SB Nation User Blog: Holden Caulfield

Cutler traded to Bears

Holden Caulfield — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:20:35 -0000

Cutler traded to Bears

Just issued by Broncos public relations:

"The Denver Broncos have agreed in principle to trade quarterback Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears. Terms of the deal will be disclosed at a later time."

The month-long nightmare, it would seem, is over.

Cutler, McDaniels to Meet ...

Holden Caulfield — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 22:37:12 -0000

... next week, per DenverBroncos.com.

"The Denver Broncos are not trading Jay Cutler. Period," said Broncos spokesman Patrick Smyth.

Something tells me those words won't stop the runaway train of rumor regarding the Broncos and their quarterback.

These types of busted fences are rarely mended in one meeting; they're rarely mended, ever. So it will probably be weeks, if not months, before we find out whether this was the first step toward a reconciliation.

But one hopes this will at least calm down the bubbling cauldron of chatter and put the focus back on the overall reconstruction of a team that needs its quarterback -- and vice versa.

Next on the chopping block ... Dre' Bly:

Holden Caulfield — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 01:05:59 -0000

... per a brief story from DenverBroncos.com.

And really, is this any kind of surprise?

To reiterate a point, anything different is good. As was shown throughout the last couple of years, Bly had lost a step ... or two. Even when Champ Bailey was injured last season, he was still the second-best cornerback on Denver's defense, with his defining image being the one of him on the sidelines at Carolina, getting chewed out by Shanahan after the Panthers' first touchdown. (Yes, I know, the below shot is from San Diego.)

via extras.mnginteractive.com

Off the field, Bly is a decent guy who was community-minded. -- particularly with an "adoption" of a local middle school.

On it, though, the Broncos can do better -- perhaps even with what they have remaining at cornerback aside from Bailey. Bly seemed to always be in the crosshairs of an opposing passing game -- just take a look back at the Packers game in 2007, and how he was left grasping in overtime as Greg Jennings torched him for the 82-yard game-winner on Monday Night Football.

Even when Bly was in his prime in St. Louis and his early years in Detroit (where he was a Pro Bowler), his was a high-wire act, often with high risk. The rewards in big plays were once high, but by the time he came to Denver, they had dropped. The Broncos played up his acquisition two years ago as the pickup of a Pro Bowler, but those days had long since passed. (Although you can't argue with the deal ... especially since Tatum Bell ended up coming back and George Foster was a non-factor in Honolulu blue.)

Thus continues the theme of the early offseason ... the purge. The Broncos might not be better in 2009, but they will be different, not unlike the Patriots in Belichick's first season as head coach in 2000. And even if the changes mean inexperience and a few more defeats, it already seems as if the Broncos are going somewhere ... with a little less dead wood.

The purge is on: Broncos cut six in President's Day Massacre

Holden Caulfield — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 01:07:21 -0000

John Engelberger ... gone.

Nate Jackson ... gone.

Niko Koutouvides ... gone.

Marquand Manuel ... gone.

Dewayne Robertson ... gone.

Jamie Winborn ... gone.

All were released Monday, with the news coming in a terse, two-paragraph press release. And most were endemic of the malaise that had set in at Dove Valley over the final years of the Shanahan stewardship, with their releases serving as dramatic evidence that a new order is in place and in play.

With Manuel and Koutouvides, it appears to be simple ... these were free-agency pickups that weren't up to snuff. Manuel started at safety most of last year, but that's probably not something that stands a distinguishing line on his resume, being a starter on one of the league's worst safety corps in recent memory. Koutouvides ... well, there's a reason he couldn't crack the starting lineup in Seattle for four seasons, and yet he was signed to start for the Broncos anyway. One word suffices: "Whoops."

