Broncos should keep Vance Joseph for remainder of the season

Vance Joseph is a terrible head coach.

He shouldn’t coach another game for the Denver Broncos, and I said that last week. But for this organization to embrace the tank and get the best possible pick in the NFL Draft, Joseph should remain the coach the last five games of this miserable season.

His team is so unprepared and lost there’s no doubt the Broncos would end the season on a 12-game losing streak. Joseph’s already made history with the longest losing streak since 1967 at seven games after yet another embarrassing performance, this time in a 21-14 loss to the Oakland Raiders. His team’s been shutout for the first time in 25 years. I could continue but I really don’t want to relive all the history Joseph is making as the head coach of this team. And we thought Josh McDaniels was terrible.

Why make a change now?

The season is over, and there’s no chance Joseph is back next season. There’s no evidence it will change if he gets another year. He’s wholly and woefully out of his element. He couldn’t play a coach on a TV commercial let alone actually be one in the NFL. He allegedly fired offensive coordinator Mike McCoy on his own volition, without talking to John Elway first, and nothing changed. Who gets the blame now?

Denver (3-8) is awful in situational football despite these great practices. The players and coaches literally have no idea what they’re doing at any moment in the game. You don’t just learn how to do that with one more year.

For the Broncos and Elway to fully embrace the tank, Joseph must remain the head coach the rest of the season. If you make the change at this point Denver could get a spark and ruin the chance of the best possible draft pick.

What’s also clear at this point, and it’s been my suspicion since training camp talking with multiple insiders who thought the same way, the quarterback of the future isn’t on the roster, let alone for 2018. Elway and the franchise had the chance to develop Paxton Lynch last season and they made the decision to give 21 starts to Trevor Siemian. Now it’s clear Elway will target another quarterback or two next season, whether it’s through free agency, a trade and/or the draft. Don’t be surprised to see all three quarterbacks in Denver gone next season.

Despite that fact, Elway can’t do a damn thing about his quarterback situation until the season is over. He’s stuck with who he has and who he picked. He shouldn’t do anything at head coach either. Elway got his yes man to do everything he wants him to do, and play the puppet in front of the media, so ensure you get the most out of that decision by getting the best possible pick in the draft. Then you fire him.

Yet as I asked a few weeks ago, at what point does the blame fall on the guy who is in charge? Who drafted the quarterbacks? Who hired the incompetent head coach? Who went cheap at offensive line? Who has neglected middle linebacker? Who made the decision to not bring back Wade Phillips?

At some point the fall guys disappear and you have to point the finger at the person most responsible. Even if that man is a legend.