Latest image for the Broncos’ collection of snapshots: Mike Shanahan waving a white flag. And at home, no less.
What else are we supposed to call it but unconditional surrender? When you’re down 31 early in the fourth quarter, you probably want to put the ball in the air instead of running a quarterback draw in the red zone.
But quarterback draw was the call Sunday, whereupon Jay Cutler tucked away the ball and went … nowhere. Unless you consider two yards short of a first down getting it done.
This isn’t about Shanahan’s play calling anymore. You can debate that all day long. No, the real issue has less to do with X’s and O’s and more to do with Shanahan’s grip on his players.
Yes, he has made some draft-day mistakes that have caused holes on the roster. Yes, there have been some play calls he’d like to have back. But this is the NFL we’re talking about. Parity football. You know, any team can beat any other team on any given Sunday? Yeah, that NFL.
In theory, if the players are motivated, the games are supposed to be close. So much so that the league office loves to trot out stats about all the games decided by less than a touchdown or field goal.
The Broncos haven’t played one of those games in three weeks. They’ve been annihilated by the Jaguars, Colts and Chargers. And frankly, they were lucky to sneak past the Bills and Raiders.
There are two questions to be answered in the aftermath of the Chargers debacle. The second is whether the Broncos can win. The first is this: Can Shanahan get them to play hard?
Follow Jim Armstrong’s Broncos commentaries every weekday on The Jimmy Page at 7 a.m. and noon. And read his Third & Short column on Sundays and the day after Broncos games.
Jim Armstrong: 303-954-1269 or jmarmstrong@denverpost.com.
