Analyzing McDaniels
by BideshiBronco on May 24, 2009 1:14 PM MDT
25 comments
One things for sure in today's NFL.....the head coach means a lot to a team's ability to win. The head coach has always meant a lot though right? Certainly, but a lot has been made of the parity in the NFL. When you have parity, then coaching becomes an even greater component to a winning team.
When I am analyzing coaches, I evaluate in a couple areas: emotional leadership, preparation, and in-game performance. Let me give a brief overview of what I include in each of these.
Emotional leadership: This is the ability of a coach to get his team to come together and play focused or ready in every game. There are highs and lows to every season. A great emotional leader helps his team avoid the highs and the lows. He gets his team to focus on getting better every week. He knows how to motivate and bring the team together for one common purpose.
Preparation: This is the strategy, game-planning, and Xs & Os that go into every game. It also includes draft and personnel decisions as these are critical to strategy and the rest of a coach's plan. This could almost be a test of a coach's competence, his organization skills, and his judgment with respect to planning.
In-Game performance: This is the ability of a coach to determine what is going on during a game and make adjustments to help his team win. This is where a coach's judgment and decision-making under fire come into play.
Which one is most important? Well, I think they all go together to make up the character of a coach and are all integral to his ability to lead his team to victory. The better question is how can a coach overcome a weakness in one of these areas. When it comes to preparation, the best a head coach can do is hire great coordinators and let them do their thing. In emotional leadership, he will have a big influence no matter what. He must, he's the official head of the team. However, sometimes a star player can overcome a poor emotional leader. The star player should be in a critical position and must provide a stronger foundation for the team than the coach. In-game performance again requires the kind of star player that can turn the worst call into the best call with his play or decision-making ability.
So let me analyze or really speculate about McDaniels with respect to these:
Emotional leadership: The Cutler stuff could have been a huge factor here. The fact that Cutler was traded gives him a clean slate. I am someone that thinks Cutler had all the issues and liked the way McDaniels handled things though. I think in many respects the Cutler saga allowed him to put his stamp on this team. No player is bigger than the team, everyone must compete, prepare, and is accountable. Certainly the FAs and character draft selections will help him here too. I'm really hoping that he took notes from Belicheck here though. With so many naysayers in the MSM on the Bronco's future, I think he really has a chance to parlay that into greater cohesion and focus (ala the NE videotaping scandal during 07). I love the way he addresses the media and avoids putting emotion or judgments into his feedback. The reaction of the team to the first OTAs and the Cutler saga bode well for his tone-setting. I think this will be one of his real strengths especially considering that Belicheck does this better than anyone in the league.
Preparation: He really talks up the importance of organization and preparation. I think he's highly organizaed and incredibly sharp. Belicheck's disciples have proven to be great Xs & Os guys. The big question is how well will these traits benefit a new Head Coach (HC). Sometimes great coordinators don't make great HCs and McDaniels could fall into this category.
His heavy focus on offense in the draft makes me think he could be missing the whole picture. Certainly the draft is a guessing game and taking the best player available is important. However, he clearly has a very detailed vision for this offense and the pass defense. But what worries me is that these areas are where he has expertise. I don't think the trenches are his forte (thankfully the Oline is set). If his strategy doesn't take everything into consideration, then it risks being a poor strategy. Now on his behalf, I think he may feel like he doesn't know what he has on defense with the line. I bet he thinks a better system (3-4) and a good coordinator (Nolan) will clean that group up to a middle of the pack defense. Then, he can actually determine what personnel changes are needed. If so, he's taking a big gamble and I hope some of these no-namers are studs.
I think week in and week out, he is gonna have the team prepared to do well. As mentioned above, I worry about his overplanning. I mean his potential overemphasis on the areas he fully gets and not the areas that maybe need the focus. Belicheck is famous for taking small tactical advantages over a team and exploiting them for victories. His teams are also coached and prepared in every facet of the game that will give them an advantage. Now if time was unlimited, I would just agree that more time and more details were all that is necessary. Time is limited and only some tactical details can be exploited for victories. McDaniels' heavy focus on special teams and 3rd down in the red zone are definitely top priorites for him. He drafted and signed several guys for these purposes alone. The question is will his emphasis here produce W's. The Broncos' will get better, but at what cost?
