12/31/2008

Regarding "experience"

I've noticed Bill Cowher and Marty Schottenheimer being heavily mentioned both in the comments here and in discussions across the internet as desired replacements for Shanahan. They apparently bring experience to the table that is necessary to win in the NFL.

Schottenheimer's experience didn't help him accomplish anything of note in San Diego other than underachievement. Bill Cowher doesn't seem particularly interested in coaching in the NFL at the moment, why drag him back?

All that hiring a coach like Cowher or Schottenheimer would do is create the same kinds of problems that kept Shanahan around far too long, an unwillingness to question their decisions, a lack of accountability, and a burgeoning cult of personality.

Atlanta, Baltimore, and Miami brought in "inexperienced" head coaches to coach relatively unseasoned teams and all three had remarkable success this year.

Experience is overrated and shouldn't be anywhere near the top of desirable qualities in a new head coach.

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't understand why you are hung up against Cowher or Schottenheimer. Cowher may have won only one ring, but he had the Steelers in serious contention for many years. According to your logic Shanny should never coach in the NFL again because after all, his experience means nothing.

Anonymous said...

Marty would be suspect only because of his inability to coach his guys "up" for big games -- Denver has exploited this for many seasons against Cleveland, KC, San Diego, etc..

Cowher seems ready to hop back in the NFL, from what I've seen -- and Denver is a prized job with such great ownership and fan base. I don't see why a coach with his stature wouldn't want to come into a team with young offensive talent already established.

The gaping hole that the coach (whomever it is) would have to fill is the same one Mike couldn't: Defense. Cowher is known for coaching great defensive teams (or at least having good coordinators with him).

Plus I would assume the free agents and coordinators needed to improve our team would like to come to a great organization with a great coach.

Jacob said...

I'm 100% dead set against Schottenheimer, his hire would cause me to only rename this site.

Cowher on the other hand I'm more open to.

Zach said...

I don't understand the animosity towards Marty. All he does is get players to play up to their potential. He took the Chargers to a 14-2 season. Norv Turner hasn't done nearly as well because he's a terrible coach, but a great coordinator.

Marty lost to the Patriots with the Chargers. Last time I checked, the Patriots have won 3 Super Bowls this decade. It's not like they lost to the Raiders or the Chiefs or the Bills.

One more thing, the Chargers sucked before Marty showed up. They were a damn laughing stock. Marty shows up and they start winning games.

Let's not forget that he led the God awful Redskins to an 8-8 record in his only season. The Redskins are still reeling from his firing. I think he won 7 of his last 8 games with them.

Yeah, I wouldn't hire a guy that gets crap teams to play well.

Anonymous said...

Marty Ball lol, its amazing that someone would really want Marty over Shanny!! I bet you jumped up and down when Tommy Maddox was drafted. Marty has said many things about the Broncos and the fans over the years. ROFLMAO at Marty.

Zach said...

I don't even remember what year Tommy Maddox was drafted. You people can whine and moan about Marty ball all you want, but it works.

But I didn't say that Marty is the only choice. If you go to the previous post on this page about Spagnuolo. I said they need to hire a coach with experience. I suggested Eric Mangini and Marty. Cowher would also be a good choice. Hell, they should go after Brian Billick. Just bring in an established coach.

I'm willing to bet that Marty is probably done with coaching anyway. What sane man would want to coach an NFL team in this league?

There are no quick fixes in football folks. Whoever takes the reins is going to have some work to do. Obviously the defense is first, it's in shambles. Then I'd consider trading Cutler. He thinks firing Shanahan was the wrong move. Well, that makes him part of the problem. That and his abundance of INTs. He doesn't want to play for the next coach, kick his ass out.

One more thing, get rid of Champ Bailey. The man is a liability on defense. I don't want to hear this crap about "he's the best corner in the league." He hasn't been the best corner in the league since he was traded away from Washington. We can get some draft picks for him. Some of your best players come in the latter rounds of the draft.

Bear down folks, it's going to take a while to right this ship.

Anonymous said...

Marty would be a good choice. I think you are wrong. I said over a year ago that Shanny needed to go and that Marty would be a great replacement.
He has a track record of building great teams, he knows talent and knows how to develop it. WE, AS IN DENVER ARE THE MAIN REASON Marty has the rep of chocking in big games. Get him in here and have him lose his rep in the place that gave it to him.

I would be at ease if Marty came in and took over things.

broncos fan since 85. Was in Denver in 4th grade then and witnessed "The Drive" and never looked back.

