CENTENNIAL, Colo. -- Seeking to halt a one-year playoff absence, the Broncos overhauled their coaching staff. New boss Vance Joseph, chosen for his leadership ability, introduced his coordinators on Tuesday. Aggression arose as a common theme.
Offensive boss Mike McCoy, in his return to Denver after a four-year run as the Chargers coach, promised an uptempo attack. Joseph reiterated Tuesday that he's "absolutely" committed to young quarterbacks Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch even as talk of Tony Romo creates buzz externally. McCoy is charged with improving the position specifically, and the offensive in general.
"We are going to build a player-friendly system that's going to have flexibility," said McCoy, who is surrounded by and will listen to former offensive coordinators Bill Musgrave (quarterbacks coach), (offensive line coach) Jeff Davidson and (tight ends coach) Geep Chryst. "With the quarterbacks, I will say there's nothing like competition. It makes everyone better. There's going to be a lot of changes...but our offense will only go as far as our offensive line takes us."
McCoy continues to evaluate his current personnel to determine how the linemen fit. He has run a power scheme in the past as opposed to former coach Gary Kubiak's zone blocking system, which demanded smaller, quicker linemen.
"We're going to be varied. I don't think any of us are willing to say this is what we are going to be for sure at this point," Davidson admitted.
Regardless, the Broncos must ramp up their running game to take pressure off the quarterback. Denver finished 27th in rushing yards at 92.7 per game. For McCoy, who has a reputation as a chameleon because of his ability to adjust to different quarterbacks, he embraces the challenge of caffeinating an offense that ranked in the bottom third of the league in yards per game, yards per play and points.
"I understand what the expectations are here," McCoy said. "I have a burning desire to call plays. I didn't do that the last four years and I missed that."
Musgrave turned down offensive coordinator interviews to become the Broncos' quarterbacks coach. He brought McCoy into the NFL with Carolina. Familiarity remains a defining characteristic of the reshaped offensive staff. With so many former play callers, Joseph believes it can help.
"(Creative) Tension is good tension," Joseph said. "You want the best game plan on Sunday. We're going to do what's best for all of us."
Breathe easy Broncos fans. Defensive coordinator Joe Woods will continue running the 3-4 defense Wade Phillips implemented two years ago that spearheaded a Super Bowl 50 victory. As the former air traffic controller of the No Fly Zone, Woods became comfortable dealing with strong personalities. He told Denver7 he doesn't believe there was a divide between the offense and defense last season, saying it was a result of "guys wanting to win."
Opponents attacked the Broncos differently last season, Woods admitted. Teams shied away from challenging the secondary and focused on the run. Denver finished 28th in rush defense, ballooning from 83.6 yards to 130.8 per game.
"It's an obvious question and an obvious answer. We have to improve the run game," said Woods, who will call the defensive signals. "It's one of those areas we have to address and fix."
Re-signing free agent Vance Walker, who missed last season with a devastating knee injury, could help. He represented the team's best run stopper in training camp. The Broncos will also look at external free agent options, and need second-round pick Adam Gotsis to get bigger and stronger after a disappointing rookie season.
Brock Olivo sounds like a soap opera character. He's lived a life worthy of a movie. He starred as a running back at Missouri, played in the NFL, wrote the foreword to a book, ran for public office and coached football in Italy. He brings energy and personality, winning over Joseph during a six-hour interview to become the Broncos special teams coordinator.
"It was in an upstairs room. It was like being in a Las Vegas casino. There were no clocks and no sunlight so I had no idea of the time," Olivo joked. "Look, we're going to keep it simple. We're going to play fast, we're going to play hard and we're going to kill it."
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Want Broncos news? Denver7 Broncos insider Troy E. Renck is your source. He talks to the players, covers the games and reports scoops on Denver7 and the Denver7 app. He is a CU grad who has covered pro sports in Colorado since 1996, including 14 years at The Denver Post. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter and TheDenverChannel.com’s Broncos page. Troy welcomes most of your emails at Troy.Renck@kmgh.com.
