The has announced that quarterback Matt Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons has won the AP 2008 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
That comes as no surprise to many people, as Ryan has keyed the huge turnaround in Atlanta — taking the 4-12 squad from a year ago and leading them to an 11-5 record and playoff berth in 2008. And Ryan certainly deserves congratulations after his great year.
But more importantly for Broncos Country, Ryan Clady finished third in voting.
50 total votes were cast, with Ryan receiving 44 of them. In distant second place was Tennessee running back Chris Johnson, earning three votes. Then came Clady with two while Bears running back Matt Forte got one.
Many Broncos believe Clady deserves Pro Bowl honors, considering he did not give up a full sack while starting all 16 games, but though he didn’t earn a trip to Hawaii, getting votes for Rookie of the Year shows that his excellent play did not go unnoticed. Clady also won Diet Pepsi Rookie of the Week Honors in Week 14.
Congrats to Ryan!
– Adam Zinser, DenverBroncos.com
Tags: Adam Zinser, Awards, Ryan Clady
Glad to know Clady got at least some recognition for what he did for us this year. He’s got to be one of the best picks we’ve had in at least a decade. Congrats to him for getting as far as he did in the voting. He was completely overshadowed and definitely underestimated but I can guarantee in years to come he’ll get plenty of Pro Bowl selections and other honors. He’s certainly one of a kind. Can’t wait to see what he does for us next year… he was practically perfect in protecting Cutler. Awesome job coming from a rookie!!
With faith…
GO BRONCOS!!!!!
That’s BS I think Clady should of gotten something.
I’m a little disappointed that Royal got absolutely no love though… how often does a rookie WR come into the league and catch 91 passes for 980yds receiving? We had two great rookies and once againbecause they’re Broncos little is given as far as national recognition.
I just pray we get some impact rookies on defense next year (MLB, DE, S, CB, DT) are ALL areas of need.
Congrats to Ryan!!! He definitely deserved all the recognition. Hopefully, he excels with us for many years to come.
Also, I am disappointed that Royal got no recognition like the guy above me. Royal was a beast and stepped up big-time for us at a position we had a need at before the season began. He had 980 yards and 91 catches, 2nd MOST EVER BY A ROOKIE!!!
Obvioulsy matt ryan was gonna win it, but no love for eddie is ridiculous i think if we made the playoffs mabye some, but good for clady and matt ryan
Who? Matt Ryan is my King? Well I didn’t vote for im.
JUST KIDDING
Matt Ryan deserve’s it and I’m glad Clady got noticed but not one for Royal? huu? WOW! Who does vote for this AP?
3rd on Rookie of the Year… He’s 1st for a rookie tackle or a tackle in general. He plays with the ability and smarts like a veteran. No matter what anyone says our rookies showed that they can play.
Eddie led all rookies in catches, yds and TD’s……but not s single vote? It’s ok Eddie, use it as fuel to tear up this league next year and take the trip to Hawaii with Marshall and Cutler next year instead.
Well, a lot of you got your wish, Shanny was fired. I’m not sure how I feel about that, but it is what it is. I didn’t think it was time to let him go, but I’m just a fan so what do I know. Cowher would be a great coach or even Marty S.
Congrats to Clady… well deserved. Royal should have received some recognition.
GO BRONCOS!!!!
I agree broncofan i think it was to early to let him go…one more season would have determined his future but i hope we bring cowher in….im not really worried about shanahan lions jets niners and browns need a head coach so he will land somewhere with a fatter wallet…Ryan clady to the pro bowl next season i take my hat off to u and i know u will continue your success…
well i wont lie, i was shocked when i heard shanny was fired. the broncos have been all shanahan for as long as i know football. i guess this is when real fans will have to stick with the jersey and just hope we can move on. Ireally pray we don`t lose our running scheme too.
Congrats Clady, but i believe you should have taken it, not to mention a trip to Hawaii. a rookie LT who gave up just .5 sacks all season long. thats amazing. next year will be even better.
What i’m shocked to hear is the release of Shanny! all the guys and i are talking about it here at work. i love Shanny and what he has done with this team, but maybe a new face is just what we need. guess we shall see.
Great Job Ryan and once again Congrats.
p.s. can’t believe Eddie didn’t get any respect.
