Josh McDaniels Fired: Denver Broncos Fire Coach Following 3-9 Start

ESPN is reporting that the Denver Broncos have decided to fire second-year head coach Josh McDaniels, just a day after the Broncos lost in sloppy fashion to the Kansas City Chiefs, 10-6.

Once considered one of the rising stars of the football coaching profession while an assistant under Bill Belichick in New England, McDaniels, at the tender age of 34, is now without a job.

McDaniels' short stint in Denver began with a deserved mix of criticism and fanfare, as the Broncos won their first six games with him at helm after McDaniels' first training camp was plagued by controversy involving quarterback Jay Cutler and star wide receiver Brandon Marshall.

After starting his NFL head coaching career a perfect 6-0, McDaniels finished his tenure in Denver with only five more wins in 22 games.

Off the field, the McDaniels regime has been plagued by controversy, from trading away productive players like Cutler, Marshall and running back Peyton Hillis, to refusing to start former college star and first round pick Tim Tebow, to having a member of his staff videotape San Francisco 49ers' practices—clearly in violation of NFL rules.

Broncos owner Pat Bowlen made the move just a week after weakly endorsing McDaniels as the coach for 2011. Mcdaniels had two years and seven million dollars remaining on his contract.

As such, McDaniels will be one of two coaches the Broncos will be paying not to work for them, Mike Shanahan being the other.

Aside from his front office blunders, McDaniels has been widely criticized for lacking control over his players and being overly emotional on the sidelines.