With NFL training camps starting nationwide this week, it’s a good time to reflect on the past while looking forward to the future.
This week’s series has to do with coaches and systems. Today’s article focuses on the way the Denver Broncos have implemented change since becoming a successful franchise back in the mid 1970’s. Articles coming later in the week focus on the nuts and bolts of change.
Training camp at the NFL level brings an old adage every year.
Out with the old, and in with the new.
This year in Denver has been an intriguing one for the new regime, so it’s time for a retrospective prior to moving forward.
Gone is the one figure that survived in Denver football since 1995. Mike Shanahan, and his seemingly can’t miss personality.
The only coach to have brought a pair of Super Bowl Championships to Denver is now a part of Broncos legend and lore as he was let go immediately following the teams last game in San Diego.
The thing that coaches in general are well known for are the systems they implement that become part of their identity and legacy. Looking back can occasionally help one's perspective moving forward.
In Denver, going back to the John Ralston era, the evolution of the first successful system was never fully developed before a regime change was in order. Ralston was better known as a master at the draft than he ever was as a head coach.
He pulled the trigger on assembling the Orange Crush defense before they had their identity. Players like Randy Gradishar, Bill Thompson, Louis Wright, Bob Swenson, Joe Rizzo, Tom Jackson, Lyle Alzado, and Rubin Carter among many others were assembled long before the memorable 1977 season began.
Ralston was replaced after a number of players requested a change at the top. His replacement made his presence known immediately.
Robert “Red” Miller was hired as the head master in Denver primarily for his system. Red brought a more methodical approach on offense, though very conservative even for that era of NFL football, and the attitude that the defense would set the offense up for success.
As it turned out Miller was correct in his approach, as the defense caused a league leading number of turnovers and offense scored just enough points most games to win. The Broncos finished the regular season 12-2, 14-3 after the Super Bowl. By far this was the greatest season the Broncos had ever seen in their history.
The years following the first Broncos Super Bowl run were challenging however, as teams started to challenge the Broncos offense and defense in more dynamic ways. Injuries to the aging defense over the course of a number of seasons led to the end of Millers time at the helm.
The Broncos had a new young owner in Edgar Kaiser when he decided to clean house and bring in Dan Reeves as the new head coach in 1981. Reeves was brought on board because of his time as a player and coach with the Dallas Cowboys. His knowledge of one of the most successful systems in football was paramount to his being hired to get the Broncos back on track.
The Broncos had become an 8-8 football team at the end of Red Miller's time in Denver. While the Broncos had higher expectations, they had an aging quarterback in Craig Morton and an unproven Steve DeBerg and Mark Herman working to become the QB of the future.
That is until the 1983 season when John Elway was traded to Denver for Mark Herman, Chris Hinton (the Broncos number one draft pick) and a first rounder that later became Colts OG Ron Solt.
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