Tag: Josh McDaniels (Page 6 of 11)

NFL Week 10 COY Power Rankings

Some coaches here have changed positions but mostly it’s the same group. Still, just like with the players, November and December tend to bring out the best and worst of coaches as well. Here is the updated Coach of the Year power rankings….

1. Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts—Everyone kept saying the Colts hadn’t played a quality opponent yet. Well, they beat the Patriots in a thriller last Sunday night, and Caldwell’s team mirrored his calm sideline demeanor in working their way back from 17 points down late in the game to stay undefeated.

2. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints—Each game is getting to be an adventure, and after almost blowing it against the lowly Rams, coach Payton’s stock has to have dropped just a tad. Still, his Saints are 9-0, and at the end of the day, all nine of those wins count.

3. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals—The Bengals are for real. And Marvin Lewis, the defensive minded coach who has never had a defense to speak of in Cincinnati, finally has one. Boy, does he have one. But more than that, his Cardiac Cats are playing so inspired that they are now 7-2, leading the tough AFC North, and they are a combined 4-0 against the Steelers and Ravens. Wow.

4. Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings—Not much changes for Childress after disposing of the Lions last Sunday. It’s just that what Lewis has done is a bit more impressive.

5. Josh McDaniels, Denver Broncos—He’s now lost three straight, but I guess if you look at this and think that McDaniels’ Broncos are 6-3 when everyone may have expected them to be 3-6 at this point, he deserves to stay here….for now.

Honorable mention: Mike Tomlin, Steelers; Ken Whisenhunt, Cardinals; Jack Del Rio, Jaguars

Broncos: Struggling team or overrated?

When a team loses to a good Ravens squad after starting the season 6-0, nobody questions it.

When that same team drops a home game on national television to the physical Steelers, again, nobody questions it.

But when that very same team can’t beat the hapless Redskins (whether it’s on the road or not), then it’s only fair that the “O” word starts to rear its ugly head.

I actually don’t think the Broncos are overrated – I think they’re just sputtering. Had Kyle Orton not suffered an ankle injury right before half, there’s a good chance he and Brandon Marshall (who had an excellent game while catching five passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns) would have continued to torch Washington’s secondary on their way to a victory. Instead, the highly incapable Chris Simms came in and was incredibly inaccurate while missing open receivers and lacking composure in the pocket.

Denver also had to travel cross-country, which is tough for any team, nevertheless one that played on Monday night. The Broncos were worn out from their loss to the Steelers and it showed today.

That said, I don’t want to completely make excuses for this Broncos team because they were playing the Redskins – a team that gave up weeks ago. Their defense gave up 27 points to a Sherman Lewis-led offense, which is ridiculous – I don’t care if they played on Friday night and had to travel Washington from China. They also allowed Hunter freaking Smith to throw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Mike freaking Sellers on a fake freaking field goal, which is ludicrous.

The bottom line is that Josh McDaniels and his coaching staff have their backs up against the wall and they need to figure out how to fight out of the situation. Teams have obviously figured out what the blueprint is to beat the Broncos and now it’s time for the rookie head coach to adjust. They’re still in a great position at 6-3, but the Chargers are breathing down their necks so a sense of urgency is a must.

NFL Week 9 COY Power Rankings

Not much has changed in the Coach of the Year power rankings, because most of the coaches here won last weekend. Josh McDaniels is the only one who did not, and he’s in danger of falling into honorable mention.

1. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints—Eight and Zero. 303 points for, 174 against. That’s an average score of 38-21. The 2007 Patriots’ had an average score of 37-17, and this team is reminding folks of that one.

2. Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts—Halfway through his rookie season as head coach, and Jim Caldwell hasn’t lost a game yet. Why isn’t anyone talking about this? Okay, so he inherited a pretty good team with an elite QB, but the Colts have had their share of injuries as well, and a coaching change.

3. Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings—We’re holding his place for the bye week, and he’s got the Lions this Sunday. Safe to say Mr. Childress’ seat here will stay warm.

4. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals—Two wins against the Ravens, and Marvin’s boys are a stunning 4-0 in divisional play, including two wins against the Ravens. This weekend’s rematch with the Steelers will tell us a lot, but win or lose that one, Marvin has earned a place here.

5. Josh McDaniels, Denver Broncos—Despite two straight losses to Baltimore and Pittsburgh, the Broncos are still 6-2 when many thought they’d be 2-6 at this point.

Honorable mention: Bill Belichick, Patriots; Wade Phillips, Cowboys; Mike Tomlin, Steelers; Ken Whisenhunt, Cardinals

NFL Week 8 COY Power Rankings

Leading the way here, are, not surprisingly, the two coaches who have unblemished records. But remember how the Giants started out 11-1 last year and then finished 12-5, including an early playoff exit? The Titans did something similar. So nothing is guaranteed, but these guys are sure off to good starts and deserve to top the list. The boy wonder in Denver, however, fell under scrutiny after losing to Baltimore, but if he bounces back against Pittsburgh, look out.

1. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints—The talk has begun on whether or not the Saints can run the table. Think about that for a minute. Did anyone see that coming at the start of the season?

2. Jim Caldwell, Indianapolis Colts—Everyone is saying to wait until the Colts play a real opponent, but still, you don’t get to 7-0 by being lucky. Still, should be interesting to see how that upcoming Sunday nighter against New England shakes out.

3. Brad Childress, Minnesota Vikings—Yeah, the Vikings are pretty good. And we’ll keep saying Childress looks like a genius for bringing back #4 until #4 proves us otherwise.

4. Josh McDaniels, Denver Broncos—Finally a blemish on the Broncos’ record in Baltimore, but it was lopsided enough to start wondering about just how talented this upstart team is.

5. Marvin Lewis, Cincinnati Bengals—A bye week keeps Marvin safe, but a rematch against Baltimore looms, and then a road game in Pittsburgh.

Honorable mention: Bill Belichick, Patriots; Gary Kubiak, Texans; Andy Reid, Eagles; Wade Phillips, Cowboys (well, he’s 5-2 and climbing back into contention!); Mike Tomlin, Steelers

Ravens’ defense answers the bell vs. Broncos

If the Ravens were going to knock off the undefeated Broncos on Sunday, they would need their defense would have to step up and play inspired.

Baltimore has struggled defensively the past couple weeks, but held Denver to only one score in a 30-7 rout in Week 8. The Raven defense harassed Broncos’ quarterback Kyle Orton for much of the contest and limited him to 23-of-37 passing for 152 yards and no touchdowns.

The Ravens’ secondary has struggled all season, but was great today. Part of their success came from Orton’s inability to stretch the field vertically, but credit Baltimore’s defensive backs for not allowing the big play. They also benefited from a relentless pass rush, which produced two sacks and five QB hits.

If the Ravens are going to make the playoffs this season, how they played Sunday is how they’ll have to play every week. They don’t have the defensive talent like they had in years past, so perfect execution is a must and that’s how they won today. Plus, while he didn’t set the stat sheet on fire, quarterback Joe Flacco was efficient and kept the chains moving all game.

As for the Broncos, this loss will serve Josh McDaniels’ squad well. Good teams learn more from losses than they do wins, so now we’ll see what McDaniels and his coaching staff is made of. The Broncos host the Steelers (who will be fresh coming off their bye) next week on Monday Night Football and if they can produce a win, it would go a long way in proving that McDaniels and his crew can make adjustments when their team needs them.

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