ESPN ***** slams the team: "Slippery slope for a 'Hoodie"

[Mr D]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?page=howard/100414

Slippery slope for a 'Hoodie' wannabe
Denver coach Josh McDaniels is following the Bill Belichick template, without the wins

Howard By Johnette Howard
Special to ESPN.com
Archive

Well, that oughta show Brandon Marshall.

[+] EnlargeJosh McDaniel
Doug Pensinger/Getty ImagesJosh McDaniels was overjoyed at Brandon Marshall's game-winning catch against the Cowboys in October. The joy didn't last.

Here's the bottom line on the All-Diva wideout's denouement in Denver after he tested the authority of hard-line Broncos coach Josh McDaniels until their differences became untenable: Despite making an admirable 101 catches last season, Marshall was suspended, maligned, accused of exaggerating an injury and ultimately benched by McDaniels for Denver's regular-season finale against Kansas City, a game the Broncos had to win to salvage a playoff spot and didn't, thereby finishing off a horrible late-season swoon that Marshall now won't have to talk about when he reports to training camp this July.

Because he was just traded.

To the fast-improving Miami Dolphins. And handed a four-year, $47.5 million contract that makes him the highest-paid receiver in NFL history.

McDaniels had better be right about this. There's really nothing more complicated to handicapping this trade -- and probably McDaniels' future in Denver -- than that.

McDaniels will get away with trading quarterback Jay Cutler and Marshall, the All-Pro duo that was supposed to blossom into Denver's version of Brady-to-Moss that McDaniels worked with in New England … as long as it works.

McDaniels is even right to argue that the 2010 and 2011 second-round picks Denver got for Marshall are a pretty good deal in the current market, considering that Pittsburgh got only a fifth-round pick from the Jets for its star wideout, Santonio Holmes, and Baltimore coughed up only third- and fourth-round picks to Arizona for Anquan Boldin.

The snag is that all the talk in Denver now about "someday" is a hard sell. Marshall is better than Boldin, Holmes or anyone Denver is likely to get in the draft. And Cutler, erratic as he was for Chicago last season, is still better right now than Kyle Orton or Brady Quinn, the replacement quarterbacks McDaniels has traded for since he and Cutler had their falling-out in March 2009.

Cutler was sent to the Bears a month later for Orton and three draft picks (two of them first-rounders). McDaniels and Marshall began their jousting in training camp. Before long, McDaniels had a tense relationship with tight end Tony Scheffler, whom McDaniels also benched for that must-win regular-season finale against Kansas City.

Brandon Marshall
Doug Pensinger/Getty ImagesMarshall caught 25 TD passes in four years for the Broncos. Does the addition-by-subtraction thinking really apply in his case?

That's a lot of falling-outs for anyone, especially a 33-year-old rookie NFL head coach whose team started fast last season but faded to a miserable 2-6 down the stretch, a swoon Broncos followers still dwell on in places such as FireJoshMcDanielsNow.com, a Web site that bills itself as "A Denver Broncos blog to keep an eye on new coach Josh McDaniels, who presided over a terrible first season that ended in a monumental collapse."

To quote a few posts: "What the hell is going on out there? … Another Bill Belichick Clone Control Freak Strikes Again. … What does Belichick Wannabe Moronic Control Freak Josh McDaniels Do?

"Hoodie Wannabe."

The wannabe charge comes up a lot.

See, McDaniels' challenge in Denver isn't just that he's peddling a long-term plan to a rabid football town yearning for short-term results. And his problem isn't just failing to get along with elite players, or having to sell the Broncos' rabid fan base (and perhaps even significant segments of his own locker room by now) on the idea that the slew of draft picks the Broncos have amassed in next week's draft is going to pay off, or the premise that a passing attack of Quinn-to-A Player to Be Named Later will turn out better than 10 years of Cutler-to-Marshall would have.

McDaniels has that Hoodie Problem, too.

Until he wins games like his Patriots mentor, Bill Belichick, McDaniels will continue to fight the wannabe rap. And he's not the first guy.

If you haven't noticed, the jury is still out on whether the Belichick formula works for anyone not named Belichick. The first three Belichick assistants who left the Patriots after their Super Bowl runs all flopped in their first head-coaching jobs -- Romeo Crennel with the Browns, Charlie Weis at Notre Dame, and Eric Mangini (first with the Jets, then again in his brutal first season in Cleveland).

