Fire Mike Shanahan

The Redskins are really bad and Mike Shanahan is clearly the problem

2011-11-17T22:22:00.000-07:00

I've been busy watching Tim Tebow and with other things, but I'd just like to say that Mike Shanahan is clearly not fit to coach in the NFL in any capacity.

The Redskins are an awful team.

Redskin fans reactions 1

2010-12-19T16:02:00.002-07:00

Email your take: Fireshanahan@gmail.com

Virginia writes:

We all know the story of the "wonderful Wizard of Oz" who was supposedly all-knowing and all powerful. Except, when Dorothy pulled back the curtain, he was just a timid nobody! Well, you can draw an analogy with Shanahan and the curtain that was pulled back? That would be John Elway!! As many pundits have asked, what has he won since Elway retired? His son is a joke. Keyshawn Johnson said on ESPN that he had some low-level non-job with the Tampa Bay Bucaneers, and then Gary Kubiak hired him as a favor to Mike Shanahan, who was at one time Kubiak's mentor. (And we all know how well Gary Kubiak has been doing!). The whole crew need to be shown the door. Oh, well maybe Jim Haslett is okay.

Junebug writes:

Mike is NOT a good coach. What he's doing with the Redskins is not coaching, it is terrorism. He and his incompetent son and coaching staff have done more brow-beating and tearing down than they have coaching. The man is un-professional for calling out players in the media. This doesn't build repoir or team spirit, it tears down the locker room. He is doing to the Redskins the equivalent of what George W. Bush did to the economy - wrecking it! Daniel Snyder should take one for the team and pay out his contract and get on one knee and BEG Marty Schottenheimer (yes, the only true winner) to come back and re-build this franchise. Shanahan must go, this year!

Any Redskins fans want to voice their opinions here?

2010-12-17T19:53:00.001-07:00

If any Redskins fans want to email their takes about Shanahan's season so far, his decision to bench McNabb, or anything else I'm willing to post them.

I'll ask for complete, coherent sentences and minimal cursing if possible.

Fireshanahan@gmail.com

Typical Shanahan

2010-12-17T19:40:00.002-07:00

A mediocre season filled with close games his team should have won, terrible fourth quarter playcalling, throwing players under the bus in public, creation of multiple scapegoats to shift criticism away from the coaching staff.

Yep, sounds like a Mike Shanahan season to me.

Shanahan is a bad coach who got lucky he had Steve Young and John Elway to bail him out for his bad decisions.

If I was Redskins fan I'd be praying for him to be fired this off season.

How about that Mike Shanahan offense?

2010-09-12T21:49:00.001-06:00

Only score came by a defensive touchdown, needed the Cowboys offensive line to implode twice to win.

lol

Shanahan trying desperately to craft best Madden 07 team possible

2010-04-04T21:49:00.001-06:00

Larry Johnson, Willie Parker, Rex Grossman,

and now DONOVAN MCNABB

Can't wait until he drafts a QB immediately to begin to assert control over McNabb and undermine him.

I feel so bad for Redskins fans right now.

Question?

2010-01-15T19:11:00.002-07:00

Which college program will Shanahan fall to when he inevitably fails in Washington?

I feel like he'll go to the Pac-10 or Big-10.

Your thoughts?

About Cutler

2009-03-04T17:24:00.002-07:00

Jay Cutler has proven nothing as an NFL quarterback. He hasn't proven himself a winner, and he hasn't proven himself a leader.

Both of these points were in full display in the last three weeks of the 2008 season when Cutler phoned in in for three successive games, sending the Broncos spiraling out of playoff position.

All Jay Cutler has proven both in college and in the NFL is that he can put up nice statistics in meaningless games. When he is expected to win important games, he craters. Let's remember that Cutler took over the starting position because Shanahan claimed he gave the team its best chance to win over Plummer.

A comparison to Jake Plummer might help people with their hero worship of Cutler. Statistically Cutler isn't any better than Plummer. In fact Plummer's first three seasons in Denver were all arguably better than Cutler's.

However, a comparison of their leadership abilities paints a much starker contrast between the two. How did Jake Plummer react when Mike Shanahan sent a clear signal of his lack of trust by drafting Jay Cutler? Plummer didn't say a thing in the media and went out and played football. The Broncos had a winning record when he was replaced by Jay Cutler. Even after Shanahan replaced Plummer with Cutler, Plummer acted as a leader on the sidelines, helped Cutler, and was a vocal cheerleader on the bench. Plummer even acted as a holder throughout the rest of the season.

In comparison to a leader who voiced no complaints in the media to being relegated to holding duties, Jay Cutler's response to being simply mentioned in trade discussions is juvenile.

Cutler needs to grow up, if his performance spoke loud enough the Broncos wouldn't have considered trading him.

Looks like I've been replaced

2009-03-04T17:09:00.003-07:00

http://www.keepjayfiremcdaniels.com/

The looping guitar riff and demon imagery are something that in retrospect I feel would have made my efforts that much better.

Cutler asked to be traded before any of this happened. McDaniels tried to facilitate the request. I do not see the problem.

Cutler can peace out too

2009-03-02T20:39:00.001-07:00

Stop crying Jay.

Best of luck

2009-01-11T20:33:00.003-07:00

to Josh McDaniels. I'd rather the Broncos hired a defensive minded coach, but I have no real problems with this pick.

There's not much more for me to say or do here. If anybody wants to contact me to discuss the Broncos or anything fireshanahan@gmail.com will still be up and I'll read it as often as I can.

Regarding "experience"

2008-12-31T11:57:00.002-07:00

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.

Mile High Spagnuolo

2008-12-30T21:36:00.001-07:00

Get it done Pat.

Wow

2008-12-30T15:43:00.002-07:00

I can't really say I expected it to actually happen.

Discuss.

By now it should be blatantly obvious

2008-12-28T21:45:00.001-07:00

Shanahan needs to leave.

In reality this week's game shouldn't have been meaningful in any way. The Broncos were incredibly lucky to have any chance to make the playoffs this year after squeaking out a win against New Orleans thanks to a missed field goal and being given a win they didn't earn in their first meeting against the Chargers.

The Broncos have now gone two years without a winning record and three years without a playoff appearance.

Apologists will come out with a myriad of excuses, sure the Broncos had a rash of injuries this season. The fact is that they played poorly even when at full strength early in the year. Anybody looking back objectively on those games at the beginning of the season will be able to see that.

In tonight's game Tatum Bell was able to give the Broncos a credible running threat despite any injuries to other backs. The Broncos still lost. The fact that a player that Shanahan had previously tossed aside for no real reason gave the Broncos an extra arrow in their quiver tonight is ironic to say the least.

The Broncos defense is absolutely terrible, but it is terrible due to Shanahan's decisions. He has ran out multiple defensive coordinators to hide his own shortcomings. Larry Coyer managed a respectable and at times dominant Denver defense before he was fired as a scapegoat to cover up Shanahan's ineptitude. Shanahan is also completely incapable of drafting or otherwise acquiring defensive talent. Draft picks were wasted on offensive players when they weren't needed. Blame was constantly shifted away from its source.

It's time for Shanahan to go, he will continue to hold this franchise back.

Mistaking luck for achievement

2008-09-28T14:24:00.002-06:00

This is something Broncos fans always do.

The Broncos are 3-1, but without a blown call and two missed field goals from Martin Gramatica, they are 1-3.

The defense is completely abysmal.

If you'd like to believe the Broncos to be a juggernaut in the AFC, please continue to do so. They were just dominated by one of the worst teams in football, and are lucky to have a winning record.

Oh hi

2008-05-23T01:49:00.003-06:00

So the draft was a joke.

And the Broncos medical staff is apparently so inept they were unable to tell that their starting QB has diabetes?

Good coaching Mike, I know if I was an NFL head coach I would consider your QB losing 30 pounds an issue I was able to put aside.

I'm kind of apathetic about this now. I've been right too long to say anything but I told you so.

Delusion

2008-02-14T15:36:00.002-07:00

From the comments to the last post:

things aren't getting brighter? With one of the best young QB's in the league, a defense that will improve with draft picks and smart signings, improving depth along the o-line...

Smart signings and draft picks?

When has Shanahan ever shown him capable of making smart defensive signings and draft picks?

How can anybody claim we have improving depth on the offensive line? Our offensive line is only getting older.

Some analysis of the Broncos' offense

2008-01-24T18:04:00.000-07:00

While browsing Football Outsiders, I came across their 2007 Drive Statistics.

Here's how the Broncos stack up:

Yards Per Drive: 31.69 (9th best)
Points Per Drive: 1.73 (17th best)
Touchdowns Per Drive: .180 (18th best)
Punts Per Drive: .337 (5th best)

Now let's figure out what these statistics tell us.

Yards Per Drive compared to Points Per Drive and Touchdowns Per Drive

Of the teams in the top 10 in YPD the Broncos have by far the largest difference in their YPD to PPD ranking. Only two other teams in the top 10 in YPD are not in the top 10 in PPD. However, two teams are ranked 11th and 12th, a far cry from Denver's 17th.

The rest of the teams in the top 10 in YPD also have TDPD rankings similar to their YPD rankings. Again, the Broncos exhibit a discrepancy that the rest of the top 10 do not.

Relevance of Punts Per Drive:

If the Broncos were not scoring points, you would expect the offense to be punting the ball quite regularly. Yet that is clearly not the case, the Broncos punted the ball less than the vast majority of the NFL.

The thought might cross your mind now that the Broncos must have been turning the ball over frequently as an explanation for this. But, the Broncos turned the ball over at a decidedly average rate (15th) compared to the rest of the NFL.

What's this mean?

All of this lends to the conclusion that the Broncos were kicking too many field goals and not converting their chances into touchdowns.

That is a recurring theme for Shanahan's Post-Elway Broncos, in 2004 the team was 28th in Red Zone efficiency. The 2006 team was 12th, and the 2005 team despite having the second best record in the NFL was seventh in Red Zone Efficiency. Despite the fact that the Broncos were in the AFC Championship game in 2005, it should be no surprise that they finished behind both Super Bowl representatives in Red Zone Efficiency.

