A little Denver perspective

I had the good fortune to be in Denver this weekend at a couple of expositions, and, while it’s nice to be in the old home town now and again, it’s become pretty clear that local Bronco fans are down in the mouth.

Certainly, the return of John Elway to the franchise has lifted their spirits a bit, but this season was so demoralizing, that it’ll take more than the return of the conquering hero to breathe life back into a listless fan base. The key, according the fans I commiserated with over the weekend, is the head coaching hire.

Is it me, or is the list of coaching candidate a bit underwhelming? Fewell? Dennison? John Fox (are you kidding me?). Hey, I get that even considering Jon Gruden is a reach, given that he’ll ask for big money and probably a significant amount of control. But I also know that he’s the best candidate out there, and the one most equipped to work with Tim Tebow (notice how I had to get that name in the post–now the rabid Tebow supporters can chime in to tell me how God-like their boy is. Again). In fact, Gruden adores Tebow, and is probably the only coach available who wouldn’t come in and give the heir-apparent a sideways glance.

And, judging from what I’m hearing around town, he’s the fan favorite (not that matters much to owner Pat Bowlen). We all loved his trademark sneer, and his spanking of his former Raiders team in the Super Bowl years ago. He’s also the most knowledgable television analyst broadcasting today. He makes Ron Jaworski sound like the moron he really is.

I’m willing to bet the Gruden would consider an interview–he might not take the job, but he’d be willing to give it a look. I think it’s important that Denver at least sit down with him and see what happens. And so do the fans in Denver.