Despite the current mess, five moves would fix the Broncos
Oct 22, 2019, 6:28 AM | Updated: 8:00 am
I heard this topic raised the other day on the “Stokley and Zach: show and since I had already proposed four moves, I figured I could come up with one more!
So herewith are my five moves to fix the Broncos:
***
1. Play Drew Lock
I’ve seen enough of Kyle Or… er, Joe Flacco. Nice guy Joe, but there appears to be an answer as to why the Ravens kicked him to the curb. Never mind the fact that the Broncos offense can’t get going under Flacco. Never mind he’s a sitting duck statue in the pocket (nine sacks! I know this o-line stinks, but c’mon!). The most alarming part of his ahem, performance, against the Chiefs was his lack of urgency. There was no fire. No passion. When things are going well, he’s “Joe Cool.” The other night, he looked like “Joe Has Checked Out.” It’s time to play Lock. The Broncos need to find out what they have in this kid. They need a large enough sample size. Maybe he won’t be ready, but could he look any worse then supposed Jets’ savior Sam Darnold looked on Monday night against the Patriots?
***
2. Release Garett Bolles
Notice I didn’t say bench Bolles. I’ve spent enough time along my partner Stink to grasp Bolles can’t play. Worse, the whole team knows he can’t play and every time they walk in the facility and see No. 72 there, it angers them. Vic Fangio is trying to build a culture. He’s trying to get people to buy in and sacrifice. He’s trying to get players to take pride in their jobs and fight for opportunities. Every day Bolles remains on this team, it chips away at Fangio’s credibility.
***
3. Become sellers at the trade deadline
Emmanuel Sanders wants out. Chris Harris Jr. wants out. The Broncos are rebuilding. They need to move veterans out of the way and give young players a chance to develop. Its been a source of irritation for me that so many of the young vets who were around when the Broncos won the Super Bowl didn’t take the baton of leadership from stalwarts like Peyton Manning and Demarcus Ware. Keeping those now older vets who haven’t been good leaders would only poison the next wave of Broncos leaders. It’s time to turn this team over to Justin Simmons, Dalton Risner, Courtland Sutton, etc. And if the Broncos can pick some extra draft capital in the process, so be it.
***
4. Shake up the front office
John Elway can’t be allowed to run this football team. It’s time for new faces, new blood and a fresh approach to building this football team. I’m not saying fire Elway. He currently wears two hats, president and GM. Let him keep the “president” title. Let him serve out the last two years of his contract as Mr. Bronco. He can still be involved in decision making, but it can no longer be his call. Bring in Adam Peters. He spent eight years with the Broncos before going to San Francisco, where he’s spent the last three years watching up close as John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have rebuilt the once down in the dumps 49ers.
**
5. Sell the team
This Bowlen family brouhaha only figures to get more nasty as a $3 billion dynasty is fought over like some ’80s style Friday night soap opera. It’s a bad look. It undermines the stability needed to turn the team on the field around. And at some point, the NFL is going to step in and say enough is enough, sell the team, divvy up the fortune and let real ownership, with real money, come in and restore what was once one of the NFL’s signature franchises.