By Dave Paniagua
PART ONE
There was a moment during the Chargers-Broncos game where the camera pointed at Jay Cutler’s mom and dad. They were sitting in what looked like the bottom level, perhaps even on the 50 yard line. After that, the whole thing turned into a Wes Anderson movie, as the camera panned out fast and showed them all the way up in the highest of bleacher seats.
This little moment pretty much summed up how Denver played yesterday afternoon. Sporting a record of 7-2, the Donkeys were well on their way to winning another division title. Then, they had to play San Diego in week 11 and that’s about when things went to hell.
I’m watching the “Girl Next Door” as I write this, so I apologize if I’m a little distracted. Basically, Denver has been a very distant team. They play like they’re Cutler’s parents in the bleachers. Maybe they just don’t care anymore. I really don’t know, but the answer may lie in Mike Shanahan’s future. As it stands, we got a few possible openings for the 2007 season. If you’re a head coach in college, assistant in the pros, or even somebody that coaches for Oaks Christian, chances are that you might get a call from one of these cities:
Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Oakland, Arizona, and Denver.
Yes, folks, Shanahan’s time in the Mile High City is looking bleak. How this man has kept his job
for so long is probably John Elway’s fault. Whatever the case, running the ball and employing shaky quarterbacks have been a staple of Shanahan’s career. This all started after Big John’s departure, and the year after the Super Bowl was the beginning of pure misery. The team went 6-10, and the city wanted to see Brian Griese fall down some more stairs and maybe break a leg.
The situation for the Broncos isn’t all on Mike, but he’s still the man in charge. After all, this is the guy who has full control of every move the organization makes (sans the owner). When Elway paved the way for two Super Bowl victories, things couldn’t go wrong. The city known for having no air was high as a kite and didn’t care if all the oxygen was gone. Now, they remain a shell of a team that overachieves year after year. Mediocrity is the best word I can find to describe Denver’s success, or rather the lack thereof.
I haven’t gotten to Jake the Snake, but maybe it’s because Jay Cutler is supposedly the best quarterback taken in last April’s draft (so says the U’s Jimmy Johnson). After two “OK” performances, Cutler has a lot to learn and is better off giving the ball off to Denver’s twenty running backs. By the end of the season, Shanahan’s job security is, at best, halfway probable for one last ride in the 2007 season. Anything resembling a contract extension would be a disaster (unless it already happened).
There was a moment during the Chargers-Broncos game where the camera pointed at Jay Cutler’s mom and dad. They were sitting in what looked like the bottom level, perhaps even on the 50 yard line. After that, the whole thing turned into a Wes Anderson movie, as the camera panned out fast and showed them all the way up in the highest of bleacher seats.This little moment pretty much summed up how Denver played yesterday afternoon. Sporting a record of 7-2, the Donkeys were well on their way to winning another division title. Then, they had to play San Diego in week 11 and that’s about when things went to hell.
I’m watching the “Girl Next Door” as I write this, so I apologize if I’m a little distracted. Basically, Denver has been a very distant team. They play like they’re Cutler’s parents in the bleachers. Maybe they just don’t care anymore. I really don’t know, but the answer may lie in Mike Shanahan’s future. As it stands, we got a few possible openings for the 2007 season. If you’re a head coach in college, assistant in the pros, or even somebody that coaches for Oaks Christian, chances are that you might get a call from one of these cities:
Cleveland, Tampa Bay, Detroit, Oakland, Arizona, and Denver.
Yes, folks, Shanahan’s time in the Mile High City is looking bleak. How this man has kept his job
for so long is probably John Elway’s fault. Whatever the case, running the ball and employing shaky quarterbacks have been a staple of Shanahan’s career. This all started after Big John’s departure, and the year after the Super Bowl was the beginning of pure misery. The team went 6-10, and the city wanted to see Brian Griese fall down some more stairs and maybe break a leg.The situation for the Broncos isn’t all on Mike, but he’s still the man in charge. After all, this is the guy who has full control of every move the organization makes (sans the owner). When Elway paved the way for two Super Bowl victories, things couldn’t go wrong. The city known for having no air was high as a kite and didn’t care if all the oxygen was gone. Now, they remain a shell of a team that overachieves year after year. Mediocrity is the best word I can find to describe Denver’s success, or rather the lack thereof.
