Denver Broncos Coaching Vacancy: 8 Possible Candidates

Denver Broncos want ad:

Wanted:  Ambitious self-starter who would not mind cleaning up a total mess of an NFL football franchise. Need strong leadership qualities and the ability to communicate and motivate highly-paid employees. Prefer candidate with NFL coaching experience, preferably Super Bowl appearances. Former/current television commentators urged to apply.

Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's take a look at who may or may not be on the Broncos' radar:

Jon Gruden:  Chucky is on everyone's radar. But right now he's on everyone's televison set on the Monday Night football crew. He's been linked to every job that comes open and might be the next coach of the Dallas Cowboys. His son, Deuce, may have spilled beans of some sort. His dad may be targeting a return in 2012, that's when Deuce will finish high school. He was in a podcast on something called "Sporting Rave" and said his dad will "let me finish high school" then talk about coaching the 49ers "or maybe Cleveland" in 2012.

Gruden was recently linked to the University of Miami but had no serious interest in the job. He still on the Tampa Bay Buccaneer payroll.

Bill Cowher: Sounds like a roundup of the usual suspects, doesn't it?  Cowher remains a popular name whenever there's a vacancy.  When he decides to throw his hat in the ring somewhere, it won't take him long to find a new NFL home.

Troy Calhoun: The current head coach of the Air Force Academy was linked to the Colorado job but wasn't interested. He was a former assistant in Denver. An interesting possibility.

Leslie Frazier: The current interim coach in Minnesota will get some looks around the league. Until that "interim" tag is removed, he's in the picture.

Raheem Morris: Wow, did Denver let him get away. He interviewed for the job before McDaniels was hired. When Tampa Bay ownership heard about it, they soon after fired Gruden and hired Morris, who has been a bit hit in resurrecting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His contract hasn't been extended yet in Tampa. Great motivator, his players love him.

John Elway: Hey, why not? Lacks coaching experience but knows what it takes to put a winner together. Would probably be a pretty decent play caller as well.

Jim Harbaugh: If you're going to look at a college coach, look his way. He's done an incredible job at Stanford.

Marty Mornhinweg: The offensive coordinator of the Philadelphia Eagles may get another head coaching gig in the NFL thanks to the Eagles success.

So let the speculation begin. Denver needs a coach but it could also use some strong direction in the front office. The franchise has been slipping since Elway retired a dozen years ago. The Broncos need better direction and their loyal fan base deserves a contender.