Of the three, Mangini was the one who most devoutly copied Belichick's Kremlin-like approach (even after their downright Oedipal clash that turned into Spygate). He also wound up the most despised by his own organization. Weis was a close second.

But maybe all four Belichick disciples -- McDaniels included -- would have been smart to recognize that Belichick's formula didn't even work for Belichick at his first head-coaching stop.

[+] EnlargeBrandon Marshall and Josh McDaniels
Larry French/Getty ImagesMore often than not, Marshall and McDaniels had trouble seeing eye to eye.

Now, you could argue that's because Belichick didn't have Brady then. Or you could say what Belichick says: Mistakes were made. The moral might be that it's hard to demand the sort of respect and fealty from players that Belichick does before you have won like he has.

McDaniels has styled himself as a hard-liner, too -- which is another hard sell considering he looks more like a baby-faced coxswain for Harvard Eight than the head of a half-billion-dollar operation. Still, it's hard to ignore that Belichick seems to treat McDaniels differently from the other head coaches he has spun off. Mangini might as well be dead to Belichick now. When Crennel and Weis were cut loose from their jobs within the past year, Belichick didn't take his former coordinators back into the Patriots' fold.

Yet when McDaniels and the Broncos knocked off New England in Denver early last season -- a nail-biting win that sent McDaniels galloping and fist-pumping around the stadium with that copycat hoodie of his flapping in the breeze -- Belichick wasn't hacked off at all.

He actually made a point of going to the Broncos locker room and finding McDaniels to personally congratulate him.

Belichick seems to see something different, maybe even great, in McDaniels. Someday -- there's that word again -- maybe the rest of us will see it, too.

Johnette Howard is a contributing columnist to ESPN.com and the author of "The Rivals: Chris Evert vs. Martina Navratilova, Their Epic Duels and Extraordinary Friendship." She can be reached at jphinbox@yahoo.com.




Please blow up her email and show some dignity as Broncos fans...

jphinbox@yahoo.com

[WARHORSE]

:salute:




Chick flick.
:coffee:

[EastCoastBronco]

Anyone who works for ESPN is goddam hack.

That's all I have to say about that...

[roomemp]

All reading that article did was waste 3 minutes of my life which I will never get back.

[MasterShake]

If Cutler and Marshall WANTED to be here, they would. I still don't see any evidence they were forced out. Elway, Rod Smith, and other great team players for the Broncos all took pay cuts in order for us to improve our team. I don't see why we had to pay Marshall 40+ million just for the pleasure of his company when there are people that want to be here. I'll miss Brandon and Cutler, but I already have moved on. I wish them well, but I just want the season to start. I miss Broncos football more than I miss players. Hell, I miss the NFL season period. from 11am to 9pm I have something to watch on Sunday! :lol:

[Nomad]

If Cutler and Marshall WANTED to be here, they would. I still don't see any evidence they were forced out. Elway, Rod Smith, and other great team players for the Broncos all took pay cuts in order for us to improve our team. I don't see why we had to pay Marshall 40+ million just for the pleasure of his company when there are people that want to be here. I'll miss Brandon and Cutler, but I already have moved on. I wish them well, but I just want the season to start. I miss Broncos football more than I miss players. Hell, I miss the NFL season period. from 11am to 9pm I have something to watch on Sunday! :lol:

I agree with you minus the missing Cutler! I had nothing against Marshall but he disliked the BRONCOS before McDaniels and he was going to do anything to leave plus not to mention an 8 game suspension and it was all about him. He got what he wanted so time to move on!

You mean you don't want McDaniels and the BRONCOS to FAIL for your own gratification and being able to say, "I told you so"!!

[claymore]

Great article. Sums things up pretty nicely. We were 2-8 not 2-6, and I think we are worth closer to a billion than half a billion.

But overall a great article. She's right.

He needs to win. Lets see the payoff McD. You drug the Broncos thru the sewer for a year, it better be worth it.

[Broncolingus]

...another perspective I guess...

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/12032/broncos-had-no-choice-but-to-deal-marshall

[SOCALORADO.]

More crap from E!SPN.

[Northman]

Yea, McD could of been a real dick and just let him sit for a year and get paid peanuts. In the end both got what they wanted.

