*** Official 2009 Denver Broncos Offseason Thread *** (1 Viewer)

[BusMan]

1) Any staff changes coming?

2) Who are our FA targets?

3) What are our draft plans?

4) Will you be pissed if any position other than C is addressed during the offeason, to the expense of defensive players?

5) Is Shanahan officially on the hotseat in 2009?

 

[BusMan]

We might need a guard, too. But FA/draft should be all about the defense.

Should we keep Slowik? There is an argument for both change and continuity, condisering the last several years.

 

[moleculo]

1) Any staff changes coming?2) Who are our FA targets?3) What are our draft plans?4) Will you be pissed if any position other than C is addressed during the offeason, to the expense of defensive players?5) Is Shanahan officially on the hotseat in 2009?

1) I want Shanahan calling the plays again. I'm not enjoying Bates Ball i.e. abandon the running game for the 2nd half.3) I want a hitting safety, but anywhere on the D would (should) not be a waste. Let's just hope and pray that the 2009 defensive draft turns out better than the 2007 defensive draft (Moss & Crowder)4) I'd be pretty happy with a 2nd day RB - maybe even 3rd round.5) I'm starting to wonder. He's rebuilt something great on the offensive side w/ Cutler, Royal, Marshall, Scheffler, Clady, Hillis, etc. I'd hate to turn the reigns of this offense over to someone else.

 

[moleculo]

We might need a guard, too. But FA/draft should be all about the defense.Should we keep Slowik? There is an argument for both change and continuity, condisering the last several years.

I vote keep Slowik. Just for the novelty of a D coordinator two years in a row.

 

[thesurfshop19]

I don't have a lot of insight in football, but as a Broncos fan just wanted to add that while this season ended disastrously, I thought the team was entertaining and showed potential for a team with such youthful offensive playmakers. I'd hate to see any rash decisions that impact the offense for 2009. As for the defense, is this the worst D they've played in the Shanahan era? Not sure what more perceptive folks think, but it sure seems like it to me.

Finally, call me an apologist, but I'm fine with consistent "okay to very good" play that we get under Shanahan, and don't think he should be on the hot seat unless the team sees sustained sub-.500 performance for at least 3 years.

 

[moleculo]

I don't have a lot of insight in football, but as a Broncos fan just wanted to add that while this season ended disastrously, I thought the team was entertaining and showed potential for a team with such youthful offensive playmakers. I'd hate to see any rash decisions that impact the offense for 2009. As for the defense, is this the worst D they've played in the Shanahan era? Not sure what more perceptive folks think, but it sure seems like it to me. Finally, call me an apologist, but I'm fine with consistent "okay to very good" play that we get under Shanahan, and don't think he should be on the hot seat unless the team sees sustained sub-.500 performance for at least 3 years.

I think that this was the worst D I've ever seen - I've been watching since the mid 80's, and before that was the Orange Crush - I think it's possible this was the worst D since the mid 70's.

 

[BusMan]

I don't have a lot of insight in football, but as a Broncos fan just wanted to add that while this season ended disastrously, I thought the team was entertaining and showed potential for a team with such youthful offensive playmakers. I'd hate to see any rash decisions that impact the offense for 2009. As for the defense, is this the worst D they've played in the Shanahan era? Not sure what more perceptive folks think, but it sure seems like it to me. Finally, call me an apologist, but I'm fine with consistent "okay to very good" play that we get under Shanahan, and don't think he should be on the hot seat unless the team sees sustained sub-.500 performance for at least 3 years.

I actually agree with this take. I feel confident that Shanahan is better than 98% of coaches out there. He's built a top five offense. Now if we can just get some positive traction with the defense...

 

[moleculo]

interesting article regarding the Shanahan firing:

link

KRIEGER: Goodbye Shanahan, hello . . . Elway?

By Dave Krieger, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 30, 2008 at 7:57 p.m.

Updated December 30, 2008 at 8:02 p.m.

When Pat Bowlen fired Dan Reeves as Broncos head coach following the 1992 season, it set the stage for the return of Mike Shanahan to the organization, although it took two years to happen.

When Bowlen fired Shanahan on Tuesday, it set the stage for the return of John Elway to the organization, and it could happen a lot sooner than Shanahan's did.

A couple of caveats:

First, this is based on no inside information, only my observation of the dynamics among these three men over the past several years.

Second, just how much responsibility Bowlen is ready to give Elway I'm not sure. They were partners, along with E. Stanley Kroenke, in ownership of the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League, which recently suspended operations.

Elway had all the executive authority, so Bowlen has some experience dealing with him in that role. Elway has given no indication he wants to coach; quite the opposite. He has been preparing to be an NFL executive for some years now.

Two years ago, I asked him why he never exercised his option to buy a minority ownership interest in the team from Bowlen upon his retirement as a player. You'll recall that option caused Bowlen a bit of legal trouble with former Broncos owner Edgar Kaiser.

"To me, where the Broncos were and where I would have fit in, it wasn't the right fit at the time," Elway said then. "I think L.A. was going on around that time and I was talking to some groups out there. The timing wasn't right. I just always thought that at some point in time down the road I'd get another opportunity. And I still think I will."

That last line is suddenly looking prescient. It wasn't too hard to read between the lines of this explanation. With Shanahan in charge of everything football-related in Dove Valley, there was no substantive role for Elway. He could have had a ceremonial role as a minority owner, but he wasn't interested.

As an owner/executive in the AFL, I asked him if he still harbored ambitions of getting back into the NFL.

"Yeah, at some point in time," he said. "I just haven't had an opportunity up to this time. I think (about) that, especially as my kids grow up. I love the arena league, it's been a great experience, so if that doesn't come about, I'm thrilled and happy to be with the arena league. But I'd definitely look at some opportunities if they were to arise."

He probably didn't need the AFL to suspend operations to make the jump, but it doesn't hurt.

When I asked Shanahan two years ago about hiring Elway, he said the Hall-of-Fame quarterback was "too smart" to coach because of the hours and that a general manager or scout's job would also entail more hours than Elway probably wanted to devote to it.

What he didn't say was that Elway was interested in a meaningful executive position and Shanahan held all of those.

This may well have come up in discussions between Bowlen and Shanahan leading up to Shanahan's firing. It wouldn't surprise me if Bowlen offered Shanahan an opportunity to continue coaching under a new general manager and Shanahan, still mindful of the lesson he learned working for Al Davis, turned it down.

Whether Elway would be any good as an NFL executive is another question. He could certainly handle the public front man responsibilities, as he did ably for the Crush and, along with Jon Bon Jovi, the entire AFL.

