Earlier today, I created a fanpost that suggested that the newly freed-up Hunter Hillenmeyer may well be a strong short-term solution at the Sam due to his experience and aptitude in coverage in a zone scheme.  That's neither here nor there.  In typical fashion, I misinterpreted a response from a fellow MHRer (we were both talking about the benefit of going after James Anderson, but for different reasons).  In any case, it led me to check out Pro-Football Reference and see where the sacks came from in Carolina (2002-2010) and New Orleans 2009-2010.

Poster's Note: These totals aren't the respective teams' entire sack totals.  They simply reflect where the sacks are coming from among starters and doesn't take into account back-ups, spot-starts, and players rotating positions.  Not ideal, but I still think it gives a very strong indication where the pass-rush is coming from and frankly, I have no idea how to track who played where on every snap for the 2005 Carolina Panthers.

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Greetings, fellow fans.  It's that time of year again.  The time where all of us look into the draft and free agency and think to ourselves "If only the Broncos brass does this, this, and that - we could be on our way to a quick rebuilding effort in the vain of this year's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs."  We all do it - with various mock drafts or free agency previews.  Where We Are, Where We're Going will start up again - and all of this is all well and good. 

For me, personally, I think that it's important to first understand the scheme (or at least the philosophies of the guys creating the schemes) before we come to any conclusions of who would benefit the Denver Broncos in 2011 and beyond.  Obviously, the players drafted during the Shanahan era wouldn't have necessarily been the kind of guys drafted in the McDaniels era who wouldn't have necessarily been brought in now that we're in the Fox era.  Philosophies change.

So I started doing research on what the heck kind of defenses Fox was running in his 9 seasons in Carolina and - to be honest - the most composed, comprehensive analysis I found was from the great Ted Bartlett.  Unfortunately, for whatever reasons, that page is no longer available.  Luckily, I pored over Mr. Bartlett's words several times while the page was up and, with some additional research, feel as though I'm at last marginally qualified to speak about what we might expect in the coming years on that side of the ball.

WARNING: While Mr. Bartlett's expertise is in fact - mine is in speculation.  I apologize in advance if I muck this one up.

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So John Fox is the man for the job.  Personally, I was pulling for Mularkey or Dennison, but I can see the value in hiring a tough, energetic defensive mind who has been the victim of a stingy owner and lame duck status over the past few seasons.

A few quick idea about coordinators:

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I've never been to Mile High.  Never been to Colorado.  I actually grew up a mile from Giants Stadium - so close I could see the scoreboard from my kitchen window.   I never fell for the Giants though and never for the Jets.  In the summer of 1995, I received a Vortex (hence the name) football for my birthday and wanted to root for whatever team the guy on the box played for.  About a year and a half later, I got sick to my stomach watching the heavily favored Broncos get dropped by the newbie Jaguars.  The next two seasons obviously ended much better.

Age and geography may make me less familiar with the Broncos of old than some of you elders, but there are certain parts of my Broncos, the Broncos of my youth (all the way back to 10-15 years ago) that I do miss.

1. The Mile High Salute.  Dirty Bird?  Lambeau Leap?  You can keep them. By far the most distinguished, composed celebration of a generation obsessed with personal accolades.

2. Watching the Broncos on their first offensive possession on Monday Night Football and hearing

"Jake Plummer - Arizona State"

"Mike Anderson - Utah"

"Kyle Johnson - Syracuse"

"Rod Smith - Missouri Southern"

"Ashley Lelie - Hawaii"

"Shannon Sharpe - Savannah State"

"......................................."

"......................................."

"......................................."

"......................................"

"....................................."

It was perfect.  It was unique.  It was bad ass.  Andthe guys in the locker room at the good humor to have some fun with it as well. I think we can all agree that the Broncos of the past 3 or 4 years could have done with some vows of silence from their players - offensive linemen and otherwise.

3. Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary, Mike Anderson, Clinton Portis, Reuben Droughns, Tatum Bell, Selvin Young, and the list goes on and on.  What's been most frustrating about watching the Broncos running struggles over the past few seasons is the fact that that was our entire identity for 10-12 years.  We know Knowshon Moreno is talented.  We know Correll Buckhalter is talented.  It's confusing to see them not be able to accomplish what guys, seemingly taken off the street, were able to do just a few year ago.

I appreciate those memories, but am not necessarily in a hurry to go back to them.  As I've said in previous posts - going back, in many ways, is not a good idea.  I was very against any interest in Gary Kubiak.  Any interest or alleged interest in Troy Calhoun struck me as a terrible idea.  There's a reason why the Broncos have won 1 play-off game in the past decade and repeating that formula seems more than ill-advised.

If you've read past posts, Istill very much respect what they're doing in New England - we just did a poor job of emulating that success (we are not the firsts to do this).  There are also organizations like Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Indianapolis - all well-built teams that are constantly competitive and in the title hunt.  I came into this coaching hunt believing that Mike Mularkey is our guy.  Listening to Elway, in his press conference, use words like "innovative" andlooking for a guy with a set plan - it made it seem like Mularkey would have been a very competitive choice.  Alas, that interview was cancelled or postponed depending on who you talk to.

That doesn't mean that I think he shouldn't interview. Same too with Dom Capers - though it has been recently said that he does not factor in Denver's plans.  A lot of the complaining that I've heard on the boards is the relative unimpressive coaching candidates list that has been put together.  Outside of Perry Fewell and, maybe, John Fox - none of our candidates are of any interest to other teams.  The Cowboys, 49ers, Panthers, and Vikings have already taken care of their vacancies.  The Raiders seem set to promote Offensive Coordinator Hue Jackson (which means they won't). In Cleveland, Rams Offensive Coordinator Pat Shurmur has emerged as a front runner.  My point is - take your time!  What's the difference if you hire a Head Coach next week or in two weeks?  If Mularkey'sFalcons were to lose this weekend (which they very well might), are you telling me he shouldn't be interviewed if interested?  He's the guy who's been linked to this job the longest and you'd go through the interview process not talking to him?  I'm not saying he's definitely the right hire - and maybe his interview would be a waste of an afternoon.  But my point is - Elway and Co. were already late to the party in terms of interviewing candidates - why leave before they have to? There's no risk of losing candidates - go through a second wave of interviews - drag this out because every interview you conduct makes the leading candidate more clear.  This is a decision too large to rush. 

When describing the interview process, Elway repeatedly said that he will ask the potential hires what they think of the Bronco organization.  Now, personally, I think that's a bit of an odd way to go about things.  It's like taking an Art History mid-term (which are terrible) and the only question being "What did you think of this class?"  It may not be the sharpest way to go about things - but it seems as if that's the plan and if that's the underlying question andif they want somebody who appreciates the history of the Denver Broncos - well - there's really only one candidate worth noting.

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Hello, again, from cyber-space.

Since beginning my last post (unfortunately it does take a bit of time to jot a post down) there have been several developments in Broncoland that I would like to get out of the way real quick.

1. The assertion that the head coaching search somehow bodes well for Brian Xanders: I fight the urge to dismiss this as ridiculous because its plausibility actually frightens me.  Anyone who has read my last post - or several prior - know that I am not a fan of Brian Xanders as a personnel man.  Xanders may very well be a good front office executive in terms of dealing with contracts and managing the cap - but he was McDaniels's Yes Man and if we all agree that a lack of talent is one of Denver's big problems, if Xanders wasn't part of the solution he was part of the problem.  My belief is that we still need somebody like Eric DeCosta or Jason Licht heading talent evaluation and both the college and professional level.  I don't care what title you give him, if you want to keep Xanders as GM and just make him a more administrative executive and let somebody else run personnel - the options are literally endless.  I do not believe that you need to necessarily give somebody like DeCosta a specific title - and I don't think that that's what he'd be looking for either.  Young, talented personnel executives need only the ability to cut their teeth with a new team, away from their superior (in this case Ozzie Newsome) to show they can do it on their own.  NFL front offices aren't dumb (in this sense).  If DeCosta were given a role like "Director of Football Operations" everyone would know whose fingerprints were on the team.  That's why somebody like Doug Whaley took the assistant job in Buffalo and why Kevin Colbert remains in Pittsburgh despite the lack of a "General Manager" title.  And this is assuming that Xanders will remain GM.

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Midway through writing what would have easily been the longest post in MHR history (be grateful - though this one may beat it) something shocking happened.  Josh McDaniels was fired.  Now excuse me if portions of this post seem as if they were written by a McDaniels apologist - that is not my intention.  Spending the last week or so piecing together McDaniels's coaching history with the Jeff Davidsons and Pepper Johnsons and Pete Mangurains of the world ...ugh...I almost felt like Pat Bowlen did a few weeks ago.  Just a piece or two away from mappng a path to winning.  The fruition to the promise that was Josh McDaniels almost complete...