Zach said...

Thank you anonymous! Marty is definitely at the top of my list of replacements. I wanted the Broncos to fire Shanahan 5 years ago. Then I really wanted them to fire him 2 years ago after Marty was wrongfully fired by that douche, A.J. Smith.

My brother, father, and I have talked about Marty coming back and winning the Super Bowl with the Broncos. It would be poetic justice. Marty could retire a happy man.

But that will have to remain a dream for now. I really don't think they're going to go with Marty. He really hasn't shown any interest in coaching since San Diego.

Anonymous said...

Thank god you people are not making any decisions for the team! Your insight is at best comical. I have no doubt that you have the same passion for the Broncos as all of us but I can't be more in disagreement.

Zach said...

If you're so brilliant OMG, why the hell aren't you throwing out suggestions? It's easy to sit there and shoot down everybody's ideas when you don't offer any of your own.

Come on, let's hear your genius ideas.

Anonymous said...

At no time have I said that I was brilliant. I said that I have more insight and or knowledge through life experiences in which the average fan can not comprehend. Choosing a coach is a crap shoot just as choosing a player. One can do all of the required research for finding that coach and player. You may find the one that you want. That coach or player may not want to come to your organization.
Lets look at personnel. In 1996 many top free agents wanted to come to Denver. You would be playing with Elway, Sharpe, Smith, Davis, Mcaffery, Romanowski, just to name a few. A top free agent would see this as great place for a chance to win. This becomes an easy sell. Lets look at 2000. No more Elway and rookie quarterback. Many real good players on the back end of their carriers. An all pro rb Davis is pretty well done for. Not an easy sell. It becomes more difficult to bring in free agent talent. During your super bowl runs you had to give up some draft picks for restricted free agents along with contract restructures to fit under the salary cap. There were several players who were being paid for several years after they had left thus putting money on the cap when they are no longer with the team. Many super bowl teams do this in order to get the game. Three to four years after they are paying for those runs.
Lets look at coaching. After 3-4 years as a coach one can become stale. I agree with many people that Shanny had become stale and maybe tired. As a coach you work 100 to 120 hours a week. The fact that he did nothing about this led to his demise. As a coach you are only as good as your assistants. It is easier to get assistants when you have some great players. Asst. as players want to go where they can make the most out of their time for job advancement.
Now your organization is looking for head coach. Your team has a really good offense but your defense needs a major overhaul. You can hire a defensive minded coach. Will this coach have the ability to improve the defense while keeping the offense up to speed. You could hire an offensive minded coach but what about the defense.
If you hire a name coach who has established himself there is a good chance that he will be able to get the right coordinators and asst. coaches to come with him since he has a proven record. If you get a bright young coordinator as your head coach who has never proved himself will he be able to get some of the bright young coordinators to leave where they are at when they have no idea what the outcome will be. In many cases when you hire a young unestablished head coach they will have limited amount of choices to hire.
Looking at the coach pool. I feel that the NFL has shown over time that hiring a coach from the college ranks has not work. There is such a difference between the X and O's from college to pro's. I feel that this would be a huge mistake.
Looking at established head coaches there are many to choose from. Some are great X an O guys and some are great motivators. Honestly if your roster needs to be motivated you may have the wrong people. Brian Billick is a fine coach who was at one time considered a offensive genius. He has won but with great defenses. He would be a great choice but most of his quality asst. coaches are still with the ravens and probably would not leave. Remember that X and O are pretty much the same. All the schemes that can be run have been run. Its finding the right people to execute then to perfection. Billick would be a good choice but would have been very close to what we have just fired. Now we have Bill Cowher. Considered a great motivator. He is a very good Head Coach. With that being said I don't think he would be a good fit for us. First how well would he do without Dick Lebeau who is in my opinion one of the best D coordinators ever. Cowher is a run first coach first who likes a big o line and a very large and physical d. At this time our team does not have any of those type Cowher players. We could not just release everybody and start from scratch. The hits we would take on the cap would doom the franchise. Cowher is by far a top notch coach but the rebuild job would be a massive undertaking that I feel he would not want.
Marty Schottenhiemer, yes a pretty darn good football coach but his teams always get beat in the post season. We have had that several times and this would not be an upgrade to what we had. Also with Marty's age what is he willing to do to make this work. How much left in the tank.
Bill Parcells assuming that he will be leaving Miami. Not my personal favorite but a proven winner. He has turned 5 teams around. Now a Super Bowl is not a guarantee but the competition will be. Offensive closely to that of Shanahan with some minor differences. The eye for talent as good as Shannys on the offensive side of the ball but better on the D side. Drawbacks are age physical status along with short tenure in last few jobs. Most likely the most safe choice of the name coaches.
Will be back with an overview of the coordinator possibilities.

