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Good morning, Broncos Country!
When people list off the best coaches in the NFL, one name is overlooked.
Prior to the 2015 season, one could grasp the logic. You could at least see why they would make that case. Heck, some in Denver questioned the move to hire him as the head coach. They weren’t sure it would work. It was too safe. John Elway was just doing a solid for his former teammate and offensive coordinator.
After what happened last season for the Denver Broncos, there is no excuse.
Gary Kubiak is one of the best coaches in the NFL. He’s also the most underrated. What he did last season with an ailing Hall of Fame quarterback and, for all intents and purposes, a rookie, is one of the most impressive coaching jobs you will ever see. Adam Malnati and I talked about this subject on the latest edition of the Mile High Report Radio podcast.
The fact it was capped off by a Super Bowl win shows how special that really was. How Kubiak handled a situation that could have blown up in his face is what great coaches do. They trust their instincts and don’t think twice.
Often times coaches have a knack to overthink what they do. They don’t trust themselves - either because of the stress of the job or the pressure to succeed. Or in some cases they just don’t care, as was the case for Kubiak’s predecessor when he said, "Isn’t winning the division enough?"
What allows Kubiak to listen to his gut is he knows what the Broncos are about. He knows the expectations and he embraces them. He wants them. Kubiak also knows how Elway thinks. There is a special connection between the two that feeds the other. It’s not so much friends as it is brothers. That’s how deep that relationship is for Kubiak and Elway. They are driven to succeed, but not just for themselves.
That’s why, at least in my mind, there was no doubt this would work when the move was made in 2015. It was the ideal situation at the right time, and it could not have worked out better for all involved.
Since Kubiak was hired, no team has won more games than the Broncos (18-4, .818). They won the Super Bowl. They fielded one of the greatest defenses in NFL history, and through three games, still do.
Since Gary Kubiak was named head coach, no NFL team has more wins than the #Broncos (18-4, .818). pic.twitter.com/GubRw8UIzh
— Patrick Smyth (@psmyth12) September 27, 2016
Of course it helps to have an experienced coaching staff that you know will do its job. Kubiak has one of the best in the NFL.
Mark Kiszla wrote in The Denver Post earlier this week that, unlike some/most coaches in the NFL, Kubiak treats his players like men. But it goes deeper than that. The Broncos trust Kubiak. They trust their coaches.
There’s that word again. Trust.
Elway trusts Kubiak, and vice versa.
Kubiak trusts his coaches, and vice versa.
The players trust Kubiak, and vice versa.
The players trust their coaches, and vice versa.
It starts at the top and works its way down to the bottom. You want to know why the Broncos are so successful? That’s why. Trust breeds success, in any walk of life.
It's remarkable how good this team has been since Kubiak took over. And to think some questioned Elway when he made the move. https://t.co/uGKTM8I7xO
— Ian St. Clair (@IanStClair) September 27, 2016
Kubiak has picked up right where he left off last season with how he’s handled the quarterback situation in 2016. As he did last season, he listened to his coaches but also trusted his gut. As the results have shown, he made the right call ... yet again.
At some point people will catch up and realize one of the best coaches in the NFL mans the sidelines in Denver. That what Kubiak did a season ago, and is still doing, wasn’t just a fluke.
It still baffles the mind how any person who knows a lick about football would rank the coach in Kansas City above Kubiak. No, seriously.
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