Robertson, one hopes, is the kind of highly-drafted defensive-line retread that the new regime will refrain from acquiring. Remember Gerard Warren? Courtney Brown? Sam Adams? Luther Elliss? Anton Palepoi? (And if you remember him, kudos, because he was a second-round pick who flamed out in Seattle and is probably best known for being burned by the elusive Michael Vick in a 2004 loss at Invesco Field.)

Much the same can be said of Engelberger, although he doesn't come with the same character issues as Robertson and the afore-mentioned Warren; he's more like a Brown or Elliss. He was the team's 2007 Ed Block Award winner because he played through a shoulder injury, but his time in the lineup the last two years was largely due to the developmental failures of Tim Crowder and Jarvis Moss. Their contracts and youth probably saved them today; they might not be enough if they can't channel something special in the offseason and training camps to come.

Then there is Jackson, everyone's favorite player-writer, who probably earned more attention for his journal on the team's website than his play on the field. Jackson was acquired from San Francisco six years ago, largely on the recommendation of Bill Walsh, whose words Shanahan took as gospel as he built the Broncos in the Walsh image. Jackson showed some brilliant flashes, but could rarely remain healthy. His release is probably due as much to that as anything else, because on the rare occasions he did play, he made some significant catches, and in the stories written about and by him was an eloquent voice in a sport often devoid of such intelligence.

The exception is Winborn, a dutiful hard worker who earned a greater role on the roster as one of the few defensive and special teams bright spots in a depressing 2007. But there were rumblings of discord between Mike Nolan and Winborn dating back to their days together in San Francisco, and one can only deduce that Nolan wanted Winborn expunged, pronto. Winborn came across as a decent, dignified man, and I hope that this disagreement was not the sole reason why he was sent packing on President's Day.

Perhaps these moves mean the Broncos are about to get younger, which, frankly, can only mean better, since these players, for the most part, were dead wood. They weren't rotting the tree, but they weren't flourishing and spawning new branches and leaves, either.

<---Title edit by TSG--->

Here come the throwbacks

Holden Caulfield — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 16:14:06 -0000

The Chargers' Web site is reporting that the original AFL teams will wear throwback uniforms for two games this season.

For the Broncos, this should -- nay, must -- mean only one thing.

Vertical stripes, baby.

Obviously, the Broncos will have their options:

The classic "D" on the blue helmet certainly evokes the most success. With various tweaks -- orange pants in the early and late 1970s, shifting stripes on the pants and socks, the movement of the three sleeve stripes to the end of the sleeve in the mid-1990s, the change from tackle-twill to screen-printed numbers and back again -- the uniform remained relatively stable for nearly three decades. It is, to many fans, the look most associated with the Broncos.

And we've seen the "crazy horse" helmet before in recent times -- for an unsuccessful two weeks in 1994 that included the disastrous 48-16 loss to the Los Angeles Raiders that basically made Wade Phillips a dead man walking for the season's final 13 games. With those memories still relatively fresh, let's leave that out of play.

But the mustard and brown hand-me-downs? They're so ugly, they're beautiful:

Whether the Broncos actually go this route is to some debate. When one visits the Broncos team store, it's easy to find hats and sometimes shirts that bear the "D" and "crazy horse" emblems. But it's almost impossible to to find anything that commemorates the two years of these togs.

Perhaps it's a case of out of sight, out of mind. The throwbacks weekend of '94 brought the mid-1960s uniform back into vogue; you still see plenty of those jerseys around Invesco Field today. The orange jersey John Elway wore for most of his career remains one of the franchise's biggest sellers. If you're 20 years of age or older, you remember actually seeing the Broncos in those uniforms -- and you probably only have to be 14 to remember the 1968-1996 outfits, because they made a cameo on Thanksgiving Day in 2001.

The mustard-and-brown with vertical stripes, however ... those exist almost solely in memory. The socks were famously burned in the 1962 preseason as the franchise looked toward a new direction; few survived. No fan under the age of 54 probably even remembers seeing these uniforms live.