I haven’t gotten to Jake the Snake, but maybe it’s because Jay Cutler is supposedly the best quarterback taken in last April’s draft (so says the U’s Jimmy Johnson). After two “OK” performances, Cutler has a lot to learn and is better off giving the ball off to Denver’s twenty running backs. By the end of the season, Shanahan’s job security is, at best, halfway probable for one last ride in the 2007 season. Anything resembling a contract extension would be a disaster (unless it already happened).
The other big news in the NFL is how the state of Texas looked incredibly ridiculous, with the Texans and Cowboys embarrassed all day long. Spurned by Houston, Vince Young was taken 3rd by the Titans, in what many people (including ESPN Super Analyst Merril Hoge) considered to be the worst pick since Tony Mandarich was swooped up by the Packers. When the Titans mishandled Steve McNair, kicked Billy Volek out of town, and thought Kerry “30 Pack” Collins was the answer, the team started off 0-5. As an admitted Vince Young supporter, I pretty much gave up the notion that he was a good pick. VY was about two years away from being a decent quarterback.
What you have to love about sports is the ability to admit you were stupidly wrong. And that’s what is happening, right now. Vince Young has carried the team on its back, and if you saw my NFL picks you’d know that they were very close to having a winning record. Having ole’ Pac Man Jones on your team might do something to your brain, but the Titans are looking great for 2007. Jeff Fisher even believes in a bright future, with talks of him getting an extension on his contract.
Going into Houston was a dream come true. Here was the hometown hero playing for the other team, and finding a way to win another game. This time, it was a 39 yard run into the end zone during overtime. As he scored the winning touchdown, Vince’s reaction said it all. I’ll let the Associated Press describe it:
“He dashed into the end zone virtually untouched and then jumped into the stands to the open arms of a throng of burnt orange-clad fans. He then blew kisses and waved to a crowd that had cheered the Texans most of the game, but went wild when he scored.”
I can only imagine what Houston is going to do when the Saints eventually play them in Texas. The scene might be reminiscent of a mass suicide the likes of which we haven’t seen since Jonestown. I’m not knocking on Mario Williams, but trying to shore up the defense on a team without an o-line is like saying “Super Mario Bros.” was a good adaptation of the video game. Dennis Hopper as King Koopa? Words do not come to mind at that choice, or the Texans organization for being too scared to pick up on Vince or Southern Cal Superstar Reggie Bush.
Finally, let’s look back at NBC’s sudden emergence as a perennial sports entertainment powerhouse.
Okay, that isn’t happening anytime soon, but the network is back on track, picking up the broadcast rights for Sunday Night Football. A lot of work has gone into this production, putting the money into the salaries of John Madden, Al Michaels (nabbed by the Peacock Network in a “trade” with Disney’s ABC), and Bob Costas. There seems to be a cast of dozens on the broadcast, but suffice it to say that this “flex scheduling” has only given us one bad game (last week with Philly and Indy). All the other games have been great; because it has taken away the concept of seeing two underwhelming teams play for draft positions late in the season. This is the inherent problem with ESPN’s Monday Night Football. I doubt that they’re going to fix that scheduling, unless they get a clue.
The other Texas-sized disaster just so happened to be on NBC..jpg)
Dallas was hosting the Saints, and it looked like the national media was in love with some dude named Tony Romo. What a name, huh? It reminds me of a rejected name for one of Vincent Chase’s relatives on “Entourage.” I’d love to see Terrell Owens get a guest spot on that show, hopefully run over by a steamroller on the set of “Queens Boulevard 2” or something.