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On November 29th, at 9:25 PM Eastern Time, Thomas George of FanHouse relayed an interview with Pat Bowlen, one of the most respected men in the NFL and owner of our Denver Broncos (though technically, they are his Denver Broncos - we forget that at times.)  Amid the dismal 3-8 record, taping scandal, and firing of more established head coaches, Wade Phillips and Brad Childress, Bowlen was asked a logical question.  Will Josh McDaniels make it out through this season?  He responded:

"I am not interested in making a change."

Asked to further comment on McDaniels job security through this offseason and whether he'll be back for the 2011 season Bowlen responded:

"Yes he will.  I am not interested in making a coaching change."  He then added, among other things - "I'm very happy with Josh. Josh is doing a good job."

Two hours later, via a Gary Miller tweet (what has this world come to?) Bowlen supposedly took a step back from that stance.  Most pundits believe this was done to appease an angered fanbase that did not want Bowlen to throw McDaniels a life preserver so soon (if at all).

Of course, that's exactly why he did it.  In those two hours in between Broncos blogs (like this one), message boards, comment sections in local and national publications must have exploded.  Sports writers, already questioning Bowlen's state of mind, went hog-wild.  Bowlen had to save face.  He had to open the door to a potential firing and he had to put the players on notice that they are still very much playing for their (reportedly) beloved coach's job over the next 5 weeks.  Bowlen had to step back because 5-11 or 6-10 is a lot better than 3-13.

But it's common knowledge among most fans, bloggers, and sports writers that, while coaches have been fired for less than what McDaniels has done, it is more than likely that McDaniels will be the Broncos' coach in 2011 and a win or two down the stretch will only hammer this probability into a definite.  There are a number of reasons Bowlen will keep him.

1. Money.

2. The uncertainty within the CBA - making it possible that a new head coach will not have access to his team far into the summer.  This also involves money.

3. By firing McDaniels and cutting his vision before completion you admit that this team is rebuilding.  That isn't to say that Bowlen, McDaniels, most of the players, you, or I didn't already know this.  It's just seldom been spoken of.  Tearing this plan down before completion all but guarantees several more 3-8s in our future.

4. The two of our most talented offensive players coming into the McDaniels era are gone and neither case is necessarily McDaniels's fault.  Cutler was peeved because McDaniels, bringing in the mentality he was hired to bring in, refused to baby him.  Marshall, according to some sources, may well have wanted to leave Denver before McDaniels even got there.  He too wanted to be babied...and get paid 10M a year.  We know in the case of the former, if not in both cases, it was Bowlen who pulled the trigger on that player's (Cutler) move away from the team.

5. Injuries.  This is not an excuse that McDaniels is willing to use.  It's not one we can to hear about unless we are defending the Broncos in front of our drunken buddies.  But it's true.  This roster was already in flux.  Lacking talent and depth in a lot of areas.  Losing our best defensive player prior to the season was a huge blow.  Additional injuries to Goodman, McBath, Dawkins, Ayers, and Harris don't help.  That isn't to mention players like Moreno and Clady missing significant time in the off season.  Bowlen even mentioned this during his interview.

6. I legitimately think Bowlen was and is taken by McDaniels.  His enthusiasm is contagious.  He's arrogant and a Belichick wannabe - and that's going to rub a lot of people (reporters and analysts) the wrong way, but I think a lot of us - including Peter King of all people - see that he's a brilliant strategist who just may be a little over his head at this point.  But, after his current issues subside, either in Denver or somewhere else, there is a very intelligent coach who engages his players.  I think there's a bit of "I don't want to be Art Modell." in the back of Bowlen's mind.

7. Money.

Just yesterday, looking at all the mock drafts already popping up on MHR, a few things struck me.

1. Wow, this sucks.  We haven't been out of the playoff hunt in November in over a decade.

2. It's way too early.  We don't know how certain players will perform in bowl games, how seniors will perform in the Senior Bow/East-West Shrine Game, which underclassmen will declare for the draft, or how any of these players will perform at The Combine.  Additionally, we have know idea if the Broncos record will be 3-13, 8-8 or anything in between.

Due to issues with the CBA it is very unlikely that there will be many firings come January.  The Cowboys and Vikings were projected by many to be this year's participants in the NFC Championship Game.  Their records and the attitudes of their players (indifference by the Cowboys, malice by the Vikings) led to their terminations.  It is likely that Leslie Frazier, a hot coordinator to start the season, will stay on in Minnesota.  It is less likely that Garrett stays on in Dallas (Jerry Jones fancies big names like Cowher and Gruden) but it's still more than possible he stays on.  Both men would, assumably, keep the majority of their staffs intact.  In addition to those two situations - the expiring contracts of Marvin Lewis in Cincinatti and John Fox in Carolina may be the only other coaching changes.  Lewis's defensive coordinator, Mike Zimmer, is the overwhelming favorite to replace him - maintaining continuity in an organization that was on the rise until this year.  In the case of Fox and Carolina, there is no clear-cut replacement for Fox and there is a good chance it would be an outside hire - more on that later.