Anonymous said...

Now I am not a big fan of hiring a coordinator from a super bowl team. Quite frankly they are winning with some of the best talent. As many of you have stated it is easier to win with talent. This does not guarantee a super bowl but it does help.
Steve Spagnuolo is an okay choice. He has won with some talent and his d plays hard. I do not think he will leave the Giants since Coughlin will probably retire in a season or two and he will most likely be the Head Coach.
I will first go over my thoughts on who I would like to see.
My Choice would be the Defensive Cordinator of the Miami Dolphins Coach Paul Pasqualoni. Yes he was the coach of the Syracuse Orangmen from 91 2004 where he posted 107-59-1 record. He also had a good d and an explosive offense. As I have said I am not a big fan of College head coaches but, Coach P came to the NFL 4 years ago and started as a tight end coach then moving to the Dallas D. He is a no nonsense guy and a is well versed on both sides of the ball. He has helped make Mcnabb, Marvin Harrison and Kieth Bullock who they are today. He has turned around the Miami D. His record shows that he is not a one season wonder. Coach P is also a run first Coach that I feel is a must. I think he would be a fine candidate due to the fact that he has run a team although college and has been successful in almost every job he has had. He is first and foremost a football coach not an o coach or d coach.
The cons, age and does he even want to be head coach again.
I will admit that I am a little bias since I did play for him. He is a no nonsense guy but he will give you his all if you give him yours. If you don't give him your all you will be gone!

Anonymous said...

Also I wanted to point out some differences between X and O's at the college level and the pro's.
During a college season many good to great college teams play teams that are not even close to them talent wise. Many teams win just based on talent. Offensive plays are called and work even when they are not run to perfection. You have players that are up against other players that are not of the same level.
Football has been around for 140 years give or take. There are only so many run, pass and defensive plays that you use. In the NFL you have the creme of the crop talent wise. A WR who dominated in College will not be that same dominate player in the NFL. The level a competition is so close. In the pros the execution of the plays and the timing make the difference from the good and bad teams. Generally speaking with all the film and planning most teams know what the other is going to do. The question becomes can you stop and who ran the plays more crisp and precise.

Anonymous said...

My Second Choice for Head Coach would be the Eagles D coordinator Jim Johnson. Jim is in my opinion and stats will back this up the second best D coordinator in the NFL today. Here is 2007 Eagles D stats
Sacks 34.2 1st NFL
3rd down efficiency 34.3 2nd NFL
Red Zone TD% 43.0% 2nd NFL
Fewest Points Allowed 4th NFL
Opponent QB rating 75.5 5th NFL
2008 D stats
Points 18.1 4th nfl
yards 274 3rd
pass yards 182.1 3rd
rush tards 92 3rd
Johnsons D is always ranked in the top 10 even in some years when the offense has been pretty bad. The cons are age and does he want to be a head coach. His nickname is the Secretary of Defense.

Anonymous said...

We have a an offense that can win now! We need the D turned around and that will not be easy. If you had a Ferrari would you let someone with very little experience fix it or would you want the man who knows what he is doing to handle it. I feel that this is the same principle with a football team. A man who has worked his way up should earn the right. I hear people look what Atlanta has done and Miami. Both coaches have been around for awhile as asst. and cords. But look at all the young coaches who have been hired and failed. If we can fix the D with personnel and schemes we have a shot.

Zach said...

Thank you for giving an incredibly detailed explanation of what you think we should be looking for, OMG. You clearly have a vast knowledge of the game and the process of hiring a coach.

I read your response to a previous post last night. I missed it earlier and didn't know that you had played and coached. So you would definitely have more insight than a regular fan.

Look, I'm just a fan who loves the Broncos and am fed up with the way things have been going. True I've never coached football, but I've watched enough of it to know when a team clearly needs a change.

I've watched Cutler throw so many interceptions that I began to predict them in the middle of the season. I called the one he threw in the end zone against the Chargers last Sunday night. As soon as he released it I looked at my wife and said "that's a pick."