In-Game performance: Well we only have his offensive play-calling for NE to go by. Any issues? Well, McDaniels is definitely heavy on the system. One of the things I never liked was why NE didn't just throw it up to Randy Moss more often. Everybody remembers Randy in Minnesota. He could have been in the NBA also, so with that speed and his track record chuck it up several times a game. Even with Brady, why not? I think he is focused on beating the other team's system....their defensive strategy or game plan too much. He isn't a big believer in let 'em play and let the big players make the big play. He's a coach that likes to control the game. Well I don't know if that is always a great trait. Anyway, this is complete speculation, but I'm a little worried here. Orton will definitely make him feel comfortable so that is a big plus. He will definitely want the QB that is gonna make the read that he knows will be open prior to his play call. He doesn't want the gamblin', gun slinger that is gonna try and make the play.
In the end, I'm a big McDaniels fan. I think as long as Woody Paige keeps ripping him he has a great chance to be special. I think the Broncos will definitely be in the Division race and playoff hunt this year. However, they could still do those things and be 7-9. Its gonna be a tough year and McD is gonna make some mistakes. The important thing is how he and the team respond......so far so good.
This is a Fan-Created Comment on MileHighReport.com. The opinion here is not necessarily shared by the editorial staff of MHR
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I think you're right
Bowlen has a plan and a vision and believes that McD is the one to implement them.
McD has a very clear vision of what he wants to do, and went out and got the players to make that happen.
The only question remaining is how quickly will the players buy into McD’s vision and gel into a premier team (okay, maybe that’s two questions).
From what I’ve been seeing and reading in player interviews, it sounds like the players are not only buying into the new McD culture of team-ness (is that a word?) and are very excited about playing in the McD system. Which means, hopefully, by the time the regular season starts we will be looking at 53 guys (plus the coaches, and hopefully the fans) who will be playing with excitement, confidence and effectiveness.
13-3 Baby!!!
Pray for the best, prepare for the worst, and hope you come down somewhere between the two.
Can you spell #1 offense?
If Moreno turns into an Adrian Peterson type RB we may score 28-30 points a game. All we’ll need is a 15th ranked defense and we are 13-3 Baby!!!
What was the "scripting of plays" all about?
… that Shanahan was so acclaimed for at the start of each game. Was that just testing the opponents’ defense, to see how they reacted? If so, why not continue the practice. Alternatively, if it was so effective, why didn’t other teams do it?
"Remember, it's only a game."
It was Shanny's unique method
of preparation. Those scripted plays gained MOST of their power through shear repetition. The players were damn good at running those 15 palys because they ran them over and over in practice leading up to the game. Everyone practices plays, but do they practice a series of plays as if they were one BIG play? I think it was ingenious, but he moved away from it in later years, so I think it had one of two flaws: the first was probably the amount of time and resources it took to install scripted plays, the other option is that it wasn’t flexible enough if Shanny was wrong in his evaluations of the opponent. For what it is worth, Shanny seemed to be making more errors in his opponent evaluations in the latter days, and his staff wasn’t talented enough to adjust. i think Shanny’s demise is rooted in his attempts to do EVERYTHING, including thinking for his players.
There is no army so powerful as an idea whose time has come.
by Jeremy Bolander on May 24, 2009 3:12 PM MDT up reply actions
Interesting post
I agree with you completely that these ideas are all facets of eachother, and can’t be separated from the whole, except for the mental exercise of describing them. To use one is to use them all.
1) Emotional Leadership: I think this is best described as thinking in essentials (and having the stones and charisma to apply and express those essentials to others). When you think in essentials, you are always making fundamental decisions, not irrelevant, surface level decisions. I think your use of the word “emotional” indicates that you are thinking along these lines as well. I say this because I don’t think you would equate an emotional outburst of frustration with good leadership. i think I woudl clarify the idea as “Rational Leadership” but your use of the word emotion indicates that you want to express the depth involved in the act of thinking in essentials. if you were to combine your verbiage with mine, I think a good statement would be: “Emotional Control/Rational Leadership.”
Applied to McD, I certainly think he is in control, and believes that he is approching the Broncos froma very fundamental viewpoint. If he can find a way to consistently relay that message, I expect him to gain the same acclaim with this team that Shanny earned early in his career. The best way to make that connection is by your own continual effort, and he certainly seems to have effort in spades. The one negative I would apply to him in this category has to do with his belief that the Cutler situation was repairable, even when loads of evidence were in that it was over. Lets hope he learned the applicable essentials from that experience. the good news is that Bowlen “got it” and didn’t let it carry on any further. I think it is open to debate whether they were doing a “”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hv-G3HIoKc" target="new">good cop/naked cop" routine or not.
