Superchop 7
06-19-2009, 08:17 PM
"Stranger things might happen. But as long as Mike wants to be the head coach here in Denver, he'll be the head coach here in Denver." -- Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, after extending coach Mike Shanahan's contract, Jan. 8, 2002.
Mike Shanahan was as powerful as any coach in professional sports. He had free reign to make any decision he saw fit. Good or bad, there were no consequences. You win two consecutive Super Bowls, you earn those luxuries.
"I've never believed there should be a coach for life ... 21 years (with the Broncos) is long enough." -- Bowlen, after firing coach Mike Shanahan, Dec. 31, 2008.
And, just like that, after three consecutive years of missing the playoffs, and one playoff victory in the last 10 years, Shanahan was gone. His talent evaluation on defense seemed largely to blame. The Broncos' defensive unit, under its third coordinator in as many years, ranked 29th overall in 2008. It was the main culprit in the end-of-the-year collapse that saw the team squander a three-game division lead with three games to play.
"Whoever the head coach that comes in (is), if he doesn't see what the offense did in both the running game and the passing game and the youth, (he) would have to be crazy not to keep the people that made that happen." -- Shanahan, at his farewell press conference, Dec. 31, 2008.
For all of his faults in assembling a defense, Shanahan stockpiled some tremendous young talent on offense. In 2006, he drafted a franchise quarterback (Jay Cutler), a Pro Bowl wide receiver (Brandon Marshall), a receiving tight end (Tony Scheffler), and a stalwart right guard (Chris Kuper). In 2007, he drafted a top-level right tackle (Ryan Harris). In 2008, he drafted an all-rookie left tackle (Ryan Clady), an exciting receiver/kick returner (Eddie Royal), and a do-it-all horse of a running back (Peyton Hillis).
Conventional wisdom said Bowlen would hire a defensive coach to fix what ails his team, and complement the offense, which was led by young coordinator Jeremy Bates. Of the nine head coaching vacancies around the NFL this offseason, Denver's was considered the most attractive primarily because of the presence of the 25-year-old Pro Bowl quarterback.
"Obviously, he's the man around here now, so I will be talking to Jay." -- Bowlen, when asked if Cutler would be consulted about who the next coach should be, Dec. 31, 2008.
Giants' defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and Leslie Frazier, the Vikings' defensive boss, were among the myriad of candidates considered.
"I looked at the possibility (of hiring a defensive-oriented coach), but the chance to get this young man was very intriguing to me. I think he's going to be a great head coach. I think he'll fix our defense." -- Bowlen, after announcing the hiring of 32-year-old New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as Broncos head coach, Jan. 12, 2009.
OK, so Bowlen didn't hire a defensive coach. But McDaniels had shattered NFL records in New England, with Tom Brady, and turned Matt Cassel (a career back-up, even in college) into a viable NFL starter. The chance to hire an offensive young wunderkind such as this, and pair him with the strong-armed Cutler, was certainly too tempting an opportunity to pass up.
"I think Jay is going to enjoy playing in this system, this offense. It is very quarterback-friendly once you get to the point where you can use all the tools that it gives the quarterback. Obviously, he is a very important part of our success going forward and I can't wait to get started working with him." -- McDaniels, addressing a question about Cuter in his introductory press conference, Jan. 12, 2009.
The two started to develop a working relationship, despite the departure of Bates, who left to become the offensive coordinator at USC. When free agency began, on the last weekend of February, the Broncos aggressively looked to fill needs, the most pressing of which, it seemed, were along the defensive front seven. The two major signings along the front seven were Ronald Fields, a back up nose guard with the 49ers, and Andra Davis, a journeyman inside linebacker with the Browns. They also brought in wide receiver Jabar Gaffney and three running backs. Adding Eagles' safety Brian Dawkins was considered their marquee move of the weekend, at least until ...
"My understanding at this point is they're trying to trade me. We'll see where I end up at. I liked it here." -- Cutler, to the Denver Post, Feb. 28, 2009, after word leaked that his name was mentioned, significantly, in trade discussions involving Cassel, who was shipped to the Chiefs on the same day.
You couldn't really blame McDaniels for considering Cassel. The two became familiar with each other, and enjoyed success together in New England. McDaniels said the Broncos took calls regarding many players, not just Cutler, and the trade never came close to materializing. Cutler took it personally, and demanded a trade, despite McDaniels' public insistence that Cutler would be the Broncos' quarterback.
"He's our quarterback ... we need to keep the line of communication open." -- McDaniels, to the NFL Network, March 23, 2009.
A line of communication? Apparently, not so much.
