Back with Broncos, Mike McCoy gets shot at Chargers

Mike McCoy was the Broncos’ offensive coordinator. Then he became the Chargers’ head coach.

And now? The Broncos’ offensive coordinator. Again. Not much of a move, geographically, but the changes have taken their toll.

“Well, I’m gray,” he told Denver reporters on Friday with a laugh. “I’ve aged a little bit.”

Thirty-eight losses in four seasons can do that to a man. When the Chargers hired McCoy in 2013, they made him — at 40 years old — the second-youngest head coach in franchise history. General manager Tom Telesco, himself hired a week earlier, called McCoy a “leader of men.” Owner Dean Spanos praised his “innovative mind.”

The Broncos are hoping those qualities will help them to a 1-0 start. Denver is set to host the Chargers on Monday (7:20 p.m. PT, ESPN), and having McCoy back in the fold may give them some extra insight into their Week 1 opponent.

According to defensive coordinator Joe Woods, McCoy has already broken down what he knows of the Chargers’ personnel — their strengths and weaknesses along the offensive line, at receiver, and in the backfield. The scheme that Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt still runs, Woods said, is also similar to the one McCoy brought back to Denver.

“That’s what I told the guys,” Woods said. “I told them we’ve been practicing against this offense since the offseason. Even though you may not know it or feel it, the muscle memory is going to kick in. It’s the same route concepts.”

The Chargers have considered this possibility, although they seem more concerned with executing their own game plan. Do what you do well, the thinking goes, and your opponent will be just as flustered.

“When you’re running the same system, some of the code words and things like that, you might have to mix,” Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn said. “I think sometimes you can overthink that. I’m not going to mess with our plan too much.”

“It affects us a little bit because he knows the players,” said cornerback Casey Hayward. “He knows the scheme like the back of his hand. …I’m sure he’s got even more wrinkles. “

There’s also extra motivation to account for. McCoy was gracious in his Idea on Friday, thanking the Spanos family for hiring him four years ago: “I give all the respect in the world for everyone in the organization.”

At least one of his players thinks he’s playing coy.

“If you were the head coach for the Chargers,” said receiver Demaryius Thomas, “and you got fired, you play them on Monday Night, what would you want to do? I’d try to put 100 if I could. I don’t know if that’s possible, but I’d try.”

Advertisement