Broncos Head Coach Vance Joseph Out After Embattled Sophomore Season
DENVER (CBS4) - The Broncos have fired head coach Vance Joseph. The team made the move following a 23-9 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, which capped a 6-10 2018 season. Joseph, who was hired before the start of the 2017 season, coached the Broncos for two seasons and compiled an 11-21 record.
During his tenure the Broncos suffered back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since the 1971 and 1972 seasons.
"It's disappointing not being able to finish what we started, but I'm incredibly proud of the players and coaches for how they fought and worked every week," Joseph said in a prepared statement released by the team.
Joseph's time as head coach will be remembered for historically bad losses, including an eight game losing streak during his first season. It was the team's longest losing streak since the Broncos joined the NFL in 1970.
Joseph's second season started with promising back-to-back wins over the Seahawks and Raiders, but the Broncos then lost four straight games and six of the next seven.
The team appeared to have turned a corner with a three game winning streak from Week 11 to Week 13, including wins over the Steelers and Chargers. Following their three game winning streak, the Broncos were still in the playoff pictures, but Denver suffered four straight losses to end the season.
Those four losses included defeats to the 49ers, who had just two victories prior to beating the Broncos, and to the Raiders, who had just three wins prior to beating the Broncos.
Joseph's firing is the latest turnover for head coaches in Denver. The Broncos will enter the 2019 season with their 4th head coach in six seasons. The team parted ways with John Fox following the 2014 season. Gary Kubiak took over for two seasons, but stepped down following the 2016 season.
Joseph's complete statement lies below:
"I want to thank John Elway, Joe Ellis and the organization for the opportunity to serve as the head coach of the Denver Broncos. It's disappointing not being able to finish what we started, but I'm incredibly proud of the players and coaches for how they fought and worked every week. I also appreciate the support staffs who put in countless hours behind the scenes helping our team. This is a special place with great fans. Holly and I, along with our entire family, truly enjoyed being part of this community and wish the Broncos all the best."
Michael Spencer is a Sports Anchor at CBS4. Read his bio or connect with him on Twitter @MichaelCBS4.