[atwater27]

If Cutler and Marshall WANTED to be here, they would.:lol:

The new boss was a flaming arsehole. You would have wanted out too.

[Lancane]

Great article...

I love how the supporters of McDaniels call them hacks if it's negative about the team or the coach, but then quote their articles when he's praised or it's something positive?

Double-standard is the closest thing to retardation...

[Traveler]

Yea, McD could of been a real dick and just let him sit for a year and get paid peanuts. In the end both got what they wanted.

Just looking at the teams Cutler and Marshall were traded to, is it a coincidence that Cutler was traded to his favorite teams growing up, and Marshall was traded to the team he grew up watching also?

Coincidence? Damn, that McD and company are evil!:D

You don't want to be here? Let's see if we can accomodate your request and trade you to your favorite team.;)

[Lancane]

Just looking at the teams Cutler and Marshall were traded to, is it a coincidence that Cutler was traded to his favorite teams growing up, and Marshall was traded to the team he grew up watching also?

Coincidence? Damn, that McD and company are evil!:D

You don't want to be here? Let's see if we can accomodate your request and trade you to your favorite team.;)

Well then...after another porous year under McDaniels maybe Bowlen should do him a favor and return him to his favorite place...Belichick's arms.

:coffee:

[Traveler]

Well then...after another porous year under McDaniels maybe Bowlen should do him a favor and return him to his favorite place...Belichick's arms.

:coffee:

I can just feel the love in all your posts?:laugh:

Seriously, we get that you don't agree with the moves/motives of JMFMcD.

But guess what? This too shall pass. :whoo:

[Lancane]

I can just feel the love in all your posts?:laugh:

Seriously, we get that you don't agree with the moves/motives of JMFMcD.

But guess what? This too shall pass. :whoo:

I know, don't I just radiate love and effection...:D

;)

[jlarsiii]

Well, McD did a good job of polarizing the fan base. Now it is up to him to close the void that he has created. Nothing does that faster then winning which is what all fans will now demand of him.

He better get to winning soon or he will be a short-timer in this organization. What is done is done. Now we have to see if it will benefit us down the road. I hope it does because I would like to see us climb out of mediocrity. . .

[rationalfan]

this is hilarious. so a paid, professional writer uses proper english and capable grammar to echo what so many people on this board have been saying for weeks/months and the writer is ridiculed?

i'm beginning to wonder if some people on this board agree with anything.

[G_Money]

I guess I'm not sure where the argument is with the article that would cause me to need to blow up her email.

McDaniels has not been able to get along with several players on the team, and all of them blew up publicly. Ditto the defensive coordinator.

Quinn and Orton are not demonstrably better than Cutler, and certainly have less talent.

We currently have no one to replace Marshall (fingers crossed that Royal doesn't wind up on a milk carton this year and Orton/Quinn can remember he's on the team).

Josh IS demanding it be his way or the highway and taking a hardline stance, as most other members of the Belichick tree have.

He doesn't have the pedigree to say, "Trust me" and be believed.

None of the other disciples have been successful doing it that way except Belichick.

Bill DOES seem to see McDaniels differently.

Was 6-0 the illusion, and 2-8 was what happened when our offensive and defensive weaknesses were exposed in film study and on the field by other teams?

Is 6-0 the potential, and 2-8 was just not having the right personnel to carry out the attack?

That's what we're gonna find out. Josh has made a good start on the DL in FA - now he needs to nail this draft.

But the article?
McDaniels had better be right about this...McDaniels will get away with trading quarterback Jay Cutler and Marshall, the All-Pro duo that was supposed to blossom into Denver's version of Brady-to-Moss that McDaniels worked with in New England … as long as it works.

That seems spot-on to me. It's either gonna work and we're gonna say, "So glad we dumped Bledsoe and TO for Brady and Welker!" or Josh is gonna be looking for a new job.

How is that an incorrect assessment? Coaches who can't find QBs better have immensely awesome defenses to buy themselves some time. But even Tony Dungy was run out of TB because of his QB problem, and Brian Billick couldn't parlay one of the league's best defenses into job security forever with Boller behind center. Josh is on the clock, and we'll have some proof either way soon enough. I hope it works - as a Broncos fan, why would you want us to wallow in mediocrity and drama and become a laughingstock?

