Mike McCoy‘s first weeks back at Broncos headquarters were spent mostly in a conference room and in front of a screen. Each morning McCoy and his fellow coaches sifted through what will be the Broncos’ new and ever-evolving offense, adding and subtracting from playbooks he built in years past. Each afternoon, the coaches examined tape of their current players, of potential free-agent targets and of draft-eligible players.

“We’re going to build our system over time,” McCoy said. “That is what we are doing right now. We’re working on putting the playbook together. We are as a staff going to change some things.”

McCoy, the Broncos’ offensive coordinator from 2009-12, has returned to that role with a new group of assistants and a new set of challenges as he attempts to rearrange and revamp the offense. Fixing the offensive line is near the top of the to-do list. Developing the two young quarterbacks, Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, is up there too. Helping the offense score — earlier and more often — is among the highest priorities. Related Articles February 9, 2017 Broncos free agency preview: Expect a busy offseason with a changing roster

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Vance Joseph made his first call as new Broncos head coach to McCoy, who was hired to build a system around his players, a philosophy he has taken with him from Carolina to Denver, San Diego and back to the Mile High City. Denver’s offense needs an overhaul. McCoy has been tasked with carrying the load.

His plan is evolving. But the approach is familiar.

“I remember games where we would go no huddle the entire game and stay in 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three wide receivers) all the way through and let Peyton Manning do his no-huddle show and put up a bunch of points,” said former tight end Joel Dreessen, who played for McCoy in Denver in 2012. “Then there were games where he run the heck out of the ball. We’d get in 22 personnel (two running backs, two tight ends, one wide receiver) and grind away the clock and he’d really manage the game.

“When he says he’s going to play to the strengths of his players and attack each defense on a week-to-week basis, I really believe him.”

The starting point

McCoy described his vision for the Broncos’ new-and-improved offense as “flexible,” one that changes with each opponent. Joseph called it “aggressive.” New offensive line coach Jeff Davidson said it’s “varied.”

The power blocking up front that McCoy has used over the years will be implemented — along with zone-blocking principles that Gary Kubiak used the past two seasons. “The best of both worlds,” as Joseph said, has the potential to breathe new life into an offense that, collectively, has been stagnant for the better part of two years.

“Our offense will go as far as our offensive line will take them,” McCoy said. “Everyone always wants to look at a quarterback and say you have to have this quarterback. I’m not taking anything away from the quarterback position. It is critical to have that guy, but you have to have the five guys up front playing as one and doing everything right. They’ve got to protect their tails off so that quarterback can sit back in the pocket and do what he can do.” Related Articles February 8, 2017 Joe Woods has Broncos’ corner office. Coaching Denver’s defense is big responsibility.

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Last season, Siemian and Lynch were sacked a total of 40 times and knocked down 101 times, the ninth- and seventh-most in the NFL, respectively. The offense as a whole averaged only 92.8 yards per game on the ground (27th), had a minus-54 scoring differential in the first quarter (31st) and posted the second-worst third-down conversion rate (34.2 percent) in the league.

The highlights of 2016 on offense were often lost in the persistent inefficiency, and blame was spread throughout. Coaching. Offensive line. Quarterbacks. The new coaching staff’s vow of creativity has been welcome, but applying it can come with strings.

“It’s definitely difficult,” said Dreessen, who had the added challenge of playing with Manning and his “code words for code words and signals for signals” at the line of scrimmage. “Obviously as a player, you like the repetition of the things you do best. You like to go out there and practice it every week and know what techniques and plays are going to be called on game day. But at the same time you have to be flexible and understand that you’re going to need to have different tools in your toolbox.”

That 2012 Broncos’ offense and the ones used in McCoy’s four-year tenure as the Chargers’ head coach may not be exact blueprints of his future system in Denver. But some details will be carried over, and McCoy’s history of molding an offense around his quarterbacks and his players’ strengths is lengthy.

The communicator

Talking is, in part, what led McCoy back to the Broncos, overseeing an offense still in search of an identity. In McCoy’s first days on the job, he jokingly told Joseph, ‘Hey, if I talk too much, just tell me.’ ”

Dreessen needs no disclaimer.

“He was a great communicator,” Dreessen said. “He was constantly reminding us, even to the point of, “All right, Coach, we got it.’ But that’s what you need, especially for young players.”

The “young players” in Denver almost always refers to Siemian and Lynch. Siemian surprised last summer when he won the starting job left vacant by Manning’s retirement in March and by Brock Osweiler’s defection to the Texans. Siemian’s familiarity with the playbook and comfort under center gave him an advantage he exploited over Lynch, a rookie from Memphis drafted in the first round and tabbed as the future of the franchise. And rightly so. General manager John Elway traded up to get Lynch at No. 26, and his mobility, frame and strong arm gave him a perceived athletic edge. The grasp of the playbook would come.

But now, with only 16 starts among them, Siemian and Lynch are starting over with new coaches amid persistent speculation about a third veteran possibly joining their quarterbacks room.

Although Joseph and McCoy have pledged their commitment to Siemian and Lynch, the future rests with their growth. By hiring quarterbacks coach Bill Musgrave, a former Bronco who turned down coordinator jobs to reunite with McCoy, Joseph ensured his quarterbacks have not one but two teachers on the sideline.

“I’m big into talking to the quarterbacks, installing from a week-to-week basis and looking at our plans and being open with these players and saying, ‘What do you really like? What are your favorites?’ ” McCoy said. “When we get into the game plans at the end of the week, I’m going to ask the quarterbacks, ‘What is your favorite plays in these situations? Your first- and second-down calls, what are your favorite plays?’ Just so they have a lot of confidence when they’re under center on game day.”

John Leyba, The Denver Post Denver Broncos new offensive coordinator Mike McCoy as he addresses the media during a press conference at Dove Valley.

John Leyba, The Denver Post Denver Broncos new defensive coordinator Joe Woods as he addresses the media during a press conference on Feb. 7, 2017 at Dove Valley.

John Leyba, The Denver Post Denver Broncos new special teams coordinator Brock Olivo as he addresses the media during a press conference at Dove Valley.



John Leyba, The Denver Post Denver Broncos new offensive coordinator Mike McCoy as he addresses the media during a press conference at Dove Valley.

John Leyba, The Denver Post Denver Broncos new defensive coordinator Joe Woods as he addresses the media during a press conference at Dove Valley.

John Leyba, The Denver Post Denver Broncos new special teams coordinator Brock Olivo as he addresses the media during a press conference at Dove Valley.



John Leyba, The Denver Post Denver Broncos defensive coordinator Joe Woods, offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, head coach Vance Joseph and special team coordinator Brock Olivo after a press conference at Dove Valley.

John Leyba, The Denver Post Denver Broncos new offensive coordinator Mike McCoy in the lobby at Dove Valley.

John Leyba, The Denver Post Denver Broncos head coach Vance Joseph introduces new coaches during a press conference at Dove Valley.



In the coming months, that talk will grow louder as McCoy’s playbook is formed and installed. Future changes are inevitable — to the roster and to the system — as McCoy and his crew review and re-view his plan.

“There’s going to be a lot to their offense and they’re going to really do what the players do best,” Dreessen said. “And they’re going to do what they need to do each week to get points and yards.”

ON THE OFFENSIVE

Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy had the same role in Denver from 2009-12, working with quarterbacks of varying strengths and experience. While those seasons aren’t direct comparisons to the last two or to 2017, principles will be carried over. Here is a look at how the Broncos fared in both time frames: