After a three-day respite that represented a second bye weekend for all intents and purposes, the Broncos returned to the practice field Monday for a session that lasted just under an hour and was conducted without linebacker Ian Gold and tight end Daniel Graham, although both were in uniform alongside their teammates.
Head Coach Mike Shanahan offered similar prognoses for Gold and Graham, saying that “maybe” each would be able to return to the practice field this week. Gold suffered a knee injury in Thursday night’s loss at Houston, while Graham incurred a high ankle sprain, the same kind of injury that running back Andre Hall played through at Chicago on Nov. 25 before sitting out the loss at Oakland seven days later.
“Exactly when (Graham) will be able to practice, I’m not really sure,” Shanahan said.
As for the practice itself, safety John Lynch described it as “business as usual,” noting that the team was able to get into deeper work that it might otherwise have been able to in the return from a weekend off because of its collective familiarity with the San Diego Chargers.
As for the mental frame of mind knowing that the team had been eliminated … that was something different, given the fact that few in the locker room are used to playing a game without postseason ramifications or without the playoffs on the horizon, since this will be the Broncos’ first such week of preparation in six years.
“You’ve been clinging to hope,” Lynch said. “It’s reality and you’re at the stage where you say, ‘What are you going to do about it now?’ The only thing I know how to do is go play your tail off these last two weeks and move forward.”
Dre’ Bly experienced five consecutive season-ending scenarios like the one in which the Broncos currently find themelves — one in St. Louis in 2002 and four with the Detroit Lions from 2003-06.
“I’ve been in situations where guys shut it down, guys get into a little funk,” he said. They start putting their house on the market. When they know they’re not in the postseason, or their season is over they put their house on the market and start packing — stuff like that to take their mind off of football.
“We can’t afford to do that.
“You really find out the character of the guys that are here in the last couple of games in a situation like that. I’m going to try to do everything I can do within my power to try to help this team win.”
And no matter whether Gold and Graham are in uniform next Monday, that’s what the coaches ask of the players — and the players ask of each other.
“This is your job,” cornerback Champ Bailey said. “We’re professionals and you don’t want to go out there and put bad tape on. You’ve also got to put it up for the guy next to you. We’ve been through a lot this whole season and there’s no reason to falter now.”
Tags: Champ Bailey, Daniel Graham, Dre Bly, Ian Gold, John Lynch, Mike Shanahan
Thanks Mason.
I’m sure the locker room feeling is pretty down right about now. I hope they play their hearts out and give it their all these upcoming two games.
Thanks Mason.
I’m sure the locker room feeling is pretty down right about now. I hope they play their hearts out and give it their all in these upcoming games.
Sure is a sad season in Bronco land. I’ve seen moments of greatness and moments I will surely forget, and can only ponder, What happened this year???? Was it the NEW defensive scheme? Maybe. Was it the offensive play calling? Maybe. Was it lack of talent and experience? Maybe. All year long fans have tried to pin point the multiple issues on the Broncos team. We all know one thing for sure. There was lack of consistency. Lack of excecution, lack of experience, and lack of healthy team mates. What ever excuses there are, I will watch each remaining game with the sme enthusiasm as I always do. I will cheer this week as we play the Chargers as it is surely our superbowl. Very unfortunate how short this season will be. As Broncos players wrap up the season, I will to. I Do not watch other teams play when the Broncos are eliminated. I cannot be excited about another game, including the superbowl, when the Broncos are not on the field. I love football, however it doesn’t mean much to me when my team is not playing. Sure I’ll watch the superbowl, but won’t be into it, rather hanging out, waiting and thinking about next season. Hoping and praying that all the right moves will be made in the off season to fix our issues this season. Maybe we will aquire some much needed talent through the draft, maybe we will aquire some good free agents, maybe Jim Bates will be replaced, maybe Mike will call it quits, god only knows. But next year and years to come, no matter what I’ll be there, cheering, every game until the day I die. Please Broncos players, all I want for Christmas is a Victory over the Chargers & the Vikings. Win out and carry the momentum into next season. After this season, every member of this team and organization needs to do some soul searching and try to figure out what they can do better at their job next season to ensure that it is not a repeat of this season. Man get guys healthy, keep them healthy, and for the love of GOD, if at all possible, bring back AL WILSON!!!!!!!! Thanks Andrew for the blog site, I hope to participate in many off season blogging sessions. I will look at this site daily to keep my addiction to Broncos football fed.
