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Published on 01/11/2009 at Sun Jan 11 22:31.
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Who Will McDaniels Hire as Broncos’ Defensive Coordinator?

Posted Sun Jan 11th by

Josh McDaniels has been hired as the next Head Coach of the Denver Broncos. (AP Photo)

Josh McDaniels has been hired as the next Head Coach of the Denver Broncos. (AP Photo)

As news of the Broncos hiring Josh McDaniels as Head Coach continues to hit the streets late Sunday night, one thing is still uncertain – who will be the team’s next defensive coordinator?

In the few hours following the news breaking, three separate reports state that McDaniels will hire three different coaches as defensive coordinator.

Adam Schefter of NFL.com reports that former 49ers Head Coach Mike Nolan has locked up the gig. Nolan spent 1987-1992 with the Broncos as linebackers coach before serving as defensive coordinator for several teams.

Meanwhile, the Rocky Mountain News reports that two Broncos players have been told that former Texans and Panthers Head Coach Dom Capers will be the new DC. The Denver Post confirms that Capers will receive “strong consideration” for the position.

Earlier, ESPN reported that Philadelphia Eagles secondary coach Sean McDermott was McDaniels’ guy, but has since removed any references of him (here’s PFT’s story).

Who to believe? When in doubt, trust Schefter, although the RMN’s sources are obviously convincing. Nolan had a lot of success as Ravens defensive coordinator before struggling as Head Coach in San Francisco. Either way, we won’t know for sure until tomorrow or Tuesday – the McDaniels hiring still isn’t even confirmed by the Broncos themselves! Expect a news conference soon and some answers to go along with it.

It’s the Dawn of a New Era, Broncos fans. The McBroncos Era.

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  • http://birty.blogspot.com mikebirty

    a switch to 3-4 ends next season before it begins and we’ll spend two offseasons looking for NTs.

    All 4 of the teams in the conference championships run 4-3. And 7 of 8 teams in the divisional games have a 4 man front. As kyle sort of said, the broncos defense just needs the talent to run 4-3.

    But irrespective of what scheme is used money needs to be spent on upgrading defensive tackle, middle linebacker and safety. They either come in through free agency or the draft. Personally i think the new DC and front office have a pretty simple job – just get better players!

  • Gymshoe

    Wow–the price one pays when they fall asleep during 60 Minutes! Wake up and the world changed.

    This is exciting–No matter who Mr. Bowlen picked, these boards would be hoping with pros and cons. Mac was not my first choice, but I am tasting the Kool-Aid now, and it ain’t bad. Sounds like a guy that is used to winning football. Good, so am I–lets get started.

    If the Dolphins can improve 10 games…if the Cardinals can make the NFC Championship game, if the Rai_ers, nevermind, screw the Rai_ers, but if these things can happen “overnight”, then the Broncos D can be fixed as well for 09, and any of the three listed bring improvemetnt to the team. But most of the improvement now will be found during this springs grocery shopping…give any of these guys the talent, and they can coach it up.

    I have no reason not to trust that Mr. Bowlen is doing everything he can to win, and I look forward to supporting this team.

  • kylpama3

    pittsburg and baltimore are running 3-4’s not 4-3’s. i personally don’t care what we run as long as i don’t see the cb’s 10 yards off the receivers and giving up 3 and 10’s. i want to see some heart and want on the field and hopefully the new coach whoever it is can get some of that back!

  • flbronc

    i was pulling for a nolan hire on the defensive side of the ball, but i thought i heard last week on espn that he was being looked at for another dc job… anyone see that report too? i couldnt find it on their website.

    gym- he wasnt my first choice either, would prefer a defensive guy, spags morris or frazier. i think it’s still a good hire and will probably do very well for us. i would like to see the offensive staff remain somewhat intact. i like the fact that he has worked in the personnel department before coaching, and that he does have exp on the defensive side of the ball as well (both things i didnt know about him).

