News from the Owner's Meetings

A couple things to take from the NFL Owner's Meetings this past weekend:

1) Coach McDaniels "commitment" to Jay Cutler sounds nice and politically correct, but I still see Cutler getting dealt this offseason.

2) The AFL Throwbacks are a cool idea but the fact that Denver is wearing their original 1960 Brown and Mustard uniforms is just plain awful. Just let them wear the old 70s and 80s uniforms.

3) The Broncos will host a Thanksgiving game for the first time since 1963. They host the Giants on Thanksgiving Night on NFL Network. I thought this was an interesting choice considering that Denver played in the first NFLN Thanksgiving at Kansas City in 2006. I thought that the NFLN Thanksgiving Primetime game was designed to give different teams a chance to play on Turkey Day and host the game, but I thought it was going to matchup traditional teams and rivals. The Broncos and Giants certainly don't fit that bill. Anyway, I just a fan of Denver playing on Sundays.

4) The Monday Night Doubleheader was announced and I like the Bills and Pats matchup in game 1. TO and Brady should be fun. I don't like the Raiders and Chargers in the second game. This was the same game in 2006 and the Raiders have played in 3 of the 4 doubleheaders on Monday Night. I was surprised they didn't go with the NFC West and use Arizona.

5) There has to be a better Sunday Night Game for Week 1 than Green Bay and Chicago. Where are the Colts, Eagles, Giants, or even Miami and the Jets????

6) I nailed the Thursday Night Opener with Tennessee at Pittsburgh. I like that matchup a lot.

7) I guess CBS wanted to save San Diego at Dallas for a possible late season doubleheader because that is the only reason why CBS has Oakland at Dallas on Thanksgiving. Also, Green Bay at Detroit again on Thanksgiving on FOX. At least in the past you had Favre to look forward to.

8) Lastly, Denver's options for Week 1 are the following: 1:00pm at Cincy, at Indy, or at Baltimore on CBS or 4:00pm at home vs Dallas on FOX. Here are my preferences in order:
1-Dallas at home
2-at Cincy
3-at Baltimore
4-at Indy

I know we are getting Indy to start the year.

Owners Meetings This Weekend

As the NFL Owners meet this weekend, there is a lot of talk that Jay Cutler could get dealt at some point this weekend. We shall see what happens, but in any event expect the Broncos to discuss possible trades with a number of teams this weekend. I need to take a break from the Culter Saga for a little bit before my head explodes. Ususally, at the Owners Meetings, the NFL announces some of the primetime games for Week 1 of the upcoming season. Here are my predictions for Week 1 and Opening Weekend:

Thursday Night Opener:
Tennessee at Pittsburgh (NBC)

Sunday Night Football Opener:
Philadelphia at Dallas (NBC)

Monday Night Football Doubleheader:
Early Game-New England at Miami
Second Game- Seattle at Arizona

The Cutler Saga

I have tried to sit back and analyze the Jay Cutler-Josh McDaniels Saga since the beginning, and I didn't want to post daily updates because I wanted to wait for some type of resolution. The situation has spiraled out of control and there seems to be a divorce waiting at the end. Here is my take on all parties involved:

Jay Cutler: I understand that Cutler has been miffed by the fact that McDaniels would listen to offers for him. Although he was considered the face of the franchise, he is very good commodity and a young and promising Quarterback, and those guys shouldn't be traded. He is not in the class of Eli, Peyton, Brady, Big Ben, Rivers, and Warner, but he is in the next tier of QBs. Where Cutler went wrong is that he has went public with his displeasure. Also, he has acted like a baby the whole time. He should know that outside of a small group of players, a player could be traded for the right price. He "baby" attitude has really soured on the Broncos and some fans, and he should have been less aloof and more apt to want to reach a settlement and move on with the Broncos.

