Bronco Billy Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 LINK The shocking news of Ted Sundquist's "immediate" departure as general manager of the Broncos came via a terse three-paragraph release from the team Wednesday evening. Even more stunning: Sundquist getting the word in similarly abrupt fashion from coach Mike Shanahan only about an hour earlier that he had been fired after six seasons in the job and more than 1 1/2 decades with the organization. Yep, that's the way it works in this dusty old cowtown. Everyone knew that Sundquist's title was pretty much a figurehead who did Shanahan's leg work & dirty work as "GM". If there was any doubt, ask yourself when the last time was that you heard a HC firing a GM. So Shanahan finds yet another scapegoat for his myriad of blunders since he last won a SB. The funny thing is, he nevers seems to run out of scapegoats and he is as secure in his job as any HC in the league despite winning exactly 1 playoff game in the past 9 years, having 3 D players left on the roster from his cumulative '98-'06 drafts, and making multiple big FA mistakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 Here's some more choice morsels from the story: ...Sundquist orchestrated a slew of moves in recent years, including trades for Champ Bailey and Dre Bly and draft maneuvering that landed quarterback Jay Cutler while working hard to improve the club's salary-cap health. He was well-respected in the agent and player-evaluation communities, serving on the board of directors of National Football Scouting. But it appears a disconnect between Shanahan and Sundquist became untenable from the side that mattered most. "I'm proud of what I accomplished as general manager of this football team," Sundquist said. Yet the Broncos' 7-9 finish - and two straight years out of the playoffs - appears to have made Shanahan agitated behind the scenes, which has been reflected in his offseason moves. Defensive coordinator Jim Bates left instead of accepting a demotion. Offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger bolted in essentially a lateral job move to Tennessee. And Mike Lombardi, brought into the personnel department to gauge the team's talent level, submitted his report and immediately wasn't retained. Hey, Mastermind - when everyone else in the room appears to be 100% wrong, it might be time to look in the mirror & see if that's where the real problem is. Damn, this team is going to do nothing but get worse with this egomaniac here, and the worst part of it is that team owner Pat Bowlen was ready to name Shanahan "Coach for Life" a while back and shows no sign of tiring of Shanahan's blatantly obvious flaws. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wolf Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Hey, Mastermind - when everyone else in the room appears to be 100% wrong, it might be time to look in the mirror & see if that's where the real problem is. Damn, this team is going to do nothing but get worse with this egomaniac here, and the worst part of it is that team owner Pat Bowlen was ready to name Shanahan "Coach for Life" a while back and shows no sign of tiring of Shanahan's blatantly obvious flaws. Maybe Shanny isn't the only one to blame...looks like Pat Bowlen needs to take a long, hard look in that very same mirror. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 Maybe Shanny isn't the only one to blame...looks like Pat Bowlen needs to take a long, hard look in that very same mirror. I concur. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budlitebrad Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Less than 2 months till the draft. Weird timing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolverines Fan Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Less than 2 months till the draft. Weird timing. +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 Less than 2 months till the draft. Weird timing. Sundquist was probably demanding that DEN finally draft D players who can tackle. That was completely at odds with what Shanahan usually wants out of his D players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azazello1313 Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 BB, your recent reverse hardon for everything shanahan is growing even more tiresome than the old regular hardon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfish247 Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 He's the 'ultimate leader' Every successful team has one key leader, and those organizations that have achieved the greatest success have an ultimate leader—an individual combining exceptional talent and organizational skills with the dynamic drive to lead others to success. The only thing missing is repeated references to synergistic alliances. It's no wonder Shanahan enjoys such job security. He's clearly the founder and ultimate leader of some secretive, brainwashing cult... like Scientology or Branch Davidians. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budlitebrad Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Maybe another team tosses him some cash and makes him a consultant? He must have tons of scouting info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 BB, your recent reverse hardon for everything shanahan is growing even more tiresome than the old regular hardon. recent = several years? Hey, if you don't want to hear it, tell your 2nd grade teacher to stop reading it to you... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skilly Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 This upcoming draft ought to be REALLY interesting now. If this were happening in NY, Shanny would be SOOOOO gone by now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wolf Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 This upcoming draft ought to be REALLY interesting now. If this were happening in NY, Shanny would be SOOOOO gone by now. Really? Ever hear about a guy named Isiah Thomas??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Billy Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 I heard a story that Sundquist related to a DEN sportswriter after he got axed. The scouting department had done research for a 3rd round draft slot a few years ago and had pared their wish list down to a very few players. Apparently a couple of those players were on the board when DEN was to pick. So Shanahan makes the call, and it turns out to be Travis McGriff. Now McGriff was not a player that Sundquist & the scouts were researching because he was small and a step slow. Turns out Shanahan knows the family and decided to bypass his scouting department & Sundquist with a 3rd rounder to pick McGriff for those reasons. And Sundquist apparently also said that wasn't unusual to see Shanahan get input & then completely ignore it to pick a player completely out of the blue that shocked everyone in DEN except Shanahan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhino Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 Agree with BB on this one. I believe Kubiak covered a lot of flaws of Shanahan, that are starting to come out. Just my belief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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