More often than not, the NFL coaching ranks is a fraternity of recognizable names that teams seek out when searching to fill a coaching void.

One must remember, though, that any recognizable name had to appear from a point of obscurity at one juncture. Many times in many walks of life, the diamond in the rough may be sitting right underneath your nose, covered in a degree of obscurity.

All too often, recognizable names are a higher risk to move on to higher positions with some success, and for the Broncos, a one-year band-aid approach will not provide much-needed stability.

"Stability" is a word I will hammer home because, for the Broncos, it cannot be minimized.

Obscurity is the case when you mention the name of Richard Smith in the same breath as defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos. Most of the talk surrounds the recognizable name of former Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio as the leading candidate for the position vacated by Dennis Allen.

First and foremost, what the Broncos are in desperate need of on the defensive side of the ball is stability in coaching. Seven defensive coordinators in seven years takes the words "excessive" and "unstable" to new heights.

All of the blame and glory of a unit falls to the coordinators, but behind them are the unit coaches you never hear about.

The linebackers of the Broncos played very well under Smith, the linebackers coach.

Of course, his good coaching was coupled with the good overall defensive scheming of Allen, but again, Smith had to do a good job with the individual player for the finished unit product to be successful.

Smith is more than qualified to be a defensive coordinator. He has four years of defensive coordinator experience with both the Houston Texans and Miami Dolphins.

Overall, he has a resume that spans 24 years as an NFL coach, and he previously coached the Broncos linebackers and special teams from 1993-1996.

Denver is already on solid ground with John Fox being a defensive-minded coach and the hiring of Smith, who has a relationship with the defense that would serve to enhance that stability while maintaining experienced quality.