The Denver Broncos’ love for head coach Josh McDaniels has wavered ever since the brash young coach came to town in 2009, and from the latest barrage of mixed messages, it looks like that relationship will remain confusing through the end of the 2010-11 season.

Yesterday, during his first interview in months, team owner Pat Bowlen told AOL Fanhouse that McDaniels’ job is safe. “I’m very happy with Josh,” Bowlen said. “Josh is doing a good job. I wish he had a few more wins, but we’ve got five games to go…. We’ve still got a chance to make the playoffs. People have been in a position like ours, and it’s been done before.” Bowlen also seemed confident the recent fines and embarrassment caused by a former employees’ videotaping of an opponent’s practice was an isolated incident, and that McDaniels had nothing to do with it.

Fast forward a few hours, and it appeared the Broncos wanted to rescind any public support for McDaniels. “This has been a very trying and disappointing season for all of us,” Bowlen said in a written statement (via KMGH). “We haven’t had the success we had hoped to achieve. Josh McDaniels is the head coach of the Broncos, and you always strive for stability at that position. However, with five games left in the 2010 season, we will continue to monitor the progress of the team and evaluate what’s in the best interest of this franchise.”

Pro Football Talk says the hot and cold statements from Bowlen, airing within hours of each other, prove that “McDaniels’ vote of confidence had a shelf-life of a couple hours.”