Analysis of the Denver Broncos First Round With Help from Jerry MaGuire

Jerry MaGuire: “It will be Denver or San Diego trading up to take him.”

Only in Denver under Head Coach Josh McDaniels reign as head coach could the Broncos have four quarterbacks with no one to snap them the ball.  And so it goes under Josh McDaniels who is no stranger to running players off and making controversial decisions.

This draft is something out of a movie.  It’s something like Back to the Futuristic Science Fiction Past only it’s here and now.  Realistically it pulls some striking similarities to the movie Jerry MaGuire when thinking about all the Broncos moves in the first round and the selection of Tim Tebow. 

Think about it, you have Josh McDaniels and the Broncos front office playing the part of Jerry MaGuire (a sports agent ironically enough), Tim Tebow as Frank Cushman the stud quarterback, and Brandon Marshall as Rod Tidwell the star wide receiver.

It’s enough to give you Cush-lash (more on that later)! 

OK how about now?

Tim Tebow is a Dead on Fit as Frank Cushman

Frank Cushman (answering the phone): “This is Cush… I just want to play football.”

Trust this: it’s coming at some point.  For good or for ill the Tim Tebow era in Denver has now begun and with it the talk of his selection, potential, skill sets, technique issues, determination, and leadership will all be covered to the point of insanity.

Thinking back to how crazy Denver was with the arrival of John Elway as The Franchise, Denver is a town that knows how to party with a serious starting quarterback.

Without a doubt from the moment it was announced everyone had an opinion one way or another on Tim Tebow being selected late in the first round by the Denver Broncos. With that it’s critical to look at all sides of this selection in a nutshell. So do yourself a favor, indulge if only for a moment, and sing along.

Frank Cushman:  “I’m sick of myself already, I got Cushlash ~ Cushlash! Cushlash! Cushlash! Cushlash-Cushlash!”

You thought Elway mania was something; this is a defining moment in Denver sports and has a lot to do with credibility nationally and locally in the market place.

For Josh McDaniels part it goes something like this.

Jerry MaGuire: “He’s (Frank Cushman QB) my client, my most important client.”

With that there is only one option.

Jerry MaGuire: “Break down?  Break through.”

Josh McDaniels is going to be given time to develop Tim Tebow on the long run, which means this experiment will take time and it was given a full endorsement by owner Pat Bowlen.  It’s a tremendous risk especially considering the prospects of a lock-out and an uncertain salary structure for the Broncos.  Losing Jay Cutler may have pushed the franchise back, if this selection doesn’t work out the Broncos may be down and out for a long time to come.

The Question of the Hour

Don’t fool yourself; this is a philosophical paradigm shift in Denver Broncos offensive attack, and in their future.  It is a gamble, a huge gamble because of the price to bring in a guy who may never become the starting quarterback in Denver.  He could still be a Denver Bronco in four years and not be the starting quarterback.

That’s the important thing to remember here.  Tim Tebow will play some at quarterback but how much and how soon can he perfect his techniques in a sophisticated NFL offense is the question.

Furthermore the offensive scheme is going to be much more heavily laced with the Wild Horses concepts in order to better utilize Tim Tebow’s skill sets and to give him an opportunity to succeed.

So for Josh McDaniels part he is officially out on a limb and it should go without saying, but he deserves some mention here.

Jerry MaGuire: “Who’s coming with me?”

The Bottom Line

Bob Sugar: “It’s not ‘show friends’.  It’s ‘show business’.

The Broncos have needed a spark given all of the recent changes.  With Tim Tebow they certainly got that and possibly a little more.  From the press point of view there is much about this selection that will be talked about for months and years to come.

This much needed spark will impact the Broncos ticket sales at least a little more positively than the past season.  It is with much caution and optimism that the Broncos fans have an ounce of perception and hope for a pound of cure.

To get Tebow the Broncos took a most un-orthodoxed approach in trading down so they could eventually trade up to get the receiver they hope can replace Brandon Marshall in Demaryius Thomas at the 22^nd pick overall.  Keeping with the beat the Broncos got Tim Tebow a few pick later by trading up to take him at the 25^th slot.

The Denver Broncos originally had the 11^th pick in the first round of which they traded to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for the 13^th overall pick that subsequently was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles.  In exchange the Denver Broncos received an additional fourth round pick that wound up going to the New England Patriots. 

All tolled the Broncos swapped their first round pick for a 1^st, a 4^th, and two third round selections.  The Broncos affectively gave up a 4^th rounder and one spot in the first round for Thomas.  The Broncos gave Baltimore a 2^nd, a 3^rd, and a 4^th rounder for the rights to select Tebow.

