faba Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Shanahan's his man as Bowlen discusses reasons for GM's firing ESPN.com news services Updated: March 18, 2008, 11:42 AM ET Comment Email Print DENVER -- In the week since firing longtime general manager Ted Sundquist, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan has been criticized as not holding himself accountable enough for Denver's 7-9 season. He's here and he's going to stay here. -- Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, on coach Mike Shanahan When Sundquist's dismissal was announced last Wednesday, Shanahan offered nothing more than a brief statement reflecting on the GM's contributions to the franchise. "I am grateful to Ted for all his hard work and efforts on behalf of the Broncos for the past 16 years," the statement read. But in an interview with The Denver Post, team owner Pat Bowlen cited a poor relationship between GM and coach that led to Sundquist's ouster. "There was in my mind a dysfunctional relationship between the head coach and the general manager," Bowlen told the newspaper for Tuesday's editions. "Not that they didn't like each other. It just didn't seem the proper chemistry was there. I'm not blaming either party. "Ted was an important part of the equation, but there had to be a good communication there or else it wasn't going to be satisfactory to me." Bowlen also said that while Shanahan is expected to make such personnel decisions in his dual role as executive vice president of football operations, the call wasn't the coach's alone. "The changes you see are changes that I told Mike he's got to make," Bowlen told The Post. "I wasn't specific with him. I didn't say, 'Mike, you've got to fire your defensive coordinator.' I'm not going to start making those kinds of calls. "But we both agreed we needed to make significant changes across the board, including in the locker room. So we've been going through that process and I'm comfortable with where we're at." The Broncos missed the playoffs for a second straight year, released receiver Javon Walker and linebacker Ian Gold in the offseason, and experienced turnover at both coordinator positions for the third year in a row. " ... We had a bad season, a 7-9 season in a relatively dysfunctional locker room and a coaching staff that I think everybody would agree was not in sync," Bowlen said, according to The Post. "When the season was over, Mike and I had a number of discussions of how we were going to right the ship. It went from players to coaches to football personnel. That's just part of what you do, because I'm not in this business to have seasons like we did last season." Sundquist, 45, became general manager in 2002 after 10 years in a player personnel role for the team. As GM, he supervised pro and college scouting and was responsible for salary cap and contract analysis. Denver reached the playoffs three times under Sundquist's watch, including an appearance in the AFC Championship Game against Pittsburgh following the 2005 season, when the Broncos won 13 games. Bowlen reiterated his belief that Shanahan, who's coached the Broncos since 1995, can be effective both on the field and in the front office. "He's here and he's going to stay here," Bowlen told The Post. "Nobody, I can tell you nobody in this building, myself included, is more concerned and more attentive to what the heck's happened here and how we get back on top than Mike Shanahan." Information from The Associated Press was used in this report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green DNA Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 With any luck it was Sundquist that was holding up the D-Rob deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterNorth09 Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Shanny's one of the best coaches in the league so no surprise here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flgreen Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 With any luck it was Sundquist that was holding up the D-Rob deal. The fact that they are still talking to D-Rob indicates that is true Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Jet Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Shannahan is one of my favourite HC's in the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetpower10 Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Shannahan is one of my favourite HC's in the league. you hate belicheck cause he cheated for his sb wins, so how do you like shanarat? he cheated for his sb wins aswell. belicheck is the 21st century shanahan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Jet Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 you hate belicheck cause he cheated for his sb wins, so how do you like shanarat? he cheated for his sb wins aswell. belicheck is the 21st century shanahan Do yourself a favour and stop posting here. You make yourself look like a bigger idiot with each post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetpower10 Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Do yourself a favour and stop posting here. You make yourself look like a bigger idiot with each post. exactly you didnt know about shanahan cheating. john elway was being payed under the table for his services. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Jet Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 exactly you didnt know about shanahan cheating. john elway was being payed under the table for his services. Yeah, even if that's true it's hardly the same as videotaping and stealing signals from another team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetpower10 Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Yeah, even if that's true it's hardly the same as videotaping and stealing signals from another team. no, but it is still cheating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Jet Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 no, but it is still cheating. Not even nearly to the same extent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSJets Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 no, but it is still cheating. And Herm is cheating the fans in KC into thinking he actually knows wtf he's doing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alk Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 Shanny's one of the best coaches in the league so no surprise here. What has Shanny The Tranny done since Elway retired? Besides beating the Patriots nearly every time they have played. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSJets Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 What has Shanny The Tranny done since Elway retired? Besides beating the Patriots nearly every time they have played. That's good enough for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterNorth09 Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 What has Shanny The Tranny done since Elway retired? Besides beating the Patriots nearly every time they have played. Since Elway retired Shanahan hasn't had a real quarterback until Cutler came along. It's amazing he was even able to make the playoffs with Brian Griese, Jake Plummer and Danny Kanell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irish Jet Posted March 18, 2008 Share Posted March 18, 2008 What has Shanny The Tranny done since Elway retired? Besides beating the Patriots nearly every time they have played. You said it yourself dumbass. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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