They say a picture can say a thousand words. 

If that’s the case, then the photo above says a lot about how some Broncos fans and critics alike are painting head coach Josh McDaniels.

McDaniels has been called every name in the book and is unfairly carrying the weight of the Broncos’ epic 2009 collapse. 

As the head coach of the team, it is common for McDaniels to have to carry this weight, but in this case, it is completely unjustified.

In McDaniels’ first season as head coach, the Broncos took a wild roller coaster ride, cliche’ as it may sound. 

He was chastised for trading away Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler, and following the trade, nobody in the media thought the Broncos would win more than six games, maybe seven if they were feeling generous.

Following the Cutler trade, drama with both tight end Tony Scheffler and wide receiver Brandon Marshall ensued, and McDaniels was under the microscope yet again as a young kid who couldn’t handle a professional football team.

While under the microscope, McDaniels went into the NFL Draft and free agency and upgraded many areas of need for the Broncos, and added both promising young college players and savvy veterans. 

Even then, McDaniels was cursed for “reaching” in the draft and adding too many “old” free agents to the Broncos’ defense.

The preseason was unkind to McDaniels as well, and the Broncos lost three out of four contests including a game against recently traded quarterback Jay Cutler. 

In the first preseason game, Kyle Orton threw three interceptions in a Broncos loss, and the team suspended Brandon Marshall.

On the surface, it did not appear as though the Broncos were going to have a great season, but that is only if you put a lot of stock into the preseason. 

Following the tumultuous offseason, Denver started the season 6-0, and it seemed he had repaired any burned bridges or broken hearts in Denver, and the team headed into the bye week on a high note, defeating rival San Diego on the Chargers’ home turf.

At this point, McDaniels was no longer being heralded as “McIdiot” or “McDumb(rear),” he was being called a “McGenius.” 

Winning heals a lot in the NFL, and the Broncos’ young coach was an early Coach of the Year candidate, and his team even had Kyle Orton and Elvis Dumervil in the MVP mix.

McDaniels was all hugs with his players (Brandon Marshall) and appeared to have the Broncos on the right track.

And he still does.

The Broncos finished the season with a 2-8 record, and became the first team in franchise history to start the season 6-0 and not make the playoffs.  In fact, it was the first time in Broncos history that a 6-0 start didn’t translate to a Super Bowl victory.

Is McDaniels solely to blame for Denver’s collapse? 

Absolutely not.

This is not to say the rookie head coach did not make some mistakes in the games or in how he handled his PR business, because he did. 

After all, he is new to this head coaching gig.

The 33-year old McDaniels came into Denver to an unhappy quarterback who didn’t want to be there without Shanahan anyway, and if you need proof of that, then you haven’t read enough into the story than you have been told.

And it is also not McDaniels’ fault that Brandon Marshall lets his emotions get the best of him. 

In case you didn’t see, Marshall had an epic freakout in practice before the start of the season, and recently was deactivated because he was tardy to a physical therapy session and refused to play with a minor injury.

In the end, fans right now are just angry with the Broncos’ late-season collapse, and they have every right to be. 

But to direct all the blame toward Josh McDaniels is simply unfair.

McDaniels overhauled half of Denver’s roster from 2008 to 2009, and while many rebuilding teams are picking in the top five of this year’s draft, the Broncos finished 8-8 and in the 14th slot. 

Their record did not improve this season, but the direction this team is going is exciting, and fans will come to realize that. 

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Sponsored Links

Buy Denver Broncos Tickets, NFL Tickets, Football Tickets and Sports Tickets at StubPass.com.

BroncosZone Latest

• The Denver Broncos Must Face Their New Reality
• Denver Broncos: The Beginning of a New Era, Or The Beginning of the End?
• Hey Denver, Where’s the Love for Josh McDaniels?
• Josh McDaniels Is the Poster Boy for “Too Much, Too Soon”
• Denver Wide Receiver Brandon Marshall: “I Love Being a Bronco”