No, not McDonalds...or McDowells.
I'm talking about the flame broiled taste of a fired McDaniels. It's pretty damn tasty right about now.
I know some McD sympathizers, have been one myself, but I have no issue with the early dismissal at this point, but will listen to and welcome arguments. Bluntly, the Broncos have never been less relevant since I've been a fan. Granted that is only ~25 yrs or so. Anyone who knew the true lean years can call me out. But this has been a really BAD stretch. Unacceptable.
Call it a PR MOVE.
Bowlen is acting senile and perhaps Al Davis Batshit Insane Jr.
If he wants to waste his money on fired coaches, I'm not sure I can argue. It seems like he wants to maintain some franchise respect right about now? He can't continue that crusade without further spending and whatnot, so if his coffers are depleted but can cut losses and admit a poor coaching decision back in January 2009 (and he can afford it), then he can buy the next round...and the high draft pick next year. But then hopefully not truly become Al Davis and run the franchise completely into the ground within the decade. shit.
I'm ill prepared to offer much beyond emotion (and a Josh McD final win percentage of .393. yikes). I'm pretty surprised really that this happened mid-season...I guess things are working out for the Vikes and Cowboys after their jettisons. still doesn't really make sense to me. I'm rambling, but am pretty curious what the "fanbase" thinks.
The Broncos will probably win out and get a shitty draft pick and draft an overrated prospect that will be cut in two years.
Also, anyone know who Eric Studesville is?
14 comments:
I agree this is definitely a good PR move. I think the riled fanbase is a big part of this decision, although considering the record this season, the move seemed inevitable at least by the end of the season (unless Bowlen is completely broke/insane). Personally, I think the jury is still out to some degree on McD's ability to coach. Even the multitude of bashers have to wonder how if he is that incompetent of a coach, he won 6 straight games against many playoff teams. Maybe the answer is that the NFL is truly a flukeish league. But, the questionable trades/draft choices (nothing brand new to this organization even before McD) and brash personality clearly polarized the base in "Broncos Country" to the point that everyone can agree this has to be done.
In a vivid deja vu moment, I hope whoever Bowlen hires, it includes a separate GM hire. I don't expect the sexy Cowher or Gruden rumors to gain much traction. Kubes seems more likely if he gets canned. In any event, while I thought the witch hunt mentality forcing the ouster was rather childish (no pun intended), I am happy we can put this dramatic chapter to a close.
Now bring back the orange, get a top 5 draft pick, and everyone can shut up and begin complaining about something else. Oh, and put in Plummer.....
Studesville? Haven't a clue. With our luck, he's about to go 4-0 as interim head coach.
I think McD has a future as an X's/O's guy and blame a lack of a true GM more than anything for his demise. Along with his ego. A GM hiring is more important than the next coach in my opinion. Bowlen needs to let a coach, coach. I read that Bowlen and Elway had dinner on Monday night. Expect Elway in some executive role, although not GM. Spygate II definately put Bowlen over the top as far as timing of this firing. I would have no problem with Calhoun coming in to coach and Kubes as OC, if and when he gets canned down here in the swamp.
Agreed, bring back the Orange, including the end zones. Best day of the year in Colorado football overall with Embree/EB signing 5 year deals as well up in Boulder. Bring back the 90's!
Yeah, lost in all of this hoopla is the nice change in Boulder. Very happy to pairing - best of both worlds perhaps.
And yes, hire a freaking GM already. Elway seems to be prepared to get involved for sure. Those crappy videos of Bowlen and Elway at dinner last night were damn creepy though.
Clayton was talking the Calhoun possibility on ESPN last night...
Shanny called Calhoun the "smartest man in football" he knew when he was an assistant. You know Young Bear is fired up!
I didn't see the Elway/Bowlen pics.
Definitely mixed emotions from me. Tough to argue the point that we've completely sucked this year, and that he lacked any effort on improving the defensive. On the other hand, I love that image of him going ape shit after we beat NE last season.
Given Young Bear's resurgence of the daily Hi Five and the exciting times here in the Mile Hi, I've been compelled to start posting again on KTH. It's been so long I had to create a new blogger account today - as they say on the radio "first time, long time." Not sure if there is nerd speak for that, but I'm sure I'll learn as I go.
One thing is for certain, we're at an interesting crossroads here in Bronco Country. I've more or less been a Bronco fan since I can remember and I've been spoiled, it's been an easy task - they were the one team I could count on not completely sucking. A little persuasion from a young Death Truck and they were quickly my favorite team upon moving to Colorado. And now they suck. The fact is that we are not better in any one phase of the game than when McD got here and we've got a steep hill to climb. We don't have a lot to build on...except Tebow's jersey sales. So, I wholeheartedly disagree with any positive statements on the personnel side for McD. Some were questionable at best, but none were great...not even good. The positive from this is that I'm hoping there is a team of people out there who can rebuild this disaster as quickly as it was destroyed.