It just got annoying watching them make the playoffs, play one game, and exit the playoffs. That just doesn't cut it. We were becoming the Atlanta Braves of the NFL. Though the Braves were more like the Bills. But you get my point.

I stated earlier that I don't think a coordinator is the way to go. Unless that coordinator has had head coaching experience at the college level as you illustrated with Paul Pasqualoni.

Jim Johnson is going to be a coordinator for the rest of his coaching career. I think he's too old to start as a head coach. If he'd like to come be our D coordinator, he's more than welcome. I doubt that would ever happen.

Like you said, it's a crap shoot. But I do know that you're more likely to come up with snake eyes if you pick a coordinator or a college coach. Nick Saban is the perfect example of a man that is destined to be a college coach for the rest of his career. Some guys just don't have what it takes to coach at the pro level. Nick Saban is a fine coach in college, but it just doesn't translate to the NFL.

It's going to be an interesting process. I can't wait to see how it shakes out.

One more thing, Bill Cowher won't come to Denver because we won't be able to afford him. You know that man is going to want big dollars to coach again. I say we should save our money and invest it in some better defensive players.

What about my idea of trading Champ Bailey? What are your thoughts on that? I think he's overrated.

Anonymous said...

OK, some thoughts:

Marty wouldn't be a long term solution but a 2-3 year stint for him would be just fine. At his age I'm not sure he's thinking much past that, anyway.

Jim Johnson is too old to start as a HC. If we're looking at older guys to start running ships, I suggest Tom Moore of the Colts first. You think Cutler wouldn't change his mind about Shanny hitting the road if Moore came to town?

Here's an interesting name to chew on: Mike Martz. Either as the new HC or as an OC, although I admit he'd probably be better as the latter. If the Broncos have anything it's plenty of toys on the offensive side of the ball for the Mad Genius to play with.

Anonymous said...

I don't think that a man who is up there in age would be a bad choice. It may not be a long term solution. If you went through the history of the NFL and College football there are many coaches that get a shot late in life and do just fine. If you are looking for a new team VIA free agency and you are in the top ten lets say. Do you want to play for an older Coach sat like Jim Johnson or a coach who is unknown. Prob 9 out of ten times that Free agent is going with a proven for even less money. If we are entertaining hiring Marty then we have to look at who is the best out there. Age and health do matter but getting the D fixed is a must to win. The draft folks will not get it done next year we need some free agents.
Mike Martz is a horrible coach and cord. Just look at his track record. Singletary droped him like a hot potato. Food for thought during the draft a personnel man has to go with the best he can get not necessarily what he needs. I feel like Shany did a B- in the draft. We don't know who he tried to get in but failed VIA Free agency. Only a couple other teams have done better than us in the last three drafts. Remember we need a coach to turn the D around and we will still have 80% of the players we had last year.

Anonymous said...

Zach, Looking at the game film ( I record many games to break down the film to help younger family members) over the last two years very few teams throw Champs way in the beginning of the season. Champ has been unable to stay healthy over the last 4 or so. When Champ has his usual groin problems his playing level drops. A healthy champ is a top notch defender but he can't stay healthy. To me this means he is overpaid and under in the production dept. Trading him is not an option since he is overpaid right now and many teams will not want to pay him. I would say next year decrease some of his playing time to save some of the injury potential. Bly is another story. He needs to go. A gambler with less physical ability than most safeties. Very poor tackler like most of our defense.

Anonymous said...

Honestly I think we need to find a defensive minded head coach. There are a lot of rally good O cords that we can hire but a tougher task to hire a good d cord. In order to inject something into our D we will have to hire a D minded head coach. After having Mike for 14 years I don't think we are looking for a coach for more than 2-3 years. Looking at the defensive minded cords out there and then looking at the eagles I see some similarities in personnel. I feel Jim Johnson has been able to get a lot out of the Eagles with the talent it has. JIm at his age knows a lot of coaches who would follow him. Marty can't win in the playoffs. I remember many times his teams being the 1 or 2 seed and getting hosed in their first playoff game. Zach you are so right about Bill Cowher he will want a ton of cash. We don't even have a team that would be able to play Cowher football so that is out. When Shany was hired the take on him was that he was to young. Reeves and Phillips could not win with John but Mike did. Dick Vermiel was considered to be to old to coach and he came in went to two super bowls and won one with St. Louis. I think we have to look at all options.

Anonymous said...