"Numerous attempts to contact Jay Cutler, in the last 10 days, both by head coach Josh McDaniels and myself, have been unsuccessful ... We will begin discussions with other teams in an effort to accomodate his request to be traded." -- Bowlen, in a statement released on Mar. 31, 2009.
Two days later, Bowlen, McDaniels, and general manager Brian Xanders traded Cutler to the Chicago Bears in exchange for quarterback Kyle Orton, first-and-third-round draft choices in 2009, and a first-round pick in 2010. It was widely considered a good deal, considering the circumstances. You hate to see a young franchise quarterback go, but with the haul that Denver received in return, work can now officially begin on adressing the glaring needs of the defensive front seven.
It was going to be defense or bust, this year, going into the draft. Yeah, there were rumors that they might trade up to get USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. But eventually logic would prevail and the Broncos would keep their two picks and, if they were lucky, someone like Tyson Jackson, BJ Raji, or Brian Orakpo might slip to them at the 12th pick. Sure enough, Orakpo did.
"With the 12th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos select Knowshon Moreno, running back, from the University of Georgia." -- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, announcing the Broncos' first selection in the draft, April 25, 2009.
A running back. Hmmm. Well, at least he was the top running back available, and they still got Tennessee defensive end Robert Ayers with the 18th pick.
Then, as if that wasn't enough, it was announced that the Broncos had obtained Seattle's second round pick, number 37 overall, in exchange for Denver's first-round pick in 2010. That's a lot to give up! But hey, a pass rusher like Everette Brown was still available, and so was Rey Maualuga, USC's bad boy middle linebacker.
They took Alphonso Smith, a cornerback from Wake Forest.
So, maybe they really like Smith. Some analysts say he is the best cornerback in the draft. They still had their own second-round pick, which they would certainly use for additional help along the front seven, right?
Despite having signed Dawkins and Dolphins' safety Renaldo Hill, they took Darcel McBath, a safety from Texas Tech. But then ... it was announced that they had traded their own third-round pick, along with the pick they had obtained from the Bears in exchange for Cutler, to acquire Pittsburgh's second-round pick, and NOW, this was their big chance to address the glaring needs along the front seven.
They took Richard Quinn, a blocking tight end from North Carolina, who caught 12 passes during his college career.
"I'm in the building, and I'm in the room. But we have a young coach who is in charge of football operations, and he's going to handle this." -- Bowlen, to the Denver Post, pledging his support for McDaniels, March 21, 2009.
Can't wait to see what happens next.
Mike Shanahan was as powerful as any coach in professional sports. He had free reign to make any decision he saw fit. Good or bad, there were no consequences. You win two consecutive Super Bowls, you earn those luxuries.
"I've never believed there should be a coach for life ... 21 years (with the Broncos) is long enough." -- Bowlen, after firing coach Mike Shanahan, Dec. 31, 2008.
And, just like that, after three consecutive years of missing the playoffs, and one playoff victory in the last 10 years, Shanahan was gone. His talent evaluation on defense seemed largely to blame. The Broncos' defensive unit, under its third coordinator in as many years, ranked 29th overall in 2008. It was the main culprit in the end-of-the-year collapse that saw the team squander a three-game division lead with three games to play.
"Whoever the head coach that comes in (is), if he doesn't see what the offense did in both the running game and the passing game and the youth, (he) would have to be crazy not to keep the people that made that happen." -- Shanahan, at his farewell press conference, Dec. 31, 2008.
For all of his faults in assembling a defense, Shanahan stockpiled some tremendous young talent on offense. In 2006, he drafted a franchise quarterback (Jay Cutler), a Pro Bowl wide receiver (Brandon Marshall), a receiving tight end (Tony Scheffler), and a stalwart right guard (Chris Kuper). In 2007, he drafted a top-level right tackle (Ryan Harris). In 2008, he drafted an all-rookie left tackle (Ryan Clady), an exciting receiver/kick returner (Eddie Royal), and a do-it-all horse of a running back (Peyton Hillis).
Conventional wisdom said Bowlen would hire a defensive coach to fix what ails his team, and complement the offense, which was led by young coordinator Jeremy Bates. Of the nine head coaching vacancies around the NFL this offseason, Denver's was considered the most attractive primarily because of the presence of the 25-year-old Pro Bowl quarterback.
"Obviously, he's the man around here now, so I will be talking to Jay." -- Bowlen, when asked if Cutler would be consulted about who the next coach should be, Dec. 31, 2008.
Giants' defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and Leslie Frazier, the Vikings' defensive boss, were among the myriad of candidates considered.
