Month: January 2016

Open Thread: NFL Coaching Carousel

Feel free to talk about any of the NFL coaching and GM changes here. The ones we know about so far:

Cleveland: GM Ray Farmer, HC Mike Pettine both fired, Sashi Brown in charge of football operations.
Miami: GM Dennis Hickey out, Mike Tannenbaum in charge of football operations, Chris Grier named new GM, HC interviews underway.
New York Giants: HC Tom Coughlin out.
Philadelphia: HC Chip Kelly fired, HC interviews underway.
San Francisco: HC Jim Tomsula fired.
Tennessee: GM Ruston Webster fired, HC interviews underway.

ETA: It’s official that one team wants to talk to former Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan.

The Broncos’ 2016 Opponents Are Set…We Think

Normally, I’d start off this post with the phrase “Along with the usual division rivals”, but thanks to the looming meetings on Los Angeles we don’t even know that for sure.  This is the rare year where the non-division rivals have been established first, thanks to the Broncos’ fifth straight AFC West title.  Here they are, beyond the fold:

Continue reading The Broncos’ 2016 Opponents Are Set…We Think

Broncos’ Divisional Playoff Date: The Late Game On Sunday, January 17

Good news for the Broncos on this front, as this means they will get the maximum amount of time possible to heal up, at almost exactly 14 days.  All three of the Broncos’ potential opponents, meanwhile, will play on Saturday, January 9.  Should the Steelers defeat the Bengals, they will face Denver next–if not, the Broncos will take on the winner of the Chiefs/Texans game.

Of the Texans, Chiefs, and Steelers, who would you like to face?

Observation: “He gave us the best chance to win the game.” SD vs DEN (27-20)

A note on why the Broncos decided to make the switch at QB:

There is a certain phrase that gets thrown around when teams decide to make a crucial but difficult change. This is typically called a cliche because it is one of those phrases that is used more often than it should. But, in cases like this, this saying holds a delicate truth, that many players, coaches, and fans can take the wrong way. Especially when it is heard by someone who is in the unfavorable position of being benched:

Continue reading Observation: “He gave us the best chance to win the game.” SD vs DEN (27-20)

Chargers/Broncos Final Injury Reports

The Broncos are going to be in decent shape regarding injuries on Sunday, while the Chargers will be quite depleted.

On Denver’s side, the only less-than-probables are Brandon Marshall and TJ Ward.  It’s easy to wonder whether both will have reduced snap counts if they’re healthy, especially if the Broncos get off to a good start.  Should the Broncos get a first round bye by winning, Marshall and Ward will get two weeks of rest, and potentially three if they are inactive or have reduced playing time.

Injury woes have been a season long theme for the Chargers, and for their last game they once again start with the offensive line.  Old friend Orlando Franklin is out with a concussion, making this his sixth missed game in 2015.  Left tackle King Dunlap is doubtful with an ankle injury, and his backup Chris Hairston is questionable on his abdomen. Center Trevor Robinson is questionable with both a shoulder injury and a concussion.  The opportunity is there for the Broncos’ front seven to feast once again.

Other notable Chargers questionables include Jason Verrett, Manti Te’o, and Stevie Johnson.  And their injury report also doesn’t account for a bunch of other key players they placed on injured reserve Monday: