Broncos Announce Head Coach: John Fox

To the surprise of nobody, the breaking news came in through Twitter.

Though it had roughly been an hour since the Denver Post reported that the team had trimmed their list with candidates from five to three, on Thursday afternoon John Elway tweeted that the Broncos had officially agreed to terms with former Panthers head coach John Fox to become the 14th head coach in Broncos history.

Elway stated on Twitter: ""Coach Fox is a great fit for us not only with his coaching ability but also with his personality. He's a dynamic and proven leader. He's coached great defenses, turned teams around and been to Super Bowls. We couldn't be more excited to have him lead our football team."

After the first round of interviews concluded on Wednesday, many members of the media speculated that Rick Dennison looked to be the front runner for the job. It was thus surprising that the team announced the signing yesterday, without conducting a second round of interviews with their favorite candidates.

When Fox became the Panthers head coach in 2001, the team just came off an abysmal 1-15 season. Two years later, the Panthers appeared in the Super Bowl. Overall, Fox recorded a 73-71 record as coach of the Carolina Panthers, which includes a 2-14 record this past season in which Fox practically knew from the beginning of the season that he would not return once the season ended.

Per Steve Reed of CarolinaGrowl.com, two coaches that could follow Fox to Denver are Panthers wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert and offensive line coach Dave Magazu. Under Magazu, the Panthers offensive line created running lanes for the first team in history to have two running backs with more than 1.100 rushing yards. He has been running a zone blocking scheme and if he would accept the position in Denver it would likely mean that the team will switch back to the scheme that it was used to running before Josh McDaniels took over in 2009.

Jason La Canfora of NFL.com and the NFL Network suggested that former Seattle Seahawks headcoach Jim Mora could be a candidate for the defensive coordinator position, and Fox might be looking to talk to Washington's Danny Smith to become the next special teams coach.

Those names, however, are pure speculation at this time. We will likely find out more about the other changes to the staff during or after the weekend.

Watch the press conference today at noon MST live on http://www.denverbroncos.com.

Around the web: Multimedia mania

The same day that Denver's new Executive Vice President of Football Operations John Elway rejoined the Broncos, he joined twitter. You can follow him, @JohnElway.

Tonight, ESPN will air 'Tim Tebow: Everything in Between' at 7 p.m. (ET). You can view a preview of the documentary by clicking here.

Choosing to focus on Atlanta's playoff game next week, Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey has informed the Denver Broncos he will not interview for their coaching opening on Friday as planned, according to a team source.

Elway responded to Mularkey's decision (via twitter) with:

"I respect the decision that Mike Mularkey has made to not interview with the Broncos at this time. And I wish Coach Mularkey and the Atlanta Falcons the best of luck in the playoffs."

Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck has opted to return for his fourth year at the university in lieu of declaring himself eligible for the 2011 NFL Draft, Stanford announced Thursday. Thus, ending all the debate in Broncos Country over whether or not the Broncos should draft him (this year).

Meanwhile, with Mularkey postponing/canceling his interview with the Broncos, Denver’s head coaching candidates seem a tad thin. At the moment, only Interim head coach Eric Studesville and New York Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell have scheduled interviews with the team.

And last but not least, here's a video that should help you get excited about the 2011 season:

Elway to Lead Broncos in Search for Next Head Coach

On Wednesday, the Denver Broncos named two-time Super Bowl champion and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway as Executive Vice President of Football Operations, and appointed Joe Ellis as team President.

The club also confirmed that General Manager Brian Xanders will stay with the team, keeping his current position. Elway will oversee the Broncos head coach and Brian Xanders while assisting in supervision of the club’s football personnel department.

Now all the Broncos are missing is a head coach. But according to Elway, that position should be filled soon as well.

Elway, Xanders, Bowlen and Ellis will interview the candidates, "and we'll come to a consensus," Elway said. "We'll get it done in the next week or two. Brian has done the research over the past 15 years and found that the difference between successful offensive and defensive hires is about 2 percent, so we're not committed one way or the other. We will hire someone who has been a coach in the league or someone who has long been associated with pro football as a coordinator or a strong coach — someone who will feel as strongly about the Broncos as we do."

As well as interviewing Eric Studesville and Mike Mularkey, the Broncos will ask permission to interview Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell (who had been an interim coach in Buffalo) and Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams regarding the team’s head coaching vacancy.

The official Press Release from the Broncos can be seen below

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The Denver Broncos on Wednesday named two-time Super Bowl champion and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway as Executive Vice President of Football Operations and appointed Joe Ellis as President, Broncos Owner and Chief Executive Officer Pat Bowlen announced.

“John Elway’s leadership, competitiveness and passion for the Denver Broncos will position this team for long-term success through his work leading our football operations,” Bowlen said. “John has won championships as both a player and executive, and his experience will be a valuable addition to this franchise. He is the perfect fit for this role, and I am excited to welcome him back to the Denver Broncos.” Bowlen added, “Having worked with Joe Ellis for 16 years, I have the utmost confidence that he is the right person to lead this entire organization as club president. The expertise he has demonstrated on both team and league initiatives will allow him to thrive with the enormous responsibilities that accompany directing a franchise that means so much to this region and its fans.”

