Mecklenburg Blog

I just finished reading the Karl Mecklenburg blog at the Denver Broncos website at:

http://blog.denverbroncos.com/denverbroncos/young-leaders-promising-change/

All in all another feel good post. Most (all) of my comments on the Broncos website go to 'moderation' before being posted or tossed in the trash, so I really don't make much of an attempt to opinionate myself there anymore.

However the Blogs of the Cheerleader pics for the upcoming calendar are damn right smokin hot!!! RED HOT!!! Steamboat was definitely boiling the local blood during those photo shoots! Wow, nice job ladies.

Okay back to Mecklenburg.

I loved to watch Mecklenburg play Line Backer back in the 80's along with Rulon Jones at Defensive end. I never thought Meck was the greatest linebacker to don the orange and blue, but he was definitely one of the hardest workers. He seemed to have a knack to end up where the ball carrier was and definitely a team player. He would fit on McHoodies team like a round peg. I get what he was saying about 'change.' Whether we like it or not, it's going to happen so deal with it and support the Broncos. I agree with him whole heartedly about supporting the Broncos franchise.

Regardless of the 3 SB losses with Dan Reeve's, I liked his coaching style. When he left, most people, and especially Bronco fans of today forget that Wade Phillips coached for a couple of season. We didn't just go from Dan to Mike. Trust me, I remember when Wade coached, and I couldn't wait for him to be relieved. Anyone else in the league would have been an upgrade!

So the transition to Mike Shanahan was a great feeling and he kept the franchise together. That change to me was a lot more hopeful than the current change. I understand that Mike got stale the past 6 years or so, and his pride got the best of him. I remember yelling at the TV, don't kick to Dante Hall... Devin Hester... Darren Sproles... but the damn fool did it anyway! And it cost the team many of those games! So he was getting very predictable, and the old school bugger couldn't even send emails... he had to have his daughters do it for him. Mike definitely lost touch with the modern times and it began to show with the relationship with the players. I was glad to see Mike be put to pasture, but I'm kind of guessing that we haven't seen the last of Shanny (I'm predicting history will repeat itself and Dallas will be calling you to replace Wade once again!)

McHoodie has shaken things up, and that change can be considered a bit too dramatic. In my opinion, it is. Can McHoodie make a playoff run this year? Everyone points to the Dolphins and Ravens as the example of bringing in a new head coach/QB and having a successful season. However the Dolphins were 1-15 and the Ravens were 5-11. Both teams needed to be shaken up in order to be successful for the next season. We're an 8-8 injury prone team that had a high octane Offense/no Defense that missed the playoffs by one game. We had a proven pro-bowl worth QB who shouldered the team in Elwayesque fashion (similarly ala 80's without a decent running game) to try and salvage a playoff berth. We are definitely not like the 2007 Dolphins and Ravens.

However, this is a copy cat league so it shouldn't surprise me that when the west coast offense was what dominated the league in successful teams, Pat Bowlen went out and got Mike who was offensive coordinator of the San Fransisco 49ers dynasty.

Now that the Holy Grail of the New England (just drink the friggin kool-aid) Patsies has become the dominant force, Pat once again goes and gets McHood-rat, Offensive Coordinator of the Patriots. It worked once before, I guess it's possible to work again.

I'm giving Pat the benefit of the doubt in seeing a young (maybe even arrogant) Mike Shanahan inside that hoodie, but I really doubt he expected to lose a franchise QB with the hiring. For those that have short term memory loss, Pat declared at a press conference that "Jay is the Man in Denver." I'm speculating that Pat saw a lot of Elway in Cutler to make such a comment, I know I did. So the question I still wonder about is: if Pat could see 6 months into the future before hiring McHoodie, would he have still hired him? Hmmm...

Either way, change will happen and we as fans of the Broncos will have to deal with it. I think McHoodster has to make the playoffs this season, and if not he definitely will have to make them next season. It's that or he can be the next Wade Phillips of the Broncos. Funny thing is that Wade never chased off the face of the franchise... so I doubt McHoodster (if he's gone in a couple years) will have that anonymity that Wade enjoys of his lack luster performance in Denver.

PS.

From the last post, I got a comment that San Diego Defensive Coordinator Ron Rivera was the former Defensive Coordinator of the Chicago Bears during the year of their Super Bowl appearance against the Indianapolis Colts. Apparently he got to sharpen up his defensive chops against the second team offense who was quarterbacked by our own starting quarterback Kyle Orton! Ron has the skinny on what Orton can do... doesn't bode well for us when we face the Chargers... seriously! Thanks for the post Anonymous dude!