Denver Fans Still Split!!!

Well it's pretty clear that fans of the Denver Broncos are split down the middle of what's been going on all summer. I've been reading the blogs at the Bronco web page and it's still roughly all about the changes that have happened this off season.

Changes over new coach Josh McDaniels, the Cutler Trade, and now how the Brandon Marshall situation is being handled.

I don't know if mud slinging was common last year, but right now the fans are slinging it all over the Bronco blog, and I'm quite sure it's not the only place. Even the analyst from Yahoo, MSN, Fox, ESPN, and the NFL network can't make heads or tails of all the changes that have happened. Many project the Broncos at best another 8-8 season (due to the weak AFC West Division,) while some say as low as 5-11 with the scheduled team they have to face.

I've even checked out the Bears ESPN radio show where Defensive Coach Ron Rivera of San Diego Chargers was on. Rivera being a former Bears player commented on Chicago signing Culter and how relieved he was that he didn't have to create defensive schemes to stop Cutler two times a year.

The biggest fans of what's happening should be are our rivals. You know KC and Oakland are not as afraid of Kyle Orton as they were of Cutler. KC thinks they found their franchise QB in Matt Cassle, and they are probably tickled to death that he's already contributed to the demise of Denver by being the 'apple of McHoodies eye!' And San Diego, being in the twilight of their aging team is probably ecstatic that they face the less mobile Orton. Their defense could get to Cutler, but he could escape time and again. With Merriman back, getting to Orton shouldn't be a problem.

Our only hope in my opinion is to have a stellar running game. With Peyton Hillis running the ball that should be no problem. This would give us a threat we were lacking with all the injuries that happened to all the RB's. Also it would surely help Orton by limiting his throws and making the defense back off and focus on the run.

Regardless, the season has yet to start, and all of us fans will have to wait to see how things will shape up. I'm am going to sorely miss the Cutler/Rivers rivalry! That could've been one for the ages.

My Thoughts Of A Franchise QB

Earlier this year the Broncos organization and franchise quarterback Jay Cutler parted ways. The Chicago Bears paid quite a bit for a proven Pro-Bowler with a rocket arm , who in their opinion is what they are lacking. Along with the deal their starting quarterback was sent to Denver as a bonus in the block buster deal.

What I saw in Cutler was everything I would want in a quarterback. He took command of the offense when he was out there. He was big and strong and when he got in trouble he could scramble and extend broken plays. He could make something out of nothing and do it all seamlessly. He could break tackles and seemed to have no fear of being hit. He could throw a bullet into a tight space. He carried himself with confidence and a 'never say die' attitude. And this attitude flowed through the rest of the offense. You could see the joy of that young offense exuberant every time they scored. It was like the 4th of July in Autumn if you were a Broncos fan since they could light up a score board. It was an exciting offense to watch. An offense that did not get a chance to survive a coaching change and new dictatorial regime.

I'm a believer that on the offensive side the foundation is built with having the right quarterback that can lead a team. A quarterback that can recognize before the snap that potentially the current play is in trouble and that he has to check out of it to a play designed to counter attack. A quarterback that can make accurate throws and bait defenses with his eyes and deceive line men during screens.

What makes me a believer in what I just wrote is the fact that a majority of Super Bowls have been won with quarterbacks that have these characteristics. And many of them are multiple winners of the Super Bowl. It seems like from the very beginning this standard was set in professional football. Let's take a look at these multiple Super Bowl Championship quarterbacks.

Multiple Superbowl Appearances with Perfect Records:

Bart Star - Green Bay - 2
Terry Bradshaw - Pittsburgh - 4
Jim Plunkett - Oakland - 2
Joe Montana - San Francisco - 4
Troy Aikman - Dallas - 3
Ben Rothleisberger - Pittsburgh - 2

Multiple Superbowl Appearances with both W & L Records

Len Dawson - Chiefs - Won 1, Lost 1
Earl Morrall - Baltimore Colts - Won 1, Lost 1
Roger Staubach - Dallas - Won 2, Lost 2
Bob Griese - Miami - Won 2, Lost 1
Joe Theisman - Washington - Won 1, Lost 1
Bret Favre - Green Bay - Won 1, Lost 1
John Elway - Denver - Won 2, Lost 3
Tom Brady - New England - Won 3, Lost 1
Kurt Warner - Won 1, Lost 2

1 Time Superbowl Appearance Winners

Joe Namath - New York Jets
Ken Stabler - Oakland Raiders
Jim McMahon - Chicago
Phil Simms - New York Giants
Doug Williams - Washington
Jeff Hostetler - New York Giants
Mark Rypien - Washington
Steve Young - San Francisco
Trent Dilfer - Baltimore Ravens
Brad Johnson - Tampa Bay
Peyton Manning - Indianapolis Colts
Eli Manning - New York Giants

Multiple Superbowl Appearances with No Wins

Craig Morton - Dallas & Denver - 2 Losses
Fran Tarkenton - Minnesota - 3 Losses
Jim Kelly - Buffalo - 4 Losses

1 Time Superbowl Appearance Losers

Daryle Lamonica - Oakland
Joe Kapp - Minnesota
Billy Kilmer - Washington
Vince Ferragamo - Los Angeles Rams
Ron Jaworski - Philadelphia
Ken Anderson - Cincinnati
David Woodley - Miami
Dan Marino - Miami
Steve Grogan - New England
Boomer Esiason - Cincinnati
Stan Humphries - San Diego
Neil O'Donnell - Pittsburgh
Drew Bledsoe - New England
Chris Chandler - Atlanta
Steve McNair - Tennessee Titans
Kerry Collins - New York Giants
Rich Gannon - Oakland Raiders
Jake Delhomme - Carolina
Donovan McNabb - Philadelphia
Matt Hasselback - Seattle
Rex Grossman - Chicago

There are 43 Superbowl winning quarterbacks.

The top 6 on the list with Perfect Multiple Superbowl wins were/are hands down franchise quarterbacks.

The 9 with Multiple Appearances with wins and losses in the Superbowl were franchise quarterbacks even though they lost. They got back to the big game and won it. Or in Staubach, Theisman and Favre's case, went back the year after and lost defending the crown.

These 15 Franchise quarterbacks total 44 appearances out of a possible 86. That is a staggering 51%! And they are accountable for 29 World Championships, or 63%. Out of those 15, 3 of them are still playing - Kurt Warner, Tom Brady and Ben Rothleisberger have 9 appearances in the last 8 Superbowls with 6 World Championships between them.

Taking a look at the 1 Time Superbowl Apperance Winners there are 12 total. Out of the 12, only 2 quarterbacks were not franchise quarterbacks. Jeff Hostetler was a backup to franchise QB Phil Simms. After winning the Superbowl he was traded to the Los Angeles Raiders where he BECAME a franchise quarterback. The other is Trent Dilfer who was with the Baltimore Ravens when they won the Superbowl. He was released after being the Superbowl winning quarterback and ended up at Tampa Bay as a back up for Brad Johnson. The rest are notable franchise quarterbacks. 2 are still fresh in the middle of their NFL careers - Peyton & Eli Manning are more than talented enough to lead their teams back to the big game.

As far as QB's with Goose egg's in the win column, the most notable franchise quarterbacks are Fran Tarkenton, Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, and Donovan McNabb.

Out of the Goose Egg's, 5 of them are still playing and 4 of them are quite secure in their jobs as leading their teams this year: Kerry Collins, Jake Delhomme, Donovan McNabb, and Matt Hasselback. Rex Grossman is now a back up with the Houston Texans.

Now given our current situation, Josh McDaniels is still having the two quarterbacks compete. Even though he has declared that Kyle Orton is the starting quarterback, the competition is still open! If you look at these franchise quarterbacks mentioned above, there was really no one snipping at their heels. A majority of them clearly separated themselves from their competition, because they were that good! They were given a generous amount of talent that allowed themselves to be #1, and the confidence to know the job was theirs if they just showed up.

Where one organization does not recognize such philosophies, other organizations do recognize. The Bears welcomed Cutler with opens arms saying "You're the MAN!"

So, the question is: Is Kyle Orton our franchise quarterback?

Unofficial Good Bye from Brandon Marshall

When I woke up this morning, I was hoping that Brandon would stay in Denver. But apparently that is not going to happen. It really is a shame because he is our biggest, most physical, and one of the most talented receiver in the NFL.
Good luck Mr. Marshall, I sure hope you get what you want out of your career else where. And thanks for all the great catches that you made over the past 3 years. The Cutler to Marshall connection will sorely be missed by me, personally. I wish it all did not end the way it did, but the business sometimes does not allow for happy ending.

McHoodie Vs. BMarsh

Well well well, here we go again! First of all I'd like to say that my opinions and what I am about to write is all speculation!

It appears that Brandon Marshall is not happy in Denver! Let's make a calculated guess as to why?

1. New Coach
2. New Offensive System To Learn
3. Favorite QB (Jay Cutler) was run out of town
4. Making less money than T.O., Ocho, and other top receivers.
5. Maybe has a grudge since favorite QB is gone
6. Was Exclusive on ESPN as a woman beater.
7. Is involved with another battered situation with a different woman.
8. Has to go to court over the first woman.
9. Has had a hip surgery and is rehabbing.

Wow, that's a lot of things to deal with. Lets target these things individually.

