Josh McDaniels greeted the media January 12 at the Dove Valley complex.

Yesterday, twelve days after releasing Mike Shanahan as head coach of the Denver Broncos, the organization under the direction of President and CEO Pat Bowlen,  chose Josh McDaniels of the New England Patriots  as the new coach after an extensive and ardent search.

As the press conference introducing McDaniels wound down at Dove Valley in Englewood Colorado I had a few brief moments to talk with Joe Ellis, Chief Operating Officer about the process of picking a new head coach after 14 years.

I congratulated him on the swift but thorough mission for which he and the football operations staff completed the search.

He commented that not only was it exciting but probably one of the most exhausting tasks he had ever encounter. This stands to reason. Like it or not sports and especially the NFL is big business. From its infancy in the 1960’s the Bronco organization has grown into over a billion dollar franchise. Winning is important in Denver much like most avid sports towns. In order to win you must have a successful program and to have a successful program you have to have good leadership, good coaches and athletic talent. This is something the Denver Broncos has striven for for years. Guided by Bowlen the team has reached the Super Bowl six times.

For a organization to make a change after 14 years creates excitement, uncertainty, new direction, formidable challenges and a specter of hope and success.

As a young offensive coordinator McDaniels has proven himself. The bar he approaches in Denver is pretty darn high but since he came from a winning program and has only known football since he was a tyke hanging around his dad’s teams I suspect he is looking forward to the reach.

As with any change you are not always certain what to expect but as team photographer I am looking forward to building a relationship with a young, tech savy coach who definitely showed fire in his eyes when I photographed him on day one.

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