Greg Knapp lands as QB coach with Broncos

This time last year Greg Knapp was handed the keys to the Raiders offense and had too much put on his plate. Now he has been given arguably the easiest job in the NFL - Peyton Manning's QB coach.

The offensive coordinator for whichever team has Peyton Manning has long been considered an easy job. Manning calls the shots and he calls the plays in whatever offense he is in. It is surely the reason why when the Broncos lost offensive coordinator Mike McCoy to the Chargers, they simply promoted from in house.

The promotion was that of former quarterbacks coach, Adam Gase to the offensive coordinator. That, of course, meant they needed to replace Gase at QB coach.

Greg Knapp may not be suited as an offensive coordinator, but he has built a fine reputation as a quarterbacks coach so this is actually a pretty good hire for the Broncos.

"Greg is a proven, experienced coach with a very impressive background working with quarterbacks," Fox said via press release. "He's had success with Pro Bowlers and established players while also being instrumental in the development of younger quarterbacks. I've coached against him for a number of years and have a lot of respect for him. We are pleased to add someone of his caliber to our coaching staff."

The same press release also boasts the accomplishments of the quarterback who have played under his tutelage either as a QB coach or offensive coordinator.

During his NFL career, Knapp's quarterbacks have combined to play in nine Pro Bowls. Steve Young (1995-98) and Jeff Garcia (2000-02) were chosen to represent San Francisco, respectively, and Michael Vick (2004-05) was selected as a member of the Falcons.

In addition to his work with established veterans such as Young, Matt Hasselbeck and Carson Palmer, he has helped develop young passers like Garcia, Matt Schaub and T. J. Yates.

As Oakland's offensive coordinator last season, Knapp directed the NFL's eighth-ranked passing unit, as Palmer totaled the third-most passing yards (4,018) of his career while throwing 22 touchdowns against just 14 interceptions.

As Houston's quarterbacks coach from 2010-11, Knapp instructed Schaub, whom he groomed as Vick's backup during their time together in Atlanta. Schaub ranked fourth in the NFL with 4,370 passing yards during the 2010 campaign before being placed on injured reserve late in the 2011 season. Under Knapp's direction, Yates took over as Houston's starting quarterback and the rookie led the Texans to the postseason and their first-ever playoff win.

Many Raider fans don't really care where Knapp ended up just so long as it was no longer in Oakland. It's proof that he remains a well-respected coach in some regard that he would not be out of work long.

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