My Post of the Week

I've said this pretty much all season.  TD was about Selvin Young's size when he was a rookie.  If Selving bulks up, I think he could definately carry the load.  And with Andre Hall coming in to help, we would have a dynamic running game.  I have to admit though, that this all hinges on how Young's work ethic is come this offseason.  See TD below in his rookie season...not quite as big as he was during his 2000 yard season. ;)

This is one of my all-time favorite youtube clips. ;)

As always, no bashing intended:

This is somewhat of a false dichotomy, which is where we are given two false options to choose from when a third, viable, option exists.  

First off, the question implies two things:

1.  The first implication is that Cutler and Bailey are, or will be, carrying us.  
   
2.  The second implication is that we need carrying.

I'll address them seperately.  

1.  Cutler is no doubt having a tremendous year in what is effectively his rookie campaign.  He is a bit tit-for-tat with his INTs and TDs, but it is better than any of us really expected (except Guru and his 2-1 lock for Cutler.  BTW, when are you going to update us again on your locks Guru?  Dude only has so much room in his sig, after all) and a case could be made for the strides he is making right now, I believe 2 full games with no INTs, and a third where he was off to a great start before getting whacked in his leg.  But I would argue that he is in no way carrying the team.  The last second wins in BUF and OAK could be attributed to Elam, but I think they are more appropriately given to Cutler and Walker, who were huge on those final drives, and even Shanahan who started a trend in the NFL with his "icing-the-kicker" TO.  But even with giving credit to Cutler for the wins, he also made mistakes in those games that made them closer than they needed to be.  And you could even point out here that Walker may have been on your list with Cutler and Bailey had he not been injured, which just adds more credence to the idea that we don't really have anyone carrying the whole team, as he has been out for a while now, and our passing game hardly seems to have suffered at all.  Cutler, in fact, seems to have gotten better in Javon's absence.  That part is just my opinion though.  Moving on to Bailey.  Even though his stats aren't as gaudy as last year, there is no doubt he is still elite.  More than anything, I have noticed that he is more frustrated this year, but I don't know if the extra (even for Champ) cushion he is giving up is a result of being slowed by his quad, part of playing a safety-like role in this scheme, or just Bailey trying to adjust to his frustration by giving himself more room to work.  Regardless, I would argue that it is actually Bly who has been our most productive DB this year, followed by Foxy who has been seeing a ton of action from his nickel/safety vantage point and has been very solid, even filling in for Champ with no noticeable drop-off.  Having said that, Champ has had some stunning second halves, absolutely shutting down his side of the field, especially the GB game.  Regardless, his inconsistency this year has been part of what is plaguing the Broncos, and thus I would say he is not carrying the team.  But I think you are also indicating that even if they aren't carrying us now, they could carry us at some point in the future.  This is a classic rephrasing of a common (albeit silly) philosphical quandary:  "Do the ends justify the means."  This question gives people headaches, and again it is because of the notion of a false-dichotomy.  In reality, the question is meaningless.  For the philosophical question, the answer is that:  the ends are the means.  Or more specifically, that means are the ends in progress.  Like the mind-body split, you simply can't divide the two ideas and then pit them against eachother and declare a winner.  They are the same thing.  (I would love to discuss this more, but this is hardly the place).  In regards to the question of Cutler and Champ carrying us at some point in the future, the answer is that:  whether now or later, if they can carry this team, than they should carry this team.  They can't split their ability to carry the team from when they choose to do it.  If they can, they must.  (One could also argue that Cutler can't carry them now but could in the future, purely from the point of view of ability, but that merely supports him staying in and growing, or he will never get there.
2.  The other implication of the question is that the team requires carrying by someone.  All I can think of when I consider this, is Elway losing three superbowls.  Not the Broncos losing three superbowls, but Elway.  He truly carried those past teams.  He made up for his and everyone elses mistakes in those seasons, and truly made everyone else play better.  But when the Superbowl victories finally came, and we had a team that could truly dominate an opponent, it was just that:  A Team.  Sure, we had stars at all the key positions, but we also had a somewhat unheralded defense, solid STs, and a fantabulous coaching staff.  One or two guys can't carry a team in the AFC anymore, but in order to avoid a contradiction (you did after all, demand no contradictions) I will let point 1 do most of the talking, and merely say that if anyone is responsible for carrying this team, whether now or in the forseeable future, that that person is Shanahan.  He is part of every aspect of this team, he is involved in his players and how and when they play, it will be Shanahan evaluating and starting the guy who goes in if Cutler or Champ gets hurt, and he is also the Bronco least likely to be injured, which is sort of the crux of this whole argument.

In conclusion, the question, which asks which player should carry this team, is off in its assumption that it is a player at all.  Shanahan carries this team and gives it its best shot at winning on any given Sunday.

For Zappa:

I meant key contributor you know, like the one stand out guy we have.

Dude, I don't think you were saying anything negative.  There are several schools of thought on where Denver is and where it's going.  One thing I like about MHR is that we all chip in our opinions and the reader can make up their own minds.  We aren't a bunch of "yes men".  You are the kind of guy I'd want on my coachin staff (if I was still coaching) because I know I'd get an angle that other guys wouldn't speak up about.

I also tip my hat to Styg50 for his counter.  Solid job to both of you.  But guys, you know I couldn't read this article without jumping in, especially if I get a mention in it!  lol

So here's what I'm going to do.  Because the diary is long (in a good way) and makes so many point I'm going to write a contradicting diary.  I'm shooting for it to be done later this afternoon or (more likely) this evening.  I can't fit all of my comments in a "comment section".

Again, while I don't fully agree with the diary, Dude does an excellent job making some points and putting together a solid storyline that we should all take seriously.  Great job Dude, and I for one am thrilled to know we'll be reading more of your stuff now that you're freed up.

that's what I'm getting at. We need to make that transition.