Broncos almost done cleaning up McDaniels' mess
Just over two years ago, Josh McDaniels came to Denver and brought with him a Napoleon-sized chip on his shoulder. He wanted to do things his way, and wanted to be the new mastermind in town. After taking over for Mike Shanahan, McDaniels did his best to rid the Broncos of most of the players Shanahan and his staff brought in. While there was quite a bit of work to be done on the defensive side of the ball, the offense was pretty good in 2008. Jay Cutler, Eddie Royal, Brandon Marshall, Tony Scheffler and a good offensive line made the Broncos offense one of the most talented and youngest groups in the NFL. Most offensive coaches would have been salivating over the young talent...most coaches don't have egos the size of King Kong though.
Thankfully the Josh McDaniels' demolition project lasted less than two seasons. He ran much of the youth out of town, added a lot of old players, and drafted some of the worst pics in Broncos history. With all of this in mind, I'm pretty impressed with how quickly the Broncos seem to be improving their talent, depth, youth and speed. Here's a breakdown of the obstacles McDaniels left, and what has been done to move past the Spicy McDaddy era.
1) Jay Cutler trade: Jay Cutler was considered to be one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL. Growing up a Broncos fan, I had not seen an arm like his since John Elway. He could make every throw, run, avoid sacks, and was very competitive. While he could act like a bit of a baby sometimes, he still had lots of room to grow and mature. Cutler definitely could have used some coaching, and some people skills, but he should not have been traded. The Broncos ended up with Kyle Orton and two 1st-round picks. This was a pretty good deal...of course McDaniels squandered one of these pics by trading it for 2nd-round bust Alphonso Smith. Kyle Orton has turned out to be reliable, and looks to be ready to have a good season for a balanced offense in 2011. Of course it goes without saying, Tim Tebow and Brady Quinn are both there to step in if anything happens to Orton. The Broncos appear to be set at the quarterback position.
2) Brandon Marshall trade: Brandon Marshall is no doubt one of the most talented receivers in the NFL. He's a big guy and has no problem playing physical. There were games in 2009 where without Marshall, Orton would have been in serious trouble. Marshall also had a knack for being a bit of a baby, and saying things in the media that should not have been said. I called it back in March of 2010, if Marshall left Denver, McDaniels would follow him. That is exactly what happened. The Broncos got two 2nd round picks for Marshall, and the trade has turned out to be a pretty good deal. Brandon Lloyd emerged last year as one of the best receivers in the NFL. Eddie Royal is very talented and will be utilized more. Eric Decker and Demariyus Thomas add young talent, and recent signee David Anderson adds veteran leadership. The Broncos receiving corp is actually one of the bright spots of the roster.
3) Tony Scheffler trade: Scheffler was one of the more difficult tight end matchups for opposing defenses. Mike Shanahan would move him around and get him matched up against smaller corners, or slower linebackers. While Scheffler did have some injury problems, he was well on his way to becoming a premier NFL tight end. McDaniels decided that tight ends should not catch the ball, and instead there should always be three receivers on the field. Bye bye Scheffler. McDaniels really screwed up the tight end position, but the Broncos have done well in upgrading the tight end group. Recently signed Daniel Fells provides a huge target, and is a good run blocker. Draft picks Julius Thomas and Virgil Green add youth and athleticism. While Dante Rosario and Dan Gronkowski add veteran depth.
4) Peyton Hills trade: One of the fan favorites, Hillis was a hard-runner that made life hard on opposing tacklers. He didn't have the most speed in the world, but he did have quick feet and ran with authority. For whatever reason, McDaniels never gave him a chance. Funny because he could have been huge in helping one of the worst short-yardage and goaline teams in all of football. The Broncos ended up trading Hillis and a 6th round pick to Cleveland for Brady Quinn. While Quinn has not played much, he may end up being used at some point. Hillis of course, is on the cover of Madden and had a huge season in 2010.
5) 2009 draft busts: Darcel McBath, Alphonso Smith, Richard Quinn: enough said. What the hell was McDaniels thinking? Not only are none of these guys good, he traded away a 1st round pick to get Smith and two 3rd-round picks to get Quinn. Did I mention, Smith was traded for a tight end (Gronkowski) that may not make the team this year.
6) Trading for Lawrence Maroney: Trading a 4th-round pick seemed ok. Then Maroney showed up and was horrible. He looked slow and rarely broke a tackle. Ouch. The Broncos seem to have rectified the running back position by adding Willis McGahee to take some of the load off Knowshon Moreno.
7) Switch to 3-4 defense: The Broncos needed some help on defense when McDaniels arrived, but they probably didn't need to switch to the 3-4. With players like Elvis Dumervil, Marcus Thomas and DJ Williams, the front seven would have been pretty good. They could have used some of the high draft picks to bring in a defensive tackle or two, and who knows what would have happened. Instead, McDaniels made the switch to the 3-4, signed overpaid and old players (Jarvis Green, Ronald Fields, Jamal Williams Justin Bannan). While the defense looked strong to start in 2009, 2010 was awful. One of the worst defenses I can ever remember watching.
While there has been a ton of work to fix the McDaniels screw-ups, the Broncos have done a great job. Under new Head Coach John Fox and Executive Vice President John Elway, the team looks much different in 2011. Speed, is in. Gone is the pass-heavy offense. There's even a possibility the Broncos will have two fullbacks on the roster! The Broncos will have a much more balanced offense, and hopefully will put up more points. The defense will be tough on opposing quarterbacks, and should make a vast improvement over 2010.