Former AFL commissioner David Baker praised Elway's work on executive league committees as an owner, for whatever that's worth, and the Crush won an AFL championship in 2005.

Certainly, he would need some good NFL personnel people to support him. But hiring Elway in an executive role would probably eliminate the top tier of general manager candidates, people like New England's Scott Pioli, who are in a position to demand all executive authority.

It's also possible, I suppose, that Bowlen could bring Elway on as an apprentice to an experienced GM as director of football operations or something, although I'm not sure how attractive Elway would find a glorified scout's job.

An important byproduct of bringing him back into the organization would be to encourage more interaction between Elway and Jay Cutler.

There, too, Shanahan has been the impediment. He wanted his own people in Cutler's ear. Given the similarities between Elway's and Cutler's athletic gifts, their collaboration for the benefit of the Broncos seems like a no-brainer.

Mike Shanahan had a great run in Denver. He is as indelible a part of the back-to-back Super Bowl championships as Elway, Terrell Davis or anybody else. But, like Reeves, the man he fought, he demanded total control.

When his time came, it opened the door for the greatest Bronco of all time to rejoin the organization. Don't be surprised if Bowlen takes advantage.

what I got out of this is that Shanahan is a control freak, which we already knew. Sounds to me like he wouldn't let go of GM duties as well as day to day operations stuff.

 

[moleculo]

let's talk about possible replacements. Bowlen has hired two head coaches in his life - I believe when he bought the Broncos, Reeves was already in place.

Reeves was fired for pretty much the same reasons AFAIK - he wanted too much power over the entire organization. That must have been a tough one too, because Reeves was the guy that got the Broncos to 3 SB's in 4 years.

After Reeves was fired, Wade Phillips was brought in. At the time, that was Wade's first head coaching job. IIRC, previously, the was Reeves' defensive coordinator, and was doing a pretty good job of it. In short time, Phillip's D wend down hill quickly, but the offense improved - go figure.

Enter Shanahan, who at the time had 1.5 years coaching in Oakland for experience, and was the hot-shot head coach prospect du juir because he was coming off a SB win for SF as OC.

In both of these hirings, someone was brought in who Bowlen was previously familiar with - both Phillips and Shanahan were previous Bronco employees. Neither guy was an established (recycled) coach. Both were successful coordinators. Neither one came from the college level.

I'm not sure where that leaves us, but I think the top targets would be Steve Spagnuolo and Jason Garrett - what other names can we add to this list?

Purely guessing here, but I think it's gonna be Steve Spagnuolo.

 

[moleculo]

some names from Bronco Message boards:

Mike Nolan

Jim Harbaugh

Pioli (as GM)

Kirk Ferentz

Josh McDaniels

Kyle Shanahan

Pete Carroll

 

[BusMan]

Interesting FanPost from Mile High Report:

Shanahan not all that must change

Tiny by Holden Caulfield on Dec 31, 2008 1:36 AM MST

From the firing of Ted Sundquist to some of the personnel moves made by the organization, there have been signs that something wasn't right at Dove Valley for quite a while, and if the Broncos are to return to glory, the changes must not stop at Shanahan's door.

What internal strife and chaos has existed at Dove Valley has largely gone unseen. From the outside, we have no true idea of whether it has been a functional, harmonious workplace or if it has simply held more agendas and paranoia than the Nixon White House.

But we have seen cracks form, long before Tuesday afternoon’s earthquake.

Star-divide

Last March, there were staff layoffs, the firing of Ted Sundquist, and Pat Bowlen’s subsequent declaration to The Denver Post that, “there was in my mind a dysfunctional relationship between the head coach and the general manager.” There was Bowlen’s assertion at the same time that the locker room was “relatively dysfunctional,” and that the coaching staff was “not in sync.”

There were the revelations of Stefan Fatsis’ tome of his time inside the Broncos’ organization. Some were borne of bitterness, such as Jake Plummer’s vent on page 316. Others illuminated a culture of discord among coaches, players and executives.

And then there are some of the additions to the front office and coaching staff in recent years, according to the staff directory on the team website.

Two Tutens.

Two Slowiks.

Three Goodmans.

Sounds less like the roll call of an office and more like a family reunion.

And then there’s those who have been around since “way back when,” five men on the coaching staff who played on Broncos teams for which Shanahan was an assistant or head coach, easily the highest ratio in the league.

Nepotism and cronyism run amok.

Are they the best men for the jobs? It would be presumptuous to answer for certain. But their absence of experience before joining the Broncos does not offer much encouragement.

The younger Slowik, the son of defensive coordinator Bob and an assistant defensive backs coach, was 24 years old and had never coached before being added to the Broncos’ staff in 2005. The sons of vice president Jim Goodman, assistant GM Jeff and southeast region scout Tyler, had scant post-graduate experience before joining the Broncos. Jeff was a lawyer while Tyler was involved with Georgia Tech’s program for one year in a quality-control capacity. Will Tuten, who works in player personnel, is the eldest son of Rich Tuten. The younger Tuten does not have a biography on the Broncos web site, so we will not evaluate his resume here, except to say that we hope he had more experience when taking the job than the Goodman sons or Ryan Slowik.

The five coaches who played for Shanahan are Rick Dennison, Steve Watson, Ronnie Bradford, Jim Ryan and Keith Burns. Dennison, in 14 years on the staff, has become an outstanding teacher of line play, and the dominance Ryan Clady displayed as a rookie can largely be attributed to him.

But none of these five coaches had any college or professional coaching experience before being hired by the Broncos. Dennison and Ryan had some high-school coaching work immediately before being hired by the Broncos. This hardly qualifies a man to coach at the sport’s highest level. But they knew the man in charge of football operations from way back, and lo and behold, they had jobs in the organization.

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know, as the cliche' goes. But it is incumbent upon an organization operating at the highest level to do due diligence into its hires. Bringing aboard the man you know through friendship or family is the easy choice socially. It is also often the wrong one, a lesson most painfully and prominently learned by Bobby Bowden at Florida State.

These are some of the men in whose hands the Broncos rested. This is not how a dynamic organization of fresh ideas is built. This creates a culture of made men, of ‘yes’ men who owe their livelihoods more to a connection than their own qualifications. If the Broncos were going to hire high-school coaches, then what made Dennison and Ryan more qualified than coaches of perennial high-school powers like De La Salle or Long Beach Poly in California, Union in Tulsa or Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey? The ex-Broncos players certainly hadn't achieved the same kind of sideline success as the coaches at those programs have.

There are reasons why anti-nepotism laws exist in jobs that are subject to public oversight – education, state government, police, etc.. It is because it is impossible to make these decisions without being at least slightly clouded by loyalty to kith and kin.

