Three losses in a row and they take Al Wilson off the field (without him giving the customary I’m OK, Don’t Worry thumbs-up) and straight to an ambulance? Stick a fork in the 2006 Broncos season.
It’s not Jake Plummer. Yeah, he wasn’t getting the job done on third downs and throwing too many interceptions, but in his first appearance, rookie QB Jay Cutler seemed to find himself in the same exact same situations Jake did: rushed, hassled and unable to execute on the passing game. The over-dependence on the run, something that’s pretty much been automatic for the Broncos in the Mike Shanahan era, is part of the problem and not going to be fixed with someone new in the QB spot. Say what you will about Jake Plummer, he wouldn’t have committed the same error in judgment that Cutler did when he threw the first interception (that got ran back 25 yards for a touchdown). He would have pulled the ball in and taken his sack like a man. There’s a problem with the offense, but I think tonight’s game shows that the problem isn’t with the quarterback — the whole offense is failing to click. For Christ’s sake, Rod-Fucking-Smith fumbled after a reception. That’s a canary in a coal mine if you ask me.
To top things off, what happened with Jason Elam? Nice play to get the first down and another 9 yards closer to the field goal, but to pay for those three points with a possible hamstring injury to the one consistently bright light on the team?
I hate to say it, but after looking at tonight’s game, I can only come to the conclusion that with a roster as talented as ours, maybe we should stop looking at the players as the source of the problem. Mike Shanahan might be one of the best play callers of all time, but there’s something off in the coaching ranks. That’s the only explanation I can give.