Coming from a former lineman its good to hear that the Big Uglies are at least getting some recognition. Congrats! Ryan
I KNOW FOR A FACT THIS IS GONNA BA A BaD DECISION BUT I HOPE THAT WE CAN DO IT IT WILL BE VERY STRANGE AND I DONT KNOW WHAT TO THINK WQE ARE GONNA SEE ALOT OF STRANGE UNUSUAL THINGS HAPPEN NOW WATCH AND SEE. U IDOTIC FANS THAT WISHED THIS ARE GONNA BE SDORRY U EVER DID
i know what the hell are we gonna do now, that was the worst news ive heard my entire life my faith in the broncos had dropped considerably with no mike shanahan there is no broncos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hello I am a first time blogger, I cant believe this, I agree it was to early to fire Shanahan. I think this is really going to screw up the offense. All new play book all new schemes, no one is safe so be prepared to say goodbye to some of our favorite players. I know the running game was not up the par this year but look at all the injuries, how could it be. Regardless it will not be the same running game we have been used to. I hope I am wrong but this could really mess up the team. At least maybe they can build a descent defense.
On a more positive note congrats to Ryan. and it is bunk that Eddie got nothing.
im SHOCKED!! i dont know that this is good. its gonna be interesting. I just want to thank Mike for all the years of winning. I know this season was tough but this could be worse. I didnt agree with a lot of things he did but i didnt think he should be fired. I only ask one think Mike: dont go to Kansas City! that would suck. Very sorry to see you go Mike. So Long.
Much love for Ryan & Eddie pro bowl to each next year.Mike thank you for everything. With all the coaching jobs in the league Mike will get a job,but its a bad year to be shopping for a head coach. You would have to think that Pat has somone on the hook to let Mike go.Hold your breath and hope for the best. Can you think of a more surreal twist of fate if Marty Schottenheimer Was to coach the Denver Broncos and finally get a Super bowl win as a coch in Denver?He is 4-4 in his ability to rebild a team especiall in the A.F.C.(West) and is real strong on the D-side. I think he is more likely than Bill Cowher.(I never thought I would say those words as long as I LIVED)
O yea and he hates the Bolts!
I am completely disgusted with this decision. Shanny deserved 1 more year to get things together. Now we get to see our offense take 2 steps back. I guess the only positive I can take from this is that guys will be playing for their jobs. I am sure the Texans will welcome Shanny with open arms to be their offensive coordinator. An even MORE disgusting scenario: Mike Shannihan- Head Coach of Dallas Cowboys……..I think I just threw up a little in my mouth………..gotta go brush.
it is a sad sad day in bronco nation.
Good bye Mike, you will be missed!
oh and at least clady was mentioned, tho he should have got way more votes and eddie should have too.
This is the worst day in bronco history. Pat is the reason why we have been bad on defense and he fires shanny for it . F_ck you Pat, Shanny built the offense by himself through the draft and your the one who cut jobs and didnt want to spend the money on free agents to build up the defense. Shanny told everyone last year he wasnt going after high price guys and want good character guys to cover your ass because you didnt want to spend the money. Dont have shanny say we want good character guys and then a few months later cut half the jobs in the front office to save money. Shannahan is the greatest coach in bronco history and won 2 superbowls for us. NFL network just said that he will be the hottest and best coach available this year and will be able to pick what ever job he wants. Why the f are we going to fire our coach and look for a new one when the best available is the one we already have. Maybe its time to think about wether or not to be a bronco fan anymore.
Columbus:
100% agree. Who is out there that is better? Shanny will coach the Cowboys to a Superbowl. Lets pray to god he goes to the NFC, cuz we all know how Shanny holds a grudge……
Did Bowlen start hanging out with Al Davis and Jerry Jones. With the way this happened I doubt that they have someone in mind. I’m sure any team would welcome Shanny with open arms. The whole league is shocked because they know the caliber of coach we HAD. Well, to look at it in a positive way, I hope we get someone who knows how to draft and coach defense cause we suck on that side of the ball. Our offense is so good, I hope we don’t waste some years because of this like with Wade Phillips. Glad that only lasted two years.
wormyblackburny…Are you freakin kidding me? Let me get this straight, Shanny coached us to 1 playoff win in 10 years (10 YEARS) but now he is capable of taking another team to the superbowl? What are you smoking? Mike is a great coach as long as he has Elway, TD, Sharpe, Smith and that O line. Without them he is average at best. I am proud that are owner is no longer accepting 8-8 seasons. Best of luck Mike but 8-8 doesnt work for me. Thank you Pat…Go Broncos
This was a very bad move, who are you going to bring in Pat, Don’t you remember Mike brought us back to back SuperBowls,
I hope that Mike will land on a good team!
