ITPV » John Elway is looking for his fourth head coach in six

ENGLEWOOD http://www.clevelandbrownsteamonline.com/sione-takitaki-jersey , Colo. (AP) — seasons after firing Vance Joseph for presiding over the Denver Broncos‘ worst two-year stretch since the late 1960s.Elway acknowledged being part of the problem in the Broncos’ 20-28 record since their Super Bowl 50 parade, including 11-21 under Joseph.“The first guy I look at is the guy in the mirror,” Elway said Monday. “And I’m just as responsible for this, if not more, than anybody else because it’s my job to make sure that we win more football games. And so I take full responsibility for that.”It was Joseph who took the fall, however, fired with two years and about $6 million left on his contract.“Vance is a good man. He worked his tail off,” Elway said. “And unfortunately, we didn’t get it done. We didn’t win enough football games and ultimately that’s what we have to do.”Elway almost fired Joseph last year after a 5-11 debacle but gave him a second chance. He got no similar reprieve after going 6-10.“It’s disappointing not being able to finish what we started, but I’m incredibly proud of the players and coaches for how they fought and worked every week,” Joseph said in a statement. “I also appreciate the support staffs who put in countless hours behind the scenes helping our team. This is a special place with great fans.”The Broncos immediately sought permission to interview Steelers offensive line coach and former Titans head coach Mike Munchak, Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores.Later Monday, the Broncos added former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano, a native of Boulder, Colorado, to their wish list and also asked the Los Angeles Rams for permission to interview 35-year-old quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor.“I will continue to do the best I can, knowing we’re going to try to win football games. We’re going to compete for world championships,” Elway said. “That’s what I’m about. I hate to lose. I hate it more now than I ever have. And we’re going to do everything we can to get us back on track … and get us back to completing for world championships.”Elway said the franchise’s winningest coach, Mike Shanahan, whom he considered re-hiring a year ago Sheldrick Redwine Jersey , isn’t in the mix “at this point in time.” Nor is former Broncos assistant Adam Gase, who was fired by Miami, on his wish list.Elway indicated that Gary Kubiak, his senior personnel adviser, might move back onto the field as an offensive assistant for the new coach. Kubiak stepped down two years ago over health concerns 11 months after leading the franchise to its third Super Bowl victory.Elway insisted the Broncos’ opening is just as attractive today as it was then, when Joseph called the opportunity the best in football because it required a reboot and not a rebuild.Yet the Broncos didn’t innovate as quickly as other teams that incorporated more of their prospects’ college DNA into their playbooks, like the AFC West rival Kansas City Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes and the Baltimore Ravens with Lamar Jackson.“I think we just haven’t evolved here,” star cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said. “I think after the Super Bowl we kind of just got stagnant. We haven’t evolved. We’ve got to figure out how we can evolve on offense, defense, special teams and everything, get better as players. We have to evolve with the times of the NFL. We’re behind right now.”The Broncos are mired in a three-year playoff drought. They lack a franchise quarterback like the ones the Packers, Browns and Jets have in place to help them lure their next head coach. They haven’t had a title sponsor for their stadium for several seasons. And they need a massive makeover to modernize a jalopy of an offense that sputtered behind free agent quarterback Case Keenum.Team president Joe Ellis insisted there was ownership stability even as a family feud has gone public with Pat Bowlen’s relatives haggling over the future of the franchise while the family patriarch, who has Alzheimer’s, comes up for a possible Hall of Fame election Feb. 2.Then there’s Elway, a hands-on, high-standard GM with a Hall of Fame gold jacket who has little patience for losing, tried to hire Shanahan a year ago and didn’t cut Joseph any slack after trading away perennial Pro Bowlers Aqib Talib and Demaryius Thomas.“Vance was on board with every decision that we made. It wasn’t one where I was going off and saying, ‘We’re doing this,'” Elway said. “The decisions that were made were joint decisions, so we’ll leave it at that.”With Keenum at quarterback Kaleb McGary Jersey , the Broncos’ top selling point from a player perspective is probably the league’s top pass-rushing duo of Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, who combined for 26½ sacks.“I’d like to think that I’m a coach’s dream,” Miller said. “We’ve got a lot of big-time players here. We’ve got Bradley Chubb, who’s coming into his second year. Denver’s a great city. Denver’s a great place to come coach. It’s a great franchise to be a part of, known for winning and all types of wonderful stuff.“So, I think the Denver Broncos organization will be the main attraction for the next head coach.”Elway concurred, suggesting, “People may disagree, but we’re not that far off.” CC Sabathia shut down the high-scoring Red Sox, Greg Bird hit two home runs and Aaron Judge connected off a college teammate as the New York Yankees bopped Boston 8-1 on Friday night to retake the top record in the majors.

Not since the famed Bucky Dent playoff game in 1978 had the Yankees and Red Sox met so late in a season when they owned the two best marks in baseball. Home runs decided this matchup, too, with Miguel Andujar also going deep for New York.

