ProFootballTalk.com is not one of my favorite sites.  I'm just being honest.  For the most part, their "rumor mill" seems nothing more than uneducated guessing.  I could sit here and do that, but what's the point.  Mike Florio and the boys have gotten the ear of some of those in the MSM, however, and Florio himself has even written for the 'darkside'.  

That said, I tend to leave it alone, until a rumor involving a particular Head Coach, who already has a job, pops up on PFT.  This was posted yesterday afternoon --

First off, if a 'League Source' is the one who let Florio know, maybe this 'League Source' should remind that Falcons that any type of discussions like this, should they become anything more than internal dialog, are considered tampering, something taken very, very seriously in the League.

Second, let's take a minute to look at the rumor.  Shanahan to the Falcons.  Now, I will admit that this season has been extremely tough on Shanahan, as it has on all of us.  But why leave Denver to go to what might be the worst situation in football??  The Falcons have zero talent.  NONE.  A look up and down their roster shows a team that may not be competitive again for 3-5 years.  Is Denver that far away??

Next, the owner involved, Arthur Blank, is highly respected in League circles.  He has not deserved the fate he has been dealt, his only fault being he has been too loyal at times.  Why would Blank do to Pat Bowlen what so many have done to him?  I just don't think Blank would do it.  Plain and simple.

Now, could there be a bit of truth to the rumor that Bowlen is growing weary of the Shanahan-run Broncos?  I think so.  Pat Bowlen is, at his core, a business-man.  A highly-successful businessman.  The Broncos are a business, right now, that simply is not performing.  Bowlen will not take this lying down and will see to it that things get turned around.  Do I think Bowlen wants to dump Shanahan?  No.  Do I think the reigns might get pulled back a bit.  Definitely.  How Shanny responds to that could go a long way towards determining his future in Denver.  We need look no further than Mike Holmgren in Seattle.  When the Personnel responsibilities were removed from Holmgren's title there was a lot of speculation that he would leave.  He did not.  Focusing solely on coaching, the Seahawks improved immediately on the field and were in the Super Bowl a short time after.  

There will be alot of time to discuss what comes next for the Broncos.  The rumor mill, however, has already started.  Get used to it, rumors are a nasty side-effect of losing.