Broncos' Loss

[Rupert Patrick]

Marty Schottenheimer was canned after going 12-4, 9-7 and 14-2 in San Diego.

[rhickok1109]

Marty Schottenheimer was canned after going 12-4, 9-7 and 14-2 in San Diego.

True, but that was somewhat different, in that he was fired for expressly ignoring direct orders from both the owner and the GM.

[SixtiesFan]

Marty Schottenheimer was canned after going 12-4, 9-7 and 14-2 in San Diego.

True, but that was somewhat different, in that he was fired for expressly ignoring direct orders from both the owner and the GM.

And like Chuck Knox, Marty Schottenheimer didn't reach the Super Bowl.

[7DnBrnc53]

Marty Schottenheimer was canned after going 12-4, 9-7 and 14-2 in San Diego.

True, but that was somewhat different, in that he was fired for expressly ignoring direct orders from both the owner and the GM.

And, I don't think that team got there in spite of Marty. Schottenheimer was a better coach than Fox. He could be too conservative at times, but he had some bad luck (Byner, McCree), and the drafting in KC in the first round wasn't great.

Fox is just incompetent. He doesn't prepare his teams well. And Del Rio is a terrible DC. Last year, I was watching the Patriot game with a friend, and his friend called up and left him a message saying "Well, it's the famous Del Rio zones" during the second half collapse.

[JohnH19]

Marty Schottenheimer was canned after going 12-4, 9-7 and 14-2 in San Diego.

True, but that was somewhat different, in that he was fired for expressly ignoring direct orders from both the owner and the GM.

What were the orders, Ralph? I know Marty and A.J. didn't get along but I never heard any specifics. Regardless, it was a ridiculous firing.

[rhickok1109]

Marty Schottenheimer was canned after going 12-4, 9-7 and 14-2 in San Diego.

True, but that was somewhat different, in that he was fired for expressly ignoring direct orders from both the owner and the GM.

What were the orders, Ralph? I know Marty and A.J. didn't get along but I never heard any specifics. Regardless, it was a ridiculous firing.

Schottenheimer wanted to hire his brother, Kurt, as DC. He was told by GM A.J. Smith that he wouldn't be allowed to and Spanos backed Smith up. Nevertheless, Schottenheimer sneaked his brother into San Diego for an interview. When Smith and Spanos found out, that was the last straw.

[Jeremy Crowhurst]

Denver is looking a lot like San Diego all over again. I agree Fox isn't anywhere close to Marty, but "incompetent" seems a little strong. Anyway, apparently Elway is seeking permission from the Ravens to interview Gary Kubiak. Fox to Kubiak looks a whole lot like Marty to Norv.

[BD Sullivan]

Schottenheimer wanted to hire his brother, Kurt, as DC. He was told by GM A.J. Smith that he wouldn't be allowed to and Spanos backed Smith up. Nevertheless, Schottenheimer sneaked his brother into San Diego for an interview. When Smith and Spanos found out, that was the last straw.

Ironically, Marty quit in Cleveland when Modell was forcing him to get rid of Kurt as Special Teams coach. Another irony about that situation was that at the time he quit, there were two other open jobs: Kansas City, which he obviously took, and ... San Diego.

[BD Sullivan]

Denver is looking a lot like San Diego all over again. I agree Fox isn't anywhere close to Marty, but "incompetent" seems a little strong. Anyway, apparently Elway is seeking permission from the Ravens to interview Gary Kubiak. Fox to Kubiak looks a whole lot like Marty to Norv.

I recall a thread (or maybe an article) that noted how teams that dump a playoff coach for whatever reason, tend to go downhill. We'll see if St. Johnny can work some magic in Denver, but right now, the only executive genius he's shown was getting Peyton Manning to sign a Broncos' contract.

[NWebster]

Denver is looking a lot like San Diego all over again. I agree Fox isn't anywhere close to Marty, but "incompetent" seems a little strong. Anyway, apparently Elway is seeking permission from the Ravens to interview Gary Kubiak. Fox to Kubiak looks a whole lot like Marty to Norv.

I recall a thread (or maybe an article) that noted how teams that dump a playoff coach for whatever reason, tend to go downhill. We'll see if St. Johnny can work some magic in Denver, but right now, the only executive genius he's shown was getting Peyton Manning to sign a Broncos' contract.

Isn't that just the math at work. A 12-4 team is far more likely to win fewer games the next season than more. Likewise losing teams, unless Bud Wilkinson is your coach. Chase Stuart did a cool piece on this a while ago which essentially looked at the correlation between wins in year T+1 vs in year T and it basically supported that which ever direction you are from .500 you're most likely to revert to the mean, there's a lot of randomness and much in this game we love.