No Duke Dawson Jersey , Vance Joseph never felt as if he was drinking out of a firehose when the Denver Broncos stumbled through a 5-11 season in his first year as head coach last year.
That’s how general manager John Elway has repeatedly described what it must have been like for a first-year head coach in the NFL.
”That’s not my personality, so I didn’t feel that way,” Joseph told The Associated Press. ”My focus was purely on trying to flip it and get us back on a winning path. I think being a young head coach and being a young coach is a different deal. I’m not a young coach. I’ve been a part of teams that have gone through adversity so I kind of knew what the issues were.”
Turnovers.
A sieve of an offensive line.
Locker room rifts.
A lack of chemistry, the byproduct of another protracted quarterback competition.
Still, ”I think overwhelmed, that’s not the word,” Joseph said.
Denver’s dive, which included eight losses by double digits, was a shock to a city and a franchise that had a ticker-tape parade just two years earlier, and Elway acknowledged that he pondered firing Joseph at season’s end.
”That’s the direction I want to go, but it’s my responsibility to think about other options to see what would be best for the football team,” Elway said in January. ”We thought about different options, but ultimately, my goal was to stick with Vance and give him that shot.”
Elway, who had riled up his players by calling them soft during an eight-game skid, said he shared in the blame for Joseph’s deficient debut and needed to surround him with better personnel.
Joseph replaced nearly half of his coaching staff while Elway embarked on a massive roster upgrade .
He signed quarterback Case Keenum in free agency and all 10 members of his ballyhooed 2018 draft class spent four years in college and most were captains. That’s a far cry from the previous two classes that were loaded with raw athleticism, long-term projects and plenty of question marks.
Joseph seems much more comfortable in his second season.
”I don’t see it as a do-over. It’s hard in this league. You don’t get do-overs, unfortunately. But it’s a new year and obviously last year wasn’t good enough,” Joseph said.
The hands-off philosophy Joseph brought to Denver last year has vanished.
”I think it’s a fine line between micromanaging and coaching coaches. And I didn’t want to ever be micromanaged as an assistant coach because in my mind I was doing the best I could for that head coach and the best I could for that football team. And I took great pride in coaching my guys and being the best group on the field every day in the meeting rooms or on the field,” Joseph said.
”So, in my mind every coach would feel that way and every coach would want to coach that way. So, I was cautious in interrupting coaches’ drills, interrupting coaches’ ways of doing things because I had an experienced staff.”
That led to the notion that Joseph was still acting like an assistant coach last year while offensive coordinator Mike McCoy continued operating as though he were still a head coach before getting fired at midseason.
Joseph vehemently denies that was the case.
”I thought Mike did a great job every week of accepting his role and we talked every week about the game plan, so that’s not true,” Joseph said.
”I worked for a lot of coaches who didn’t micromanage me, Gary Kubiak, Marvin Lewis, great guys who have won a lot of games. So, that’s not true. Our staff last year we discussed every game plan that we put forward and again it was the best thing for our players at the time.
”So, our thought process early on was to be an explosive offense. We were 3-1. It wasn’t perfect. But it was working. Now, turning the ball over, not protecting the quarterback, those things affected how we played on offense. But not Mike trying to be in total control, that’s not true.”
Still, Joseph said he has to coach his coaches better Solomon Thomas Jersey , and by that, he means challenging them.
”I don’t coach the receivers, I don’t coach the running backs or offensive line. I’m a defensive backs guy, I’m a defensive guy. So, I think asking the right questions and triggering more thought process on how we can do things better. Or simply seeing it differently than the coach and saying, `Why don’t we do it that way?”’ Joseph said.
”Now, I can be wrong, but I think simply asking more questions is a simple way of helping the coaches get better and helping our football team get better and not letting anything slide.”
Joseph realizes he won’t get another chance if things don’t change.
”Winning football games is a must this year,” he said. ”We have to do that. That’s why they hired me.”
And why Elway stuck with him.
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Projected starters and key players for the Super Bowl at Minneapolis on Feb. 4:
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
OFFENSE
Nick Foles, QB (9), 6-foot-6, 243 pounds, 6th season, Arizona
Took over for Carson Wentz after Wentz tore his ACL in December against Rams. … Played first three seasons with Eagles before returning as free agent. … Became first QB in franchise history to throw for at least 300 yards and at least 3 TDs in playoff game with 352 yards, 3 TDs in NFC championship game.
Won Super Bowls with Patriots after 2014, 2016 seasons. … Led NFL with career-high 18 rushing TDs in 2016. … Power runner who does best work near end zone.
