The Die Is Already Cast For Josh McDaniels

Everyone and his nephew is pumping out articles about Tim Tebow these days, and how his performance will decide the fate of Josh McDaniels and ultimately the Broncos team. That is sheer nonsense. The quarterback position is always one where you draft a kid for the future, and in the case of Tebow, some would say that is even more true. So, realistically and reasonably, Tim won't have much of an impact on the team's fortunes for another two or three years. What will determine whether Josh is still around to enjoy any possible fruits of his draft day decision will be determined by the players he drafted last year, and some of the players who were taken this year other than Tebow.

Off the top, it doesn't look good. Denver went into the 2009 draft with a handful of extra prime picks, and by trading one of the first rounders they acquired for Cutler for a second rounder last year, pretty much spent the entire proceeds of the Cutler deal. They had very little to show for it during the 2009 season. Knowshon Moreno was the best of a mediocre lot, and he was just passable in his rookie season. Certainly nothing to write home about for the #12 overall pick of the draft. But the kid just turned 23, so the jury is far from in on him. He severly lacks some measurables in order to be outstanding at the position. His ceiling may not be much higher than we have seen. Robert Ayers was not any sort of a factor on defense. He is another very average athlete who had just one good college season and shows no signs of being exceptional at this point in time. Two second rounders which came at considerable cost were spent on cornerbacks Alphonso Smith and Darcel McBath, and neither showed they were worthy of the lofty draft status. A late second round pick was inexplicably spent on blocking tight end Richard Quinn, who isn't a very good blocker and provides 0 offensive support.

There has to be a huge uptick in the performance of these 5 players taken in the first two rounds of the draft. If that group continues to be as disappointing as it has been, I don't see how McDaniels and Xanders survive long enough for Tebow to help save their necks. Nor, probably, would they deserve to.