We have a guest blogger writing for us today! His name is Dylan Murphy and he’s a full-time writer for Pardon The Opinion. Before we turn it over to Dylan, I want to make sure you kids mind your manners. If I hear one bad thing when I come back, it’s no ice cream for you! Especially you, MuffDiver!
Remember the days when Jay Cutler sliced and diced defenses? When Denver’s zone blocking scheme opened up holes for every running back known to man? When Reuben Droughns ruled the earth? Well, those days are over, thanks in large part to one of the worst two seasons of management in a very long time.
Mike Shanahan is in Washington. Jay Cutler is in Chicago. Brandon Marshall is headed to Miami. Can anyone honestly say the Broncos have improved their team since the ’08-’09 season? And worst of all, everything was avoidable. Here are the Broncos’ main moves since they choked away the division title to 8-8 San Diego.
Problem:
1) No defense.
2) Shanahan choked and has been to one AFC title game since Elway (thanks to the magical arm and legs of Jake Plummer).
Logical Solution: One of two possibilities:
- Fire Shanahan and replace him with a defensive minded coach.
- Keep Shanahan, fire the defensive coordinator.
I would go with option two, simply to avoid disrupting the offensive continuity Denver had. Cutler threw for 4,526 yards and 25 touchdowns that season. As an offensive mastermind, Shanahan supplied the genius behind the immense offensive talent. Plus, Shanahan managed to find a way avoid spending money on running backs through his zone blocking scheme. Seriously, when has a running back not succeeded in Denver? If Tatum Bell can rush for 1,000 yards, so can I.
Denver’s solution: Exactly the opposite of reason and logic. Fire Shanahan, hire a less experienced version of him in Josh McDaniels (Based on my coaching rankings, you can tell that I’m not his biggest fan). To make matters worse, he alienated the team’s budding superstar/franchise player by attempting to trade for a less proven but more familiar QB. Way to set back the franchise countless years.
Problem:
Running back depth. They had more injuries than this year’s Portland Trail Blazers. Except with the NFL trade deadline at week 6, there was no Marcus Camby to somewhat salvage the season.
Logical Solution: Assuming they keep Shanahan, this isn’t really a problem. Just draft some backs in the later rounds, and address the more pressing need, team defense, in the early rounds.
Denver’s Solution: 6 out of 10 picks in the ’09 draft go to the offensive side of the ball, including Knowshon Moreno, a running back, with the 12th overall pick. At a glance, this strategy worked out since Moreno played well and the defense vastly improved anyway. But not including their unexplainable 6-0 start, the defense gave up a whopping 346.5 yards and 26 points per game, good for 20th and 28th in the NFL respectively (This is compared to other team’s stats for the whole season, not just the final 10 games.) After teams figured them out, the defense crash-landed back on earth.
Problem:
Brandon Marshall. Wife beater? Maybe. Sketchy personality? Check. Dedicated to football? Possibly. But you can’t deny his talent. Only he and Wes Welker have caught at least 100 balls in each of the past three seasons.
Logical Solution: Trade him before last season. With the Roy Williams deal happening mid-season (Dallas gave up a 1st and 3rd round pick), the Broncos were guaranteed a 1st and 3rd round pick.
Denver’s Solution: Trade him to the Miami Dolphins for a second round pick this year and a second round pick next year.
I’m not a Broncos fan. I have never even been to Colorado. But while it’s easy for me to criticize decision making both from far away and after the fact, the right decision was smacking Broncos’ management in the face. Unfortunately for Denver fans, they turned the other cheek.
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I know you want more. Go on over to pardontheopinion.com to read more from Dylan!
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15 Responses to “Denver Broncos: The Bad, the Worse and the Downright Awful”
McDaniels’ 6-0 start last year was not a fluke. He will be a great coach.
Marshall was a cancer who had to go! This is a great trade!!
Shanahan couldn’t do s**t without Elway. Finishing every season 9-7 is not my idea of success!
a great coach doesn’t let his team tank from a 6-0 start … mcdaniels is garbage, just like every other coach that comes out of new england
I’ve decided I live in Bizarro world. It is very impressive how fast this team has been dismantled.