  • flbronc

    mikebirty- the ravens use a 3-4 (as well as a little 4-3 i think), but the steelers most certainly use a 3-4 as their base defense. i think that without a complete overhaul of defensive talent, no matter what the scheme is, next season is over before it begins. now is the time to make a drastic change if we are going to ie: cover 2 or 3-4.

  • http://birty.blogspot.com mikebirty

    ok, i was trying to do that from memory while on a tram. Still, like flbronc says, either way we need players and lots of them! Champ, DJ plus 20 new ones.

  • Niners Fan

    Hi folks, I just wanted to let you guys know the perspective I have on Nolan as a 49ers fan.

    Despite being Head Coach, don’t let it be said that the San Fran defense was anything but Nolan. He was heavily involved in defensive game planning, and dictated what schemes and formations we would run in a given game.

    I don’t think Nolan is a horrible coach, but he is a very below-average defensive mind in my opinion. His only extended run of success was with Baltimore, and there he had the benefit of overwhelming talent to make up for his tendency to run very soft/vanilla zone schemes. This is a tendency that has stuck with him his entire career, going back to the Redskins when he was chided with vanilla ice cream left for him by the teams frustrated owner after seeing his defense.

    Nolan is absolutely scared to death of giving up big plays, and thus is very big on trying to be a “bend but don’t break” defensive style. He would rather a team drive up and down the field all game at will against the soft zones than give up a big play.

    He did have some success at times in San Fran with the defense, but his scheme never really took off because of his failings on the personnel side of his job. Obviously that isn’t as big an issue for you guys since he won’t have say on the roster of the Broncos, but it should be mentioned. He got us a good CB duo in Clements and Harris (though he is aging now), but he never acquired a top-flite pass rusher in S.F. Add to that, he never put together a good space-eating defensive line, which is critical for a 3-4. Combine that with our lackluster talent at DE/OLB, and add in his vanilla schemes that have little blitzing. The result was that we never got any sort of consistent pressure on QBs while he was with the 49ers.

  • Dave Simon

    The excuse is that we don’t have the talent to run 3-4. Heck, we didn’t run a 4-3 because of lack of talent. Just put 11 out there who can cover and tackle and find a way to get some pressure on the QB!

  • Anthony33

    Could be off base here, but wouldn’t Champ Bailey have been in Washington while Nolan was the DC there? Timing seems about right.

    Perhaps he was consulted. Like a said, maybe a little off base, but think about it. Makes some sense.

  • Roy

    I disagree that we do not have the talent. We certainly need a NT, and a safety. A ILB would be great too, but we have young players that coulc make the transition. Woodyard and Larsen prooved they could be capable fill-ins and so much more. There has been talk that Woodyard could make the transition to safety, but I am not sure how well that experiment would work out.

  • kerry

    well the 3-4 defense is in and the 4-3 is out. its gonna take 2-3 years to build a great 3-4. because we definetly dont have the players for it right now. and let me dispell the rumor about ANY of our current DT’s playing NT.

    Marcus Thomas-310 pounds
    Dewayne Robertson-315 pounds
    Carlton Powell- 300 pounds

    anybody see a pattern here?? these guys are WAY too small to play NT. you can bet a NT will be drafted or signed in free agency. and because the 3-4 is gonna be employed, DOESNT mean a MLB is gonna automatically be drafted when the D-line needs to be fixed. and why is everybody talking about Nnamdi Asomugha?? the Raiders have already stated he will be franchised. and the secondary isnt even the biggest problem. the D-line is!! im betting now alot of people would love to see Terrence Cody drafted in the first round now.

  • flbronc

    espn is now reporting in its page one story that nolan is expected to be named dc.

  • http://Broncotalk Ben

    D.J. Williams will make the transition to the inside along with either Larson, Woodyard or a drafted/signed player. I definitly like the possibility of Dumerville becoming a DeMarcus Ware type player as well. I fully expect the Broncos to add some to talent to most if not all of the positions on defense. I hope we land Nolan and I hope we keep Bates, Bobby Turner, and Dennison.

