The Denver Broncos interviewed Mike Munchak for their head coach vacancy in 2019 but ended up hiring Vic Fangio for the job. Denver still managed to land Munchak, though, as an offensive line coach.
That hire was one of the best coaching decisions the Broncos’ front office has made in years. Munchak helped turn Garett Bolles’ career around, and he is loved by all of the team’s offensive linemen.
“Working with ‘Munch,’ it’s amazing,” center Lloyd Cushenberry said on June 8. “He’s a Hall of Famer and he obviously knows what he’s talking about. He’s worked with a lot of great offensive linemen and a lot of great centers. I just try to soak in and take in everything that he’s taught me. Throughout the course of last year, there was one thing I told him at the end-of-the-year meeting. Throughout the ups and downs, he always had confidence in me, and he always instilled confidence in me, even when I was struggling, and everybody knew I was struggling.
“When I was down on myself, he always believed in me to keep sticking with me. He allowed me to go through a rough patch. This year, and years down the road in my career, I’m going to look back on this and say, ‘Alright, I learned from that. It made me better.’ I can’t thank him enough and I look forward to him continuing to help groom me into the center I want to be.”
After struggling early in his rookie year, Cushenberry showed improvement toward the end of the 2020 season. Bolles took a huge step forward in his second year with Munchak, and Cushenberry will now look to do the same.
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