Five Questions: AFC West execs lament Broncos hiring Shurmur

What are NFL executives and scouts saying about the Broncos hiring Pat Shurmur?

As part of his annual college football all-star road trip, 1043TheFan.com’s Cecil Lammey is on the ground at the East-West Shrine Bowl practices this week in Tampa, Florida.

On Tuesday, Lammey joined “Stokley and Zach” to share what he’s been hearing from executives and scouts around the NFL — and specifically the AFC West — about the Broncos hiring Pat Shurmur as the team’s new offensive coordinator.

Let me tell you what other people are saying, including top executives because scouts are here but there’s also a sprinkling of GMs and directors of player personnel that are here as well. I’ve talked to two in the AFC West. So, these guys compete against the Denver Broncos. You know what they told me, especially one who you may know and might have seen on TV? They said this made our division tougher. These guys are distraught that Pat Shurmur is now within the AFC West.

So, I can tell you what I think, right? Scangarello, and we can talk about continuity and all of that. But when has Drew Lock ever had continuity? What did he have four OC in college off the top of my head? We could discuss that. I’m all for discussion and debate. But when I talk to top-level executives with other teams that face the Broncos twice a year and they’re pissed because the Broncos now have Pat Shurmur, I think, ‘Wow.’

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What are the chances Derek Wolfe remains in a Denver Broncos uniform past 2020?

Among the key Broncos veterans heading toward free agency this offseason is long-time defensive end Derek Wolfe.

Wolfe, whom Denver drafted with the team’s first pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, has been a stalwart on the Broncos defensive line, but coming off a dislocated elbow suffered in Week 13, the veteran’s days in the Mile High City may be numbered.

On Tuesday, Wolfe joined “Stokley and Zach” to discuss his future with the organization, saying that the Broncos had yet to this point reached out about a deal.

Wolfe: I want to be here, so obviously I’m going to give them a chance. But I’m not going to do what I did last time.

Brandon Stokley: Do you regret that? Do you regret taking that deal when you did?

Wolfe: I can’t say that I regret that because, first of all, this city is amazing to live in. I love this city. The fans here are unreal. They treat me great. Every time I go out, I see people … it’s fun to interact with them. I wouldn’t trade that for anything. There’s no amount of money, there’s no dollar amount that you could put on that kind of love.

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Can Pat Shurmur actually turn around the Broncos offense?

After the surprising news that the Broncos let go of 2019 offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello, the “million-dollar question” is will new play-caller Pat Shurmur improve Denver’s offense in 2020.

On Tuesday, The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala told “The Drive” she believes the former New York Giants head coach has the experience to turn in a fine offensive season but that continuity at the offensive coordinator position has become a concern.

He’s obviously experienced as a play-caller, with 2017 in Minnesota being his finest year when they went 13-3 and turned Case Keenum into a guy even the Broncos thought could be a viable starter. But I think it’s imperative that they have all the key pieces. I mean, that year he was very successful in large part because they revamped the line, they had the league’s top receiving corps, they had one of the best run games and he had a quarterback in Case Keenum who was not great but he was mobile, he could escape danger. I think the Broncos have a lot of those pieces, but it’s going to take some time to kind of get to that level.

So, hopefully, he can improve the offense. My only concern is you have the youngest offense in the league and you’re changing the system yet again. Every year there’s been a system change. So, hopefully, these guys can adapt quickly and it doesn’t hinder their development at all.

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How hot is the seat underneath Jared Bednar after the Avalanche blow another late lead ?

The Colorado Avalanche blew another third-period lead on Tuesday night at home against their divisional foe the Dallas Stars, and it seems frustration has come to its boiling point.

Adrian Dater, 104.3 The Fan Avs Insider, told “The Fan Late Night” host Shawn Drotar that after the game he’d not seen his Twitter timeline filled with so much anger from Colorado fans in a long time and, if the third-period woes continue, there could be “shocking” repercussions.

I’m as big a Jared Bednar fan as anyone. I think he’s a class act and a good coach. But I tell you what, there are a couple of good coaches out there right now who don’t have jobs who have taken teams to the Stanley Cup Finals in each of the past three years, I think … That’s Peter DeBoer, who got fired by the Sharks after many successful seasons there. And the Sharks have fallen apart since he left. Peter Laviolette, the national coach who got fired and has a history of really changing teams when he gets there, turns them into winners. He’s got one Stanley Cup on resume and a couple of failed attempts in the Finals, but he’s gotten there. He’s out there too.

We’ve seen shocking firings all of a sudden in this game that come out of nowhere. We’ve seen it this year. We’ve seen it in the past month. … This is how coaches get fired, and if they don’t figure this thing out in the third period and it costs them playoff position or they go into the late season out of the playoff picture, we may see some kind of shocking change there.

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What are the chances Nolan Arenado gets traded by Opening Day?

The hot stove conversations surrounding the Colorado Rockies trading away perennial all-star Nolan Arenado have heated up over the past week, to the point where prognosticators are predicting he could be shipped out of Denver by Opening Day.

MLB.com and MLB Network reporter Jon Paul Morosi told Fox Sports Radio on Tuesday night that he believes Arenado will be “moved” before the start of the season and that the Chicago White Sox and Texas Rangers are among the teams in the mix for the star third baseman’s services.

Morosi also reported on Tuesday that Josh Donaldson’s four-year deal with the Minnesota Twins ever increases the market for Arenado, especially with a “talent-rich” Atlanta Braves club.