GO CUTLER!!
IT’S GONNA BE INTERESTING TO SEE WHAT CUTLER CAN DO WITH NO PRESSURE TO WIN
well it’s not the way i was hoping it would end and i’m sure lots of you broncos fans feel the same but next year will be better that is if the broncos pull the stuff together and play as a unit
Thanks Andrew for all the updates!!
I agree that this was not the ending I had hoped for or intended for this team. I’m not sure what I expected but I know it wasn’t this kind of ending and after watching the Vikings beat the Bears tonight… they’re going to give us a BIG run for our money. They were all over the place and even though both offenses had some trouble, the Vikings were clearly the better team so our last 2 games are going to require that we fight for the win and not “good luck” win it… no offense I love when Elam scores the last minute field goal but even he knows and wants to be winning like we did against KC, touchdown after touchdown, completely unstoppable.
And I also agree with 20BroncoFan4Life, about how exciting and interesting Cutler is going to be for us in the future. I can’t get over this guy and how impressive he’s been and has grown. He’s shown so much improvement, its almost unbelievable. I just really hope that us not being in the playoffs doesn’t discourage our guys from playing their best. Its going to show if one guy is not thinking clearly or wondering why we’re not in the playoffs… all of them need to concentrate on the next 2 games and play their hearts out. I’m frustrated that we’re not going into the offseason but I honestly think its for the best… I really wouldn’t want to get there and just get slaughtered by New England or some other team when we should focus our offseason on improving and getting better and playing like a team. Our offseason needs to be focused on the young guys and training them to play like a team and then maybe, just maybe we could have a cool nickname for both sides of the ball… I was thinking something like the “Orange Rush” for offense and the “New Orange Crush” for defense. Kind of catchy I think… come on Broncos, let’s finish this season strong and start next season stronger!!!
GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have turned over a new leaf and will not be negative. Thus, while there are no postseason ramifications for us, we have a great opportunity to alter the postseason fortunes of the Chargers and Vikings. Additionally, the team, especially Jay, will have the opportunity to gain some experience in postseason-type games because these next two games will be exactly that for San Diego and Minnesota. Thus, we’ll be ready to thrive in those situations next season and will soon be ready to regain our former glory. Remember that in the parity-driven NFL, many teams that missed the playoffs the previous season can win divisional titles, see the Buccaneers and Packes if you don’t believe me. Let’s keep the faith and put forth our best efforts in these last two contests. GO BRONCOS!!!
There are alot of things to be optimistic about for next year and there are alot to be pessimistic about. As for the next two games, I will be betting against the broncos. I’ll take the points and figure that Denver won’t cover the spread. They will be lucky to avoid injuries in both contests and lucky to score any points at all with their current team. This year has been the biggest disappointment that i can ever recall.
One bright side to this year most guys will never mention>
We are spending more time with our families than ever before. I am getting so much quality time with my son now. I have only followed the donkeys over the internet for the past 5 games and I’m proud of it. My wife can’t believe it. They are the only team I watched anyway with the exception of GreenBay. My family is more important than getting attached to this stupid bunch of loser broncos anyway. Thanks for having another losing season to get me back in touch with what is most important in my life. It actually used to really bother me after every loss. But for the past 5 weeks I could actually care less. So, if I don’t write here anymore about wanting Shanny out of town along with Bates, Bailey and Bly, who cares. Good luck to all who wish to waste time watching the bumbleheads.
Mason, this Marshall rumor is spreading across the internet pretty quickly, is it true?
Broncomania56: “What happened this year?”
1. New defensive scheme that did not work. Getting that big fat tub of goo Sam Adams was a big mistake. He can’t stop anything anymore. Defensive line too young & too slow. Engleberger has to go, too slow: to wit, the play vs. texans when rosenfels bootlegged and Engleberger couldn’t catch up.
Bates must go also, his scheme sucks. We still cannot guard the tight end. Gonzalez & Gates have made their careers playing against our defense. Also, our defense is totally vulnerable to any miss-direction or to the draw play. We had to put 8-9 guys up to stop the run and that made our corners vulnerable to the big play, to wit: the packers game and Andre Johnson making Bailey & Bly look like rookies.