"I looked at the possibility (of hiring a defensive-oriented coach), but the chance to get this young man was very intriguing to me. I think he's going to be a great head coach. I think he'll fix our defense." -- Bowlen, after announcing the hiring of 32-year-old New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as Broncos head coach, Jan. 12, 2009.
OK, so Bowlen didn't hire a defensive coach. But McDaniels had shattered NFL records in New England, with Tom Brady, and turned Matt Cassel (a career back-up, even in college) into a viable NFL starter. The chance to hire an offensive young wunderkind such as this, and pair him with the strong-armed Cutler, was certainly too tempting an opportunity to pass up.
"I think Jay is going to enjoy playing in this system, this offense. It is very quarterback-friendly once you get to the point where you can use all the tools that it gives the quarterback. Obviously, he is a very important part of our success going forward and I can't wait to get started working with him." -- McDaniels, addressing a question about Cuter in his introductory press conference, Jan. 12, 2009.
The two started to develop a working relationship, despite the departure of Bates, who left to become the offensive coordinator at USC. When free agency began, on the last weekend of February, the Broncos aggressively looked to fill needs, the most pressing of which, it seemed, were along the defensive front seven. The two major signings along the front seven were Ronald Fields, a back up nose guard with the 49ers, and Andra Davis, a journeyman inside linebacker with the Browns. They also brought in wide receiver Jabar Gaffney and three running backs. Adding Eagles' safety Brian Dawkins was considered their marquee move of the weekend, at least until ...
"My understanding at this point is they're trying to trade me. We'll see where I end up at. I liked it here." -- Cutler, to the Denver Post, Feb. 28, 2009, after word leaked that his name was mentioned, significantly, in trade discussions involving Cassel, who was shipped to the Chiefs on the same day.
You couldn't really blame McDaniels for considering Cassel. The two became familiar with each other, and enjoyed success together in New England. McDaniels said the Broncos took calls regarding many players, not just Cutler, and the trade never came close to materializing. Cutler took it personally, and demanded a trade, despite McDaniels' public insistence that Cutler would be the Broncos' quarterback.
"He's our quarterback ... we need to keep the line of communication open." -- McDaniels, to the NFL Network, March 23, 2009.
A line of communication? Apparently, not so much.
"Numerous attempts to contact Jay Cutler, in the last 10 days, both by head coach Josh McDaniels and myself, have been unsuccessful ... We will begin discussions with other teams in an effort to accomodate his request to be traded." -- Bowlen, in a statement released on Mar. 31, 2009.
Two days later, Bowlen, McDaniels, and general manager Brian Xanders traded Cutler to the Chicago Bears in exchange for quarterback Kyle Orton, first-and-third-round draft choices in 2009, and a first-round pick in 2010. It was widely considered a good deal, considering the circumstances. You hate to see a young franchise quarterback go, but with the haul that Denver received in return, work can now officially begin on adressing the glaring needs of the defensive front seven.
It was going to be defense or bust, this year, going into the draft. Yeah, there were rumors that they might trade up to get USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. But eventually logic would prevail and the Broncos would keep their two picks and, if they were lucky, someone like Tyson Jackson, BJ Raji, or Brian Orakpo might slip to them at the 12th pick. Sure enough, Orakpo did.
"With the 12th pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos select Knowshon Moreno, running back, from the University of Georgia." -- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, announcing the Broncos' first selection in the draft, April 25, 2009.
A running back. Hmmm. Well, at least he was the top running back available, and they still got Tennessee defensive end Robert Ayers with the 18th pick.
Then, as if that wasn't enough, it was announced that the Broncos had obtained Seattle's second round pick, number 37 overall, in exchange for Denver's first-round pick in 2010. That's a lot to give up! But hey, a pass rusher like Everette Brown was still available, and so was Rey Maualuga, USC's bad boy middle linebacker.
They took Alphonso Smith, a cornerback from Wake Forest.
So, maybe they really like Smith. Some analysts say he is the best cornerback in the draft. They still had their own second-round pick, which they would certainly use for additional help along the front seven, right?
Despite having signed Dawkins and Dolphins' safety Renaldo Hill, they took Darcel McBath, a safety from Texas Tech. But then ... it was announced that they had traded their own third-round pick, along with the pick they had obtained from the Bears in exchange for Cutler, to acquire Pittsburgh's second-round pick, and NOW, this was their big chance to address the glaring needs along the front seven.
They took Richard Quinn, a blocking tight end from North Carolina, who caught 12 passes during his college career.
"I'm in the building, and I'm in the room. But we have a young coach who is in charge of football operations, and he's going to handle this." -- Bowlen, to the Denver Post, pledging his support for McDaniels, March 21, 2009.
Can't wait to see what happens next.