With the talent the Cowgirls have, yes (especially on the defensive side of the ball). Shanny’s offensive skills are so great that JAKE PLUMMER was able to lead us to the AFC Championship………nuff said.
good job clady
shanahan i’ll miss you
I WANT ALEX GIBBS ! ! !
Clady did great this season.
Hope all of you idiots who were yelling for Shanahan to be fired are happy. This is a huge mistake. The only way you can bandage this big wound now is with Bill Cowher
some people here maybe didn’t understand that we had one of the best coaches ever and now how and who can replace him?
I’m not sure what to say. But as a business man this is not a smart move. I’m completely shocked and feel as though I’ve been kicked in the nuts.
I agree with Broncos20. Relieve him of the distraction of being VP of personnel. Insist he focus on his coaching and work with him to establish a solid nucleus. I am just sick by this announcement. I realize we were trounced in the AFC game and had some inconsistencies, however, I believe the team was missing a few pieces of the puzzle to complete it. All the injuries this season at RB and we continued to fare well. Our defense and special teams would need to be the focus in the off season and we would of been fine.
With all this talent, I hope Pat Bowlen knows what he is doing. I hope he realizes what he is giving up. Who do we get? The big names out there do not excite me at all. The only person I would be happy to see is Cowher or Kubiak, if at all possible.
Well, a bad season with an even more screwed up move by the Broncos. Not smart, not smart at all. Shannahan will not be unemployed long. Jerry Jones will undoubtably fire Wade and go after Mike.
I am hoping that this organization has already struck a deal with Mike’s replacement and it shocks the world when it’s announced. That’s the only way to get the true fans on board. Good luck Broncos. Make your new choice a wise one.
Unbelievable! Pat Bowlen better have something up his sleeve or I’ll be cheering for whatever team lands Shannahan. Bowlen either caved in to the pressure from loud mouth complainers that whine because we don’t win a superbowl every year or he has something lined up. If he hires some cost saving lame duck coach , I’m tossing my orange and blue! Hard to beileve the winningest coach in the last how many years just isn’t good enough. Hope Bowlen speaks up and soon.
Just called work to spread the news and they said on the tube that the Broncos are going to talk to Bill Cowher. We will see………
I’m not sure if it was time to let shanahan go, but you can’t blame Bowlen he did miss the playoffs three straight years. We should go get marty S. he is about offense so can lead our offense to the same if not more success than they had this year. He also built a solid defense in San Diego, and made his team 14-2. NOrv turner isn’t a good coach, he is having success with marty S. team. I heard that marty S. is picky about who he coaches, I say pay him whatever he wants and hope that he wants revenge with San Diego. If 3 rookie coaches can turn around miami, atlantla, and baltimore imagine what he can do for us.
Cowher is being courted by the Jets but it’s not a done deal. Cowher is a smart man. He will look at all offers before making a decision. He knows that he will have a franchise QB in Cutler. He does NOT have one in NY. He always spoke highly of Cutler on CBS broadcasts. Also Def Coord from Giants might be a candidate.. Spagnolo, but not available to negotiate with until after playoffs.
I don’t know what the hell happened or what Bowlen was thinking. If I recall correctly, we only made it to one Superbowl without Mike cause even when we had, Mike was still the offensive coordinator. And you the fans even said when he left that John couldn’t win without him so now we are without John and Mike, I hope you are happy.
Thank you Mike for the great years here. Thanks for taking us to the promiseland. You will never be forgotten and always appreciated.
That being said – it was the right move. Sometimes change is the only thing that works. Will it be a step backwards for us at first? Absolutely. But we will bounce back. The same thing happened with the Cowboys. They fired Tom Landry – re built the franchise with Jimmy Johnson – and got back to dominating. We are already a step ahead with the young talent we have on offese (Thanks to Shanahan) – so it shouldnt be a huge step backwards. I applaud Pat Bowlen for not accepting mediocrity… because thats what the Broncos have been the last 3 years – mediocre. Every offseason lately has been the “Just 1 player away on defense from going back to the ship” and every year seems to be more heartbreaking than the last.
Shanahan is a great coach – but it was time for a change.
blum….You mean we are going to be worse than 8-8. Wow. Maybe to you that is a good season. How does a team have the 2nd best offense in the NFL yet always finish at 500? You must be a frekin genius. Hope you get paid what your worth? We should have canned his ass last year and got the Miami coach. Hes in the playoffs.