1. New Coach Josh McDaniels (aka McHoodie) replaced a stale and out dated Mike Shanahan (aka I got fired because I wouldn't fire my BFF Bob Slowik.) Personally I felt this was a great move since he took a high school starting QB in Matt Cassel and turned him into Tom Brady. It didn't happen over night since Cassel was part of the Patriots system for a few years, so he did understand how things worked - it was Cassel's job to know as back up QB. However, talented players that think the team revolves around them get ousted by McHoodie as we found out with McJay Gate. I think BMarsh thinks the air game revolves around him. Hmmmm, perhaps another casualty waiting to happen?

2. The New Offensive Scheme McHoodie brings has been proven in New England. Tom Brady broke the TD record set by Peyton Manning (who broke the previous one set by Dan Marino.) Also Randy Moss has the most TD's by a wide out. Upon McHoodie's arrival, visions of Culter to Marshall circulated in every Bronco Fans head. Well that isn't going to happen!!!

3. Now I'm sure a lot of fans are thinking I'm beating a dead horse (or dead bronco) but I'm sure it has to come into play some where. BMarsh was close to Cutler, they had chemistry and belief that they would be together for years, and BMarsh was JC's favorite target. McHoodie took all of that away and replaced JC with Kyle Orton. I guess I'd be a bit depressed too!

4. Every year we hear the same cliche' from players all over the league. "The NFL is a business and I need to get what I feel is mine!" Okay, not all players say this, but the business part they all agree with. BMarsh had a pretty spectacular year. Good enough to be called one of the best receivers in the NFL. Although he did drop quite a few passes, in hind sight, dropped passes never stopped T.O. from getting paid! He's suppose to make around $2.2 million this year. Looking at receivers like T.O., Randy Moss, Lee Evans, & Larry Fitzgerald raking in double digit million dollar salaries it's no wonder BMarsh has a chip on his shoulder. $10M a year at the very least makes $2.2M look like chump change!

5. Another theory could be that BMarsh is holding out because maybe he'll be fortunate enough to get traded to a team that will pay him the money he wants. Now that Cutler is gone, does Orton have the arm strength to get him the ball down field? Maybe BMarsh doesn't think so. Let's see, a new offense does well after a few years and usually not immediately. BMarsh is probably holding out because after 3 years under Shanahan's system his performance level has increased yearly. Now he has to start all over and learn a new system. Chances are his performance is going to drop off. So to all the people that are saying "Shut up and play BMarsh! Have a great season and then let them pay you!" You got to understand the business. And business says that if performance does drop off, the Broncos Management don't have to pay you what you want due to your performance decline. So I bet they are hoping for him to "be a team player" and curtail this years performance so they can use it as an excuse to NOT pay him what he wants.

6. Being a negative exclusive on ESPN was probably not a lot of fun. However, his actions did make him an easy target. And when it comes to media bullies, they have no qualms about picking on an easy target. The media is in charge of what gets broadcast. And they allowed BMarsh to have a rebuttal interview. Of course the guy in charge was only going to get what he wanted out of BMarsh and cut him off whenever BMarsh was trying to make a point. All I can say is BMarsh should have known better and just laid low and hopefully things would've blown over. This alone would cost him a few million later on down the road. Time to hold out seeing that he's going to need the money later.

7. Okay, so you get arrested for fighting in public back home in Atlanta with your new girl friend and soon to be wife? Idiot! When are you going to learn that women who want to fight with you also want your money! Regardless, it looks like somethings never change. And also, this could get expensive. Better go after that coin my friend!

8. There is no doubt that your first troubles with your high school sweet heart are expensive. Lawyers that love rich hoodlums like you who love to get in trouble, are more than eager to take away your money! You're a lawyers dream come true. Ask your agent, he'll tell ya that he's your best friend too!

9. Now I don't know about this, but hip surgery and rehabilitation sound awfully expensive, but I'm sure the Broncos organization covered that medical bill. Still, being gimpy isn't the best time to ask for more money. Not showing up for mandatory work outs is also throwing money away. But coming from the hood probably means that you're making too much money (or at least you thought you were) that you didn't know what to do with it! So let's just throw it all away. I guess you've thrown away enough to see the bottom of the barrel. Wow, now you need more, much much more.

Ya know, the average American can retire rather comfortably on $2.2 million. So why is it so difficult for a kid who had nothing, earned his way into college through hard work and physical gifts, and made it as a professional football player to be able to manage his finances and do the same thing?

I guess if I were 20something, a very talented wide receiver, had everything to look forward to, and was making that kind of salary; I'd probably piss away a few million dollars too!

In the end I don't believe that BMarsh will have another season like he did last year. He wants to get traded, but I don't know if he will get traded. Funny thing is, I hope he stays in Denver. But with the changing of the guard, it seems less likely than it did 6 months ago!