chicago connection as Fangio could try to bring in the Bears quarterbacks coach who was also an offensive quality control coach for the Washington Redskins. His time in the nation’s capital overlapped with Sean McVay and would’ve meant being groomed under as well.

His resume and is impressive but would Ragone, who’s never called plays himself, have enough experience to take a big jump and become the Broncos OC?

MIKE KAFKA, QBC, Kafka has that perfume that raises his stock around the league and gets everyone to turn their heads. However, he’s extremely green and has only been coaching since 2016, always under Reid, but he is a rising star in the coaching ranks and has worked with Patrick Mahomes in his breakout season.

His plan as a play caller would be interesting as you’d imagine he’d run a lot of the concepts that have allowed the Chiefs to have so much success this year, but he’d be a risky hire.

MIKE MCDANIEL, RUN GAME COORDINATOR, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS McDaniel is a Yale grad who’s followed at every stop and is seen as an up and coming offensive coach. He was with the Redskins when Mike and Kyle adopted the Baylor offense to help Robert Griffin III to a phenomenal rookie season, and has made the Niners line and run game perform at a high level this year despite not having any real blue-chip talents.

He might not be ready yet, but like with Scangarello, he’d bring that offense that’s near and dear to Elway’s heart and know how to modernize it. He’s also a Colorado native with 13 years of coaching experience despite being only 35.

MARK HELFRICH, OC, CHICAGO BEARS Helfrich has a cushy job with the Bears, and could probably take his talents back to the college ranks where some head coaching gigs could open up for him if his successful run in Chicago continues. The appeal in coming to Denver would lie in Helfrich being able to call his own plays and branch out from , though he would have to get permission from the Bears.

An offensive hybrid with concepts from both Nagy and Chip Kelly’s Oregon offense would make Helfrich a really intriguing modern play caller, who could revolutionize offensive football in the Mile High City. He coached in Colorado from 2006-to-08, he’d be a huge get for Fangio.

ONE TO KEEP AN EYE ON , QBC, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS The Broncos first interview request for this position was for Scangarello, but the 49ers denied the request. With that said, reports have suggested that Denver may still be able to get a meeting with Scagarello. We’ll keep an eye on this.

Elway loves that zone blocking that he’s won all three rings he has as a player and GM, and Kyle Shanahan’s trusted assistant would fit nicely in that regard.

Scangarello has worked with Shanahan both in the Bay and Atlanta but has also had experience coaching in lower level college football at Northern Arizona University. He’s credited as being a key to both Jimmy Garoppolo’s impressive run at the end of 2017 and Nic Mullens’ development when thrust into the lineup this year. He’d be an intriguing hire with the right mix of college and pro experience and a reputation as a QB whisperer. Steelers seeking a first-round pick for Antonio Brown; trade talks to begin at combine By CBS Sports Jan. 13, 2019

With owner Art Rooney II declaring he was prepared to move disgruntled receiver Antonio Brown, the Steelers front office is beginning initial preparation into a potential blockbuster trade, sources said, one that team officials anticipate includes a first-round pick.

With the Cowboys dealing a first-round pick for Amari Cooper in-season, and with Brown's salary a bargain the final three years of his contract ($39M total in that span at a time when top receivers are pushing $18M per season), it is a very easy contract to deal and, as previously reported, the Steelers believe they can easily offset the $21M salary cap hit attached to any trade of the perennial All Pro.

While Brown is older than other options (he'll turn 31 this summer), he remains one of the NFL's true game-changers. He puts up 100 catches a season, he scored 15 touchdown this season in what was a transition year for the Steelers offense with no Le'Veon Bell, and though he is prone to personality conflicts and outlandish behavior, there is intense interest in his services in other front offices, with trade talks expected to begin at the NFL combine.

The Steelers expect a robust market to form, and expect to hear from teams like the Seahawks, Colts, Saints, 49ers, Packers, and Eagles. Team sources said that while they expect the Ravens, Browns and Patriots to have significant interest in Brown as well, there is virtually no chance they would deal him to such a rival.

There is still some chance the Steelers and Browns reverse course, however remote, but it would have to begin with the player taking a contrite attitude and being willing to mend fences with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and coach Mike Tomlin; his relationship with both is shattered, team sources said. Brown's decision to go AWOL in Week 17 and then request a trade clearly upset Rooney, but it is Brown's actions since then that have heightened the situation, team sources said. Brown has rebuffed multiple phone calls from the owner and repeated attempts to contact him by Tomlin and members of the front office, as well.