But I don't think it's out of bounds to say that finding a QB and an offense would be a good way for McDaniels to stick around a while.

~G

[Ravage!!!]

I guess I'm not sure where the argument is with the article that would cause me to need to blow up her email.

McDaniels has not been able to get along with several players on the team, and all of them blew up publicly. Ditto the defensive coordinator.

Quinn and Orton are not demonstrably better than Cutler, and certainly have less talent.

We currently have no one to replace Marshall (fingers crossed that Royal doesn't wind up on a milk carton this year and Orton/Quinn can remember he's on the team).

Josh IS demanding it be his way or the highway and taking a hardline stance, as most other members of the Belichick tree have.

He doesn't have the pedigree to say, "Trust me" and be believed.

None of the other disciples have been successful doing it that way except Belichick.

Bill DOES seem to see McDaniels differently.

Was 6-0 the illusion, and 2-8 was what happened when our offensive and defensive weaknesses were exposed in film study and on the field by other teams?

Is 6-0 the potential, and 2-8 was just not having the right personnel to carry out the attack?

That's what we're gonna find out. Josh has made a good start on the DL in FA - now he needs to nail this draft.

But the article?

That seems spot-on to me. It's either gonna work and we're gonna say, "So glad we dumped Bledsoe and TO for Brady and Welker!" or Josh is gonna be looking for a new job.

How is that an incorrect assessment? Coaches who can't find QBs better have immensely awesome defenses to buy themselves some time. But even Tony Dungy was run out of TB because of his QB problem, and Brian Billick couldn't parlay one of the league's best defenses into job security forever with Boller behind center. Josh is on the clock, and we'll have some proof either way soon enough. I hope it works - as a Broncos fan, why would you want us to wallow in mediocrity and drama and become a laughingstock?

But I don't think it's out of bounds to say that finding a QB and an offense would be a good way for McDaniels to stick around a while.

~G

Great post, G....


I thought, as rational fan said, a well stated article that simply stated what so many fans have expressed. She took words from blogs and used them in her piece.. she made accurate comparisons to other coaches and made the correct statement.... McD doesn't have the clout that Belicheck does and simply trying to 'sell' us on the fact that the team is 'better off' without the elite talent is a HARD sell.... UNTIL.... you can win. As of right now.... we have Orton and a "receiver to be named" to show for departures of much better talent.

[topscribe]

...another perspective I guess...

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/12032/broncos-had-no-choice-but-to-deal-marshall


Hours after the Denver Broncos (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/clubhouse?team=den) took a big kid from a small program in the 2006 draft, I spoke to an assistant coach on the team’s staff.

Without prompting, the coach said: “That receiver we got in the fourth round is a superstar, but he’s trouble. We have to hope it works.”

Three months later, Brandon Marshall (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=9705), that perfect-looking receiver from Central Florida, looked like a 10-year Pro Bowl performer in his first NFL training camp. At 6-5, 230 pounds, the kid looked like he should have been the No. 1 overall pick, not a second-day selection. I asked another Denver assistant coach if I was simply being an impressionable layman or if what I was witnessing on the field was as amazing as I thought.

“The kid is brilliant. He’s just brilliant. But I can’t tell him that,” the coach said. “We have to keep this kid grounded.”

It never happened. The Broncos couldn’t keep Marshall grounded. In the end, his troublesome tendencies outweighed his on-field brilliance. After four years of headaches, the Broncos had to part ways with Marshall. It wasn’t going to change.

It didn’t matter if Mike Shanahan or Josh McDaniels was his coach. Marshall was never going to combine off-field harmony with on-field dominance in Denver.

He had to go. It’s been evident for a couple of years. That’s why Denver has to rejoice with its trade of Marshall to Miami on Wednesday morning (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/draft10/news/story?id=5085644). The Broncos received Miami’s second-round pick (No. 43) this year and second-round pick next year in the deal.

Denver originally wanted a first-round pick for Marshall, but that wasn’t going to happen. Getting this package is great for Denver. The Broncos have to look at it this way: They got 327 catches in four seasons from a fourth-round pick and turned it into two quality draft choices. That’s excellent production.

In an ideal world, Marshall would have played 12 seasons in Denver and gone into the Pro Football Hall of Fame -- he has that type of talent -- playing for just one team. But that was never going to happen. He was too volatile and too unhappy in Denver.