I would be willing to bet that once 2007's Red Zone Efficiency ratings are released, the Broncos will be amongst the NFL's worst.

The consistent problem is the play calling once the Broncos get into striking distance of the end-zone. It is consistently terrible, and Shanahan, as the person calling the plays, is to blame.

Rearranging the deck chairs

2008-01-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

Jim Bates has joined Greg Robinson, Ray Rhodes, and Larry Coyer in the pantheon of Shanahan's failed defensive coordinator choices.

To be fair to Coyer, he wasn't really a failure. He just happened to be the necessary sacrifice to the altar of the cult of personality around Shanahan.

The faces surrounding Mike Shanahan continue to change, the results continue to stay the same.

Does anybody truly think a new defensive coordinator is going to make any difference?

Time For Change (mail)

2007-12-06T13:32:00.000-07:00

This is another email, I thought it deserved a separate post of its own (although I don't agree with the Marty part). I'm still asking for emails. I'll print whatever I get. Fireshanahan@gmail.com -Jacob

Zach writes:

Shanahan has done nothing but pass the buck after Elway's retirement. There was nothing wrong with Jake Plummer. He was alright in Arizona, but he really came to form in Denver. But Shanahan casts doubt upon all quarterbacks who are not named "John Elway." He refuses to let his quarterbacks wind up and fling it down the field. Instead, they run a highly predictable dink-and-dump style offense. I don't know how they're 5-7. Well, I do know why they're 5-7 instead of 2-10, Jason Elam. He has bailed them out time after time this season.

Their defense has never been great. It wasn't great when they won back-to-back Super Bowls, but it was good enough to win. They managed to keep, for the most part, the same personnel when they were winning back-to-back Super Bowls. Now Shanahan will release players at the drop of a hat. What kind of mentality is that? "Well, this defense just didn't work out. Let's go out and get a new one for next season. If that doesn't work I'll just do the same thing again, until it works." Does he keep receipts for these guys? It's like his returning faulty products before the warranty is up.

Then there is the habitual hiring/firing of coaching staff. Let's not blame the head coach for the total ineptitude of HIS team. No, let's blame all the people that work for him.

Here's my ultimate dream: The Broncos, after going 7-9, fire Shanahan and hire Marty Schottenheimer. Marty will then lead the Broncos to a Super Bowl victory, thus breaking his jinx with the team that started it. I've always admired Marty and I think he's the answer. That man has taken so much undeserved critical abuse while Shanahan receives nothing but praises. Marty didn't deserve to be fired by the (vastly overrated) San Diego Chargers. They should have fired their insane General Manager. The Chargers are dead when they get into the playoffs.

That's a different issue though.

The Broncos are not going to be successful as long as Shanahan is there. He's just going to keep doing the same things hoping to get the same results, which is one of the definitions of insanity.

I'm in for the long haul, but it's getting tougher to hang in there. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope that he will get fired in the foreseeable future.

Mail bag

2007-12-05T13:08:00.000-07:00

Here's some of the mail I've received about the Mastermind so far. I'll post every email I get, so long as it isn't vulgar, etc (maybe I will even then). Send mail to Fireshanahan@gmail.com

I'm going to save one message I got to print as a post of its own tomorrow as I feel it summarizes the entire situation very well and will save me the trouble of having to reiterate things I've posted here for three years.

Steve writes:

When Coach Bill McCartney of the Colorado Buffaloes stupidly decided to punt to Rocket Ismail in the 1/1/91 Orange Bowl, he almost cost his team a national championship. Luckily, there was a clipping penalty on the play and the Buffs won and shared the championship. When Shanahan stupidly decided to kick and punt to Devin Hester, it basically cost his team the playoffs, and if there is a God, it cost him his job. Somehow, that night Todd Sauerbraun was Keith Olberman's "Worst Person in the NFL"!?! Shanahan probably called Keith and blamed every kick on Todd, and Keith slurped it up because the media is required to love Shanahan, who should've been fired THAT NIGHT.

Against the Raiders, after settling for field goals as usual (is it even called "settling" with him anymore? he seems to enjoy anticipating Elam's trot onto the field every time the Broncos get to the 40-yard-line) the Broncos cut the score to 24-19 in the 4th quarter. We know how much Shanahan loves FGs, but either he doesn't know the "new" NFL rules, or he just loves watching Elam kick, so instead of attempting to cut the lead to 3, the Broncos kicked the extra point. If the score had been like that in the final seconds, I still think they would've kicked the FG in the last minute to lose 24-23, that's how much Shanahan likes FGs and how stupid he is.

The Broncos have been shooting so many threes this year that even Antwan Walker is embarrassed.

Brian writes:

I've been a Broncos fan since I moved to Colorado at the age of six. I've seen them play over a dozen times, both at Mile High and Invesco. I was at the famous Elway vs Montana game, and have always counted myself quite loyal. Don't live in Colorado anymore, but still watch or listen to every game. I've no come to the conclusion that it's time for Shanahan to go. The one statistic that stands out for me the most is this; it's been almost 10 years since Elway played for the Broncos and we've won a grand total of one playoff game. ONE! For such a storied franchise, this is completely unacceptable. Plus, every other playoff game we've gotten absolutely smoked. Thanks for doing your part to get people talking!

Not only have the Broncos been smoked in the playoffs, they've been thoroughly out coached in almost every game.

"Milehijedi" writes:

I am so with it now.

I once felt and even mailed you my thoughts of how ridiculous I thought it was to fire Shanahan. But this is getting disgusting.

Bowlen has that irish connection with Shanahan I think. idk wtf direction this team is going.

Cutler's development MUST rest in Shanahan's shoulders, as I am sure he will not resign (though I wish he would). idk how much time to give him, but I am sick of watching this team go backwards.

Cutler appears to be on the right track, but that will not save Shanahan from throwing him under the bus if it is at all helpful to save his reputation.

Let's hear from you.

2007-12-03T14:53:00.000-07:00

Shoot me a line with your feelings on Shanahan, good, bad, whatever.

Fireshanahan@gmail.com

I'll post them. I'm too busy to point out how right I am at the moment.

It's always the defensive coordinator's fault

2007-11-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

Last season the Broncos defense began the season in a dominant fashion, preventing teams from reaching the end zone. They finished the season 8th in points allowed, with 305 and 14th in yards per game.

The offense on the other hand was 17th in points scored and 21st in yards per game.

Mike Shanahan is in near total control of the offense for this football team. In fact, the Broncos did not even have an offensive coordinator in 2006. He passed blame onto Jake Plummer halfway through the season and switched to Jay Cutler with the stated justification that Cutler gave the team the best chance to win. That didn't occur, and the team had the same offensive short coming.

In response to the team missing the playoffs, the organization decided to take the following steps in regards to the coaching staff:

1) Fire defensive coordinator Larry Coyer
2) Fire defensive line coach Andre Patterson
3) Extend Mike Shanahan's contract three years.

Once again reality was ignored and another defensive coordinator took the blame for Shanahan's inability to manage games.

How do the Broncos stack up this year in the aforementioned categories?

Defense:
28th in points allowed (227)
26th in yards per game.

Offense:
28th in points scored (126) -100 DIFFERENTIAL
10th in yards per game

The difference in the offensive rankings of points scored to yards gained is a simple one to explain. The Broncos have terrible special teams and horrible red zone play calling.

The response to last year's offensive problems was to fire the defensive coaching staff. As a result, the Broncos have their worst defense in recent memory.

Six million dollar drops

2007-11-06T12:33:00.000-07:00

Mike Shanahan gave Daniel Graham a five year, $30 million contract this off season, with $15 million in guaranteed money. This was one year after spending a second round pick on Tony Scheffler.

I will always have a soft spot for Graham, but I really cannot handle watching him drop the ball on every key play where his number is called. Even if he was making catches, he would still be vastly overpaid.

There is no excuse for tying up that much cap space in a tight end that does not contribute to your passing game.

Cassandratic Equation

2007-10-08T09:41:00.000-06:00

On October 7th 2007 Mike Shanahan coached the Broncos to the worst home defeat in over forty years. 41-3 to a San Diego Chargers team that was falling apart less than a week before. Ladanian Tomlinson was sobbing at press conferences, and San Diego fans were clamoring for Martyball. And Mike Shanahan led the team to a 41-3 defeat.

The Broncos are two plays and an upright from being 0-5. The inability to score in the red zone that has been a hallmark of the Shanahan led Broncos over the past four seasons has never been more apparent than it is right now.

Jay Cutler is not yet capable of running the offense Shanahan wants him to run, and yet Shanahan has shown no willingness to simplify the offense whatsoever to allow Cutler to succeed.

The Denver defense is an absolute joke, it's in complete shambles despite using multiple draft picks on defensive line help and signing several more free agents. Larry Coyer was made the second scapegoat of 2006 after assassinating Jake Plummer's career did not magically transport the Broncos to football fantasy land. Jim Bates has now fashioned a laughing stock of a defense.

And the most frustrating part of watching Broncos fans stumble around in complete shock over all of this, is that I've been pointing all of this out on this site for three years.

The fact that this team constantly plays down to the level of its opponents and frequently just no-shows entire games is blindingly apparent this season, as it should have been over the last four. That more than anything else is the sign of a poorly coached team.

This fan base has spent so much time attacking and scapegoating the team's quarterbacks and defensive coordinators yet failed to see that Emperor Shanahan is standing in front of them naked.

Which is why it's so hilarious to see the sudden realizations being had on Broncos sites across the net today.

It's time for a coaching change, it's been a decade since Shanahan won his fifteen get out of jail free cards on the back of Elway, Davis, and the best team by far in the NFL.

The MASTERMIND'S MASTER PLAN

2007-09-23T19:58:00.000-06:00

Step 1: Blow all three timeouts halfway through the third quarter

Step 2: Run a QB sneak on fourth and two (even though Marcus Stroud has been lining up over Nalen all day) instead of taking the three points.

Step 3: Go for it on fourth down backed up against your own endzone with four and a half minutes left.

Step 4: ??????????