2. Too many injuries on the offensive line. Only one starter from last year playing now. Without Nalen and Hamilton, too many under-achievers to get the thing done.
3. Too many injuries in receiving group. Without Walker & Rod Smith, not enough depth. Marshall is awesome, Stokes is really a third-down slot-type receiver, not a starter. Glen Martinez, are you kidding me or what ??
4. Worst special teams in the league with too many penalties on kickoffs & punts. No REAL returners like a Cribbs or Hester. Special teams coach does not have a clue, he must go NOW. Too many times starting inside our own 20 yard line put too much pressure on our young q.b.
5. Cutler in learning mode. Yes, make no mistake, Cutler will be very good. Right now though, he’s still learning and will have to see a lot more defenses before he gets it. Also, our very poor field position all year has hampered what he can do.
6. Our offense has gone stale. The rest of the league has finally caught up to the Broncos tricks. The plays that used to work every time no longer work at all. Even Shanny says he was “out coached” in houston. That game alone is proof positive that our offense needs new blood. The same old stuff isn’t working.
7. Shanny MUST go. All year Shanny has been saying stuff like “… It’s my fault, I didn’t get our team ready to play…” “..We were out coached…” If this is true, and he admits it often enough, we know who to blame. After all, Shanny hand-picked the defensive & special teams coaches who are both TOTAL FAILURES. His offense does not work anymore because he has done the same exact thing for too many years now & defenses have figured it out. When you are getting blown out 41-7, 33-13, etc. it is a total team failure and the head coach is responsible for this. I’ve loved and defended Shanny for many years. No more. He won’t get a free pass from me going forward. He should have been fired after the home loss to Pittsburgh in the AFC championship game. Obvioulsy, the steelers were not that good & we’ve beaten them ever since. Bronco fans have had to put up with the same crap for years while the “coach for life” continues to admit that he is the problem. Mr. Bowlen: It’s time to change. This franchise and it’s fans need a new direction. If you are satisfied with 9-7 or 8-8, then keep up the status quo. If not, there are plenty of young, talented coaches who could breathe new life into this franchise. Mr. Bowlen: Now is the time to act. Please do SOMETHING !!!!!
8. Go Broncos !!!!!
I am very frustrated with this team but this my team. I grew up watching them like many of you have. I refuse to jump ship because of a few bad seasons. So to Odomsfan I say enjoy the time with your family, God bless and see you later. I will always be a DENVER BRONCOS FAN(ATIC). GO BRONCOS GO BRONCOS GO BRONCOS GO BRONCOS GO BRONCOS GO BRONCOS GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BAND WAGON FANS KEEP OUT!
I’m thirsty for Orange Crush! Go Broncos!
I see Post-season problems arising very soon fellow Broncofans; Javon Walker will not be with us next season as he seems to be headed in the same direction that he was in while he was in Green Bay. The Broncos will attempt to restructure his contract and he will get the media involved. Rod Smith being the emotional leader of the team will publicly scold at Walker for acting selfishly, then Walker will scold back at Smith, making the case that it’s easy for him to scold out people when he’s big bucks for doing nothing. Since Smith is god is Denver, no one talks to him the way Walker will talk to him, the team will back up smith and Walker will be on the hot seat. Since Denver has Brandon Marshall (as the packers had the emerging Donald Driver), Denver will eventually wait until the draft and deal away Walker for a 3rd round pick (one round down than what we paid for him).
As for the Brandon Marshall rumor, I don’t think it’s true.. Marshall’s had his off-field problems, but he has seem to be consistently quiet in the locker room and seems to know where he stands as a player in comparison to the coaches. Believe it or not though, Denver does need another WR.. As optimistic as we can get about Rod Smith, I think even he knows it that he will not be and can not be a full time WR anymore.. We don’t want Chad Johnson here because of his locker room and sideline problems; we have a young QB at the helm and the last thing we want is a veteran WR yelling at him for not getting enough balls to him. IF the Patriots choose not to re-sign Randy Moss (which I don’t know why they wouldn’t), maybe we can get Moss to help out Jay; Randy has seemed to quelch down a whole lot on his egos and off-field problems; infact, ever since his MN days, I see him really turning into a veteran leader type of guy (unlike TO). Another guy that Denver could look at is Jacksonville’s Matt Jones; Jack del Rio benched Jones (who was a standout last season) for no appearent reason at all! Claiming that he wasn’t trying hard enough (kinda like Mike benching Tony earlier this year).
