Carucci: McDaniels' 'cutthroat' approach puts Broncos players on edge

[montrose]

McDaniels' 'cutthroat' approach puts Broncos players on edge
By Vic Carucci, NFL.com

These are extremely uncertain times for Denver Broncos players who once called Mike Shanahan their coach. And the trade talk surrounding quarterback Jay Cutler is only the tip of the iceberg that arrived in the Mile High City from New England in the form of new coach Josh McDaniels.

I've spent the past few days talking with people around the NFL and in Denver, and they describe an atmosphere of growing tension and anxiety among most members of the roster left over from the Shanahan regime.

Consider this take from tight end Tony Scheffler, a guest on a Sirius NFL Radio show that I co-hosted last night with Gil Brandt: "It's been pretty cutthroat so far."

That's hardly uncommon after a coaching change, but compared to countless transitions I've observed in 30 years of covering the NFL, this seems a bit rougher than others.

From everything I gather, McDaniels is wasting no time placing an emphatic stamp on the organization that things will be done far differently than in the past. The fact that the stamp bears a striking resemblance to the logo of the Patriots, McDaniels' previous employer, shouldn't come as a shock, yet it has been a shock to the systems of Broncos who generally operated in a setting that wasn't as tightly controlled or as -- how should we put this? -- frosty as the one guided by McDaniels' former boss, Bill Belichick.

I think some people allowed themselves to be fooled by the fact that McDaniels is only 32 and looks about 17 years younger than that. He obliterated the widely held notion that he was stepping into a virtual turn-key situation on offense by entertaining trade offers for Cutler, the Pro Bowl quarterback who guided an offense that ranked second overall and third in passing last season. Now Cutler is livid. Scheffler, who's as close with Cutler as any player on the team, characterized the quarterback as "hurt and upset."

Whether Cutler and McDaniels can establish even a minimal working relationship remains to be seen, but that could be a moot point if the quarterback is traded, which is a distinct possibility. Based on McDaniels' pursuit of Matt Cassel, whom he coached in New England, it's abundantly clear that he wants his own quarterback who will operate his low-risk, high-efficiency approach (which one doesn't readily associate with Cutler) his way.

Other Broncos also are casting a wary eye toward McDaniels and the program he's putting in place. Scheffler, who caught 89 passes the past two seasons, expressed concern about how little the tight end is used as a receiver in the Patriots' offense. And there's a general thought among several of Denver's offensive players that the new sheriff in town will try to fix what isn't broken.

"We were second in the NFL in yards, and you think you did a pretty good job and had a pretty good season on offense," Scheffler said. "To look forward to kind of coming in (for offseason workouts) and getting dissected is hard, but it's just part of the business. It's tough. It's a man's game."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=090...s&confirm=true

[jhat01]

People keep throwing out the fact that the team was 2nd in yards, 3rd in passing, blah blah blah. It's a farce...moving the ball between the 20's looks good on the stat sheets, but it's not an accurate measure of an offense.

[RunSilentRunDeep]

The players need to stop celebrating the yardage totals. The only thing that matters is points and they didn't get enough.

[theAPAOps5]

Good this team needs discipline.

[Swedish Extrovert]

Originally Posted by RunSilentRunDeep

The players need to stop celebrating the yardage totals. The only thing that matters is points and they didn't get enough.

Exactly.

However, McDaniels should be taking what he's got and building from there. If we have TEs, use them. Use them in the spread.

[broncofan7]

Scheff is one of my favorite Broncos--the fact that he is talking to the media and is now on the trade block with this new regime is not surprising. I actually welcome the new atmosphere that McDaniels seems to be bringing--DESPITE his even considering trading Jay---hopefully, this means we don't get hammered by Jokeland, IN DENVER ,next year or lose @ KC

[colonelbeef]

Originally Posted by jhat01

People keep throwing out the fact that the team was 2nd in yards, 3rd in passing, blah blah blah. It's a farce...moving the ball between the 20's looks good on the stat sheets, but it's not an accurate measure of an offense.

This team would have been 1st in yardage and points by a wide margin if the run game hadn't been killed by freak injuries and the defense hadn't been so pathetic. A few more possessions, the ability to run close to the goal line, and slightly better field position starts- this team was dominant, especially considering the youth. Some of you are unable to see the forest for the trees.

[lex]

This isnt necessary to win. I dont see the obsession with the Patriots. Ironically, one of the main reasons the Patriots won 2/3 SBs they did was because they had one of the best two QBs in the NFL in Brady. Note that they didnt trade Brady early in the 2000s when they realized he had trade value.

[ol number 7]

Originally Posted by broncofan7

Scheff is one of my favorite Broncos--the fact that he is talking to the media and is now on the trade block with this new regime is not surprising. I actually welcome the new atmosphere that McDaniels seems to be bringing--DESPITE his even considering trading Jay---hopefully, this means we don't get hammered by Jokeland, IN DENVER ,next year or lose @ KC

I don't really care what players are wearing the blue and orange jerseys. As long as I'm toasting them after my Superbowl party. Jay Cutler included.

