Thread: The Confessional, or, Where to Eat Crow

Because we are all self-styled experts, most of us have second guessed Shanahan, Sundquist et al. in some of their personnel decisions. I am guilty as charged. I think it would do us some collective good to remind ourselves of the times that we were really very badly off target in our own assessments. I'll start by coming clean with the following three bits of stupidity on my part.

1) Lenny Walls; the first year we had this guy I was sure I had seen the future of our CB situation for the next decade. The guy was a freak of nature, tall, big, and fast - just the guy to shut down Randy Moss and Ocho Stinko!

I neglected the fact that he had no instincts at all and couldn't hit or tackle a jot.

2) Ian Gold - few Bronco fans were happier when Gold came back; I had hated it when we lost him in the first place. I always saw him a smart and lightning fast. I had not considered that after his knee injury the "fast" part of the equation was nearly out the window, leaving him a mediocre undersized LB who hasn't played all that smart the last couple of years either.

3) And the big one - I admit it here publicly, I thought Brian Griese was the long term answer to succeed Elway. From the Green Bay game in 1999 to the Oakland Monday Night Football win in 2000 we seem to forget just how accurate and mistake free BG was; and with that Oakland win he showed guts as well. He seemed brainy enough to handle the Denver offense, and being named to the Pro Bowl in 2000 seemed to me just a preview of things to come.

I watched in disbelief as he came apart like a cheap suit in 2001, and choked away a Playoff spot at the end of 2002. It wasn't until Griese's final catastrophic game with Denver that I finally woke up and gave up on the guy. In the end he had a crappy temperment, no leadership skills, and couldn't handle pressure.

Anyone else care to 'fess up?

It is probably a good thing HD left the site before this thread was made. Cedric Cobb is probably glad also.

Personally, mine was Welsey Duke. I knew about the bad knees, but he was athletic as all get out (I played against him in college).

He is a really nice guy, so that blinded my considerable scouting talent.

I defended Ashley Lelie until the day he left, and still maintain that had we been in an offense where we tossed up the ball more and a viable quarterback (like Cutler now) he'd of been a pretty good receiver. I don't think that I'm necessarily needing to eat crow on that, but something a majority of people thought I was a retard for.

I was wrong about Buff. I thought he had potential.

Originally Posted by cswil

I was wrong about Buff. I thought he had potential.

Oh, there were about 15 dudes that missed on him. He was our own little Tony Mandarich.

Simeon Rice. I was happy as hell about the signing and looked forward to him blowing up QB's for us. As it turned out, he wasn't, and still isn't ready.

Ashley Lelie - I defended him and said it was more Plummer's lack of being able to really throw a great deep ball. While it partly was, he has shown the same lack of work ethic and his pansy lack of abilities to get YAC elsewhere, so it couldn't have all been on Jake's arm.

Why would a deep ball receiver giving mostly streaks in assignments ever have a good YAC? Being put in wide receiver purgatory (San Francisco) isn't going to help your stats; see Darrell Jackson.

Originally Posted by Dream

Why would a deep ball receiver giving mostly streaks in assignments ever have a good YAC? Being put in wide receiver purgatory (San Francisco) isn't going to help your stats; see Darrell Jackson.

How many times did Lelie catch a ball and then hit the turf when looked at, nevermind actually touched?

He had such an amazing year with Atlanta as well....

Originally Posted by Davii

How many times did Lelie catch a ball and then hit the turf when looked at, nevermind actually touched?

A lot less than you probably think considering someone on Broncomania took the time to put videos up of all his catches from his breakout season and then most of the catches from his era in Denver; and through those it's clear that he isn't the big ass pansy like most thought he was.

Originally Posted by Dream

A lot less than you probably think considering someone on Broncomania took the time to put videos up of all his catches from his breakout season and then most of the catches from his era in Denver; and through those it's clear that he isn't the big ass pansy like most thought he was.

Yeah, he is.

Originally Posted by beefstew25

It is probably a good thing HD left the site before this thread was made. Cedric Cobb is probably glad also.

Wy? To the best of my knowledge he never made any mistakes like that.

Originally Posted by Davii

Yeah, he is.

Yeah? Simeon Rice was awesome.

Just teasing.

Originally Posted by Dream

Yeah? Simeon Rice was awesome.

Just teasing.

I sure as hell wish he was. Would've definitely made our fortunes last year a lot better.

Originally Posted by Dream

Yeah? Simeon Rice was awesome.

Just teasing.

LOL - you're still cheating, Dream! I was pretty much with you on Lelie, but I can't make excuses now. He was a candy-ass.

No qualifiers allowed!