The Denver Broncos are starting a revolution.
In a world where privacy means lying about your real birthday on facebook, the Broncos are posting numerous "Coaching Search" videos on their website. Never before has an organization been this open about their business. In fact, when I think back to the last coaching search that we endured in 2009, there was little to no information about what was going on behind closed doors.
We knew that certain coaches were getting interviews. We could also read biographies about each candidate on the internet and judge for ourselves who should be hired if we were in charge. But beyond that, the fans were left pretty much in the dark.
Then came John Elway...
When asked about Tim Tebow in his introductory press conference, he said what he felt. No coach speak, scams, cons, hustles, hoodwinks, or lies, either. He spoke with sincerity and excitement.
The openness didn't end there. John Elway created a twitter account which can be found here. Using the aforementioned twitter account, he posted tweets such as...
Meeting with Rick Dennison and Dirk Koetter later today. We’ve got our questions, but what’s the one thing you’d ask?
John Elway
johnelway
Not only do we have one of the instrumental characters in the coaching search asking fans for questions to use during the interview, but the Denver Broncos are allowing cameras into the interviews, as well. The videos can be found at denverbroncos.com. For many, the videos on the Broncos website may have been the first time they ever heard Perry Fewell or Dirk Koetter speak. That holds true for me, anyways.
The amount of access Broncos fans have into this coaching search is unparalleled. You couldn't have gotten this amount of information 10 years ago, 5 years ago.... and honestly, you probably couldn't have gotten this information last year.
Just a few years ago, you'd have to be glued to a television screen or computer around the clock to ensure that you'd be getting up to the second information. Even then, if you didn't know the proper channel or website, your information could be slightly delayed. Now, as long as you are within some sort of proximity to civilization - enough to receive cell phone service - you can receive tweets to your phone.
Twitter is how sports news is broken, nowadays. The last few years, everyone in the news world was a step behind Adam Schefter. The reason? He has been an avid tweeter for years. I'll never forget the NFL Network behind the scenes video of the draft where Schefter was staring at his phone like it was the only thing keeping him alive. He did that because news on twitter is ahead of the game. nine times out of ten. Seeing Adam Schefter play the twitter game like a pro is the reason why I joined twitter. I wanted sources, too. I wanted to be announce draft picks before anyone else in the room knew what was going on. Nowadays, I can do exactly that. The rest of the world is starting to catch up to Adam Schefter.
Can this type of social media openness hurt the Broncos? It's possible. There's an ever-present danger of overexposure, especially in a business where playbooks and film are protected with a Smithsonian-like persistence. Constant exposure could also eliminate a few coaching candidates who aren't willing to have a camera in their face all the time. With that said, I doubt the Broncos would have hired a Bill Belichick-esque coach who likes to sweep things under the rug, anyways. It burned the Broncos once, already, and we're unlikely to go down that path again...
The pros far outweigh the cons, in this case. For a franchise that has struggled over the past few years, giving the fans more access shows that Elway gets it. He understands that the fans make the game possible and ever since he stepped in the door, the excitement level has gone up. It's hard to follow a 4 win franchise but with the added transparency in recent weeks, it becomes a bit easier.
Before we conclude, I want to share with you a few twitter links that I have found to be particularly helpful. Make sure that you follow @johnelway on Twitter. His tweets are gold, right now. Follow the team page, @denver_broncos and Broncos Vice President of Corporate Communication, @broncos-sacco. The team page will give you breaking news for things like the Josh McDaniels' firing or player acquisitions. Follow @psmyth12, the executive director of media relations. Patrick posts extremely valuable statistics and in-game notes.
And obviously, follow @MileHighReport.
The rest of the MHR Staff on twitter can be found here: