Mike Shanahan Firing a Surprise...Or Is It?

Okay, I'm sure you guys have all heard the news, and as a Broncos fan, I'm probably more shocked than most of you on his firing.

Nevermind, let me take that back, I am not surprised, not one bit. I knew as soon as that whipping from the Chargers was finished, Mike Shanahan's was about to start. Still, I couldn't believe the mastermind behind all those great years of John Elway was finally out of a job.

I couldn't believe that the trademark face on the Denver sideline for over 14 years was most likely going to be replaced by a head coach whom we've never heard before. However, as gloom as that sounds, Mike Shanahan's days were over as soon as he assumed dictatorship over the Broncos organization.

Mike Shanahan's tenure with the Broncos was all good up until the end of 1999, when John Elway retired. Then, the Mastermind lost his magic touch. Thinking Brian Griese was the next Elway, it took him two years to realize the opposite. Losing his bet on Griese, Shanahan tried his luck on Jake Plummer. Jackpot! Well, at least in 2004 season, when Plummer did lead the Broncos to the AFC Championship Game.

Wait, did I say Plummer? I meant the Broncos defense, who had a certain someone name Al Wilson to dismantle any opponent not named the Steelers. This became painfully obvious the next year when Mike Shanahan handed the reins to a rookie from Vanderbilt called Jay for the last six games of the season. The result? A playoff team to a non playoff team. But give the kid a break, says Shanahan, he's only a rookie!

Okay, fast forward to yesterday after that obliteration by the Chargers. The Broncos regime has been 24-24 for the past three years with no playoff to show for it. Their defense must have dipped their hands in butter before every game because they can't seem to tackle anyone.

The once proud orange crush has become the laughingstock of the league. The running game was completely decimated by injuries and the defensive line must have ate too much because they could not rush for beans. Enough is enough, says Pat Bowlen to Shanahan, you must step down as a general manager and assume your rightful role as a head coach and nothing more.

In your dreams, retorted Shanahan as he slammed the cheery oak door on his way out of the Broncos organization for good. 

Okay, maybe it didn't happen like that, but after Shanhan's pink slip, there is a lot of question about the future of the Broncos organization. Probably the most important is: who is going to replace Shanahan? All the coaches out there are either fired or haven't coached in a while (obviously).

The Broncos players (namely Cutler) have voiced his displeasure in the firing, so chemistry remains a concern. Furthermore, Bowlen's going to have to find out which coach fits the Broncos system, and as far as I've looked, none. How are the fans going to react? The city? Where is Shanahan is going to end up?

Aside from the usual concern that Shanahan might come back as the Raiders' coach to haunt the Broncos, there is also the financial dilemma that states that if Shanahan does not find work, the Broncos are going to have to pay the remainder of his contract, which is 21 million dollars.

How about the coaching staff? QB coach Jeremy Bates recently turned out a job with Lane Kiffin in Tennessee because Shanahan gave him a contract extension through 2011. If Shanahan's gone, will it mean that the assistant coaches are due for an overhaul?

Firing Shanahan was easy, if not a gutsy move. However, Pat Bowlen's going to need an S on his chest if he's going to pull through this offseason without too much turmoil. After all, if you're going to fire your Head Coach for over a decade, you must have formulated a mastermind plan, right? Let's just all hope this firing is not a heat-of-the-moment affair because  if it is, the Bronco fan in me is going to get real "agitated," real soon.