The Good, Bad, and Ugly Wk 9 Bye:

I’m perplexed to say the least about our Broncos a team that looks discombobulated. Since the KC Chiefs 44 to 24 demolitions of the Broncos in last year’s final home game on January 3rd and the unexpected humiliating 59 to 14 lost to Raiders at home in Wk 8 finally made realize the cool aid is tainted. The truth has been revealed this Bronco team has been on the path of destruction and completely in disarray since the lost of Elvis Dummervil. Coach McDaniels post game interviews this season were just too even keel for my taste. Admitting they were out played, out coach, and out planned is not acceptable as a Bronco’s fan against their division rivals. No passion, no outward anger in having lost their 14th game in 18 regular season games. This team is not as good as last year. Actually very mediocre that is hard to accept after 155 transactions last season to end the 2009.

In 22 months I think Coach McDaniels has actually built a Broncos team with mediocre players. His team concept to find and build around versatile, smart, talented, and team players who want to win philosophy has in fact not panned out IMO. The team has been stripped of the few player makers we had before McDaniels arrived. It’s going to take big bucks and at least another 2 to 3 years to establish a winning culture with or without McDaniels. Not sure fans have the patience to wait that long for McDaniels to keep building a winner? It’s been 12 years since Elway retired and 5 years since Denver last played in any playoff games. One play-off game in 12 years is simply not acceptable. In comparing this team to the 97 / 98 teams from the past is like comparing an expansion team way too many mediocre players who would not make the team. The age of the defense is a formula for more failure in the near future. By the time the offense comes around to scoring more points, the defense will have its problems with too much youth. We all know Defense win championships.

Said another way McDaniels has settled for players who are smart, but mediocre and lack the pure athleticism to be starters, or his system is just too complicated to learn in one or two seasons. I believe every team needs Player-makers, players who are needed to build a competitive elite team with a good cross section of players who can compete against elite teams in the AFC. Sadly we are securely in last place of the Western Division and this can’t be tolerated.

AFC West Team W

Kansas City Chiefs 5 3 0 .625 183 145 38 21 4-0 1-3 1-1 .500 4-3 .571 1-0 1L 2-3 Oakland Raiders 5 4 0 .556 235 188 47 24 4-1 1-3 3-0 1.000 3-2 .600 2-2 3W 4-1 San Diego Chargers 4 5 0 .444 239 197 42 29 3-1 1-4 0-2 .000 3-3 .500 1-2 2W 2-3 Denver Broncos 2 6 0 .250 154 223 -69 17 1-3 1-3 0-1 .000 1-5 .167 1-1 4L 1-4

IMO, the following players had the "IT" attitude factor [Cutler, B.Marsh, P.Hillis, T.Scheffler, A.Smith] they had attitude, and the desire to win. They had something special I call them play-makers these are the kind of players Coach McDaniels couldn’t coach so they were traded, cut, or waived. I can sense another key player Ryan Harris on his way out because it seems he’s in McD’s dog house. In my opinion Coach McDaniels needs to improve his interpersonal skills as a coach so that he can deal with temperamental high maintenance players. Every team has them and the coach who can handle and deal with them win games the difference of making the playoffs. Some coaches are more adapt at handling the prima donna characters in sports and win games because of it. Learning to win is an acquired art and requires strong leadership traits with excellent communication skills and people skills. I believe the Broncos need someone who can evaluate talent which is lacking in Denver sorry to say to assist McD.

Rushing stats:

11 Peyton Hillis CLE RB 133 16.6 644 4.8 80.5 7 48 34 25.6 4 1 4 23 Ryan Torain WAS RB 91 15.2 391 4.3 65.2 3 36 17 18.7 5 0 2 40 Knowshon Moreno DEN RB 76 15.2 252 3.3 50.4 2 17 9 11.8 0 0 2

Receiving Stats:

4 Brandon Marshall MIA WR 52 618 11.9 77.2 46 1 7 2 33 63.5 1 8 Jabar Gaffney DEN WR 45 516 11.5 64.5 28 1 6 0 25 55.6 0 16 Brandon Lloyd DEN WR 42 878 20.9 109.8 71 4 17 7 39 92.9 0 28 Eddie Royal DEN WR 38 427 11.2 53.4 41 2 7 1 22 57.9 1 49 Peyton Hillis CLE RB 30 229 7.6 28.6 29 1 2 0 14 46.7 0 61 Tony Scheffler DET TE 28 239 8.5 29.9 25 1 2 0 14 50.0 0 135 Demaryius Thomas DEN WR 16 215 13.4 30.7 31 2 4 0 11 68.8 1 279 Spencer Larsen FB 3 37 12.3 6.2 29 0 1 0 1 33.3 0 227 Dan Gronkowski DEN TE 6 42 7.0 5.2 13 0 0 0 2 33.3 0

