McDaniels not big believer in franchise label
By Lindsay H. Jones
The Denver Post
Posted: 12/13/2009 01:00:00 AM MST
Here in the Rocky Mountains, we like to think we know a thing or two about The Franchise Quarterback.
We know when we've got one, and we'll spend the better part of a decade looking for another. And just when we think we've found one, he's gone, and we all wonder what went wrong.
From John Elway to Brian Griese to Jake Plummer to Jay Cutler to Kyle Orton, the topic of the franchise quarterback is a touchy one for Broncos fans.
Meanwhile, across the line today in Indianapolis, Denver faces Peyton Manning, the very definition of a Franchise Quarterback.
"Peyton Manning is the poster boy for franchise quarterbacks," Broncos quarterback Chris Simms said. "It's a great thing if you get drafted there and it works."
Manning was the Colts' No. 1 overall draft pick in 1998 and he has played in every game for the Colts since. He's thrown for more than 49,000 yards, been named to nine Pro Bowls, won three NFL MVP awards and was the Super Bowl MVP.
All the accolades and superlatives aside, Manning and the Colts illustrate the ideal way to build a franchise around a star quarterback, something most organizations try, and few do.
The Colts finished the 1997 season 3-13, and new general manager Bill Polian and coach Jim Mora Sr. took Manning with the No. 1 overall pick. By 1999, the Colts were 13-3 and back in the playoffs, and they've been the model of consistency ever since.
It was what former Broncos coach Mike Shanahan at one point envisioned doing around Cutler.
But here's a major difference as to why Polian's strategy has worked so well: Not only has Manning panned out, so have many of the players Indianapolis drafted to play around him: first-rounders such as running back Edgerrin James (1999), receiver Reggie Wayne (2001), defensive end Dwight Freeney (2002), tight end Dallas Clark (2003), running back Joseph Addai (2006) and receiver Anthony Gonzalez (2007), as well as second-round safety Bob Sanders
Quarterbacks
View slide show of Broncos QB Kyle Orton.
View slide show of Colts QB Peyton Manning.
(2004).
During that same span, only linebackers Al Wilson (1999) and D.J. Williams (2004) have been long-term bona fide star players for the Broncos. The Broncos used one first-round draft pick on a quarterback this decade, Cutler, and first-year coach Josh McDaniels — though never in exact terms — clearly didn't deem him to be a franchise quarterback.
Perhaps that is because McDaniels isn't as fully sold on the notion of a "Franchise Quarterback" as other coaches.
"I don't know what the definition of that is, because there are a lot of quarterbacks who have had great success in this league that, I don't how you define them as franchise quarterbacks," McDaniels said. "What's a guy who is not a franchise quarterback? I don't know. I just want our guy to win."
The question remains, though, of how far a team can go without an elite quarterback. Of the past 10 Super Bowl champions, eight were quarterbacked by players who fit the "franchise" mold: Pittsburgh's Ben Roethlisberger (twice), New England's Tom Brady (three times), Manning for the Colts and his brother Eli for the Giants, and Kurt Warner for the Rams.
"If you have one, you are probably going to be making the playoffs," said NFL Network analyst Steve Mariucci, a former Lions and 49ers coach. "When you look at the teams that are going to be there, by and large, they've got guys that are going to the Pro Bowl or have been there before."
For the record, Mariucci includes Orton in a group of what he calls "very good" quarterbacks, a group that also includes guys such as Cutler in Chicago, Dallas' Tony Romo, Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers and San Diego's Philip Rivers.
But can Orton be a franchise quarterback in Denver? This is the final year of his contract, and he will be a restricted free agent after the season. How the Broncos choose to handle him after that will be telling. The Broncos will be able to match any other offer Orton receives this offseason, should he make it to the open market next spring without having signed a new contract.
"That's all on the franchise. That's all on the organization," Orton said. "That's probably the only way you can decide that, is if the organization thinks you're one, then you're one."
Lindsay H. Jones: 303-954-1262 or ljones@denverpost.com
Manning seems to have the Broncos' number
No player has caused more heartache for the Broncos this decade than Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. Indianapolis is 6-2 against Denver in the Manning era, and one of those losses came in what was, for the Colts, a throwaway game at the end of the 2004 regular season when Manning saw little action. Manning's numbers against the Broncos are staggering: 1,945 yards passing with 17 touchdowns and only three interceptions. Here's a game-by-game breakdown of the damage Manning has wrought against the Broncos:
2001: A 29-10 final-week Colts' victory, with Manning throwing for a pedestrian 191 yards, two touchdowns, one interception.
2002: The Colts won in overtime 23-20, but Manning did not throw a touchdown pass and had a passer rating of 65.4, his lowest ever against Denver.
2003: In Week 15, the Broncos rolled 31-17, and Manning threw for only 146 yards, with no touchdowns.
2003: Two weeks later, in the first round of the playoffs, Manning was spectacular, throwing for 377 yards in a 41-10 victory. He finished with a perfect passer rating, 158.3.
2004: Manning started but was pulled after throwing two passes in a 33-14 loss that had no bearing on Indy's postseason seeding.
2004: Two weeks later, Manning again torched the Broncos in a playoff rout. He completed 27-of-33 passes for a mind-boggling 458 yards and four touchdowns.
2006: Manning was nearly perfect in a 34-31 victory, throwing for 345 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, snapping Denver's five-game home winning streak.
2007: Manning threw for only 193 yards in a 38-20 early-season victory, along with three touchdown passes.
Lindsay H. Jones, The Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_13986787
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