Archive for January, 2011

As much as we hate to see/say it, there’s one former Broncos quarterback that’s playing to go to the Super Bowl this weekend. Jay Cutler has a tough test against a ferocious Packers’ defense, but his team does have a shot on Sunday. With that in mind, I decided to talk about how Cutler got the last laugh on Denver in my weekly contribution to NFL.com. When Josh McDaniels decided to trade Cutler to the Bears in ’09, the majority of Broncos’ fans thought he was crazy for getting rid of a Pro Bowl quarterback. After a rocky first season with [...]

Two McDaniels on the coaching roster quickly turned into zero. QB coach, Ben McDaniels was let go by the Broncos, and he quickly followed in his brother’s footsteps once again to take the same position with the Rams. To replace the younger (and less despised) coach, the Broncos hired from within and made former wide receivers’ coach Adam Gase the new QB coach. Gase was highly sought after as a receivers coach by the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys interviewed Gase, but once John Fox offered him a position as the QB coach, Gase elected to stay in Denver. Perhaps he knows that [...]

The activity around Dove Valley is slowing a bit, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t NFL related news to talk about. Here’s the very first edition of Rants and Ruminations. Jim Mora interviewed for the Eagles and the Broncos, ultimately deciding to head to Philly. After coaching in San Diego, San Francisco, Atlanta, and Seattle, Mora has finally overcome a severe case of FOS – Fear of Snow.  Why fine NFL players $20,000 for running their mouths or celebrating excessively. The lost money doesn’t matter to these multi-millionaires. The league should threaten to trade them to the Panthers. Congratulations to the people who had money [...]

I still long for Peyton Hillis in the Broncos’ backfield. As the Broncos ranked 26th in rushing, Hillis tore the ground up with the Browns settling in between Ray Rice and Darren McFadden for total yards on the season. He had 1,177 yards on 270 carries, and 11 touchdowns. Peyton Hillis went on the Dan Patrick show to talk about his season as a Brown, why he was expendable in Denver, and whether or not he was angry with the Broncos among other subjects. What happened that made you in expendable in Denver? Who made that decision? “To tell you the [...]

It was touchdown and bolt for Jim Mora who met with the Broncos yesterday. Mora is John Fox’s pick for defensive coordinator, but it was reported that the former Falcons and Seahawks head coach flew out of Denver last night before reaching an agreement with the team. The Broncos would have to dig deeper into the pockets to get Mora to sign with the team, but after going through six defensive coordinators in as many years, now is time to pony up the cash. With Mike McCoy returning as offensive coordinator, he’s familiar with the players that are on the [...]

The Saint Louis Rams are on the fast track for improvement. In 2009, the team went 1-15 securing the top spot in the draft, and Sam Bradford in the process. The 2010 Rams went 7-9 and narrowly missed a playoff appearance as the top seed in the NFC West. What will 2011 bring? It’s already slated to bring Josh McDaniels in as the new offensive coordinator. McDaniels was hired on Tuesday as the mastermind of the Rams offense. “We are happy to announce that Josh will be a part of our staff,” coach Steve Spagnuolo said in a statement. “I’ve always [...]

An update on the Laurence Maroney arrest: “Mr. Maroney was unlawfully arrested for possession of weapons. He holds a permit to carry a concealed weapon and he had his permit on his person when he was arrested. He was not arrested for any drugs nor was he involved in a high speed chase. He was released without being charged with any offense and we do not anticipate he will be charged with any criminal offense.” – Denver Post   Make sure to follow Predominantly Orange on Facebook.

Broncos: The Broncos next defensive coordinator could be Jim Mora. Kyle Orton may not be able to improve the team’s draft status. Josh McDaniels could land in St. Louis.  Is Cam Newton this year’s Tim Tebow? Have a question for GM Brian Xanders? Ask him here. John Fox isn’t committing to Tebow or Cham Bailey. AFC West: The Raiders have found their new head coach and it comes from within. Now that Mike McCoy is staying with the Broncos who will take the reins of the Chiefs’ offense? With Ron Rivera gone, the Chargers needed a new defensive coordinator and [...]

Things that make you want to vomit: 1. Jay Cutler is heading to the NFC Championship game. 2. Yet more retirement stories surrounding Brett Favre. 3. Laurence Maroney was arrested on gun charges. As one of Josh McDaniels’  New England guys, Laurence Maroney is as good as gone this off season, but it’s disappointing to hear of yet another Broncos player being arrested. D.J. Williams was arrested on DUI charges earlier this season and Perrish Cox was arrested in December on sexual assault charges. Maroney just added his name to the list of troubled Broncos. In four games this season, [...]

Where the offense lies. It’s all in the hands (and head) of Mike McCoy.   McCoy will return next season to resume his responsibilities of offensive coordinator. Like GM Brian Xanders, McCoy took more of a back seat role within his title when Josh McDaniels was the head coach. Next season, it’s McCoy running the offensive show under John Fox’s watchful eye, but don’t think he will simply be the passenger in the Broncos’ offense.  John Fox has complete faith in McCoy as the two men worked together for seven seasons in Carolina. It was McCoy who helped coach Jake Delhomme [...]