Step 5: PROFIT

Even if you want to claim Shanahan was forced to go for it on that fourth down, he was only forced to go for it because he's an idiot and wasted all his timeouts and didn't kick the field goal earlier.

The team's offices have moved from Dove Valley to Ravenna

2006-12-01T22:39:00.000-07:00

It's became a yearly tradition, hasn't it? The mid-season collapse has came and went. Let's just give a recap.

2002: 6-2 start 9-7 finish
2003: 5-1 start 10-6 finish
2004: 5-1 start 10-6 finish
2006: 7-2 start followed by two losses

It didn't happen in 2005 due to issues of luck I've already dealt with. But it's nice that the team is at least predictable in its under achievement. You can brace for the punch when you know it's coming. You ever notice that the Broncos are always talked about as contenders in the early season and then the media never mentions them after a certain point? All you Denver fans who bitch about the media ignoring us should realize they have a good reason to. With our good coach at the helm we're always pretenders without the combination of Elway and Davis.

Through this time period the Broncos have had two offensive coordinators, two defensive coordinators, two starting quarterbacks, seven starting running backs, with a rotating door in the secondary and defensive line. What has been the one constant class? I won't ask you to get out your number two pencils. The answer is Mike Shanahan.

You can blame all you want on Jake Plummer, but let's look at the problems the Broncos have had through the season. We'll save the quarterback situation for last.

-Rod Smith has been invisible (Can't blame Shanahan here, just age)
-The Broncos have no tight ends who can catch (Shanahan released Jeb Putzier)
-The Broncos cannot generate a pass rush (Shanahan released Trevor Pryce)
-Darrent Williams cannot cover (Why is he still starting after the Indy game?)
-Inconsistent running game (Shanahan traded Droughns, released Anderson)

As for Plummer, he's had some horrible games. But anybody who wants to place any loss other than the St. Louis one squarely on his shoulders needs to catch a clue. He didn't give up 34 points to Indy or allow San Diego to come back from a 17 point deficit. In the KC game, nobody played well and he had zero help.

But a bigger question looms larger. What was expected when this team decided to ignore its glaring holes and trade up to draft a quarterback?

Anybody wanting to blame Plummer or Griese for any of the Broncos past woes needs to also remember that these guys were both handpicked by Shanahan. Jay Cutler will be Shanahan's third hand picked quarterback.

Shanahan's job needs to ride on Cutler's performance. If it doesn't, this organization is doomed.

Where do we stand in the AFC West?

2006-10-19T12:07:00.000-06:00

Let's take a look at the other teams in our division and where they stack up compared to us so far in the season.

San Diego Chargers (4-1)
Can anybody think of a more overrated team in the NFL at the moment? I sure as hell can't. Let's take a look at who they've beaten. Tennessee, Oakland, Pittsburgh (when Roethlisberger was doing his absolute best to throw the game) and San Fransisco. You know what, let's just give them the division already. Their front seven is brutal but they have absolutely no secondary. Their offense doesn't scare me, Rivers hasn't had to play under pressure yet and Tomlinson cannot rush against good defenses. They're frauds, pretenders, and they'll be exposed soon enough.

Kansas City Chiefs (2-3)
The Chiefs could easily sneak up on people if they can steal a game or two here before Green comes back. Their defense has finally improved after years of promises from their front office and coaching staff. Herm Edwards isn't the best gameday coach I've ever seen but he is a great presence in the lockerroom. The fact that he's been able to keep everyone on the same page after losing Green speaks volumes to that. Larry Johnson is struggling behind a weakened offensive line, and they don't have any impact wideouts but they could pose a threat if they can hang on over the next few weeks.

Oakland Raiders (0-5)
This is quite possibly the worst professional football team that I have ever seen play. They're completely undisciplined and led by probably the worst gameday coach in NFL history. They do have talent on the offensive side of the ball, excluding their horrible offensive line (Robert Gallery is one hell of a bust. They need to move him back to guard and try to hide him).

Here's the thing about Oakland now. Is beating them even enjoyable at this point? It's not even a rivalry currently, Oakland has no shot against us. I was at the game on Sunday and obviously I along with everyone at Invesco was fired up for beating the Raiders, but in hindsight it just doesn't have the affect that it did when they were decent.

A general update

2006-10-19T11:46:00.000-06:00

Here are a few quick bullet points on things that have happened in the season so far.

- I was wrong about Javon Walker's impact. The guy is a complete beast, well worth the second round pick.

- But, I've seen way too many drops as a whole from the receiving corps, and from...

- Tony Scheffler, who was nowhere near worth a second round pick, he has athletic ability, but he cannot block and drops nearly everything thrown his way. (But has anybody noticed that he becomes a beast in your Madden franchises?)

- I absolutely hate Kenard Lang. I think he celebrates successfully brushing his teeth in the morning. You'd think the guy has never made an NFL tackle let alone gotten a sack in his career the way he dances and taunts the other team.

- On the subject of Jake Plummer: Why has Shanahan nearly eliminated the play-action bootleg from the play-calling? It's almost as if he sat down and tore out half the pages in the playbook. Let him play, let him throw, let him run the plays that he is best at. From the second half of the Baltimore game on through the Oakland game he has been looking much more confident he's running the ball more and just generally looking like the leader of the offense.

Why haven't I updated? There are a few reasons, most of you who dislike me are probably convinced it has to do with the team winning. But it has more to do with the fact that the team is playing some of the most boring football I have seen since Trent Dilfer was leading the 2000 Ravens to wins without scoring offensive touchdowns week in and week out. It's more apathy than anything. Our defense is dominant but none of what I'm seeing is getting me excited for the season

Broncos 10 Rams 18: The team is completely unprepared

2006-09-11T12:25:00.000-06:00

Note: All post-game updates will be on Mondays this year

In a game eerily similar to last year's Week 1 loss to Miami, the Broncos once again had an inability to get the ball into the endzone on Sunday. It's only Week 1 and the season is obviously not over, but the things that we were shown in this loss give the impression that this team is not a championship contender. I'm wondering what Mike Shanahan does during training camp and the preseason instead of getting his teams mentally prepared to play. They certainly didn't look ready this week and they didn't look ready last year in the Week 1 loss to Miami.

Javon "I just dropped it" Walker, the darling of the Denver media during the preseason must have decided to dip his hands into cement before the game. He looked terrible out there. Wasn't the bash on guys like Lelie and Watts that they couldn't catch balls? Man, Javon Walker sure looked like an improvement in that regard.

As for Jake, I didn't see his first interception. The pick by Chavous was not his fault, as he threw a pass that Todd Devoe should have caught and Devoe just flat out missed it. The ball that was picked by Brown was off of a tipped ball, Jake threw into coverage but sometimes you have to do that when your team is losing. All day Jake had seemingly no pass protection and Leonard Little was running him over like he was behind the wheel of an SUV after a night at the bar. The offensive line and the wide receivers led by all-star-super-offseason-pick up Javon Walker flat out let Plummer down yesterday.

The calls for Cutler to start by his cheerleaders in the press led by Mark Kiszla who has done everything short of proposing to Jay to show his love and affection for The Gunslinger are comical at best. The geniuses at Orange Mane are just as funny and some of the more clueless clammoring for us to trade Plummer to a division rival to get rid of him. The Gunslinger is just flat out not ready for the NFL, nothing he showed in college gives us the impression that he could have done any better against the Rams than Jake did. Especially with the pass rush that was breathing down his neck all day. Cutler threw two picks to Middle Tennessee State for crying out loud. If the games were played in the weightlifting room, if you could win a game by benchpressing, I'd be all for subbing in Cutler but they're not.

The bright spot this week was clearly the play of the defense who as Bill Williamson points out were so good they managed to turn Jeff Wilkins into a fantasy god for the week. If they play half that well for the rest of the year, we'll be in fine shape for the regular season. The playoffs are once again an entirely different matter.

Lelie shipped to Atlanta

2006-08-24T18:41:00.000-06:00

Classes just started this week, so I've been a little busy, so about the Lelie deal...

I'm curious as to exactly when the Washington Redskins became part of our farm system, but they seem to enjoy giving us draft picks.

Do I think it's dumb not getting a player who can contribute to this team in return for Lelie? Absolutely. Is this deal in reality horrible? No. Is it the best deal we could have gotten? I doubt it.

Ashley is going to make Mike Vick's job in Atlanta a whole lot easier.

Preseason Week 1: Broncos @ Detroit Lions

2006-08-11T17:34:00.000-06:00

I'll liveblog the game until it just gets too boring to watch...

Update 1: Didn't take long for the hype of The Gunslinger to start, I'm sure we'll hear nothing but excessive praise for him all night long.

Update 2: Good coverage on the opening kickoff. What the hell was with Wilson trying to make a diving arm tackle there? Aside from the one play where Kitna was able to break containment and rushed for ten yards the Broncos haven't generated any kind of passrush on this drive at all. The corners looked to be playing well, a nice tip by Darrent Williams early on in the drive.

Update 3: How ugly is Cooper Carlisle? Could Channel 4 be doing a worse job broadcasting this game? No sound for the opening three plays and we miss the first two plays of this drive. Jake is out there throwing bee bees, he threw three pretty much perfect passes. Mike Bell kills the drive with that fumble. Very nice.

Update 4: It looks like the Broncos have absolutely no depth on the defensive line. No pass rush and they played poorly against the run on that drive too.

Update 5: THE GUNSLINGER IS IN!

Update 6: Nice pick by Foxworth.

Update 7: Cutler almost threw a pick there near the end of that drive, flinging the ball into double coverage. Other than that he's looked very good tonight. Mike Bell has looked very bad though. I can't keep watching, I'm bored to death. I'll write a wrap up after the game.

On Mike Bell

2006-08-11T11:39:00.000-06:00

The move of Mike Bell atop the Broncos' depth chart is to me obviously meant to "send a message" to Tatum Bell and Ron Dayne. Much in the same way Mike Shanahan so effectively "sent a message" to Ashley Lelie in the early part of the offseason, and how he "sent a message" to Jake Plummer by taking The Gunslinger with the 11th overall pick.

