Hiatus Review

Observations from the past two weeks:
-The Broncos looked like an expertly coached team two weeks ago against the Steelers. The Steelers were clearly the more talented team, yet the Broncos went to an efficient passing game and stole one against the best second-tier team in the league.
-I was at the game and there was a ridiculous number of Steelers fans in the stadium. I had a running commentary with the guy next to me who drove in from Kansas City to root for his childhood hometown team. He left with about 5 minutes left in the game. Perhaps he was prescient. I told him if the Steelers scored too early, the Broncos might be able to pull out a win because the Steelers couldn't stop Cutler.
-Cutler looked inspired against the Steelers. I don't know what the gameplan was, but Cutler looked like he was making quick decisions on the field, becoming a true field general in the mold of Manning and Brady.
-But against the Packers, Mike Shanahan looked like a scared little sissy boy. It was like The Waterboy when Henry Winkler lost all his confidence. Shanahan called the game like he was afraid to win. You can't go 1/4 in the redzone and win. And why in the world, when you have a great young QB with a great arm and the smarts to match, would you call a QB draw in the waning seconds of sure victory? It looked like fear. And more importantly, it looked mistrust. You can't win or build your quarterback's confidence if you won't let players make plays. The Broncos should have won, and they lost because Mike Shanahan made a series of untrusting calls. He's got to rethink his philosophy.
-Brett Favre - I love that guy. I don't know what the call was on that last play. I don't know who the play was designed to go to. I don't know if Jennings was the first option or just one of the checkdowns. But it was a helluva throw. A great player made a great play, and he wasn't hindered by sissyboy coaches.

Coming Up:
The Broncos are going up against the 5-2 Lions. While the Lions' record puts them near the top of the NFC, they are a team that is imminently beatable. Despite the return of Kevin Jones, the Lions tend to rely too heavily on the pass. The Broncos defense can exploit this. If the Broncos can keep the Lions around 21 points, they have a great shot of winning this one. If he wants to win, Mike Shanahan has got to abandon his mastermind philosophy in which he is the master chess player manipulating his pieces. Shanahan has got to step back and let the guys on the field be the chess players. Let Cutler make decisions! Brady and Manning are easily the two best quarterbacks of this decade, maybe the two best ever. Their greatness rests in their ability to call plays and make decisions on the field. And guess what? It works. If Shanahan lets Cutler be the leader of this team, then they have the pieces to fight for a playoff spot this season. If not, they will go home in January again and have to start from scratch in 2008. But if the Broncos can get a playoff spot this year, then next year might really be a chance for Shanahan to get his second playoff win in the post Elway era.

Let's face it, the Super Bowl is going to the Pats or the Colts this year. Whoever wins on Sunday just might go undefeated in the regular season. So check out the Pats vs Colts if Shanahan puckers up his ass and tries to win this one from the sideline.