Broncos officials head east for interviews

ENGLEWOOD • The search for Mike Shanahan's successor took the Denver Broncos brass to the East Coast for weekend interviews with two of the league's hottest coaching candidates.

Owner Pat Bowlen, chief operating officer Joe Ellis and personnel chief Jim Goodman jetted off to New York on Saturday for a dinner meeting with Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, followed by a conversation today with New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

The trio will return to Denver for interviews at team headquarters next week with Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Raheem Morris and Dallas offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.

Also, the first internal candidate emerged when deputy Rick Dennison asked for an interview next week. Dennison is a dark horse but does have the deepest ties to the Broncos. He was a linebacker in Denver from 1982-90, then joined Shanahan's staff in 1995, coaching the special teams, offensive line and serving the last three seasons as offensive coordinator.

"Although we are still in the early stages of an extremely thorough process, there are a number of qualified individuals whom we are looking forward to speaking with in the coming weeks," Ellis said in a story posted on the Broncos' Web site Saturday.