Thankfully the Josh McDaniels' demolition project lasted less than two seasons. He ran much of the youth out of town, added a lot of old players, and drafted some of the worst pics in Broncos history. With all of this in mind, I'm pretty impressed with how quickly the Broncos seem to be improving their talent, depth, youth and speed. Here's a breakdown of the obstacles McDaniels left, and what has been done to move past the Spicy McDaddy era.
1) Jay Cutler trade: Jay Cutler was considered to be one of the most talented quarterbacks in the NFL. Growing up a Broncos fan, I had not seen an arm like his since John Elway. He could make every throw, run, avoid sacks, and was very competitive. While he could act like a bit of a baby sometimes, he still had lots of room to grow and mature. Cutler definitely could have used some coaching, and some people skills, but he should not have been traded. The Broncos ended up with Kyle Orton and two 1st-round picks. This was a pretty good deal...of course McDaniels squandered one of these pics by trading it for 2nd-round bust Alphonso Smith. Kyle Orton has turned out to be reliable, and looks to be ready to have a good season for a balanced offense in 2011. Of course it goes without saying, Tim Tebow and Brady Quinn are both there to step in if anything happens to Orton. The Broncos appear to be set at the quarterback position.
2) Brandon Marshall trade: Brandon Marshall is no doubt one of the most talented receivers in the NFL. He's a big guy and has no problem playing physical. There were games in 2009 where without Marshall, Orton would have been in serious trouble. Marshall also had a knack for being a bit of a baby, and saying things in the media that should not have been said. I called it back in March of 2010, if Marshall left Denver, McDaniels would follow him. That is exactly what happened. The Broncos got two 2nd round picks for Marshall, and the trade has turned out to be a pretty good deal. Brandon Lloyd emerged last year as one of the best receivers in the NFL. Eddie Royal is very talented and will be utilized more. Eric Decker and Demariyus Thomas add young talent, and recent signee David Anderson adds veteran leadership. The Broncos receiving corp is actually one of the bright spots of the roster.
3) Tony Scheffler trade: Scheffler was one of the more difficult tight end matchups for opposing defenses. Mike Shanahan would move him around and get him matched up against smaller corners, or slower linebackers. While Scheffler did have some injury problems, he was well on his way to becoming a premier NFL tight end. McDaniels decided that tight ends should not catch the ball, and instead there should always be three receivers on the field. Bye bye Scheffler. McDaniels really screwed up the tight end position, but the Broncos have done well in upgrading the tight end group. Recently signed Daniel Fells provides a huge target, and is a good run blocker. Draft picks Julius Thomas and Virgil Green add youth and athleticism. While Dante Rosario and Dan Gronkowski add veteran depth.
4) Peyton Hills trade: One of the fan favorites, Hillis was a hard-runner that made life hard on opposing tacklers. He didn't have the most speed in the world, but he did have quick feet and ran with authority. For whatever reason, McDaniels never gave him a chance. Funny because he could have been huge in helping one of the worst short-yardage and goaline teams in all of football. The Broncos ended up trading Hillis and a 6th round pick to Cleveland for Brady Quinn. While Quinn has not played much, he may end up being used at some point. Hillis of course, is on the cover of Madden and had a huge season in 2010.
5) 2009 draft busts: Darcel McBath, Alphonso Smith, Richard Quinn: enough said. What the hell was McDaniels thinking? Not only are none of these guys good, he traded away a 1st round pick to get Smith and two 3rd-round picks to get Quinn. Did I mention, Smith was traded for a tight end (Gronkowski) that may not make the team this year.
6) Trading for Lawrence Maroney: Trading a 4th-round pick seemed ok. Then Maroney showed up and was horrible. He looked slow and rarely broke a tackle. Ouch. The Broncos seem to have rectified the running back position by adding Willis McGahee to take some of the load off Knowshon Moreno.
7) Switch to 3-4 defense: The Broncos needed some help on defense when McDaniels arrived, but they probably didn't need to switch to the 3-4. With players like Elvis Dumervil, Marcus Thomas and DJ Williams, the front seven would have been pretty good. They could have used some of the high draft picks to bring in a defensive tackle or two, and who knows what would have happened. Instead, McDaniels made the switch to the 3-4, signed overpaid and old players (Jarvis Green, Ronald Fields, Jamal Williams Justin Bannan). While the defense looked strong to start in 2009, 2010 was awful. One of the worst defenses I can ever remember watching.
While there has been a ton of work to fix the McDaniels screw-ups, the Broncos have done a great job. Under new Head Coach John Fox and Executive Vice President John Elway, the team looks much different in 2011. Speed, is in. Gone is the pass-heavy offense. There's even a possibility the Broncos will have two fullbacks on the roster! The Broncos will have a much more balanced offense, and hopefully will put up more points. The defense will be tough on opposing quarterbacks, and should make a vast improvement over 2010.
Posted by Jeremy Fleming at Wednesday, August 24, 2011 7:48 AM 
Categories: Denver Broncos
Tags: Josh McDaniels Jay Cutler Brandon Marshall Peyton Hillis Richard Quinn Alphonso Smith Darcel McBath Kyle Orton Brandon Lloyd Mike Shanahan
Categories: Denver Broncos
Tags: Josh McDaniels Jay Cutler Brandon Marshall Peyton Hillis Richard Quinn Alphonso Smith Darcel McBath Kyle Orton Brandon Lloyd Mike Shanahan
Comments