They're Not Booing, They're Yelling "Kubes!"
Be careful what we wish for, especially in this case, since it came true.
Half of Broncos Country was in shock at the sudden "mutual parting" of former head football coach John Fox and Denver's VP of Football Operations John Elway less than 24-hours after the team was eliminated from the SuperBowl tournament. The other half of Broncos Country was thinking maybe Coach Fox had taken the team as far as he was able and were ready for a substantive change.
As quick as the Broncos' season ended, Fox was gone and nearly as fast, John Elway knew exactly who he wanted to lead his team. Gary Kubiak, Denver's favorite back-up plan. The former quarterback was drafted the same year as Elway, before the blockbuster deal that brought the Hall-of-Famer from the then Baltimore Colts. Kubiak made the roster and became a better than average understudy who competently took the field the few moments Elway wasn't able to play over the years.
A lot of talk about how attentive Kubiak was in the role, adding ideas and observations for the greater team good over the years, that obviously landed him in the role as offensive coordinator shortly after his playing days were over. Fast forward to his taking the University of Colorado head coach job and then backing out, mentioning something to the effect he wasn't quite ready to be the big cheese. When he was ready, he took the helm of his hometown Houston Texans, which turned out to showcase a team-building skill set as he took the team from the bottom of the NFL to being a playoff contender. He did it with fairly average talent at quarterback too.
So, what does it mean now that Coach Kubiak has returned to the land of orange blue? I think it means the Broncos will continue to be competitive, with or without the services of future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning is keeping the world of football on edge as he works his way through a decision to play another NFL season.
Personally, I think Manning is good for the Broncos, the city and football in general. An ambassador for the sport, a positive force in the community always helping others and he constantly generates national buzz whenever he straps a football helmet on. I am not one of those people who think his skills evaporated by the end of the season.
The Broncos were at war with themselves after the loss in St. Louis, where Manning chucked the pigskin 50 or so times and Denver was crushed, and pushed to the backseat in the race for the number one seed. After that, they radically changed the offense and the heroic fifth string underrated free agent C.J. Anderson gladly stepped up to the run first challenge.
First they asked Manning to hand off a bunch more, then they asked a rhythm quarterback, to be able to get hot whenever the team was in a hole. And then the leg injuries kicked in, and it was pretty clear he was playing hurt, despite never leaning on it as an excuse. All that and the All-Pro defense never did feel comfortable with the conservative schemes that kept them on their heals in big games going back to the SuperBowl, then after adding several key players, the results looked the same in New England, St. Louis and against the Colts in the playoffs.
No show in big games is what brought Gary Kubiak back off the bench and back into a role of helping Denver back to the next level. Of course, no one is able to fully explain what happened on the defensive staff decisions that kept Vance Joseph in Cincinnati. So, Kubiak went to his mainstay and pulled Wade Phillips out his one year hiatus/exile out of the league. The original Orange Crush was a glorious 3-4 defense, perhaps a return to this old school set, old school coach will remind us of the good old days.
For those of us that wanted the coaching change, we got it. Now will it be a step back or a step forward. The magical part of it is, I think Kubiak makes any quarterback look good, it is what he does. However, if we recall the end of the Shanahan era, offense wasn't the problem, the Broncos couldn't find a defense. It will be fun to watch the experiment, with Manning maybe moreso, but I'm strangely okay if Peyton decides to call it a career.
The chant of "Kubes, Kubes, Kubes," will sound a lot like booing, unless the team sucks, in which case those will actually be boos.
Half of Broncos Country was in shock at the sudden "mutual parting" of former head football coach John Fox and Denver's VP of Football Operations John Elway less than 24-hours after the team was eliminated from the SuperBowl tournament. The other half of Broncos Country was thinking maybe Coach Fox had taken the team as far as he was able and were ready for a substantive change.
As quick as the Broncos' season ended, Fox was gone and nearly as fast, John Elway knew exactly who he wanted to lead his team. Gary Kubiak, Denver's favorite back-up plan. The former quarterback was drafted the same year as Elway, before the blockbuster deal that brought the Hall-of-Famer from the then Baltimore Colts. Kubiak made the roster and became a better than average understudy who competently took the field the few moments Elway wasn't able to play over the years.
A lot of talk about how attentive Kubiak was in the role, adding ideas and observations for the greater team good over the years, that obviously landed him in the role as offensive coordinator shortly after his playing days were over. Fast forward to his taking the University of Colorado head coach job and then backing out, mentioning something to the effect he wasn't quite ready to be the big cheese. When he was ready, he took the helm of his hometown Houston Texans, which turned out to showcase a team-building skill set as he took the team from the bottom of the NFL to being a playoff contender. He did it with fairly average talent at quarterback too.
So, what does it mean now that Coach Kubiak has returned to the land of orange blue? I think it means the Broncos will continue to be competitive, with or without the services of future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Peyton Manning. Manning is keeping the world of football on edge as he works his way through a decision to play another NFL season.
Personally, I think Manning is good for the Broncos, the city and football in general. An ambassador for the sport, a positive force in the community always helping others and he constantly generates national buzz whenever he straps a football helmet on. I am not one of those people who think his skills evaporated by the end of the season.
The Broncos were at war with themselves after the loss in St. Louis, where Manning chucked the pigskin 50 or so times and Denver was crushed, and pushed to the backseat in the race for the number one seed. After that, they radically changed the offense and the heroic fifth string underrated free agent C.J. Anderson gladly stepped up to the run first challenge.
First they asked Manning to hand off a bunch more, then they asked a rhythm quarterback, to be able to get hot whenever the team was in a hole. And then the leg injuries kicked in, and it was pretty clear he was playing hurt, despite never leaning on it as an excuse. All that and the All-Pro defense never did feel comfortable with the conservative schemes that kept them on their heals in big games going back to the SuperBowl, then after adding several key players, the results looked the same in New England, St. Louis and against the Colts in the playoffs.
No show in big games is what brought Gary Kubiak back off the bench and back into a role of helping Denver back to the next level. Of course, no one is able to fully explain what happened on the defensive staff decisions that kept Vance Joseph in Cincinnati. So, Kubiak went to his mainstay and pulled Wade Phillips out his one year hiatus/exile out of the league. The original Orange Crush was a glorious 3-4 defense, perhaps a return to this old school set, old school coach will remind us of the good old days.
For those of us that wanted the coaching change, we got it. Now will it be a step back or a step forward. The magical part of it is, I think Kubiak makes any quarterback look good, it is what he does. However, if we recall the end of the Shanahan era, offense wasn't the problem, the Broncos couldn't find a defense. It will be fun to watch the experiment, with Manning maybe moreso, but I'm strangely okay if Peyton decides to call it a career.
The chant of "Kubes, Kubes, Kubes," will sound a lot like booing, unless the team sucks, in which case those will actually be boos.
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