2) Preparation: Another great key, another example of focus and goal directed effort in action. I got tired of hearing about how the players finally ahd a good practice in the past few years. To me, there is no excuse for a lousy practice, and I blame the lack of pads. I think in football, lack of pads equals lack of effort, since it cuts the play off at its most critical moment. Football players are going to take hits. They need to be prepared for it. I think it was an error to think that they were being saved significant wear and tear as an overall policy. When the body has time and resources to repair, it repairs. A better monitoring program for player fitness and health would do more fo r the Broncos than padless practices. The policy of letting vets skip certain workouts seems ok, except that they are examples for the younger players, so such priveleges should be used sparingly.
As applied to McD, I think the data he collected on the wieghts of our players, as well as his level of attention to the “forgotten third” is a strong sign that he has that desire to focus, and that small details dont get by him. A lot is of this evaluation is goig to come down to what he knows and how he delegates. I think he knows plenty. Like you I worry about his desire to delegate, particularly with the offense, and most particularly with the QBs. I love his choice of offensive coordinator, which we haven’t talked about a lot here (Mike McCoy, who I would put on par with picking up Mike Nolan: questions about both, but definite coaching talents within their sphere) so i lean towards him understanding the power of good delegation. But it remains to be seen if he will be willing to delgate consistently, given his understanding and reliance on a very specific way of playing offense. We’ll see, especially if we hit a rough stretch.
3) In game performance: at its root I think this comes down to knowledge of the game, and situational awareness. Throw in a little composure and quick-thinking, and I think you have your ideal game-day coach.
As it applies to McD, I don’t look any further than the system he endorses for a football team. It stresses intelligence and adjustments. He definitely understands the game, and he has been intellectually light on his feet in interviews, and has definitely possessed the composed self-confidence of someone who trusts that they are doing the right thing (the source of composure). All that is left to see int his category is how well he executes these qualities on gameday. He exhibited all of the above as an offensive coordinator for the Pats. i don’t share your worries of trying to exert too much control in-game, and from what i saw of the 2007 Pats season, I think he DID let the players play. No system would endorse throwing to a receiver in double and triple coverage (the basics of football require that such coverage would have a systematic option somewhere else due to the numbers) yet Moss was the recepient of many such plays. And the levels they scored at indicate that they really didn’t need to do more of any given thing. As to whether they should have lobbed it up more for Moss last year, well, that is KC’s problem now. :)
There is no army so powerful as an idea whose time has come.
by Jeremy Bolander on May 24, 2009 3:57 PM MDT reply actions 6 recs
Thanks for the feedback
Styg excellent points. I like your in-game analysis. My opinion here was not based on much insight. I realize the "Emotional leadership" title is a little misleading. The word "emotion" is supposed to indicate his ability to direct/manage/manipulate his team’s emotions in a positive manner. It really doesn’t address his own emotions as much as the emotional state of the Bronco team. A coach’s emotions are important in that they will certainly effect the team chemistry and attitude. I like your addition of "Rational". His approach and rationale along with his understanding of "the essentials", as I understand your reference, are critical in his ability to positively affect his team’s emotions. It also requires judgment of team chemistry, or the team’s emotional state, and how a certain act or event can positively change that state or improve it. If he leads without understanding the effect his words and emotions will have on the team, then he really isn’t leading but just being himself. If he doesn’t understand "the essentials" or know his team’s chemistry, then the effect of his decisions can have the opposite of what he intends. A good analogy to clarify my focus would be Singletary’s coaching in SF and Parcells as a coach. They attempt to do and say different things both on a personal and public level that gets players and the team in a certain frame of mind. You can debate whether the effects are positive or not, but certainly these coaches are known for attempting to rile up players and their team. This is emotional leadership and it does require deeply rational decision-making on the coaches part to be successful or positive. If acts like pulling your pants down in front of the team are just a coach’s emotional reaction and have no well thought out goal, then, as a coach, you (and SF) are in for a world of hurt. However, if a coach knows something is missing in his team’s emotional approach to the game and thinks doing this will positively affect their emotional play/focus (a highly rational decision), then you can possibly have great emotional leadership (separate analysis: but considering this act by Singletary did not end in disaster and the team played well bodes well for his emotional leadership and the team’s future). My take is that Shanahan did this poorly. He just took the approach that players will be players and preparation for a coach is the key focus. It takes a lot of understanding and awareness to recognize that football is an emotional game that is won and lost on an emotional level. The best Xs & Os can’t overcome this.
by BideshiBronco on May 25, 2009 9:50 AM MDT up reply actions
Good Post
I too am a fan of McDaniels (so far).
