“This season has been more difficult than we expected,” Penner said on Dec. 27, the day after Hackett was fired. “Again, it’s not the season we were hoping for, expecting for, or feel that our fans deserve. I’m a big believer that if you start with the right culture, (the right) people, and you have the resources and expectations , we can build a winning football team here again. And I don’t think that takes a number of years. Our focus should be on turning this around so that we’re ready to go this coming season with the right pieces in place. “
As coaches sell themselves to Penner, the CEO’s moves also could be viewed as examples he can use to sell his franchise to candidates he’s interested in. What we can gather – from the stadium renovations, the replacement of the field for just one game and the firing of Hackett – is that Penner is n’t sitting on his hands, and if he sees something that needs to be changed, he’s going to do it.
“It does start with ownership, and the ownership being clear about what the expectations are, what the standard is,” Penner said the day after relieving Hackett. “Part of this decision was seeing something that wasn’t up to our standard and making the decision to move forward and have that clear to the whole organization.”
The first major football decision by Penner was to give the OK to a five-year, $245 million contract extension to Russell Wilson before the start of the season. It’s a move that has been scrutinized, yet it may still be too early to fully evaluate. The next head coach could get Wilson to return to form. A plan to “fix” Wilson is one that candidates will obviously need to present to Penner during the process. Candidates will also have to possess qualities that can quickly create a winning culture.
“I’ve worked with a lot of great CEOs, and it starts with really strong leadership,” Penner said in December. “I think that’s going to be the most critical factor here in a head coach. Obviously, the X’s and O’s are important, but we need a strong leader for this organization that’s focused on winning. That starts with culture. It’s instilling a sense of accountability, discipline. And we need an identity on offense. At the starting point, it’s got to be about culture and leadership. And those characteristics are what we’ll be focused on the most.”
The next head coach for the Broncos will report directly to Penner himself. As for the process, the Broncos’ search group, led by Penner, will be a small, tight-knit group including the other owners and general manager George Paton. Don’t expect a lot of information to be leaked during the process. Things are expected to move quickly, with the organization getting a head start in-season. The interview process is expected to kick off in the days following the end of the season.
From this ownership group’s actions, we should have no inclination that money, compensation or resources (within reason) will be spared in an attempt to land the coach the Broncos covet. For example, if they feel former Saints coach Sean Payton or Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is what’s best for the franchise moving forward, expect Denver to be as aggressive as any other team out there, if not more so. This new regime has given no reason for observers to think otherwise.
“The new head coach that we hire will have every resource available to them and the full support of our ownership group to build on our winning and championship tradition here,” Penner said.
Including a new field … even it’s for just a day.