Would Bieniemy be better coach for Broncos?
One more year. If the Broncos can stay healthy, I expect them to make the playoffs in 2021. Otherwise, we need to fire Vic Fangio and hire Eric Bieniemy as coach.
— Dave, playoffs or bust
Kiz: Fans and media seem far more enthusiastic about Bieniemy, whose football roots in Colorado run deep, than the NFL teams that have interviewed him for a coaching gig. But might the Texans get serious about hiring Bieniemy as a way to make disgruntled quarterback Deshaun Watson more comfortable with the idea of staying in Houston instead of forcing a trade? Or could Bieniemy again be left without a spot when the 2021 coaching carousel grinds to a stop? If he’s passed over again, would that be a bigger indictment of the league’s commitment to diversity or resume flaws that make Bieniemy less than an ideal candidate?
Time to rebuild. I think new Broncos general manager George Paton needs to stockpile picks for two years. Let’s do a slow rebuild. No playoffs for Denver in ’21, because the AFC West is strong and the AFC North is stacked. The current roster window for Denver seems two years away, when you look at the youth of quarterback Drew Lock, linebacker Bradley Chubb and tight end Noah Fant.
— Adam, Chicago Kiz: I can respect the philosophy of draft and develop, which Paton embraces. Here’s what I doubt: Do the Broncos have truly elite players in Lock, Chubb and Fant? Yes, they were solid draft picks. But elite game-changers? Noway,nohow.
Stafford solution? If the Broncos are a sleeping giant, as Paton suggests, the playoffs should be expected next season. Get quarterback Matthew Stafford from Detroit and wake the giant out of its slumber.
— Aaron, Madden superstar
Kiz: While the staff here at Kickin’ It Headquarters would like to note Stafford has won exactly as many playoff games since 2016 as Paxton Lynch, we agree with you on one big point. Anybody who thinks Paton should take the upcoming season to sit back and patiently evaluate everything is full of hooey. Life’s too short. The NFL is a win-now league. Six-year plans are for general managers who get fired.
It’s time. The problem with the Broncos is that they’ve needed to rebuild for years and have refused to do so.
— Mark, Fort Collins
Kiz: Proud athletes never quit. But after the NFL forced Denver to play a game against New Orleans without a professional quarterback, any semblance of integrity in this strange season was destroyed by Commissioner Roger Goodell and the gang. That sad fact leads me to this point: While the comeback victory against the Chargers was a blast and the road victory at Carolina indicated Fangio never lost the locker room, had the Broncos dropped either one of those games, they would now own a top-four pick in the draft, which would’ve made taking a young QB as an upgrade to Lock a much more realistic possibility.
Blacked out. And today’s parting shot is from a basketball fan totally unconcerned about the Nuggets’ slow start to the new season.
I wouldn’t know. I have Comcast.