Broncos: champions of transparency (1 Viewer)

[moleculo]

Most NFL teams follow the Belichick model, and keep all information as close as possible. Fans are therefore left to guess what is going on, and it leads to tons of speculation. In the wake of McD, the Broncos have chosen a different track - open communication with the fans. Pretty interesting. Elway has been pretty candid w/ his twitter account, Broncos are posting videos of head coaching interviewees, etc.

I guess they figure that news will break anyways; if the Broncos break the news they can do a better job of controlling the spin as well as trying to win back fan support.

Here's an article from todays Denver Post:

"It's a reflection of the time we live in, where technology has made the world smaller, faster, more exciting," said Brian McCarthy, the NFL's VP of corporate communications. "What we've seen from what's happening with (Elway) is that maybe it doesn't have to be just your PR guy who is out there. Can you get more team personnel involved? More coaches? A general manager?"

Part of the Broncos' process included securing the "@johnelway" name on Twitter, then teaching Elway how to use the social media site. Elway sent his first message on Jan. 5 several hours after his introductory news conference, and over the past week he has posted 22 messages, nearly all related to the Broncos' coaching search. Elway sends the messages from his Mac desktop computer or from his phone, though he has dictated messages to a member of the public relations staff. Elway has amassed nearly 40,000 followers in a week, more than any NFL executive other than commissioner Roger Goodell, who has more than 100,000 followers.

Of the seven teams who have conducted or are in the midst of a coaching search, only the Broncos — through Elway's Twitter account and the team's website — have announced their list of candidates and interview schedule, let alone published pictures and video from the interview process, almost in real-time. Candidates each spoke on camera with a reporter from the team's website before their formal interviews, and those pieces were all published online.

"Initially, I cringed when I saw the video come up, and my biggest concern was that, when you're pursuing a new job, you have to make sure not to upset your current employer. But that was my only concern," said Nathan Whitaker, the agent for both Perry Fewell, who interviewed on Sunday, and Mike Mularkey, who was a candidate before withdrawing his name last week. "Beyond that, I think it is fantastic. I love it. Since Sunday, I've gotten calls from people around the league that saw the video and said: 'I had no idea about Perry. He's great.' "

Read more: Elway's tweets highlight Broncos' new emphasis on transparency as secrecy gets the boot - The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_17081765#ixzz1Aw5hz1cKRead The Denver Post's Terms of Use of its content: http://www.denverpost.com/termsofuse

links to coach interview videos

As a fan, I think it's great...innovative, really. I wonder if this is part of what Elway brings to the table - a new way to do business and keep the fans engaged. I haven't watched them all, but I'm now a bigger fan of Fox and less of a fan of Dennison, simply by hearing how they present themselves. When the final choice is made, having videos like this available will make it easier to justify the coaching decision.

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

Very interesting indeed in a good way.

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Like it...

 

[moleculo]

If this new transparency sticks, we may see things like honest injury reports, clarity as to what RB carries the load, etc...exactly what FF'ers long for. I wouldn't expect any new coach to give away any tactical info, but IMO teams could certainly be more clear with what they plan to do.

 

[Shutout]

Its a nice read and a nice thing to say but it won't happen in earnest. I would be shocked to see this extend to true ramifications.

 

[SWC]

if i was a broncos fan which i am not and never will be because they beat my pack in the super bowl i would be pretty interested in this right now and totally following it so good on them but if they hire some crap bucket and then the guy they didn't hire goes on to have a vince lombardi like carreer or even a mike holmgren carreer people will have the video and stuff and will use it to make fun of the broncos forever so i guess the moral of the story is be careful what you wish for because it might swing around and hit you in the behind

 

[charlatan]

[rant] OMG learn to punctuate your posts it makes my brain hurt [/rant]

I haven't followed John Elway yet, and just started checking out the videos. I doubt it will work it's way to injury reports etc... but it's clear they want the fans behind the pick. I like it, and posting the coaching selection via twitter is awesome.

 

[trader jake]

Transparency is great and all but it reeks more of inexperience than honesty to me.



That's not to say the Broncos can not be successful under Elway, but I'm guessing he'll offer more flash and marketing rather than insight and vision.

 

[captain_amazing]

If this new transparency sticks, we may see things like honest injury reports, clarity as to what RB carries the load, etc...exactly what FF'ers long for. I wouldn't expect any new coach to give away any tactical info, but IMO teams could certainly be more clear with what they plan to do.

I would say a coach not pushing the envelope on injury reports would constitute "giving away tactical information," or at least it would be doing the least to disguise such information. I really don't know how important useful that information is to another team, but I would imagine any usefulness could be deemed "tactical information."To the point of the transparency thing, I like the idea generally, but when it comes to football I don't think it work out very well. But who knows!

 

[moleculo]

If this new transparency sticks, we may see things like honest injury reports, clarity as to what RB carries the load, etc...exactly what FF'ers long for. I wouldn't expect any new coach to give away any tactical info, but IMO teams could certainly be more clear with what they plan to do.

I would say a coach not pushing the envelope on injury reports would constitute "giving away tactical information," or at least it would be doing the least to disguise such information. I really don't know how important useful that information is to another team, but I would imagine any usefulness could be deemed "tactical information."To the point of the transparency thing, I like the idea generally, but when it comes to football I don't think it work out very well. But who knows!

to contrast, in 2009 Orton had a severely dislocated thumb on his throwing hand. This appeared on the injury report as "arm...questionable". A sprained ankle translated to "lower body extremity". Really? by fudging the injury reports, are you really hiding info that your opponent doesn't already know?I understand making them prepare for two scenarios, but IMO it's out of control.

 

[captain_amazing]

If this new transparency sticks, we may see things like honest injury reports, clarity as to what RB carries the load, etc...exactly what FF'ers long for. I wouldn't expect any new coach to give away any tactical info, but IMO teams could certainly be more clear with what they plan to do.

I would say a coach not pushing the envelope on injury reports would constitute "giving away tactical information," or at least it would be doing the least to disguise such information. I really don't know how important useful that information is to another team, but I would imagine any usefulness could be deemed "tactical information."To the point of the transparency thing, I like the idea generally, but when it comes to football I don't think it work out very well. But who knows!

to contrast, in 2009 Orton had a severely dislocated thumb on his throwing hand. This appeared on the injury report as "arm...questionable". A sprained ankle translated to "lower body extremity". Really? by fudging the injury reports, are you really hiding info that your opponent doesn't already know?I understand making them prepare for two scenarios, but IMO it's out of control.

I do agree in certain cases that you really aren't hiding any information from your opponent, but if you can make the announcement of an injury, specifically the location and severity, even slightly more convoluted, why not? Some might say it's overboard - others might say it's covering your bases.

 

[Da Guru]

It can work both ways..be a great tool for mis-information as well to fool opposing teams.

 

[moleculo]

www.denverbroncos.com has a non-stop stream of the Bronco war-room.