Many people remember wide receiver Mike Pritchard for his spectacular play during the University of Colorado’s run to the 1990 national championship. Others remember him catching passes for the Denver Broncos. For new Broncos coach Vance Joseph, he is a former teammate.

“We were on a team in Boulder for one year together,” Pritchard told Goodman and Shapiro during the Afternoon Drive on Mile High Sports Radio. “By the way, I’m proud of VJ.”

Pritchard praised his former teammate. He thinks Joseph will turn out to be quite the hire. Setting him apart? His communication skills.

“If anything, a head coaching job is first and foremost about communicating,” explained Pritchard. “If my head coach can motivate, certainly communicate and get us all on the same page, then you might produce a lot of wins. I think VJ is that kind of guy.

“He’s dynamic…He’s a hell of a communicator, a hell of a motivator, and certainly I think the players are going to be excited about him.”

In addition to relating to players, what sets Joseph apart, according to Pritchard, is his willingness to put in the hours. Many people are lamenting the loss of defensive coordinator Wade Phillips, but with those two traits, Pritchard thinks the unit may actually improve with Joseph at the helm.

“VJ will roll up his sleeves and he will coach this team,” he said. “He will inject energy that this team needs. You look at the pieces that they have on defense, now it becomes enhanced maybe, with a different voice and a different message.”

Listen to the full interview with Mike Pritchard, including his thoughts on the Broncos quarterback situation, the playoffs and his Super Bowl picks, in the podcast below.

https://soundcloud.com/milehighsports/1-16-17-mike-pritchard-joins

Catch Afternoon Drive with Goodman and Shapiro every weekday from 4p-6p on Mile High Sports AM 1340 | FM 104.7 or stream live any time for the best local coverage of Colorado sports from Denver’s biggest sports talk lineup.