If the dismissal of Shanahan is to yield a new and prosperous Broncos age, then it must also represent a culture that seems on surface glance to be incestuous. This is not the only problem that befalls the Broncos today, but it is probably the easiest to fix.

The Broncos must study organizations that have succeeded in different ways. What has worked in New England’s dynastic run? In the rapid reversals of fortune in Miami and Atlanta? In the steady success of Pittsburgh and Indianapolis? In Baltimore’s perennially stout defense? There is no successful organization that is not worth an examination for ideas in what will hopefully be a successful attempt to reinvigorate what has become a stale franchise capable of little more than late-summer teases that become late-autumn fades.

Do not weep for Shanahan. He will have no trouble finding a job if he sees fit. This league is small, and a good resume and praise will go a long way. Shanahan has both, evidenced by the pair of Super Bowl rings he takes from Denver and the nearly unanimous words of his players who have spoken on the record. Their reaction is a mix of shock over the firing and admiration of the dismissed party’s work.

But the Broncos have made their choice and must move ahead, and the only way Tuesday’s action will reinvigorate the Broncos is if it is the first step in eradicating what seems to be a curious culture in the football operations of the franchise.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

some names from Bronco Message boards:Mike NolanJim HarbaughPioli (as GM)Kirk FerentzJosh McDanielsKyle ShanahanPete Carroll

Kyle Shanahan, dude is what 12 years old?

 

[Buffaloes]

let's talk about possible replacements. Bowlen has hired two head coaches in his life - I believe when he bought the Broncos, Reeves was already in place.Reeves was fired for pretty much the same reasons AFAIK - he wanted too much power over the entire organization. That must have been a tough one too, because Reeves was the guy that got the Broncos to 3 SB's in 4 years. After Reeves was fired, Wade Phillips was brought in. At the time, that was Wade's first head coaching job. IIRC, previously, the was Reeves' defensive coordinator, and was doing a pretty good job of it. In short time, Phillip's D wend down hill quickly, but the offense improved - go figure. Enter Shanahan, who at the time had 1.5 years coaching in Oakland for experience, and was the hot-shot head coach prospect du juir because he was coming off a SB win for SF as OC.In both of these hirings, someone was brought in who Bowlen was previously familiar with - both Phillips and Shanahan were previous Bronco employees. Neither guy was an established (recycled) coach. Both were successful coordinators. Neither one came from the college level.I'm not sure where that leaves us, but I think the top targets would be Steve Spagnuolo and Jason Garrett - what other names can we add to this list?Purely guessing here, but I think it's gonna be Steve Spagnuolo.

I think they go the route of first-time head coach and would be happy with Spagnuolo. A few more names that might fit the bill are Tenn. D coordinator Jim Schwartz, Minn DC Leslie Frazier. I'd like to see them keep OC Bates in place so hiring a defensive minded head coach makes the most sense to me. I really hope they nail their GM selection. What if Bowlen is able to get a guy like Pioli? That might be decent.

 

[moleculo]

some names from Bronco Message boards:

Mike Nolan

Jim Harbaugh

Pioli (as GM)

Kirk Ferentz

Josh McDaniels

Kyle Shanahan

Pete Carroll

Jim SchwartzMike Heimerdinger

Jim Goodman (GM)

Rick Dennison

Urban Meyer

Rex Ryan

Ron Rivera

Steve Spagnuolo

Jason Garrett

Bold = Moleculo endorsed candidates

 

[BusMan]

OK, I have a few thoughts now:

1) I'm a proponent of the theory that longevity in a coaching staff, primarily focused on the head coach, typically leads to long-term success. In general, I feel that NFL teams are too eager to make change for changes sake and end up in a vicious cycle of learning new offense/defenses, attempting to build new chemistry, and reinventing the wheel, so to speak. Shanahan is a future Hall of Fame head coach that had three losing seasons in 14 years. Losing him as a head coach is almost certainly a short term negative for the Denver Broncos.

2) That said, I think Mike's time in Denver had run its course. Lately he was filling important assistant coaching positions with nepotism and cronyism as his guide, and the on-field product suffered because of it. Recent reports indicated that owner Pat Bowlen told Shanahan to fire DC Bob Slowik (which would have been the fourth DC fired in the past four years for the Broncos) and Mike refused. Commence the firing.

3) If Bowlen and Shanhan were willing to part ways over the firing of a seemingly below average DC, this situation was more about power than anything else. Mike didn't want to be told how to run the front office/team, even by his boss. Bowlen IS the boss, and made it clear by firing Mike at a time when pretty much no one thought he would. Another wrinkle: both men likely have solid leads about which direction they're heading. Mike would've fired Slowik if he wasn't sure he could easily find a good gig somewhere else. Equally, Bowlen knows there are personnel men and head coaches to be had on the open market. Bowlen finally decided it was time to have a more traditional front office/coaching structure, which meant that Shanny had to go. From the more global perspective of the health of the entire Broncos organization, I approve of the move.

4) Don't be surprised if the Broncos do some combination of the following:

--go hard after Parcells, who has the option to make $20M from the Dolphins by walking away in the next 30 days.

--go hard after Scott Pioli and Josh McDaniels of the Patriots.

--offer the keys to the team to Bill Cowher (less likely in my opinion).

--bring John Elway into the front office in some capacity.

I was thinking this post-implosion time would be spent reading up on Free Agents and the Draft. Now I'll get to add GM/coaching search to my Broncos offseason menu. Should be interesting...

 

[rascal]

Broncos to interview Morris for head coach

Raheem Morris may not be the Bucs defensive coordinator next season after all.

The Denver Broncos have asked permission to interview Morris for their head coaching job.

The Broncos fired coach Mike Shanahan on Tuesday after 14 seasons. Morris will interview with Broncos owner Pat Bowlen on Monday in Denver.

Morris, 32, was named the Bucs defensive coordinator for 2009 on Christmas Day, succeeding Monte Kiffin, who is joining his son Lane at Tennessee.

But Morris is considered a rising star in the coaching ranks and is a protege of Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

The Bucs cannot block Morris or any assistant coach from interviewing for a head coaching job.

Morris joined the Bucs in 2002 as a defensive quality control assistant. He was a defensive coordinator at Kansas State in 2006 but returned to coach the Bucs defensive backs in 2007.

 

[Buffaloes]

PFT says Spagnuolo and Morris will both interview for the HC job.