He stated in a news conference that the games are won and lost before camp begins. That tells you how much he believes in the power of preparation. I agree. The vision, organization, evaluations, selection of staff, player selection, player orientation, communications, environment, resources, playbooks, film study, workouts…when done well, lay the foundation for a successful camp and season. The NFL is set up to create parity: the draft, salary cap, limits on practices and camps. To win, organizations have to out-prepare the competition. I agree that he might not delegate in areas he has expertise. I recall that Shanahan was a QB coach and even when he took the head coaching job, he didn’t let go of QB coaching for years. Looks like Josh will do the same. The biggest concern is that after a few years, he’ll burn out, but it is not a risk to the team now, since he’s an expert in that area.
I think there’s room for growth in the area of Emotional Leadership. Great vision and focus, but not much personal charm. Many people’s first impression is that he’s arrogant. He’s so knowledgeable and sure of himself, that it comes off the wrong way. A little self-deprecating humor would go a long way with the press and the general public. (He should look at Obama’s playbook on this issue.) The players however know this is serious business, and it appears they are very willing to follow him. That more important than first impressions of outsiders. With age and winning, he’ll likely relax more in public.
His in-game performance is likely to be good to perhaps great. I think coaches who were QBs in their careers have an advantage, because they know the playbook cold and are familiar with mentally running through options and scenarios quickly. Also, one of his previous jobs with the Patriots was to help the defense prepare for the opponents offense. That has to be useful experience in getting into the head of the other team’s tendencies and decisions.
I formally thought that Shanahan was the preparation guru, but the voices of players are saying that Josh’s preparation is superior. That’s music to my ears.
Thanks again for the post.
Nice post and replies from Styg
However, I have to take exception to the statement “The fact that Cutler was traded gives him a clean slate.” It will be a very heavy millstone around his neck for quite some time – fair or unfair. McDaniels now has to do everything he was expected to do anyway, but overcome the perception that some percentage of that debacle was his doing. I do like his passion, his commitment to special teams, his retention of the ZB and the coaches that know it. The rest is pure speculation (as fun as that may be) and we’ll just have to wait for the regular season (or two) to see how it all translates.
It's "just" football
Thanks for the feedback
Donkhead, you’re right that a great perception exists about the Cutler saga that could weigh McDaniels down; however this perception is in the MSM, not the team (at least it doesn’t appear so). It has produced a backlash in the MSM against the team’s potential. If McD can get the team to rally against this, the Cutler saga will be a plus. In my opinion, the players were not enamored with Cutler as much as the MSM and the local fans. There may have been silent rejoicing amongst the players b/c they didn’t want to play for a guy (the QB) that is basically a self-absorbed boob on an emotional level.
by BideshiBronco on May 25, 2009 9:51 AM MDT up reply actions
MSM or not
It’s all moot now anyway, but it has to be acknowledged that the former QB brought more raw talent to the table than the current QBs. Now before I feel the wrath of the flames, let me say that the other baggage brought to the table by the former QB might very well result in a net negative and I think this is how McD and the majority of posters to this site see it. If JC and McD could’ve gotten past the oil and water stage, then all McD would have had to worry about was replacing a local coaching legend (once again, fair or not). I don’t really give a toss what the MSM writes (at least half those guys write inflammatory stuff just to generate traffic), but what it comes down to now is a bet on McD’s system. In fact, I think both those guys have some extra pressure on them. I’m staying positive, but until we play a season or two, we won’t know how this chapter ends. Go Broncs!
It's "just" football
agree & disagree
I agree with your comments on the MSM. I actually think the MSM gets it wrong more than 50% of the time, so no point in listening to closely. I think McD knows this and TRIES to ignore it as well. I know and am glad he brings a lot of confidence. The problem is no first year coach can completely ignore the naysayers, he can only keep faith in his decisionmaking. That being said, if a couple things don’t get his way, then doubts can creep in.
