Good first post Papamag! I have to admit that I was easily tossed back and forth by the waves the media created. I was frustrated with McD, but I see why he would entertain the thought of trading Cutler. I was frustrated with Cutler because of how he reacted. But when things calmed down I resolved to not pass judgment on anyone. I’ll let the results do the talking. And no matter what I will always bleed ORANGE!!! Go BRONCOS!!!

For the love of God, can we please LET THIS THE F*CK GO?!?!?! Root for your f***ing coach. If you want the Broncos to fire him and will root for him to be mediocre, go back to the DP website and flame their writers. As long as Josh McDaniels is the head coach of the Denver Broncos, you should root for him; otherwise you are not a fan.

I’m not saying not to criticize him; I will criticize every move he ever makes. What I am saying is to put a little faith in him and AT LEAST WAIT TO SEE THE PRODUCT HE PUTS ON THE FIELD BEFORE YOU JUDGE HIM. He hasn’t even coached a f***in game yet. If we go 0-32 over the next 2 years I have every right to want to fire his ass. But at least give him a shot before you judge him. If you ever root for him or the Broncos to fail, EVER, I will call into question your fanhood right then and there. And I will impolitely ask you to go back to the DP website.

It’s the same exact relationship I have with Tony LaRussa. I think he’s a total asshole, but as long as he coaches the Cards (my favorite baseball team) I will root for him. Go Cards! Go Poo-Holes!!

And I don’t even think McD is an asshole! I like him!! I think it was a GREAT signing! GAAAAH!!!!

Sorry about the caps and the censored language, it’s just that every time I see a “fan” trolling this website with absurdities like “McD-Bag,” this is what goes through my head.

I will refrain from calling Plummer a douchebag for two weeks…best I can do. I like him on a personal level, but whenever he talks about the Broncos I start yelling, “Shut up you douchebag!” I must turn over a new leaf. :)

I enjoy the varied multitude of comments and opinions found on MHR, but the personal insults and attacks (unless EXTREMELY funny, and McD-Bag is close) just subtract from the content of the site and the integrity of the poster. They are better left, as papi put it best, over at the DP (Dung Pile?) blog.

I can relate to the circus that comes with a storied program’s coaching change. The final paragraph in your post, in general, is how any true fan of a program should behave.

Now back to reality. It is hard enough to accept changes of any sort and especially hard if you think no change is warranted. I would like to commit sociological cardinal sin by drawing a comparison that will lead to a generalization.

Nebraska Nation was thrown upside down when we canned Frank Solich back in 2003 after a 9-win season. Then we welcomed the tornado known as Bill Callahan who was unwilling to adapt to the “Nebraska Way” and tried to install his “own system” to no avail. Last year we welcomed “The Savior” known as Bo Pelini with a HUGE emphasis on DEFENSE.. Instead of installing his own system he consulted with Dr. Tom and brought back the “Nebraska Way” as best he could.

The main point I initially wanted to make was that it is much harder to accept a change when the perception of the program is still a positive, winning one. In my comparison this is the firing of Solich and Shanahan. In both cases, these firings were unexpected but ultimately necessary. Nebraska is definitely back on the right track with Pelini at the helm.

In the spirit of optimism, I think the hiring of McDaniels is exactly what Denver needed in order to avoid a “Callahan Era” in Denver. Two examples shine brightly.

The first is the emphasis on Defense. Both Pelini and McDaniels have made establishing a hard-working defense a priority. There was another post I saw on MHR that showed the records of QB’s records when the opponent scores more than 30 points – enough said. With the offenses Nebraska and Denver have had recently I always say, “if we can just keep them under 30 we have a damned good chance of winning.” The Orange Crush is coming back!

The second example is that despite what a lot posts seem to think, I do not think McDaniels is trying to change the culture in Dove Valley. There is and always has been a “Bronco Way” that is and has been the envy of many other professional programs. (Being optimistic again) I think McDaniels knows this. Do you think Bowlen would let him forget it? He retained Dennison and Turner – the staples of Denver’s running attack and zone blocking. Despite my personal opinion of Nolan as a coach, McDaniels did bring in a DC that has been part of the “Denver Way” in the past. Just as Pelini consulted with Osborne, I hope McDaniels is taking every advantage to pick the brains of those who know the “Bronco Way”. It appears so.

I ended up writing more than I anticipated, so thanks for reading. Opinions are welcomed – do you think the reaction of the fans has anything to do with the perception of a winning or losing program? After Callahan, Nebraska needed a Savior. Does Denver really want things to get worse before they get better so they can have a “Savior” too?

Here’s an optimistic hint: McDaniels might be Denver’s “Savior”. We just don’t know it yet!

When we hired Bates as our DC, he jettison a ton of talent and/or potential. We’re still trying to fix the D after his little experiment went haywire.

So I’m a little worried as I don’t want to have to fix the Offense if it’s gutted of potential and talent.

Plus I love the Broncos, not the Patriots. I know it’s a copy cat league, but I’m hoping it’s not copying just for the sake of copying…

Jake got a worse shakedown than Jay is currently getting. Jake was a better QB than Brian Griese (no offense – still like Griese), got the Donks to the AFC Championship, and was within 3 wins of another playoff run when Shanny pulled him for Jay…and then? No “and then”.

I digress, but will say now and forever that I am a Jake Plummer fan, and proud of it.

My real point, and I would really like some backup on this, is that I would really like McDaniel to do something obscenely progressive for this team and the fan base, to garner near-universal acclaim, to bring in all the straggling fans and to give all of us a needed shot in the arm:

BRING BACK THE ORANGE SHIRTS!!! The new style is fine – the “alternate” orange jerseys are good looking and should be the standard! Get rid of the “colostomy bag blue” color scheme (thanks Shanny). Not every team can be as close to “bad ass black” as they want.

Anything?

want to get the fans behind you, coach? bam, done. on mcd, i will say i do have the fear that he is unable/unwilling to adapt to his players, the sign of a good coach. this seems to be going in the square peg-round hole direction, as some have pointed out. i disagree completely on the cutler comment, and if he is traded, i will be the first calling for his head for ruining this franchise. other than that, i am trying to be patient until we see how this all unfolds. in the meantime, this isn’t the Village, where “questions are a burden, and answers a prison for oneself”. varying opinions is what make this site what it is, and america what it is. without that, we are all sheep. but you are right in that emotions are running a little wild right now, given the unexpected extent of the turnover, and the authority mcd seems to have with bowlen and x. i don’t see their influence, and isn’t that why we fired shanny? let’s try to be calm, but concerned