Evaluating Teams Looking for Head Coaches: Part One of Four

After the sudden, and somewhat alarming, firing of Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan, and the more expected firings of Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, and Rod Marinelli, these four teams (Denver, Cleveland, NY Jets, and Detroit, respectively) are searching for new head coaches. 

However, the head-coaching market is somewhat thin this year, and it is always hard to anticipate which coordinators will be available for interviews. This leaves us to speculate and analyze which of these teams would be the most appealing for a new head coach to sign up with.  The cases for these teams are as follows.

In this edition, we take a look at the Denver Broncos.

Offense

Early in the season, Jay Cutler and the Bronco's offense looked to be a juggernaut, with the emergence of late-round-gem receiver Eddie Royal giving Cutler a quick, speedy, versatile player. Brandon Marshall finally proved himself to be one of the best in the game at his position with a 18 catch performance in Week Two and steadied himself atop the depth chart as Cutler's top target. 

However, an inconsistent running game, and toughening schedule cooled their upstart offense down quickly. The offensive line proved to be surprisingly efficient. With the losses of several cornerstone players over the past few years, including an injury to mainstay center Tom Nalen, had people questioning the experience and chemistry of the unit. 

However, the Broncos' top pick in the draft, Ryan Clady, emerged as an apparent franchise left tackle, and Ryan Harris did the same at right tackle. This unit was clearly the most consistent part of the Broncos offense this past season.

Defense

As good as the offense was at times last year, the defense was equally as bad, and the only thing going for them was that they did this on a consistent basis. The defensive line is deep, with two years ago first-round pick Jarvis Moss as a backup. Elvis Dumervil and Ebenezer Ekuban are coming off down years, and the linebacking corps could use some young blood injected into it. 

Boss Bailey was hampered by injuries and D.J. Williams was not 100 percent the whole season. The secondary was mediocre, with the loss of cornerback Champ Bailey to injury, and tackling machine safety John Lynch was cut before the season. Dre' Bly, the teams other starting cornerback is vulnerable in man to man coverage, and has lost a step.  

Possibly the biggest disappointment on defense was the trade for Dewayne Robertson from the Jets. Robertson's large body and great strength was supposed to greatly improve their horrible run defense, but instead finished the season with just 22 tackles and two sacks.

Overall, on defense, the team could use a great deal of youth in the secondary and consistency at linebacker. The new coaching staff must figure out how to maximize the potential of a deep and talented defensive line, and they must start by finding a defensive tackle who is a run stuffer, and can stay on the field during passing downs, without getting hurt.

So far, the Broncos look to be a team that could be attractive for a new coach to come into. We'll see how they do against the other teams in parts two through four, and stay tuned for the final wrap-up part, where we decide which team is in the best position for a new coach.