Before he walked out of the Broncos’ locker room for what turned out to be the final time Sunday night, offensive coordinator Mike McCoy sat next to dejected running back C.J. Anderson.
McCoy offered consoling words to Anderson, whose fourth-quarter fumble was a major culprit in the Broncos’ 20-17 loss to the Bengals.
“He said, ‘You’ve been playing your (butt) off all year,'” Anderson said. “‘Don’t let one play — you didn’t lose the game.’ ”
That compassionate moment made the announcement of McCoy’s firing by coach Vance Joseph on Monday a bitter pill to swallow for the veteran running back.
“It’s just tough, man,” Anderson said. “Not saying that play was the ultimate deciding factor of him being fired, but it definitely piled up and continued to pile up.”
Anderson texted McCoy upon hearing the news Monday morning, offering his gratitude. McCoy responded, thanking Denver’s running back for the energy he brought to work every day.
The solemn messages matched the mood in the Broncos’ locker room following the news that McCoy, who was 10 games into his second run with the franchise, had been let go. Those who spoke wanted to make clear that McCoy shouldn’t shoulder all the blame for what has transpired with the team during its longest losing streak within the same season since 1990.
“You never want to see a coach lose his job in this business,” offensive guard Ron Leary said. “I hate it for him. I don’t think all the blame is on him. That’s just kind of how the game goes. … It goes hand in hand. People weren’t executing and he just kind of had to fall on the sword for us. I hate to see it.”
Defensive end Derek Wolfe provided somewhat prophetic words after Sunday night’s loss when asked to respond to general manager John Elway‘s claim that the team had become “a little bit soft” during its prolonged losing streak.
“If the boss says it’s not good enough, that means everybody’s not doing good enough,” Wolfe said. “That means everybody’s probably going to get fired.”
The emotion in the locker room after Sunday’s game was a portrait of a team at a tipping point. The loss to Cincinnati all but torpedoed the team’s flimsy playoff hopes. Change felt inevitable. Still, McCoy’s departure came as a surprise to some.
“It was a quiet group because they like Mike,” Joseph said. “But they understand that it’s a production business, and it hasn’t changed. They all know we are all playing for our football careers all the time — that’s the NFL. So surprise, maybe, for some, but that’s part of it. The players are going to back (interim offensive coordinator) Billy Musgrave and try to get it fixed.”
The firing of McCoy — coupled with the releases last week of linebacker Kasim Edebali and tight end A.J. Derby — is a clear message, linebacker Brandon Marshall said. Time will tell whether the Broncos receive it during the final six games of what has become a miserable season.
“It’s not OK to lose here,” Marshall said. “We’re losing here and it’s a big issue. I guess they’re letting everyone know that it doesn’t matter who you are. We’re going to find guys who are going to get it done, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