I fail to see the logic behind continuing to make it apparent that you have no respect for the players that play under you and that you will show them absolutely no loyalty whatsoever. It would be one thing if Tatum Bell had been playing poorly and Mike Bell was somebody who had actually played a down in an NFL game, or was actually perceived to be good enough by a single scouting department to be worth a seventh round draft pick.

Shanahan obviously doesn't have confidence in Mike Bell, as evidenced by the fact that Thomas Jones' name keeps popping up in trade discussions with Chicago for Ashley Lelie.

Courtney Brown injured at camp

2006-08-02T10:52:00.000-06:00

I heard on the Mike Rosen show this morning that he's sitting out practice today because he's hurt.

In other news the sun rises in the east, sets in west.

An inside look from Mike himself

2006-07-29T07:01:00.000-06:00

Denver Post columnist Thomas George, has written a piece where he does everything but declare his outright love and affection for Mike Shanahan. It's filled with several moments that are just absolutely touching. Seriously, I can feel it down in my soul. But there are also parts of the article that paint a picture that seems radically at odds with reality.

In Mike Shanahan's view, he has become a part of us. We have become a part of him.

Broncos players report for Shanahan's 12th training camp as head coach here today. Twelve seasons as head coach is perpetuity in the NFL. Look around and see the churning change at the position that colors NFL camps.

We have ridden him, jabbed at him, taken him for granted more than we have applauded him. The guy has absorbed serious heat.

But Shanahan, in quieter moments, understands.

It's hard for me to understand where George gets the idea that Denver fans or the Denver media outside of Woody Paige and one or two others have been anything other than absolutely laudatory of Shanahan over the years. If the comments and email I get are any indication then the Shanahan apologists far outweigh the critics, and it seems that the number of journalists who like George line up to kiss Shanahan's feet continues to grow.

There are also a couple statements made by Shanahan in the article that are a little suprising. One where Shanahan himself goes against his apologists, and shockingly he appears to actually shoulder the blame for once.

Shanahan has studied the film at least 25 times, he said. His team was outplayed, he said. He was outcoached, he said. Give Pittsburgh credit, he said, but ...

"I study so much," he said. "I've got to be able to look into the mirror and like myself. And it's not that I do all of the time. But sometimes you have to be hard on yourself. And in the end, I'm thinking, 'We just blew an opportunity to be world champions."

I am blown away at the admission by Shanahan that he was outcoached in the AFC Championship game. There it is for you in black and white, Mike Shanahan himself admits that he did a poor coaching job in the AFC Championship game. It's a breath of fresh air to finally see Mike take some responsibility instead of blaming things on Griese, Rhodes, Robinson, Plummer or whoever happens to be the skapegoat of the month in Denver. If nothing else it's a step in the right direction, either towards a change in Shanahan's mindset or a step towards him leaving.

Read the whole article, it's interesting.

Poll results

2006-07-29T07:00:00.000-06:00

Here are the results from the last poll asking how you thought the Broncos would fare in 2006. It doesn't surprise me that the majority of you are homers to the degree that you picked the Broncos to win 14 or more games next season. I am suprised that the next highest vote total was for the Broncos to win 5 or less games though.

A new poll is up, asking if you think that The Gunslinger ($48 million) will see action this year.

Gunslinger of the future

2006-05-20T02:44:00.000-06:00

Everybody talked about how good Cutler was at Senior Bowl practice, why do they forget how poorly he played in the game? All the greats throw behind their receivers in the endzone. Look at his throwing motion on the pass too.

Shanahan draft retrospective #2: Willie Middlebrooks

2006-05-19T02:42:00.000-06:00

With the 24th overall pick in the 2001 Draft Mike Shanahan selected Minnesota defensive back Willie Middlebrooks. During his stay in Denver, Middlebrooks never managed to get higher on the depth chart than the nickelback slot. Middlebrooks was so bad that undrafted rookie Lenny Walls was pretty much slated to be the starter before training camp even started.

The Broncos ended up robbing the 49ers in a trade to dump the first round bust getting John Engleberger out of the deal. But does it balance out losing a first round pick? Absolutely not.

For his career Willie Middlebrooks has seven defensed passes, thirty-three tackles, one sack, and zero interceptions. Oh, but to his credit he also has one assault conviction. Shanahan sure knows how to pick high quality character guys.

UPDATE: Shanahan resigned him! haha

Also: Retrospective #1: Marcus Nash

Shanahan draft retrospective #1: Marcus Nash

2006-05-18T00:47:00.000-06:00

In 1998 the Broncos selected wide receiver Marcus Nash with the 30th overall pick in the draft. Nash's current organization's website lauds over his performance.

Nash has caught more passes, gained more receiving yards, scored more touchdowns and more points than anyone else in [the league] over the last two years.

Here's the only problem, that league is the Arena Football League. That's right, Nash has completely washed out of the NFL. In fact, Marcus played only one season in Denver before being shipped out of town. In his rookie year Nash caught only four passes for 76 yards.

In fact, Nash's only real accomplishment in college was being the guy who caught passes from Peyton Manning. But of course this somehow appealed greatly to Shanahan. And of course, Marcus was only one in a series of ridiculous first day picks from Shanahan. We'll take a look at those in the coming days as well.

Abysmal (a-bzml) adj.

2006-04-29T19:56:00.000-06:00

1. Resembling an abyss in depth; unfathomable.
2. Very profound; limitless: abysmal misery.
3. Very bad: an abysmal performance.

I really want to hear people back this shit up.

When I went to work this morning, the Broncos had four first day picks and a potential to get some players that could help them out immediately. When I got home from work today, the Broncos had traded up to draft a position of non need already filled by a pro-bowler and had traded away two of their four picks. They ended up with Jay Cutler and a tight end whose main selling point is "he's a lot like Jeb Putzier." Correct me if I'm wrong but didn't we already have Putzier on our roster? Not only that, Leonard Pope, a tight end who is by any objective measure much better was still on the board.

We sit here, and the Broncos haven't addressed their glaring holes on the defensive line and backfield.

All Shanahan managed to do today was take the slats out from underneath BOTH Jake Plummer and Ashley Lelie as well as manage not to improve the team at all.

Instead of walking away with players that can make an impact, we walked away with a tight end and some guy who's going to get paid a premium to sit on the bench for two seasons.

I get the impression Shanahan took Cutler so he can shirk the blame onto Plummer as soon as possible. But, I'm sure you people will let him do it.

Day before the draft

2006-04-28T20:18:00.000-06:00

The Texans have made a very smart move and signed Mario Williams as the first pick in the 2006 NFL Draft. But, what really matters is who the Broncos plan on taking.

For the first day here's what I'd like.

Round 1, pick #15: I'd like to see the Broncos take one of the following three players here.

LenDale White RB USC

To me this pick is really a no brainer. White can put up numbers vastly superior to what Anderson put up last year. His style of running and effectiveness at getting tough yardage will make Tatum Bell just that much more dangerous. His injury shouldn't be an issue either.

Santonio Holmes WR Ohio State

Chad Jackson sucks, anybody who drafts him is asking for a bust. Holmes not only didn't have a yards per catch ranking in the 500s of NCAA wide receivers last season unlike Jackson, he can block and do the little things one looks for.

Jason Allen S Tennessee

The Broncos need a safety, and Allen may be the best in the draft. Huff will not be able to play safety at the next level and Allen has definitely recovered from his injury.

Round 2, pick #37

DeAngelo Williams RB Memphis / Laurence Maroney RB Minnesota / Joseph Addai RB LSU

In that order, if we don't take White, then grab one of these guys here.

OR

Tamba Hali DE Penn State

OR (if we don't draft Holmes)

Greg Jennings WR Western Michigan

Round 2, pick #61 John McCargo DT NC State

Want to know why Mario Williams is the top choice in the draft? Take a look at the help he got from this guy inside.

Round 3, pick #68 Joel Klopfenstein TE Colorado

Hometown kid with a ton of intangibles, will help replace Putzier.

Denver's free agency silence is deafening

2006-03-19T14:43:00.000-07:00

So after cutting Trevor Pryce to clear cap space, the Broncos have failed to sign targets Jamal Lewis and Terrell Owens. They have for the moment, completely dropped off the map in the John Abraham sweepstakes as well.

The one signing that has been made, Kenard Lang, makes zero sense considering that he had lost fifty pounds and switched positions last year.

It looks like our needs at runningback, defensive end, and wide receiver need to be addressed in the draft now.

Take Maroney and Moss.

Since the Broncos are doing jack in free agency

2006-03-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

I really have nothing to post about. I highly doubt we get TO or anybody to replace Pryce short of drafting somebody but I don't trust Shanahan to draft defensive linemen.

Does anybody actually believe that Ron Dayne is the answer at runningback? I'm actually glad we let Anderson go as I'm pretty sure he's done as a starting runningback.

And just because.

My final four picks: Syracuse, Gonzaga, UConn, Boston College.

UConn beats Syracuse for the title.

Bill Leavy gets robbed in Super Bowl XL MVP voting

2006-02-07T00:50:00.000-07:00

Hines Ward certainly didn't deserve that trophy.

On a side note

2006-02-05T00:23:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to Warren Moon for being inducted into the hall. He may have been the best QB to ever play the game. It sucks that idiotic notions of race kept him from being drafted into the NFL. God only knows what records he'd hold. It may be the CFL, but winning five consecutive championships is impressive anywhere.

Gary Zimmerman was snubbed once again. How a player can be on two all decade teams and not be in the hall is beyond me.

Please do it

2006-01-30T19:53:00.000-07:00

Sign TO please Mike

Note

2006-01-25T14:46:00.000-07:00

There weren't any updates because I couldn't log into the FTP for a good two weeks. Otherwise I would have updated after the New England game and sooner after the Pittsburgh game

Welcome to the real season

2006-01-23T19:19:00.001-07:00

November 25th 2005: The point is that if the Broncos play that way against Indianapolis, Cincinnati, or Pittsburgh they will get stomped on. The regular season is only half the battle.

This week we were able to get the answer to a few nagging questions. Such as What happens when you don't get the ball gift-wrapped to you on the other team's one yard line twice? OR What happens when your opponent doesn't fumble the ball and throw it to your players constantly?