It certainly looks like the Steelers will be without both Bell and Brown in 2019. The Steelers are still seriously considering a franchise or transition tag for Bell – even if only to facilitate a trade – and they stand to have considerable payroll flexibility if both are gone. The team will attempt to negotiate a contract extension with Roethlisberger this offseason.

The thirst is real for NFL teams trying to hire Sean McVay clones By Eric Adelson Jan. 13, 2019

NFL head coaches have been heralded as unyielding field generals, as motivational visionaries, as draconian disciplinarians and as leaders of men (whatever that means).

These days it seems NFL head coaches have a more pedestrian identity: quarterback repairmen.

The latest batch of hires shows a clear trend away from instilling a culture and toward getting someone who can fix or sustain the franchise passer. In the past, most quarterbacks had to work within a coach’s system. Now the coaches must fit the quarterback.

Consider Tampa Bay, where former No. 1 draft pick Jameis Winston has caused more consternation than celebration since his arrival nearly four years ago. Because of a mix of off-field drama and on-field inertia, Winston has irritated many Bucs fans without getting the team to the playoffs once. Yet that has never stopped the Bucs from trying to amend everything around him. was rushed out of One Buc Place when it seemed offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter could better lift Winston to his full potential. The results were lacking; Winston continued to wobble between promising and mistake-prone. Instead of jettisoning Winston, the Bucs dumped Koetter and brought in Bruce Arians, who has a long-time fondness for the passer dating back to when Winston attended one of his camps as a high schooler.

In an interview this week with the NFL Network, Arians said, “Everything is going to be built around him.” That’s nothing new in the 813, but the results are getting old. “We’ve got to put the right pieces around him,” Arians insisted.

But there have been plenty of pieces: Mike Evans, DeSean Jackson, O.J. Howard, Cameron Brate, and a solid offensive line. Those pieces put up historic numbers for Ryan Fitzpatrick when Winston was suspended. The bigger problem is on defense, which is painfully thin, especially in the secondary. Yet it’s Arians, who has coached offense since the 1970s, who will replace the offensive-minded Koetter. The message is still that Winston is the future, no matter what maintenance is required.

At least Arians has NFL head coaching experience — five seasons in Arizona.

The Cardinals just hired a college coach with a losing record to lead a worst-in-the-league team after one season under defense-first Steve Wilks. Kliff Kingsbury has worked with Patrick Mahomes and Baker Mayfield, which apparently gives him more credibility than a winning record would. In the past, Kingsbury would have been a candidate for an NFL quarterbacks coach or perhaps an offensive coordinator. That’s what USC indicated when it hired him. Now Kingsbury gets to run the whole show in the pros, in hopes that he can usher first-rounder to greatness. If things go (further) south in the southwest, don’t expect Rosen to get the blame.

Cleveland had arguably the best situation of any team in need of a new coach. The Browns have emerging stars on offense and defense. In another era, perhaps a veteran whistle would be called upon to steady a growing team with several lively personalities. Instead, the team promoted offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens — who had gelled with Mayfield, their rookie QB — to his first top job. (Another name that bubbled up over the course of the season: Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley, who worked with Mayfield in Norman.) Kitchens has more than a decade of experience as an NFL , but his only time as a coordinator came this season. Mayfield is off to a terrific start as a pro, but can Kitchens deliver a hard truth if it’s needed?

This trend even reaches legendary teams with legendary passers. The Packers are young on defense, yet the team replaced an offensive mind in Mike McCarthy with another one in Matt LaFleur. He has only two seasons as a coordinator, one with the Rams and one with the Titans, yet he’ll be ’ right- hand man.

Gary Kubiak still wants to be an offensive coordinator, could go to Jaguars By Michael David Smith Pro Football Talk Jan. 13, 2019

New Broncos head coach Vic Fangio surprised the NFL world by deciding not to hire Gary Kubiak as his offensive coordinator, and now Kubiak is looking for work elsewhere.

Kubiak wants to be an offensive coordinator and the Jaguars are interested in bringing him in, of ESPN reports.

The news that Kubiak was interested in becoming the Broncos’ offensive coordinator came as a surprise because two years ago Kubiak resigned as the Broncos’ head coach and said health issues made it impossible for him to do the job. But Kubiak apparently feels that he’s up to the task of being an offensive coordinator again, as he previously was in both Denver and Baltimore.

The Jaguars fired during the 2018 season and quarterbacks coach took over the job for the remainder of the season. ’s name has also emerged as a potential coordinator in Jacksonville.