Denver Broncos: Why failure to hire Gary Kubiak could loom large
By Erik Lambert
While it came as a surprise at the name, nobody thought the failure of the Denver Broncos to hire Gary Kubiak as offensive coordinator meant much.
The divide between the two camps apparently came down to John Elway wishing the Broncos offense to take more of a modern approach. Something akin to the Sean McVay or Andy Reid-style schemes that are tearing the league up of late. Kubiak is a more old school offensive coordinator. He likes to run the football and use play action. There isn’t a ton of creativity involved. Just superior execution just like it was 20 years ago.
That sounded like an understandable decision by Elway at the time. Except the football gods always seems to have an incredible sense of humor. Barely a month after the Kubiak fallout, the newsreels were rocked when it was announced the Broncos had agreed in principle to a trade for Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco. The move itself makes some sense. Quarterback is the weak link on the Broncos roster and the Case Keenum experiment was a failure.
Flacco gives them a proven veteran presence with a Super Bowl ring who understands how to play the game management style of game. There’s only one issue. Denver let the ideal coordinator for him slip away.
Breaking: Baltimore has agreement in principle to trade former Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco to the Broncos, league sources told ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 13, 2019
Trade cannot be processed until new NFL league year begins Wednesday, March 13. Teams prohibited from commenting on deal or terms surrounding it.
Gary Kubiak got the best season Joe Flacco ever had in the NFL
A lot of people might not remember because it happened so fast, but Kubiak was the offensive coordinator for the Ravens back in 2014. It turned out to be a dream come true for Flacco who ended up having by far the best statistical season of his career. He threw for 3,986 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in the regular season. Then in the playoffs across two games he threw another six touchdowns to two interceptions.
It was clear he loved playing in Kubiak’s system and must’ve been bitterly disappointed when Denver hired him away the next year to become their head coach. Oh the irony. The next year Flacco regressed in a big way, throwing for just 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while missing six games with an injury. He’s never really been the same since Kubiak left. Now here it is, a prime opportunity to reunite after five years and the Broncos completely dropped the ball. Pun intended.