Elway was consistently pressured to define his position within the organization, often brushing back comments about his lack of experience as an NFL Executive. But John continually boiled down his job down to something simple: remaking the Denver Broncos as a classy organization after McDaniels tarnished its image.
The end was mercifully quick… for Broncos Nation and for Josh McDaniels. How could an era that began with such promise and fanfare go down in flames so fast?
The Broncos had a chance to play spoiler and steal this one from their hated rivals on the road, but poor play-calling in the final minutes by Josh McDaniels killed that chance. Kyle Orton was terrible, completing only 9 of 28 passes, and the Chiefs rushed for 185 yards as they beat the Broncos in the final act of the tragedy that was Josh McDaniels’ head coaching stint.
Bowlen originally stated last week that he would not fire Josh this season or next, but immediately began backtracking from that statement in subsequent interviews. Now rumors are circulating that Bowlen fired McDaniels as a late-day birthday present to local blogger Ian Cerveny.
The Broncos’ free-fall continued as the defense gave up 431 yards to the young Rams offense. Sam Bradford had his first 300-yard passing performance, adding 3 TD passes as the Rams moved into a tie for first in the NFC West with Seattle. As bad as Denver’s defense is, I’m not sure that Elvis Dumervil would have made a difference.
The two AFC West head coaches meet twice a year into the foreseeable future, and a feud is already brewing. After just three games playing opposing chessmasters, Josh has gotten deep under Todd’s skin without really trying.
And now Ian’s annual Broncos prediction piece, which tests his swami-like ability to see the future through the bottom of a bourbon glass. Strap in for the bumpy ride that will be Denver’s up-and-down 2010-2011 season…
The 2010 Broncos season is just one draft, three shockingly random trades, and five months away. The once proud residents of Broncoland, who have spent most of this offseason trying to avoid the new ‘all news is bad news’ flavor of the organization, are desperate to know how Denver stacks up against its 2010 competition.
All things being equal, it is difficult to decipher the tendencies of McDaniels and Xanders after their free-wheeling, pick-trading 2009 Draft odyssey. If the stars aligned perfectly, the Broncos could spend the first two picks setting the middle of their defense & offense with Rolando McClain & Maurkice Pouncey respectively.
Tim listens well, learns well, and stays out of off-field trouble. He is the ideal student for a coach looking to bark orders and take no lip. And yet, no matter how hard McDaniels pushes, Tebow will forever remain… the unflappable Tim Tebow.