We know all of the issues. There was the domestic violence and drunken driving arrests, the involvement in an altercation before the shooting death of Darrent Williams (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=8470), the disputes with coaching staffs and the team-sanctioned suspension last summer.

Marshall’s fate in Denver became obvious when McDaniels suspended him for the season finale against Kansas City (with the Broncos in the playoff hunt) because he thought Marshall was milking a minor injury. When McDaniels publicly embarrassed Marshall and ruled him out of an important game, which Denver lost, it meant McDaniels was done with him.

There was just no way Denver could move forward with Marshall. He was a divisive presence in the locker room. Marshall gave Denver problems every year he was in town. It would have continued moving forward.

Marshall will be missed on the field. He is a terrific player. He has had more than 100 catches the past three seasons. He is top-five receiver in the NFL, a game changer and a matchup nightmare. But he’s was not worth all the trouble in Denver. The team will no longer have to worry every night if Marshall is going to get in trouble or cause any problem the next day at the facility.

Denver is not a better team on the field today without Marshall. But eliminating him from the locker room takes away a major problem that was a heavier burden than his on-field ability was a blessing.

Denver had to rid itself of Marshall. It had no choice.

Thank you, Broncolingus.

I don't often have occasion to admire articles from Burger Bill. But this one seems spot on.

-----

[DenBronx]

Great article...

I love how the supporters of McDaniels call them hacks if it's negative about the team or the coach, but then quote their articles when he's praised or it's something positive?

Double-standard is the closest thing to retardation...


Very true...I think it will take McDaniels having a falling out with Ryan Clady and then trading him away for a 3rd for fans to wake up. Dude has destroyed a young necleous of talent in about a year. He had one of the worst team meltdowns in history and we now have a noddle arm QB that will struggle without one of the best WR's.

McDick came in guns blazing looking for Cassel. I believe Cutler a thousand times over this bloke. I'll never forgive Bowlen for letting this happen until he fires Josh.

Cutler, Hillis, Marshall and now Sheffler will all be gone. Look for Royal to be on the move next summer.

[dogfish]

i guess i missed the part where she "slams" the franchise. . . ?


:whoknows:

[TXBRONC]

Great post, G....


I thought, as rational fan said, a well stated article that simply stated what so many fans have expressed. She took words from blogs and used them in her piece.. she made accurate comparisons to other coaches and made the correct statement.... McD doesn't have the clout that Belicheck does and simply trying to 'sell' us on the fact that the team is 'better off' without the elite talent is a HARD sell.... UNTIL.... you can win. As of right now.... we have Orton and a "receiver to be named" to show for departures of much better talent.

Even if McDaniels drafts a wide receiver and the guy is gold I don't see Orton as the guy who will be tossing him the pill for the next 10 years. Having a superior wide receiver like a Marshall can make him look better than he is but at the end of day Orton is still just a journeyman quarterback who plays not to make mistakes.

[T.K.O.]

well....other than the fact that the article makes it appear that we would have made the playoffs if we had played marshall and or won the final game.
and that marshall is now the highest paid wr in nfl history...wrong on both counts.

[Traveler]

What I wouldn't give to know who really is the bad guy(s) in the Cutler, Marshall and McDaniels situations.

We'd then know who did what, settle who was right-depending on which side you support-and stop talking about this bull****!

Cutler and Marshall are gone, Scheffler likely to follow, and McDaniels is still here! Once a player leaves Denver under these types of circumstances, I have little concern for them anymore. Unless their departure is somehow tied conpensation we are to receive.

I happen to support most of the things our new coach has done thus far. I wish everyone would just let this play out.

Just sayin'!

[weazel]

now we are supposed to take NFL management advice from johnette Howard? Are you ******* kidding me?

Go back to writing fluff pieces on Chris Evert and Danica Patrick...

I'm not going to say that I have liked everything McD has done, but I am definitely never going to listen to what Johnette Howard has to say about football.

LMAO

[Ravage!!!]

now we are supposed to take NFL management advice from johnette Howard? Are you ******* kidding me?

Go back to writing fluff pieces on Chris Evert and Danica Patrick...

I'm not going to say that I have liked everything McD has done, but I am definitely never going to listen to what Johnette Howard has to say about football.