One perspective that seems to be overlooked is the dramatic effect that this season has had on the value of the Broncos franchise and how this ultimately must have played in to Bowlen's decision to fire McD. This is a guy who was reportedly ready to sell part of the team not more than a few years back. He's old and reportedly gone a bit crazy from people on the inside. In August the Broncos were a top 10 NFL franchise on the Forbes list valued at over a billion dollars. The interesting piece of this is that we were really the only small city in the top 10. You'd have to speculate that the franchise may have lost up to 10% of it's value...I'm not a mathmetician, but that's a lot...something like $100 million...
Looking briefly at the financials and profibility of the Broncos tht is provided, I cannot believe that Bowlen hired McD without a GM, OC or talent scout. I hated the hire to begin with, but the guy was set up to fail. Bowlen had the money to give McD the best shot even with Shanny's departure deal. Something else seems a bit fishy there with Bowlen. Maybe he is invested in the space race or something...who knows. The quest to restore some value to the franchise and some hope to a fanbase was conveniently timed with news from his legal team that the video tape transpirings would be enough "cause" to forego payment of McDs contract.
So now what?
1. For me, I'll down a few celebration cocktails tonight that the last egomaniac cocksucker is off the "roster." McD got a dose of his own. The most interesting thing I heard yesterday was from B Lloyd on the FAN that McDaniels biggest strength was his biggest weakness - "in many ways he acted like he was a player."
2. Hire John Elway in some capacity.
3. Hire Mel Kiper for scouting and then trademark his hair for future sales. he can be annoying, but his Big Board is legit.
4. Hire a proven NFL veteran head coach. We HAVE the money. Trust me.
4. Under any circumstances, do not hire the next Lane Kiffin, we already did that. It sucks.
6. Draft with some conventional wisdom instead of the Matt Millen approach to take a "sexy" WR first no matter what. There are not shortcuts to building a team when drafting in this business.
6a. If we're not going to do that, please find out how to draft Andrew Luck. Yes, I know the irony of my statement here...but, it would be awesome. Stanford...that dude is the next you know who.
7. Send the Brothers Asbury the email they've been waiting for the last few seasons that there lower bowl season tickets are now ready.
8. Avoid telling wife how much those tickets are until the Broncos are back in the playoffs and I can tell her how much they are "worth."
Studesville...Well, let's just say the Broncos don't need to worry about the Rooney Rule now...
Holy Shit, Heavy Snack. Testify.
Incredible on-point insights, no joke.
The franchise value factor I thought about bringing up...sort of rolled into my concept of franchise "respect", but those are two different things really.
Value benefits the Bowlen family and anyone associated or tied in.
Respect is for us fans and potential roster additions (actually wanting to come here.)
Getting Josh out is honestly (to me) the first step in pulling the Broncos out of a mire of what really has to have become a joke league-wide to some extent.
The Broncos have always attracted haters. With the lack of success and recent turmoil, those haters have only had to sit back and laugh lately...
Heavy Snack....I really enjoyed your spoiled broncos fan comment. Throughout this McD saga, I've often thought that much of the McD backlash is based on the prevailing fan attitude since the back-to-back SB years that we should be in the Super Bowl hunt every year. Shanny used to say that every year it was SB Championship or bust and by the end of his tenure it started to sound pretty damn stupid.
Not that I don't think the expectations should be high, it's just that Bronco fans over-simplify the problems with every team since Elway retired. First, it was all Greise's fault, then Plummer's, then maybe Shanny had to go, and most recently it's all McD. Meanwhile, things like permanently shitty defensive lines and an ultimately deteriorated offensive line were largely ignored by fans (and ineffectively addressed or ignored by the coaches). As coach and GM (who is also young, from the evil, arrogant, cheating Pats, and jettisoned a few of our vaunted 'stars'), McD was an all-too-obvious lightning rod for this latest era as the wins dwindled. You hear very little outcry from the fanbase demanding Bowlen to hire a freaking GM.
Maybe McD should have considered taking up handball sooner and could have avoided actually getting fired.
taking up handball is not a very reliable measure to resist termination....even regular, sustained handball activity is ignored by most Broncos' brass when making personnel decisions.
In my excited effort to focus on some new perspective, I think I forgot to emphasize how much I agree with all on the GM point...something I kinda brought up (as did most other astute fans)in the Hi Five musings last week. Can't much argue with points made about Bowlen / Broncos management seeming to be completely absent over the past two years. Maybe Patrick was counting on the Kroenkster to buy them instead of an interest in the Rams. Oh the irony. A bit mind boggling. Just glad that there seems to be some gut check over there now.
Also, the continued ignorance of Joe Bronco fan's concern to see Tebow's potential "in a real game setting" and larger fear that we might actually lose him under a new coaching regime makes me chuckle. Newsflash: that shit don't matter. This will be a childish / spoiled Broncos fan comment, but I not-so-secretly kinda hope that we just put him on waivers to make all of the other spoiled Broncos fans regret their hasty jersey purchase and love for the fullback...err, I mean Godsend QB we drafted. War wearing my Clarett 90s jersey for the remainder of the season. For real.
Indeed...put those Tebow jerseys could find a place next to the Clarett and Jerry Rice jerseys of the world. I will still wear my Plummer one with pride....and a headband and eye protection.
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