As far as our coaching staff goes, I see two possible scenerios will happen:
1. Mike Shanahan fires Jim Bates the immediate Monday following the Vikings game and Shanny gets to keep his job (which seems to be more likely scenerio).
2. Mike Shanahan keeps Jim Bates as Defensive Coordinator and then Mr. Bowlen caps both of them. A new coach will be brought in and the whole Broncos staff will be fired with the exception of the QB coach as he will be needed to finish up the Jay Cutler project. If this happens, I don’t see the Broncos winning and making the playoffs for the next 2 years; next year they will be an 6-10 team, the following year they will be a 9-7 team, and then maybe the third year they will make the playoff with a 11-5 record.
The thing that people need to look at the most when they are calling for Shanahan’s head is that if Shanny is gone, Jay’s future with the Broncos could be very short. The Jay Cutler project was started by Mike Shanahan; right now the whole team seems to be built and building around Jay Cutler. For years we have been known as a running team who runs to get the opposing defense’s mind set on running plays and then we use our mobil QB with a very strong but not so accurate arm (John Elway and Jay Cutler) to bootleg and play action fake outside the pocket and launch one down field. Just look at the Joey Harrington situation in Detriot a few years back; Mike Morningweigh (or however you spell it) drafted Harrington as a pocket passer, and then built the whole offense around him drafting big and fast wide recievers, big but not so mobile linemen, and a so so Runningback. The theory was that even though Harrington wasn’t very mobil, he had a very strong and supposvily (but never showed it) accurate arm, the big offensiveline would create a stallmate at the line allowing Harrington to just fly the ball all over the field from the pocket. Two years later, Morningweigh was caped and a new coach was brought in; the whole philosophy of the offense changed and a QB with mobility was needed (bringing in Josh McCown and Jon Kitna); in addition, releasing 2 of the 3 number one draft pick recievers taken by the lions and revamping the whole line. The Joey Harrington project ended just like that. That’s why I said we have to becareful when we call for Shanahan’s head, even though this year was a year to forget, I believe he’s got something going on here and should be given until at least the off-season to see how he addresses the defensive collapse. Offensively, we all know (even if you deny it) that the Broncos are capable of moving the ball downfield and scoring. The problem is that we are a young offense and inconsistency does come in the same package. If Shanahan addresses the defensive breakdown problems, then I believe he deserves at least one more year to show that the Jay Cutler project is a superbowl calibre project; however, if Jim Bates is still around by April, then Shanahan needs to go.
Fellow Broncomaniacs, that war your very own Bronco Shamaen Oracle Prophecy for the post-2007 season and 2008 season.
odoms…wtf?
that was a pretty sad post….do us a favor and jump off the bandwagon and don’t get back on….
we will be back better than ever next year…
Go Broncos
I watched Brandon’s interview in the locker room..he didn’t seemed pissed..was talking about for sure making playoffs next year..>i don’t think that rumor is true at all..the Broncos would never let him go plus it was out of frsutration even if it did happen..all great competitiors have that fire…
BUt I still don’t think its true….probably some team that wants Brandon is trying to start trouble =)
What’s this Brandon Marhall rumor? Anyone care to share? Thanx.
I mean Marshall. Sorry…
well this season has certainly been a roller coaster ride, with our team seriously schizophrenic playing like the pats one week and the fins the next. Just can’t figure out what the problem is, sure we have injuries but our winning games have been without our big $$ players. It is clear that the D needs a major overhaul and the offense needs to be consistent, is this all a coaching problem? we have some great players they just dont seem to play great. Decades as a BRONCO fan not sure if I have ever seen such an up and down season. Now its christmas eve up against the chargers, it would be great to have a christmas present of a win against SD. GO BRONCOS
KiKo J.E. #7:
Supposedly Brandon Marshall got into a shouting match with someone on the coaching staff (maybe even Coach Shannahan) in the locker room and stormed out with the final words, “I don’t care, cut me!!”
vraptor567
I have always been a great Shannahan fan, but when you have the fourth quarter collapses we have had not to mention procedural penalties such as 12 men on the field, that points to coaching.