LMAO

Where was she giving advice in how to run a franchise? :confused:

[arapaho2]

i guess i missed the part where she "slams" the franchise. . . ?


:whoknows:


me too...i also missed the part where he was as burger bill said: He was a divisive presence in the locker room.....umm acourding to every player i ever heard speak on him he was a great player whom every one liked and got along with

i guess the haters will call the orginization promising him a contract renewal after he finishes the 08 season...a season he played with a potential career ending injury MISS DIAGNOSED by the team...then renegged the deal under little nepolians reign...ok

but being upset because you been lied too..had team doctors put your career on the line by miss diagnosing either by incompetence or deliberation..then have the new coach refuse to honor the teams earlier promise..is a cancer:coffee:

[TXBRONC]

Where was she giving advice in how to run a franchise? :confused:

:whoknows:

[silkamilkamonico]

I wonder what ESPN was saying about Mike Shanahan when he was winning 1 playoff game over the span of 9 consecutive football seasons?

[turftoad]

Great article...

I love how the supporters of McDaniels call them hacks if it's negative about the team or the coach, but then quote their articles when he's praised or it's something positive?

Double-standard is the closest thing to retardation...

Agreed,

The article pretty much sums up what the rest of the non orange tinted glasses football world is thinking.

[topscribe]

Great article...

I love how the supporters of McDaniels call them hacks if it's negative about the team or the coach, but then quote their articles when he's praised or it's something positive?

Double-standard is the closest thing to retardation...

You are correct, Cane, but only halfway there.

I've seen that on both sides of the issue . . .

-----

[TXBRONC]

well....other than the fact that the article makes it appear that we would have made the playoffs if we had played marshall and or won the final game.
and that marshall is now the highest paid wr in nfl history...wrong on both counts.

If we were going to have any chance of making the playoffs we had to win that game correct? I remember very clearly before the game how several people on this were crowing about how we had a chance to get into the playoffs if we won the game. The same crowd also said follow game said something to the effect "well at least we were in it until the end." Last time I checked if Denver had won that game with help was in the playoffs.

[broncophan]

If Cutler and Marshall WANTED to be here, they would. I still don't see any evidence they were forced out. Elway, Rod Smith, and other great team players for the Broncos all took pay cuts in order for us to improve our team. I don't see why we had to pay Marshall 40+ million just for the pleasure of his company when there are people that want to be here. I'll miss Brandon and Cutler, but I already have moved on. I wish them well, but I just want the season to start. I miss Broncos football more than I miss players. Hell, I miss the NFL season period. from 11am to 9pm I have something to watch on Sunday! :lol:

I agree with everything you said.....except............"I'll miss Brandon and Cutler".

If they don't want to be a bronco....then get the hell outta' here!!......and I will hope they fail.....big time on their new teams.......(Cutler got a good start on failing last season with the bears)

[TXBRONC]

Great article...

I love how the supporters of McDaniels call them hacks if it's negative about the team or the coach, but then quote their articles when he's praised or it's something positive?

Double-standard is the closest thing to retardation...

There was another article posted in this thread from Bill Williamson which was a lot less critical of McDaniels and of all of the sudden Williamson goes from being the village idiot to Ernest Hemingway.

[Lancane]

You are correct, Cane, but only halfway there.

I've seen that on both sides of the issue . . .

-----

That is true, the problem is that like Hockey or Soccer, Football is an emotional sport and it's reflected within the fandoms of the teams within those sports. Yes, there are die-hard Baseball and Basketball fans, but the more emotional driven sports have higher strung fans. We may not be on the same aggressional level as say Hockey and Soccer, with having Hoodlums and so on, but that loyalty, heart is there. With that said, both sides of the spectrum as you said tend to go out of their way to argue or defend their point of views or opinions. Thankfully we are still more civilized then the hardcore fans of both Hockey and Soccer, I'd be more worried if we became like that and started carrying brass knuckles or pipes and it was a direct result of our loyalty to fight for our team.

:lol:

[Northman]

If we were going to have any chance of making the playoffs we had to win that game correct? I remember very clearly before the game how several people on this were crowing about how we had a chance to get into the playoffs if we won the game. The same crowd also said follow game said something to the effect "well at least we were in it until the end." Last time I checked if Denver had won that game with help was in the playoffs.

