Greg Penner plans to lead the hiring search for the next coach of the Broncos after firing Nathaniel Hackett on MondayRon Chenoy/USA TODAY Sports
Broncos CEO Greg Penner's press conference yesterday "felt in many ways like the true beginning, at least publicly, of Penner’s role atop the football operation," according to Parker Gabriel of the DENVER POST. Penner "will lead the coaching search" to replace the newly fired Nathaniel Hackett, and the "next coach will report to him rather than" to GM George Paton. Penner is "leading a top-down evaluation of the football side of the Broncos." He indicated that the "decision to fire Hackett wasn’t made only because of Sunday’s meltdown but the 37-point loss sealed the rookie coach’s fate with two games left." Penner: "We didn’t go into this week thinking this was a time we were going to make a change, but after we saw the effort that we put forward on Sunday, some of the things that were going on off the field, we just felt like it was time to make a decision." He called the performance "an embarrassment for our organization." But Gabriel noted Penner "redoubled his commitment to Paton as part of the solution, though the general manager made it clear he knows he bears the brunt of the responsibility for the Broncos’ 4-11 season." This is "Penner’s call and it marks the start of the new ownership group putting its stamp on the football side" of their $4.65B franchise, "just as they’ve already started to do on the business side." The search process was "still coming together 24 hours after Hackett was fired, but others in the ownership, including former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, will be part of the search committee" (DENVER POST, 12/27).
PENNER PALS: In Denver, George Stoia noted Penner is "now in charge of finding the Broncos' next coach, the organization's fifth coach in eight years." And "make no mistake -- this will be Penner's decision." Paton, who led the search last year, "will aid Penner in the search, but Penner is now the lead man." Paton is "sure to still be heavily involved in the day-to-day operations, but Penner has officially taken control of the organization from top to bottom." How Penner conducts this search "will be an interesting follow, as he's never owned a professional sports team." A "businessman at heart, he'll lean on his experience in the business world to help him find the best person -- not just coach." Resetting the organization's culture is a "must with this hire." The Broncos have notched "six straight losing seasons and seven consecutive seasons of missing the playoffs." Penner does "appear to be the right man for the job, making it clear Tuesday his focus is on winning and demanding excellence." For the "first time since former owner Pat Bowlen passed away in 2018, it feels like the Broncos finally have some sort of direction led by ownership" (Denver GAZETTE, 12/27).
ARCHITECT OF DISASTER: Also in Denver, Sean Keeler wrote Paton "created" the team's "culture problems." In fact, Paton is "the Frank Lloyd Wright of culture problems." He said during yesterday's news conference, "I take full responsibility for where we are as a football team. I brought in the head coach. I brought in most of the players. Those are my decisions. And there’s no one to blame but me." Keeler wondered, "So why the heck did new Broncos CEO Greg Penner just double down on the guy who broke his new toy?" Paton is an "excellent college scout, a good company man and the bean-counters’ hero." But in NFL front offices, "those are a dime a dozen." In a "QB + Coach league, Paton dragged the Broncos from bad" (Teddy Bridgewater + Vic Fangio) "to worse" (Russell Wilson + Hackett)." It takes a "special set of skills to inherit a dumpster fire and somehow turn it nuclear" (DENVER POST, 12/27).
NO JOY, BUT HOPE: In Denver, Chris Schmaedeke wrote, "This season was one of the most embarrassing and tough-to-watch seasons I can remember. Even during the Josh McDaniels tenure, there were moments that made Broncos Country smile." There is "no joy in 2022." Firing Hackett "was for Broncos Country." Stability from top to bottom is "what Broncos Country was about," but "there is none of that right now." The new Walton-Penner ownership group "made their first statement on Monday." Schmaedeke: "Let's see where they go from there" (Denver GAZETTE, 12/27).
