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TXBRONC
02-13-2009, 09:26 AM
This was in PFW yesterday I thought you all might be interested in see it.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/Features/NFL+Features/2009/tmafcwest.htm

AFC West

Season-in-review team reports

Feb. 12, 2009

Updated at 12:55 a.m. EST Friday, Feb. 13

Denver
Overview: The Broncos choked away a playoff berth, becoming the first team in league history not to win their division after leading it by three games with three weeks left. Denver lost to the Chargers, who were 4-8 at one point, in the season finale, and head coach Mike Shanahan was fired days later. Former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was hired to succeed Shanahan, and Mike Nolan was brought aboard as defensive coordinator.

Team MVP: QB Jay Cutler didn’t have a strong finish to the year, but he wasn’t alone in that regard. When injuries sent seven different Broncos running backs to injured reserve and placed much of the offensive burden on Cutler and the passing game, he handled a difficult situation pretty well. Denver finished with the league’s third-ranked passing game, and Cutler’s 4,526 yards were the third-most in the NFL.

Biggest surprise: No one saw owner Pat Bowlen’s decision to fire Shanahan coming, not even Shanahan himself. After 14 years and two Super Bowl wins, Bowlen made a bold move in letting go of a sure Hall of Famer and someone he had a very close relationship with. Some joked in recent years that Shanahan had a lifetime appointment, and the fact that he didn’t leave Denver of his own accord stunned league observers.

Biggest disappointment: The Broncos had fought through a bevy of injuries to get to 8-5, and with the Chargers at 5-8, it looked as if Denver was a playoff lock. For it to blow that lead was an embarrassment and had to affect Bowlen’s decision to fire Shanahan. The Broncos were blown out in two of their three losses to end the year, getting walloped 30-10 by the Panthers and being crushed 52-21 by the Chargers in the de facto AFC West title game.

Offseason outlook: Rebuilding one of the league’s worst defenses over the past two seasons will be the top task for McDaniels, Nolan and newly appointed GM Brian Xanders. The Broncos are transitioning from a 4-3 to a 3-4 defense and will need to make major personnel changes to match the needs of the scheme. Finding a nose tackle, defensive end and two new starting safeties are top priorities.

Fan in Exile
02-13-2009, 09:39 AM
I think the word Choke has been robbed of it's original meaning. It used to mean that a team which was playing well collapsed because they couldn't handle the pressure. Now it's just being used to describe a team that couldn't close the deal.

We never were playing well as a team. Our offense collapsed because of RB injuries. Our defense didn't collapse at all because there was nothing there to collapse. Our special teams were never special so what did you expect.

We were 4-4 in the first half of the season and 4-4 in the second half we just weren't a good team that was helped by crappy coaching in SD when they got a new DC that changed and we didn't.