 

[moleculo]

link

Broncos to interview Spagnuolo, Morris, McDaniels

By Mike Klis

The Denver Post

Posted: 01/01/2009 02:17:08 PM MST

Updated: 01/01/2009 05:24:59 PM MST

The search for Mike Shanahan's replacement has begun. The Broncos confirmed they will meet with New York Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo on Saturday and Tampa Bay defensive backs coach Raheem Morris on Monday.

The Broncos have also requested permission to interview New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, the team confirmed.

Spagnuolo, 49, is considered the No. 1 head coaching candidate in the NFL. He was the only defensive coach who frustrated the previously undefeated New England Patriots in 2007, helping the Giants upset them in the Super Bowl.

Spagnuolo became the Giants' defensive coordinator in 2007 after eight years with the Philadelphia Eagles. After being courted by the Washington Redskins last

Raheem Morris of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 14, 2008 in Atlanta.. (Getty Images North America | Al Messerschmidt)

year, the Giants rewarded him with a three-year contract for more than $2 million a year.

Morris, 32, has gradually risen through the coaching ranks after playing at Hofstra and working his way up from graduate assistant at the school in 1998. He broke in with the Tampa Bay Bucs in 2002 as a defensive quality control coach and also spent a season as defensive coordinator at Kansas State.

During his time at Tampa Bay, Morris worked with assistants Kyle Shanahan, now with the Houston Texans, and Jeremy Bates, now the Broncos quarterback coach.

McDaniels, 32, directed a Patriots offense that set an NFL record with 589 points in 2007 and finished fifth in the league this season in yards gained, despite losing all-pro quarterback Tom Brady in the first quarter of the first game to a season-ending knee injury.

of the first set of interviewees, only Spagnuolo is an *** official Moleculo endorsed candidate*** - that's who I'm pulling for.

 

[moleculo]

link

New coach's control will not be total

Vacancy first and foremost, with another as GM

By Mike Klis

The Denver Post

Posted: 01/01/2009 12:30:00 AM MST

Eventually, replacing Mike Shanahan will be a two-man job.

One man to become the Broncos' new head coach. A different man to become the Broncos' new general manager.

In that order.

"I don't anticipate the next coach will have both jobs," Broncos owner Pat Bowlen said Wednesday.

It has been 14 years since Bowlen had to fill a GM/coach position, so forgive him if he's doing it backward. Shanahan held the coaching position and had final say on all personnel decisions from the start of the 1995 season until he was fired Tuesday with three years left at between $6.5 million and $7 million per year.

"I haven't even thought about hiring a general manager," Bowlen said. "My focus will be on coaching."

candidates such as Scott Pioli, Bill Cowher and Bill Parcells can likely be crossed off the list of possibilities for the Broncos. All reportedly are seeking autonomous power in running the football operations department. Such desired control presumably would include choosing the coach.

Bowlen said at his news conference Wednesday that the Broncos' current front-office trio of Jim Goodman, Brian Xanders and Jeff Goodman would remain intact. Does that mean the next Broncos' GM already is in the Dove Valley building?

"No," Bowlen said, as he walked from the team's conference room to his upstairs office. "I haven't gotten to general manager yet."

...

The dual news conferences Wednesday — Bowlen went first, with Shanahan watching from the back before taking his turn — had one confusing moment. And it more than confused the Broncos' assistant coaches who attended the news conference.

Bowlen said: "I don't anticipate that we'll be keeping any members of the coaching staff. Nothing will change in the personnel department."

Shanahan, perhaps with some gamesmanship, followed by saying Bowlen is "going to keep the offensive staff intact as much as he can. We've got it going in the right direction. He's going to make some changes obviously on the defensive side."

The coaches silently left the conference room feeling as if they had been fired in front of 80-plus media members and a local television audience. To clarify the situation, Jim Goodman and Ellis met individually with each assistant coach and delivered this message: No one has been fired, but feel free to look around.

It is expected Bowlen will push to retain quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates, a personal favorite of Cutler's. But the owner's next concern is finding only his second head coach in 15 years.

And then Bowlen will pursue a GM. It doesn't sound like it will be legendary Broncos' great John Elway.

"I have no idea if he has any interest," Bowlen said. "But I do know he's very busy doing a lot of other things."

Translation: The GM position is an hours-intensive position that will no longer occupy 50 percent of one man's life, as was the case with Shanahan.

"I wouldn't propose that the next coach have that much responsibility, because I'm not sure he would be able to handle it," Bowlen said.

this is good news here - ultimately, I think this was Shanahans downfall, trying to wear both hats.

 

[moleculo]

link

Cutler has say in coaching search

Marshall gets huge raise

By Mike Klis

The Denver Post

Posted: 01/03/2009 03:34:16 PM MST

Updated: 01/03/2009 05:30:51 PM MST

Make that three people who will pick the Broncos' new head coach.

Pat Bowlen, Joe Ellis. And Jay Cutler.

All right, so Cutler is a slight stretch. He did not make the trip Saturday to meet with New York Giants' defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo. But Cutler has more influence on this head coaching decision than people might think.



After Mike Shanahan was fired Tuesday, Cutler, the Broncos' 25-year-old quarterback, made it clear through an emotional phone call with Ellis, the Broncos' chief operating officer, that play-caller Jeremy Bates better stay.

Cutler reiterated his endorsement of Bates, in much calmer tones, during a phone call the following morning placed by Bowlen, the Broncos' owner.

"Obviously he's the man around here now so I will be talking to Jay," Bowlen said.

Cutler has been kept abreast of the coaching search. He knew the five candidates, not including Bob Stoops, before anyone else knew.

Cutler's desire to retain Bates is tied for the top reason why the Broncos are leaning toward making a defensive coordinator their head coach. The other tied-for-first reason is this Broncos' franchise desperately needs to fix its defense.

And the most impressive defensive coordinator by far on the market is Steve Spagnuolo of the New York Giants. If the Broncos get Spagnuolo, they would like Bates to become one of his top assistants.

Marshall gets huge raise.

There was instant credibility and even some redemption for Brandon Marshall after he was named to his first Pro Bowl last month.

There was also an enormous financial benefit. In part because he crossed playing time thresholds, but mostly because of a Pro Bowl incentive written into his rookie contract, Marshall's 2009 salary will jump from the $620,000 minimum for a fourth-year player to nearly $2.2 million — a 355 percent increase.

Three other players from the Broncos' 2006 draft class — Tony Scheffler, Elvis Dumervil and Chris Kuper — met enough playing time and performance provisions to get a hefty raise for 2009.

The good news for the Broncos is because they insisted on four-year contracts, instead of three-year deals, for their rookies starting in 2006, none of those players will become restricted free agents, where the price to retain them likely would have been higher.

Why Bowlen did it.

