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View Full Version : How about Broncos' McDaniels for NFL coach of the year?



Denver Native (Carol)
12-09-2009, 09:03 AM
http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_13956739

For everybody who cursed this young football coach for trading Jay Cutler, condemned his draft picks as madness or demanded he be fired before his first game on the Broncos' sideline, it's time to consider calling Josh McDaniels a new name:

NFL coach of the year.

Hey, you got a better candidate?

No coach anywhere in the league, from Sean Payton in New Orleans to Marvin Lewis in Cincinnati, has done a better job at maximizing his team's potential than McDaniels.

Kid McD wears his heart on his hoodie, and Denver players love him for it.

From the Pearl Jam booming out of loudspeakers at practice to his fist pumps in celebration of victory, the rookie coach has stamped his fiery personality on the NFL's surprise team of the season.

Anybody still think firing Mike Shanahan was a bad idea?

Whether a petulant quarterback throws a fit or a star receiver goes postal at practice, when his Broncos lose four straight or injury forces shuffling in the Denver offensive line, all McDaniels keeps trying to do is win the freakin' game.

The goal doesn't change, even if the next challenge is Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts, who are shooting for undefeated immortality.

"My big focus this week is beating them because it'd mean we're 9-4. I think that's the most important thing for me and our team," McDaniels said. "If in some way it can derail history, then it is what it is."

Want to know how it really is?

Denver can no more forget the success of Shanahan than Broncomaniacs will ever stop loving John Elway.

But pull off an upset at Indianapolis, the place where Shanahan's mystique as a mastermind was ripped to shreds more than once by Manning, and McDaniels forever and always buries the ghost of his predecessor as coach.

Impossible? In 12 games on the job, McDaniels already has achieved what couldn't be done.

Wasn't this the team destined to gift-wrap a top-five draft pick for Chicago because the Broncos were doomed to have one of the worst records in the league and McDaniels didn't know what he was doing with his personnel moves?

Isn't this the same young coach that the NFL Network's Jamie Dukes insisted players could not trust?

Anybody who dares to be different is going to be regarded as nuts before hearing applause for vision and courage. I was dingy enough to campaign for the trade of Cutler and sufficiently dippy to believe drafting Knowshon Moreno was smart, but when the Broncos began to take frustrations out on teammates in public displays of disaffection during a four- game losing streak, it seemed to me the young coach had lost control.

McDaniels, however, refused to surrender to doubt, proved me wrong and kept this crazy dream alive.

We're talking playoffs? With unwanted Kyle Orton at quarterback and 5-foot-11 Elvis Dumervil the big man on defense? That alone should qualify McDaniels as a legit candidate to be coach of the year.

To miss the playoffs now, the Broncos would have to blow it. Of course, at this time a year ago, Shanahan was looking as smug as a coach for life, and we all know how that ended.

There certainly is danger of more whoa, whoa, whoa than ho, ho, ho on the December schedule again this year, with tough trips to Indy and Philadelphia, and what sets up to be the classic trap game against Oakland in the middle of the franchise's push to its first postseason berth in four years.

So it's far from a lock McDaniels will be named the most outstanding coach of the year. There's work to be done.

But name me an NFL coach who has turned more heads this year. If nothing else, McDaniels is good theater.

Denver had lost its football identity and its status as an elite league team. To be brutally honest, the Broncos were boring.

You know what brash, fiery Kid McD has given back to this franchise, with every pump of his fist and bleepin' demand for excellence?

Mojo.

T.K.O.
12-09-2009, 12:01 PM
if we hit the 10 win mark or better i say he's a shoe in !:salute:

Lonestar
12-09-2009, 12:28 PM
Sean Payton and Jim Caldwell both could get it for having GREAT seasons so far. And most likely would get it if for no other reason than east coast bias.

Then there is Norv.

Althiough what Josh has accomplished he should get it but don't hold your breath.


Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel.

T.K.O.
12-09-2009, 01:21 PM
Sean Payton and Jim Caldwell both could get it for having GREAT seasons so far. And most likely would get it if for no other reason than east coast bias.

Then there is Norv.

Althiough what Josh has accomplished he should get it but don't hold your breath.


