I'm listening to John Anderson's rendition of "Shuttin' Detroit Down", which in every way is better than John Rich's version. The two co-wrote the song together, and it made me disappointed slightly to find that on Anderson's new album a version of the song existed. Rich has saw a reasonable amount of success with his single release of the song, and I feel like Anderson could have seen just as much, if not more due to his previous efforts in the music industry. Alas, that's not how it was to be.
This is my first blog since I moved to the University of Kentucky. Things aren't too much different in Lexington than they are in Inez, except there's a whole lot more to do. I miss my pals who aren't here, but other than that it's fantastic.
I'm trying to get a job involving writing for a sports retailer. I had to do a sample assignment. I'll post it here now for anyone interested. Other than that, there's going to be nothing else discussed. Lame blog, I know, but just letting people know I'm alive.
My prompt: To talk about something interesting about any NFL team that wasn't the 49ers, Dolphins, Bears, Bengals or Vikings. Pretty self-explanatory.
My chosen team: Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos hope is that the hiring of Josh McDaniels will rejuvenate a franchise that has only won a single playoff game since John Elway retired. They’ve rolled the dice, and it remains to be seen how much luck they have on their side.
Bad luck for an opposing team can win a few football games for whoever they are playing. Fumbles on a simple run play, wide receivers slipping seconds before a game winning touchdown reception would have been made, referees misplacing the spot of the ball - these are slight mishaps on the gridiron often classified under “rotten luck” more often than “poor skill” that many times result in a win for the team that had lady luck smiling down at them.
This “rotten luck” doesn’t make itself more apparent than when it’s in the form of an injury, especially when a star player is stricken. If LaDainian Tomlinson busts up both his ankles, the Chargers will be lucky to turn out a .500 record. Steve Smith screws up his shoulder, and suddenly the Panthers playoff hopes are shot. Tom Brady blows out his knee during the first game of the season, so now New England’s chances for redemption in the Super Bowl will have to wait until next year.
Or not.
It should not have been a surprise that the New England Patriots, a remarkable example of how an organization should be run, from the front office to the field, and arguably the greatest professional sports franchise of the past decade, would turn rotten luck into an opportunity the bottom feeders of the league would trade a series of first round draft picks for.
It was a surprise.
For Josh McDaniels and Matt Cassel, it was a surprise that took them from being the backseat drivers of a well-equipped, battle-tested football machine to the driver’s seat of different rigs rich with pigskin tradition but wrought with different respective issues. Driver’s seats that happened to have ample amounts of cash hidden underneath them.
Matt Cassel’s performance in the absence of Tom Brady was excellent, but much credit was given to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Josh McDaniels for preparing the NFL bench-warmer who never even started a game during his college career for the moment he would be needed, should it ever arise. Therefore, it wasn’t a shock that McDaniels’ name was a hot one in the off-season hustle and bustle of potential head coaching offers. However, when the Denver Broncos fired long-time head coach Mike Shanahan and replaced him with McDaniels, more than a few heads turned.
Being Josh McDaniels in 2009 is going to be awfully similar to being Matt Cassel in 2008.
Cassel was just doing what he had to do, was present when the moment called for him to be there. Still, the eyes of every poor performing team’s scouts and executives were glued to the man who was doing things even Tom Brady hadn’t done before, like throw for 400 yards in a game - or doing it on consecutive weekends. He even beat Brett Favre in his first official NFL start. He had to make people forget about Brady’s three Super Bowl rings and make them look at Matt Cassel. Cassel eventually turned “rotten luck” into 6 years and $28 million guaranteed from the Kansas City Chiefs. There it will be seen how much of Cassel’s success was due to McDaniels’ offensive procedure and the players around him. Still, the franchise is rebuilding and his leash will likely be a long one.
Josh McDaniels, too, has come into a situation where a seasoned veteran is currently off-duty. While luck granted him the opportunity of a lifetime, a head coaching job in the NFL for a prolific franchise, the man who stood on the sidelines over the past 13 years where he’ll be standing won two Super Bowls and kept the team in playoff contention almost every single season. It gave him a team with excellent offensive players, his area of expertise, but also a team whose defense has been the actual point of concern over the past few years and has been sparingly addressed. It gave him Jay Cutler. It took him away and gave him Kyle Orton and Chris Simms.
Wait, that was probably more his and the front office’s doing. His confidence in Cassel back in New England was so much that he tried to bring the quarterback with him via several rumored three-team deals. As it turns out, that wasn’t an appropriate way of making a good first impression on your new team’s franchise quarterback, and Cutler’s trust issues with the team eventually did result in a trade - but not for Cassel. That may have been some bad luck.
Luck’s given him Brandon Marshall, a talented wide-receiver, but one that at times to appear to be cut from the same cloth as Terrell Owens and Chad Ochocinco in terms of diva behavior. And, just like with Cutler a few months before, trust issues have arisen and contract negotiations aren’t going as he and his agent would like them to. Luck may just take Marshall away too.
Perhaps it’s the change in altitude that’s suddenly staining Josh McDaniel’s string of success and good fortune. Maybe the Rocky Mountains are keeping lady luck’s winds from blowing in McDaniels’ direction. Whatever the reason behind the delay of fortunateness, he’d better make some magic happen sooner rather than later.
He’s going to have to turn a bottom-dwelling defense into something presentable.
He’s going to have to make Denver forget about Mike Shanahan and John Elway.
He’s going to have to force fans to pretend they didn’t trade a Pro Bowl quarterback for Kyle Orton.
A busted knee became an opportunity for Josh McDaniels to orchestrate an offense with an inexperienced quarterback, and he succeeded. However, the star he created is burning in Kansas City, Missouri, and he already burned bright enough to impress folks enough to prove he’s likely for real.
McDaniels on the other hand is likely already on a shorter leash due to the mishandling of Cutler, and it’s not going to get any longer until he proves himself in Colorado.
Even the highest eyes in Mile High Stadium will be watching his every move, searching for an instance that’ll make them backtrack and question their team’s thought process in hiring the man.
I wish Josh McDaniels the best of luck. Believe me when I say, he’s going to need a lot of it.
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Prince Batman, AWAY!!!
Joshua Aaron Moore
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