Denver Broncos: New Year's Resolution to Find a GM

So the "Coach for Life" is now looking for new employment. Goes to show you, if Gretzky can be traded, anything can change.

If we look back on the last 10 years of his tenure (post back-to-back jack rings), we all know he has only one playoff win to show for those 10 years. How about the last two or three years, and how all of the sudden the Shanny curse was not even a lock against the dreaded Oakland "Faders".

Change was needed for this team. The same message was obviously getting old. Players and coaches came and went in the last 10 years, but what remained the same was the "mastermind" and his ego. GM and coaching duties can be draining and very demanding, and that seems to be what was taking its toll on Shanny.

The rumors out of Broncos HQ is that the conversation went something like:

Bowlen: "Mike, we need to dramatically change it up on defense. Bob has to go."

Shanny: "Pat, I don't think so. Bob's a good friend, and I can pin this on him. If anything, I am accountable for the players that are on the field."

Bowlen: "Mike, you're right. You're fired".

In reality, here is what I think really happened:

Bowlen: "Mike, we need to dramatically change it up. We just don't have the horses on the defensive side and special team’s side of the ball to compete. I think we need to go in another direction with you having head coaching duties and player personnel duties. I think it's time to have you just focusing on the coaching duties."

Shanny: "Wow! I know you're disappointed as much as I am, but that's a little drastic, don't you think? Besides, that would require a change in my contract."

Bowlen: "Are you saying you would not be willing to restructure that part of your contact?"

Shanny: "That's what I am saying, boss."

Bowlen: "Then I am sorry, Mike. I am gonna have to let you go."

Now, everyone is speculating on who will be the next coach: Spagnuolo, Stoops, McDaniels, or Morris, etc.

One thing is for sure—whoever the coach, it should be someone that is willing to keep the offense side of coaching pretty much intact (i.e. Dennison, Bates, and Turner). Why mess with something that went pretty well this past season considering no running game? 

However, I think the more urgent need for the Broncos is not the coach, it is a GM. Someone who has had success building teams that were very successful.

When the Broncos Brass is on the east coast this weekend interviewing potential coaching candidates, they should also be interviewing the one guy that should be higher on their list than even Spagnuolo. And that man's name is Scott Pioli, current VP for the New England Patriots.

Pioli has to be brought in ASAP to help a Broncos team that has not had much success on the defensive side of the ball for the last 10 seasons. You can keep changing the color of lipstick (i.e. defensive coordinators), but until you get rid of the pig, you will always have a pig of a defense.

That has been the problem for the Broncos with Shanny calling the player personnel shots the last 10 years. His vision for defensive talent leveraged bifocals while the rest of the top teams had 20-20 vision.

Dear Santa, I know you already made your rounds for 2008, and have no future scheduled rounds until the end of 2009, but if you could please bring Scott Pioli to the Broncos front office within the next few weeks.

You could then scratch the Denver Broncos HQ location off the list for 2009 later on this year, and make thousands of Bronco fans in the world very happy.