I'm sure Jake Plummer will get the blame for the Pittsburgh loss by most of the good people in Broncos nation. The same people who were dying to give Shanahan credit for Champ's performance based upon Shanahan being the GM will undoubtedly give Mike a free pass on Jake. Not that any of this is Jake's fault though.

The New England game was the same thing that we've seen all season from this team. They play just well enough not to get beaten and then win a game based upon some collapse by the opposing team. New England decided to give the ball away five times and the Broncos came away with a win.

The coaching in the New England game was normal. In a 0-0 game in the first half Shanahan decides to go for it on 4th and 1 from the 3 yard line. The play call? A fade route to the corner of the endzone. A brilliant move which unsurprisingly failed to result in either a conversion or a touchdown.

So, after a week in which the Broncos cannot run the ball with any success and the opposing team passes for 341 yards you'd assume that the coaching staff would try to address those issues at practice right? Wrong

The Indianapolis Colts showed the world how not to stop Pittsburgh's offense. That is by crowding the line and putting pressure on Ben Roethlisberger. All that happens is they throw the ball deep to the sidelines on your corners in single coverage. Dan Dierdorff was sitting there circling Indianapolis players on the line of scrimmage and then showing Big Ben throwing balls to the sidelines. One would hope that an NFL franchise could find a coach that knows more than Dan Dierdorff. Apparently, the Broncos cannot. We decided to not change our defensive scheme and play right into the trap that Indy did.

The story was the same. Both Denver and Indy would crowd the line and stop the Steelers from running on first and second down. Then you'd get them in a third and long and try the same defense as before. BAM! Roethlisberger completes a pass to the outside for a first down. Five times the Broncos had the Steelers in a 3rd and 6+ and five times Ben Roethlisberger came out in the shotgun and completed a long pass for a first. We all have a female friend or have known of a girl that keeps getting back with an abusive boyfriend because they're convinced he's changed. That was the Broncos coaching staff on Sunday. "We're convinced that he won't beat us this time." Right after those words are out of their mouths Ben Roethlisberger is hitting Hines Ward for a 21 yard reception and the chains are moving.

The scoreboard is in no way indicative of just how badly the Steelers beat the Broncos on sunday. Pittsburgh gave up chances to score in order to punt, and ran the ball for the entire second half. The Broncos got blown out in their own house, plain and simple.

Mike Shanahan once again took a team of Super Bowl caliber and turned them into an underachieving squad.

Trevor Pryce said it the best in the lockerroom after the game. The regular season is just seeding for the playoffs. It doesn't matter.

The Champ Bailey factor (and other tales of chance)

2005-12-15T20:13:00.000-07:00

Mike Shanahan's coaching has nothing to do with the Broncos record. If any one person can be given credit for this team's success, it is Champ Bailey who is bailing (no pun intended) out his coach on a regular basis.

Week 2 vs San Diego: Champ Bailey intercepts a Drew Brees pass and takes in 25 yards the other way for a touchdown. Denver wins 20-17.

Week 12 at Dallas: Champ Bailey intercepts a Drew Bledsoe pass and goes 65 yards for a touchdown. Denver wins 24-21 in overtime.

Week 14 at Baltimore: With the ball on the Denver 15 Kyle Boller throws a pass to Champ Bailey at the Denver 6 yard line killing a drive that would have resulted in a field goal. Denver wins 12-10.

Without these three plays by one player, the Denver Broncos are 7-6 and not 10-3.

We should also take a look at the actions of Ian Gold in Week 5 against Washington. With less than two minutes in the game, Ian Gold tips a pass intended for an otherwise open Washington receiver on a two point conversion that would have tied the game. Denver wins 21-19.

Without that play, Denver is 9-4 or possibly even 6-7.

You may ask, what's the point of this? You can't play hypotheticals, these things happened, blah blah blah. Here is your point. If you remove four plays from the Denver Broncos season, they have a losing record. FOUR PLAYS. We're not talking about a multistage process here, we're talking about removing four plays. Shanahan is doing a horrible job coaching this team, but he's been bailed out on several occasions. Good teams don't rely upon luck to win. This kind of play doesn't win playoff games and most certainly doesn't win championships.

Denver did not beat the Cowboys, the Cowboys beat themselves

2005-11-25T17:01:00.000-07:00

Let's just start by saying that if Dallas possessed a capable kicker the Broncos would be 8-3 right now. Cundiff missed a chip shot, and if he hadn't Ron Dayne wouldn't have gotten his opportunity.

The offense played very poorly. In regulation they were only able to amass 243 yards of total offense. The Broncos were only able to rush for 89 yards over four quarters, Plummer was able to pass for only 155 yards as well.

I also enjoyed Shanahan and Kubiak deciding to abandon the run with a lead in the second quarter, just having Jake go out there and play gunslinger on his way to throwing an interception.

But probably the best decision Shanahan made was when he decided to challenge the spot of the ball on a meaningless first down by Marion Barber. Even if Shanahan had won the challenge Dallas would be facing a fourth and about the length of a football. Maybe if they hadn't already used a challenge you can accept that, but when the potential gain is that negligible and the risk is not having a challenge for more than two quarters you cannot make that decision. (I really don't care if there wasn't a play that needed to be challenged for the rest of the game. Shanahan does not possess a crystal ball that told him that. We call the fact that Shanahan didn't get called out on his stupid decision "luck".)

So, without Champ Bailey's amazing play and without Billy Cundiff not being able to live up to his job description Denver would have lost.

Mike Shanahan is supposedly an offensive "mastermind". He sure as hell didn't look like it out there.

I'm sure the comments will be full of "DUDE WE WON, SHUT UP!" and other incredibly articulate points.

The point is that if the Broncos play that way against Indianapolis, Cincinnati, or Pittsburgh they will get stomped on. The regular season is only half the battle.

You have got to be kidding me

2005-11-22T23:34:00.000-07:00

I get mail from time to time from you guys. Most of the messages I get that argue against me, while being completely wrong and illogical, are mostly civil.

But Joel Braun dh3069@gmail.com decided to go for the gold in both the "making stupid arguments" and "crossing the line" departments.

Joel ended one of his messages to me with the following:

Anytime you want to find out who I am, give me a call. 303-382-**** Hell, I'll meet you outside of Invesco so Mike Shanahan can see someone on his side give a beating like the Broncos on the Raiders.

Oh, he also compared me to Hitler in that one. I'm not sure if that's really his number or not, so I'm going to star out the last four digits just in case.

CLICK HERE to read the exchange that sparked this ridiculousness. In it, Joel struggles to formulate a coherent thought and I embarass him in the exchange. It is quite entertaining.

A few points

2005-11-22T23:22:00.000-07:00

1) The team is 8-2. I'm glad we are, but the regular season is truly only half of the campaign. 1997 was the most clear indicator of this. 2003 and 2004 were the most recent though not as severe.

2) This team is really no different than the 2004 team. In fact, the 2004 team had a better back lining up for them in Reuben Droughns and a defense that gave up less yards per game. So how was it that that team nosedived halfway through the season and this one hasn't?

3) This team still has to prove that it can beat good teams on the road.

It happened again

2005-10-31T22:29:00.000-07:00

28-0 became 28-21 awfully quick there didn't it?

You're not going to get 50 yard passes and 70 yard runs in the second half on a regular basis to bail you out.

Are you really surprised?

2005-10-23T19:47:00.000-06:00

I have been subjected to the phrase "but we won, just be happy" so many times over the past two weeks. Here's the thing: we escaped both the Washington and New England games by the slimmest of margins.

In the Washington game the Redskins scored nine fourth quarter points and the Broncos escaped with a win due to Ian Gold batting away a ball from a receiver who was otherwise wide open. The drive that Washington ran to come so close to tying the score was a 13 play 94 yard drive.

The New England game was one of the most amazing collapses I've seen this team make in a long time and only the fact that we had a HUGE lead kept us from losing that game. New England scored 14 fourth quarter points on drives of 71 and 73 yards.

So what happens when you don't get lucky tips and do not have twenty five point cushions? You lose football games..

Today the New York Giants scored 14 points in nine minutes on drives of 65 and 83 yards. On New York's second drive they moved 83 yards and only completed one pass of ten yards or longer on the entire drive. Denver's defense is more than happy to just sit back and let teams pass all over them in the fourth quarter.

The play calling is obviously the issue here, I stated as much this week. Coyer cannot be trusted with a lead. The fact that this issue hasn't been addressed is a huge mistake from Shanahan.

Well coached teams do not give up in the fourth quarter. In fact, it's a clear sign that a team is very poorly coached when they consistently either blow or come close to blowing sizable fourth quarter leads. Denver has done so three games in a row and this time the luck just ran out.

Is there a single person who will stand up and tell me that this team can continue to play this way and be successful?

Once again Shanahan's Broncos have rushed out to a fast start only to stall. The Broncos started 5-1 in 2003, 2004, and 2005. We all know how the last two seasons ended.

Do you trust Shanahan to not collapse again?

I certainly don't.

Coyer may be an issue as well

2005-10-17T17:10:00.000-06:00

Profootballtalk's rumormill section after Week 1 had a piece on how Miami knew what plays Denver's defense was running during the entire game. Frerotte was able to take three step drops and pick apart the defense on smoke routes.

Coyer seemingly adjusted over the next three weeks but something about the performance of the defense against Washington and in the second half of yesterday's New England game isn't right. It doesn't have anything to do with a lack of Champ Bailey either.

The Washington game may be just an issue of Gibbs' max protect schemes getting yardage but not points, but it seems to me that Coyer was content to play soft the entire second half.

The Broncos were successful in the first half by blitzing the ever living hell out of Brady. In the second half it just seemed like all we wanted to do was drop seven back in coverage.

You cannot do that against Tom Brady, he will eat you alive if you give him time to find the open man.

Not only that, but Coyer seems to have some fetish for dropping linemen back into coverage. These firezone blitz schemes never work and are annoying to watch.

Karl Paymah sucks

2005-10-09T18:00:00.000-06:00

Will anybody still disagree on this point with me?

