it stands out in a decade of mostly mediocrity --and also because I see it as the turning point that sent a quite strong franchise (the Broncos had won 10+ games for three straight years and had made the playoffs seven of the last ten) scrambling towards mediocrity. It made Shanahan too skittish on Jake Plummer, who had actually made the pro-bowl that year. Shanahan lost faith in him after that playoff game and drafted Cutler in the draft that year.
That, in and of itself, wasn't a mistake, I don't think, but when Plummer struggled a little bit in '06, Shanahan pulled the trigger on starting Cutler too quickly. The Broncos were 7-4 and a couple of games out of the division lead, and Plummer had had a pretty bad game against the division-leading Chargers, but the real problem was a defense that was starting to fade and a running game that wasn't working anymore.
It hurt everyone's career: Plummer retired; Cutler would have benefited greatly, imo, from being brought along more slowly; and Shanahan has yet to have another winning season for any team.
And, of course, the Broncos hired McDaniels after firing Shanahan, and have basically been an embarrassment since.
= new reply since forum marked as read