Sent from my BlackBerry Smartphone provided by Alltel.

east coast bias is strong,but if the broncos get 10-12 wins and make the playoffs,after the total overhaul and personel turnover ,it would be a travesty to say someone like caldwell who inherited a sb caliber team and kept the same playbook etc.... or payton who had one of if not the highest scoring team last year as well,deserves it more.
i mean mcD is a 33 year old "kid" who stepped into a team that suffered the biggest collapse in nfl history last season ,had tantrum throwing qb,a #1 wr facing suspension/jail and then throwing his own hissy fits, a roster full of recovering 2nd string rb's and possibly the worst defense in broncos history.
in fact now that i think about it.....they should just give him the title right now....even if we dont w.....i cant say it. but our 8 wins thus far is enough to earn him the honers !:salute:

Lonestar
12-09-2009, 02:08 PM
east coast bias is strong,but if the broncos get 10-12 wins and make the playoffs,after the total overhaul and personel turnover ,it would be a travesty to say someone like caldwell who inherited a sb caliber team and kept the same playbook etc.... or payton who had one of if not the highest scoring team last year as well,deserves it more.
i mean mcD is a 33 year old "kid" who stepped into a team that suffered the biggest collapse in nfl history last season ,had tantrum throwing qb,a #1 wr facing suspension/jail and then throwing his own hissy fits, a roster full of recovering 2nd string rb's and possibly the worst defense in broncos history.
in fact now that i think about it.....they should just give him the title right now....even if we dont w.....i cant say it. but our 8 wins thus far is enough to earn him the honers !:salute:

HEY I'd vote for him in a heart beat but since all but DEN, DAL, KC, SEA, SFO, SAN, OAK and PHX are west of the Mississippi. That IF math does not ellude me 75% of the voters are out east..

Northman
12-09-2009, 02:17 PM
If we make the playoffs he definitely should get it.

RedFalcon
12-09-2009, 02:34 PM
I think with the way another rookie head coach has his team playing, McD to get this should take the Broncos to the playoffs and win at least a game. So far I say that Caldwell and Peyton are favorites for this title. But McD should definitely be in top 3 head coaches this season.

honz
12-09-2009, 02:34 PM
He'll be a candidate for sure, but Caldwell, Payton, and Childress will all likely be in the running as well.

Poet
12-09-2009, 02:39 PM
The only coach who should get it over him should be Payton. The Colt's head coach is pretty much on auto pilot in regards to the offense. Payton's impact on his team is felt and seen.

McDaniels would get my vote because for this one single year he's shown he can handle everything a coach has to go through.

56crash
12-09-2009, 02:44 PM
The only coach who should get it over him should be Payton. The Colt's head coach is pretty much on auto pilot in regards to the offense. Payton's impact on his team is felt and seen.

McDaniels would get my vote because for this one single year he's shown he can handle everything a coach has to go through.

Manning is the Head coach at this point. Coyer is why they have not lost a Game .

sorry Payton would get my vote . McD is going to be a Great Coach but he has some learning to do IMO

rationalfan
12-09-2009, 07:09 PM
Sean Payton and Jim Caldwell both could get it for having GREAT seasons so far. And most likely would get it if for no other reason than east coast bias.


how would that be east coast bias? new orleans is in the south and indianapolis is in the midwest. neither state has a border along the atlantic ocean. and each city is not a major media market.

besides, it's hard to claim bias for rewarding the leaders of a perfect (to this point) season.

again, no disrespect intended. but i think we sometimes forget our own biases.

getlynched47
12-09-2009, 08:16 PM
if we hit the 10 win mark or better i say he's a shoe in !:salute:

No way. Jim Caldwell would probably get it before McDaniels because he was "able to maintain the Colts continuity and success when Dungy left"

Ravage!!!
12-09-2009, 10:10 PM
depends if the Colts and/or Saints do finish the season undefeated. Hard to vote against that.

Ravage!!!
12-09-2009, 10:12 PM
He'll be a candidate for sure, but Caldwell, Payton, and Childress will all likely be in the running as well.

Oh.. I forgot about Childress. The "bringing in Favre" factor alone will get him votes.

Superchop 7
12-10-2009, 12:26 AM
Broncos offense YPG

2008-2nd
2009-17th

Broncos offense Scoring

2008-16th
2009- 21st

Broncos defense Yards allowed

2008- 29th
2009- 3rd


I think I know where the big improvement came from and it wasn't the head coach.

DenBronx
12-10-2009, 12:33 AM
nah, spagnolo is way more EXPLOSIVE and he plays on special teams.

Ravage!!!
12-10-2009, 12:35 AM
Broncos offense YPG

2008-2nd
2009-17th

Broncos offense Scoring

2008-16th
2009- 21st

Broncos defense Yards allowed

2008- 29th
2009- 3rd


I think I know where the big improvement came from and it wasn't the head coach.

Great points on this. Is Nolan eligible?