Quarterback

8 Kyle Orton DEN QB 195 316 61.7 39.5 2,509 7.9 313.6 12 5 114 36.1 71 40 9 21 92.7 15 Jay Cutler CHI QB 128 211 60.7 30.1 1,671 7.9 238.7 9 7 73 34.6 89T 20 4 28 86.0

Brad Childress coach of Minnesota Vikings who traded I believe a #4 pick in next years draft to Patriots to acquire Randy Moss. Two weeks later he waived Moss because he didn’t know how to handle this temperamental player. Now Childress is on the hot seat I predict he’s gone by season’s end if not sooner [add Wade Phillips to the list]. His team is definitely underachieving this season a team many predicted to make it to the play-offs. A coach who wanted another super star with the IT factor to put them over the top with Farve-QB, and Petersen-RB but coach Childress couldn’t manage Moss and took the easy way out. Unfortunately, IMO, Josh McDaniels has the same short comings as a coach he needs to correct if he wants to be successful in the NFL.

Now Coach Tom Coughlin of New York Giants took a tough situation at the beginning of the season with two running backs Bradshaw and Jacobs both competing for the starting job with Jacobs demanding more playing time or trade him. With the team off to a poor start losing 2 of 4 games, are now in control of the division with a 6-2 record the difference of coaching and mentoring is winning. He didn’t trade or cut Jacobs he’s now a vital part of a winning team.

How do you build consistency and continuity as a coach when you’re making so many changes to the core group of players on offense & defense with all these changes occurring I think it’s difficult to build a cohesive team. Camaraderie comes with success in winning games not with just enthusiasm. IMO it would have been better to keep certain young players and work harder to improve their playing techniques which I hope the coaches are trying to accomplish through mentorship and teaching. There is no consistency, no continuity, no camaraderie that comes with poor leadership that can’t seem to win.[lead by example].

Versatility can hurt your team; IMO Versatility is a formula for disaster when part of that scheme means using key players who are either starters or key backups and rookies being groom to become key starters over time based on where they were drafted. To draft a player in the 1st & 2nd round and say it doesn’t matter and that they must be versatile to make the team and play on special teams is a joke putting them at peril makes no sense. Personally, I don’t agree with McDaniels philosophy when versatility means playing skilled starters on special teams [rb, wr, qb, nt, cb]. IMO, only backups should be judge for their versatility for making the team and who can be a difference maker on special teams [JMOP].

In defense of Josh McDaniels I do believe he is an excellent communicator but lacks the experience of actually organizing a winning team. Enthusiasm can only take a team so far before reality starts to sinks in and players begin to lose enthusiasm and confidence in its leadership. Winning takes care of many pit falls a team has, e.g. the Raiders, Chiefs, Rams, and Bucs. Losing a hard habit to break just ask the Raiders or Chiefs. Winning cures everything only need to look at the Bucs, Raiders, Rams, and Chiefs. Said another way I think the real measure is how a player performs on game day under the lights. Some excel while others never reach their potential on game day. Players like; Tyler Polumbus [waived], Marquez Branson waived, Chris Baker cut, D’Anthony Batiste waived, Le Kevin Smith cut are at position that we’ve seen far too many changes with, and now we have LeKevin Smith back. Why not be more patient and invest more time developing them as oppose to wasting the time of constantly changing looking for the next All-Pro starter.

E.g. IMO, using Demaryius Thomas as a kick returner puts him at high risk as a rookie when you have so much invested in him to excel at WR. Considering he is a rookie still learning the pro-game they should focus their attention on making him the starter to replace Brandon Marshall. He has been injured on kick returns twice and missed too many games since training camp. Worst is the fact he’s not being used enough to develop his receiving knowledge and using his huge potential as a WR his potential is off the charts and would make the team better. Look how KC Chiefs developed Jamaal Charles since last season. The Cowboys are doing the same with Bryant, Colts with Hernandez, Lions with Best, Bucs with Williams to name a few. Shameful that our #1 pick D.Thomas only has 16 receptions after 8 games primarily from of lack of playing time at WR. The #2 and most prolific passing attack in the NFL could be more prolific with D. Thomas in the line-up opposite Brandon Lloyd. Poor scheme and poor coaching is costing Broncos wins. Broncos need to score more points to win. By using Royal & Thomas in the return game is costing the team TD opportunities 2 to 6 times a game because of return duties. IMO, by playing Eddie Royal and D.Thomas at WR full time would open up the offense for both Lloyd and Royal both who are play makers. Thomas has the skills and is a "football" player who has the IT factor along with being a player-maker. Thomas will attract double coverage every time he’s on the field opening up passing lanes for both Lloyd & Royal.

That said the game against the KC Chiefs will be the most important game of the season. Any chance to finish at 10-6 or 9-7 has to start with KC Chief. A lost to the Chief will end any hope for a 500 season. IMO a lost puts us in line for a 5th pick in the first round next April 2011.