I think JC getting traded was something that went his way. I disagree that JC has more talent than Orton. I will go back to styg’s “essentials” above. JC has a better arm and feet. Jeff George had a great arm too, but most everyone agrees that to call him talented is a mistake. In the “essentials”, with respect to QB talent, natural talent should include composure, leadership, decision-making, and maturity….why, because these are critical to a QB’s performance under pressure. That is the crux of any superlative for a QB. I take Orton over JC every day of the week. After this year, I think the MSM and the NFL does as well. I really believe the Broncos are gonna be real close to 13-3 as someone has touted. The problem is that even for great teams one injury or event can change that quickly….so I am hoping McD’s plan dodges the “unseen” hurdles.
by BideshiBronco on May 26, 2009 4:13 AM MDT up reply actions
I can't add anything here
So I will just say great discussion
With the 12th pick, the Broncos select Knowshon Moreno - Roger Goodell
That'll move the chains - Andy Samberg
Response comments
All, thanks for the feedback. Styg excellent points. I like your in-game analysis. My opinion here was not based on much insight. I realize the “Emotional leadership” title is a little misleading. The word “emotion” is supposed to indicate his ability to direct/manage/manipulate his team’s emotions in a positive manner. It really doesn’t address his own emotions as much as the emotional state of the Bronco team. A coach’s emotions are important in that they will certainly effect the team chemistry and attitude. I like your addition of “Rational”. His approach and rationale along with his understanding of “the essentials”, as I understand your reference, are critical in his ability to positively affect his team’s emotions. It also requires judgment of team chemistry, or the team’s emotional state, and how a certain act or event can positively change that state or improve it. If he leads without understanding the effect his words and emotions will have on the team, then he really isn’t leading but just being himself. If he doesn’t understand “the essentials” or know his team’s chemistry, then the effect of his decisions can have the opposite of what he intends. A good analogy to clarify my focus would be Singletary’s coaching in SF and Parcells as a coach. They attempt to do and say different things both on a personal and public level that gets players and the team in a certain frame of mind. You can debate whether the effects are positive or not, but certainly these coaches are known for attempting to rile up players and their team. This is emotional leadership and it does require deeply rational decision-making on the coaches part to be successful or positive. If acts like pulling your pants down in front of the team are just a coach’s emotional reaction and have no well thought out goal, then, as a coach, you (and SF) are in for a world of hurt. However, if a coach knows something is missing in his team’s emotional approach to the game and thinks doing this will positively affect their emotional play/focus (a highly rational decision), then you can possibly have great emotional leadership (separate analysis: but considering this act by Singletary did not end in disaster and the team played well bodes well for his emotional leadership and the team’s future). My take is that Shanahan did this poorly. He just took the approach that players will be players and preparation for a coach is the key focus. It takes a lot of understanding and awareness to recognize that football is an emotional game that is won and lost on an emotional level. The best Xs & Os can’t overcome this.
Donkhead, you’re right that a great perception exists about the Cutler saga that could weigh McDaniels down; however this perception is in the MSM, not the team (at least it doesn’t appear so). It has produced a backlash in the MSM against the team’s potential. If McD can get the team to rally against this, the Cutler saga will be a plus. In my opinion, the players were not enamored with Cutler as much as the MSM and the local fans. There may have been silent rejoicing amongst the players b/c they didn’t want to play for a guy (the QB) that is basically a self-absorbed boob on an emotional level.
re: the draft
His heavy focus on offense in the draft makes me think he could be missing the whole picture.
Pardon the agonistic tone, but you’re mistaken regarding the focus. The point value for defense was about 340 points greater (equivalent in value to about the 56th pick) than that for the offense, according to trade chart values. The number of offensive picks was greater but they mostly come later in the draft. 6 of the 7 draftworthy UDFAs are on defense, too, which is hardly insignificant.
Our draft would have had an even stronger defensive flavor if there hadn’t been so many teams stocking 3-4s this cycle. Many of the defensive players that other teams drafted went too early, so we avoided the “winner’s curse” by not reaching even farther for DLs.
The reason we drafted DBs is twofold; this was a good year for CBs, and we needed Safeties, who were also available in the earlier portion of the draft.
