Denver Broncos Head Coach Gary Kubiak Speaks at the Combine

The Denver Broncos' new head coach, Gary Kubiak, spoke to the media at the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine on Wednesday. He’s been in front of the local media since taking over about a month ago, but this was his first time in the national spotlight as the new Broncos head coach.

At the podium, Kubiak was confident and thorough with his answers. He seemed at ease as the media peppered him with questions—mostly about the status of Peyton Manning. Kubiak has plenty of experience as a head coach, and his vision of what he wants the Broncos to be will come to fruition this season.

Kubiak was asked about more than just Manning. He commented on the upcoming free agents the Broncos have, what a switch to a 3-4 defense means and the challenges of building an offensive line in the zone-blocking system.

In this article, I’ll go through Kubiak’s quotes and decipher what they mean for Broncos fans.

All quotes and injury/practice observations obtained firsthand. Record/statistical information provided via the Broncos' media department unless otherwise noted.

Contract and salary-cap information provided by Spotrac. Transaction history provided by Pro Sports Transactions. Draft grades provided by NFLDraftScout.com.

How Does Peyton Manning Fit in Kubiak's Offense?

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This has to be the No. 1 question I’m asked via social networking or by callers on my ESPN radio show in Denver. I’m sure Kubiak gets asked this question a lot too. It should come as no surprise that Kubiak’s first question at the combine was about Manning’s fit in the new offense.

“It all depends on who you have. You have a guy with that type of experience that’s been doing it for that long. Obviously you’re giving him all the freedom you can give him because he’s been so successful doing it. I think it’s down to who you’re coaching and how you’re going about running your offense.”

Kubiak is not going to be puzzled when it comes to finding a way to best use Manning. The two should be able to come together and construct an offense where both are comfortable. There might be a learning curve early on, but both coach and quarterback should work hard to make it work.

Sure, perhaps Manning won’t be allowed to audible as much. Yes, Kubiak might have to know he’s giving up a little control and bow to what Manning is seeing on the field in certain situations. This “fit” issue for Manning can be seen as a good problem to have for Denver.

Can Manning Roll Out?

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The follow-up question to the “how does Manning fit in?” inquiry is always about Manning’s ability to roll out. The Kubiak system can feature plenty of bootleg passes where the quarterback has to get away from the pocket and use misdirection to open passing lanes. Kubiak was quick with his answer.

“I think he can do anything he wants to do. You do what your players do best. it’s interesting to me—I’ve been asked over the course of the last month since I’ve been in Denver about the bootleg and those types of things. We had [QB] Joe [Flacco] in Baltimore last year, and I think we booted maybe 25 times in the season.”

According to the ESPN database I have access to (employees only), Manning had the third-highest number (514) of passing attempts out of the shotgun or pistol in 2015. Flacco ranked 29th in that category with only 215 passing attempts. The biggest question isn’t about whether Manning can roll out; it should be about the amount of shotgun/pistol that is going to be implemented in 2015.

Kubiak continued, “You do what you players do best. We’re going to run the Denver Broncos offense. That’s a big challenge for me right now—meshing things together and getting ready to go do the things that Peyton does so well and has for many years.”

Is Manning a perfect fit for Kubiak’s system? No. Is this going to be a big problem for Denver? No.

Lessons Learned in Baltimore

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Kubiak was the offensive coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens last season. He helped guide Joe Flacco and Company to the playoffs, where they lost in the divisional round to the New England Patriots in one of the best playoff games I’ve ever seen. Kubiak learned a lot during his lone season with the Ravens.

“I took a lot of things. I don’t think there was one thing. First off, I went there because I knew what the organization stood for.”

Kubiak’s praise continued, “I knew what [Ravens head coach] John [Harbaugh] stood for. There are tremendous expectations there, and that’s what I wanted to be a part of. I just think the job they do as an organization—everybody is on the same page working together.

“I think [Ravens general manager and executive vice president] Ozzie [Newsome] was tremendous. For me to watch him in the draft, and [Ravens assistant general manager] Eric DeCosta, that was very beneficial for me.”

The Ravens' season didn’t start out the way they wanted, but they worked through the adversity.

“The team went through a tough situation early in the season. For me as a head coach, watching them deal with that situation and bring the football team out of it in a very positive way was very beneficial. Football-wise, they have a very experienced staff—[Ravens defensive coordinator] Dean Pees and some of the coaching I got to work with. There are just so many things, but the bottom line, watching a successful organization go about it every day, one that’s been there each and every year, I take a lot of that with me.”

It’s all about experience, and Kubiak has seen most everything a defense can throw at his team. These lessons will come in handy when he’s crafting game plans for the Broncos in 2015.

Denver's Pending Free Agents

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When asked about the pending free agents the Broncos have, Kubiak was very positive with his response. The Broncos have to make a decision on each of their 13 unrestricted free agents before the new league year begins.

“We’ve got a few obviously. The key in this business is holding your football team together and getting better at the same time. We’ve got some key free agents. [executive vice president of football operations/general manager] John [Elway] has done a great job with that in Denver. I’ll leave that to him.”

