Hey Guys,

This post is probably overkill, but I thought I would do some research on the first 3 candidates that the Broncos have reached out too: Raheem Morris, Bob Stoops and Steve Spagnola. Check out the info below that I got from WICKPEDIA (sick site by the way) and lets get some discussion happeneing:

Raheem Morris (born September 3, 1976) is the current defensive backs coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Morris is currently in his second stint with the Bucs after spending a season at Kansas State University as defensive coordinator. At the end of the season he will take over from Monte Kiffin as the defensive coordinator for the Bucaneers.[1]

Morris began his collegiate coaching career as a graduate assistant coach at Hofstra University in 1998, where he was responsible for coaching the offensive scout team, developing scouting reports and handling video breakdown and computer input and analysis. In 1999 he was hired by Cornell University as their defensive backs coach and special teams assistant. After 1999 he went back to Hofstra to be defensive back coach. Also in 2001 he spent time as defensive minority internship with the New York Jets

Before the 2002 season he was hired by the Bucs to become their defensive quality control coach, where he helped them have the top-ranked defense and win the franchise’s first everSuper Bowl, beating the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII. In 2003 he became a defensive assistant. From 2004-2005 he was hired as the assistant defensive backs coach. After 2005 he went to Kansas State to be their defensive coordinator. Before the 2007 season he returned to the Bucs to be their defensive backs coach replacing Greg Burns. During his four seasons in Tampa Bay, the Bucs have finished ranked in the top five in the NFL in total defense every year, including No. 1 rankings in 2002 and 2005. Additionally, the defense finished as the top-ranked pass defense on two occasions (2002 and 2004) and never ranked lower than sixth while Morris was on the staff. In December of 2008, it was announced that Morris would take over as defensive coordinator for the Buccaneers for the 2009 season after Monte Kiffin announced that he would be leaving the team to join his son, Lane Kiffin, atTennessee.

Morris spent only one season with the Kansas State Wildcats (2006). He helped improve the defense in several statistical categories including total defense, scoring defense and pass defense.

BOB STOOPS:

After graduating with his marketing degree in 1983, Stoops began his coaching career as a volunteer firefighter and graduate assistant in theIowa Hawkeyes program under Hayden Fry. He was an assistant at Kent State University in 1988, and joined Kansas State University the following year. Stoops was named co-defensive coordinator at Kansas State under Bill Snyder in 1991 and assistant head coach and co-defensive coordinator in 1995. During his tenure on the Wildcats staff, Stoops played a key role in their impressive turnaround, helping take what many considered to be the worst program in Division 1-A to national contention. During his final four seasons there, KSU was 35-12 with three bowl appearances.

He then left for the University of Florida, and landed a three-year stint as Steve Spurrier’s defensive coordinator. Hired after Florida gave up 62 points to Nebraska in the 1995 Fiesta Bowl,[9] he was given carte blanche over the Gators defense and was part of the Gators' national championship win over Florida State in the 1996 Sugar Bowl.[10]

It was with the Gators that the spotlight found Stoops and made him one of the hottest coaching names in the profession. Stoops' success at Kansas State and Florida launched him to the top of the list of assistant coaches primed for head coaching positions in 1999.

[edit]University of Oklahoma

The University of Oklahoma named Stoops their head coach in 1999. Stoops quickly turned the program around, winning seven games and taking the Sooners to their first bowl game in four years.

Now in his tenth year as head coach of the Sooners, Stoops has a combined record of 109–23–0, the most wins by any Division 1-Football Bowl Subdivision school and the best record of any BCS school during that stretch. Along with Bennie Owen, Bud Wilkinson, and Barry Switzer, he is one of four coaches to win over 100 games at the University of Oklahoma. No other college football program has more than 3 coaches to accomplish such a feat.

He led the Sooners to the 2000 BCS National Championship and finished the season undefeated, outscoring 13 opponents by a combined 481-194. His Oklahoma teams again earned the opportunity to play in the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in 2003 and 2004, losing to LSU 21–14 in the 2004 Sugar Bowl, and to USC 55–19 in the 2005 Orange Bowl. Stoops, however, has led his team to eight straight bowl games, five of which were BCS Bowls, including the Big 12's first Rose Bowl victory as the Sooners upended Washington State 34–14 in Pasadena on New Years Day 2003. Stoops penchant for winning the big games early in his career earned him the nickname "Big Game Bob", however his record in the past 4 BCS games (2004 Sugar Bowl - losing to eventual National Champ #1 LSU, 2005 Orange Bowl - losing to eventual National Champ #1USC, 2007 Fiesta Bowl, losing to undefeated, 13-0, #6 Boise State, and 2008 Fiesta Bowl, losing to Big East Champ, 11-2, #6 West Virginia) is 0–4.[11] Under Stoops, the Sooners have won six Big 12 Conference Championships, the most of any Big 12 team. Oklahoma is also the only team to win back-to-back-to-back Big 12 Championships. In his ten years as head coach, Stoops is 6-4 against the Texas Longhorns, which includes a 5 game winning streak from 2000-2004, in which his Sooners handed the Longhorns two of their worst defeats in school history, 63–14 and 65–13 respectively (2000, 2003). Since 2005, the Sooners have lost three of the last four meetings with the Longhorns (2005, 2006, 2008).