Elway, who set numerous records with the Broncos during his 16-year playing career (1983-98) and led the Arena Football League’s Colorado Crush to a World Championship in 2005 as its co-owner/CEO, will direct the Broncos’ football operations in his new role. He will oversee the Broncos’ head coach and General Manager Brian Xanders while assisting in the supervision of the club’s football personnel department.

A Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2004 inductee, Elway will have final authority over the Broncos’ football operations and lead the club’s head coaching search. He will report directly to Bowlen and Ellis on all matters involving football operations.

During his playing career with the Broncos, Elway set an NFL record for Super Bowl appearances (5) by a starting quarterback, including back-to-back World Championships following the 1997-98 seasons. He retired with the most wins by a starting quarterback in NFL history (148-82-1, .643), 47 comeback drives (1st in NFL history), 51,475 passing yards (2nd) and 300 touchdown passes (3rd).

Elway spent the 2010 season as a consultant for the Broncos’ marketing initiatives following eight years as co-owner and chief executive officer of the AFL’s Colorado Crush (2002-09). He ran the club’s day-to-day operations beginning with its founding in June 2002, spearheading its football operations and maintaining a presence in all of its marketing and promotional activities.

Named the AFL’s Executive of the Year in 2003 and elected chairman of its executive committee in ’07, Elway also worked closely with Bowlen, who was a one-third owner, during his time with the Crush.

The Broncos’ chief operating officer for the last three years and a 16-year club employee, Ellis will operate atop the Broncos’ management structure and have ultimate responsibility for the organization as team president. His extensive responsibilities with the club’s business operations will include speaking on all matters involving the franchise.

A driving force in the creation of INVESCO Field at Mile High, Ellis also worked as Vice President of Club Administration and Stadium Management for the National Football League before returning to the Broncos for his second stint with the team in 1998.

Three Silver Linings

The Denver Broncos have fallen to 4-12 after a heart-breaking 33-28 loss to the San Diego Chargers, capping off a dismal season.

Fortunately, there are some silver linings;

First off, Denver is set to receive the 2nd overall draft draft pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Needing a lot of help on the defensive side of the ball, 2nd overall appears to be Da'Quan Bowers zone. Bowers, a Junior defensive end out of Clemson University, stands 6-4 and weighs in at 275 pounds, and his tenacious pass rushing ability would make him a great addition to the Broncos defense. If Denver decides to not draft Bowers--or anyone 2nd overall--they have the option to trade down and acquire more picks, so it'll be a win-win situation for the Broncos next April.

Secondly, former Bronco great John Elway will be returning to the team in 2011, as Vice President of Football Operations. Some have noted that while Elway was a fantastic player on the field, he may not be such a great front office addition. It also needs to be noted however that the Colorado Crush -- under John Elway -- won a Championship in the Arena Football League, proving Elway not only has the intelligence and competitiveness to succeed, but the upstairs decision-making smarts as well. His coming back to the Broncos will excite the fans and re-energize the whole organization.

Thirdly, Denver will have some very talented players -- on offense and defense -- returning next season. Wide receiver Brandon Lloyd finishes 2010 with 77 catches for 11 touchdowns and 1,448 yards, making him the first Bronco receiver Ever to lead the League in reception yards in a single season. The 29-year old receiver has two years remaining on his contract and should remain in Denver making acrobatic catches for a long time. The man delivering those throws to Lloyd will most likely be quarterback Tim Tebow, whose potential is off the charts. Playing in seven games in 2010 (starting three) Tebow threw for 5 touchdowns, 3 interceptions and 654 yards while adding 227 rushing yards and 6 rushing touchdowns. Joining Lloyd as targets for Tebow, Jabar Gaffney, Eddie Royal, Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker all will remain with the Broncos for the 2011 season (unless Denver's next head coach deals them away in a trade). In the backfield, running back Knowshon Moreno will be entering his 3rd season in the NFL. Although he's been critized for being injury prone (rightfully so) he has majorly contributed to Denver's offense. Over the past two seasons, Knowshon's recorded over 2,300 yards from scrimmage and scored 17 touchdowns, ranking 2nd in touchdowns scored among players who entered the league in 2009. Protecting Tebow will be Pro Bowl Left Tackle Ryan Clady, underrated Guard Chris Kuper, fellow Guard and praised rookie Zane Beadles, a more experienced center in J.D. Walton and a solid Right Tackle in Ryan Harris.

On the defensive side of the ball, there's not as much to be excited about, as the whole defense will most likely go through a rebuilding period. With that said however, there are some stud defensive players that will return to the team. The NFL's 2009 sack king, outside linebacker Elvis Dumvervil will be back, inside linebacker Joe Mays, who former Bronco John Lynch says will become a huge linebacker in the NFL, will be back, playing-making defensive end Kevin Vickerson (who recorded 42 tackles, 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception in 11 starts) should be returning, and up-and-rising linebackers Mario Haggan and Wesley Woodyard (two underrated players who combined for 6 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in 2010) will most likely return.

So while 2010 was a season we all would like to forget, there's plenty of reasons to look forward to in the 2011 season and beyond.