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Denver Native (Carol)
12-31-2008, 09:32 AM
http://www6.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/dec/30/players-past-present-struggle-with-emotions/


Players past, present struggle with emotions after Shanahan's firing

The news of Mike Shanahan's sudden departure from the Broncos reached current and former players quickly.

And the sentiment was almost universal: shock.

"I've got to let it sink in," defensive end Elvis Dumervil said Tuesday, not long after hearing the news. "Right now, I don't know what to say. Nobody ever thought it would happen. Wow."

"I remember telling people he'd coach there as long as he wants to," said Matt Lepsis, a Broncos offensive tackle from 1997 to 2007. "It's shocking."

Apparently, one playoff victory since consecutive Super Bowl titles in 1997 and 1998 was too much for owner Pat Bowlen to bear, even given his tight bond with Shanahan.

The two will meet the media today to discuss the end of Shanahan's 21-year association with the franchise, including the past 14 years as coach.

"We figured there would be some changes in personnel coming down. But I don't think any of us saw this, especially with the talent we have offensively and the way they're headed," said long-snapper Mike Leach, whose seven seasons in Denver make him the second-longest-tenured player on the roster.

"Now it's a waiting game for all of us."

The final straw appeared to be an unprecedented three-game collapse that cost Denver the AFC West title.

But there has been lingering public sentiment for several years that perhaps Shanahan was spread too thin as coach and the person with final say in personnel matters as executive vice president of football operations.

Bowlen always had publicly scoffed at such notions before suddenly firing Shanahan with an accompanying news release that explained "a change in our football operations is in the best interests."

"I think he did a good job, honestly," Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey said. "We need more talent on our team, period."

The Broncos are particularly thin on defense, where the team finished 24th or lower in 15 categories. They were 29th overall in total yards allowed.

In large part because of those shortcomings, it was likely going to be an eventful offseason, anyway. Now, multiply that by a number of one's choosing.

"Now how much more eventful can it get?" Bailey asked. "The head coach goes, other coaches follow."

Shanahan was the fourth coach fired in two days, after Rod Marinelli (Detroit), Romeo Crennel (Cleveland) and Eric Mangini (New York Jets). But none of those came out of the blue like Shanahan's departure, particularly given the three remaining years on his contract at about $6 million to $7 million annually.

"I've got a lot of respect for him, and it's not a fun time now, I'm sure," said Atlanta Falcons kicker Jason Elam, whose time in Denver spanned all but one of Shanahan's years as Broncos coach. "But in the end, when they look at it, coach Shanahan will be looked at very fondly in Denver."

Broncos great Terrell Davis, in his role as studio analyst for NFL Network's Total Access, wondered aloud whether Shanahan's resume that includes two Super Bowl wins and 154 victories, tied for 15th all time, should have afforded him the opportunity to at least resign his jobs.

"I'm shocked Mr. Bowlen would not give him the opportunity to walk out on his own terms," Davis said.

But Mark Schlereth, a guard for the back-to-back Denver champs in the late 1990s, was in the camp that Shanahan simply was spread too thin and something had to give.

Until the past three years, the Broncos generally have been unproductive in the draft. There have been several free-agent signings that have produced modest returns. Defensive coordinators have changed. General manager Ted Sundquist was fired last offseason because of a purported personality clash with his boss.

The constant was Shanahan.

"Ultimately, as I've been saying for a very long time, I don't think it's a doable situation in the National Football League to be the grand pooh-bah of all things football - the de facto director of football operations, the de facto general manager, the offensive coordinator," said Schlereth, who has broken down Denver's games extensively in his role as an ESPN studio analyst. "You can't do it all. Mike Shanahan won championships and was rewarded with all those titles. But it didn't work."

There also are sure to be questions in the next several weeks about whether Shanahan's message had grown stale.

"At the beginning, his message was fresh. And we did get that message over and over again," said Dan Neil, a former Broncos guard for eight seasons with Shanahan at the helm. "I mean, there were some guys who could - word for word, verbatim - give his speeches before he gave them. But I don't have anything to compare it to. And the players turn over so much, the message is new."

Lepsis, though, said the consistency of the message was one of Shanahan's strengths.

"Every year, he expected us to go to the Super Bowl, and if we didn't, it wasn't a good season," Lepsis said. "That's why it was so shocking to me that he'd get fired."

To a man, current and former Broncos expressed the sentiment that, as a coach, Shanahan was malleable in his day-to-day dealings.

"And the thing is, I really don't see anybody better, from a pure coaching standpoint," Elam said.

In the next few weeks, perhaps even today, when Bowlen speaks, it will become clearer whether the new coach will have the kind of authority that Shanahan did, or whether the personnel and sideline duties will become separate.

"The biggest thing is, it's going to be an adjustment for all of us," Leach said. "Everything has been so similar, and I don't know if 'comfortable' is the right word. But it's going to be different, how the day-to-day things change. I'm sure Mr. Bowlen will make the right decision again. But there is the uncertainty of how things will change and affect us.

"It's strange to think about it."

What others are saying

* Troy Calhoun, Air Force coach and former Broncos assistant under Shanahan: "I'm just shocked. He's meant so much to Denver and the Broncos. He's such a great competitor."

* Janet Elway, ex-wife of Broncos legend John Elway: "I haven't talked to anybody yet. I'm out of town with my family in Anacortes, Wash. I haven't gotten a hold of anybody. I was shocked. It's a big deal; they're important, special people in my life. I absolutely did not anticipate this happening."

* Bill Romanowski, former Broncos linebacker: "I don't know if necessarily they'll find a better football coach. Mike is an outstanding football coach, one of the better coaches I had, if not the best. But players start to get tired of the same routines, the same kind of play-calling. A new, fresh coat of paint sometimes does a whole lot of good."

Requiem / The Dagda
12-31-2008, 09:36 AM
Thank you Carol.

SR
12-31-2008, 10:49 AM
* Bill Romanowski, former Broncos linebacker: "I don't know if necessarily they'll find a better football coach. Mike is an outstanding football coach, one of the better coaches I had, if not the best. But players start to get tired of the same routines, the same kind of play-calling. A new, fresh coat of paint sometimes does a whole lot of good."

That's exactly how I feel.

broncofaninfla
12-31-2008, 10:54 AM
I'm curious to hear from Elway