Much as he tried to generalize rather than specify during his news conference Wednesday, Bowlen did explain why he fired Shanahan.

All one has to do is more closely review his statements.

Bowlen didn't open by saying he was going in a different direction, or even that he had fired Shanahan. He said, "I have terminated Mike Shanahan as head coach." Terminated? Goodness. Bowlen later said that as an owner, it's hard to explain why his instincts told him it was time for a change.

"Twenty-one years of being at one organization and 14 years as head coach is about long enough," Bowlen said.

What happened here is Bowlen simply got tired of Shanahan running his team. It's the only way to explain the timing. Had Bowlen fired Shanahan after the 2007 season, when the Broncos went 7-9 and missed the playoffs for a second consecutive year, people would have been surprised but less shocked.

Had Shanahan been given one more year and missed the playoffs again in 2009, the fans and media wouldn't have waited for Bowlen to fire him so much as they would have demanded it.

But firing Shanahan now had the feeling of abandoning a rebuilding project just as it was developing some promise. The only way to explain the timing is the owner had become fed up with owning a company that was run by somebody else.

"I'm here every day and I make the decisions," Bowlen said Wednesday. "I run the show."

Can't say it much clearer than that.

if Bates stays, we should expect the 2009 O to mimick the 2008 O - one can only speculate how the play calling would differ with healthy RB's.

 

[FavreCo]

Josh McDaniels Leading Candidate for Broncos HC Job --

Sun Jan 4, 2009 --from FFMastermind.com

NFL.com's Adam Schefter reports New England Patriots OC Josh McDaniels is the leading candidate for the Denver Broncos' head coaching job.

Cutler/Marshall/Royal owners say Throw, throw.....throw some more.

 

[BusterTBronco]

Josh McDaniels Leading Candidate for Broncos HC Job --Sun Jan 4, 2009 --from FFMastermind.comNFL.com's Adam Schefter reports New England Patriots OC Josh McDaniels is the leading candidate for the Denver Broncos' head coaching job.Cutler/Marshall/Royal owners say Throw, throw.....throw some more.

And who is going to fix the abominable Defense and Special Teams?

 

[thatguy]

Josh McDaniels Leading Candidate for Broncos HC Job --Sun Jan 4, 2009 --from FFMastermind.comNFL.com's Adam Schefter reports New England Patriots OC Josh McDaniels is the leading candidate for the Denver Broncos' head coaching job.Cutler/Marshall/Royal owners say Throw, throw.....throw some more.

And who is going to fix the abominable Defense and Special Teams?

I don't think that's on the minds of most Cutler/Marshall/Royal fantasy owners, but I agree that, as a fan of the team, I'd much rather see them go with a defensive minded head coach.

 

[FavreCo]

Josh McDaniels Leading Candidate for Broncos HC Job --Sun Jan 4, 2009 --from FFMastermind.comNFL.com's Adam Schefter reports New England Patriots OC Josh McDaniels is the leading candidate for the Denver Broncos' head coaching job.Cutler/Marshall/Royal owners say Throw, throw.....throw some more.

And who is going to fix the abominable Defense and Special Teams?

Hopefully no one....throw some more.

 

[BusMan]

I'm thinking Bowlen wants a young buck that'll be around for ten-plus years.

 

[Buffaloes]

With McDaniels in town, it looks like Denver will bring in Mike Nolan or Dom Capers as the DC (at least that is what I have been reading this morning). If that is the case, I think Denver will transition to a 3-4 defense. The defense needed a big turnover anyway, so I guess this is a good time to make the switch. I can see Jarvis Moss making a decent rush OLB but I'm not sure where guys like Dumerville and DeWayne Robertson will fit in if they do switch to the 3-4.

The next few months should be interesting.

 

[BusMan]

With McDaniels in town, it looks like Denver will bring in Mike Nolan or Dom Capers as the DC (at least that is what I have been reading this morning). If that is the case, I think Denver will transition to a 3-4 defense. The defense needed a big turnover anyway, so I guess this is a good time to make the switch. I can see Jarvis Moss making a decent rush OLB but I'm not sure where guys like Dumerville and DeWayne Robertson will fit in if they do switch to the 3-4.

The next few months should be interesting.

Agreed. And for posterity, a link to the McDaniels thread.

 

[Tubalcane]

Wow...Nolan and Capers. That looks great on paper. I'll take a wait and see attitude. I still can't shake that feeling that I just lost a relative however.

 

[Buffaloes]

According to the Rocky Mountain News, RB Coach Bobby Turner will be back

Also said KC Special Teams coach Mike Priefer is expected to sign on as ST coordinator

Dom Capers also expected to sign on...not sure what capacity at this point though.

Link

 

[BusMan]

Recent Broncos news:

--Brian Xanders named GM; Goodmans fired

--Several cuts: Koutouvides, Robertson, Bly, etc.

--Lots of cap room

--lots of new defenders will be in Denver this year

--Xanders hints that the team is looking to aquire additional draft picks on top of their 17 over the next two years

--D.J. Williams redoes his deal to be cap-friendly

 

[JDub15]

Any thoughts on potential FA Targets? What will "McXanders" do?

NE always spent money pretty wisely on FAs...

There's talk that FS James Sanders from NE will be reunited with McDaniels in Denver... this would certainly provide an upgrade.

Another S target that makes sense is Oshiomogho Atogwe from the Rams... he was tied with Dawkins for the league lead in FF among DBs, he also had 5 picks... in 2007 he netted 8 picks.

Another name being thrown around is CB Ron Bartell, also from the Rams, who was arguably the teams best and most consistent defender in 2008.

Igor Olshansky would make sense as he would aid the transition to a 3-4 and we hired the Chargers D-Line coach for the same position on our staff. As a member of the former Soviet Union you know he would like to exact some revenge on his former comrades

Another one is a trade for CB Carols Rodgers of the Skins... here's a few reasons this may make sense:

- Rodgers all but lost his job to Deanglo Hall at the end of the year but I believe he's a good young developing CB. He allowed less than 6 yards per attempt against him which puts up among the better CBs.

- The Skins are starved for cap room and they want to resign Hall

- The Skins (for once) want to stockpile draft choices as they need to rebuild both offensive and defensive lines

Any thoughts?

 

[BusMan]

Any thoughts on potential FA Targets? What will "McXanders" do?

NE always spent money pretty wisely on FAs...

There's talk that FS James Sanders from NE will be reunited with McDaniels in Denver... this would certainly provide an upgrade.

Another S target that makes sense is Oshiomogho Atogwe from the Rams... he was tied with Dawkins for the league lead in FF among DBs, he also had 5 picks... in 2007 he netted 8 picks.