Josh McDaniels: When you are replacing a legend, you shouldn't be having stare downs with your 25 year old, Pro Bowl QB. I don't blame Josh for listening to trade offers involving Jay, and for trying to improve the team. I also don't blame Josh for looking to possibly get Matt Cassell. He failed in not being able to get Jay on board after this whole mess started. He failed because now he has this whole mess and the only way to deal with it is by trading away the franchise QB.

The Bottom Line: Everyone loses-Cutler, McDaniels, Pat Bowlen and the Fans of the Denver Broncos

Breaking Down Denver's Free Agent Moves

I need to take a break from analyzing the Jay Cutler/Josh McDaniels situation for at least one day. I can't take it anymore, and my head is going to explode. Also, I can't comment on the Brandon Marshall arrest because I will have a nervous breakdown, so I want to look at the moves the Broncos made this first weekend of Free Agency.

1) Brian Dawkins, Safety: I love this move. I don't care that he is 35 because he immediately helps our secondary, and brings some leadership and presence to our team. Remember how well John Lynch worked out for us when we signed him from Tampa Bay in 2004? This could have the same effect.
2) Correll Buckhalter, Running Back: This was a pretty good move because it gives us some depth at Tailback. The Broncos will have Buckhalter, Ryan Torain, Peyton Hillis and possible someother back to be named later that can carry the load for the running game. This move could be helpful.
3) Andre Goodman, Cornerback: I like this move too. This upgrades our secondary and give us some more veteran presence. He shut down Denver's receivers when Miami played them in November.
4) Renaldo Hill, Safety: Any player is an upgrade over Vernon Fox, Marquand Manuel, Marlon McCree or Calvin Lowry. This signing might be a little overrated. I get nervous when Miami was ready to replace him with Gibril Wilson as soon as Wilson hit the open market. I'm not sold on this move.
5) Darrell Reid, Defensive Tackle: The Broncos didn't break the bank for this one, so I'm happy with it. He is actually a force on Special Teams, but he will add depth to the D-Line and be a rotational guy.
6) Ronnie Fields, Defensive Lineman: He can play both tackle and end in the 3-4, but he is more of a role player and rotational lineman. Nothing special with this move.
7) Andra Davis, Linebacker: He falls in the Lowry and McCree category from last year. Why was he expendable? Why would we want a linebacker from a crummy defense? I think he could become a good special teams player for us, nothing more or nothing less.
8) Jabar Gaffney, Wide Receiver: I love this move too. Gaffney proved he could play in New England. We could put him at the Z receiver and move Royal to the slot-our version of Wes Welker. Plus, this move could be huge if Brandon Marshall gets suspended next season.
9) Lonnie Paxton, Long Snapper: I was a big Mike Leach fan, so this move hurts me emotionally.

The Shitshow that is the Denver Broncos

Yesterday, I am watching NFL Network and find out that the Chiefs traded for Matt Cassel. Nice move by the KC, and all seems to end there. However, to my dismay and displeasure, Adam Schefter reported that NE, Tampa, and Denver were discussing a three team trade that would get Matt Cassel to Denver and Jay Cutler to Tampa Bay. I was shocked and floored. Then, as the night went on, I find out that Denver discussed talks about Cutler to teams like Detroit and Minnesota. I am shocked, floored, furious and pissed right now about this. The Josh McDaniels/Brian Xanders regime in Denver just pulled one of the biggest fuckups in the history of the Broncos organization. Anyone want Mike Shanahan back here right now? What a fucking disaster this is. Let's face it, the Broncos have lost Cutler. Cutler is pissed off and upset, and I agree with him. He is the franchise and the face of the new era Broncos, and our 32 year old HC, was actually considering trade offers for him. This will not turn out good at all. Pat Bowlen better get this fixed. This is going to be a constant problem all offseason, into training camp, and into the 2009 season. My belief is that Jay Cutler will be traded at somepoint this offseason. I think the situation will be too damaged to repair. The most important relationship on the football team is between the HC and the QB. Now we have a very fractured and dysfunctional relationship. This will not turn out well for Cutler or for us Bronco fans. The trust is gone and Josh McDaniels set up this whole shitstorm. This will not end pretty.......