What I will preview below and go into more detail with in Part 2 is not a "mock off-season" or "mock coach search" for those of you who have ever read a "Where We Are, Where We're Going" aside from being long - this intro is already longer than most posts - I usually try to project what Denver will do.  I will not do that here.  Below are simply a list of names and musings that make a lot of sense to me and several scenarios - some making more sense than others.  Adieu.

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Again, this is just my opinion.  I am one of the dozens and dozens of people who right on this site - believing if somehow my name were Brian Xanders or Josh McDaniels the Broncos would be 8-3 and not 3-8...

But I believe what the Broncos really need is for Pat Bowlen to come down from his perch in Dove Valley.  He needs to call in anybody with a camera, tape recorder, or pen and pad willing to listen.  He needs to acknowlege that this team is all but out of the race this season.  He needs to apologize to the fans for a team that is delivering one of the most down-right disappointing seasons in memory.  And he needs to admit what is, to me, one of the worst kept secrets in the league.

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Poster's Note: Obviously, I know how to spell Carmelo - the title is just a play on "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" a pretty messed up movie from the 70's starring Diane Keaton and Richard Gere.  Caramello, of course, is a rather delicious breakaway chocolate/caramel candy bar.  If you're thinking to yourself right now - "But Vortex, if you have to explain a joke, it isn't funny."  Well, you got me there.  Sorry.

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Unrelated: I'm an enormous Denver Broncos fan.  Enormous.  Not that any of you should care, I'm just saying.  Before last season my fellow fans were up in arms over the fact that a career back-up, Kyle Orton, would be our team's quarterback.  I loved it.  It fits him - I thought.  He was a player who made a name for himself in college as a spread formation quarterback, struggled in Chicago's run/throw deep system, and now would be returning to his comfort zone.  People were calling for his head before he stepped out onto the field for Week 1, but -while the team itself fell apart down the stretch - Orton, a career back up, served as a solid - if not a statistically slightly above average - starting quarterback.  

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First, I know I'm going to get lambasted for this - and I'll deserve it.  I don't expect this to be a popular opinion and I'm sure most people will be glad that I'm not Allan Houston, Isaih Thomas, Chris Mullen or any of the other 2387 potential GMs of the future.

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The above quote originally appears in Act 1 Scene 2 of William Shakespeare's Macbeth but for you non-English majors (I don't mean to patronize, you're probably making a lot more money than me right now) you may recognize it from the mediocre film V for Vendetta which is based on the far superior graphic novel of the same name - but there is no need fo non-Bronco related nerd battles here.

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I'm calm.  I say that because I think it's important to be so at this time.  I just put yellow tape around my caps lock key.  I'm going to try and talk in loud room.  I don't mean that as a "shot" at any post or poster here at MHR - I really like all of you guys (if that matters) and loudness and enthusiasm shows that all parties are interested - which is important.  Arguing is good.  Very good.  Getting heated not so much.  One on one vendettas are boring for the rest of us.  This is a sports community blog for goodness sake.  Duke it out elsewhere.

 I will say this.  It is our right as fans to disagree with the direction of our team.  That's the nature of our country  and the nature of professional sports.  We buy the jerseys, the tickets, and we should expect something in return.  That goes for every team and fan in professional sports.  That being said - if for some reason the drafting of one player or the hiring of one head coach or a few mediocre seasons make you stop rooting for your team - please relieve yourself of the need to post here.  I'm not calling for homers - I'm not a homer - homers tend to damage fan bases in their own way - but at least they share a common interest.

Those of you who read the WwaWwg posts this past winter know that - while not on the level of some other posters on MHR - I do fancy myself a guy who has watched an unusual amount of college football and has spent a large part of my days over the past few months reading, watching, and learning about draft picks.  This, again, isn't rocket science.  It requires little else than reading any scouting report you can find, watching some tape, and having an opinion.  This, wrong or right, is how I see the guys we got this year.

Poster's Note: Why am I approaching a topic that's already been covered so many times on this site?  I have a huge ego.  Also - this breaks the MHR record for longest post - feel free not to read.

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You're like me.  You're a Baller on a Budget - a twenty-something in or just out of college - who, while without much cash, still desires life's little luxuries.

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