Another name being thrown around is CB Ron Bartell, also from the Rams, who was arguably the teams best and most consistent defender in 2008.

Igor Olshansky would make sense as he would aid the transition to a 3-4 and we hired the Chargers D-Line coach for the same position on our staff. As a member of the former Soviet Union you know he would like to exact some revenge on his former comrades

Another one is a trade for CB Carols Rodgers of the Skins... here's a few reasons this may make sense:

- Rodgers all but lost his job to Deanglo Hall at the end of the year but I believe he's a good young developing CB. He allowed less than 6 yards per attempt against him which puts up among the better CBs.

- The Skins are starved for cap room and they want to resign Hall

- The Skins (for once) want to stockpile draft choices as they need to rebuild both offensive and defensive lines

Any thoughts?

makes more sense considering Nalen retired.

 

[thatguy]

Any thoughts on potential FA Targets? What will "McXanders" do?

NE always spent money pretty wisely on FAs...

There's talk that FS James Sanders from NE will be reunited with McDaniels in Denver... this would certainly provide an upgrade.

Another S target that makes sense is Oshiomogho Atogwe from the Rams... he was tied with Dawkins for the league lead in FF among DBs, he also had 5 picks... in 2007 he netted 8 picks.

Another name being thrown around is CB Ron Bartell, also from the Rams, who was arguably the teams best and most consistent defender in 2008.

Igor Olshansky would make sense as he would aid the transition to a 3-4 and we hired the Chargers D-Line coach for the same position on our staff. As a member of the former Soviet Union you know he would like to exact some revenge on his former comrades

Another one is a trade for CB Carols Rodgers of the Skins... here's a few reasons this may make sense:

- Rodgers all but lost his job to Deanglo Hall at the end of the year but I believe he's a good young developing CB. He allowed less than 6 yards per attempt against him which puts up among the better CBs.

- The Skins are starved for cap room and they want to resign Hall

- The Skins (for once) want to stockpile draft choices as they need to rebuild both offensive and defensive lines

Any thoughts?

My thoughts exactly.

 

[rascal]

Signed FAs:

Correll Buckhalter, RB, Philadephia

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=2670

J.J. Arrington, RB, Arizona

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=8458

Renaldo Hill, S, Miami

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=2751

Jabar Gaffney, WR, New England

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=3561

Brian Dawkins, S, Philadelphia

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=978

Lonie Paxton, LS, New England

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=2418

Darrell Reid, DT, Indianapolis

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/stats?playerId=9312

Also rumored to be interested in:

RFA WR David Anderson (Texans - 7th round tender)

CB Andre Goodman UFA

 

[moleculo]

Hill and Dawkins are significant upgrades vs the bums we trotted out @ safety last year. Even if Dawkins loses a few steps this off-season, he will be a hell of a lot better than Calvin Lowry. Even if Dawkins played in a wheelchair, he'd be more effective.

I'm glad to see some focus on D for once; safety was a huge area of concern for me.

 

[FavreCo]

addressing the public this morning.

 

[Buffaloes]

 

[BusMan]

A pre-FA breakdown from FO:

24 Feb 2009

Four Downs: AFC West

by Aaron Schatz and Bill Barnwell

Denver Broncos

How do historically bad defenses rebound?

Denver may have hired a young offensive mastermind (Josh McDaniels) as its new head coach, but the problem in 2008 was clearly defense. Based on Football Outsiders' advanced DVOA ratings, Denver had the second-worst defense of any team since 1995. (The worst defense also played this year, in Detroit.)

The good news for Denver is that it would be almost impossible for the defense to be that bad for a second year. The natural tendency of all teams is for performance to trend towards the NFL average. For example, take the 25 worst defenses in DVOA prior to 2008. These 25 defenses improved the next year by an average of 11 percentage points worth of DVOA, or seven places in the NFL rankings. Only one team, Cincinnati in 1997-1998, actually got worse.

If we compare the teams that improved significantly to those that improved just slightly, can we find trends that might suggest optimism for the Broncos? It's difficult to find trends that tie the most improved defenses together, and those trends that exist don't suggest a huge turnaround for the Broncos:

Teams that play better on first and second down than on third down tend to improve. Denver's defense was equally poor on every down, ranking 30th in DVOA on first, 31st on second, and 27th on third.

Teams that were stronger against the run in the red zone tended to improve the next season. Ten of the 12 "worst defenses" with the biggest improvement in the following year had better run defense than pass defense in the red zone. Denver's red zone defense was 24th against the run and 25th against the pass, basically the same.

Nearly every bad defense concentrated its top draft picks on defensive players, but a few of the really strong turnarounds came from teams that had highly-drafted linebackers entering their second seasons. For example, the Ravens went from 29th in DVOA in Ray Lewis' rookie year to 13th in his second season. The 49ers went from 28th in Julian Peterson's rookie year to 14th in his second season. The Broncos can't complain about last year's draft, not when Ryan Clady was such a force at left tackle, but they didn't select a linebacker until the sixth round.

Who Could Leave?

Seven guys have already left, as the Broncos cut corner Dre' Bly, defensive tackle DeWayne Robertson, special teams demon Niko Koutovides, linebacker Jamie Winborn, defensive end John Engelberger, tight end Nate Jackson, and safety Marquand Manuel. Robertson's cap hit for the upcoming season was reportedly somewhere around $16 million, so his release should be no surprise.

Their other free agents are depth guys like safety Marlon McCree, halfback Michael Pittman, linebacker Nate Webster, and veteran end Ebenezer Ekuban. With a new regime across the board, most of these guys aren't likely to return.

Who Could They Sign?

Denver will have around $35 million in cap room without accounting for unearned bonuses, Bly's release, or the rookie cap. Their shopping list will consist mostly of defensive players.

The Broncos start with huge holes at safety, where neither Herana-Daze Jones or the departing McCree are any great shakes. The problem is that there's simply not a lot of great safeties available in the free agent pool, which leaves the team in the awkward situation of having to overpay for a middling player or coming to love the mediocrity they already know.

That's not the only place the Broncos need help; adding another linebacker or two to play alongside D.J. Williams is also a step Denver needs to take this offseason. The crop of outside linebackers is far superior to that in the middle, so with the Broncos arguably needing both, it makes more sense for them to target someone like the Falcons' Michael Boley. If they choose to go after someone in the middle, they could look at Jonathan Vilma of the cap-strapped Saints, or Eric Barton of the Jets.

 

[Buffaloes]

Here's a link to National Football Post's Michael Lombardi's take on the Broncos free agent acquisitions so far.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/2009/0...ncos-breakdown/

 

[moleculo]

from the Cutler thread - I wanted to talk about this further...

