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Jeff Legvold
multiple authors
denver broncos Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi was fired on Tuesday, just two days after head coach Sean Payton said the team’s offense “wasn’t good enough” to earn a trip to the Super Bowl.
Wide receivers coach Kerry Colbert and cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch were also fired.
“I want to thank these coaches for the instrumental roles they have played in elevating our program over the past three seasons,” Payton said in a prepared statement. “I have been fortunate to work with Joe Lombardi for 15 years and am especially grateful for his many contributions to our success as offensive coordinator. We sincerely appreciate the hard work of Joe, Kerry and Addison and wish them the best in the future.”
with backup quarterback jarrett stidham In the lineup for an injured bo nixThe Broncos gained just 32 yards in the second half of Sunday’s 10-7 loss. new England Patriots In the AFC Championship Game, he had only one first down after halftime and did not have a possession longer than 17 yards in the third or fourth quarters.
After the loss, Payton was asked what he would be most critical of after that, and he said he would start with himself, saying: “I think the big thing is that the first half, the pace and the field position, we didn’t get what we needed to get, we needed more than that. It starts from there.”
Lombardi spent 12 years on Payton’s staff in two separate stints. New Orleans Saints And he has been the Broncos’ offensive coordinator since Payton was hired in 2023. Payton, however, is the team’s play-caller on game days. As the Broncos’ offensive coordinator, Lombardi was in the coach’s booth and was among those on the headset with Payton during the game, but Payton’s voice was in the Knicks’ helmet.
The Broncos sported one of the league’s best defenses this season – No. 1 in sacks and in the red zone in the regular season, second on third downs and third in scoring defense and best overall in yards surrendered per game (4.46). Bolstered by that defense, the Broncos went 11–2 in one-score games in the regular season, the most one-score wins in NFL history, before winning another one-score game in overtime. buffalo bill In the divisional round.
But Payton had expressed his frustrations about the offense several times this season, including Sunday night after a loss to the Patriots, when the Broncos, due to snow in the second half, reached Patriots territory just once after halftime, but had a potential tying field goal blocked.
The Broncos were 14th in scoring in the regular season – 23.6 points per game – 10th in offensive EPA and 12th in QBR, but they finished 29th in three-and-outs (25%). At his end-of-season news conference on Tuesday, Payton expressed particular disappointment with the team’s run game and said he had already met with run game coordinator/assistant head coach Zach Strief, who is also the offensive line coach, about a plan for improvement on Monday.
“It will be an important and immediate study,” Payton said in Denver. “I want to play with the gun, but I’ve also always wanted to play with a two-back or multiple-tight end mentality. [and] Have that flexibility. …I think that’s one of the key things we have to do this offseason.”
JK Dobbins Suffered a season-ending leg injury in the Broncos’ November 6 win las vegas raidersYet he still finished as the team’s leading rusher – by 232 yards – and scored on runs of 10 yards or more (21) for the team, which was seven more than the next running back (rookie). RJ Harvey).
Internally, the two most likely candidates to fill the OC job will be Strief, whom Payton promoted to assistant head coach last season, and quarterbacks coach Davis WebbJoe is still a candidate in the Raiders’ search for head coach. Broncos senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael was also the Saints’ offensive coordinator for most of Payton’s tenure.
However, Payton has consistently stated that he will not give up playcalling duties, so unless he has a change of heart in that regard, the Broncos’ offensive coordinator will be a major voice in Payton’s ear on weekly planning as well as game day, but Payton will still call the plays. Many inside the Broncos complex believe Webb will be difficult to retain long-term, even if he does not get the head coaching job this recruiting cycle.