[lex]

Originally Posted by broncofan7

Scheff is one of my favorite Broncos--the fact that he is talking to the media and is now on the trade block with this new regime is not surprising. I actually welcome the new atmosphere that McDaniels seems to be bringing--DESPITE his even considering trading Jay---hopefully, this means we don't get hammered by Jokeland, IN DENVER ,next year or lose @ KC

Yeah, and hopefully he has a winning record against New England...or even wins 2 SBs in the first 4 years.

[colonelbeef]

Originally Posted by lex

This isnt necessary to win. I dont see the obsession with the Patriots. Ironically, one of the main reasons the Patriots won 2/3 SBs they did was because they had one of the best two QBs in the NFL in Brady. Note that they didnt trade Brady early in the 2000s when they realized he had trade value.

The reason the Pats won was because of timely turnovers by an opportunistic defense, excellent special teams including an icey kicker, and a few terrible calls that went their way at crucial times. Brady is a good pocket passer with no ability to improvise or avoid the rush whatsoever, and it cost the Patriots in the Superbowl 1 year ago in a big way.

McDaniels does not know what he has in Cutler, losing him would be nothing short of moronic.

[frerottenextelway]

One of New England's strengths is the trust and respect their players have for their head coach. This is something our coach is going to have to earn.

[jhat01]

Originally Posted by colonelbeef

This team would have been 1st in yardage and points by a wide margin if the run game hadn't been killed by freak injuries and the defense hadn't been so pathetic. A few more possessions, the ability to run close to the goal line, and slightly better field position starts- this team was dominant, especially considering the youth. Some of you are unable to see the forest for the trees.

if if if if if...the broncos have been dominant between the 20's for a number of years. The turnover problems, the redzone problems, and the adjustment problems have been well documented. We've moved the ball at will for the last several years, but don't score with the elite teams. If that makes me blind to the forest then so be it. I'm just tired of the "top offenses" crap being thrown around...I don't buy it.

[colonelbeef]

Originally Posted by jhat01

if if if if if...the broncos have been dominant between the 20's for a number of years. The turnover problems, the redzone problems, and the adjustment problems have been well documented. We've moved the ball at will for the last several years, but don't score with the elite teams. If that makes me blind to the forest then so be it. I'm just tired of the "top offenses" crap being thrown around...I don't buy it.

you might not buy it, but it is a fact. Having a decent defense can go a long way to making an offense look better. All of the 'ifs' I mentioned are quite fixable, save for the freakish injury bug that hit the RBs. All considered, quite an accomplishment to do as well as they did, especially when you take the youth on the OL into consideration as well.

[SleepingTiger]

Originally Posted by RunSilentRunDeep

The players need to stop celebrating the yardage totals. The only thing that matters is points and they didn't get enough.

not even the greatest show on turf can win games with the defense Denver fielded.

not to make excuses, but you can't deny the fact that 7 RB on IR did not help!

[montrose]

Originally Posted by montrose

"We were second in the NFL in yards, and you think you did a pretty good job and had a pretty good season on offense," Scheffler said. "To look forward to kind of coming in (for offseason workouts) and getting dissected is hard, but it's just part of the business. It's tough. It's a man's game."]

I'm so god d**n sick of this mentality. Thank god somebody is coming and showing these guys that they haven't "arrived". Hate to break it to you Tony, but you and your butt buddies Jay and Brandon have yet to accomplish jack in the NFL. Wow you were 2nd in yards! The Saints were 1st and they missed the playoffs too.

You know what I'm interested in? You were 16th in points, 8th in turning the ball over and 16th in red zone scoring! Not to mention that down the stretch the offense wasn't exactly lighting the world on fire. When you only score 10 points at home against the Oakland ****ing Raiders, you have no right to talk about how good of an offense you are. You had multiple chances to beat Buffalo and win the division and choked it away every ****ing time. Save for two Tatum Bell long runs, the offense couldn't do jack against a not-so-dominant San Diego defense in the biggest game of the season. You only faced 3 of the top 10 scoring defenses this year (TB, Mia, NE) and scored 16, 7 and 17.

Yet you and your offensive buddies are acting like you're the god d***n 2007 Patriots, gimme a ****ing break! In fact, if you hadn't beaten up on ****ty defenses early in the season - those offensive stats would be even more mediocre. So you can make our excuses about the defense or running back injuries or whatever else you want. The fact is that this offense wasn't perfect either and Shanny's not around to coddle your @$$es anymore. The only unit on offense that was great last year was the OL in pass protection. Shockingly, we don't hear anything about those guys being broken up and our "close minded" Head Coach kept the same ****ing OL coach on the staff. You don't hear anything about Daniel Graham, Eddie Royal or Peyton Hillis either. Know why? Because they're going to keep their mouths shut and earn their time. You should do the same.

So Tony, you and the "#2 offense" in the league can go **** off as far as I'm concerned. We're moving into a new era of smart, tough, football players who play well under pressure. We're becoming a system here in which not one player can't be replaced. If a player doesn't fit the system or can't get the job done - don't let the door hit you in the @$$ on the way out.