Kubiak finished emphatically with this statement: “I know we’re going to do everything we can to hang on to our players, but at the same time you have to put yourself in position through free agency and the offseason to get better as a football team. John’s track record has proven he’s doing a great job of that, so I’ll leave that to him. We would like to hang on to everybody. We want to keep the team intact as best we can.”

The 2014 Broncos were arguably the best incarnation the team has had since Peyton Manning arrived in 2012. They fell short, losing in the divisional round to the Indianapolis Colts, and time is running out.

I understand that Kubiak is being positive here—and that’s a good thing. However, there are some free agents the Broncos just need to move on from. This team can bring back most of the pieces, but there are a few spots (offensive line in particular) that need big upgrades.

The Broncos weren’t good enough in 2014—they need to be better this season.

The Process of Manning's Decision

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It’s not official yet, but most expect Peyton Manning to return for another season with the Broncos in 2015. At this time, Manning and general manager John Elway are talking through some things. Kubiak talked plenty about that process at the podium.

“I don’t think there have been any assurances or anything. It’s been about a process that he and John [Elway] have been working through during the course of the last month. When I came in—I think it will be a month tomorrow that I’ve been in town—I knew all along that Peyton was going to take some time away.”

Kubiak emphasized, “John obviously has a lot of things to do. He’s helping me put together a coaching staff and those types of things. So I think the process has worked the way that John and Peyton intended it to work. I’ve had the chance to visit with him quite often here in the last couple of weeks, and it’s been very good.”

“He’s very positive in his talking to me; he was very positive with John when he came to town last week.” Kubiak summarized, “So we continue to move forward, and I’ll let him and John work that out.”

There’s no rush here, although it’s understandable why some in Broncos country are getting impatient. According to Mike Klis, from The Denver Post, Manning is still undecided about whether he wants to keep playing.

The team wants him back, and Kubiak made that clear.

“No doubt I want him to be [the Broncos QB]. I think all indications are that [through] everything he said and through his conversations with John he feels good. He’s had his self-assessment or however you want to label that, and he feels good about moving forward. We’ll just continue with the process.”

Changing to a 3-4 Defense in 2015

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One of the biggest changes the Broncos made this offseason was moving to a 3-4 defense under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. On the surface, this seems like a big move that will require plenty of personnel changes. Kubiak doesn’t think the change is as big as some think because of the style of 4-3 defense ran by former defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio.

“I think a 4-3 team that plays an under front, I mean, that’s no different than playing the 3-4. So I think there are a lot of similarities right there. But obviously through my conversations, my dealing with [defensive coordinator] Wade [Phillips], some of the personnel we think that fits very much with what Wade wants to do, with [LB] Von [Miller] having the ability to play on the edge as well as play some off the ball.”

Kubiak continued, “So we just think it’s an easy transition with him and [LB DeMarcus] Ware and where we want to go. I don’t think it’s that big of a change, really, because of the under front.”

Yes, the Broncos need to find a nose tackle for the defense, but this new scheme isn’t going to require a major overhaul on the defensive side of the ball. If the team can find a way to re-sign defensive tackle Terrance Knighton and free safety Rahim Moore—and perhaps add another linebacker in free agency, then the Broncos will be good to go for 2015.

Broncos Offensive Line in a Zone-Blocking System

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The Broncos need to find three new starters on the offensive line this offseason. The positions of need are at right tackle, left guard and center. It’s not just about finding bodies. The Broncos are moving to a zone-blocking system, so they’ll need athletic, agile offensive linemen who can regularly be sticky blockers at the second level of the defense.

Kubiak believes there are already players on the team who fit the new system. Two of those players include left tackle Ryan Clady and right guard Louis Vasquez. Both could finish as All-Pro players in 2015 under Kubiak.

“They’ll definitely fit. That’s not an issue. There’s a lot of movement. The biggest thing I can see, there was a lot of movement because of some injuries to guys having to move outside, those types of things. And there are some good young players in the building that I know that John and his staff think very highly of.”

Kubiak emphasized, “So we’ve got to get our hands on them and see what we have, but I think being good offensive and defensively always starts up front. So I think we’ve got some work to do, and hopefully we get it settled down a little bit with some of the movement that took place because of the injury situation.”

At center, we could see the team make a move to re-sign center Will Montgomery. He started about half the season in 2014 after taking over for an ineffective Manny Ramirez. Montgomery played well, and he has previous experience working in a zone-blocking system.

At left guard, the team may be considering a free agent like Mike Iupati of the San Francisco 49ers. If the Broncos don’t nab a free agent like Iupati, then they’ll turn their attention to the draft. This isn’t a fantastic class of guards, so perhaps Denver could look somewhere around the second or third round for help at the position.

At right tackle, a free agent like Doug Free of the Dallas Cowboys makes a lot of sense. He’s a good right tackle with experience in the zone-blocking scheme. If free agency isn’t the way they go, then the Broncos might draft a tackle in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft. Players like Ereck Flowers (Miami, Fla.) or Ty Sambrailo (Colorado State) could be options for the Broncos.