The Josh McDaniels Experiment Has Failed in Denver

First off, props to the Raiders. They would have beat anyone Sunday. From start to finish the Raiders outcoached and outplayed the Broncos. It was over before it began.

Then again, pretty much anyone would have beat this Josh McDaniels-coached team today.

With Denver's and San Diego's demises, the Chiefs and Raiders will duel for the AFC West crown.

Completely Unprepared

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DENVER - OCTOBER 24: Quarterbacks Kyle Orton #8 and Tim Tebow #15 of the Denver Broncos look on from the bench during their 59-14 loss to the Oakland Raiders at INVESCO Field at Mile High on October 24, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/

Oakland did its homework. The Raiders had a bad outing last week against the Niners, and they learned from their mistakes.

While they were building a big lead, their play-calling was innovative and productive. Denver's play-calling was predictable and has been predictable all season long.

From the first drive on when Zach Miller was left wide open to all of the missed blocking assignments that let the Raiders have numerous free runs at Orton, the Raiders showed that they were superior in the coaching department.

Good Head Coaches Don't Lose Like This

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DENVER - OCTOBER 24: Head coach Josh McDaniels of the Denver Broncos looks on during the first half against the Oakland Raiders at INVESCO Field at Mile High on October 24, 2010 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

Mike Shanahan had his fair share of losses. Some of these losses were very lopsided.

But nothing like this.

This was against a team that has historically been the doormat of the league, not a great team. Heck, the Raiders failed to put up 20 points against a 1-5 Niners team last week and gave San Fran its first win of the season.

Additionally, this was a must-win game. It's one thing when one player, such as the quarterback, has a bad game. It's another thing when the whole team has a bad game.

It's obvious that there is no leadership from the coaching position. How could there be? How is a NFL player going to look up to someone who never played a down of college football in his life?

Personnel Decisions

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INDIANAPOLIS - DECEMBER 13: Peyton Hillis #22 of the Denver Broncos looks on the field during the NFL game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 13, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Colts won 28-16. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Gett

McDaniels has no clue about personnel. Without belaboring the point, I'll just throw out some names: Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, Tony Scheffler, Robert Ayers, Alphonso Smith, Robert Quinn, Brady Quinn, Jamal Williams, Jarvis Green.

But the real stinger is the virtual swap of Peyton Hillis for Knowshon Moreno. You can see that not only is Hillis a more productive player, but Denver used last year's 12th overall pick to get Moreno when it already had Hillis on the roster.

The sad fact is McDaniels dismantled a very good team so he could bring in his players. It was done to stroke his own ego, not to win games.

What Now?

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DENVER - DECEMBER 21: Head coach Mike Shanahan of the Denver Broncos leads his team against the Buffalo Bills at Invesco Field at Mile High on December 21, 2008 in Denver, Colorado. The Bills defeated the Broncos 30-23. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Im

You don't just throw out a coach like Mike Shanahan because he didn't make the playoffs. But it happened.

Yesterday's gone and so is Shanahan. The best thing that could happen to this team is to give McDaniels the boot, promote an assistant to head coach and start the hiring process tomorrow.

Denver's out of it. The playoffs are just a dream.

Bowlen needs to accept that Denver is now in full rebuild mode and try to dig out of the hole that he personally dug. Who should coach Denver starting next season? I could just say Bill Cowher or someone like that, but that's not very realistic. Denver's coach should be someone who:

a. Has been a player himself

b. Is not in his mid-30s

c. Is not another Bill Belichick clone

Thank you, Mr. Bowlen. You can go ahead and sell the team now to a responsible owner.