| Christopher Reina. 30th December, 2008 - 10:39 pm
 With two Super Bowls and a S. Epatha Merkerson (Lt. Anita Van Buren on Law & Order) like run on the Broncos' sideline, Mike Shanahan has been a Denver institution every fall and winter since 1995.
The 2008 season was one that ended in disappointment, but the Broncos didn't actually have much business being in the playoff picture to begin with. The Chargers are more talented at just about every position and are conservatively three games better than the Broncos.
Denver won in 2008, simply and explicitly, when Jay Cutler played well.
Passer rating over 90
Week 1, OAK: 41-14 Win, 137.5
Week 2, SD: 39-38 Win, 109.6
Week 3, NO: 34-32 Win, 93.3
Week 5, TB: 16-13 Win, 96.1
Week 10, CLE: 34-30 Win, 107.9
Week 11, ATL: 24-20 Win, 106.4
Week 13, NYJ: 34-17 Win, 94.8
Week 14, KC: 24-17 Win, 102.7
Passer rating under 90
Week 4, KC: 33-19 Loss, 71.9
Week 6, JAC: 24-17 Loss, 77.8
Week 7, NE: 41-7 Loss, 64.3
Week 9, MIA: 26-17 Loss, 60.7
Week 12, OAK: 31-10 Loss, 49.8
Week 15, CAR: 30-10 Loss, 74.3
Week 16, BUF: 30-23 Loss, 72.4
Week 17, SD: 52-21 Loss, 74.9
Those splits are as 'Cut & Dried' as the Echo & The Bunnymen song, but let's look at why the Broncos couldn't win unless Cutler was excellent.
The Broncos were 26th in passing yards allowed per game with 228.5 and 27th against the run with 146.1. If you break it down per attempt, they fall to 28th against the pass and 30th against the run.
They were third worst in points allowed and gave up 112 during those final three losses.
This defense was plainly ineffective and was why Pay Bowlen reportedly asked Shanahan to fire defensive coordinator Bob Slowik, which led to the stalemate and the decision to fire the entire staff. Shanahan seemed to believe that the defensive struggles were because of a lack of talent than a problem with schemes.
Denver was dead last in the NFL in turnover differential with a mark of -17.
Furthermore, the Broncos were ranked 23rd in the NFL in my Trench Counter statistic.
This move seems like a knee-jerk decision focusing on losses in the final three instead of the fortuitous victories along the way, especially in Weeks 2 and 3. This is a perfect example of how the timing of wins and losses matters more than the total and overall picture.
The appropriate decision here would have been taking away Shanahan's unfettered access to buying the groceries, but that's a solution that wouldn't have been warmly received.
I suppose the decision to upend Shanahan a year or two early with Cutler still on the front side of his career allows the new coach transition to occur while the surrounding talent builds.
The entire future of the Broncos rests with Cutler, and he isn't pleased with Shanahan's firing.
“I’m disappointed, I’m shocked, I’m not happy about it, I’m not pleased with it at all,” Cutler told the Rocky Mountain News on Tuesday. “We had zero inkling this was going to happen. I didn’t have a clue.”
The shock of this move will evaporate for Cutler under the amnesia of being in the foxhole against all of his buddies on the Chargers with a new coach in his ear. But how many coaches with a .598 career coaching record are out there?
Grade for Broncos: C+ |
