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ENLARGE
Which combination sounds better to you: a Hall of Fame coach leading a pro bowl quarterback and an uber-talented wide receiver, or a 32-year-old rookie working with a weak-armed, statuesque playcaller and a 5-foot-9 wideout?
Hmmm ... We should probably pick the first one, right? Well, not if you're the Broncos.
If in fact the Broncos do trade Brandon Marshall — which the receiver is demanding — Denver's most-beloved sports franchise will have canned a legend (Mike Shanahan), thrown away a possible superstar (Jay Cutler) and dealt one of the most promising athletes in the league (Marshall) — all within several months.
Really, it's pretty remarkable, if not laughable.
When last season ended with an amazing display of self-implosion by the blue and orange, I really thought a once-proud franchise had bottomed out. They had a playdo-soft defense that's only chance to hold an opponent to less than 20 points was to only play three quarters. Sure, their offense was pretty exciting, and Cutler actually had a good season statistically, but they had pretty much no ground game — especially with losing seven backs to injuries.
Things looked bleak for the team, so they decided to rebuild.
Axing the leader of the franchise's only two Super Bowl wins was the first step. Then they promoted Brian Xanders to the general manager position, and he hired offensive guru Josh McDaniels as head coach.
Like super heroes looking to save D-Town from the perils of NFL mediocrity, the X-Man and the Boy Blunder gutted the defense, cut starters, then tried to trade their franchise player.
That last part proved to be devastating. Showing true professionalism and maturity, Cutler decided to pout rather than earn the respect of his new coach. McDaniels, utilizing his wealth of head-coaching experience, decided to alienate the sensitive QB, eventually causing the franchise to trade him — for Kyle Orton.
If that's not enough, all the different moves in the offseason angered Marshall, who now feels that his two decent seasons in the league mean that he deserves more than the $2.198 million his contract pays him this year. After all, a couple falls of good stats, a few times in court, a solid suspension by the NFL all add up to more money, right? At least Marshall seems to think so, and his agent said he's demanded a trade.
The Broncos say they won't deal him, but they said that with Cutler, too.
So, besides trading in a bunch of mid-level defensive players for a new group of mid-level defensive players, all the team has done is down grade at arguably the two most important positions (coach and QB) and angered their only other top-tier offensive player.
Needless to say, it appears that McDaniels won't bring his offensive success he had in New England to the Mile High City. After working with one of the top QBs of all time and a winner of three Super Bowls, McDaniels now has Orton, whose career highlights involve watching a Super Bowl loss from the bench and growing one of the best neck beards in league history.
If nothing else, at least Xanders and McDaniels have gotten Denver a lot of headlines, even if it's for turning one of the league's thoroughbreds into a three-legged mule.
Hmmm ... We should probably pick the first one, right? Well, not if you're the Broncos.
If in fact the Broncos do trade Brandon Marshall — which the receiver is demanding — Denver's most-beloved sports franchise will have canned a legend (Mike Shanahan), thrown away a possible superstar (Jay Cutler) and dealt one of the most promising athletes in the league (Marshall) — all within several months.
Really, it's pretty remarkable, if not laughable.
When last season ended with an amazing display of self-implosion by the blue and orange, I really thought a once-proud franchise had bottomed out. They had a playdo-soft defense that's only chance to hold an opponent to less than 20 points was to only play three quarters. Sure, their offense was pretty exciting, and Cutler actually had a good season statistically, but they had pretty much no ground game — especially with losing seven backs to injuries.
Things looked bleak for the team, so they decided to rebuild.
Axing the leader of the franchise's only two Super Bowl wins was the first step. Then they promoted Brian Xanders to the general manager position, and he hired offensive guru Josh McDaniels as head coach.
Like super heroes looking to save D-Town from the perils of NFL mediocrity, the X-Man and the Boy Blunder gutted the defense, cut starters, then tried to trade their franchise player.
That last part proved to be devastating. Showing true professionalism and maturity, Cutler decided to pout rather than earn the respect of his new coach. McDaniels, utilizing his wealth of head-coaching experience, decided to alienate the sensitive QB, eventually causing the franchise to trade him — for Kyle Orton.
If that's not enough, all the different moves in the offseason angered Marshall, who now feels that his two decent seasons in the league mean that he deserves more than the $2.198 million his contract pays him this year. After all, a couple falls of good stats, a few times in court, a solid suspension by the NFL all add up to more money, right? At least Marshall seems to think so, and his agent said he's demanded a trade.
The Broncos say they won't deal him, but they said that with Cutler, too.
So, besides trading in a bunch of mid-level defensive players for a new group of mid-level defensive players, all the team has done is down grade at arguably the two most important positions (coach and QB) and angered their only other top-tier offensive player.
Needless to say, it appears that McDaniels won't bring his offensive success he had in New England to the Mile High City. After working with one of the top QBs of all time and a winner of three Super Bowls, McDaniels now has Orton, whose career highlights involve watching a Super Bowl loss from the bench and growing one of the best neck beards in league history.
If nothing else, at least Xanders and McDaniels have gotten Denver a lot of headlines, even if it's for turning one of the league's thoroughbreds into a three-legged mule.