Although its speculative at this point, we probably would have taken Raji and T Jackson with our first two picks if they had been available, but they weren’t. The number of offensive picks is an artifact of the process. The late rounders that we picked on offense are actually well-positioned to earn roster spots, so — oddly — they stood a greater chance of sticking in spite of our needs on defense. There was greater depth in this year’s draft at positions such as OG/OC, WR, etc., so the criteria for these late picks is different from how we might describe the criterion for the draft as a whole.
Unfortunately, the sad truth is that it’s very hard to find good DLs, so we draft what we can when we can. Simply adding more defensive players doesn’t work — oddly — it merely makes slight, incremental improvements, at best. Our focus in the draft will turn again to defense in future drafts, particularly in the early part, and we’ll once again attempt to find impact DLs.
BTW — nice topic! +1
thanks for the feedback
First, let me say that I like his picks primarily b/c they were character picks and I think his organizational approach to the draft was great. Second, I don’t agree with your analysis about the DBs. Reference a draft expert that said the draft is stocked at CB. I think most experts thought it was stacked at S though. Either way, you said CB and safety were positions of need.
I would ask if TE was a position of need as well. I don’t think any of these were high needs. The team has starters at all these positions right now. We certainly could use depth at CB and S, but first day picks are primarily for projected starters. So why go with a CB, TE, and S? Well, I hope these guys were the best players available or steals at these positions (based on team strategy), b/c otherwise we shouldn’t have picked ’em. Now that being said, I think they may be great players, so the verdict is out if they are steals or worthy of the pick.
On a strategy level though, I am pretty sure McD has some great ideas about how to make the offense more efficient in the red zone and that he really needs DBs that get turnovers. For these reasons (and hopefully his staff’s projections for these players future production), I think McD drafted these guys.
My point then, is what if this red zone offensive scheme and the character, ball hawking players don’t produce W’s. Because, quite frankly, I don’t think anyone would argue that these areas of focus in team strategy are more important than the ability to stop the run. In McD’s judgment, he feels confident he can get the job done with what he has. Its a total judgment call. We will not know the answer until the season starts, actually ends. Knowing that 1st year coaches can and will make some mistakes, I worry that this judgment call may be one.
Even if it is, it doesn’t mean it costs us the division or anything. There is still time, moves, and coaching that can fix it all up.
by BideshiBronco on May 25, 2009 9:49 AM MDT up reply actions
draft criteria -- impact (digressions)
There are misunderstandings regarding draft strategy that are partly the result of examining a draft through the “need” criteria. As I’ve said, and far too often; ’addressing a need is not the same is meeting a need."
I wish I could come up with a catchier expression, but the idea is that you don’t actually help your team if you merely draft a player at a need position in certain ranges of the draft. Let me explain by using a grading scale like PFW uses, (SEE SCALE).
Firstly, BPA is a bit of fiction, but it’s useful fiction. Secondly, draftnik sites are frequently NOT helpful in giving us accurate ratings, so it’s best not to fixate on their numbers, but rather, consider them more like ballpark estimates.
“Impact” is the only real criteria we’ll consider and it’s a combination of BPA and ‘need.’ 2009’s crop of prospective draftees was weak in the DL34s and there were a number of teams switching to the 3-4. Of the DLs available in the 1st and 2nd, there were only 2 in the 1st and 2 in the 2nd. That’s not much!
2009’s draft crop was strong in certain areas. Some of those areas — OL, WR, TE, CB, S, OLB/DE. Strength is a qualified term, since ‘where’ or ‘shape’ is important. Our picks in the first 2 rounds were in areas of the draft that were strong — not surprisingly. So, we picked players whose BPA ratings, or ability to play (i.e., “starter quality”), made them likely to play early in their careers.
In the case of Quinn; some positions have multiple players in a formation. Multiple WRs are common, and so are multiple TEs, so the player’s opportunity to ‘see the field’ isn’t dependent on playing a backup role and replacing the starter under emergency conditions. TE doesn’t have to be considered a need to justify picking him, since his ability to impact the team by serving as a 2nd TE in jumbo sets used in red zone situations (and others) is high. We also lacked a quality 3rd string TE and we lacked a 2nd blocking TE. Putzier is a serviceable pass catcher (at best) and Mustard is gone (also only serviceable). The logic of picking Quinn is obvious when one considers it from a pragmatic standpoint.
