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Broncos Coordinators Drawing Interest

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) - Mike McCoy's own ingenuity might have cost him a shot at a head coaching job.

Denver's offensive coordinator drew up the play that turned into an electrifying 80-yard touchdown on the first snap of overtime Sunday, giving the Broncos a 29-23 win over heavily favored Pittsburgh.

McCoy was supposed to interview for the Jacksonville Jaguars' head coaching job Monday, but with the Broncos still in the playoffs, he never got to go and the position went to Mike Mularkey.

"I talked to (Jacksonville general manager) Gene Smith last night, and he wished me the best of luck in the future," McCoy said Wednesday. "He had to do what was best for the organization."

McCoy hopes to get another chance at a head coaching job.

"But I'm very happy with where I'm at," said McCoy, who helped restructure the offense midway through the season to capitalize on Tim Tebow's unique skill set, a move that buoyed the Broncos, who are 8-4 since Tebow took over the quarterback job.

"I work for a great organization with great people. I love coaching the guys that we coach here," McCoy added.

McCoy isn't the only Denver coach drawing attention for the work in turning around a franchise that hadn't been to the playoffs since the 2005 season. Defensive boss Dennis Allen is scheduled to talk to the St. Louis Rams about their opening later this week.

The Rams also have interviewed front-runner Jeff Fisher, who's expected to pick between St. Louis and the Miami Dolphins this week.

"I'm extremely flattered about it," Allen said. "It's obviously exciting."

Allen revamped a defense that was among the league's worst a season ago.

"In my mind, it's more of a tribute to those players that are in that locker room," Allen said. "It's a tribute to the assistant coaches that I work with every day. When you have success as a team, individual achievements come.

"At the end of the day, my focus is to try to win a game against the New England Patriots, and that's the only thing that I'm concerned with right now."

COACH DAWKINS: Although safety Brian Dawkins (neck) didn't practice Wednesday, the emotional leader still had a presence on the practice field as he led the secondary through a series of drills.

Held out last week against Pittsburgh, the Broncos are "playing it by ear" on whether Dawkins will suit up Saturday night in New England.

"He's way further along than he was last week," said coach John Fox, whose team practiced indoors as a snowstorm blanketed the area. "When he gets cleared medically, we'll have him out there."

Receiver Eric Decker (knee) and long snapper Lonie Paxton (personal reasons) didn't practice. Safety David Bruton (Achilles), tight end Daniel Fells (ankle) and defensive end Elvis Dumervil (ankle) were limited.

Asked if his ankle was feeling better as he walked through the locker room, Dumervil said, "Yeah. I'm going to get treatment now."

UNDERDOGS: The Broncos are relishing their underdog role in the playoffs. The Steelers were nine-point favorites, while New England enters the game Saturday night favored by nearly two touchdowns.

"I love listening to people hate on us because we get to prove them wrong," tight end Daniel Fells said. "I mean, you can hate if you want to, but we're still here and we're moving forward. The more you hate, the more we feed off of it."

By PAT GRAHAM, AP Sports Writer ... Contributions from ARNIE STAPLETON, AP Pro Football Writer

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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