We've got a new sheriff in town, a guy coming from the most successful NFL franchise of the last decade who directed the best offense in NFL history. He knows what he wants and if you or anyone else on this team can't get with the program, get the **** out.

I love it.

[eddie mac]

Sorry Scheff but yardage means absolutely nothing if we are constantly turning the ball over near the opponents redzone.

[Meck77]

Originally Posted by colonelbeef

This team would have been 1st in yardage and points by a wide margin if the run game hadn't been killed by freak injuries and the defense hadn't been so pathetic. A few more possessions, the ability to run close to the goal line, and slightly better field position starts- this team was dominant, especially considering the youth. Some of you are unable to see the forest for the trees.

All we needed was a defense!

This was the first thread I read of the day and the first post to make me starting laughing. I love the omane!

Finally many of you are seeing thru this yardage crap. Myself, popps and others were trying to point this out to you but people seemed pretty content seeing our asses beat down while we ran up and down the field without scoring.

[Man-Goblin]

Originally Posted by montrose

I'm so god d**n sick of this mentality. Thank god somebody is coming and showing these guys that they haven't "arrived". Hate to break it to you Tony, but you and your butt buddies Jay and Brandon have yet to accomplish jack in the NFL. Wow you were 2nd in yards! The Saints were 1st and they missed the playoffs too.

You know what I'm interested in? You were 16th in points, 8th in turning the ball over and 16th in red zone scoring! Not to mention that down the stretch the offense wasn't exactly lighting the world on fire. When you only score 10 points at home against the Oakland ****ing Raiders, you have no right to talk about how good of an offense you are. You had multiple chances to beat Buffalo and win the division and choked it away every ****ing time. Save for two Tatum Bell long runs, the offense couldn't do jack against a not-so-dominant San Diego defense in the biggest game of the season. You only faced 3 of the top 10 scoring defenses this year (TB, Mia, NE) and scored 16, 7 and 17.

Yet you and your offensive buddies are acting like you're the god d***n 2007 Patriots, gimme a ****ing break! In fact, if you hadn't beaten up on ****ty defenses early in the season - those offensive stats would be even more mediocre. So you can make our excuses about the defense or running back injuries or whatever else you want. The fact is that this offense wasn't perfect either and Shanny's not around to coddle your @$$es anymore. The only unit on offense that was great last year was the OL in pass protection. Shockingly, we don't hear anything about those guys being broken up and our "close minded" Head Coach kept the same ****ing OL coach on the staff. You don't hear anything about Daniel Graham, Eddie Royal or Peyton Hillis either. Know why? Because they're going to keep their mouths shut and earn their time. You should do the same.

So Tony, you and the "#2 offense" in the league can go **** off as far as I'm concerned. We're moving into a new era of smart, tough, football players who play well under pressure. We're becoming a system here in which not one player can't be replaced. If a player doesn't fit the system or can't get the job done - don't let the door hit you in the @$$ on the way out.

We've got a new sheriff in town, a guy coming from the most successful NFL franchise of the last decade who directed the best offense in NFL history. He knows what he wants and if you or anyone else on this team can't get with the program, get the **** out.

I love it.

I agree. And let it all out, brother!

[BroncoInferno]

Shanny wasn't cutthroat? Guess I missed that memo.

Regardless, good. A lot of these guys need to be wary. Maybe fear for their jobs will makes them more conscientious, efficient players. If not, adios.

And 2nd in yards, sure, but 16th in points. In other words, mediocre. Yeah, field position sucked at times, but there were also countless costly, momentum shifting turnovers, including five red zone INTs by Cuter. They need more discipline, clearly. Hopefully, McDaniels will instill that. Sounds like Cutler wasn't the only guy needing an attitude adjustment. If you can't get with the program, get the **** out.

[skpac1001]

We averaged 15 points a game during weeks 4-9. During the Tampa game in which we scored 16, they scored 13. We had Pittman the whole time, Hillis the whole time, Young for half the time. The offense has room for improvement, and I want a coach who pushes it to get better, especially against high level defenses.

[baja]

[Rohirrim]

Montrose just reminded me that these players let the Raiders come into our house and kick our ass and then treated it as no big deal. Trade all their asses AFAIC.

[Smiling Assassin27]

Originally Posted by Man-Goblin

I agree. And let it all out, brother!

I'll second that. I say let McD scare the ever lovin' __________ out of these players. Shanny made them entirely too comfy, IMO.

[Drek]

Originally Posted by frerottenextelway

One of New England's strengths is the trust and respect their players have for their head coach. This is something our coach is going to have to earn.

You can be trusted and respected while still keeping your team on their toes.

Shanahan used to parrot the old "want to have a good competition at the position" but his last few years here he was only paying lip service. He had his favorites who always made the roster even if they never contributed, his pets who got PT over obviously superior players, and the last couple years he started to extend that into his coaching staff.

There wasn't fair competition here under Shanahan and the players got complacent and soft as a result. McDaniels needs to keep rocking the boat until all the softies bail out and we can develop a football team that is tough enough to win consistently when it counts.