TE was a strong area in this draft, and Quinn was very well regarded. His limited role as a pass catcher in college kept him in with the ‘sleepers.’ None of us here understands exactly how he’ll be used yet, so we’ll just have to wait and see what Mc & Mc are doing, but the best way of understanding Quinn’s positional value is by looking at who was the 1st TE drafted — Brandon Pettigrew. Pettigrew is not a fast, pass catching TE, so why did he have value? Many of the TEs in this draft are fast pass catchers but they can’t block. Obviously, they don’t hold as much value to teams as many people thought. Blocking is still very important — particularly to coaches — but draftnik’s don’t like it when there aren’t ‘numbers’ to guide them.
Seguing back — DL34s in the minus 5.34 range (late picks/reserves) aren’t helpful if all they do is knock off likewise talented players on your roster or are themselves cut. They may eventually become better, although iffy, players than those on your team but they’re inexperienced, too, so you often regress by playing them. Fans like the longshot strategy that produces Mecklenburgs but it takes an enormous amount of picks to find one. And we have them, too, in the form of Pedescleaux, etc., anyways. Taking a player such as, for instance, Terrance Taylor (NT), merely creates a problem, since he’s not good enough to succeed but you have to pay him while he’s here, and you end up cutting him eventually for an upgrade and lose your investment. It’s a “half solution” and they don’t work well.
by Colinski on May 25, 2009 4:00 PM MDT up reply actions 2 recs
why didn't you make this a new post??
by broncointheville on May 25, 2009 4:24 PM MDT up reply actions
standards, as in mine
It may be long but it doesn’t meet the standard I set for a topic. I’m aware of a number of limitations that I want to fix in the analysis but I’m too lazy to do it right now.
you can't write a perfect post
not saying YOU can’t, but that it isn’t a worhtwhile goal to make a “leak-proof” argument. Rather than fix the limitations, you might just remove them altogether, and delimit the scope of the theme…
Or may be that isn’t what you were talking about.
There is no army so powerful as an idea whose time has come.
by Jeremy Bolander on May 26, 2009 3:18 AM MDT up reply actions
further comments -- addressing your points
I digressed but I wanted address your points.
Having spent considerable time doing draft analysis lately; I’m very happy with our draft. Opinions tend to bifurcate lately based on one’s opinions on Cutler-gate but I’m hardly the Koolaid drinking type.
Re: ball hawkers. This was indeed a need. My ideal draft mirrored the actual draft. I wanted a CB and was specifically looking at Smith but didn’t think we’d have the chance to draft him. The thinking was that we would work to restore our pass defense while at the same time working to increase our DL strength, which is a separate project. The tendency to co-mingle these tasks is the error. DBs must be first and foremost pass defenders. Pass rush capacity should come from the OLBs and DLs. Moreover, run stopping ability comes the front seven, although we want DBs who run support. It makes far more sense to work on pass coverage now, even though it may be an incomplete project until we develop our pass rush, since it’s an eventual and important need.
The assumption that “we will make some mistakes” has a Cutlergate flavor to it. I’m not picking up on mistakes, and I’d probably see them if they were there. Xanders and McDaniels are showing themselves to be particularly shrewd at their jobs. Despite the herd mentality that guides many people’s opinions and the yellow sports press that piles onto issues, this draft and FA crop (both types) looks very good. The question is not whether we will become a good team overnight, nor should we be. The question is whether McX have followed sound team building principles, and there’s strong indications that they have. In fact, I’m very impressed with what they’ve done. They’ve accomplished far more than I thought was possible in a short period of time.
A slight segue on groupthink — I’ve looked at some of the ‘analysts’ assessments. WalterFootball thinks that our crop was terrible. Oddly, Walt also thought that Baker would have been the #40 pick, which he doesn’t consider when grading our draft. So, if you don’t draft him then he’s not good but he is if you do! The best advice I can give is ignore these analysts completely. It takes considerable effort to ignore the sway of groupthink but you’ll be rewarded in the end.
I am definitely a McD fan too at this point.
Honestly, I am very impressed with just about everything he has done to this point. Bowlen seems to have doubts about the Cutler saga, but I think that in McD’s heart of hearts he didn’t think Cutler was the right QB. The only thing that he has done that makes me question him a little bit is the trade proposal for Matt Cassel, because I am just not convinced that he is that good of a QB. But no one knows him better than McD and I am just a fan. Other than that though, I see a reasonable rationale for every move that he has made in the draft and free agency.
