As I was perusing the mock drafts of Mel Kiper Jr. and Mel Kiper Jr. Jr. (Todd McShay) in preparation for the NFL Draft this Saturday, I noticed something that had slipped my mind ever since the drama of a few weeks ago: The Broncos pick 12th, and all the mocks show USC's Mark Sanchez being selected by the Broncos in any scenario in which he's still available.
And the whole thing gets me thinking about how stupid this team is. Not for supposedly being set on picking Mark Sanchez -- that part makes sense, at least at this point. But it's how the Broncos got to this point that makes me want to crack my skull (and/or apply for an NFL front office position).
Let's review what I objectively and scientifically like to call, "The worst offseason by any team in any sport. Ever."
Last year, the Broncos had a pretty decent season. They had a commanding lead in the AFC West well into the year at 8-5, but they dropped their final three contests and missed out on the playoffs.
Still, it's not as though the Broncos were bad. Their defense certainly was, as it allowed the fourth-most yards per game in the league, but their offense was fantastic, ranking second in total yardage. All they had to do was improve their defense through free agency and the draft, and the Broncos would be Super Bowl contenders.
So what did they do? They fired head coach and team icon Mike Shanahan, for no better reason than it being time for a change. That's right, fire the team's coach of 14 years, the offensive guru who's compiled a 138-86 record and won two Super Bowl rings, because the defense gave up 112 points over its final three games.
The Broncos then hired the 33-year-old offensive coordinator of the Patriots, Josh McDaniels, who proceeded to fire the entire Broncos staff and replace it with his own. So let's do a quick review: Fire Hall of Fame coach? Check. Get rid of staff that led offense to second-best yardage in league? Check. Hire unproven 33-year-old? Check.
But the buck doesn't stop there. As soon as he came to Denver, McDaniels tried to trade Jay Cutler, the Broncos' franchise quarterback, for his boy Matt Cassel, whom he had coached the previous year in New England. In other words, McDaniels tried to trade a rising star for a guy that put together decent stats with a team that went 18-1 the year before. And worse, Cutler found out about it. And he wasn't happy.
Let's look at this from Cutler's point of view. He lost his coach and his staff (with whom he had the second best offense in the league!), and then he found out that he was on the chopping block as well. Obviously, he had reason to be upset.
He demanded to be traded, but all he really wanted was for the team to tell him that he was their guy and that they weren't looking to deal him. He had a sit-down meeting with McDaniels in which this was all supposed to be resolved. But McDaniels refused to guarantee that Cutler wouldn't be traded. And in doing so, he guaranteed that Cutler would be traded.
Culter was shipped to Chicago for two first-round draft picks, a third-round pick and Kyle Orton. So basically, the Broncos drafted and developed a franchise quarterback, not to reap the benefits of his progression, but to get an extra first round pick. And Kyle Orton. Awesome.
So on the whole, Denver lost its coaching staff and quarterback -- essentially its entire offense, which was the only good part of the team to begin with. But they did manage to sign an aging Brian Dawkins to improve the defense.
And hey, if they're lucky, Sanchez will still be there at No. 12. That way, they can draft him, develop him, and hopefully groom the franchise quarterback they so desperately need. Wait … haven't I heard this all before?
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David Heck is a junior majoring in philosophy. He can be reached at David.Heck@tufts.edu.
