NFL NEWS

Broncos fire head coach Joseph

The Sports Xchange

December 31, 2018 at 10:39 am.

Dec 30, 2018; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph on the sidelines in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Broncos Stadium at Mile High. Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Dec 30, 2018; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph on the sidelines in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Broncos Stadium at Mile High. Photo Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Broncos fired head coach Vance Joseph, the team announced Monday.

The news comes one day after Denver finished with a second straight losing season under Joseph, who was 11-21 in his two years at the helm since being hired on Jan. 11, 2017.

It was the first time the Broncos have finished consecutive seasons with a losing record since 1971-1972.

“I spoke with Vance this morning and thanked him for all of his hard work as our head coach. Although we decided to make this change, I believe Vance is a good football coach who has a bright future in this league,” general manager John Elway said.

“Vance made a lot of strides and deserves credit for how hard and competitively the team played this season. There’s always going to be a high standard here — The bottom line is we need to win more football games. We’re excited about the foundation that’s being built and look forward to putting in the work to get the Broncos back on the winning track.”

Denver, which finished with a 6-10 record in 2018, began the season with a 2-0 mark before dropping six of its next seven contests. The Broncos rebounded to win three straight games to remain on the outer fringes of the postseason discussion before losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns essentially ended their season.

“Vance put his heart into coaching this team, and I appreciate the way he represented the Broncos with such professionalism,” Broncos president and CEO Joe Ellis said. “On behalf of our organization, I thank Vance, his wife Holly and their family for everything they did for our team and community.

“While we’ve made progress, we still have a lot more work to do and need to get better in all areas. In talking with John, I believe we’re headed in the right direction and am confident in him leading our coaching search. John has my full support in making whatever changes are necessary to improve our team.”

The quarterback carousel seemingly was in constant motion as the club had seen four different players start during Joseph’s 32 games.

Prior to signing with Denver, Joseph played a significant role in his lone season as defensive coordinator with Miami. He turned around a Dolphins team that finished 2015 with a 6-10 mark by helping the club to 10 wins and the franchise’s first postseason berth since 2008.

Joseph spent three years as the Houston Texans’ secondary coach (2011-13) under then-head coach Gary Kubiak and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

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