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OK, guys, I tried, I really tried...but the truth is, even blind homer optimism is just not enough to mask the realities of the Denver Broncos as they have been over the last several years, and as they stand today.
Earlier in the preseason and during camp, I posted that I believed the Broncos were going to be a 9-7, or 10-6 type team, and be in contention for a Wild Card spot.
I was wrong.
This team is headed straight for another losing season at 7-9, and that is only because of referee assistance in the San Diego and New Orleans games,
both of which had the correct calls been made, the Broncos lose, it's that simple. Good thing three of those seven wins are on the record now, because if you believe in history repeating itself, and I do, the rest of those seven wins are going to be damn hard to come by the rest of this season.
A murderer may get off on a technicality, but it does not change the fact that he is a murderer.
In the NFL, no one, including Shanahan, is going to give back a win they didn't earn on the field, and I don't expect them to. But that does not change the fact that their 3-0 record was a utter and compete mirage, because it was.
As I reflect on my almost thirty-five years of watching Broncos football, and watching every game of the Shanahan era, there are four constants in his football teams that never change, and ultimately become the achillies heel of the franchise.
1.) His teams are more often than not among the bottom third of the NFL in Special Teams.
How appropriate was it Sunday that just when the Broncos were able to score, and draw the team to winthin a touchdown, immediately the Chiefs returned the kickoff out to the 50, and put their offense on prime real estate, leading to another FG, and a 10 pt lead?
The Devin Hester kick returns last year in Chicago....the Monday Night game against Baltimore a few years back where the Broncos were not even aware that the opposing team could return a missed FG, as evidenced by the Broncos players simply walking off the field, and Baltimore returning a 103 return TD to put the lock on a Ravens win.
2.) His Defenses are usually the weak-link of the team. Worse, he can't seem to identify what kind of defense he wants to run. He fired Larry Coyer after the 2006 season. Jim Bates convienently "resigned" after he refused re-assignment to assistant LB coach after last season...and now all signs point to this Broncos defense being the worst ever of the Shanahan-era, and no doubt Bob Slowik will be the fall guy. You would think as long as Shanahan has been around, he would know exactly what type of defenses work well in the NFL, and what has given his offenses trouble in the past, and he would work to re-create that on the Broncos...but he doesn't, and Shanahan always has a fall guy when it does not work out.
3.) The thing that bothers me most of all is that Shanahan's teams are the epitome of "finese" teams. The big boys on the block not only beat his team, they typically destroy his teams. 62-6 in Chargers scores reporesent the worst beatdowns the Broncos have exprerienced at the hands of a Division rival since the early 1960's when they were a freakin' expansion team.
More often than not, you see teams, even bad ones (case in point Sunday vs KC), that do not fear or respect Denver on a physical level, and work to simply beat them up. You saw it Sunday at Arrowhead, you saw it last year against Jacksonville andf San Diego, and you saw it in the AFC Chmapionship game against Pittsburgh a few years back.
As much as Shanahan wants to believe that you can win with gimmicky plays and fancy formations, NFL football is a physical game played by the equivalent of the bullies on the block, and you have to beat them more often than not at their game if you want to win rings.
Simply put, Shanahan's teams, with his historically undersized O-linemen, are typically soft.
4.) Shanahan's teams typically start fast, and fade late. Worse, after the Broncos miss the playoffs this year, and they will, that will mean since John Elway called it a career, Shanahan will have one solitary Division title to his credit, along with three pathetic Wild Card appearances in which his teams were not even competitive, and one loney Playoff win.
Examples?
2001
Started 3-1, finished 8-8. No playoffs.
2002
Started 6-2, finished 9-7. No playoffs.
2003
Started 5-1, finished 10-6. Wild Card beatdown, 41-10, at Indianapolis.
2004
Started 5-1, finished 10-6. Wild Card beatdown, 49-24, at Indianapolis.
2006
Started 7-2, finished 9-7. No playoffs.
Included a putrid loss on the final Sunday of the season, at home, to San Francisco, who had nothing to play for. A win and the Broncos were in.
They lost.
2007
Started 2-0. Finished 7-9. No playoffs.
2008
Started 3-0...lost to a bad Kansas City team in week 3 that had lost 12 straight, and who the Broncos were nine point favorites over.
Mike Shanahan 'guaranteed' the Broncos would make the Playoffs this season.
Lets just say he has some work to do wioth this bunch.
For me, I am not convinced.
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thibngs over and over, and expecting a different result.
If that is so, then I am certafiable, because every year, as camp approaches, I hold out hope that this year will be different. This year, Shanahan will reclaim what was once a Hall of Fame lock career, and relaize what made him so successfull a decade ago.
But it never happens.
If anything, after all of the hype and hope, this team is farther away than ever from a Championship. Mike Shanahan has turned over the offense to a snot-nosed assistant in Jeremy Bates, who has never won or accomplished a thing in the NFL. In doing so, Shanahan has committed the fatal flaw of falling in love with the now rage of the garbage spread offenses. Jay Cutler is lined up in the shotgun in what seems like 60% of his offenseive sets, and the Broncos run the ball now as a gimmick. Draws and delayed handoffs.
When they were winning Super Bowls, they, like the Dallas Cowboys before them, lined up and said 'Stop the run if you can.' They then ran the ball down your throat, and the Broncos could win a Super Bowl with John Elway throwing just 17 passes.
That gave them a physical presence, a toughness that has long since disappeared.
So I disagree with Coach Shanahan. This team won't be making the playoffs.
7-9 is more like it...