I don't get anyone who says the Broncos offense is problematic. McDaniels' tinkering (while expected) has almost all downside to it.This is why a lot of us fans were calling for a defensive-minded head coach.

I was making the point that the Bronco O was far from perfect last year, and tinkering is necessary - mostly in defense of McD. Here's my take on this: Last year, the O was ranked 2nd in yards, but only 16th in scoring. Yards are great and all, but what is really important is getting it in the end zone. The Broncos had eight games where they failed to score at least 22, winning only one of those (The NFL average for scoring per game is 22). In terms of scoring, this team was average, no matter how you slice it.What was the cause? I think it was probably the lack of continuity with the running game. Cutler was forced to throw it inside the 20, and that's where some of the picks came from. Speaking of turnovers - the Broncos had nine games of 2 or more turnovers, winning only one of those.More subjectively, I've been frustrated for years that the Broncos get a nice lead by half-time, get zilch in Q3, and need a dramatic finish in Q4 to maybe win the game. I've always wondered why other teams can make halftime adjustments and Shanahan could not. Now - don't get me wrong - the offensive problems are nothing compared to the defensive issues from last year. The D needs an overhaul for sure. I have no doubt about that, and that's what is happening. Here's the thing though - if Bowlen hired Spags and he left the O alone, the D would be in full-fledged rebuilding mode and the O would be allowed to stagnate and possibly regress. All of a sudden, the O becomes mediocre, just as the D gets on track, and the Broncos continue to be mediocre. McDaniels, on the other hand, is playing to his strengths by keeping the O fresh and tinkering - I think that's a good thing. Again, like I said in the Cutler thread - the Cutler trade fiasco was an eff up all around, highlighting immaturity at all levels - HC, GM, and QB, and I hope they can work through all of that by July. but besides that, I really don't think it's a mistake for McDaniels to make what ever changes are necessary, and I really don't think that they will be all that drastic.

 

[moleculo]

so I'm going to go on the record in Mid March and project a 5 win season for 2009, give or take.

Optimism right now is at an all time low.

 

[moleculo]

link

Kiszla: Broncos come out winners in deal

By Mark Kiszla

The Denver Post

Posted: 04/02/2009 08:19:45 PM MDT

In Denver, where the Broncos are loved like family, and a blockbuster NFL trade can be as painful as a divorce, there is only one way to score this deal:

Quarterback Jay Cutler lost.

The Broncos and everybody who loves them won.

The local NFL franchise is better off not knowing the identity of its starting quarterback than being stuck with one who did not want to be here.

The Broncos are bigger in Colorado than any one man, even if he is a 25-year-old quarterback with Pro Bowl credentials and the chutzpah to arm-wrestle the legend of John Elway.

After fewer than 100 days on the job, new Broncos coach Josh McDaniels not only has made it clear there is a new sheriff in town, he has locked up the ghost of Mike Shanahan

Denver Broncos and thrown away the keys once thought essential to the team's success.

This is a big, scary change, heavy with risk for an unproven coach. You mean the Broncos might try to win football games with the undistinguished Chris Simms or unremarkable Kyle Orton as the starting quarterback? They ain't pretty.

Well, here's a news flash. While obviously lacking the raw physical tools or raging insecurities of Cutler, Simms and Orton have done something in the NFL that Jay-C never achieved in Denver: Contribute to a playoff berth.

But let's not pretend the Broncos are legitimate Super Bowl contenders, as Shanahan did for far too long after his team had slipped from elite status. Serious rebuilding has begun in Denver.

McDaniels might be only 32, but the brash coach has the championship experience to understand the cold, cruel truth: The lone way to win big in the NFL is to put the needs of the team before individual desires and personal feelings.

Cutler never got it.

In the end, Cutler failed to grasp what it meant to be the quarterback in Denver, where every rousing fourth-quarter comeback, every spat with the boss and every little thing matters way too much in a city of Broncomaniacs.

The power of being Denver's quarterback is in the job, not the name on the back of the jersey.

That's why Cutler, who believed losing a confidant on the coaching staff or being misled about a proposed trade was more important than acting like a leader during his personal melodrama, had to go in a trade to Chicago.

And that's why the Broncos are better off without Cutler, after dealing their disgruntled star to Chicago for the complete unknown of the 18th and 84th choices later this month in the NFL draft, plus a first-round pick in 2010 and Orton.

Please remember: Cutler demanded this trade. McDaniels called his bluff.

On the eve of a deal that sent him packing, instead of being in Denver to work out with teammates, Cutler was sitting at an Ultimate Fight Championship event 1,000 miles away, whimpering gibberish about forsaken love and how he never wanted the dispute to go this far.

Bears, beware. For his next act of bravado, expect Jay-C to declare he is as Chicago as deep-dish pizza.

While the angriest debate and stomping of feet will be about whether Orton or Simms might win the starting job by default, we cannot allow the most compelling news of this trade to get lost in the din.

The Broncos were nowhere near championship contention in 2009, with or without Cutler, whose fingerprints were on the broken pieces of playoff dreams shattered by a three-game losing streak that ended last season.

How well Denver uses the draft choices to give back its wretched defense that old Orange Crush spirit is ultimately how this deal will be judged.

Emboldened by the success of former unheralded draft picks Tom Brady (a sixth-round choice) and Matt Cassel (a seventh-round pick) had with the Patriots, McDaniels will get the chance to prove if his golden touch with quarterbacks was worth the millions of dollars Broncos owner Pat Bowlen invested in him.

After the Broncos wasted a decade putting up with the legal shenanigans of Travis Henry, the selfishness of Javon Walker and too many free-agent busts to count, Denver finally is living the philosophy shared by Pittsburgh and New England while winning consistently in the NFL's salary-cap era: Anybody is replaceable.

Without a franchise quarterback on the roster, a trail of tears follows Cutler out of town.

The NFL franchise, however, still is here.

Guess what? This is not Cutler's team. Never was.

By demanding a trade, the quarterback made the mistake of thinking he was bigger than the Broncos.

By sending him packing, McDaniels gave the team back to its rightful owners:

True-blue lovers of the Broncos, in victory or defeat.

Mark Kiszla: 303-954-1053 or mkiszla@denverpost.com.

 

[Donnybrook]

Broncos come out winners in deal

X

How well Denver uses the draft choices to give back its wretched defense that old Orange Crush spirit is ultimately how this deal will be judged.

