Since so many "fans" have been so critical of McDaniels and the way he has handled this off-season, I thought maybe it would be worthy of a post reflecting praise for way he has handled the Brandon Marshall situation.

You may not agree with every decision he has made over the past 8 months, but love him or hate him, you should give him some real props for handling the BM sitaution with maturity and tact.

A few things that have impressed me.

1.  He has been respectful of Brandon Marshall at every turn.  He has never thrown him under the bus or made accusations in public.  Everyone knows that Marshall is throwing a childish fit, and yet McDaniels has never once insulted or personnally attacked him.  Watch the interviews.  Day after day, question after question he has treated BM professionally.

2.  He has controlled the managed the MSM.  He has drawn a line with the media, and has held firm.  For most of this stuff, it's none of the MSM's business, and McDaniels is keeping it that way.  Can you imagine if this was playing itself out completely in the media?  It could be 1000 times worse...

3.  He has been measured and patient with his response to BM's antics.  He could have pushed for a suspension a while ago, but started with direct communication with BM.  Next was a warning on Wednesday morning.  Thursday BM was held out of practice, and then today a moderate 2 week suspension.  McDaniels has been far more patient with Marshall than any of us here have been.  Instead of being reactionary and "quick tempered", he has been purposeful and firm.  It shows a great deal of maturity.

4.  He is keeping the bigger picture in focus.  Listen to his presser before today's practice and listen to his comments.  He is about winning as a team.  He believes that this is the way to win, and he has the balls to stand firm when the two biggest stars in Denver start to war against it.  I like it.

A guy who stands firm for what he believes is right, even when the majority of fans and media are shouting for your head... well, I respect that... and it makes me want to stand up and applaud.

Good Job Coach!

I just got done watching the Denver vs. Seattle game for the 2nd time and I was struck by one thing.

The MSM was ranting and raving about Cutler and how good he looked against the Giantsthis past week (to his credit, he played very well).  I watched as the MSM compared Orton's QB rating of 85.7 to Cutlers 117.8... obviously seeking to again make McDaniels look like an idiot for what transpired this off-season (Note to MSM:  So you can actually report some facts... FOR THE ONE HUNDREDTH TIME!!!  it was Cutler who refused to return the Owners calls and the owner who pulled the plug on Cutler... not McDaniels).  The MSM is having a Fieldday with the Cutler vs. Orton debate.

Even some yahoo, in the post game presser, had the audacity to ask Kyle about how Cutler performed in Chicago.... (if I had been in the room I would have boo'd)  It was the dumbest question I have ever heard asked in a post game presser.

On Sunday, the headlines were filled with how awesome Cutler had been... and  the news about Orton was that he threw a left handed INT in the endzone... with no mention of it being 4th and goal... or than his right arm was occupied by a Seattle Player.   Sometimes I wonder if people even watch the game before spouting off their expert analysis.

So, if the MSM is going to do this whole Cutler vs. Orton thing maybe we should look just a bit deeper before we throw Kyle under the bus.

Continue reading this post »

Friday Night was horrible.  Not because the Bronco's lost or because Orton threw 3 picks, but because I was stuck in the Idaho mountains, far away from a TV and the game.  Thank God for my cell phone which allowed me to pick up an occasional twitter update from time to time...

But thanks to the NFL Network replaying the games... and a DVR, I have gotten a chance to watch the game a couple of times and thought I would throw out a few observations about the game.  I know that lots of you have already processed through the game, but this is a good way for me to "unload" since I am a pretty lonely Bronco fan in my neck of the woods, that's why I love MHR.  Anyway, I saw alot of good things... a few things that didn't look so hot... and just one ugly.  So here we go.

Continue reading this post »

The past few days of training camp have sparked some serious excitement for me as I have read the reports here at MHR and watched as much video as available on DB.com.  This is just my opinion, as a guy who loves the Broncos, and is clearly drunk on the koolaid served here, but I just don't understand why our team is getting trashed so bad in the media.  It makes no sense to me at all.  Pouring myself another glass of Koolaid, here is why I think the Broncos will be SuperBowl bound very, very soon...   gulp....

Continue reading this post »

So I am like most of you guys... a die-hard Bronco's fan who is completely exausted with all of the off-season drama this year.  The past several days have brought back alot of very recent memories of the Dove Valley Soap Opera that has been our offseason.... and as a fan, they wern't any memories that I really cared to re-live.

When Shanny was let go, I was completely floored... as were most of us.  I remember texting my buddy and we were both in dis-belief.  We both said that Bowlen had better go after Rex Ryan or Bill Cowher so we could focus more on our Defense.  Our analysis seemed to be flawless... we were convinced we were going after a top-notch defense oriented coach.

Then the word came that the Bronco's had hired Kid McD.  It was my buddy that texted me this time and we both had a common thought... "What the Heck?"  I was sick to my stomach.  My friend swore off the Broncos for atleast a couple of days and we both talked about how the Broncos were probably going to win about 3 games next year... and the year after that... and the year after that...

But after some time, and some research, I started to warm up to the McDaniel's hire.  I liked the way he handled himself with the press and I loved his vision for the team.  The coaching staff that he brought in under him was unbelievable... and I began to have hope once again.  I began to speculate about what Jay Cutler could become under the coaching of the guy who developed Tom Brady and Matt Cassell...  ooooohhhh bbboooyyy!

Then... well, you know what came next.  First the news that McD had entertained a trade offer for Cutler.  It was so rediculous that I didn't even really think it was true.  Then the news that Cutler was throwing a better temper tantrum than any ball he had thrown the past 3 years.  When he began demanding a trade I simply could not believe that the Bronco's would trade away our franchise QB... it just would never happen. 

This time I didn't even send a text to my friend.  I just sat at my computer looking at the headlines.  "Bronco's trade Cutler to Bears."  I imagined what it would look like to see the 09 Broncos listed right there next to the 08 Lions.  It was a pretty dark day in Broncodom...

But thanks to MHR and the reasoned analysis of those who post here... I started to find some perspective in all of my speculation.  Sure there were lots of people who were as down and out and I was... but there were others who could reasonably defend a reason for hope.  Once I got past the emotion of it all... and I could atually start to see the big picture, I slowly stepped back from the edge...

I have since learned a lot about our team and it's direction.  I am now a big fan of McDaniels and the direction he is taking the Broncos.  I love that our team is starting to think and play like a team... and that will pay huge dividends in the years to come.  I love who we have added to our team through Free Agency and the Draft and can't wait to see them on the field.    I really think that the Bronco's will be a better team in 09...

Having learned my lesson from earlier this offseason... I am trying to keep my speculation to a minimum in the BMarsh situation... or at least recognize that I don't have all the information needed to see the big picture.  Obviously, everyone in the Broncos organization... including Bowlen and McDaniels... want the team to be the very best it can be.  They have much more invested in winning than I do.  It is easy for me to sit here in my office and speculate about what the Broncos should or shouldn't do... and how they should or shouldn't handle BMarsh, but in the end... it really doesn't matter.  What happens, happens... and I am going to have to live with it... no matter how bad it kills me.

I guess that is why MHR is so valuable.  Dispite the news, and the rollercoaster ride we feel like we are on, we all kind of act like a buffer for each other.  When someone is down and only seeing one side of the issue... the rest of us can come along side and help them see the bigger picture.  If someone is living in La La Land... still others can help bring us back down to reality.  All it all, it really helps keep us away from the extreme edges of speculation because it really can kill a guy's passion for his team.

So thanks guys for helping keep all of us from the ledge this off-season.  All in all, I speculate that we are in for a very good year as a team.

Go Broncos!

So here is my question.  Now that the league is not going to issue a suspension to Brandon Marshall, should the Bronco's get serious about signing him to a longer term deal?

I could be completely wrong, but I think so.  I know that there are still questions out there, but I think that there are substantial reasons to make the deal happen, and make it happen now.  Here are my thoughts on why:

1.     He is a proven #1 receiver. 

     Ask yourself this question.  What other receiver in the league would you rather have on your team instead of Brandon Marshall?  I can think of two... maybe three guys.  Honestly... I don't think there is another receiver in the league that is tougher to bring down than Marshall.  Everytime he catches the ball, you think he could go for 6... and that is exactly what a D-fence has to think too.

2.   He was a Pro Bowl worthy receiver last year... even at 80%..

     Brandon Marshall put up Pro Bowl worthy numbers, even though he admittedly was playing at about 80% because of his hip injury.  I know that people will say that the team should wait to see if he can fully recover before offering a renewed contract, but hey... if a guy can be playing with an injury, and still be better than virtually all other recievers, don't you think he is a pretty safe bet to make a long term part of your team.  Plus, if he get's back to 100%.... SCARY!!!!

3.   McDaniel's system seems to work well with a dominant receiver in the mix.

     Randy Moss was a pretty dominant receiver as a Vike, did nothing as a Raider, but was a huge peice of the puzzle for the Pats.  Moss continually put up big numbers under McD's offense, and Marshall will almost certainly do the same under McD's offense here in Denver.  Loosing that peice would be a huge loss to our offense... even bigger than "the player" was this summer.

4.  He is just getting started...

     What is the most exciting about BMarsh is that he is just getting started as a dominant reciever in this league.  If he can stay healthy, oooh man....we can expect amazing things from the Broncos for many years to come.

5.   I am already reading articles about how Marshall might end up a Bear next year...

     I think this is the last thing that the Bronco's team, coaching staff,  front office, and fans want... another thing for the MSM to go crazy with and ultimately hammer the organization with the entire season long.  The bigger the player... the more people want to speculate and rumor.  It's already happening.  The longer they wait, the louder the squaking from the MSM will get.  You see it happen all the time.  I think it is time to seal the deal, and shut up those with the biggest mouths.

So, you have my thoughts... now the floor is open.  What do you think the Bronco's should do?

I have been watching this years off-season un-like any other.  The firing of Shannahan... the hiring of McDaniels... the Cutler saga... the Draft...  obviously this year has been one of the most interesting and highly analyzed off-seasons in Broncos team history.  

To be honest, I was skeptical when the Bronco's hired McDaniels.  Sure, he was part of a coaching staff that won 3 Super Bowls, and he did a great job as the Offensive Coordinator last year when his team lost their starting QB and had to turn to a guy who had never started a game since high school, but still... being a head coach in the NFL is no entry level job.  You just don't throw anyone into that position... It takes a real leader.   

And then the Jay Cutler deal.  I had held out hope that things were going to work out, but unfortunately it didn't.  It was the worst possible scenario.  I was pretty much convinced that 2009 and virtually every year after that was lost... and that McDaniels was going to last about 2 seasons as a coach... and the broncos would be back to square one...  

But since the draft, I have been able to step back and see the past few months with a little bit less emotion and a little bit more objectivity, and honestly, I think what has gone down this off-season has not only made the Bronco's a better team, but it has helped McDaniels in a task that many times takes years for organizations to do.  Change.  

In my career, I study leadership and organizational leadership pretty extensively.  Change never comes easy, and it rarely comes quickly.  I have worked with several organizations which have recognized the need for change, and have tried to change, but have ultimately failed at the task.  This is almost always because the resistance to change, internally and externally, is so great.  The organizations that do experience radical and meaningful change in a very short time usually have two things...         1.    A Great Leader(s) and     2.    A Crisis   

(Something to note:  Many times, a leader's greatness is discovered during times of turmoil or Crisis)  

For the Broncos, going 8-8 and barely missing the playoff's could have been a major obstacle.  Why?... Because it was average.  They weren't great, but they weren't the Detroit Lion's either.  There was no real sense of urgency... no real sense of impending doom... People would say, "We were close, and we will probably be close again next year if we don't change up too much... Maybe fix a few peices on Defense, and we're there."  (Sound like the majority of analysis of the broncos this off season?)  But little to they realize the danger behind such complacency!  

Jim Collins wrote an amazing book called "Good to Great" in which he shares that the greatest enemy of "Great" is "Good".  As long as we are satisfied with "Good", we will never truely do what it takes to acheive "Greatness".   You can watch this principle play out virtually every year in professional sports somewhere.  A team that has all the talent in the world, and yet seemingly never fulfills their potential.  (For some reason the Cowboys, Chargers, Jets, and Redskins come to mind...)    

What is great about a Crisis, is that it can often clarify vision and values within an organization.  When a crisis hits, The whole organization starts to take inventory about what is important... what is priority... and it often looks to it's leaders for the answers.  It is in the midst of crisis that the fundamentals of what an organization is, or should be, start to be clarified and defined.  What seems to be such a terrible thing, can in reality, become exactly what the organization needed in order to get to that next level.  

The Jay Cutler saga was a crisis for the Broncos.  Losing your Pro-Bowl, franchise Quarterback is a major blow, there is just no way around that.  But what has happened in Denver because of this has been a re-defining of the teams vision and values, and that has been a very good thing.  You can hear this vision and these values communicated in almost every interview by the coaches and the players.  The players are committed to each other... they are working and learning together... and they are allowing themselves to be taught by those who have the responsibility to coach them.  I really have been impressed by the direction things have turned for the Broncos since this whole Cutler Crisis has gone down.  

Not every organization handles crisis in a positive way.  For every example of positive change happening in an organization, you can find 10 organizations that fold under the weight of it.  That is why great leaders are often revealed in times of Crisis.  These leaders have the ability to focus on the right things, and lead through the crisis rather than be lead by it.  It's not yet time to declare that McDaniels is a great leader, but you do have to acknowledge that since Jay Culter was traded to the Bears, the Broncos have seemingly become a different organization.  From my view from the cheap seats, the Broncos have become a group of players that are committed to win as a TEAM... and that is a character trait of all "Great" Teams.  

All in all, I believe that McDaniel's was handed a gift in disguise through the conflict with Cutler.  It opened the door for important and needed change to happen within the organization, and who knows... hopefully another great leader will emerge from it's ashes. 

I just got done reading about Jay Cuter's "Glorious Unveiling" in Chicago this week, and his proclamation that HE was the reason Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal were premier receivers in the NFL.  Honestly, his comments really irked me because it revealed an arrogance and an  "it's all about me" mentality that I have come to despise in the world of professional sports.  Don't get me wrong, Jay is a talented quarterback, but the reality is this.  No quarterback has ever won a game by themselves... not even Jay Cutler.

Sure, the Bronco's defense struggled last year, and sure, Jay had career numbers.  But without the 10 other guys paving the way for Jay to do his thing, Jay wouldn't have completed one single pass.  For Jay to think that he was the one who made Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal into Star's, is to completely diminish the effort and talents that Brandon and Eddie exerted on the field.  It really was an incredible  insult to two of the best receivers in the league.  Maybe Brandon and Eddie should hold a presser and tell the media that THEY were the ones who made Cutler a star, and without them, he would be a no-name quarterback!    

One of the reasons I love football so much  is because it is a truly TEAM sport.  No other professional sport requires so many members, working together to accomplish the task at hand.   It truly takes 50+ players, working together, to make a team successful, and that doesn't even count practice squad guys and coaching staff, all of which are important.  If you are missing any part in that mix, the whole team suffers, and to think that any one part is more important than another is pretty narrow sighted. 

The reality is this.  Championships are not won because of one amazing play by a seemingly star player.  Championships are won by teams in which all the players worked together to accomplish the task of winning.  Games are not won or lost on one single play, no matter how spectacular that play might be, even if the play happened at the end of the game.  It must be remembered that the outcome of every game is the cumulative result of every play and the performance of every player on the team across the entire game.  Don't fall into the trap of thinking that one player or one play will ever win or lose a game. 

Unfortunately, in the world of sports news and analysis, reporters have backed away from reporting on games as a whole, and spend more time elevating individual players and individual performances.  Without the context of the whole game, or the entire TEAM performance, we now have an overabundance of players who embrace the myth and operate as if they were the team, or the most important player on the team.  

Honestly, I think that Cutler's comments reveal why shipping him to Chi-town was a good move.  Any guy on your team that thinks that he IS the team, is worth getting OFF the team.  I like McDaniel's stand in this regard...  The Broncos will win and lose as a TEAM... there is no room for individuals.  I know it sounds a bit idealistic, but look at what TO did to the Eagles and Cowboys... or Chad Johnson did to the Bengals.  That kind of attitude is toxic and will infect and destroy the team as a whole.

I like Orton a ton because he is a team first kind of guy.  That kind of leadership garnered him immense respect from his teammates in Chicago, and it will do the same in Denver.  He may not have the most natural "skill set", but he has a "character set" that will be more valuable to the team as a whole.  I personally believe that a team first kind of player with average skill is a better asset to the team than a guy who has above average skill, and yet lacks character and a team first attitude.  Again, how did the whole Ryan Leaf experiment work out?

So bring on the new season!  I guarantee that the Broncos will surprise a lot of people with their performance this year, not because they have 1 star quarterback, but that they have a whole team of guys who together, play like stars!

Go Broncos!