mustardbased said:
So, so many people to lay the blame at for the choke job in Denver:
--People who designed the POS new stadium for ruining the Broncos' home field advantage.
--Pat Bowlen for giving The Mastermind full control to assemble a defense that couldn't get a decent rush on a Pop Warner team without bringing the house.
--Shanahan for coaching a purely gutless game from start to finish. He played that game not to lose from the starting gun to the final kick. Gutless. Straight gutless. I won't even begin to list the number of times he could have attacked a dog-ass defense and instead chose to play it safe. If you're going to make the QB switch because the rook is the guy that can win in the playoffs, then fucking coach like it.
--The whole fucking defense (other than Champ Bailey) for not being able to keep a team that had quit from going up and down the field.
--Jay Cutler for AGAIN missing a WIDE OPEN receiver in a crucial spot (Marshall on 2nd down on the final drive).
--Jake Plummer for managing to go 0-for-2 with a fucking pick after Cutler had his bell rung.
--Tatum Bell for AGAIN fumbling in a big spot.
--Mike Bell for showing no ability whatsoever to score from inside the 5 on multiple opportunities.
A TERRIBLE performance from all involved (other than Champ Bailey). Tempered by the fact that even if they had managed to beat New England (possible) they would have been skullfucked sooner or later by somebody.
It's been more than three hours since I've been stewing over this and I'm still not happy. A complete and utter breakdown everywhere. Still, to your points ...
-- The new stadium is catered to more of a wine-and-cheese crowd and having attended numerous games there, it's not as loud as the old Mile High. That place rocked.
-- The defensive problems aren't by who's out there, it's the APPROACH to limit the pass rush. You can't let the quarterback sit back there and pitch a tent, build a fire and have a weenie roast and not put a finger on him. After the Colts game, Manning's jersey didn't need to be bleached. Smith today on third down in the overtime wasn't close to being touched. Coyer convinced the Mastermind to the switch after the exposure in the AFC Championship Game. Still, the defense was exposed by Manning and the numerous injuries. Bottom line: You have to put pressure on the quarterback.
-- Agree on the play-calling. This is a common refrain. They needed to go for it on one of those field goals. Inside the 5-yard line THREE TIMES and ZERO touchdowns. Unacceptable.
-- See above on the defense. Run ragged and into the ground.
-- It was Cutler's FIFTH game. He's going to make mistakes. And his head wasn't all there after the hit in the second quarter. Comes with the territory with a rookie quarterback.
-- No comment on Plummer.
-- Tatum Bell signed an endorsement after the game for Butterfingers.
-- The 49ers knew what was coming because of Shanahan's play-calling. Run, run, run. Where's the bootleg? Where's the fade pattern into the end zone?
As for those who say Shanahan should be out of there ...
And replace him with who? As a Broncos fan for 30-odd years, this sucks. It's not as bad as the Super Bowls or even the Jacksonville loss 10 years ago. This ending will not sit well here. But at the same time, it beats being a fan of the Browns or Bills or other teams that sniff the playoffs once every four or five years -- or never.
The Broncos are competitive every damn year. They're right there. I'll take that, despite today's disappointment. They, like many other teams, have a lot to shore up in the offseason. Is Shanahan perfect? Nope. But they're in the upper half of the league. And while this sucks, I know they will do everything they can in the offseason to improve the team.