Jason here is the scoop on Martz. His offense is basically the old Run and Shoot with an emphasis on the shoot. A Martz offense either scores quickly or goes three and out. If you have good D and they spend over half a game on the field they get worn down and can't catch a cold. If you have a bad D like ours the d would give up a touchdown or FG on every play. Let's look at our 2008 season. With our Rb's going down like flies every game we were forced to throw the football about 80% of the time. This is 60% of the reason our D was that bad. Most games our opponent's time of possession was about 12 min. more than ours. Martz would be a fool hearty and unwise choice. Martz was drop kicked out of every team he has coached on. Martz himself has said over and over again he has no problem throwing the football every down. I call this the June Jones syndrome.

Anonymous said...

Jason here is the scoop on Martz. His offense is basically the old Run and Shoot with an emphasis on the shoot. A Martz offense either scores quickly or goes three and out. If you have good D and they spend over half a game on the field they get worn down and can't catch a cold. If you have a bad D like ours the d would give up a touchdown or FG on every play. Let's look at our 2008 season. With our Rb's going down like flies every game we were forced to throw the football about 80% of the time. This is 60% of the reason our D was that bad. Most games our opponent's time of possession was about 12 min. more than ours. Martz would be a fool hearty and unwise choice. Martz was drop kicked out of every team he has coached on. Martz himself has said over and over again he has no problem throwing the football every down. I call this the June Jones syndrome.

Anonymous said...

Alrighty, I get your point on Martz. As mentioned before, there are a gazillion options.

Here's one I really DO NOT want them bringing in: Jason Garrett. He can't run an offense, let alone the entire team.

Anonymous said...

At this point, it would be wise to take a chance on a young guy with no head coaching experience. If we go with Cowher or Schottenheimer, they will want the same kind of power that was given to Shanahan. That's not what we need. Just remember that all great coaches have to start somewhere. The next great one is out there.

Anonymous said...

I think it would be a bad idea to hire a first time head coach. There will be growing pains. Bill Billicheck, Mike Shanahan, Tony Dungy, Jeff Fisher, Mike Holmgren just to name a few in the modern era were not very successful in ther first coaching job. It was their second job where the won a Super Bowl or went to one. We are a class organization. We let the Browns and Lions train people to be a head coach.

Zach said...

This isn't completely unrelated, but it definitely falls in line with the "let the Lions and Browns train coaches" category.

Has anybody heard that Marshall Faulk wants to be a head coach? I heard that over the weekend I think. What a joke that would be. I know Marshall was a great running back and all, but he has zero experience as a coach in the NFL. You can't just go in cold turkey and wing it (no pun intended). You have to climb the coaching ladder in the NFL.

I have no pity for whatever team (the Rams) decides to fall into that trap. Actually, I don't even think the Rams are dumb enough to do that. Marshall is just dreaming.

Here's the perfect example of a great player not making a great coach or GM. Michael Jordan. I loathe the NBA, but this is a good example. He was a great player, but he may have been the worst GM of all time. Just because you can play the game, doesn't mean you can coach a team or run one.

I certainly hope Pat isn't going to screw around with a first-timer. I sure am hearing Spagnuolo's name a lot and it scares me. We need to get a real coach.

Let Oakland sign the coordinators! What real coach wants to go to Oakland anyway? Al Davis is a total lunatic.

Anonymous said...

Zach, I agree that would be a joke for the missle to come in and become a head coach. If I am correct I think Faulk was a RB coach will playing the last few years much like Rod Smith did his last few. I could see him get a job as a RB coach and work his way up.

Anonymous said...

Have any of you guys been on the Broncos message boards? I am amazed at several fans going around bashing folks who have an opinion about a potential coach. These persons leave a list of there do and do nots like a Christmas list. They then offer no substance as why. If we hire a SB coordinator the results will be like the Jets and Browns. Great coordinators but went to teams with little talent. This = disaster for them.

Zach said...

I haven't been on any Broncos message boards to see the fallout. But I can imagine how stupid it probably is.

I really don't think Mangini did a bad job with the Jets. He did a great job his first season, things kind of fell apart his second season, and he got them back on track this season. I still can't figure out why they fired him. Bertt Farve cost them down the stretch. Obviously the hurt shoulder had something to do with that, but I guess Mangini could have brought in the back-up.

Well, their defense also cost them down the stretch, they couldn't stop anybody. They only beat the Bills because J.P. Losman lost his mind. It's funny, during the telecast of that game Dierdorf was talking about how Losman was trying to put together a "highlight film" to show all the teams in the off-season. I doubt that game will make the final cut.