KiKo
Note that this is an internet RUMOR only. I have heard no one substantiate this in ANY way.
MASON, please, I’ll even by you a new hoodie for those cold days…PLEASE admit Shanahan made the wrong decision last year. Come on, everyone ought to have the chance to be insubordinate to their boss at least once a year. Now come out and say, “Maybe Shanahan should have let Jake stay till the end of the year, who knows what would of happened.”
That would have been better than missing the playoffs two years in a row! And to all you worthless SHANAHAN fanatics….GREAT COACHES DON’T miss the playoffs, they just don’t! Joe Torre 12 years in a row. Phil Jackson 13 years in a row. They may not always win the BIG ONE, but they always have their team ready to at least compete with the leagues elite come playoff team.
MIKE SHANAHAN BLOWS and he’s ruining Cutler with every game!
OOOOOPSSSS>>>>>>> My mistake Phil Jackson has led his teams to the playoffs EVERY SINGLE YEAR HE HAS EVER COACHED, which means 18 consecutive seasons he led his teams into the playoffs.
Wow, Shanahan really sucks now that I think about it!
LPP, for once you actually sound decently intelligent with that post, good job. But I will not agree that Shanahan made the wrong call last year; if Jake was playing well, then yes he made the wrong call. The problem was that Jake was not playing very well at all.. If I remember right, he threw more INT than TDs, correct me if I’m wrong.
This team is and always be my team. Myself and fans are frustrated as well as the players I’m sure.
Odoms, your post is a sad one. I’m sorry it took a losing season for you to spend time with your family.
I agree that some changes need to be made, but there is a lot to look forward to next year (as much as I hate saying that). The playbook needs to be re-drafted on offense. I’m not sure what needs to be done to make the defense play better, new coach? I am still amazed that scheme made our Pro Bowls players look like Chumps instead of Champs. Coaches can put players in a position to win or lose. We know where they put Denver this year. Shannahan isn’t going anywhere yet, but I’m sure another losing season won’t be accepted by upper management.
It will be very interesting to see what happens in the offseason-in the draft and free agentcy. Forget charachter and pride, those should have been factors all year. These last two games are going to help decide what players are going to help Denver return to the playoffs next year.
I always want Denver to win, but have mixed feelings because a better draft pick might help Denver to reach the playoffs next year; Sedrick Ellis, Frank Okam, or Kenny Phillups.
Go Broncos?
I LOVE ESPN!!!!!!!!!!!!
From Espn:
As for the Broncos, their coach — whom the Denver team Web site calls “The Ultimate Leader” — sure looks lost. Last year around Thanksgiving, Denver was 7-4 and held the inside track for a wild-card berth. But fans and football pundits kept complaining about Jake Plummer, and the Broncos had lost two straight, although they were close losses to San Diego and Kansas City, both power teams last season. Mike Shanahan decided to switch to Jay Cutler, and the Broncos are 8-11 since then, eliminated last season and now eliminated this season. Sure, there’s more going on with that team beyond the quarterback switch, and sure Cutler has promise. But last year, Denver was a winner under Plummer, and since then, Denver has been a loser under Cutler. One suspects Plummer is off fly-fishing somewhere and having a good laugh about this.”
Did everyone see that Sauerbrun has been cut? I wonder if he knows, or if he is still chasing Hester….
I can’t believe I’m gonna waste my time on you LPP but you sir are a fool! Even Vince Lombardi missed the playoffs three times. Good coaches just don’t miss the playoffs- check your facts before you let your diarrea of the mouth flow. Oh and by the way, LET IT GO ALREADY, Bummer does not play here any more.
Hey realistic dude….what, nothing to say about this:
As for the Broncos, their coach — whom the Denver team Web site calls “The Ultimate Leader” — sure looks lost. Last year around Thanksgiving, Denver was 7-4 and held the inside track for a wild-card berth. But fans and football pundits kept complaining about Jake Plummer, and the Broncos had lost two straight, although they were close losses to San Diego and Kansas City, both power teams last season. Mike Shanahan decided to switch to Jay Cutler, and the Broncos are 8-11 since then, eliminated last season and now eliminated this season. Sure, there’s more going on with that team beyond the quarterback switch, and sure Cutler has promise. But last year, Denver was a winner under Plummer, and since then, Denver has been a loser under Cutler. One suspects Plummer is off fly-fishing somewhere and having a good laugh about this.”