The biggest crowd of the year at Yankee Stadium was in the spirit as lines forming outside the gates more than 3 1/2 hours before the start. The pro-Yankees chants began prior to the first pitch, the anti-Boston shouts soon followed.

Sabathia (5-3) helped end Boston’s four-game winning streak, less than a month from his 38th birthday. He gave up one run and six hits in seven innings.

Steve Pearce, acquired a day earlier from Toronto, batted cleanup in his debut for Boston and doubled and singled off Sabathia. No matter, the big lefty improved to 6-0 in his last seven starts against Boston. Eduardo Rodriguez (9-3) gave up five early runs. Boston fell to 3-4 against their rivals this season, and 12 more games are left.

Judge connected for his 21st homer, a two-run drive in the seventh off Justin Haley. Before the game, the former Fresno State players chatted for a while behind the cage during batting practice – the rookie reliever angrily kicked at the mound dirt as Judge circled the bases.

Gleyber Torres tripled and scored on Andujar’s single in the second. Torres added a sacrifice fly in a four-run fourth Kendall Sheffield Jersey , capped by back-to-back homers from Andujar and Bird. Bird added a solo drive in the eighth. The Yankees lead the majors with 131 home runs.

NATIONALS 17, PHILLIES 7

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Juan Soto hit two of Washington’s seven home runs, finishing with four hits and five RBIs, and the Nationals routed Philadelphia.

Anthony Rendon, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Brian Goodwin and Mark Reynolds also homered for the Nationals, who set a season high for homers. Washington had scored just three runs while losing three straight. Rendon added two doubles and three RBIs, and Harper also contributed three hits and three RBIs.

Rhys Hoskins, Scott Kingery and Carlos Santana homered for Philadelphia. Kingery was a triple shy of the cycle. The teams combined for 28 hits, including 16 for extra bases, on a steamy night in Philadelphia with the game-time temperature 90 degrees.

Erick Fedde (1-3) earned his first major league win in his eighth career start, allowing five runs on eight hits in five innings with three strikeouts and three walks.

Nick Pivetta (4-7) was the loser.

RAYS 3, ASTROS 2

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – Wilmer Font and four relievers combined on a three-hitter and Tampa Bay snapped Houston’s 11-game road winning streak.

Font (2-3) allowed one run and one hit over five-plus innings before an injury forced him to leave the game. Diego Castillo, Chaz Roe, Sergio Romo and Jose Alvarado held the Astros in check the rest of the way. Alvarado got the final out for his second save.

A strained right lat caused Font’s early exit.

Alex Bregman homered for the Astros, who lost for just fourth time in 22 games overall. Gerrit Cole (9-2) gave up three runs – one earned – and five hits in six innings to end his seven-game winning streak.

ANGELS 7, ORIOLES 1

BALTIMORE (AP) – Mike Trout celebrated his return to center field with a solo home run and an impressive catch, and Los Angeles beat Baltimore to snap a six-game skid.

Martin Maldonado also homered for Los Angeles John Cominsky Jersey , Andrelton Simmons had four hits and Felix Pena (1-0) allowed five hits over 5 1/3 shutout innings.

Back in the outfield after an ineffective nine-day stretch as a designated hitter, Trout hit his 24th home run in the first inning off David Hess (2-5) to spark the Angels to their first win in a week. The two-time AL MVP reached base three times and ran down a liner in the gap to rob Danny Valencia of a potential fourth-inning double.

Baltimore owns the worst record in the majors (23-58), and is playing at a pace to lose 116 games. The Orioles have dropped 16 of 17 at home and are 0-14 against the AL West.

CUBS 10, TWINS 6

CHICAGO (AP) – Addison Russell hit his second career grand slam, Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist had two-run homers and Chicago rallied to beat Minnesota.

Kyle Schwarber added his 16th home run, a solo shot in seventh, and Anthony Rizzo completed Chicago’s scoring with an RBI single in the eighth. The Cubs have won three in a row after dropping four straight.

Russell’s second homer in two days chased Jose Berrios (8-6) with one out the fifth and put Chicago ahead for the first time, 6-5.

Minnesota’s Joe Mauer homered among three hits and finished with a season-high five RBIs. Coming through twice with two outs, Mauer hit a three-run shot in the second and lined a two-run double off starter Mike Montgomery (3-2) in the fourth.

Brandon Morrow got the final out for his 17th save.

GIANTS 2, DIAMONDBACKS 1

PHOENIX (AP) – Andrew Suarez pitched six strong innings, Austin Slater had a pair of RBI doubles and San Francisco beat Arizona.

Suarez (3-4) gave up a run, scattering seven hits in his first win in five starts.

Slater, recalled from Triple-A Sacramento four times this season – most recently last Saturday – doubled in a run off Patrick Corbin in the second and knocked in the go-ahead score off Andrew Chafin (1-3) in the seventh. Slater also singled.

Will Smith pitched a perfect ninth for his first save since April 13, 2014.

BREWERS 8, REDS 2