If it ain’t broke, part ways with it
The exodus from the Broncos reaching epic proportions.
Mike Nolan, former Broncos defensive coordinator
Mike Nolan and the Denver Broncos “mutually agreed” to part ways today, according to Mike Klis at the Denver Post.
This doesn’t appear to be a firing, it appears more like a knowledgeable football guy jumping off of a ship that might be sinking faster than anyone realizes. I really REALLY want to give Josh McDaniels the benefit of the doubt here, but it seems like people can’t get away from him fast enough. Coaches are bolting from Dove Valley faster than a Tiger Woods sponsor. (Spare me the groan, I know it was a bad joke. I’m just beside myself here.)
The one area that the Broncos significantly improved was the defense, and Nolan was instrumental in that. Wasn’t he? Or was Josh just pulling the strings and Nolan got sick of being a puppet in a puppet regime that was fast degrading into a comedy of errors?
The long and short of it here is that Nolan was exactly the kind of guy the Broncos needed. Once teams figured out how to beat this defense, he kept most of the games respectable, given what he had to work with. I’m even more concerned at the mass exodus that’s happening. By the time McDaniels finishes his reign of terror here, there won’t be anything left. Even more worrisome, is that it appears he’s leaving in favor of Dean Pees, a 60-year old former Patriots coach (SHOCK!) who finished the season in ill health.
This is getting comical folks. Don’t think for a second that Denver isn’t the laughing stock of the NFL right now. The joke is on us, and McDaniels is the punchline. He may do fine. This team may improve over its 8-8 finish. But I’m finally staking out my position here – I no longer respect Josh McDaniels as a head coach in the NFL, and I will continually call for his dismissal. I can no longer support the mockery he has made of the NFL franchise that I love.
“jump ship” was the exact term I thought of when I read about this last night. I’m glad you used that analogy.
It occurs to me that we may start next season without three of Mike Shanahan’s best draft picks: Dumervil, Scheffler & Marshall. This after parting ways with Cutler in favor of an underachieving running back, a yet-to-achieve cornerback, and a quarterback best described as a placeholder (ya know… holds his place in the pocket until somebody comes along to strip the ball away.)
what, no love for the Tiger joke?