Cute LPP, you don’t have to post the same thing twice though!
Say what you will but you know Plummer CHOKES for big games. Shanahan knew this, and thats why Bummer is not here. Why keep him to just let him choke? We might as well rebuild than do that. All you Shanny haters want to forget about the injuries- Lombardi would not have done any better with that kind of bad luck. I guess 13 years and two BACK-to-BACK SB wins don’t make you feel any loyalty.
REALITY dude, are new to this blog or what?
I could have coached those Broncos to back to back wins. I would have just used Madden 97 plays, or told John, hey Johnny boy, you have the right to call any play you want and they still would have won both of those superbowls.
What is with all this Shanny hate. What will you say next year when Shanny has a good season? Bunch of wagon jumpers. If you were a true fan you would support him. I am just as upset about this season as he next person. We are used to having wining seasons even if no Super Bowl is brought home so back to back years of no playoffs hurts alot. We cant win them all. So quit wagon jumping and if you want to complain about coaches go off on Jim Bates he is awful. Send his ass packing. Shanny isnt going anywhere have you forgotten Shanny resigned his contract?
C’mon LPP all you respond to is the B2B SB’s, what about your boy being a choke artist? name one big game he won- oh that’s right, he always CHOKED
Good point BroncoGirl. LPP will be eating crow next year when we have a great year.
I am starting to think that LetPlummerPlay is actually Jake Plummer. Who else would be this crazy and think so highly of the Snake. Nothing you say makes sense. You don’t like Shannahan. We get it. But your comment about great coaches not missing the playoffs is nuts. You are talking about Phil Jackson and Joe Torre. What a horrible comparison. First of all, Phil Jackson had the greatest basketball player ever in Michael Jordan. He also had a terrific cast around him. The same thing can be said with the Lakers. He had Shaq and Koby. A coach is only as good as his players. Torre is the same. He worked for the only franchise with unlimited money. The Yankees buy all the best players. They consistently have multiple hall of famers on their roster. Lets see Torre have that success elsewhere. I am not saying these coaches aren’t good to great, but your comment is crazy. Give Shannahan a team full of hall of famers, and you will see him make the playoffs every year.
I forgot something in response to LetPlummerPlay. What about Bill Belichek? Is he a great coach? People call him a genius now that he is with New England. Funny. I don’t remember him being any good with the Browns. Maybe that is because he had a crappy organization in Cleveland with OK players. But great coaches don’t miss the playoffs, right. You’re talking out of your butt.
One more thing. Plummer sucked in Arizona, and he was OK in Denver. Shanny had a lot to do with him being OK and not completely horrible. Plummer could manage a game if he wasn’t asked to do a lot. BUT, he consistently failed when more was asked of him. It is the same thing I have been saying about Larry Coyer. I am not arguing that Coyer and Plummer were not OK at their jobs. They were OK. BUT, the goal is to win superbowls. Mike understood that it would never happen with Plummer. Plummer could take you to the playoffs, but that was it. He couldn’t win a game for you, he could just manage it for you. Cutler has the skills to win it. Cutler in my opinion is already better than Jake the Snake after less than 2 full seasons. Coyer was OK too, but his scheme didn’t work against teams like Indy, or any other great passing team. Mike recognized this. Being mediocre will make some people happy, but being great takes risk. Was it risky letting go of Coyer? Sure. But we would never have reached the ultimate goal with either of these 2 guys.
Sauerbaun was cut today another Shanahan flop along with Dale Carter, Gerrad Warren, Courtney Brown, Travis Henry, Gardner the DT, Simeon Rice, Javon Walker, Chester McClocklin, MIchael Myers, Steve Bueurlein and many more not to mention his crappy drafts exception Cutler Class.
Bones, when you overstate your case it diminishes your credibility. Yes most were bad but you can’t include all those names. I mean, c’mon T Hen was leading the league in rushing until he got hurt.