It was shocking when Shanahan was fired. But the thinking was ok, Bowlen either goes defensive minded, or hires from USC (Pete Carroll, or another position coach; Gruden down in Tampa hadn’t been fired yet – he would also have been an excellent choice).
Instead, USC hires Denver’s O-Coord (Jeremy Bates) and Bowlen goes cheap and hires a nobody from the cheating New England Patriots running an offensive scheme that gets you beat unless you are cheating (full of draw plays screen passes).
Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, Peyton Hillis, and soon to follow Tony Scheffler (Eddie Royal next year) all have been released. That’s an all star team. Replaced by Orton, Gaffney, the first round bust knowsho moreno, trading 1st round pick compensation to move up to pick in the 2nd for another bust (this smacks of a cheap organization as well)
THANK GOD Shanahan is back coaching in the NFL for the Redskins. I can follow a team willing spend money to put a winner on the field. Something the Broncos used to do once upon a time.
#1 Fan of the Late, Great Denver Broncos
I have been a die hard Bronco fan since the Mid-80′s. Even after the 3 Superbowl Debacles in the late 80′s. I have had a VERY hard time cheering for them after they got rid of Shannahan. I realize that he had a hard time getting to the playoffs without John Elway but we Bronco fans have to realize the John was MORE THAN A MAN BUT LESS THAN A GOD. It is going to be hard to replace an Elway. Now, Josh McDaniels is gutting the Denver Broncos from the inside out. He is the worst thing for the Broncos. I cannot BELIEVE that he got rid of Jay Cutler for Orton??? That was assanine. Orton has a tradition for tanking in the end of the season..I know you Orton fans will talk about what he did in Chicago but in my opinion he is just a back up and will always be a backup…He is going to lose his job to Quinn and I will finally be able to cheer for the Broncos offense.
McD is really to blame, he made it clear he didn’t want Cutler there, and he made it clear he didn’t want Marshall.
Horrible, horrible, they win 5 games this year, good luck.
I wonder what all the bandwagon Bronco fans are going to do???
U know I would never troll. Me is good boy.
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@Kendawg – “He is going to lose his job to Quinn and I will finally be able to cheer for the Broncos offense.”
This statement makes me feel even worse for you. And that’s hard to do as a Browns fan. I can tell you Brady Quinn can not throw the ball further than 15 yards. He will not take Orton’s job.
The Broncos were stagnant under Shanahan. McDaniels brought new life to the franchise. That being said, the Broncos need a couple of great drafts to justify the trades they’ve made the past couple of years.
i love it there are denver fans that actually think brady quinn is going to come in take the job from orton and be the next best thing in denver … ask cleveland how that turned out when he was supposed to come in and take the job from Anderson … someday you quinn lovers will realize he is a bust …… someday …
THANX DENVER!!!! lol.. im sure marshall will do great here in miami, you guys are the best… oh n GOOD LUCK!! you will need it lol
Yeah I’m with you on this, not a Bronco fan but it’s a shame they’re throwing away so much talent. I didn’t care much for Cutler, but they shoulda kept him around cause he wasn’t bad. In fact they should have waited till they found a better replacement.
I thought Shanahan was great, he’s got the rings to prove it, I don’t know what they were thinking by tossing him aside and downgrading.
I can’t question Brandon Marshall’s talent, and he’s healthy. He proved it when he caught 21 passes in a game, sure the Broncos lost the game but you don’t trade a player with that ability for second round picks. He had every right to complain, he did deserve a better contract, yet he still suited up an managed to go out an play.
This all just seems too intentional, I’m sure if Eddie Royal can remain healthy an have a great season they’ll trade him for Javon Walker.
@ Countblastula…I am not saying Quinn is the best band-aid for the cut that is at the QB position…I am just saying that Orton, in my opinion, will never be the QB for the Broncos. Orton can’t get the ball down field either and if you recall, McDaniels kept a leash on him as well. Quinn can do the same thing Orton can and maybe he can get it done for more than 6 games. I am just thankful that Moreno is there at RB. That ought to give us at least a little bit of a chance. Sad but that is my opinion. :-(
Can anybody recite the last few years of any team, call them s**t, and get published on this website? Or just idiots?
Denver’s still guaranteed second place and a playoff hunt even if they are that terrible. Not a bad time to rebuild if ya ask me.