Oh well, at least that will give them another Top 15 draft pick, as if that were any consolation.
Earlier in the preseason and during camp, I posted that I believed the Broncos were going to be a 9-7, or 10-6 type team, and be in contention for a Wild Card spot.
I was wrong.
This team is headed straight for another losing season at 7-9, and that is only because of referee assistance in the San Diego and New Orleans games,
both of which had the correct calls been made, the Broncos lose, it's that simple. Good thing three of those seven wins are on the record now, because if you believe in history repeating itself, and I do, the rest of those seven wins are going to be damn hard to come by the rest of this season.
A murderer may get off on a technicality, but it does not change the fact that he is a murderer.
In the NFL, no one, including Shanahan, is going to give back a win they didn't earn on the field, and I don't expect them to. But that does not change the fact that their 3-0 record was a utter and compete mirage, because it was.
As I reflect on my almost thirty-five years of watching Broncos football, and watching every game of the Shanahan era, there are four constants in his football teams that never change, and ultimately become the achillies heel of the franchise.
1.) His teams are more often than not among the bottom third of the NFL in Special Teams.
How appropriate was it Sunday that just when the Broncos were able to score, and draw the team to winthin a touchdown, immediately the Chiefs returned the kickoff out to the 50, and put their offense on prime real estate, leading to another FG, and a 10 pt lead?
The Devin Hester kick returns last year in Chicago....the Monday Night game against Baltimore a few years back where the Broncos were not even aware that the opposing team could return a missed FG, as evidenced by the Broncos players simply walking off the field, and Baltimore returning a 103 return TD to put the lock on a Ravens win.
2.) His Defenses are usually the weak-link of the team. Worse, he can't seem to identify what kind of defense he wants to run. He fired Larry Coyer after the 2006 season. Jim Bates convienently "resigned" after he refused re-assignment to assistant LB coach after last season...and now all signs point to this Broncos defense being the worst ever of the Shanahan-era, and no doubt Bob Slowik will be the fall guy. You would think as long as Shanahan has been around, he would know exactly what type of defenses work well in the NFL, and what has given his offenses trouble in the past, and he would work to re-create that on the Broncos...but he doesn't, and Shanahan always has a fall guy when it does not work out.
3.) The thing that bothers me most of all is that Shanahan's teams are the epitome of "finese" teams. The big boys on the block not only beat his team, they typically destroy his teams. 62-6 in Chargers scores reporesent the worst beatdowns the Broncos have exprerienced at the hands of a Division rival since the early 1960's when they were a freakin' expansion team.
More often than not, you see teams, even bad ones (case in point Sunday vs KC), that do not fear or respect Denver on a physical level, and work to simply beat them up. You saw it Sunday at Arrowhead, you saw it last year against Jacksonville andf San Diego, and you saw it in the AFC Chmapionship game against Pittsburgh a few years back.
As much as Shanahan wants to believe that you can win with gimmicky plays and fancy formations, NFL football is a physical game played by the equivalent of the bullies on the block, and you have to beat them more often than not at their game if you want to win rings.
Simply put, Shanahan's teams, with his historically undersized O-linemen, are typically soft.
4.) Shanahan's teams typically start fast, and fade late. Worse, after the Broncos miss the playoffs this year, and they will, that will mean since John Elway called it a career, Shanahan will have one solitary Division title to his credit, along with three pathetic Wild Card appearances in which his teams were not even competitive, and one loney Playoff win.
Examples?
2001
Started 3-1, finished 8-8. No playoffs.
2002
Started 6-2, finished 9-7. No playoffs.
2003
Started 5-1, finished 10-6. Wild Card beatdown, 41-10, at Indianapolis.
2004
Started 5-1, finished 10-6. Wild Card beatdown, 49-24, at Indianapolis.
2006
Started 7-2, finished 9-7. No playoffs.
Included a putrid loss on the final Sunday of the season, at home, to San Francisco, who had nothing to play for. A win and the Broncos were in.
They lost.
2007
Started 2-0. Finished 7-9. No playoffs.
2008
Started 3-0...lost to a bad Kansas City team in week 3 that had lost 12 straight, and who the Broncos were nine point favorites over.
Mike Shanahan 'guaranteed' the Broncos would make the Playoffs this season.
Lets just say he has some work to do wioth this bunch.
For me, I am not convinced.
They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thibngs over and over, and expecting a different result.
If that is so, then I am certafiable, because every year, as camp approaches, I hold out hope that this year will be different. This year, Shanahan will reclaim what was once a Hall of Fame lock career, and relaize what made him so successfull a decade ago.
But it never happens.
If anything, after all of the hype and hope, this team is farther away than ever from a Championship. Mike Shanahan has turned over the offense to a snot-nosed assistant in Jeremy Bates, who has never won or accomplished a thing in the NFL. In doing so, Shanahan has committed the fatal flaw of falling in love with the now rage of the garbage spread offenses. Jay Cutler is lined up in the shotgun in what seems like 60% of his offenseive sets, and the Broncos run the ball now as a gimmick. Draws and delayed handoffs.
When they were winning Super Bowls, they, like the Dallas Cowboys before them, lined up and said 'Stop the run if you can.' They then ran the ball down your throat, and the Broncos could win a Super Bowl with John Elway throwing just 17 passes.
That gave them a physical presence, a toughness that has long since disappeared.
So I disagree with Coach Shanahan. This team won't be making the playoffs.
7-9 is more like it...
Oh well, at least that will give them another Top 15 draft pick, as if that were any consolation.
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