  • MIAbronco

    terrence cody is a fat slob BUSTTTT

  • Stav

    Roy – Woodyard was projected as an in-the-box SS at the Combine, so its worth a shot especially since he’s one of the few Broncos who had shown the ability to wrap up and make a tackle, and he’s runs a 4.5 so he can drop back. But with the obvious switch to 3-4 there are some gaping holes that can’t be filled with one draft and free agency. I suppose Elvis is going to be one of the OLB’s and they’ll experiment with Moss on the other side (maybe not though for Moss)? Its almost a given that they need to go NT with the #12 unless they have plans of throwing cash at Haynesworth, which I’ve seen some people on the boards be against. I’m for it, they need to get nasty and he’d be an incredible foundation for the switch. If they can do that then I really think they need to go ILB (especially if Maualuga in available). Alot of speculation and “ifs” I know, but the #12 should be an up the middle defensive pick, NT or ILB if the 3-4 is on its way.

    Just throwing this out there, but now the McDaniels is HC, I think he’s going to push as much as he can to go RB with the 2nd pick if a quality one is available.

  • kerry

    i still cant believe this. WHY WOULD YOU HIRE AN OFFENSIVE MINDED GUY WHEN THERE ISNT A DAMN THING WRONG WITH THE OFFENSE?!?!?!?!? Mike Nolan is gonna be hired, and last i checked his supposed defensive 3-4 genius failed miserably in San Francisco. Bowlen just fired Mike Shanahan and what does Bowlen describe McDaniels as??….anybody?? here let me answer that.. A YOUNG MIKE SHANAHAN!! what the hell is wrong with Bowlen? we get rid of a guy to bring in a guy exactly like him. all Bowlen wanted was a buddy like he had in Shanahan. even ESPN is saying “why would you hire this guy when the defense needs to be fixed” have another drink Mr Bowlen. you are gonna need it because we are headed for Mediocrity. oh wait we already were. it will be like Shanahan never left. no wonder nobody else but me is questioning this move.

  • AKscott

    kerry, you arent the only one saying it. All night that was the theme before Nolan was named the DC. However, as many have pointed out, you never are really sure what you are gonna get when you hire a guy. Billick was a Offensive guy, and the ravens won on D, while his offense was terrible.. obviously i could go on with the contrast comparisons, but you see where im going with this.

    Really its hard to say one way or the other how this will turn out. It really boils down to the players that we get, and finding a great GM. I think right now people are happy that slowik is out, and eager to see our defense become at least reespectable.

  • http://BroncoTalk.net East

    Kerry –

    The goal of the Denver front office was to grab a great defensive minded coach at the beginning of the search. Apparently McDaniel’s impressed them so much that they couldn’t pass him up. Also, you can’t fault Nolan too much in San Fran because gave them to tools to succeed but there were other lingering problems. Nolan is a solid D-coord, much better than what we’ve had for the last 5 years. We should all be fortunate that it isn’t Dom Campers.

  • AKscott

    plus what if we are getting a young well rounded smart coach.. say for arguments sake a future belichick, or parcells.. someone that will consistently put out winners.. would you turn that down to get a guy that really only has a defensive mind?

    Obviously its all speculation as to what will happen in the future, but none (im assuming) of us here were in on the hiring process. McDaniels did serve on the Defensive staff for the Patriots for a year, maybe he has some good ideas, maybe we just hired a well rounded head coach. We werent a part of the hiring process, we dont know what ideas he has, what plan he set forth in the interview process to wow them.. at this point we just dont know.

    All we know is at this point it sounds like he’s bringing in a guy to be the DC that alot of us were hoping for before shanny was fired, and possible dom capers will be added to the staff in some capacity if you can trust the stories from last night.. thats a step in the right direction imo..

    time will tell i guess

  • Jordan C

    Hear, Hear. Hiring a head coach is not about offense vs. defense. It’s about how a guy can lead the coordinators and position coaches.