Fast starts are nothing new

2005-10-02T18:49:00.000-06:00

I'm very happy with the Broncos being 3-1 at the moment, but let's realize that the season is sixteen games long and this team during Shanahan's non-Elway tenure has has consistently came out of the gates strong only to stall later on in the year.

In 2002 the Broncos started off the year 6-2. They finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs.

In 2003 the Broncos started off the year 5-1. They finished 10-6 with a swift and embarassing first round exit.

In 2004 the Broncos once again started off the year 5-1. They once again finished 10-6 with a swift and embarassing first round exit.

The real question, and Shanahan's real test is can this team finish the year strong and achieve what it should?

Are things changing? Possibly

2005-10-02T18:44:00.000-06:00

It's becoming quite clear that the additions from Cleveland were a great decision. Reggie Hayward showed today in the game that he is a force from that defensive end spot. But, being able to have Brown, Warren, Myers, and Ekuban for roughly the same price is most definitely a better situation.

I've already stated I was wrong about Darrent Williams. I also said Foxworth was possibly the best corner we have drafted this year. In all honesty in play from the cornerback position I'd say it's a tossup between the two. But, Karl Paymah is most definitely a joke.

Do Foxworth and Williams make up for the wasted pick spent on Clarett, Paymah's horrid play and the burnouts of Myers and Ernster? We'll see. They most certainly in themselves can't make up for the rash of draft failures in past years. But the NFL is a "what have you done for me know" business and if it leads to success this year then hey, no harm no foul.

This team should play like it did Monday night in every game

2005-09-27T00:31:00.000-06:00

Why didn't the offense play this well against Miami or San Diego? It's certainly not a question of having offensive players "gel" as it has returned ten of eleven starters from 2004.

Also, here's something to ponder.

Think about how well Trevor Pryce played tonight. Then think about the fact that had any team in the NFL offered up a second rounder for him he would be playing in another color jersey this year.

Here's a great letter I received

2005-09-23T16:15:00.000-06:00

I stumbled on your site while searching for articles on Shanahan and I can't agree with you more. I have been a Bronco fan since '77 and I have seen the bad and good years of this team. Having been a part of their two Superbowl victories, I have tried to overlook his fault in our failed seasons and many humiliating losses. But enough is enough, his record speaks for itself and its results are undeniable. He has not lead this team to prominence in a time where parity allegedly dominates the league. He has not produced any improvement in areas where this team has weaknesses. The secondary as it has for years, continues to be suspect and vulnerable to the deep ball, the defensive line still fails to pressure quarter backs and good running backs seem to rip off chunks of yardage at will in big games against this team. Their offense has no reliable go to receiver except for Smith and he just isnt what he used to be. The offense is dreadfully predictable and conservative. In fact, the only consistent success they have had on offense has been in their running games and that is a result of a blocking scheme and philosphy implemented by Alex Gibbs. Shanahans personell decisions have been attrocious and his pregame play scripting lacks any sign of the genius he is credited with. They have become the NFL's perennial underachievers and do only enough to give their fans hope or the disillusion that they will reach their potential. But the first good team that comes along or big game they play..they fold like a cheap deck of cards and all of their weaknesses are exposed. No offensive punch, no defensive bite and a special teams that produces almost nothing. In a time when there is supposed to be so much parity in this league, year after year they find a way to lose when it matters and be subpar to the parity. I am tired of everyone one else being subsituted and blamed for his failures, ineptitude or just not being the right coach for this team..whatever the problem is.. it exists and it must be changed. Personally, I think its incredible that so many players performed well before joining the Broncos and so many have success after leaving the Broncos, but yet under Shanahans system they could only produce little. Im no genius or expert in coaching but It occurs to me that the common denominator is Shanahan and his particular system.

I cant deny that Shanahan is knowledgeable and runs his team as respectable organization. I think he is among the top coaches in the NFL when paired with the right players for his system. In fact, he was the perfect coach for the Broncos while Elway was at the helm, particularly while they had a a supporting cast in Davis, Sharp, Smith and a few other standup defensive players. But it seems defenses have learned how to play against his offensive schemes and his personell decisions on defense produce nothing but false promise. Moreover, regardless of what coach or player changes he makes the result are the same which further deepens my beliefs that it is his system and not so much the talent pool in the Broncos that is the problem. Ownership have been loyal to him for his past success, but six years is more than enough for a team of this potential to ride the underachievement train. Its time to change the one thing that hasnt been changed since their last success run and that is the head coach.

With last weeks debacle at Miami and this weeks near loss at home to San Diego, no matter what this season brings, Pat Bowlen has to realize that its time for success or time for change. I think this team needs a strong, no nonsense coach, perferably a younger one.. who can relate or appeal more to his players, one who coaches based on current defensive schemes and philosophies. One who is hungry and who isnt afraid to open up his offense and take risks. Someone who will let his team have some fun and a chance to realize its potential.

I hope more people become vocal about this and the frustration of Bronco fans reach Pat Bowlens ears in a way that he can't ignore. So, from a Bronco fan fed up with disappointing seasons and unjustifiable humiliating losses, I thank you for your effort in posting this site.

Best of luck to you and the Broncos,

Johnny

Different week, same problems

2005-09-18T17:53:00.000-06:00

The Denver Broncos' defense won this game. The defense just happens to be the part of the team Shanahan has the least control over.

The Denver Broncos offense on the other hand had the same problems they had last week against Miami. An inability to run (until late in the game, an inability to score in San Diego territory, and penalties costing the team field position and points.

Until Ron Dayne came into the game Denver had less than fifty yards on the ground. Their longest run was eight yards. Even with Dayne's excellent performance added in they still rushed for less than 100 yards as a team and their longest run was 13 yards. Last week Denver only rushed for seventy yards, thirty of which came on one play. If the Broncos cannot run the football they will lose.

Once again, the Broncos could not score in the red zone and lost too many opportunities to score while in San Diego territory. They left at least 17 points on the field today.

Denver was completely undisciplined on the field on offense with penalties calling back two touchdowns. One of which is just inexcusable, that being the 12 men on the field penalty that negated Darrent Williams' punt return. Well coached teams do not have these kinds of problems.

Well coached teams execute when they need to, well coached teams do not commit stupid penalties that cost their teams points, and well coached teams do not leave almost twenty points on the field.

If the Broncos play this way against Kansas City next week, they will most certainly lose. If they think that they can make this many mistakes against New England and Philadelphia and come away with a win they are also in for a rude awakening.

Week 2, the right calls

2005-09-18T17:34:00.000-06:00

Before I go to my criticisms of this week I will preface it with some compliments.

1) I was wrong about Darrent Williams. I will admit that. But one player does not waive Shanahan of responsibility for his constant failures in trying to draft players in the secondary.

2) The decision to go for it on fourth down late in the game was the correct one to make.

That's it

The word is obviously getting out

2005-09-13T23:48:00.000-06:00

It's always somebody else's fault, right Mike?

2005-09-12T22:47:00.000-06:00

In his Monday press conference that you can at the moment view on the home page at Denverbroncos.com Mike Shanahan rode Ashley Lelie for dropping the third and goal pass on the drive when the Dolphins stopped us on fourth and goal.

Hmm Mike, whose fault was it? Lelie, who dropped a high pass after getting drilled in the back. OR The coach who ran a play for a third time after being stopped for no gains on two consecutive plays.

"It's totally Lelie's fault, I mean who wouldn't run Tatum Bell between the tackles three times in five plays after not gaining a yard on the first two tries?"

Bright idea of the day: LET'S ABANDON THE RUN!

2005-09-11T14:34:00.000-06:00

In the last thirty-six minutes of the game (the last six minutes of the second quarter and the entire second half) the Denver Broncos ran five running plays.

All told, Broncos runningbacks today had seventeen rushing attempts.

Shanahan did what he does best, he got the Broncos into an early hole and completely abandoned the run. Plummer threw nearly fifty passes today.

2004 Broncos: 29th in Redzone TDs 2005 not any better

2005-09-11T13:40:00.000-06:00

A Denverbroncos.com article earlier in the year talked about how the Broncos were spending "more than half" their QB Camp workouts working on red zone situations.

So there is absolutely no excuse for the Broncos complete and utter inability to score inside the redzone today.

Failure #1: 7:31 left in the second quarter. Denver has a First and Goal on the three yard line. Mike Shanahan runs the ball between the tackles with Tatum Bell for no gain. Second and Goal on the Miami three yard line, Mike Shanahan runs the ball between the tackles again with Tatum Bell for no gain. Two third and goal tries are incomplete passes. With the Broncos down by six points with half the second quarter remaining Mike Shanhaan decides to go for it on fourth down instead of taking the sure three points. What does he decide to do? Why of course he rushes between the tackles with Tatum Bell for no gain.

Failure #2:At the end of the second quarter Denver had a First and Ten on the Miami fifteen yard line and had to come away with a fieldgoal. With a chance to take the lead at halftime the Broncos stall on a third and four and have to settle for a fieldgoal.

Failure barely averted: In the fourth quarter the Broncos have the ball First and Goal on the one yard line and Shanahan decides to run with Tatum Bell between the tackles again. It takes the Broncos four plays to gain one yard for a late game touchdown.

Haha

2005-08-31T19:29:00.000-06:00

Drew Litton pegs Shanahan in his new comic:

Clarett to be released

2005-08-28T17:05:00.000-06:00

I said it at the time and I'll say it again. The Broncos had too many tailbacks on the roster to make spending a third rounder on Clarett a good choice. Now they're going to cut him.

Nice job wasting a first day pick Shanny. Although to be fair, it's not going to cost us anything money wise.

Oh no, look I got a letter

2005-08-10T20:10:00.000-06:00

So, I got this string of ridiculous arguments in my inbox the other day and I decided it'd be very easy to just destroy several obscenely popular excuses used on Shanahan's behalf.

Fact: Elway rings under Reeves/Phillips-0 Elway rings under MS- 2

Let's more accurately look at Elway's career before Mike Shanahan came to Denver. In Elway's first twelve years in the league he compiled a 114-77-1 record in the regular season as a starting quarterback. That is a .596 winning percentage. Elway's teams made the playoffs seven out of those twelve years and in three out of those seven they made it to the Super Bowl.