JUST WANT TO SAY NEXT YEAR WE WILL HAVE A GREAT YEAR!!! AND WILL ENJOY WATCHING JAY AND THESE YOUNG RECIEVERS BEATING UP ON DEFENSES EVERY SUNDAY . I WILL SAY WE WILL BE AT LEAST 11- 5 . I AM A BELIEVER IN SHANNY AND SHANNY MADE THE RIGHT DECISON ON PICKING JAY TO LEAD US TO THE SUPERBOWL WITHIN 2 YEARS. HANG IN THERE BRONCO FANS GREAT THINGS WILL HAPPEN SOON. GO BRONCOS.!1!
See reality guy, I knew you were new. Name one BIG game Jake won…ok he beat the ALMIGHTY DALLAS COWBOYS in their PRIME for the only PLAYOFF game the ARIZONA CARDINALS have ever won….I’d say that’s a pretty big game….Then he stepped up and beat THE ALMIGHTY NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS two years ago to advance to the AFC Championship, I’d say that was a pretty big friggin game dude!
Phil had great players? Joe had great players? SHANAHAN HAS JAY CUTLER! All you people on here think JAY IS THE SECOND COMING
LPP damn girl.. I just went and played starcraft for 2 hours and you’re still on here defending your case? Season’s over girl, give her a rest for the next 10 months. I’m sure Jake will be back next season on the New York Jets!! I can see it now, my prophecy shaman tells me that he will lead the New York Jets to multiple superbowls and be crowned all time Hall of Fame QB!! Mark my words Broncos Fans, mark my word well. Jake will win 2 superbowls and then Mike will be fired from his coaching job; Jake being the savior of the world that he is, he will offer Mike a place to stay. While there at Jake’s house, Mike will study chemistry and biology; in the process, he will find a cure for gonorle. Jake will then be praised for sheltering Mike; Jake will then be pronounced the Mother Thereasa all time Hall of Famer along with the all Nobel Hall of Famer of all time!! JAKE IS BUDHA, ZEUS, JESUS, APOLLO, HERMES, ALLAH, AND ALL GODS THAT I DID NOT NAME IN HUMAN FORM!
Man, you fightin’ types need to take a Xanax!
Shanahan is a great coach, but he was a much better coach when Bowlen was sneaking around the cap rules to keep his multi-Hall-of-Famer powerhouse roster intact, wasn’t he? The playing field has been leveled since 1998 and he hasn’t gone to the Super Bowl since.
Still, LPP went a bit overboard with the coaches comparison…I don’t think anyone with half a brain could consider Shanahan the NFL equivalent of those two coaches. Shanny’s more of a Rudy Tomjanovich/Cito Gaston type…he’s got a couple of rings, but he’s not Top 5 or anything.
He still gets way too much leeway in Denver for “orchestrating” Super Bowls featuring a Hall of Fame QB, the best TE and RB in the league (both Hall of Fame caliber,) two All-Pro level wideouts (one of which might be a HoF candidate as well,) and a solid, tough defense (and by now we all realize Shanahan has NOTHING to do with team defense.) I don’t know if LPP could have coached that team to a championship, but he probably could have at least won the AFC with them.
Cmon, Denver. Cut the cord. Shanahan has been milking his “Denver’s Daddy” status for too long. Even if you don’t want him immediately fired, at least recognize that he’s not the coach he used to be and criticize his obvious mistakes.
Hey Whitehoss, I already had one Xanax today, another would just put me to sleep and hey, I’m managing a Fortune 500 company you know. Sure, it’s a bit slow today so I’m simply throwing down on Mason’s board for no better reason than I’m SIMPLY BEYOND p#$$ed with this team.
But thanks, for comparing Shanahan to Rudy Tomjanovich! That was the best comment of the day! That’s exactly what he is. The RUDY T of the NFL. He shouldn’t even be in the SAME DAMN sentence with Phil Jackson or Joe Torre and I have reprimanded myself for that repeatedly for putting them in the same sentence!
Hey LPP, I don’t really believe you manage a fortune 500 company. If so, I would like to know which one so I can make sure I never buy stock in it. You are a walking contradiction. You said earlier that Phil Jackson and Joe Torre were great managers because they never missed the playoffs. I pointed out that they were lucky enough to have some of the all time greats in the history of their sports playing for them (not to mention the highest pay roll year in and year out in Torre’s case especially).
