Broncos’ Shanahan Proving His Point

Is Mike Shanahan coaching with a chip on his shoulder?

Are the statements that John Elway was the chief reason for his two championships getting to him?

Or are we simply watching a coach destroy a team by buying into their hype?

These are all plausible reasons for an offseason of questionable moves made by the Denver Broncos. After being humiliated by Indianapolis for the second straight year in the playoffs, most fans looked for the Broncos to seriously address their defensive issues and to help Jake Plummer throw fewer interceptions by giving him more reliable options on offense.

Instead, the Broncos drafted and traded as if to prove a point — that they could win with the system and pieces they had in place. Or in the case of their defensive line, with the Cleveland Browns. The same Browns who not so long ago gave up a record-setting rushing day for Baltimore's Jamal Lewis. You can see the logic in this move because with LaDainian Tomlinson, Priest Holmes, and Lamont Jordan, the AFC West is composed of passing-dominant teams.

The one thing that did work for the Broncos last year was their running game. Shanahan has worked wonders with sixth-round running backs thanks, in large part, to the dirtiest offensive line in football. Last year, despite a number of injuries, they were able to use Reuben Droughns, Tatum Bell, Mike Anderson, and Garrison Hearst to take some of the pressure off of Plummer. Given last year's performance, Shanahan couldn't leave well enough alone, so he confused the situation.

So this year, Droughns is gone (to acquire key members of the Cleveland organization), but Ron Dayne (cursed by winning the Heisman) and Maurice Clarett (cursed by being himself) have been added. Shanahan once again sets out to prove that not only can he put anyone behind his offensive line and get 1,000 yards, but that running back by committee can work as well. The only question is who will the Broncos bring in next year to mix things up again.

While the running game was effective, the passing game too often involved members of the opposing team's defense. Despite throwing for over 4,000 yards (not even number 7 did that), Plummer threw 20 interceptions. Prior to the draft, it looked like the Broncos would target wide receivers as a need position. Rod Smith's body isn't letting him perform like he once could, and Ashley Lelie is still developing.

Since the Broncos should have gone after a wide receiver, they chose to draft the opposite position, corner back instead. They did do one thing right, however, in bringing Jerry Rice to camp. Lelie, with mentors in Smith and Rice, should emerge as the receiver he can be. That still leaves the issue of who else will Plummer have to throw to. Without more options, Jake tends to create his own, usually wearing numbers about 60 lower than his intended target.

In drafting three cornerbacks, the Broncos did attempt to take on of their deficiencies last year. But how much confidence does it inspire to draft cornerbacks with your first three picks? Either you don't have confidence in your scouting, or you don't have confidence in your "shut down" corner Champ Bailey. Which is it?

So while the rest of the AFC West has seriously moved to improve their teams, the Broncos seem mired in the status quo, determined to prove their point rather than win football games. It could be a long year for Broncos fans.

Random Thoughts

* Don't count on any wildcard teams coming out of the AFC West. The Raiders and Chiefs have both addressed glaring holes in their teams, and the result will be more beating up on each other. To make it worse, they also have the toughest schedule outside of the division. The Chargers reward for improving from 4-12 to 12-4 was games at New England, at Philadelphia, at Indianapolis, and hosting Pittsburgh. No team will emerge from this division with more than 10 wins.

* I understand that with all the drama in Seattle these past few months involving Shaun Alexander and Koren Robinson, another team might emerge to win the division. But, the Cardinals? Does anyone really believe Kurt Warner is the answer to their problems? The man needs a wall in front of him to be effective, and impenetrable and the Cardinals' O-line have not been synonymous. Warner's hurried throws and graceless sacks for the Giants last year will be replayed for Arizona fans this year.

* Who decided that preseason games should cost as much as regular season ones? I can understand a fan paying $50 dollars to see the Bears play the Browns when the game matters, and even that requires a serious amount of loyalty. But the same price to watch coaches play conservative football, and maybe see the starters for half the game? That would be like going to Disneyland and paying full-price and finding out Pirates of the Caribbean is closed and Splash Mountain stopped working an hour after opening. And that never happens. If they lowered ticket prices and made it a more fan-friendly environment, more people would show up and not mind that the fourth quarter was the equivalent of watching NFL Europe.

* There's a simple reason women shouldn't play fantasy football: they always end up winning. Nothing ruins a season of football like having a girl win the league using the default draft rankings. Or losing to a woman who always drafts Tiki Barber because he's cute (Ronde is clearly the cuter of the two). Women invalidate the whole concept of having to pay attention to all the games to win in fantasy football. So if you have any hope of convincing your woman to let you get NFL Sunday Ticket, don't let her play in your fantasy league.

* Now to figure out who to draft after Peyton Manning.

* Ten years from now, we'll be discussing Manning in the same way that we're talking about Dan Marino. A great quarterback, with great numbers, but no championships. Sorry, Indy fans, you can't win the Super Bowl without defense. Or having to play in New England in January.

* Fresh off pulling a young boy from a pool and initiating CPR, Drew Rosenhaus must be absolutely giddy. His image is bolstered, and his main client, Terrell Owens, is in a contract dispute with the Eagles who just lost their number two receiver, Todd Pinkston, to a ruptured Achilles. Fans in Philly might hate him, but T.O. will be getting the contract he wants, or the Eagles won't have a chance to return to the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl. Strange how karma works.

* If the Eagles refuse to budge in their negotiations with T.O., don't be surprised if you start to hear rumors that Donovan McNabb and Jeff Garcia are dating.