Mike Shanahan on the other hand as a head coach without John Elway has compiled a record of 62-54 for a winning percentage of .534 when you include his dismal failure in Oakland, where he got booted out of town five games into the 1989 season. Shanahan's teams have made the playoffs a total of three times over these eight years, winning a total of zero playoff games.

Shanahan only rode Elway's coattails as Elway played the same as he always had and just accomplished the inevitable.

Fact: No NFL head coach has won more game than Mike Shanahan’s 108 victories since the start of the 1995 season.

This is true, but only because Shanahan had Elway for the 1995-1998 seasons as well as the fact that there are only two other coaches who have coached the last ten years consecutively.

In order to rank Shanahan's current performance fairly we need to take a look at the last five seasons, this gives Shanahan the advantage of not having to deal with the 6-10 finish in 1999. Thirteen coaches have coached the years 2000-2004 consecutively.

This graph shows the thirteen's regular season win totals. Shanahan is tied for seventh place with Jeff Fisher and Brian Billick.

But what Fisher and Billick have are playoff victories. I wish I could say that Billick or Fisher have twice as many or something like that but you can't divide by zero. Shanahan is tied for last place at zero playoff victories with Seattle coach Mike Holmgren.

I didn't give one win coaches a logo and Shanahan sucks so bad he doesn't even earn his team colors.

Coaches with all least 2 Super Bowl Victories: Lombardi*, Shula*, Knoll*, Walsh*, Jimmy Johnson, Parcells & Belichick.
*notes Hall of Famers

It is ridiculous to compare Shanahan to most of these coaches. Lombardi won five Championships and was 10-2 in the postseason. He had a regular season winning percentage of .705. Don Shula won 326 regular season games with a .609 winning percentage. Shula's teams made the playoffs 18 times and he won three Super Bowls. One of Shula's Super Bowl wins came in 1972 where his Dolphins became the only NFL team to finish a year undefeated. Bill Walsh won three Super Bowls. But George Seifert's Niners teams were dominate for years after. Parcells has numbers close to Shanahan's but Parcells had success across the NFL with multiple quarterbacks. Shanahan on the other hand has had success only in Denver and only with John Elway. Bill Belichick is 10-1 in the post season with three Super Bowl wins, he is light years ahead of Shanahan when it comes to NFL coaches.

So, on one hand you have the winningest coach in Bronco history and the winningest coach in the NFL the last 10 years headed for the Hall of Fame. On the other hand, you have you... a dweeb with a website.

Right, and on one hand you once had the President of the most powerful nation in the world, and two dweeb reporters from the Washington Post.

Question, who would you hire to be the next head coach? With credentials as good as Shanahan.

When you look at Shanahan's credentials in context, you learn that the talent pool from which to draw your new head coach could probably hold half of Lake Michigan.

Courtney Brown already hurt

2005-08-05T23:40:00.000-06:00

So we're less than a week into training camp it it appears that Courtney Brown is already likely to miss a week of the regular season.

Such a top notch pick up there. The best part of the article is where Coyer talks about the great depth we have at defensive line. Haha

Bizarro Pat Bowlen speaks with the Rocky Mountain News

2005-05-25T18:50:00.000-06:00

So Pat Bowlen sat down in bizarro world to give an interview on the Broncos and Shanahan's ability to judge a player's character. Once again, a rift has allowed this bizarro world interview to seep into our reality.

The Broncos, frustrated with quick postseason exits each of the past two years, have taken on some players with a little more off-the- field baggage than they typically chance.

I'm serious, this cannot be written about the Broncos in our universe.

But Broncos owner Pat Bowlen made it clear Tuesday that, though he believes in second chances, he will have little patience for those who do not take advantage of them...

..."I would rely on Mike and (general manager) Ted (Sundquist)'s reaction to a player's history more than my own," Bowlen said. "But if they told me (the player) was being sincere in the belief they were ready for a new start, I would accept their advice."

So, Mike Shanahan, a guy that brought in Dale Carter who proceeded to get a one year suspension, who brought in Daryl Gardener who then got into a fight at an IHOP is somebody who you should trust on character issues?

Now the Ghost of Christmas past is going to take us back to learn about a player named Bill Romanowski; Bill was a guy who was charged with fraudulentaly obtaining prescription drugs, who later failed a test for THG and was called to testify at the BALCO hearings, and who spit in JJ Stokes' face. As you can see, Romanowski was a man of incredible character.

In December of 2000, Bill was indicted on the drug charges and then in the same month, began to bait JJ Stokes and insult his Niners teammates publicly.

Romanowski rekindled the rivalry when he said Stokes has "no fight in him. If somebody did that to me, they'd have to throw me out of the game, because I'd go after him."

Stokes fired back, saying Romanowski lacks integrity and relies on performance-enhancing drugs.

As you can see, Bill came at Stokes for no apparent reason. What makes it even more awesome, is that all Stokes had to do to beat Romanowski was tell the truth. It's something that there is absolutely no way Shanahan had no idea was going on. Looking at Romanowski you cannot tell me that he wasn't on roids, especially when coupled with his actions.

After he spit in Stokes' face. Both Willie Green and Shannon Sharpe(username: erasmus pass:erasmus) expressed their outrage at what had happened.

"I can assure you I would not have taken it as easily as J.J. Stokes," Sharpe said. "I would have been fined, too, because I would have been thrown out of the game. I think that's the worst thing you can do to a person, especially of our background and our race, is to spit in his face.

Shanahan allowed Bill Romanowski to be a member of the Denver Broncos for four seasons after the Stokes incident and for another season after he baited Stokes over it and was indicted on drug charges in the same month.

Shanahan gives an undrafted rookie Sharpe's number

2005-05-24T14:45:00.000-06:00

Shanahan lives in a world protected from all criticism. He surrounds himself with "yes men" and has no perspective on the outside world. When somebody disagrees with him he goes on an Ahab like struggle to get his revenge. He could fire Ray Rhodes, but he can't fire Shannon Sharpe so what can he do?

That's right, he can give a kid who never played college football and was an undrafted free agent Sharpe's jersey number.

Shannon Sharpe, the leader in all statistical categories that matter for tight ends, the guy that actually did work to win the two Super Bowl titles gets this kind of treatment from Shanahan.

What a great guy.

Broncos want to sign Jerry Rice

2005-05-19T09:37:00.000-06:00

For once the Broncos are making a decision I can agree with. Signing Jerry Rice would make a lot of sense for this team.

It would be an ideal landing spot for him for the leadership he could provide. That's one reason the Broncos have an interest in signing Rice. Denver has veteran Rod Smith and up-and-coming receivers Ashley Lelie and Darius Watts.

More so than just giving the younger receivers good leadership, he might be able to help the league's worst character class

Denver would not expect him to start, but with as many four- and five-receiver sets as the Broncos use, Rice might be able to get extensive time.

On top of that, in many cases the Broncos third receiver runs routes to stretch the defense and is rarely a top option. So Rice could be extremely productive in Denver. Pull the trigger on this one. It'll be the best decision you've made all year.

Profootballtalk.com says what I've been saying forever

2005-05-18T10:15:00.000-06:00

Except they have fancy stuff like "sources" or whatever.

In their rumor mill over at their cluttered, but awesomely informative site Profootballtalk.com has a feature basically stating what I've been stating forever verbatim. What does this mean? Not that I've been ripped off, but that I'm entirely correct and have been for the last seven months.

A league source tells us that there's a strong feeling in the Denver locker room that punter Todd Sauerbrun isn't welcome.

Sauerbrun has a reputation for being arrogant and brash, qualities which "real" players typically don't want to see manifested in the guys who merely swing their legs for a living.

Exactly what I said.

As one league insider aksed us Wednesday morning, "Has any team signed, drafted, or attempted to trade for more scumbags than the Broncos?"

The source pointed to names like Marvin Washington, Dale Cater, Kavika Pittman, Eddie Kennison, Leon Lett, Ephraim Salaam, and (our personal favorite) Daryl Gardner.

This year, the team also picked up confirmed turd Gerard Warren and chronic underachiever Courtney "I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up" Brown.

As one totally awesome webmaster put it

The source also said that the team's 2005 draft picks are, in his opinion, the worst "character" class in the league this year.

Man, this is creepy. Deja Vu I'll let PFT have the last word on this.

So how does coach Mike Shanahan continue to get away with signing, drafting, and (ultimately) parting ways with so many bad players and/or bad dudes?

Working on the wrong plays over and over isn't going to help

2005-05-18T10:10:00.000-06:00

The Broncos are working on their Red Zone offense during most of their practices.

Practice is beneficial in terms of learning where to go, but Smith believes if the Broncos are to reverse that red-zone decline of the past three years, it will have to be through a change in mindset.

"We didn't execute," he said. "It's always a combination of things, but it comes down to guys individually making plays when they're in position they have good coverage and we've got to find a way to salvage that play and get three yards. If you can do that, two or three yards in the red zone is huge. Somehow, someway, we found a way to not make those plays and not stay on the field."

Extra work in practice and working on the mental response to red-zone challenges both offer potential solutions. On the other hand, wholesale personnel changes were disdained.

The problem isn't that we need wholesale personnel changes or mental toughness, it's that the plays being called in the red zone at times are asinine. Sure, they have to cut down on interceptions, but most of those throws come on plays that shouldn't have been called in the first place.

Shanahan and front office (Fred)Exceptionally Dumb

2005-05-07T21:42:00.000-06:00

The Philadelphia Inquirer article about Freddie Mitchell's release lets us in on a very interesting tid bit (Use BugMeNot to avoid having to register).

When he was drafted, Mitchell referred to Donovan McNabb as Mr. McNabb, and he often spoke in glowing terms about the Eagles' quarterback during his time here. But this off-season, he described the quarterback in far less flattering terms.

By then, it was obvious he was going to be playing elsewhere and, finally, FredEx was shipped out yesterday.

Next stop?

Tampa Bay, Denver, Washington and the New York Giants are all possibilities.

So fresh off the heels of Rick Smith speaking on how much the Broncos care about character, they decide to pursue Freddie Mitchell? Let's just take a look at great moments in FredEx history.

