Image by Getty Images via @daylife Yesterday on my way to work I was listening to 104.3 The Fan here in the Denver metro area. The show was talking about how Mike Shanahan handled Jake Plummer after the disastrous AFC Championship. The question was raised due to Peter Forsberg’s having to retire due to a chronic foot ailment. The show was discussing the difference between leaving a sport on your own terms and leaving due to injury. I don’t know if Plummer was supposed to be the example of leaving on his own terms, but it sounded that way from what I heard. That’s funny because Plummer was run out of the league by his coach, Mike Shanahan.Plummer went 13-3 in 2005 and took the Broncos to the AFC Championship game. The second quarter of the championship game didn’t go as planned and the Broncos went into halftime down 21-3 to the eventual Super Bowl Champions Steelers. Mid way through the second quarter, the Broncos threw out their game plan because they fell behind and panicked. Instead of running the ball and using the play action passing game the Broncos dropped back and passed more than they ran. After the loss, Shanahan never stood up for his QB or took any responsibility for the loss. Instead he drafted Jay Cutler in the first round and never committed to Plummer for the 2006 season. This action finished Plummer’s career.
In 2005 Plummer was affectionately known as “No Mistake Jake.” The Broncos ran 54% of the time during the 2005 season and allowed Plummer to use the play action passing game. He had one of his best seasons and was repaid, by his coach, with taking all the blame for losing a game in which the Bronco’s threw 59% of the time. He was blamed for losing a game in which the Broncos ran the ball for an average of 4.9 yards a carry, but didn’t run the ball after mid way through the second quarter. He is blamed for performing how he has always performed when asked to throw that much. Shanahan made the call to stop running the ball, he panicked; he failed by asking his QB to do something that he had proven he couldn’t do very well. That all falls on the coach, not the player.
In 2006 Plummer led the Broncos to 7-4 with a good chance at making the postseason again and was repaid for this by being benched. Jay Cutler finished the season, the Broncos didn’t make the playoffs, and Plummer never took another snap in the NFL. If Shanahan would have stood by his game plan in the AFC Championship they could have won a Super Bowl that year. If he had stood by his QB after that game and during the 2006 season the Broncos could have won the Super Bowl that year as well. Chicago went to the Super Bowl that year with Rex Grossman. At one point during the season Rex had a QB rating of 0, 0! Do you know what his head coach said after that game? “Rex is our quarterback.” Plummer never had a QB rating of 0 and he never received that kind of loyalty or support from his coach.
If you still don’t believe me about Shanahan being a QB killer then look at what he did with Donavan McNabb. McNabb had been with the Eagles for 10 years, made the playoffs most years, 4 NFC Championship games (1 title), 1 Super Bowl appearance, and thought by many to be future Hall of Famer. One year in with Shanahan and his judgment, work ethic, and stamina were all brought into question. He was replaced by Rex Grossman with several games left in the season and told that he may not be back next season. Oh yeah, this was all done in public. Does anyone know how hard it is to go from an offense that you have run your entire career to a new coach, scheme, and terminology? Ask Brett Farve when he went to the Jets. It takes time to learn it all and be comfortable enough to be proficient. Instead of giving McNabb, possible Hall of Famer, the time needed to adjust and thrive he was shown the door and thrown under a bus.
I haven’t respected Shanahan since the Plummer incident and so far in Washington he looks like the same back stabbing guy. I don’t know how anyone can trust him enough to play for him. I hope Rex finds another job because if his career isn’t over yet then it will be after another bad year for Shanahan. You know he won’t take the blame.
No comments:
Post a Comment