ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Somehow, it's fitting that Vance Joseph ended up as the 16th head coach in Denver Broncos history.

The state of Colorado -- Broncos included -- is all over his resume. He played and started his coaching career at the University of Colorado.

In his 14 years as an NFL assistant, Joseph worked under three head coaches who have been on the Broncos' staff at some point in their respective careers -- Mike Nolan, Gary Kubiak and Adam Gase. Mike Singletary and Marvin Lewis are the only coaches for whom Joseph has worked who have not passed through the Broncos' hallways.

Joseph said he took a few things from all of those coaches in preparation for the job in Denver. He's combining that with what he believes it will take to get the results he -- and the Broncos -- expects.

Vance Joseph has worked under three head coaches who have been on the Broncos' staff at some point in their respective careers -- Mike Nolan, Gary Kubiak and Adam Gase. AP Photo/David Zalubowski

"I do think I took away important things from each of them," Joseph said of his previous bosses. "They all had risen to that job for good reason. You should pay attention to how things are done, and I think I did -- things to combine with my core beliefs about the way I hope to do things."

John Elway said it was the experiences with those coaches -- people the Broncos' executive vice president of football operations/general manager knows well from his time with the organization -- that helped tipped the scales in Joseph's favor.

"[Joseph] has been called upon -- he's well respected," Elway said. "He's been in the middle of things and has been in the middle of big decisions. That's why this job won't be too big for him."

It was Nolan, who had stints as a Broncos assistant under Dan Reeves and Josh McDaniels, who brought Joseph into NFL coaching circles. As the San Francisco 49ers' coach, Nolan hired Joseph as an assistant defensive backs coach in 2005, and Joseph served as the defensive backs coach from 2006 to 2010.

Nolan taught Joseph "how to work" and the importance of details.

"He was a detail guy and he was a hard worker," Joseph said. "A great influence on me being my first NFL head coach."

Joseph was also with the 49ers under Singletary, who taught him the importance of being "honest and transparent" with players.

Joseph then was on Kubiak's staff with the Houston Texans for three seasons. From Kubiak, the coach he has replaced with the Broncos, Joseph learned how to deal with team issues in terms of "right and wrong."

"It was one way," Joseph said. "It was right and it was wrong. That was a great trait that Gary passed on to me."

Joseph was on Lewis' staff with the Cincinnati Bengals when Elway interviewed him for the head-coaching vacancy in 2015, but Kubiak was hired. Among NFL coaches, only the New England Patriots' Bill Belichick has been in his current job longer than Lewis has been with the Bengals.

Joseph said Lewis' approach showed him how longevity is possible in a league not known for its patience with head coaches, that "if you do it right, it equals longevity."

Joseph spent one year as Gase's defensive coordinator with the Miami Dolphins before the Broncos came calling. And Joseph spoke of how Gase had taken over a team in a playoff drought and had to not only deal with a roster makeover but had to "change the culture."

The Dolphins finished 10-6 this season and edged the Broncos out for the last playoff spot in the AFC.

"Adam is a young guy, but he showed great courage in Miami, making some tough moves during the season to put us over the top," Joseph said. "It was a slow start but wound up being a fast finish with Adam's leadership."

Add in Bill McCartney from Joseph's time as a player at Colorado. And Gary Barnett, who hired Joseph as the Buffaloes' grad assistant in 1999. And all the other assistants Joseph has called influences. Put it all together, and it adds up to the guy the Broncos hired.

"Obviously having talent equals winning," Joseph said. "The culture is set by the head coach and it's set by the staff. I think being a leader of men means you can get guys to follow you. It's a tough business and it's a tough, long season. It takes convincing to do hard things in life. I think having the ability to have guys follow you and follow you anywhere, that's an ability I have with players. That's a trait that most head coaches have that are winning."