The Broncos may want to bring in a coach that's good with quarterbacks. I don't think that Cutler is being groomed properly. Somebody needs to tell that boy that you can't throw into triple coverage. They also need to let him open up that offense.

That's the biggest problem I see with the Broncos' offense. Well I guess their inability to run the ball makes it impossible to stretch the field. So they need to get back to Broncos football before they can stretch the field.

This is why I would like to see Marty come in to Denver. You know the man is going to have a running team. They'd start pounding the ball again and those deep passes would come back.

But I'm sure there are plenty of other coaches who could do the same thing.

Did anybody else, OMG, read that they are going to talk to Bob Stoops? I almost punched my monitor when I read that. Why on Earth would you want to talk to a college coach? I don't care how good of a coach Stoops is at OK, he won't be good in Denver. Like you said OMG, the X's and O's are different in the pros. We don't need a coach that's going to have a steep learning curve as soon as he takes the job. We want that learning curve to be minimal at worst.

Anonymous said...

OMG, Bob Stoops (LOL) After Spurrier, Saban, Davis, Petrino, just to name a few are college Head Coaches that had no modern NFL experience. Every College coach has been sent packing. Stoops is an okay Coach but if we are determined to get one I could come up with five better.
Zach, I will say everyone was like Mike Smith, who and why are the Falcons going to hire him. If we are not going to get a name Coach then some of the older D cords would be a great option.
I know you like Marty and I am not trying to rain on you but I think you either do not remember how good many of his teams were and how they got pummeled in the playoffs. There is so much history with us against Marty that people like me who have been fans since 1979 who really have a problem with him. As many great season teams he has had they choke in the playoffs. Mart is alot like Dan Reeves if you are old enough to remember him. In the Reeves offense its run left, run right, pass then punt. We will score some points yes but will never covet the prize. If you have a copy of the Super Bowl 33 watch the Falcons play calling against us and that will give you an idea of Marty ball. Don't get me wrong I feel Marty is a tad better than Dan with his offense since he will pass a little more but both have close statistics through out their careers.
You will think I am crazy for what I am about to say! Sit down if you are not. Pat Bowen loves the attention that he is getting and will get. I think that they are interviewing people for other coaching jobs other than Head Coach. I have a weird feeling that Pat will want to hire someone from the Bronco family. I do think there is a strong possibility that Pat will hire John Elway as a Head Coach. This is really not that crazy of an Idea. John is what started Bronco Mania. I do think John would make a great head coach for these reasons. 1. If a hall of fame player expects you to do something that he did there is really no argument. 2. Money, The Broncos would make a killing from merchandise and mile high would be packed. 3. John's father Jack was a Head Coach from the time John was a child and a pretty darn good one. John had to have learned something.
Depending how old you are you may or may not remember when the Broncos went on the road and the home team had an away game. I went to a Jaguars game were the stadium was Orange! IN-COM-PLETE was yelled and the home offense had many false starts. It sounds crazy but may not be a bad idea. I have often wondered how John would make it back into the fold. I see this as a real possibility. It could work if John is surrounded by experienced coaches. I think John knows just enough that it might actually work. Lets not forget that in 1995 John and Shanny designed those super bowl offenses.
Just a thought. I think Pat Bowlen is ready to get Elway involved. The Broncos would also make money hand over fist!

Anonymous said...

John Elway as coach? The Green Bay Packers have a precendent for that situation, and it's not a good one. Remember...they hired Bart Starr as their head coach in the 80s and that was a running disaster.

Zach said...

Hm, I'm not sure what to think of Elway as head coach. He would definitely get a lot of leeway since he is the face of Broncos football forever. What the heck? It's worth a shot I guess. I do agree that they would make untold amounts of money. He's quite possibly the most popular quarterback ever. Though Johnny U was/is pretty darn popular.

I was born in 1982, so I'm a bit young for the Marty days with the Browns. But I have seen films of the two classic games against the Broncos. The Drive was a thing of beauty. I remember Super Bowl 32 & 33 very well.

I know that I set myself up every time I mention Marty's name, but I like the guy. To me he is everything a coach should be. But that hasn't translated into post season success for him. I'm not sure why that is though. It seems like his bad luck started with Ernest Byner's fumble on the 1 yard line.

