ENGLEWOOD, Colo. –The Broncos filled the coaching position that became vacant with Adam Gase's promotion to offensive coordinator by hiring Greg Knapp as the team's quarterbacks coach.
"Greg is a proven, experienced coach with a very impressive background working with quarterbacks," Head Coach John Fox said. "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."
Knapp, who will enter his 19th NFL season in 2013, has served as an offensive coordinator in 10 of the past 12 seasons.
He is familiar with the AFC West, as he returned to the Oakland Raiders as the team's offensive coordinator for the 2012 season after coaching two seasons at the same position with the Raiders during the 2007-08 seasons.
Knapp's Raiders offense ranked in the top 10 in in both passing yards per game (8th, 255.3) and fewest sacks allowed per pass attempt (6th, 4.3 pct.), while quarterback Carson Palmer totaled the third-most passing yards (4,018) of his career in 2012.
Prior to his most recent stint with the Raiders, Knapp spent the 2010-11 seasons as the Houston Texans quarterbacks coach. He also served as the offensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks (2009), Oakland Raiders (2007-08), Atlanta Falcons (2004-06) and San Francisco 49ers (2001-03). He was the 49ers quarterbacks from 1998-2000.
Knapp has coached three Pro Bowl quarterbacks to a total of six Pro Bowls as a position coach or offensive coordinator including Steve Young, Jeff Garcia and Michael Vick.
As Houston's quarterbacks coach, Knapp developed Matt Schaub, who was a third-round pick of the Falcons in 2004, when Knapp was the team's offensive coordinator. Schaub ranked fourth in the NFL with 4,370 passing yards under Knapp's direction in 2010.
In Knapp's three seasons as the Falcons offensive coordinator, he helped Vick to two Pro Bowl berths. Atlanta advanced to the NFC Championship game in 2004 and in 2006, Vick became the first quarterback in NFL history to top 1,000 rushing yards in a season.
Knapp entered the NFL in 1995 as a quality control coach for San Francisco before earning a promotion to quarterbacks coach, then offensive coordinator.
Knapp coached Young during his final two NFL seasons, including the 1998 season in which the Hall-of-Famer earned first-team All-Pro honors from the Associated Press. He then helped Garcia to three Pro Bowl honors as the team's quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator. Garcia threw for a franchise-record 4,278 passing yards in his first season as a starter in 2000.
Following his collegiate playing career as a quarterback at Sacramento State University, Knapp's coaching career began as his alma mater's running backs for three seasons (1986-88). He then coached the school's wideouts for two seasons before being promoted to assistant head coach/offensive coordinator from 1991-94.
During his nine seasons coaching at Sacramento State, he participated in several NFL training camps as a player, including stops at Kansas City (1986), L.A. Raiders (1987-90), and San Francisco (1992-94).