Mitchell had admitted to ESPN anchor Dan Patrick days before the game[the Super Bowl-Jacob]that he knew only the numbers of the Patriots' defensive backs (he then listed them incorrectly). Mitchell also managed to call out safety Rodney Harrison, saying, "I got something for you, Harrison."

Mitchell was later reprimanded by Eagles coach Andy Reid and was not granted a podium for media interviews in Jacksonville.

On Wednesday, Mitchell need no such podium to take more shots at the NFL champions.

"It was kind of like me being facetious and kidding around. They blew it way out of proportion," Mitchell said of his pregame comments. "[Their reactions] reminded me of little girls. They're sensitive. Real, real sensitive.

After bashing the team that creamed him, Mitchell turned on his own teammates.

Mitchell offered his take on what happened.

"Donovan, he dry heaves a lot when he gets under certain situations. It's happened before. It's happened in the NFC Championship game.

"He was dry heaving and he couldn't get the words out in the play, so he gave me hand signals. ... I basically called the play and knew what the coaches were thinking in that situation. I called the play out and went on from there."

Mitchell added, with a laugh, that if he were in that situation again, he'd have called a different play, one in which he was the intended receiver.

Something makes me think based on Mitchell's performance in the Super Bowl that throwing the ball to him wouldn't have been a very good idea.

Mitchell wasn't able to get "under their skin" on the field, however, with just one reception for 11 yards. He had one fewer catch than Harrison, who intercepted Donovan McNabb twice.

Mitchell is an underachieving player who can't keep his mouth shut. Looks like he's exactly the type of player that Shanahan is fond of. If Shanahan gets his way the Broncos will add Mitchell and Sauerbrun to Browner and Clarett.

The only way to get more loudmouth jackasses into the lockerroom was if Jay Mariotti came back to Denver and did the Broncos casts for Channel 7.

Q&A with Rick Smith

2005-05-06T23:17:00.000-06:00

The official Broncos website has posted another Q&A session, this one with Rick Smith Broncos Director of Pro Personnel. I really have no idea who Smith is, but with information such as this I can't help but be positive that Shanahan is making sure that his staff is full of top notch people.

Entering his sixth season overseeing the club's pro personnel department, Smith has had his say in bringing players such as Gerard Warren, Courtney Brown, Ebenezer Ekuban, Michael Myers, Ron Dayne, Stephen Alexander, Anthony Clement

Smith was asked all kinds of ridiculous questions about Arena League and NFL Europe players, and a bunch of high school career day type questions such as:

Luke Matthews; Vista, Calif.
How did you end up as the Director of Pro Personnel? What kind of qualifications do you need to be a Director of Pro Personnel?

I also believe these Broncos Q&A sessions may in fact be Q&A sessions from Bizzaro World that have found a crack in the space time continuum that have allowed them to seep onto the Broncos website in our dimension. Because there's honestly no other explanation for some of these questions.

Mark Gregory; Longview, Wash.
I noticed that the Broncos have a lot of players with character. How big of a factor is character in choosing a player?

Rick Smith
Character is extremely important and we spend a great deal of time discussing a player's history as it relates to that.

I cannot believe that when Smith drafted this response he had a straight look on his face.

There's a wealth of evidence to the contrary including the Daryl Gardener IHOP incident, the drafting of Maurice Clarett, the signing of Brandon Browner, and the courting of Scott Sauerbrun.

USAToday says Shanahan is on the hotseat

2005-05-05T20:13:00.000-06:00

USA Today drops the bombshell that Shanahan hasn't won a playoff game since John Elway retired.

If only somebody had been mentioning this for six months and made a website about it.

Broncos address a key need

2005-05-04T14:50:00.000-06:00

Ever since Bill Romanowski left, the Broncos have sorely lacked a steroid taking jackass. Mike Shanahan sees the problem with this and is going to bring in Scott Sauerbrun for a workout.

What could possibly go wrong here? I mean except for the steroid stuff I bet Sauerbrun is a great guy; it's not like he has a DUI on his record or anything...oh wait. The Broncos continue to add class acts to the locker room.

Ted Sundquist misinformation session

2005-05-03T18:00:00.000-06:00

Ted Sundquist, ~~Mike Shanahan's sock puppet~~ Broncos' General Manager answered some questions on Denverbroncos.com. Now, if I had been asking the questions they'd be more along the lines of "How did you receive a high school diploma?" "Does Andre Patterson have naked pictures of your wife?" or "Did you guys use Madden 2005 and simulate the draft making your decisions that way?".

Instead, there were some actually constructive questions asked. Such as when Jay from New Mexico being a man with common sense asked Sundquist why in the hell he took Darrent Williams over Justin Miller. Sundquist in his infinite wisdom responded

"Justin Miller obviously is an outstanding defensive back and a returner in his own right, but Justin is primarily a kickoff return guy. Darrent does both; punt return and kickoff return and he may even be a better punt returner. Our thinking from a special teams standpoint, was his ability to return punts as well as kickoffs was the factor that brought him to the forefront of our list."

Correct me if I'm wrong, but our biggest problem in the secondary has been the lack of turnovers, coupled with the fact that our secondary gives up too many big plays. So, instead of addressing a corner's ability to you know actually play cornerback. Sundquist and Shanahan decided it'd be better to draft a guy who can return punts instead. Who am I to argue with that logic?

Then Sundquist was asked why he didn't take the athleticism and potential of Vincent Jackson over Darrent Williams. Apparently having a solid red zone threat isn't as important to the dynamic duo as having a guy who can run fast on punt returns.

Sundquist also spoke about how Andre Patterson has the ability to hypnotize the Broncos front office into doing whatever he wants. Patterson may infact be an evil wizard, so watch out for that. He also blatantly lied about Karl Paymah's speed and talked about how we really needed another runningback. Apparently the term "depth" to the Broncos means a hole to China.

Mike Shanahan failed high school team chemistry

2005-05-03T17:20:00.000-06:00

So after the draft, the Broncos signed three undrafted free agents. Cornerback Brandon Browner, former Colorado State offensive lineman Erik Pears, and a former basketball player Wesley Duke.

Erik Pears is a good pickup, a smaller lineman, and a Colorado guy. Duke has a huge upside, he has the potential to be the next Antonio Gates.

But then there's Brandon Browner. A kid who has no shortage of talent, but has a shortage of being able to keep his mouth shut. When a kid says at the combine "To be honest with you, I think I'm the best cornerback here because I've got things that these guys don't got," Browner said. "I've got size and great athleticism." And then after he says that, he isn't even drafted. With the addition of Darrent Williams, Maurice Clarett, and now Brandon Browner the Broncos seem to have really made sure that the team captains will be busy attempting to keep these players in check.

What is it with Shanahan and players with known character issues? Daryl Gardener, Dale Carter, and now the unholy trinity of prima donna rookies.

Hey, if they work out he'll look like a genius, all I know is that Al Wilson and Rod Smith are going to have their work cut out for them.

The Clarett Decision

2005-04-25T17:15:00.000-06:00

I like Maurice Clarett, I think that the situation at Ohio State was completely unfair to him. When the Buckeyes did things like keep him from attending a friend's funeral he became disillusioned. The situation was unfortunate.

I think that Clarett has all the tools to be a good back in the NFL. But I don't agree with taking Clarett at the point that we did, or even at all. Let's take a look at who the Broncos already have at runningback:
-Tatum Bell amazing talent and a back who has proven he can gain yards in the NFL
-Quentin Griffin undersized but great quickness and speed inconsistent but dangerous
-Mike Anderson former rookie of the year and a great runner
-Ron Dayne former Heisman winner who has underachieved since his rookie year do we need another stretch as big as this?

There just isn't room for Clarett. As a compensatory pick, a pick that you cannot trade and seeing that the Broncos did not have another pick until the late sixth round they shouldn't have passed up both Adrian McPherson and Antaaj Hawthorne .

Shanahan is trying to prove how he's a "genius" again. The mastermind better make sure it works out this time.

Day 2: Our best pick, and a kicker

2005-04-25T16:58:00.000-06:00

Chris Myers is the best pick that the Broncos made in this draft, he is a perfect pick for our system. Myers was thought to be undersized, but at 6'4" 300 he is the ideal guard for our system. When Nalen leaves and Hamilton moves over to center Myers should be a piece of our line for a long time to come.

Oh, and we took a kicker in the seventh round. Paul Ernster is some guy that kicked at Northern Arizona with an elevation of 7000 plus. How he can kick at elevations across the country we really don't know. But, he's a seventh rounder so whatever.

What do you do when you already have five cornerbacks?

2005-04-25T16:39:00.000-06:00

Well, you draft three more of course. With a roster that sports Champ Bailey, Lenny Walls, Willie Middlebrooks, Roc Alexander, and Jeremey Leseur the Broncos thought it would be prudent to draft three cornerbacks. Three cornerbacks that all have huge physical or character concerns.

With Justin Miller still on the board the Broncos took Darrent Williams. Williams is a prolific punt returner, but he is a complete head case coming off of an injury plagued senior year. Williams' biggest advantage is his speed, but is he faster than Roc Alexander? This pick is retarded.

The problem with deciding against taking Justin Miller and instead taking Williams is that if they didn't want the best available corner they should have taken Vincent Jackson out of Northern Colorado. Jackson is a poor man's Mike Williams. 6'4" 241 pounds. The kid is a beast, a clone of Antonio Gates who is an outstanding wide out. Instead, we let the Chargers snatch him up.

Karl Paymah was just a bad pick, he's got good size but is slow. His main strength is press coverage and being physical with a receiver, something the new rules make sure you cannot do. Unless they are thinking about moving him to safety I don't see what sets him apart from Leseur.

Dominique Foxworth is the only pick out of the three that I agree with, Foxworth was a steal out of the compensatory pick slot and well worth the pick. He has a chance to make an impact at the nickel back position if he can prove that he's better than Middlebrooks in camp.

Shanahan took three good picks and managed to come away with one player that will make an impact. Williams will be Deltha O'Neal part deux, and Paymah is a joke.