The Denver Broncos wanted to improve their line and sought a quick fix. So they brought in two former Cleveland Browns, a group that failed to achieve much before coming to Denver. For one season they helped Denver.
But their reputations suggested it wouldn’t last.
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“They were just fingers in the dyke,” one NFL source said.
Still, Mike Shanahan rewarded Gerard Warren with a six-year contract. He extended Courtney Browns’ deal as well. A year later Warren was cut and the injury-prone Brown suffered another one. And Denver continued its search for an improved line.
Few question Mike Shanahan’s moves on the field as a coach. Many doubt what he can do when it comes to acquiring personnel.
He had his share of draft busts: in 2007, three of the first four picks were on defense, including end Jarvis Moss (17th overall in 2007); none have panned out. But he hit on some, too, such as running back Terrell Davis (sixth round, 1995), receiver Brandon Marshall (fourth round, 2006), and defensive end Elvis Dumervil (fourth round, 2006).
He used three defensive coordinators in his last three years, firing Larry Coyer, who had the best results and is Indianapolis’ defensive coordinator. He also paid big money to players such as Warren and defensive tackles Dewayne Robertson and Daryl Gardener, both of whom had questionable character. Neither worked.
“As an offensive guy, he’s exceptional,” one general manager said. “but as a decision maker, he’s [terrible]. I watched how many defensive coordinators he had in; how he drafted players. It’s a win-now mentality. He’s going to be very expensive because his mistakes are expensive and to correct them is expensive. He wears you out and he does things desperately, not soundly … He knows good offense. He knows running backs and receivers. But he’s not a CEO head coach type.”
When it came to the draft, Shanahan did most of his scouting off highlight films. He did not attend the Senior Bowl; and he would only briefly attend the scouting combine, say multiple NFL sources.
“He does not respect the process,” one NFL source said. “That creates risk.”
“He’s a guy that believes you grade the players when they’re playing their best,” said Russ Lande, who heads the Sporting News draft coverage and is a former scout. “His belief is that, ‘I can get him to play that way all the time.’ That doesn’t always happen. But they hit on guys no one else thought of because of their willingness to gamble.”
And despite the personnel problems, they managed to stay competitive because of the offense.
Denver guard Mark Schlereth said, “It’s a testament, despite the poor draft picks and poor free agent choices, that he put a winner on the field consistently.”
