Broncos CEO and owner Greg Penner has made it clear again that he's going to do anything necessary to get Denver back to being considered one of the dominant franchises in the NFL.
Last week, the Broncos organization didn't feel the field conditions for Empower Field at Mile High were up to their standards. In light of the weather and the number of events the stadium has hosted, Empower Field, which is a grass playing surface -- not an artificial turf -- was showing signs of wear and tear.
Penner made the decision to have the entire field replaced ahead of Denver's final game of the regular season: Sunday vs. the AFC West rival Chargers. New sod was quickly trucked in from Arizona, laid on Wednesday and painted Friday, and it will include touches of the No. 3 to honor Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin while he recovers from a cardiac arrest suffered during Monday's game between the Bills and Bengals.
"To their credit, Greg and our ownership were willing to make the significant investment of a new field for our final game of the season," Broncos president Damani Leech told me Friday. "After our last home game and following a perfect storm of significant activity combined with inclement weather, the field was simply not up to our standards. Our turf crew and stadium management had a window to install it, we took advantage of it and they got it done."
The decision to replace the grass -- at a cost of $400,000, according to the Broncos -- is notable. After all, it's just for one game -- the field will end up being replaced again before the start of the 2023 season -- for a team that's 4-12. It's a telling example of how this group plans to run the organization moving forward.
"We appreciate Broncos ownership replacing our field -- even for just one game -- to give the players a better and safer surface than the previous two games," Broncos kicker and union rep Brandon McManus told me Friday. "It means a lot that Greg and the owners took action after the field didn't play or look up to the standard."
After Sunday's game, the Broncos will embark on the franchise's fourth head-coaching search in the past seven years -- but the first since the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group purchased the team in August. According to Forbes, the Walton-Penner ownership group is comfortably the NFL's wealthiest. They have the funds to spend on anything they see fit to improve their organization if they choose, and this is an early sign that is exactly what they plan to do.
Another example would be Penner's announcement three weeks ago of a $100 million renovation, the largest in the history of the venue, for Empower Field at Mile High, even as the team continues to evaluate a long-term stadium plan. Slated to be completed prior to the start of the 2023 season, the renovations will feature upgrades to the videoboards, premium hospitality areas, technology, concessions, the Broncos Team Store and elevators.
Also, the Broncos have been ravaged by injuries this season, as exemplified by the 22 players on injured reserve at publishing of this piece. The issue seems to have bothered Penner, to the point that he said he and his wife, Carrie Walton Penner (who is also a member of the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group), started having conversations about the subject with members within the NFL offices. They had an in-person visit with NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills and others so they could take a deeper look at the Broncos' program.
The field replacement and concern over injuries mark two significant examples of Penner's focus on his players' well-being and safety within the first several months of his tenure. It's something current players have noticed and future players, particularly free agents, could factor in when making a final decision on where they want to play in years to come.
The decision to fire Nathaniel Hackett before the first-time head coach could complete his first season in Denver is another example of how this new ownership group operates. Hackett became just the fifth head coach in the Super Bowl era who was unable to finish Year 1. The move also allowed the organization to get a jump on gathering information on potential candidates, along with the opportunity to start having the proper conversations about the future.
"This season has been more difficult than we expected," Penner said on Dec. 27, the day after Hackett was fired. "Again, it's not the season we were hoping for, expecting for, or feel that our fans deserve. I'm a big believer that if you start with the right culture, (the right) people, and you have the resources and expectations, we can build a winning football team here again. And I don't think that takes a number of years. Our focus should be on turning this around so that we're ready to go this coming season with the right pieces in place."
As coaches sell themselves to Penner, the CEO's moves also could be viewed as examples he can use to sell his franchise to candidates he's interested in. What we can gather -- from the stadium renovations, the replacement of the field for just one game and the firing of Hackett -- is that Penner isn't sitting on his hands, and if he sees something that needs to be changed, he's going to do it.
"It does start with ownership, and the ownership being clear about what the expectations are, what the standard is," Penner said the day after relieving Hackett. "Part of this decision was seeing something that wasn't up to our standard and making the decision to move forward and have that clear to the whole organization."
The first major football decision by Penner was to give the OK to a five-year, $245 million contract extension to Russell Wilson before the start of the season. It's a move that has been scrutinized, yet it may still be too early to fully evaluate. The next head coach could get Wilson to return to form. A plan to "fix" Wilson is one that candidates will obviously need to present to Penner during the process. Candidates will also have to possess qualities that can quickly create a winning culture.
"I've worked with a lot of great CEOs, and it starts with really strong leadership," Penner said in December. "I think that's going to be the most critical factor here in a head coach. Obviously, the X's and O's are important, but we need a strong leader for this organization that's focused on winning. That starts with culture. It's instilling a sense of accountability, discipline. And we need an identity on offense. At the starting point, it's got to be about culture and leadership. And those characteristics are what we'll be focused on the most."
The next head coach for the Broncos will report directly to Penner himself. As for the process, the Broncos' search group, led by Penner, will be a small, tight-knit group including the other owners and general manager George Paton. Don't expect a lot of information to be leaked during the process. Things are expected to move quickly, with the organization getting a head start in-season. The interview process is expected to kick off in the days following the end of the season.
From this ownership group's actions, we should have no inclination that money, compensation or resources (within reason) will be spared in an attempt to land the coach the Broncos covet. For example, if they feel former Saints coach Sean Payton or Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh is what's best for the franchise moving forward, expect Denver to be as aggressive as any other team out there, if not more so. This new regime has given no reason for observers to think otherwise.
"The new head coach that we hire will have every resource available to them and the full support of our ownership group to build on our winning and championship tradition here," Penner said.
Including a new field ... even it's for just a day.
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