The Burrall Blog – So Long, Shanny

3:58 PM MST

Mike Shanahan has been fired as the Broncos’ Head Coach and chief of football operations.

Frankly, I’m surprised, given that owner Pat Bowlen had stuck with Shanahan through some years where Bronco teams had underachieved.  But, it’s the best move the Broncos could make.  The team has become stagnant, with playoff misses three straight years, including an inconceivable loss of a 3-game lead with 3 games to go this season.

As stated in an earlier entry, Bowlen shouldn’t stop here.  The defense is in need of being completely rebuilt, especially an awful secondary (with the exception of a healthy Champ Bailey).  There must be a new kicker.  By the way, what was suddenly wrong with Jason Elam after last season?  The answer, of course, is nothing, as Elam has had a good season with the playoff-bound Falcons.  And, another quarterback wouldn’t hurt if Jay Cutler keeps making such poor decisions at crucial times of games.

Mike Shanahan did the Broncos proud, including back-to-back Super Bowl wins in the 90′s.  But the current Broncos are nowhere close to that level.  This change was necessary.  So are others if the Broncos want to be a serious Super Bowl contender again.

The Burrall Blog – Unbelievable!

10:32 AM MST

I tried to think of the correct word for the above headline to describe the Broncos. There were others I could have used, but this is a clean website.

Just about any other NFL team who played as badly as the Broncos did in their 52-21 loss at San Diego to end their season and complete the loss of a 3-game division lead with 3 games to go (a first since the start of divisional play) would fire their coach and make many personnel changes (except maybe for the Cowboys, who may been in even worse shape than the Broncos).

But, a coaching change almost certainly won’t happen. Let’s face it. Pat Bowlen and Mike Shanahan will always be buddy-buddy because of those two Super Bowl wins. And some personnel changes may happen, although injuries were a factor this year.

However, injuries can’t erase the fact that this may have been the worst season-long defensive performance in Denver’s 49 seasons of pro football. It culminated with an absolute give-up effort in the loss in San Diego. LaDanian Tomlinson and others on the Chargers ran well and Philip Rivers’ passes torched an inept secondary.

How could the Broncos not win this division? The Chargers’ defense wasn’t much better than the Broncos’. The Chiefs had their worst season ever with only 2 wins – but one of those was over the Broncos. And the Raiders — well, they’re the Raiders. But they beat the Broncos.

If you’re a Bronco fan, you should be upset. Your team let you down in a big way. You should demand that Pat Bowlen do something to fix it, and in my opinion, that’s to start over — new coaches, new quarterback, new kicker, new defense. Well, don’t hold your breath for any of that. Just prepare for more mediocrity.

The Burrall Blog – Waitin’ On A Plane

2:40 PM MST

DENVER – My flight to Dallas leaves in a little over an hour. Hope you will not spend your Christmas alone. I’m glad I won’t.

So, did you catch Cowboy Basketball on KASL last night? Oh, you didn’t? Good thing. The final score (and Dave Walsh did not say, “Oh! The Score!”): UCLA 113, Wyoming 62.

I’m not sure what this says about Heath Schroyer’s Cowboys, except that they haven’t won their only two games against teams that aren’t Western St. or that culinary school. The point is that they’re not very well-tested yet against better competition, and Mountain West play is just over a week away. This may have been too much, though. UCLA has been to three straight Final Fours and they usually don’t lose on their home floor. You probably won’t win against UCLA or your nearest culinary school when you turn the ball over 29 times, though.

Playing better than this in hostile environments would come in handy for the Cowboys, though.

Back to the travel: I have some R&R planned through the weekend. Don’t worry. I won’t be looking for a job in Dallas; I’m just catching up with some friends.

And I hope for you and yours a Merry and meaningful Christmas. Back on the air with “Newcastle Afternoon” on Monday.

The Burrall Blog – Broncos…..Busted?

11:12 PM MST

Two weeks ago, the Denver Broncos had a 3-game lead in the AFC West, and needed only one more win to wrap up the division title and a home playoff game in the first round. Two weeks later, that’s still the case.

