He was hired with so much enthusiasm and expected to bring a title to a team that needed a young exuberant leader to take them over the top. After being hired, McDaniels immediately attempted to trade his star quarterback to receive Matt Cassel from New England, where he was previously the Offensive Coordinator. This did not sit well with Jay Cutler when the trade fell through and the rumors got out. He immediately requested a trade and was eventually traded to the Chicago Bears for Kyle Orton. Things only got worse... Here is a timeline of his major transactions as head coach of the Broncos:


January 2010: McDaniels and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan "agree to part ways." The move is shocking because Nolan transformed the Broncos' defense from the 29th ranked unit in the league in 2008 to the 7th in '09. 


March 2010: Trades running back Peyton Hillis to Cleveland Browns for Quarterback Brady Quinn


April 2010: Brandon Marshall is traded for two 2nd round picks


End of April 2010: After trading down twice in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft to take wide receiver Demaryius Thomas out of Georgia Tech, McDaniels wastes the extra picks Denver received in previous trades and moves back into the first round to select former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow 24th overall. 


October 2010: The Broncos suffer the worst home defeat in their history, losing 59-14 to the Oakland Raiders, a team that had only 10 first downs and three field goals total in a 17-9 loss to the 1-5 San Francisco 49ers the week before. The team is 4-13 in the past year. 


December 2010: McDaniels is fired and replaced by running backs coach Eric Studesville.