    I was also hoping for Nolan as DC from the beginning. I hope you are wrong, Niners Fan.

    What happened to all of the McDermott talk? That seemed like a “flash in the pan” conversation. Despite the reports about Nolan and Capers, has it been confirmed that the second McD will not be a Bronco?

  • Steven

    SI reported in its rumor section that Nolan is coming. He was top choice for dc in gb. They say mcdermott now being considered there

  • OC Bronco

    Kerri
    I agree hiring someone so young is suspect. Especially the comment of a “young Mike Shanahan.” However, you should know as well as anyone that just because the HC is offensive minded doesn’t mean he won’t focus on defense. Billick is a perfect example of an (supposed) offensive guru and his ravens had the #1 D in the League.
    Shanahan got fired for 2 reasons and neither of them was because he isn’t a great coach. 1-He wasn’t motivating the team and getting the effort and results we needed and 2-He had too much power and wouldn’t bring in the right defensive coordinator and made poor defensive draft and free agency choices.
    I love our offense and want to see Cutler mature (he needs to big time for us to win consistently) but we all know Defense wins championships. Mike Nolan is a proven successful Defense Coordinator and certainly has more experience than McDaniel and hopefully some of that will rub off.

  • Bucky

    hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Happy that Kerry hates this move, oh joy, shouts of delight!!!!! This descision could not have gone better, not only did we get what is probably the best guy out there, but Kerry hates him!!!! WOOOOOHOOOOOO!!:-)

  • JP

    There is an article on Boston Herald speculating we are getting BOTH Mike Nolan AND Dom Capers coming aboard. That would be someting special.

  • BroncoinVA9986

    I think SCOTT pioli is still avaliable as GM

  • BroncoinVA9986

    People need to remember when you say a certain coach sucks it just normally isn’t true you need to remember that these are PRO coaches….I understand that Norv Turner sucks and is the exception to the Rule. Certain coaches fit in at certain places. McDaniels might be the fit Denver needs with the help of a D coordinatoor. we will not know if this is a bad hire until we see his body of work next season on the field. This team needs a face lift I wish it would have been Rex Ryan…..But lets say that Scott Pioli joins Denver as their GM. than we have a monster draft and cut the bad crap from the team. Hello people we are right at the brink of taking this division.

    Charger finished the year at 8-8 and were a very mediocore squad.
    KC 2-14 cant learn how to finish a game.

    Oakland 5-11 came on strong at the end of the year.
    Denver can take this division next year if the right moves are made……..

  • http://BroncoTalk.net East

    Pioli is probably going to Kansas

  • MikeY55

    off topic but rick dennison won’t be retained… just read an article saying he interviewd for the HC spot in san fran and it also said that he wouldn’t be back under JoMc

  • T

    Jeff Legwold, of the Rocky Mountain News, reports the Denver Broncos have already fired defensive coordinator Bob Slowik, according to several people in the league.

  • JP

    TheDenver Post has jus updated their article to state “Nolan Set to Return to Denver” and that he has accepted the position but contract details have not yet been finalized…Woohoo

  • broncoNM

    Any word on bates?

  • Gymshoe

    Just read Bates has and interview with the Rai_ers…and all coaches have been given permission to look around. Though I have grown attached to these coaches–we all know they can coach, and form a great offensive staff–I am drinking the Kool-Aid –I think Mac is a high risk/ high reward choice, and I like high rewards a lot. If he has convinced Mr. Bowlen, then he can convince me. As Mr. Bowlen said, we’ll know if he is a 10 in a year.

    The Mac Daddy (or Daddy Mac?) said he will interview coaches without predetermination, and I take him at his word. Our current offensive coaches may not like to have to interview again to keep their current jobs, tough toenails. I hope these guys cowboy up, give great interviews, and convince their new boss that they are the right guys for the job.

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