Perry Fewell met with John Elway on Sunday and the enthusiastic defensive coordinator did his best to impress the new Denver Broncos boss and the team's brass.
Fewell, the Giants defensive boss, is a candidate for the Broncos head coaching job. The team gave its fans a glimpse of Fewell by posting video on its website of Fewell talking about the Denver job on his way to the interview from the airport.
“First class,” Fewell said of the Broncos organization in the interview with the team’s website. “Mr. Bowlen, first class. The Denver way of how they did things, you would always ask questions, those guys were so successful. How did they do this? How did they practice on Friday? How did they conduct themselves when they went on trips?”
“Everything seemed like it was geared towards winning,” Fewell continued as he was in the car on his way to the interview. “Championships start at the top and it starts with Mr. Bowlen. He knows how to compete, and that makes it more fun for you as a coach. He understands competition and knows what it takes. It just trickles down the food chain. I see that in the Denver Broncos organization. I see that in how they play and how they’ve prepared and I want to be a part of something like that.”
Fewell was not trying to slight his current employer, the New York Giants, in any way. But as Fewell has said earlier in the season, he clearly wants a shot to coach his own team.
“It’s constantly on your mind,” said Fewell, who got a taste of head coaching when he was the interim coach in Buffalo prior to joining the Giants in 2010. “It’s a situation that you are so excited about that you are ready to jump out of your skin.”
“But you’ve got all these plans that you want to put into action,” Fewell continued. “You have these beliefs and you’re trying to draw upon your years of experience in coaching to say ‘Yes I can do this job, yes I can relate to the management staff, I can identify with the fans and I can help coach and teach the players.’ And we can put together a quality staff.”
“It seems like your dreams are like almost coming true, but then they haven’t come true yet.”
Fewell has already interviewed with the Carolina Panthers, who reportedly consider Fewell a serious candidate for the job. He reportedly is scheduled to interview with the Cleveland Browns on Tuesday as well.
Giants defensive players enjoyed Fewell’s enthusiastic personality and energetic style. Those same traits might also lead Fewell to his first head coaching job.
“I’m a coach that I can work with management and I don’t have to be the ultimate say so in everything,” Fewell said. “I think the old axiom -- together everyone accomplishes more -- I truly believe in that. I think that when we are all involved the plan works better. I hope I can convey that message to them and that we will all share the success that we are going to build if I am here as the head football coach.”
And if Denver were to hire Fewell, the Broncos might need long to turn things around according to Fewell.
"I see a lot of talent there,” Fewell told the Denver Post. “There are some things, of course, to upgrade. But I think there's talent. People always think you're a ways off, but then you start working with the young men and you find out you're a lot closer than people really think.”