Putting the Mike in Dictator (There’s a “Mike” in dictator, right? No? Screw it.)

Broncos season is creeping ever closer. With Broncos summer camp going on right now, Mike Shanahan is getting ever tanner. Soon he will be a glowing Broncos’ orange. Orange is the color of rage and fury apparently...

It has become more and more evident over the years that Mr. Shanahan rules with an iron playcalling mic. This is probably a result of him frequently being referred to as a genius (Wu Tang Clan ain't nuttin' to eff wit'). He certainly looked like a genius when he finally got Sir John of Elway to win his Super Bowl (twicely). He still looked like a genius when he put up 10+ win seasons and at least made the playoffs (even if they usually lost in first round). Then two consecutive seasons sans playoffs and Broncos country is on the verge of calling for impeachment.

How does courageous Mike respond? Well, he repeatedly says it is his fault and that he didn't get the team prepared well enough (or at least something along those lines). How sweet of him to take the blame. The only problem with Mr. Sweetie Pie himself, is that he immediately overhauls his roster and fires half of his coaches. Ted Sundquist and Jim Bates most recently got thrown under Mike Shanahan's bus. At least he hasn't gone the way of Roger Clemens and thrown his wife under the bus. Or Barry Bonds and thrown his children under the bus. Though he may publicly state otherwise, it appears Shanny believes the Broncos recent failures are the faults of others.

You have to wonder if he takes poor drafting into consideration. The last three seem to be decent (we'll see), but the years before that were a disaster. How many Broncos starters were drafted by the Broncos between 2000-2005? That would be D.J. Williams and Ben Hamilton. That's it. To be fair though, Darrent Williams might be starting if not for his unfortunate death. Of course that poor drafting was all Ted Sundquist's fault; Mike Shanahan had nothing to do with it. When, in '06, the Broncos selected three impact starters (Cutler, Marshall, Dumervil) and important role player (Scheffler), it was like totally Mike Shanahan, brah. All these other douches didn't do crap. In '07, Shanahan single-handedly chose four players (Moss, Crowder, Harris, Thomas) who look to have bright futures. Then, when the team played poorly and lacking in motivation, it was Sundquist's fault for assembling a crap team. And it was Bates' fault when he couldn't coax good performances out of Amon Gordon (he's an actual football player; no, seriously, he is) and 75-year old Sam Adams.

Obviously, I'll have to see the '08 draft class play a bit before I can make a judgment on it (though Ryan Clady will be good... WILL). But still, how many more years of Shanahan dictatorship can the Broncos take? He's a terrific offensive coordinator, but that seems to be about it. The Broncos should try and retain him as an offensive coordinator and hire a defensive coach who knows how to draft to be the head coach. Shanny might not go for it, and teams might try and hire him out from under the Broncos, but it could work with some creative salary negotiating (wink). Jay Cutler could continue his development with the same offensive scheme and he might actually have a defense that helps him out a little bit. Right now, the Broncos are heading in the wrong direction. They need a new leader who can build a defense and inspire them to play with more conviction. I don't think our formerly beloved Mike Shanahan can do that anymore.