"I have great respect for Mike and wish him success in the future," Head Coach Josh McDaniels said.
That was it. That was the press release from the Broncos late this afternoon regarding the departure of Mike Nolan. This is a shock, at least to me, and in a lot of ways puts the Broncos back at square one from a defensive standpoint. Sure, they will likely keep the 3-4, but Nolan had the unit playing hard, playing together. Now it will fall on someone else.
I am hoping this doesn't have something to do with former Patriots DC Dean Pees resigning last week. Some reports were that Pees was fired, but he stated he left on his own accord.
Now, just to add something to the mix is a bit from Nolan's past. He was previously a DC for the Redskins, Jets, Giants and Ravens - all teams in the East. Yes, he was a coach for the Broncos way back when, and he took the 49ers HC position, but with 3 DC jobs currently open - Buffalo (HC, too), Chicago and Miami (Dolphins run a 3-4), could Nolan simply WANT to head back East?? Time will tell.
As for placing blame solely on Josh McDaniels, if he WAS looking to fire Mike Nolan, why wouldn't he do this last week when Romeo Crennel was available? Why wait until a Division Rival (Kansas City) picked him up. No, I think this was Nolan's decision and I think he wants to head back East. Just my opinion.
More to come...