"Life goes on," Denver Broncos coach Dan Reeves told a news conference. And the Broncos will go on without Reeves at the helm.
Reeves was fired Monday, ending a 12-year career in Denver that included three Super Bowl appearances and five AFC West Division titles. Reeves, 48, announced his own firing at a news conference at Broncos headquarters.Reeves admitted that he and owner Pat Bowlen differed over how the team should be run, with Reeves preferring to retain control and Bowlen wanting it to be shared.
In addition to serving as head coach, Reeves was offensive coordinator and team vice president, with power over virtually all player personnel decisions. Bowlen wanted responsibilities spread around.
"When you own a football team, you should be able to run the ballclub the way you would like to," Reeves said.
Bowlen said Reeves made some allowances but said he did not think a new arrangement would work.
"When you think about that, if I would have agreed to renew Dan's contract, I think a year from now I think we both would have been miserable and at each other's throat. So I think the decision was the right one for me and Dan."
Bowlen said he will go to New York to attend to NFL matters before he begins the task of hiring a new coach next week. He said a new coach will be hired within a month.
Reeves said defensive coordinator Wade Phillips would be a good candidate. Former offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan's name also has surfaced.
Reeves led Denver to five first-place finishes and three second-place finishes in the AFC West Division. His Bronco teams also appeared in four AFC championship games and three Super Bowls, losing all three times.
Reeves said he and Bowlen met Monday to discuss Reeves' future, but Bowlen "had his mind made up what he wanted to do" and did not give Reeves any options except to leave Denver. His five-year contract would have expired Feb. 1.
Reeves had said he wanted to negotiate one more contract with Denver and then retire at age 55. Reeves earned about $950,000 during the last year of his present contract, and with a 110-73-1 regular season record was the fourth-winningest active coach. Only Don Shula of Miami, Chuck Knox of the Los Angeles Rams and Washington's Joe Gibbs had better records.
Just last year, Reeves was named AFC Coach of the Year for guiding Denver to a 12-4 season, the AFC West title and a berth in the AFC title game.