PatsWin2002
01-24-2006, 06:27 PM
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Football/NFL/2006/01/24/1410120-ap.html
Shanahan: Broncos were closer than many thought
By EDDIE PELLS
DENVER (AP) - As it turned out, Mike Shanahan was right.
Laughed at a year ago for saying the Denver Broncos weren't that far away from becoming a Super Bowl team again, he went out, made some changes and actually got his team close in 2005. Close. But not quite there.
The Broncos were clobbered by Pittsburgh, 34-17 in the AFC title game on Sunday. Looking back at the loss two days later, Shanahan stuck to his long-held belief that no season in Denver - no matter how good or surprising - can be deemed a success if it doesn't end in a championship.
"Obviously, there were some good things, good record, but we fell short of our goal," Shanahan said Tuesday.
Still, he conceded that even he thought he might have been a little crazy when, in evaluating his team at the close of 2004, he said the Broncos weren't too far removed from being Super Bowl material. They had just come off a second straight bad loss to Indianapolis in the first round of the playoffs, Jake Plummer was flailing and many in Denver were wondering if the coach himself was losing his touch.
"I was in denial at that time," Shanahan said. "I read the quote the next day and I thought I might have been pushing a little bit."
So, maybe 2005 really was as big a surprise to the Mastermind as it was to most of the rest of the folks around the league.
Plummer improved, throwing seven interceptions and showing glimpses of what he could do when he grasped both the system and the reality that he doesn't have to do everything to win on good teams.
Champ Bailey had his best season, and with nine interceptions was Denver's biggest playmaker, more influential than pretty much anyone on the offence.
Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell kept Denver's consistent running game going.
And though gambles on Jerry Rice and Maurice Clarett didn't pay off, Shanahan made a lot of risky moves that did - Courtney Brown, Gerard Warren, Todd Sauerbrun and Ron Dayne, to name a few.
From everything the coach said in his final news conference of the season, it appears the Broncos will return without major changes.
He confirmed he'd like to keep Tom Nalen and Matt Lepsis, two cogs on an offensive line. Nalen will be a free agent and Lepsis will probably need a new contract to stay. The coach said Warren was a priority, as was Dayne. Brown's future seems less certain and Trevor Pryce will have to rework his contract if he's to return.
Buoyed by their success in bringing in lower-paid veterans last year - a la the New England Patriots - the Broncos don't figure to make a huge splash in free agency. It is, however, a pretty good bet they'll at least take a look at trading for Terrell Owens.
Shanahan isn't free to discuss Owens specifically, because he's still under contract with the Eagles. But on the subject of bringing in troubled players with talent, the coach was candid.
"Whoever that guy might be ... there's always a possibility if somebody handles himself the right way, they could come into this organization," Shanahan said. "But they're going to have to live by the standards we practice."
Most urgent for Shanahan is finding a new offensive co-ordinator to replace Gary Kubiak, who was Shanahan's top assistant for all of his 11 years in Denver. Mike Heimerdinger of the Jets, an old friend of Shanahan's, was reportedly interested if he can get out of his contract in New York. Offensive line coach Rick Dennison is another popular candidate.
"We're going to have someone come in that's going to be dedicated and wanting an opportunity to show what they can do," Shanahan said. "I'm sure that person will work out great."
Chances are, that person will be working with a team that looks a lot like the one that went 14-4, won the AFC West and a playoff game - the first in seven seasons - and was, for a brief moment, a favourite to win the Super Bowl.
The Broncos wound up two wins short, though, and that always makes for a long off-season in Denver.
"The hangover will last a long time," Shanahan said. "Any time you play in a championship game, you know what an opportunity it is and if you don't take advantage of it, it hurts."
Shanahan: Broncos were closer than many thought
By EDDIE PELLS
DENVER (AP) - As it turned out, Mike Shanahan was right.
Laughed at a year ago for saying the Denver Broncos weren't that far away from becoming a Super Bowl team again, he went out, made some changes and actually got his team close in 2005. Close. But not quite there.
The Broncos were clobbered by Pittsburgh, 34-17 in the AFC title game on Sunday. Looking back at the loss two days later, Shanahan stuck to his long-held belief that no season in Denver - no matter how good or surprising - can be deemed a success if it doesn't end in a championship.
"Obviously, there were some good things, good record, but we fell short of our goal," Shanahan said Tuesday.
Still, he conceded that even he thought he might have been a little crazy when, in evaluating his team at the close of 2004, he said the Broncos weren't too far removed from being Super Bowl material. They had just come off a second straight bad loss to Indianapolis in the first round of the playoffs, Jake Plummer was flailing and many in Denver were wondering if the coach himself was losing his touch.
"I was in denial at that time," Shanahan said. "I read the quote the next day and I thought I might have been pushing a little bit."
So, maybe 2005 really was as big a surprise to the Mastermind as it was to most of the rest of the folks around the league.
Plummer improved, throwing seven interceptions and showing glimpses of what he could do when he grasped both the system and the reality that he doesn't have to do everything to win on good teams.
Champ Bailey had his best season, and with nine interceptions was Denver's biggest playmaker, more influential than pretty much anyone on the offence.
Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell kept Denver's consistent running game going.
And though gambles on Jerry Rice and Maurice Clarett didn't pay off, Shanahan made a lot of risky moves that did - Courtney Brown, Gerard Warren, Todd Sauerbrun and Ron Dayne, to name a few.
From everything the coach said in his final news conference of the season, it appears the Broncos will return without major changes.
He confirmed he'd like to keep Tom Nalen and Matt Lepsis, two cogs on an offensive line. Nalen will be a free agent and Lepsis will probably need a new contract to stay. The coach said Warren was a priority, as was Dayne. Brown's future seems less certain and Trevor Pryce will have to rework his contract if he's to return.
Buoyed by their success in bringing in lower-paid veterans last year - a la the New England Patriots - the Broncos don't figure to make a huge splash in free agency. It is, however, a pretty good bet they'll at least take a look at trading for Terrell Owens.
Shanahan isn't free to discuss Owens specifically, because he's still under contract with the Eagles. But on the subject of bringing in troubled players with talent, the coach was candid.
"Whoever that guy might be ... there's always a possibility if somebody handles himself the right way, they could come into this organization," Shanahan said. "But they're going to have to live by the standards we practice."
Most urgent for Shanahan is finding a new offensive co-ordinator to replace Gary Kubiak, who was Shanahan's top assistant for all of his 11 years in Denver. Mike Heimerdinger of the Jets, an old friend of Shanahan's, was reportedly interested if he can get out of his contract in New York. Offensive line coach Rick Dennison is another popular candidate.
"We're going to have someone come in that's going to be dedicated and wanting an opportunity to show what they can do," Shanahan said. "I'm sure that person will work out great."
Chances are, that person will be working with a team that looks a lot like the one that went 14-4, won the AFC West and a playoff game - the first in seven seasons - and was, for a brief moment, a favourite to win the Super Bowl.
The Broncos wound up two wins short, though, and that always makes for a long off-season in Denver.
"The hangover will last a long time," Shanahan said. "Any time you play in a championship game, you know what an opportunity it is and if you don't take advantage of it, it hurts."