I'm just thinking that maybe his bad luck will come to an end with the team that started it. It sounds extremely sappy and Rudy-esque, but I'd like to see it.

But I'd certainly be pumped if John got the job. How could you not be motivated by that man? Just make them watch the dive in Super Bowl 32. That's enough to motivate me.

That's what's been lacking since he left, the passion. That man gave it his all to win every damn game. I just don't see that in this group of guys. We need to get the passion back and then we'll win.

Anonymous said...

Well it sounds crazy! But to my knowledge John has not said anything publicly about the termination of Shany. Normally John has something to say to the reporters. To me the fact that he has not and if you listen to Mike and Pat's press conference would leave most to think something's up. Mike said something like if John were here people would sign for no money. Pat said that he did not know if John had any interest, but never said anything like John has no experience or anything negative.
Due to the Rooney rule where African American coaches have to be interviewed I think the Broncos will go through the process and may find other possible hires. I could be wrong but I can smell something was up. I noticed also on Monday that Shany did not give his end of year presser as he does after every season. I told my wife something big is about to go down. I figured that Shanny was going to lose his GM title or something like that. In my opinion Pat had something up his sleeve to fire Mike.

Anonymous said...

One thing to keep in mind Jason is the fact that Bart Starr was an OK player. I do not know what he was exposed to growing up. IE like a father who was a college Head Coach. I would say Bart was an OK player but not a student of the game.
When the NHL's Coyotes hired Wayne Gretsky I thought it would have a effect with pro teams giving greats a shot. Lets not forget that John has not done a whole bunch with the Broncos since his retirement. I think he has been waiting for the right time.
This is just a feeling I have no proof or evidence that I am correct.

Anonymous said...

Things we need to do to make 09 a success.

1. The obvious hire a head coach.
2. Get a GM
3. During Free Agency we need
Julius Peppers or Albert Haynesworth or both. It would be nice to have Bertrand Berry back but we offered him a bunch of money and he left. We need some younger meaty guys on the front 4. Elvis is a great pass rusher but not so good on the run D. Another good possibility Kevin Carter.
Free agency is a must since it takes 2-3 years for linemen to mature. Moss if healthy could be a sleeper.
The linebackers are pretty set with Bailey, Webster and DJ. Winborn is a solid backup if one goes down.
We need some safties as much as a new line. There are not going to be many realy good safties in the FA market. If we could get Asomugha we could trade Bly or move him to saftey. We will need to draft at least 1. Trading Foxworth was dumb!
We need to keep Wegman and find out if Nalen will be back. If not we need to draft a center in the later rounds. We look pretty good on the o line.
The WR and TE are pretty much set! THank god. Cut Jackson and find a young fast WR that has been cut and give him a shot.
At RB there are not many good ones out there that will get to the market. If Sproles is available he is a must just so the Bolts don't have him.
At QB Ramsey will be gone. If we could swing Jeff Garcia for little money he could help Cutler learn a little more. I would say Collins but he is a 800 lbs weight. J.P. Loseman is an option but will be heavy on the price.
Kickers, Prater has a leg but not very consistent. There should be some undrafted kickers and punters to give a shot to. Most of the good kickers will be resigned by their current team.
Draft
I think we have the 12 and 44th picks in the first round. If we can get some D linemen via free agency Cutler needs a real by god nfl RB. There are several to choose from Moreno from Georgia would be good. A must if we can get him in the later rounds is a kid from Syracuse named Curtis Brinkley. As a senior he rushed for 1164 yards and 7 td on a woefull Cuse team. He is 509 205 lbs. Runs alot like Emmitt Smith.
The rest of the draft needs to be defense, defense and more d.
Rashad Johnson S Alabama
Nic Harris S Oklahoma Steve Atwater Like! I would stay away from Juniors. The extra year makes a huge difference.
The crazy thing about the draft is that you never know what the other teams are going to do. Sometimes you have to draft someone that you don't need but is still there when its your turn and you can't pass it up.
If we can get a young mobile Qb in the later rounds for a backup would be good since we will prob not be able to afford a top free agent for backup. I can say enough that we have to get Cutler a top RB. If we can control the clock better and Jay does not have to throw as much this will help the D out a great deal.

One other thing to note is the fact Edgerrin James may be out there. Granted he has gotten up there in age but has not been used much the last couple of years. His legs are fresh and he may sign for a good price with a chance to play. He could also help the younger backs. I saw his running in the cards playoff game and he was hitting the holes hard and fast. Just a thought.