The AFC West: How Big of a Mess Is It?

It has now become very apparent that my Raiders have quite a few problems. But I’ve decided if I’m going to bash my own team I might as well bash the rest of the division.

Here’s my best shot at bringing down all the teams in the division with my Raiders.

So lets start off with my Raiders of course.

Aside from the Monday Night opener, the Raiders look horrible.

Not only that, but based on this season’s performances thus far the Raiders’ last three first round draft picks look like busts. JaMarcus Russell can barely hit the broad side of a barn and the only players he can occasionally hit in stride are Zach Miller and defensive backs.

Darren McFumble…I mean McFadden not only has the lowest yards per carry of the three Raider running backs but he averages a fumble about once every 10 carries. Definitely not living up to the hype.

And then there’s Darius Heyward-Bey. He can run very fast but that’s about it. So far this season he has one reception and two interceptions while he was being targeted.

To make things stranger the first round draft pick from four drafts ago, Michael Huff, who we were all convinced was a bust is now playing like a man on fire with four take-aways.

And then there’s Tom Cable.

Well he motivated the team and got them to buy into the “team first” and “53 men committed to one purpose” philosophy, blah blah blah.

But motivation and hope can only get you so far. Try hoping in one hand and shitting in the other and see which one fills up faster.

Unless Tom Cable can learn how to call an offense or finds someone who can, all that motivation will turn into false hope as team morale drops. 

Now onto the Chiefs.

Well the Chiefs aren’t just bad. They are horrible. And at 0-3 I would be surprised if they can match last years win total of two.

They are actually so bad that despite playing against the worst QB performance I have ever seen, the Chiefs failed to come up with a win or even a single interception.

The Chiefs also have three backup QBs and have already fired an offensive coordinator this preseason. Plus, they traded away possibly the best tight end in NFL history and their biggest offensive weapon.

Then there’s the consensus Super Bowl favorite of the last three years—the Chargers.

As of right now I would put them in second in the division but with the Raiders and Chiefs not far behind. And with the Chargers roster beginning to look like an ER, I wouldn’t be surprised if if they end up in third or even fourth in the division.

Despite being the most over-hyped team in the NFL three years running, the Chargers were dominated in nearly ever facet of the game by the Raiders. Funny, the Broncos did the same to the Raiders.

But in the end the Chargers were able barely skate by with a win. No thanks to some questionable officiating and a lead changing touchdown drive leaving 28 seconds on the clock.

Also in reality the Chargers have yet to defeat a quality team. Raiders are 1-2, and the Dolphins are 0-3.

Wow I just had deja vu.

Now, finally, onto the AFC west leading Denver Broncos. Or should I say AFC worst. Yes congratulations Broncos fans, your team is in the lead of the worst division in the NFL.

Oh wait, sorry. As a Raider fan I am not allowed to refer to them as Broncos.

Guess what horse riders? Despite being 3-0, every power ranking list to come out this week will still list the Chargers above your donkeys.

And of course you guys already know why. You have yet to even play a good team. You barely beat the Bengals. The Browns, despite scoring 20 against Minnesota, have still scored only one offensive TD in the last 36 quarters.

Notice how in the last week that 32 rose to 36. The Browns are horrible, and next week it will probably rise again to 40 quarters.

Then you played the Raiders. Well as you’ve read, the Raiders aren’t very good. Not to mention prior to this loss most NFL power rankings had the Raiders somewhere between 25 and 29.

 

 

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Hey Broncos, No One Wants Brandon Marshall, You’re Stuck With Him

No that’s not Brandon Llyod wearing number 84, that’s disgruntled wide receiver Brandon Marshall with a scout-team jersey. And yes, those are Bronco pajama bottoms. He sure takes practice seriously.

First that, and then his recent antics in practice. Marshall is making the Broncos’ practices, and the organization as a whole, look like a joke. Not only that, but he made himself look like an immature fool while killing any interest any other NFL team may have had in him.

As punishment, the Broncos gave him a two week suspension…That’ll teach him.

All that, and the Broncos claim they aren’t going to trade him and haven’t been in negotiations with other teams.

Bull shit.

If you believe that, then you’re probably one of those people who believed Cutler wouldn’t be traded, Santa Claus filled your stockings, Favre would stay retired, and the war was over after Bush’s “victory achieved speech.”

Now, because all of that happened, the Broncos have lost all leverage they had in trading Marshall. Even if they wanted to trade him now, it is pretty much too late. They should have traded him before he made a jackass of himself, killing his trade value.