Now, the Broncos face a Week 17 game at San Diego that they must win (or tie), or the Chargers would be the division champs and the Broncos’ season would end.

Certainly, the Broncos have had a mind-numbing number of injuries, including to 5 running backs. But still, NFL teams are not supposed to blow 3-game division leads, especially in a division that’s as awful as the AFC West. So why could it happen? Well, the Broncos’ defense has had problems stopping people, giving up many big plays. Opponents have run at will against Denver at times. Then, there’s Jay Cutler. Yes, he’s in the Pro Bowl. Yes, he’s set the club record for completions in a season. But he has lately been terrible late in games, including today against Buffalo. He tends to force passes, as he did late in today’s game, resulting in an interception that stopped a drive that could have led to a tying touchdown in the 4th quarter.

Now, the Broncos must play at San Diego against a Charger team that is full of confidence these days. Philip Rivers threw 4 touchdown passes today against a pretty decent Tampa Bay defense. Uh-oh, Broncos’ fans. Your team could be in trouble – unless P.J. Pope can run the ball, unless the defense can stop someone, unless Cutler plays better under late-game pressure. If not, the Broncos will have an all too early offseason and more questions than answers heading into 2009.

The Broncos play at San Diego Sunday, and you can hear the action starting at 5:00 on AM 1240, KASL. Please note the changed air time. Kickoff is set for 6:15 PM MST.

The Burrall Blog – Five Games Down, Many To Go

5:41 PM MST

OK, I know I should be paying all my attention to “Newcastle Afternoon,” but I have some thoughts about Dogie and Lady Dogie Basketball after each has played five games of their regular seasons.

Lady Dogies Head Coach Sonja Karp sees her team with a 1-4 start, but she is still upbeat about how they are playing and the potential they have, especially when Taylor Farrella returns from her torn ACL. Clara Minder’s play is worth noting, especially defensively. She plays like a couple of young ladies named Clarke used to play. Katie James can hit from anywhere, and Jessie McKenzie is another solid shooter. But Coach Karp is pleased with how everyone on her young team is progressing.

Some may be surprised at the Dogie boys’ 3-2 start, given the high expectations many have for them. Any team, though, that starts as slowly as the Dogies have in both of their Friday games so far gives itself less of a chance to win. Still, the Dogies nearly came back in the opener against Powell and did rally from a 23-point deficit to tie the conference opener in Torrington before Jason McManamen hit the winning shot at the buzzer. Against Wright, the Dogies played at their best. When they do that, very few can stay with them. When they don’t, very many can stay with them. That’s not a knock or an indictment; Allen Von Eye and his players know that very well. As even as most of 3A East likely will be, the Dogies can’t afford poor starts. Oh, and have you noticed that Mick Cochran’s Wheatland team is unbeaten and very solid? This is after some wondered what they would have after losing several accomplished seniors last season.

This season should be interesting and entertaining. Here’s hoping you can be with us for it all, on the air or online.

The Burrall Blog – Christensen the Cowboy

9:19 PM MST

Oh, dear! What have I done now? Yes, I’ve decided to enter the world of bloggers. As you may expect, most of my blogging will be about sports, but occasionally, it may be about something else.

Dave Christensen’s official introduction as the Cowboys’ head coach on Monday had the typical “rah-rah,” and “we intend to challenge BYU and Utah” statements you would expect. However, I see Christensen as someone who is serious about changing some things. Frankly, that’s needed. That’s nothing against Joe Glenn, but it became clear that UW football wasn’t getting anywhere with him. Certainly, the offense wasn’t doing much. The plain-vanilla offense, especially under coordinator Bob Cole this past season, was just plain boring. Well, if you’ve seen Missouri on television the last few seasons, you’ve seen what the Cowboys’ offense should be like in 2009, the “spread look” that so many teams run now. Christensen will run the Tigers’ offense for their Alamo Bowl game against Northwestern on December 29. If you’re a Cowboy fan and can see that game on the tube, it might be worth your while, and you may very much like what you see. OK, maybe Chris Stutzriem isn’t quite Chase Daniel, but if Christensen and his crew can bring in the right athletes for this offense, fall days with Cowboy football could be much more interesting — and soon.