You are exactly correct. If Denver had wanted to secure a seat in the playoffs they had to beat both Oakland and KC which they failed to do. Had they beaten KC they would of needed help from the Jets losing to Indy which didnt happen anyway.

[T.K.O.]

If we were going to have any chance of making the playoffs we had to win that game correct? I remember very clearly before the game how several people on this were crowing about how we had a chance to get into the playoffs if we won the game. The same crowd also said follow game said something to the effect "well at least we were in it until the end." Last time I checked if Denver had won that game with help was in the playoffs.

the article says that we did'nt make the playoffs because we lost to kc......false
i realize the win would have given us a "chance" at the playoffs but as it turned out with balt and the jets winning it did'nt matter.the writer left that part out,to make it sound like mcd's benching of marshall and scheffler cost us a playoff spot.....it did'nt
its just a way to create drama that does'nt exist....thats what some reporters do.
i was just pointing out that the article had some serious holes in it

[weazel]

I couldn't care less who is running this team. God could be running this team and if he signed Marshall to 12 million a season I would call for his head. Anyone that thinks that was a good idea is retarded. (to copy someone else's eloquent phrase)

[topscribe]

There was another article posted in this thread from Bill Williamson which was a lot less critical of McDaniels and of all of the sudden Williamson goes from being the village idiot to Ernest Hemingway.

Oh? And where to you see that? :confused:

-----

[TXBRONC]

the article says that we did'nt make the playoffs because we lost to kc......false
i realize the win would have given us a "chance" at the playoffs but as it turned out with balt and the jets winning it did'nt matter.the writer left that part out,to make it sound like mcd's benching of marshall and scheffler cost us a playoff spot.....it did'nt
its just a way to create drama that does'nt exist....thats what some reporters do.
i was just pointing out that the article had some serious holes in it

No what she is correct. Denver had to win in order to make the playoffs. The fact that she left off the word "chance" is no bfd. I also don't think its a bfd that she didn't mentioned the jets or the ravens because Denver not making the playoffs wasn't the main idea anyway.

The drama is not in what she wrote it's the drama comes from the readers that don't want to see McDaniels criticized.

I think she made some very good points but that in no way doesn mean I think he should be fired at this time.

[broncobryce]

Well then...after another porous year under McDaniels maybe Bowlen should do him a favor and return him to his favorite place...Belichick's arms.

:coffee:

I disagree with almost everything you say......but that was funny as hell.

[Cugel]

If Cutler and Marshall WANTED to be here, they would. I still don't see any evidence they were forced out.

You CHOOSE not to see is more like it! There's overwhelming evidence that McDaniels tried to trade Cutler and had the deal blow up in his face when Belichek knifed him in the back by dealing Matt Cassel to KC.

OOOPS! Now McDaniels had to mend fences with Cutler. Only he couldn't. Exit Cutler.

As for Marshall he wanted to get paid like a top 5 WR which is exactly what he is. The Broncos didn't want to do that. Exit Marshall.

The point of that article, the point you apparently missed although it was staring you in the face, is that NONE OF THAT MATTERS!

Right now, it's JUST WIN OR ELSE! Period. NO excuses, no delay. Start the season on a winning note and keep it going through the playoffs. Make something happen THIS season or hit the road as just another failed assistant coach who had "promise" but couldn't cut it as a head coach.

Because the article is right. NO Belichek disciple has made it in the NFL and at some point NFL teams are going to give up on hiring them.

[jlarsiii]

I couldn't care less who is running this team. God could be running this team and if he signed Marshall to 12 million a season I would call for his head. Anyone that thinks that was a good idea is retarded. (to copy someone else's eloquent phrase)

Just a small note. He wasn't signed for 12 million a season. He was signed to 4 years at 47.5 million but his tender for 1 year at 2.5 million that he signed to get traded counts for the season.

So Miami has him for the next 5 years at 50 million or 10 million per season. Still more than any other receiver, but not 12 million either.

Marshall got what he wanted. I hope that our team will get something out of it as well. Only time will tell.

Edit: It is clear that we weren't going to pay him that kind of money. So we cut ties and got some draft picks in return. I really do hope that McD has a clear plan for this team, and that it comes to fruition sooner rather then later. If not we will look back at what has transpired the last 15 month and shake our heads in disgust and disillusionment.