No doubt the Broncos have been working day and night to get rid of this head-case. The only problem is no one else wants him. Or at least, no one will pay what the Broncos want, which is likely in the neighborhood of a first and a third-round draft-pick.

The Broncos are stuck with their high-flying, injury-prone, suspension-prone, arrest-prone, problem child of a receiver.

The Giants don’t want him and their fans don’t want the baggage that comes with him. Plus the Giants just spent two draft picks on receivers Hakeem Nicks and Ramses Barden.

The Ravens don’t want him; Derrick Mason just pulled a Brett Favre and un-retired. Plus, the Ravens don’t deal with players with off-the-field issues and character issues.

The Jets don’t want him simply for the same reason the Ravens don’t want him. Former Ravens DC Rex Ryan doesn’t deal with head-cases like Marshall, either.

The 49ers don’t want him; they already have enough diva receivers in Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis. Why give up another first-round draft-pick just to add another talented distraction. Plus, I don’t think Marshall is the type to be motivated by male frontal nudity.

The Bears? Yeah, I’m sure they’re interested, but Marshall will not land on the Bears as long as the Broncos have anything to say about it.

You can just simply rule out the rest of the AFC west because the Broncos won’t trade him within the division. And the other three teams in the AFC west won’t even consider Marshall unless they know they are getting the upper hand in the deal.

Then you can go ahead and rule out all of the Broncos’ 2009 opponents. How would it make the Broncos look if Marshall came back to Denver on an opposing team, only to have a huge game in a win over the Broncos.

The only way I see anyone trading for Marshall is if one team becomes desperate before the week six trade deadline, like the Cowboys did last year.

The Broncos can’t even just cut or release Marshall. If they do, then they run the risk of him being reunited with Cutler, or even worse, being picked up by a division rival.

So what’s going to happen with Brandon Marshall?

The simple answer is Bronco fans are going to get exactly what they all wanted…Brandon Marshall will remain a Denver Bronco.

And not only do they get Brandon Marshall, they get a huge distraction who undermines the coaching. They get a disgruntled player who cares more about himself than the team and will negatively influence some of the younger Broncos. And quite simply, they get a waste of roster space and talent.

But that is what the Broncos are stuck with.

Analyzing Brandon Marshall Trade Rumors

Could the Denver Broncos be trading Brandon Marshall. Recently the reciever reiterated the fact that he wished to be traded, likely after seeing the performance of Kyle Orton in the Broncos preseason loss. In response the Broncos have stated they will not trade him and they will not re-work his contract this year he is set to recieve 2.2 million from the Broncos.

Do you really believe that Marshall won’t be traded just because he is expected to start practicing with the team? Well, if so you probably believed that Cutler wouldn’t and you probably believed Brett Favre the last three times he told us he was retiring.

For those of us who believe Marshall will be gone heres a look at some trade rumors and why they are or aren’t likely. I listed the from least likely to most likely.

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Hey Jay, Champ’s Still Got Your Back

Its no secret Bronco fans were torn over the whole Jay Cutler thing. But what about the players?

Well at least one person on the current Broncos roster still has former Pro Bowl QB Jay Cutlers’ back. It’s Pro Bowl DB Champ Bailey, who is arguably the leader of the Broncos defense.

Well, at least according to what he said in a recent radio interview: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/07/07/champ-bailey-sticks-up-for-cutler/#comments

Champ was very positive on Cutler’s behalf and and went on to say he is definitely a top 10 QB and has the ability to be the best in the game.

Champ even went on to compare him to some of the greatest QBs of all time, while predicting a successful future for Jay with the Bears.

“He reminds me of a Marino, Elway type of guy, and he’s going to be a great winner for them. It’s unfortunate for us that we had to lose a guy like that, but we’ve got to move on.”

In the interview, Champ goes on to say how he was surprised about the trade, and neither Cutler nor the Broncos staff consulted with anyone. He also said he understand it is a business and everyone is expendable.

As a Bronco fan it must be pretty frustrating when the best player on your defense and possibly the whole team actually defends your former “crybaby” QB after leaving the team in such a manner.

It kind of makes you think, was Jay Cutler really the one in the wrong?

To make matters worse for Bronco fans, now Devin Hester is coming to Jay Cutler’s defense. In a recent interview, Hester countered negative remarks by Tony Dungy and Mike Ditka with:

“Can’t judge a book by its cover. If you haven’t sat down and talked to him, how could you say something like that? He’s calm in the huddle. He makes us laugh and he jokes around before the ball is snapped. That’s the kind of quarterback who is relaxed and says, ‘Let’s play ball.’ “

“Just from the OTAs we’ve had, our offense has changed a whole lot,” Hester continued. “I feel like we’re stronger than we have ever been. I feel like we’re going to take the ball up and down the field. That’s the kind of quarterback Jay brings to this team.”

If Cutler really can turn the Bears offense around and continue to be a top 10 QB then he may turn out to be a huge loss for the Broncos, especially if Orton and those draft picks don’t work out.

But on the other hand, consensus says Chicagos WRs and TEs don’t even compare to that of the Denver Broncos. Others will even go as far to say Matt Forte is highly overrated and the only reason he was succesful was due to a lacking pass-game.

And the fact that Chicago receivers were unable to get open down-field forced Orton to fall back to his check-down reciever Matt Forte.

Regarding Chicago’s lack of big name receivers Hester had this to say:

“If we sign a big-time receiver or a free agent receiver who can help our team, I’m glad. But the guys we have here now, we’re pretty set. [The coaches] just want us to make plays. … Jay is the type of quarterback who is going to find a way to get the job done.”

One thing that Bears fans now need to ask themselves is, did Cutler make that offense or did the scheme, WRs, and arguably the best line in the NFL make Jay Cutler?

Conspiracy Theories in Denver: What Josh McDaniels Is Really Thinking

This year many things have been said about Josh Mcdaniels: He doesn’t know how to run a team, he’s ruining the Denver Broncos,  he’s setting up the Broncos for a year of mediocrity. Very few positive things have been said about McDaniels, aside from a few loyal fans who would follow the Broncos to the depths of hell.

But what if Mcdaniels knows exactly what hes doing and has been following a thought-out plan from the beginning. 

What if Jay Cutler wasn’t part of his plan for the Broncos future.

Here, let me explain.

He started out as a highschool QB and a college WR eventually making his way to the Patriots as a personal assistant in 2001. He began working his way up the ranks of the organization. 

In 2004 Charlie Weis left the Patriots, though not officially named to the position, Mcdaniels was the one calling plays from the sidelines now.

In 2006, 2007, and 2008 Mcdaniels was officially the Patriots offensive coordinator leading an offense that set multiple records: 1st in scoring, 1st in points, 1st in TD passes and the emergence of Matt Cassel—the only known NFL quarterback ever to start an NFL game without ever starting at quarterback in college.

Earlier this year Mcdaniels was named head coach of the Denver Broncos.

This year his first big move was dealing away Jay Cutler for a lesser QB and two first round draft picks. I would say dealing away an unhappy Jay Cutler was well worth what the Broncos received in return.

So, how was this all part of Mcdaniels’ plans, simple.

Jay Cutler was Mike Shanahan’s QB molded to fit into Shanahan’s system, and Mcdaniels would rather mold his own young QB. Instead of one who has already developed his own set of habits and playing style. And, Mcdaniels at-least believes hes been responsible for the development of two young late-round draft picks—Tom Brady and Matt Cassell.

Just think, is it a coincidence that Mcdaniels joined the Patriots in 2001, the same year Brady first took over the Patriots starting 15 games? Mcdaniels obviously doesn’t think so. And now he wants to mold Tom Brandstater to fit into his system and become the next Tom Brady. Another coincidence both Tom Brandstater and Tom Brady are 6th round draft picks.

Will it be just a coincedence when Brandstater takes over in his second year like Brady did?

But why not mold Orton or Simms to be the next Tom Brady? Also simple.

Like Cutler, Orton is not Mcdaniels QB and neither is Chris Simms. Orton has already been developed by a defensive minded coach, and Simms is just some guy who couldn’t cut it in Tampa Bay. While Tom, unlike the other two, is young, impressionable and can be molded into whatever Mcdaniels likes.

The attempted Cassell trade further backs up this logic as Cassell is a QB Mcdaniels helped develop.

Next on to the Brandon Marshall thing. 

This may also fall into his plan.

Brandon Marshall by many accounts is a selfish, thuggish, violent, a me first-type player. If he can be dealt away for maximum compensation, in draft picks next year, not only does this help Mcdaniels plans for Tom Brandstater’s “coming out party” next year,  but it gets rid of one of “Mike Shannahan’s guys” and a locker room nuisance.

But what are Mcdaniels plans for this year? Once again simple.

Mcdaniels is going to do his best to compete with what he has, while developing Tom Brandstater. 

As far fetched as it may seem whats to say this isn’t what Mcdaniels is doing in Denver,  I would like to know what Broncos fans think of this.

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