End of Mike Shanahan Era: Change the Denver Broncos Need

Mike Shanahan has been what many owners call a "football legend." His pre-2009 firing shocked not only his players, staff and himself, but also everyone who were fans of Denver Broncos and also the community. Was this the right move? "Absolutely" is the right word to use. Many owners are shy to make a decision to cut a Hall of Fame headcoach but Mike Shanahan was not going to build a championship caliber team how many years you gave him since he could never build a top-notch defense.

The most important quality of any Super Bowl winning team is that it must have a defense that makes critical stops in the end-zone and also on third-down. Shanahan's defenses have been for lack of a better word "porous" on these aspects.

Lets look at the pros and cons of Shanahan's departure starting with the cons. One thing for sure is that, Denver Broncos lose a HOF coach/ offensive guru. His ability to draw up innovative game plans cannot be questioned but his ability to improvise during the game and also the season started to become questionable.

This was clear by how Denver teams started strong but never finished strong in the post-Elway era(except for 2005 where they went to the AFC Championship Game). The second biggest loss is the lack of continuity and lack of trust in new leadership will probably lure some veterans(Read: brandon stokely, Champ Bailey) away from the team especially since they want to win championships now rather than wait for the team to rebuild.

Looking on the positive side, the broncos now have a chance to bring a defensive minded coach who can bring his defensive staff along and start building an "orange-crush" defense. Steve Spagnuolo and Rex Ryan should head the list among the potential candidates.

Another reason the Broncos have failed in the last few years is the lack of a consistent running game.This helps in ball-control and posession time and also gives defense much needed rest.

Last but not the least, the new coaching staff should aid the development of Cutler, Marshall, Royal and Clady. These youngsters all have destined multiple Pro-Bowl appearances provided they are healthy and continue to develop.

This is where I feel Jeremy Bates must be retained, so that the offense flows smoothly but with a strong emphasis on the running game. Hopefully the post-Shanahan brings what Pat Bowlen desires—a disciplined football team with a desire to win championships.