Skip to main content

Highway Robbery

Just when I thought Mike Shanahan couldn't get any dumber, he goes and does something like this.

And totally redeems himself!

Mad props to the Broncos' head man for fleecing the Cleveland Browns out of big-name defensive lineman Ebenezer Ekuban. Sure, last year was his first even close to productive campaign, but he’s only been in the league for a half-dozen seasons. Sometimes it just takes longer for it to click for some guys. No doubt he'll work out from now on.

Not only that, we picked up defensive tackle Michael Myers, who will provide depth. I know saying a guy will provide depth makes it sound like he's just training camp meat, but sometimes Coach Shanahan sees things in players before anyone else does, and I’m confident this is one of those times.

All we had to give up was tailback/fullback/kick returner Reuben Droughns. Sure, he might be the best player on the roster at all three of those positions, but we all know the Broncos can just plug anyone in their system and he’ll pick up 1,000 yards. And who cares about role-playing positions-who are we, the Patriots?

In fact, the next superstar runner is probably already on the roster. Can we forget Quentin Griffin and Tatum Bell? Yes, they have worse hands than Saudi Arabian thieves, but if they falter, don’t forget about former Offensive Rookie of the Year Mike Anderson. It seems like he’s been around forever, but he’ll be just 31 when next season starts.

Ekuban and Myers join former teammates Gerard Warren and Courtney Brown on Denver’s reloaded defensive front. I know what you're asking yourself right now: if these guys are so good, why were the Browns so bad last year?

You have to dig a little deeper. Despite Cleveland’s 4-12 record last year, the Browns defense and D-line in particular actually put together a fantastic season. The team held opponents to just 144.6 rushing yards per game.

And these guys will pressure the quarterback more than recent busts like Reggie Hayward and Trevor Pryce-again, despite their sorry record, the Browns finished with more sacks than the Raiders, 49ers, Texans, and Chargers. And the Chargers went to the playoffs.

Apparently new Cleveland head man Romeo Crennel knows nothing about defense, so we might as well take advantage of it and get his best players while we still can.

Once we finally get the dead weight of Pryce off the roster, the transformation to a championship-caliber defense will be complete and the Broncos will be Super Bowl-bound.

All hail the Mastermind!

Comments

Anonymous said…
i couldn't disagree more.

something about the thin air.

broncos & rockies continually investing in "projects" and trading them for "prospects"

No, this isn't just clever semantics. Denny Nagle, Mike Hampton, Bret Saberhange, Bill Swift... projects, old has-beens. Who have we given up, oh, just Todd Walker, Jaun Pierre...

Broncos do the same thing. Trying to revive careers as opposed to investing in legitimate, young, moldable talent.

Newsflash, Mike S. hasn't one a playoff game since... oh, since he had the greatest QB of all time. I could've won the freaking back to back superbowls with the best qb and rb in the game. Hell, i would've won it in 97 when we lost to jacksonville and natrone means.
Anonymous said…
*won a playoff game...
Mike said…
Uh...yeah. I agree, I was trying to be sarcastic earlier.

For the record, I actually think it's a horrible trade. I don't know why we felt like we had to get rid of Droughns just because he wanted to start. Why don't we just let him start here? He's the best runner we've got!

Even more bonus, the Denver Post reports today that if we can't get a good trade for Pryce, we're just going to cut him. That ought to completely eliminate any semblance of leverage we had in negotiations. Smart move a) sharing that with a reporter, and b) even considering waiving our best defensive lineman in the first place.

That's why I call him Sham-nahan.
Anonymous said…
mike.

oh.

i like sarcasm.

i agree with everything you've said.

Popular posts from this blog

The NFL hates you.

It's no joke. It seems like the more devoted of a fan you are, the less the league cares about your continued patronage. The best example is the league's blackout policy, a wonderful gift from the league to its teams granting them added market pressure to charge whatever ridiculous amount they want for tickets. If a game doesn't sell out, the home market doesn't get to watch it on TV. (Basically, a 75-mile radius around the stadium doesn't get to see the game on TV if all the tickets aren’t bought first.) The NFL, like a needy girlfriend, says, "Hey, fans, you like us? Prove it." Then the league asks us to prove it again and again, week after week, year after year. I live within 75 miles of what should be John Elway Stadium, but Broncos fans are pretty much shielded from this stuff, right? Not all of them. One of my friends is as supportive a fan as the NFL can have: he's a Broncos season ticket holder and an NFL Sunday Ticket subscriber. That mean...

An innocent mistake

Sorry. Here I am to catch up on a few things from the past week... 1. Vince Young will be on the cover of Madden 08. Good for him, I guess. Much is made of the Madden curse. It's not a self-fulfilling prophecy, but it almost feels like one. The real problem is that a) football is a very violent game, and b) Electronic Arts typically selects a cover athlete who's already very well-known. Unfortunately, the players are therefore often a year (Shaun Alexander) or more (Ray Lewis) off their actual prime, and old enough that a serious injury is more likely. Young is an up-and-comer, and to avoid a horrible pun let's just say he has less age than most of those guys. I think he'll be fine. 2. Of course, the reason EA went with such a youthful player is that superstar Chargers back LaDainian Tomlinson turned them down . Why? Money. No surprise that'd be a point of contention, considering how "generous" EA is with its regular employees . 3. That's why re...

Super Bowl XLVI revealed!

The Patriots and the Giants. Things just work out sometimes. * * * Two new teams, the England Patriots and the York Giants, will play for the NFL title in Super Bowl Forty-Six in two weeks. I can't wait. The matchup comes too late, and after too imperfect of a season, to make up for the wounds inflicted by the Giants in early 2008. The Patriots' undefeated season, a 16-0 masterpiece in which they set the league's single-season scoring record, broke at the hands of the upstart Giants in that year's Super Bowl. The way the Giants won made their win feel especially flukish...Eli Manning, known more for his entitled attitude than his athleticism (the only player to which his moves have ever been compared favorably is his brother Peyton), somehow scrambled free of a Patriot pass rush in the closing minutes, and lofted a pass down the middle of the field to David Tyree, who caught the key throw against the top of his helmet. Then a touchdown pass to Plexiglass provided the wi...