Which is exactly why I want to see the Broncos run onto the field in mustard and brown. It commemorates the people who laid the groundwork for the franchise to grow. It might cause some young kid to hear the name "Frank Tripucka" on the broadcast and go to the computer or a library to learn about his and other original Broncos' exploits.

And frankly, it'd be pretty damn cool.

Poll

Which throwback uniform do you want to see the Broncos wear in 2009?

Mustard and brown, 1960-61

24 votes

Orange with the crazy horse, 1962-64

15 votes

Orange, blue sleeves with the crazy horse, 1965-66 and 1994 throwback

20 votes

Blank blue helmet, 1967

3 votes

Blue helmet with "D", orange jerseys, 1968-96

95 votes

157 votes | Poll has closed

So we know he'll wear the hoodie. And what else? Not much ...

Holden Caulfield — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 01:31:52 -0000

Forget about defensive coordinators, retention of coaches from the previous regime, the miniscule details of the power structure of the Broncos’ front office, the tenor of his interviews with Broncos brass, or the inherent issues that are part and parcel with being the league’s youngest coach and the fifth-youngest sideline czar in NFL history.

No, the most illuminating nugget unearthed regarding the Broncos’ newly-minted XIIth head coach was in regards to his sideline attire.

“Will I wear a hoodie? Absolutely,” he said. “I can’t wait to see my hoodie.”

And that was the most specific answer that Josh McDaniels gave at his introductory press conference. I know little more about him now than I did from his sketch biography page on Patriots.com or the press release issued by the Broncos earlier in the day.

But this is the way of the Belichick school. While McDaniels offered the assurance to observers that his coaching style was "different" than Foxborough’s Grandmaster B, and that he "can smile," his press conference offered more indications other than that what little is open about the doings at Dove Valley is about to be closed.

McDaniels was sparse on specifics, almost maddeningly so. But this is not to be interpreted as a scuff mark on the shiny new coach.

One could only be disappointed if they came into the day expecting a manifesto as detailed as Marx’s. All you can reliably take from these exercises is the occasional glimpse into the coach’s personality and an interpretation of statements, mannerisms and inflections, which can diverge wildly among otherwise agreeable and rational people. What comes across as confident to some is viewed as cocky by others.

Monday, McDaniels' most glaring attribute appeared to be the absence of relevant details to the job that awaits him. Oh, sure, there were the tales of a childhood spent at training camp: "I’ve been going to two-a-days since I was five years old," he told the breathless masses watching in person, on-line and on television.

(But not, it must be noted, the NFL Network. The same broadcast outlet which aired every syllable of the Bowlen/Shanahan extravaganza of emotions opted only to air a snippet or two of McDaniels’ career valedictory speech, even though it took place when it was airing live analysis. Moral of the story? Don’t introduce your new coach on the same day of the retirement of a universally-respected potential Hall of Famer – who happens to be the first African-American to win a Super Bowl and the first coach of any color to have playoff appearances in 10 consecutive seasons.)

Perhaps the NFL Network knew by McDaniels' pedigree what was coming from the half-hour he spent at the Dove Valley lectern. There would have been little purpose in airing these words coast-to-coast; they were sufficiently bland. Nothing for a Coors Light commercial here.

"We’re going to be as precise as we can," he said early in the question-and-answer session. If the goal was to be precisely vague, then this statement is correct.

We know that he admires his mentors. We know that he felt the Broncos were tough opposition over the years, something made clear by Mike Shanahan’s 5-2 record in head-to-head games against Bill Belichick. We know that he has some familiarity with members of the Broncos’ coaching staff; we don’t know which members he’s talking about. We know not McDaniels’ defensive coordinator, but we know that he has spoken with Mike Nolan.

("I have had discussions with Mike Nolan," McDaniels said. "But nothing has been official yet." I hope he means that the potential hiring is not official. If it is the discussions that are unofficial, then the statement is simply bizarre.)

Then there was his discussion of coaching mentors. He mentioned Belichick and Charlie Weis, but one notes that he seemed to go out of his way to cite Nick Saban. Were McDaniels taking over as Buff boss in Boulder, this sentiment would be reassuring; but for matters at Dove Valley, it could be chilling, given Saban’s spectacular flameout as an NFL boss.

One sentence of McDaniels’ opening statement stood out: "I want this team tough, smart and prepared to play well under pressure." It appears this statement was prepared, as it was delivered resolutely, without hesitation or stammer. It’s a good opening. It’s what fans want to hear. But I leave the day not knowing how he will make them tougher, smarter and ready for crunch time.

Later, McDaniels discussed the defense, but did so haltingly, delivering the following words with pauses and stammers, as though he needed to ponder his philosophy on the fly:

"First of all, I’d say as much as I’ve coached offense, that I’m a football coach that’s been built to understand defense. That’s where I learned my foundation. We will attack people offensively ... I think my goal as a head coach is not just to improve the defense; it’s to improve the team. There’s areas where it can improve offensively, defensively and in the kicking game."

It would have been nice to know what these specific areas are, considering that he studied the Broncos enough to sway the decision-making conglomerate of the law firm-esque Bowlen, Ellis, Goodman, Goodman and Xanders.

(Which, appropriately, has a pair of lawyers in Jeff Goodman and Bowlen.)

But one can reliably tell that he loves his wife, as he thanked her for the sacrifices that a coach’s spouse must invariably make to the total commitment a life in the sport demands. One can also sense that he is enthusiastic, although he will likely need to possess a different locker-room demeanor if he is to truly inspire.

But it is doubtful we will see what the tenor of his interactions with players is like. We’ve seen him interact with Tom Brady and Matt Cassel on the sidelines. But we haven’t heard what he’s said, and we certainly have no idea whether he can motivate a team that has some young players, but still possesses leaders like Champ Bailey and Casey Wiegmann whose NFL experience matches or exceeds his own.

We don’t know a damn thing.

What can be inferred is that those who cover the team are in for culture shock. Shanahan’s way was to illuminate bits and pieces; he would sometimes acknowledge in advance when players were certain to miss a game, and could be forthright and candid, particularly in his Monday press conferences that followed his breakdown of game film. One senses there will be no such openness from McDaniels, leaving it among us to discuss and debate.

He will therefore be judged on Sundays and Sundays alone, leaving the details of his coming stewardship to be gathered from the disgruntled, disaffected and those forcibly distanced from Dove Valley as they are purged to make way for the new regime, and swept away like lint off a well-worn, haphazardly-tailored hoodie.

Which we know he’ll wear.

And that’s all we know for certain about what the McDaniels era will bring.

via nfl.imageg.net

Shanahan not all that must change

Holden Caulfield — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 07:59:36 -0000

From the firing of Ted Sundquist to some of the personnel moves made by the organization, there have been signs that something wasn't right at Dove Valley for quite a while, and if the Broncos are to return to glory, the changes must not stop at Shanahan's door.

What internal strife and chaos has existed at Dove Valley has largely gone unseen. From the outside, we have no true idea of whether it has been a functional, harmonious workplace or if it has simply held more agendas and paranoia than the Nixon White House.

But we have seen cracks form, long before Tuesday afternoon’s earthquake.

Last March, there were staff layoffs, the firing of Ted Sundquist, and Pat Bowlen’s subsequent declaration to The Denver Post that, “there was in my mind a dysfunctional relationship between the head coach and the general manager.” There was Bowlen’s assertion at the same time that the locker room was “relatively dysfunctional,” and that the coaching staff was “not in sync.”

There were the revelations of Stefan Fatsis’ tome of his time inside the Broncos’ organization. Some were borne of bitterness, such as Jake Plummer’s vent on page 316. Others illuminated a culture of discord among coaches, players and executives.

And then there are some of the additions to the front office and coaching staff in recent years, according to the staff directory on the team website.

