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View Full Version : Kiszla: McD good to wear heart on sleeve



Denver Native (Carol)
09-26-2010, 07:50 AM
http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_16176209

We all knew Broncos coach Josh McDaniels could stomp around the sideline and curse a blue streak so hot the temperature of the Earth's core rises.

After the suicide of 23-year-old Kenny McKinley, however, McDaniels did something far more important. He revealed an NFL coach who isn't afraid to cry, fighting back tears during his public farewell to the deceased Denver receiver.

Ever since he reported for duty at the most second-guessed job in Colorado, McDaniels has heard his football acumen vilified regarding issues big and small, whether it was trading quarterback Jay Cutler or gambling on fourth down against Jacksonville.

There can be no more questioning McDaniels' heart, though.

During this tragic week, he grew up as a football coach.

"It has been a challenge for all of us. No bigger for me or our staff than it is for our team or the people that have been affected by the grieving process for Kenny," McDaniels said.

This is not to guarantee McDaniels can find a way today to beat Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, any more than there can be assurances McDaniels will ever lead the Broncos back to the Super Bowl.

But after watching his eyes mist with pain and listening to his voice crack from emotion while McDaniels vowed the team will get through the death of McKinley together, maybe it's time for Broncomaniacs who hate on the coach for being arrogant and insensitive to start rethinking a position that has been just plain ignorant.

Mike Shanahan, the coach who rewarded a super NFL city with two league championships, never let anyone see him sweat. He was half football technocrat, half Tin Man, all business and more corporate than Donald Trump.

McDaniels pumps his fist to celebrate a victory over New England, drops four-letter bombs on national television, talks smack with opposing players who could crush the diminutive coach like a grape and grows emotional telling how McKinley was so geeked to get drafted because it meant the lifelong dream of appearing on a football card.

You might think McDaniels was a knucklehead for giving up on Brandon Marshall or putting faith in Alphonso Smith. Heck, you might be right.

But, like Rex Ryan of the New York Jets, there's something about McDaniels that is as openly in your face as the writing on a Facebook wall rather than as musty and clandestine as Tom Landry watching game film on a projector in a darkened room.

Does McDaniels sometimes act too smart for his own benefit? Sure. Like many young executives, he has yet to discover the sweet spot between no-back-down principle and the art of compromise.

As a rookie coach, when McDaniels won the coin flip at Indianapolis last season and deferred to the greatness of Manning, allowing the No. 1 quarterback to get his mitts on the football first, I thought maybe the Gatorade on the Broncos' sideline had been spiked with Jagermeister.

"If you play the game regularly against (Manning), you're probably not thinking far enough along," said McDaniels, noticing that I laughed at the explanation, but not seeming to care.

This is a coach who doesn't run from his failures and refuses to blink in a crisis. So, maybe McDaniels has a chance to survive in the NFL, where the gameplans can get shredded by the unexpected.

With Broncos shaken by the suicide of a teammate, the offensive line requiring name tags in the huddle, cornerbacks held together by duct tape and Manning licking his chops at the disarray, there's only one slim chance for Denver to beat the Colts:

McDaniels must do the best coaching job of his young career.

He will catch heat everywhere in town if Manning drops five touchdown passes on the Broncos, and rightfully so.

But even from way up in the cheap seats of the home stadium, it's impossible not to notice.

McDaniels lives and dies with every play as much as every one of the other 75,000 Broncomaniacs in the joint.

Lonestar
09-26-2010, 10:35 AM
With Broncos shaken by the suicide of a teammate, the offensive line requiring name tags in the huddle, cornerbacks held together by duct tape and Manning licking his chops at the disarray, there's only one slim chance for Denver to beat the Colts:

Glad to see that I'm not the only one noticing this.

A pretty good article by Klis.

pnbronco
09-26-2010, 11:08 AM
Thanks Carol, that was a great article. The duct tape had me laughing and so sad because it's so true. My husband just said it could be the Bambi vs Godzilla day, echhh we're Bronco fans and we love this team anyway......:D