The lower first round selections assured the Broncos don’t have to pay higher first round money for either one of their selections.

The value added to the franchise by the selection of Tim Tebow could eventually boom, but does add an initial buzz to the ticket office with curiosity being the driving force of the movement. 

Kyle Orton is probably a passing fancy at the moment and probably won’t be around in 2011.  Brady Quinn could win the starting job if all goes well for him, but he will be pushed to his limits by this most recent selection.

Whether or not you liked draft selections at this point, it should be cautious optimism in Broncos Country, as a wise man once said.

Dickey Fox (Jerry MaGuires mentor): “Roll with the punches, tomorrow’s another day.”

If It Does Not Work

Jerry MaGuire: “Jump right into my nightmare, the water is warm!”

Make no mistakes about it the selection of Tim Tebow is a very risky selection for an NFL team.  To consider all of the players Josh McDaniels has banished from the Denver Broncos for the youth and inexperience infiltrating Dove Valley it’s a little mind boggling and leaves much to wonder.

With this move Josh McDaniels has held himself to a much higher standard.  The Broncos must now win games with or without Tim Tebow.  There is no question that Tebow is a project.  Immediately he is the NFL’s newest version of “Slash” because he will play H-Back / receiver, running back, and quarterback.  Expect to see the Broncos expand in far more dynamic ways the use of the Wild Horses offense that they utilized last season.

The real issues here are Tebows quarterback mechanics make Jay Cutler with his flaws look like Peyton Manning.  Tebow has a long way to go to be an affective passer in the NFL, however the advent of the Wild Horses, as mentioned in some of my articles last season, is designed to help novices deal with complicated defenses. 

So most immediately it’s incredibly important that the Broncos use Tebow’s rushing abilities.  For some they may see him as a replacement for Peyton Hillis on third downs.  I have said it before in recent months and believe it’s incredibly important to mention now.  Tim Tebow’s running style reminds me a great deal of former Denver Broncos running back Rob Lytle.  Tebow has a certain slash and dash flair to the way he runs square and up-field.  He has power with agility and most importantly a north and south mentality.  He can make an impact in the run game without a doubt.  In the long run that might be where the Broncos want to primarily keep Tebow if he does not flourish as a starting quarterback.

Should the experiment go awry and the wheels come off at some point.  It might play out like this between Josh McDaniels and the fan base in Denver.   

Jerry MaGuire: “What are you doing with me Rod?”

Rod Tidwell: “Why?”

Jerry MaGuire: “Don’t you even see? Finished… I am %@#$#*! Twenty-four hours

ago (snaps fingers multiple times) I was hot! Now, I’m a cautionary tale.  See this jacket I’m wearing, you like it?  Because I don’t really need it - because I am cloaked in failure!  I lost a number one draft pick the night before the draft!  Why? Let’s recap, because a hockey player’s kid made me feel like a superficial jerk.  I had two slices of bad pizza went to bed and grew a conscience!”

Rod Tidwell: “Well, boo %@#$^#* who!”   

The Loss of Brandon Marshall from the Fan’s Perspective

The Denver Broncos newest receiver Demaryius Thomas out of Georgia Tech will need to produce immediately because the team will need him to.

It has been rumored that Josh McDaniels likes Thomas because he reminds him of Brandon Marshall without the attitude and character issues.  Brandon Marshall has been the stereo type Rod Tidwell from an attitude stand point.  He was a hardworking, talented receiver in Denver who was looking to get paid.

Nonetheless, the production of Brandon Marshall is something off the Rod Tidwell charts and is something that Miami embraced and is looking forward too.  Marshall will undoubtedly make the Pro Bowl annually baring injury.  So the Broncos have a gap to fill in the pass game. 

With Brandon Marshall the Broncos clearly lost respect for him and chose to not extend his deal.  Nonetheless at some point in time things may play out with a humorous twist as fans reflect on how quickly things change in the NFL, observing “what is” with “what could have been” or “what once was”.

As always, art imitates life.

Jerry MaGuire: “Taxi”

Rod Tidwell: “You’re loving me now aren’t you? 

Jerry MaGuire: “Very much.”

Rod Tidwell: “Is it my imagination or didn’t we arrive in a limo?”

The Player crying On the TV:  “People don’t know the kind of problems and pressures $54 million come with.”

Anyone remember how much the Brandon Marshall deal is worth?

As always, and has just been mentioned, art imitates life.

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