Two Tutens.

Two Slowiks.

Three Goodmans.

Sounds less like the roll call of an office and more like a family reunion.

And then there’s those who have been around since “way back when,” five men on the coaching staff who played on Broncos teams for which Shanahan was an assistant or head coach, easily the highest ratio in the league.

Nepotism and cronyism run amok.

Are they the best men for the jobs? It would be presumptuous to answer for certain. But their absence of experience before joining the Broncos does not offer much encouragement.

The younger Slowik, the son of defensive coordinator Bob and an assistant defensive backs coach, was 24 years old and had never coached before being added to the Broncos’ staff in 2005. The sons of vice president Jim Goodman, assistant GM Jeff and southeast region scout Tyler, had scant post-graduate experience before joining the Broncos. Jeff was a lawyer while Tyler was involved with Georgia Tech’s program for one year in a quality-control capacity. Will Tuten, who works in player personnel, is the eldest son of Rich Tuten. The younger Tuten does not have a biography on the Broncos web site, so we will not evaluate his resume here, except to say that we hope he had more experience when taking the job than the Goodman sons or Ryan Slowik.

The five coaches who played for Shanahan are Rick Dennison, Steve Watson, Ronnie Bradford, Jim Ryan and Keith Burns. Dennison, in 14 years on the staff, has become an outstanding teacher of line play, and the dominance Ryan Clady displayed as a rookie can largely be attributed to him.

But none of these five coaches had any college or professional coaching experience before being hired by the Broncos. Dennison and Ryan had some high-school coaching work immediately before being hired by the Broncos. This hardly qualifies a man to coach at the sport’s highest level. But they knew the man in charge of football operations from way back, and lo and behold, they had jobs in the organization.

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know, as the cliche' goes. But it is incumbent upon an organization operating at the highest level to do due diligence into its hires. Bringing aboard the man you know through friendship or family is the easy choice socially. It is also often the wrong one, a lesson most painfully and prominently learned by Bobby Bowden at Florida State.

These are some of the men in whose hands the Broncos rested. This is not how a dynamic organization of fresh ideas is built. This creates a culture of made men, of ‘yes’ men who owe their livelihoods more to a connection than their own qualifications. If the Broncos were going to hire high-school coaches, then what made Dennison and Ryan more qualified than coaches of perennial high-school powers like De La Salle or Long Beach Poly in California, Union in Tulsa or Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey? The ex-Broncos players certainly hadn't achieved the same kind of sideline success as the coaches at those programs have.

There are reasons why anti-nepotism laws exist in jobs that are subject to public oversight – education, state government, police, etc.. It is because it is impossible to make these decisions without being at least slightly clouded by loyalty to kith and kin.

If the dismissal of Shanahan is to yield a new and prosperous Broncos age, then it must also represent the end to a culture that seems on surface glance to be incestuous. This is not the only problem that befalls the Broncos today, but it is probably the easiest to fix.

The Broncos must study organizations that have succeeded in different ways. What has worked in New England’s dynastic run? In the rapid reversals of fortune in Miami and Atlanta? In the steady success of Pittsburgh and Indianapolis? In Baltimore’s perennially stout defense? There is no successful organization that is not worth an examination for ideas in what will hopefully be a successful attempt to reinvigorate what has become a stale franchise capable of little more than late-summer teases that become late-autumn fades.

Do not weep for Shanahan. He will have no trouble finding a job if he sees fit. This league is small, and a good resume and praise will go a long way. Shanahan has both, evidenced by the pair of Super Bowl rings he takes from Denver and the nearly unanimous words of his players who have spoken on the record. Their reaction is a mix of shock over the firing and admiration of the dismissed party’s work.

But the Broncos have made their choice and must move ahead, and the only way Tuesday’s action will reinvigorate the Broncos is if it is the first step in eradicating what seems to be a curious culture in the football operations of the franchise.