:(

 

[golfguy]

kick out a hall of fame coach that seemed to be heading in the right place with the team. check.

bring in a punk 32 yr old brat as a head coach who thinks he is bill belicheck. check.

lose a franchise qb and take the franchise back 13 years. check.

sounds golden so far.

i love denver fans. trying to act like losing cutler was a good thing. please. you'll be dreading that as bad as atlanta did for trading favre.

 

[Courtjester]

kick out a hall of fame coach that seemed to be heading in the right place with the team. check.bring in a punk 32 yr old brat as a head coach who thinks he is bill belicheck. check.lose a franchise qb and take the franchise back 13 years. check.sounds golden so far. i love denver fans. trying to act like losing cutler was a good thing. please. you'll be dreading that as bad as atlanta did for trading favre.

No other way to put it. As a Denver fan for the past 40 years, we will not sniff the playoffs for 4 years at best. 2 years of losing records that net us top 10 picks. McDork fired. Labor problems year 3. Year 4 who knows what the league looks like and who the coach is.I agee with Moleculo this year will be 5 wins +/-1.But boy does Josh look cool in his hoody. I vowed not to go to a game this year, but I just might go to just hassle him or I might try and go to his coaches show at the restaurant and throw food at him. One has to have something to build on in this pathetic year.

 

[ConstruxBoy]

kick out a hall of fame coach that seemed to be heading in the right place with the team. check.

bring in a punk 32 yr old brat as a head coach who thinks he is bill belicheck. check.

lose a franchise qb and take the franchise back 13 years. check.

sounds golden so far.

i love denver fans. trying to act like losing cutler was a good thing. please. you'll be dreading that as bad as atlanta did for trading favre.

No other way to put it. As a Denver fan for the past 40 years, we will not sniff the playoffs for 4 years at best. 2 years of losing records that net us top 10 picks. McDork fired. Labor problems year 3. Year 4 who knows what the league looks like and who the coach is.

I agee with Moleculo this year will be 5 wins +/-1.

But boy does Josh look cool in his hoody. I vowed not to go to a game this year, but I just might go to just hassle him or I might try and go to his coaches show at the restaurant and throw food at him. One has to have something to build on in this pathetic year.

I think that's the worst thing about the Belichick tree expanding: the frat boy dress code. I applauded Mike Nolen when he defied the league to wear a suit. In most other sports, baseball being an exception, the coaches dress nicely. Why not encourage that?

 

[rascal]

Kliza is an idiot.

Broncos did well in the trade, but to say they are better off as a team after the trade is ludicrous.

 

[moleculo]

Kliza is an idiot.Broncos did well in the trade, but to say they are better off as a team after the trade is ludicrous.

I think Kliza makes some good points. Cutler really forced the Broncos to trade him. If they keep him around, do you really think that Cutler would be giving 100%? He was mopey and moody when he got along great with the coaches - how do you think he would conduct himself if he hated McD? I can only imagine shouting matces on the sidelines - assuming that Cuter hadn't just given up and was just going through the motions. Like Bowlen said - if he didn't want to be a Bronco, there's no sense keeping him around. I'm convinced that Cutler was rapidly becoming a cancer that had to be removed.I think that 2009 Broncos will be better off w/o Cutler than they would have been with him, given McJaygate. But, 2009 Broncos < 2008 Broncos, and that's not saying much.This has been a terrible, but maybe necessary, off-season. Reset button has pretty much been pressed - let's just hope that what ever grows from this grows in the right direction and returns the Broncos to the top.

 

[greenroom]

kick out a hall of fame coach that seemed to be heading in the right place with the team. check.

bring in a punk 32 yr old brat as a head coach who thinks he is bill belicheck. check.

lose a franchise qb and take the franchise back 13 years. check.

sounds golden so far.

i love denver fans. trying to act like losing cutler was a good thing. please. you'll be dreading that as bad as atlanta did for trading favre.

kick out a hall of fame coach that seemed to be heading in the right place with the team. check. Are you kidding. Denver was not heading in the right place as you say. Well you are a Steelers fan so I guess we are for you. Denver was heading down it was going to be one of those slow painful to the botton of the standings. Shanny had to go, could he have remained as the HC yes, but as the GM he had to be fired. And well I am pretty sure that Shanny did not want to be just the HC. SO it was the right move tolet go of Shanny. bring in a punk 32 yr old brat as a head coach who thinks he is bill belicheck. check. And if he is that would be great. l personally think he will not last more than a season or two, but I could be wrong. remember that Tomlin did not get off to the greatest of starts.( not this bad I know, and he turned out pretty good)

lose a franchise qb and take the franchise back 13 years. check What has Cutler done?? He has a losing record and he was not the greatest leader. Does he have talent sure, but so does TO and Jeff George, but that does not mean they are the best for your team. Denver will be back great in 2-3 seasons. I am sorry but with or with out Cutler this year was going to be a losing team. With so many changes and one of the hardest schedules this will be a tough year for Denver.

But watch out next year.

 

[charlatan]

kick out a hall of fame coach that seemed to be heading in the right place with the team. check.bring in a punk 32 yr old brat as a head coach who thinks he is bill belicheck. check.lose a franchise qb and take the franchise back 13 years. check.sounds golden so far. i love denver fans. trying to act like losing cutler was a good thing. please. you'll be dreading that as bad as atlanta did for trading favre.

No other way to put it. As a Denver fan for the past 40 years, we will not sniff the playoffs for 4 years at best. 2 years of losing records that net us top 10 picks. McDork fired. Labor problems year 3. Year 4 who knows what the league looks like and who the coach is.I agee with Moleculo this year will be 5 wins +/-1.But boy does Josh look cool in his hoody. I vowed not to go to a game this year, but I just might go to just hassle him or I might try and go to his coaches show at the restaurant and throw food at him. One has to have something to build on in this pathetic year.

Oh this is just great. Seriously. I've been a Bronco fan for the past 38 years, but you really need to step back and take an objective look at where the Broncos were heading.McDaniels said it best in the interview on the local sports show here, and it seems to me that he was watching the same games I was; 1) We had 17 two minute drives, and scored only 1 field goal. 2) 30 turnovers.... 30 TURNOVERS! 3) Offense was in the top 5 in yards and NOT in the top half of the league in points scored!Wow. Hammer, meet nail. This team was poorly run, with some less than stellar character guys and no discipline for the basics. If you didn't see that, you need to take another look... objectively. And if I hear "pro bowl quarterback" one more time... The Broncos were CLEARLY going down hill fast, and with the exception of a few great team players, the team was in need of an overhaul.Now, I don't think that McD handled the situation all that well, but he did manage to get a damn good deal for Cutler given the circumstances. This is also an opportunity for us to really see if McD and the GM are any better at drafting talent than Shanny. I certainly hope they are.