Anyway, Dallas got annihilated, to the score of 42-17. Drew Brees tore apart the secondary, in what has become one of the best years ever for a discarded (see below) San Diego quarterback. Reggie Bush got in on the action, totaling 162 yards of offense and a touchdown.
We can talk all we want about what happened to New Orleans the city, but what happened today was a sign that their team is not the disappointment that we’ve come to expect. They have the best overall offense in the game, and their defense ain’t too bad, letting opposing teams get a chance but unable to keep up with Brees and company. The Saints haven’t been too good against AFC opponents, but that part of their schedule is over and they should be able to beat Carolina at the end of the year.
Come back on Tuesday for part 2, as we look at the potential head coaching vacancies and why Larry Johnson needs a hug.
What you have to love about sports is the ability to admit you were stupidly wrong. And that’s what is happening, right now. Vince Young has carried the team on its back, and if you saw my NFL picks you’d know that they were very close to having a winning record. Having ole’ Pac Man Jones on your team might do something to your brain, but the Titans are looking great for 2007. Jeff Fisher even believes in a bright future, with talks of him getting an extension on his contract.
Going into Houston was a dream come true. Here was the hometown hero playing for the other team, and finding a way to win another game. This time, it was a 39 yard run into the end zone during overtime. As he scored the winning touchdown, Vince’s reaction said it all. I’ll let the Associated Press describe it:
“He dashed into the end zone virtually untouched and then jumped into the stands to the open arms of a throng of burnt orange-clad fans. He then blew kisses and waved to a crowd that had cheered the Texans most of the game, but went wild when he scored.”
I can only imagine what Houston is going to do when the Saints eventually play them in Texas. The scene might be reminiscent of a mass suicide the likes of which we haven’t seen since Jonestown. I’m not knocking on Mario Williams, but trying to shore up the defense on a team without an o-line is like saying “Super Mario Bros.” was a good adaptation of the video game. Dennis Hopper as King Koopa? Words do not come to mind at that choice, or the Texans organization for being too scared to pick up on Vince or Southern Cal Superstar Reggie Bush.Finally, let’s look back at NBC’s sudden emergence as a perennial sports entertainment powerhouse.
Okay, that isn’t happening anytime soon, but the network is back on track, picking up the broadcast rights for Sunday Night Football. A lot of work has gone into this production, putting the money into the salaries of John Madden, Al Michaels (nabbed by the Peacock Network in a “trade” with Disney’s ABC), and Bob Costas. There seems to be a cast of dozens on the broadcast, but suffice it to say that this “flex scheduling” has only given us one bad game (last week with Philly and Indy). All the other games have been great; because it has taken away the concept of seeing two underwhelming teams play for draft positions late in the season. This is the inherent problem with ESPN’s Monday Night Football. I doubt that they’re going to fix that scheduling, unless they get a clue.
The other Texas-sized disaster just so happened to be on NBC.
.jpg)
Dallas was hosting the Saints, and it looked like the national media was in love with some dude named Tony Romo. What a name, huh? It reminds me of a rejected name for one of Vincent Chase’s relatives on “Entourage.” I’d love to see Terrell Owens get a guest spot on that show, hopefully run over by a steamroller on the set of “Queens Boulevard 2” or something.
Anyway, Dallas got annihilated, to the score of 42-17. Drew Brees tore apart the secondary, in what has become one of the best years ever for a discarded (see below) San Diego quarterback. Reggie Bush got in on the action, totaling 162 yards of offense and a touchdown.
We can talk all we want about what happened to New Orleans the city, but what happened today was a sign that their team is not the disappointment that we’ve come to expect. They have the best overall offense in the game, and their defense ain’t too bad, letting opposing teams get a chance but unable to keep up with Brees and company. The Saints haven’t been too good against AFC opponents, but that part of their schedule is over and they should be able to beat Carolina at the end of the year.
Come back on Tuesday for part 2, as we look at the potential head coaching vacancies and why Larry Johnson needs a hug.
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