On July 11, 2007, Oklahoma was placed on probation for two years by the NCAA for a rules violation involving QB Rhett Bomar and OL JD Quinn, who the University had previously suspended from the team due to the players' efforts to obtain payment for hours not worked. While the students who violated the rules were reinstated by the NCAA and allowed to play for other schools, the University, which had self-reported the violations, was initially directed to vacate all wins during the 2005-2006 season, which included a 17-14 win over the University of Oregon in the Holiday Bowl. [12] Oklahoma appealed the NCAA's ruling of a "failure to monitor" the employment of players in the program, as well as a reduction in scholarships and probation lasting until May, 2010. [13] On February 22, 2008, the NCAA reversed part of the decision and reinstated the vacated wins. [14]

Stoops' performance at Oklahoma has made him the frequent subject of head coach searches by several NFL teams as well as other college programs, which he has repeatedly turned away. He was reportedly the top-paid coach in Division 1-A football with annual compensation in excess of $3 million until Nick Saban was signed by the University of Alabama for $4 million per year beginning in 2007. However, Stoops will receive a "longevity bonus" of $3,000,000 at the end of the 2008 season (his 10th), making his annual salary in 2008 approx. $6,100,000.00, not including potential bonuses of up to $745,000. In his short career at Oklahoma, several of Stoops' assistants have become head coaches at other Division 1-A programs, including brother Mike Stoops (Arizona), Mark Mangino (Kansas), Mike Leach (Texas Tech), Chuck Long (San Diego State), Bo Pelini (Nebraska) and Kevin Sumlin (Houston).

STEVE SPAGNOLA:

Steve Julio Spagnuolo[1](born December 21, 1959 in Whitinsville, Massachusetts) is the current defensive coordinator for the New York Giants. He was named coordinator January 2007, following 8 years under defensive coordinator Jim Johnson's Philadelphia Eagles staff. After his Super Bowl XLII victory Spagnuolo was considered for the head coach of the Washington Redskins but remained with the Giants with a 3 year contract of more than $2 million a year.

After graduating from Grafton (MA) High School, Spagnuolo played wide receiver at Springfield College, and assisted the University of Massachusetts football team while pursuing his graduate degree[2].

Spagnuolo's defense, a 4-3 base (four down linemen and three linebackers), mirrors that of Jim Johnson's in Philadelphia with a heavy emphasis on multiple blitz packages, including corner and safety blitzes, and pressuring the quarterback. In New York he often used a smaller defensive line, with three or even four defensive ends - Osi Umenyiora, Michael Strahan, Justin Tuck, Mathias Kiwanuka - to further pressure the QB. The Giants led the NFL in sacks in 2007, with 53. They sacked Tom Brady five times in Super Bowl XLII, the most times he had been sacked in any game that season.

On February 7, 2008 he took his name out of consideration for the head coaching position of the Washington Redskins, citing the fact that he didn't feel ready to be a head coach. People speculated that he did not like the fact that the coordinators were already installed, but he stated he had no problems with them. The same day, the New York Giants made Spagnuolo the highest paid defensive coordinator with a 3 year contract for 2 million dollars each year.[3]

With his signature, Spagnuolo writes "HEB 11:1". Hebrews 11:1 is a verse from the Bible, and it says: "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." He did not realize that the verse's number was the Giants' road record, which actually set the record for most consecutive road wins, until a fan pointed it out to him.[citation needed]

Spagnuolo's name has recently come up as a replacement for Rod Marinelli in Detroit, Romeo Crennel in Cleveland, Eric Mangini inNew York, and Mike Shanahan in Denver[4].

Obviously, all 3 of these guys have impressive resumes, but among them I am REALLY intrigued by RAHEEM MORRIS, and would like to see the Denver Broncos SERIOUSLY consider him.

During the season, we all saw how, when the youth of our team got together and played, we looked like an enthusiastic team that played with a chip on its shoulder. Vets came back in, we looked flat and lifeless. There is something in that!

We already know that the Broncos are high on Jeremy Bates, and I would like to see us make him OC. Bates worked with Morris in Tampa and they are similar in age. They have worked together and are aggressive, young, enthusiastic coaches that bring attitude to the team.

The greatest thing we are missing is ATTITUDE....PLAYING WITH A CHIP and these 2 guys bring this.

If we can bring in Morris, and then bring in a guy like Marinelli as DC (and as an old hard head and teacher) we would have a GREAT staff.

Match this with a GM like a Pioli and we would have a great team, especially with the Goodman's and Xander.

A young team would fare really well with young talented coaches.

Gruden recommends him highly, and he is compared closely to Tomilin.

This would be a great fit for a young team, and I like that he brings a Tampa 2 background with him, which is a good fit for our team as well.

Anyway, what are your thoughts?

Peace.