Hire Big Tuna as the VP of operations and Schottenheimer as the coach. Tuna will help the step backwards be minimal – and he will draft great defensive talent – and Marty will help us shove our foots up the Chargers asses next year.
I REALLY WANT ALEX GIBBS ! ! !
Im still waiting…. and waiting… on what 07Elway has to say about this. That dude always has something to say.
On the other hand, I think Shanny was a great coach but not making the playoffs in 4 years was not what I expected from a “mastermind”. Good luck to you, I’m sure you won’t need it, due to a monopoly you’ll be offered next year. I hope Bowlen doesn’t become the next Al Davis.
Lets go Broncos!! Go after Cowher, Carroll, or Spagnuolo.
He is a great coach but it was time. This will be a great change for all parties concerned. 24-24 the last three years.
I HOPE THEY CAN KEEP JEREMY BATES FOR CUTLER.
superbowlboundbroncos – I’ve already said PLENTY about this on Coop’s blog so if you’re that interested in what this Bronco CHICK had to say most of its over there. But to sum it up – I’m absolutely shocked and I hate the idea of it all. I’m still waiting to wake up from this horrible nightmare Bowlen came up with. I never added this in but the fact that Bowlen didn’t have the guts to give Shanahan the respect he deserves by at least giving him the choice of resigning is just pathetic and sad. Shanahan is the one that led this team 10 years ago to back to back Super Bowl wins and this is his thank you? No other coach in our franchise history could win a SB… we made it there but could never win till we finally had the right ingredients for a team starting with Shanny. I’m absolutey appalled at Bowlen for how he handled this… very disrespectful.
With faith…
GO BRONCOS!!!!
Shanny wanted out, he got out…he didn’t want to make any changes to his staff and Mr. Bowlen still has that fire in his belly to WIN! Now this is crazy, but I read a report stating that Shanny may be setting up being HIRED IN SAN DIEGO! Now like I said, this story may be complete bunk, but I was DISGUSTED ALL SEASON with the way the defense played. Shanny refused to lose a few hats, now he’s out of a job. Can’t be 24-24 over the past 3 years in Denver, BRONCOMANIACS WILL BE HEARD!
on one hand, I am very pleased with Shanahan being gone, on the other, very disappointed. Shanahan was directly responsible for bringing in such a powerful offense, yeah they have a few kinks to work out but they have the youth to be a scary unit for quite some time. But the D was horrid. You cant win consistently without a D to back you up. This may just be a theory but I see Pat bringing in a Defense minded coach. We have the power on offense. I think the D will also be the focus of the draft again this year.
I am very split with how this turned out. But as hrdnokd said you cannot be 24-24 in three years and expect to have a job. I recall Shanahan especially this year talking about his losses – “I didnt do my job getting the team prepared to play” Good for you Shanahan! Take the responsibility! He lost the fire he once had here. You will be missed though.
I don’t really have a problem with letting Shanny go, my problem is who do you replace him with. HUmmmm
Shanny had his run. Being blown out, and I mean blown our 52-21 by the chargers in 3 of the last 4 games is enough. We have struggled and the past 6 season, ecept for Plummers last season, have been the same.
His offense was great, IF… his scheme for that game worked. Ever notice that we score on our first dirve after his “scripted plays” and then struggle for the rest of the game because the other team made some adjustments. Mike’s big flaw is that he can not adjust in real time. He has become very one dimensional. He has built a good offense, but at the cost of the defense and special teams.
The majority of the players are young and talented, learning a new system will not be that big a deal. I think the owner is making a statement. The Denver Broncos are about wining championships! 8-8 seasons are not acceptable. Any fan would have to agree.
i dont know what to say..
mike was an offensive genius, i think we have hard years ahead of us.
well im happy that clady got some recognition but r u serious? the only thing that could heal this wound with getting rid of shanny is get us an outstanding D coordnator or D head coach tho this team. ok never in my life have i seen a team make it to playoffs with 8 RB’s Out for season and i heard on XBOX Live the jets are lookin at Shanny which to be honest i would rather see him go there then KC. i hope Bowlen thought this through and didnt act of rage from losing. its over now. but i will tell u 1 thing i dont care who they bring in im always gunna bleed orange and blue. n e 1 wanna jump off the waggon now it would sure make these blogs a lot less annoying. all this oh fire every1 on the defense lets start new. GET OUT OF HERE GO BE A PATRIOT FAN!!!