Jay Ajayi, RB (36), 6-0, 223, 3rd season, Boise State
Acquired from Miami at trade deadline. … Became first player in NFL history to produce at least 400 rushing yards with two teams (465 yards, Miami, 408 yards, Philadelphia) in same season. … Was fourth in NFL in rushing in 2016 with 1,272 yards.
Alshon Jeffery, WR (17), 6-3, 218, 6th season, South Carolina
Led Eagles with 9 TD catches in regular season despite no 100-yard games. Only two receivers (DeAndre Hopkins Linval Joseph Jersey , Devante Adams) had more. … Spent first five seasons with Bears. … Caught 5 passes for 85 yards and 2 TDs in NFC title game.
Nelson Agholor, WR (13), 6-0, 198, 3rd season, Southern Cal
First-round pick in 2015. … With 62 catches, 768 yards and 8 TDs, provides excellent complement to Jeffery in breakout season.
Fifth-round pick in 2016. Can play both tackle positions. … Replacing perennial Pro Bowl tackle Jason Peters.
Stefen Wisniewski, LG (61), 6-3, 305, 7th season, Penn State
Originally second-round pick of Oakland in 2011. … Has played left guard and center. … His uncle, Steve, was two-time All-Pro selection at guard with L.A. Rams and Oakland Raiders.
Jason Kelce, C (62), 6-3, 295, 7th season, Cincinnati
Went from sixth-round pick in 2011 to first All-Pro selection this season. … Dominant part of run game Jordan Whitehead Jersey , can handle DTs one on one.
Spent first four seasons with Texans. … Joined Eagles in 2016. … Selected for first Pro Bowl in 2017.
Lane Johnson, RT (65), 6-6, 317, 5th season, Oklahoma
Second All-Pro on offensive line. … Was No. 4 overall pick in 2013. … Suspended 10 games in 2016 for violating NFL’s performance-enhancers policy.
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DEFENSE
Chris Long, DE (56), 6-3, 270, 10th season, Virginia
Won Super Bowl last year with Patriots. … First season with Eagles. …. Had 5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles in regular season and 8 QB pressures in NFC title game. … Similar performance could help Eagles pull upset in Super Bowl. … Second overall pick in 2008 draft by Rams. … Son of Hall of Fame DL Howie Long.
Fletcher Cox, DT (91), 6-4, 310, 6th season, Mississippi State
Three-time Pro Bowler. … Powerful force who’s second among Eagles interior linemen with 34 sacks. … Had season-high 7 tackles and sack of Falcons’ Matt Ryan in divisional playoff win against Atlanta.
Tim Jernigan, DT (93), 6-2, 295, 4th season, Florida State
Second-round pick of Ravens in 2014 was acquired in trade in April and provides depth on defensive line. … Signed four-year extension through 2021.
Brandon Graham, DE (55), 6-2, 265, 8th season, Michigan
Led Eagles with career-high 9+ sacks. … No. 13 pick in 2010 draft and longest-tenured member of Eagles defense. … Sacked Tom Brady twice when Eagles beat Patriots in previous meeting in 2015.
Derek Barnett, DE (96), 6-3, 259 Al Davis Jersey , 1st season, Tennessee
Had 5 sacks in rookie season. …. Had strip-sack of Case Keenum to halt Vikings’ red zone drive in NFC title game. … First-round pick last April.
Mychal Kendricks, LB (95), 6-0, 240, 6th season, Cal
Second on team with 77 tackles. … Has thrived under defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. … Had team-high 10 tackles in NFC title game.
Won Super Bowl 47 with Baltimore. … Joined Eagles in November and became third middle linebacker after Jordan Hicks, Joe Walker sustained season-ending injuries. … Missed NFC title game with hamstring injury.
Nigel Bradham, LB (53), 6-2, 241, 6th season, Florida State
Acquired in trade with Buffalo in 2016. … Led all Eagles LBs with 99 tackles and had career-high 7 tackles for loss and tied for team lead with 2 forced fumbles in first season with Eagles.
Jalen Mills, CB (31), 6-0, 191, 2nd season, LSU
Seventh-round pick in 2016. Made key defensive play while guarding Julio Jones on fourth down to preserve 15-10 win over Falcons in divisional round.
Patrick Robinson, CB (21), 5-11, 191, 8th season, Florida State
First season with Eagles and led them with 4 interceptions in regular season. … Had spectacular 50-yard pick-6 against Vikings in NFC title game.
Ronald Darby, CB (41), 5-11, 193, 3rd season, Florida State
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