You later put this comment: “Phil had great players? Joe had great players? SHANAHAN HAS JAY CUTLER!” It seems like you are questioning the fact that Phil Jackson and Torre had great players. It is either that or you don’t understand what a question mark signifies. How can you be so nuts. They had success because they always had the best players at their disposal. Shaq left LA. Suddenly, the Lakers have been OK that last few years. They were unstoppable with Shaq and Kobe. Funny huh. I guess that was a coincidence huh. Phil must have just coached better those years. I hope you understand sarcasm. You’re crazy. I would love to be at one of your board meetings (if you really are a manager) just to have funny stories to tell my friends.
LPP, I hope you could follow my last entry. Let me help you some more. You also said “Shannahan has Jay Cutler.” I think you were trying to say that Jay is nothing special. I can never be sure with you. If you are saying that, wouldn’t you expect Shanny to have a tough time making the playoffs. I like Jay, but you don’t. You seem like you don’t think much of our players, so why would you expect Shanny to never miss the playoffs. Name one other team in the NFL that has had as much success in the 13 years that Shanny has been here as Denver. Don’t worry about trying to name one. There isn’t any. We have missed the playoffs a few times, but we have always been close. This is probably the worst year yet, but this isn’t the Dolphins. We have a lot of young talent and new schemes. We will be better.
Hey rusty. I’m SARCASTIC, you must be new to the board as well. I was saying, well if Phil and Joe had great players so does Jay Cutler, he’s GREAT, you know in a SARCASTIC WAY. Obviously he aint that great, can’t even bring a game to a draw in order to make the playoffs last year.
The Lakers being ok? Well, they’ve had one quality player for the last two years and still Phil has managed to get them in the playoffs every single time. As Whitehoss said above, Phil and Joe are legends, Shanahan not so much.
I do manage a Fortune 500 company, and we are publicly traded but that doesn’t matter much, I just like the free time it gives me to rock and roll with all you all on the Mason boards!
I get that you’re sarcastic. The point is still the same. You are dogging Shanny, but you acknowledge that he doesn’t have the same talent as these other coaches. You think Jay isn’t good, and I haven’t read anything that suggests that you think anyone on this team is good. So, it makes it sound like you think the players stink. If that is your argument, fine. But, how can you dog Shanny if you think the talent sucks. My point is simple. Take away the talent from these legendary coaches, and they will have mediocre seasons. The Lakers have made the playoffs since Shaq left, but they barely made it. We all know the NBA allows way too many teams in the playoffs. You can make the playoffs as a #7 or #8 seed and not even be .500. They haven’t been real contenders even with one great player in Kobe.
Now that I cleared that up, I do disagree with you about Jay. The kid is good, especially since he is still new to this. Look at the rest of his draft class. Jay’s stats are better, and so is his leadership. I admit that our team struggled this year, especially defensively and on special teams, but you can’t fault Jay or the offense for that. They have improved over the season even with injuries. They are just still young. John Elway is the greatest QB of all tiime in my opinion. Now I am biased since I love Denver, but I always ask myself if I had one series who would I want as QB. I always say Elway. John wasn’t very good his first few years, but you could see the potential. I honestly think Jay has been better his first 2 seasons than John. I’m not saying he will end up in the hall of fame, but he has done a good job.
I don’t like arguing, but sometimes your comments about Plummer drive me crazy. I’m assuming you are sarcastic about Plummer being good too. Either way though, I have to disagree with you about Shanny and most of the players on our team.
Have a good holiday.
Wow. I MUST stop reading this blog. LPP I’m an ASU fan… Love Jake! But …
YOU R AN IDIOT!!
As are MOST of you here.
There r rational folks here that have made the points I would make here I’ll miss that interaction but honestly you fair weather fans make me madder than the Broncos do in a bad season!!
I’ll say one the thing I always say; It’s REALLY REALLY hard to win in this league and we have won and will win again, I’ll take our future over any team in the league! We’ve got the young integral pieces of the puzzle. If we were healthy we’d be competing THIS YEAR!
Most teams rebuild for years & years & YEARS! Don’t you get it?
Stick with Shanny, he KNOWS he needs help! He’s looking for it!
I’ll be true blue & orange even if we suck one day but we haven’t sucked in years!! How’d you jerks like to be Detroit fans?
Get a grip!