No more dogging McD.
“The Broncos were underdogs from the minute coach Josh McDaniels signed on. Everybody dogged him out for all the moves he made, and people didn’t trust him. Having an opinion is warranted, but some of those opinions were really foul. They disrespected Josh as a coach when they never had seen him coach. They disrespected this team, when they had never seen the team play. That’s where I had a problem. . . . Change is hard. But the thing is, in football or any other sport, there is always worry. Everybody passed harsh judgments at the beginning, and now they’re all eating crow. And I’m glad they’re eating crow.”
Rod Smith, Retired Broncos receiver
Kiz: It was good to hear you bend my ear again in the Broncos locker room, my man, because oh, how I miss the brutal honesty that No. 80 could bring to a football debate. But let’s review: At the time, a few of us actually did believe McDaniels knew what he was doing by trading Jay Cutler, drafting Knowshon Moreno in the first round and suspending Brandon Marshall, even though angry shouters of conventional wisdom dissed all those moves, and belittled any of us who supported anything Kid McD did.
MLB not a place for frugalistas.
“The Rockies are too fixated on developing young talent in the minors. If this team wants to be considered a serious contender, they need to spend some money. I’m not saying Yankees money, but Angels money. Colorado has a decent pitching staff; why not go after a bat or two? Maybe package a deal with Dexter Fowler and Brad Hawpe for a legitimate, big-league power bat? The time is now. Show fans you are serious about winning, Dick and Charlie Monfort. It’s time to dust off your checkbook.”
Jeff, Arvada
Kiz: Colorado general manager Dan O’Dowd richly deserves kudos for the patience to grow Troy Tulowitzki, Ubaldo Jimenez and Dexter Fowler down on the farm. But let’s face facts: For all the romantic dreams of the Rockies, Twins or A’s, frugal franchises rarely win it all. The final four teams in the 2009 playoffs have payrolls in excess of $100 million and all rank among the top 10 in spending. Think Colorado missed the right-handed bat of Matt Holliday against Philadelphia? If the Monfort brothers truly want to win a championship, they are going to have to dig deeper. A playoff- ready team should not shy away from trading prospects for proven talent. Way back in June, when Colorado’s record was a modest 37-34, I suggested Jim Tracy had a better club than the 2007 Rockies of Clint Hurdle, and I begged O’Dowd to explore a trade for pitcher Cliff Lee, making $5.75 million this year and due to be paid $8 million next year. Philadelphia eventually obtained Lee for prospects. So tell me: Put Lee and his 1.10 earned-run average in the National League division series on the Rockies instead of the Phillies, and which team do you guess would be alive in the postseason now?
Street takes blame for dead end.
“Rockies reliever Huston Street had a remarkable season, one he can be proud of. But, plain and simple, he folded in the postseason.”
Larry, Broomfield
Kiz: Want to hear a strange-but- true story? The day after his final ninth-inning collapse, Street got me on the phone to issue a complaint. Street felt I hadn’t made it clear enough in my column how much he had let down his teammates. The man wanted to stress and stress again how much responsibility he took for the team’s playoff failures. Amazing. Now there’s a dude with the right demeanor to be a closer.
Class act in Orton.
“Thank you for your kind words about Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton. I always felt sorry he, by no fault of his own, walked into this boiling mess. I was happy to see ‘The Pouter’ go. Orton will make a mistake or two, but he and our new, young coach have given us a breath of fresh air.”
Katherine, football-loving grandma
Kiz: What’s so cool is Orton never lashed out at Broncomaniacs who heckled him for not being Jay-C. Maybe strength of character really can be almost as important as strength of arm in a QB.
Orton’s new McD
And today’s parting shot suggests those ugly passes thrown by Kyle Orton might be a lucrative source of income, in the same way Brett Favre has exploited his cold feet with Sears ads.
“With all the radio talking heads (and their hair replacements) jumping on the Orton bandwagon, I expect his endorsements to start flooding in. They say Peyton Manning throws lasers and John Elway threw frozen ropes. McDonald’s should be contacting Orton soon to get him to endorse the Golden Arches.”
Tom, Arvada
Denver Post file photo