On emotional leadership, I remember a quote from Dan Reeves: “If I have to motivate players, then I have the wrong players.” I think that Shanahan had a lot of that in him. That is a manly, old school approach, but I think that it is a big mistake. A lot of these players are still young and emotionally immature, and need some inspiration from their coach both to get them up for practice and the games, as well as to encourage chemistry. I am not really sure what McD’s style will be in this aspect of coaching.
Does anyone know what McD’s practice with/without pads philosophy will be? I am defintely a fan of the practice without pads approach, but there is a definitely a certain amount of preparation and evaluation that has to occur in pads. I don’t think you can see how tough a player is without pads, and think there has been a lot of toughness missing from the Broncos in recent years. At he same time, I worry that injuries are already too big of a factor, and as these guys continue to get bigger, they are reaching the limit of the impact that the human body can sustain on a prolonged basis. Look at the size of the players in the 80s compared to today, the difference is astounding. Having played some rugby and football, one of the differences that jumped out at me is the fact that you wear pads in football allows you to use the full momentum of your body against your opponent. Without those pads, your body disintegrates (why a lot of football players hurt their shoulders when learning rugby). I hope that if they extend the season, that they increase the size of the rosters. I also think that it would be a good thing for the league in the long run because it increases their ability to develop talent.
by Orange Crush II on May 25, 2009 2:47 AM MDT reply actions
Thanks for the Insight
Thank you for the insight and great article. Just some my own thoughts here:
The important attribute for Head Coach is the ability to COMMUNICATE his coaching system. The things that impressed me most about McDaniels:
1] Communication skills
2] Knowledge of the game,
3] Experience of game planning on offense & defense,
4] Commitment to Teaching and Mentoring system for coaches and players,
5] Team concept for winning as a team,
6] Passion for winning,
7] Building Broncos team with character players.
Evaluating or analyzing a coach I look for: Passion which equates to emotional leadership under control, by using too much emotion players tend to get too hyped and make too many mistakes, their energy is spent by the ½ half before the 4th quarter, nothing left in the tank to finish the 4th quarter.
I also think the Head Coach has to possess the confidence and be committed to Teaching & Mentorship. This influence will carry over to both the young and veteran players. Understanding the system will allow the players to practice at a very high level and apply what they learned overtime automatically without thinking during game time.
The successful Head Coach has to have the experience and ability to analyze and coach on his feet during game time. I believe McDaniels has that very special talent to visualize, analyze, and make the adjustments during the game. The few coaches who do possess this talented ability are always winning games.
Why I Josh McDaniels will build a winner in Denver as our new head coach:
1] He’s got his game plan and is implementing it with confidence, validated by his experienced coaching staff.
2] Building his team with players of good character, smart, tough, versatile, talented, like to win, and who believe in da team concept.
3] Knows his players including the Rookie draft class of 2009. Not traditional drafting practice as in the past when the previous regime drafted players without interviewing them. Said another way McDaniels and staff drafted players they knew and wanted.
4] Something Josh McDaniels said, really impressed me "we aren’t drafting just to fill
positions who we would cut later," instead they drafted talented players who fit their perquisite standards for a player who will improve the team and make the 53 man roster.
5] He knows FOOTBALL both offense and defense and can game plan against either hence the reason for Mike Nolan and Mike McCoy, he knows what he wants and needs it may take another year or two to get all the players to fit his system, but I believe he will have Broncos competitive this coming season.
6] Extremely organized and committed to making Denver Broncos winners now – not later – but now.
As far as organization I rate him right up there with Red Miller and Dan Reeves. McDaniels will bring his excellent Communication skills which translate into better football through better understanding of the system sooner rather than later.
To analyze what my expectations are for the coming season "exciting football both offense and defense." I think McDaniels with training camp and preseason games will gain enough to understand his new head coaching style and be ready to perform and deliver once regular season starts. I see great football on the horizon and really looking forward to watching it unfold in Denver.
oc60
THANKS EVERYONE!!! GO BRONCOS!!!
Delightful & informative comments all!!! It’s kinda wierd, but I think I agree with almost all of them, & youall did a MUCH better job of articulating it far better than I!!!
Wow...great post and a stellar discussion!
"From the get-go, we targeted a certain type of player: tough, smart, competitive, versatile, a good person that loves football and wants to win." -Coach McDaniels
by Colorado_Kitten on May 26, 2009 12:13 PM MDT reply actions
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