DenBronx
12-10-2009, 12:44 AM
Broncos offense YPG

2008-2nd
2009-17th

Broncos offense Scoring

2008-16th
2009- 21st

Broncos defense Yards allowed

2008- 29th
2009- 3rd


I think I know where the big improvement came from and it wasn't the head coach.

actually it was from the head coach. mcdaniels hired him and mcdaniels ok'd the players we brought in over the offseason. much much much credit to nolan though.

DenBronx
12-10-2009, 12:44 AM
Great points on this. Is Nolan eligible?

no, only head coaches get the award.

Lonestar
12-10-2009, 01:06 AM
how would that be east coast bias? new orleans is in the south and indianapolis is in the midwest. neither state has a border along the atlantic ocean. and each city is not a major media market.

besides, it's hard to claim bias for rewarding the leaders of a perfect (to this point) season.

again, no disrespect intended. but i think we sometimes forget our own biases.
while I like the broncos and they are my team (50+years)..
I'm not at all biased concerning the east coast bias, as it is a fact of life that many on here do not get.. I tried to point out that 75% of the NFL cities thus voters are east of the Mississippi which seems to be the dividing line for the "east coast"..

I was raising that exact comment about them having perfect seasons and thru the ECB out as another reason for it to happen..

UnderArmour
12-10-2009, 01:12 AM
If the Colts or Saints go undefeated, Caldwell/Payton should get it. 16-0 should always get you coach of the year.

BroncoHusker
12-10-2009, 01:12 AM
McD has been much better than I expected, but I'd still have to go Payton this season. He's really got the Saints rolling.

dogfish
12-10-2009, 01:22 AM
we have to make the playoffs for him to have any realistic shot at it, but he's definitely in the conversation. . . he's got a far better shot at it than knowshon has at rookie of the year. . .

Northman
12-10-2009, 06:49 AM
The biggest reason why i think McD should get it over guys like Peyton, Caldwell, and Childress is that those teams were expected to do very well from the beginning. As someone pointed out earlier Denver was expected to implode and fall off the face of the earth. Similiar things happened last year with the Titans when they benched Young and everybody wrote them off, then they went 13-3 that year. Coach of the year to me is the unexpected and SURPRISE of the year. The fact that the Saints, Colts, and Vikings are playing well doesnt surprise me.

T.K.O.
12-10-2009, 12:30 PM
If the Colts or Saints go undefeated, Caldwell/Payton should get it. 16-0 should always get you coach of the year.

well the colts won't go undefeated.....they play the broncos this week......duh!:laugh:

rationalfan
12-10-2009, 12:32 PM
while I like the broncos and they are my team (50+years)..
I'm not at all biased concerning the east coast bias, as it is a fact of life that many on here do not get.. I tried to point out that 75% of the NFL cities thus voters are east of the Mississippi which seems to be the dividing line for the "east coast"..

I was raising that exact comment about them having perfect seasons and thru the ECB out as another reason for it to happen..

i don't agree on several points - mostly the notion that east of the mississippi is "east coast." Also, it's not a bias if population numbers and geographic placement dictate coverage/support/attention. it's a bias is one team is covered/supported/given more attention than another because of nepotism, favortism or backdoor deals.

coincidentally, eric cassilias (sp?) was talking about this subject yesterday on ESPN radio. his points regarding the misconception about "east coast bias" were interesting:
what nfl team is given the most coverage: dallas, it's in the south.
what nba team is given the most coverage: LA lakers, a west coast team.
what college football team is given the most coverage: notre dame, a midwestern team.
what baseball team is given the most coverage: NY yankees, an east coast team.

When only one out of four of these are east coast-centric the bias theory fails. Again, it's easy to feel slighted when many of the major media networks focus on large markets like NY, Boston or Philly. But it's a numbers game. It's not bias, it's corporate survival.

It seems many broncos fans want to blame east coast bias for the lack of coverage on national networks or the perceived lack of respect or the dirth of broncos in the hall of fame. But it makes as much sense to say that the broncos haven't deserved national coverage the past five years, or that the broncos weren't good enough to be respected the last few years or that the broncos past players aren't as great as fans think they are.

again, when talking about biases don't ignore your own.

and, by the way, i live west of the mississippi.

Medford Bronco
12-10-2009, 12:58 PM
Broncos offense YPG

2008-2nd
2009-17th

Broncos offense Scoring

2008-16th
2009- 21st

Broncos defense Yards allowed

2008- 29th
2009- 3rd


I think I know where the big improvement came from and it wasn't the head coach.

Doesnt the head coach hire the Defensive Coordinator

too much Cutler man love still. you know the 20 int man and the most overrated QB in the NFL right now.

it was so sad that when he goes a game without a pick Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin were surprised :lol: