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THIS is what I signed up for. Knowledgeable, clear-eyed deep dives with enough snarky metaphors to fill an entire SNL show.

Mike is always (well, usually) able to see the truth behind the NFL propaganda churned out by coaches, GM, owners and agents and I think he nailed this exactly right.

A team in front office disarray, a clueless GM with little real power, an egomaniacal, overpaid athlete accustomed to being good enough to be coddled and an egomaniacal, overpaid coach eager to piss all over his new territory.

My one takeaway is thank god I'm not a Broncos fan.

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Thanks!

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Mike, thank you for waking up my mind and combining Substack and my favorite football team.

I moved to Denver in 1967. I'm an Air Force Brat who grew up playing a catcher in baseball and a QB in football. I'm from the South. I returned from Germany the same year the Braves came to Atlanta, my parent's home. My favorite baseball team holds the record for winning their division 14 years in a row. They squeaked by the Indians to win one World Series in those 14 years. I was tailor-made to be a Broncos fan in 1968. They were below .500 for the 8 years prior. It took 5 more years to break .500. 5 more years to make the playoffs, losing to the powerful Cowboys 28-10 in the SB.

I moved back close to home in Charlotte, NC, in 1993. When it is cold enough, I wear a Terrell Davis jersey under Christian McCaffery's old Panther jersey to Panther the stadium each home game.

Sorry about the long history, but I lived through too many coincidences with your article. My two favorite NFL teams are 3-7 in the SB.

Russ was a team player when the Seahawks slaughtered my Broncos in SB 48, 48-3, but not so much his last 2 years in Seattle. I have always liked Russ as a man and still love his ability at QB. That hasn't changed, but the NFL has. The QB who wins big with his feet early in his career but doesn't fare so well later in his career. I watched it happen to Cam Newton. You explained the Broncos Hackett debacle with no Rodgers perfectly. This was the latest unsuccessful decision made by Bronco management. The Russell Wilson trade was the kill shot.

The new owners didn't make this trade, but they bought into Sean Payton, resurrecting Russ's career. Alas, the Broncos Management picked the coach over the quarterback again. Here is the rub. The NFL is heading straight for the failings of the NBA. Both are team sports. I like dictators as coaches more than the player coach, who does a good interview. Dictators made me play better, and we won more. I'm the same way as a fan. Sean Payton isn't Andy Reid, except as a play caller and his ability to change his scheme in the middle of a drive. When the Panthers played Payton's Saints, they were as tough as an NFL team gets. Sean likes offense and defensive lines who are big and aggressive. The chiefs are no different. Coaches are more important than ever in the NFL. The league has the least power to control coaches and owners than the league controls players. A true franchise QB comes out once a decade. That QB plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs beat two of the most physical teams in the last two SB's.,because the Chiefs are physical. To beat KC, Denver needs to have game changers on defense. Whoever we get at QB won't matter. He won't be as good as Mahomes. The ownership wants a tough football team. That was their choice. The Sean Payton, Russ Wilson dance was just that—a reporter's dream. I like a team that plays hard and smart. We will find out early next year if Russ can play hard and smart, consistently. That goes for the Sean Payton coached Broncos. It can be rough being a Braves and a Broncos fan. Cleveland fans will hate me.

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Payton dined out harder on that one championship than anyone this side of the 08 Celtics. For sure the most overrated head coach in the game.

That aside, I do think it's interesting Mike doesn't think Russ gets a starting chance right away. I feel like the veteran minimum price tag will entice someone (Pittsburgh?) to give him an easy path to at least a training camp competition he can win.

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Is it wrong that, as a Seahawk fan, I always have such a smile on my face reading these great bits of analysis? Lord knows the Hawks have made enough trades to make one shake one's head (Jamal Adams, anyone?) but I don't think I'll ever tire of reading about having them cash in the Russ card at exactly the right time. I loved the the notes about how the Hawks were able to keep the cone of silence over all of RW's peccadillos.

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your Rambo comparison conjured such awesome imagery. this is why I've tracked down everywhere you've written and subscribed almost immediately. I'm not a analytics fanatic so you're ability to write and toss in intersting stats all the whole poking at aaron rodgers (gb fan here loving in Wisconsin) is worth it!! love this article!

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Glad you are on board!

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The Broncos were much worse in 2023 than their 8-9 record. While their 5-game mid-season win streak did include victories over the Chiefs, Bills, Packers, and Browns, it also relied on an unsustainable +13 turnover margin. Their 2 late-season wins came against a Charger team that took early retirement after Justin Herbert went down. Even so, the year-on-year improvement of 3 wins has many fans in Bronco country believing yet again that only a talented QB stands between the team and yearly playoff appearances.

Unfortunately for them, Mike is right, as usual. The team's constant search for THE GREAT MAN has cost the Broncos dearly and the team now has but one blue-chip player under the age of 30 in CB Patrick Surtain. All of those picks and dollars thrown at Wilson and Payton surely could have been better used in trying to acquire more high-quality talent up and down the roster.

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You are right! I did not want to get into turnover ratios and such in the article. There was also a "RUSS IS PLAYING WELL, ACTUALLY" narrative circling at that point, because I guess he causes the opponent to cough up the ball.

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If I, in my athletic splendor, were a running back that just broke out for a 40-yard gain, only to catch Russ, out of the corner of my eye, performing high knees on the sideline... I'd probably cough up the ball.

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Does Payton reach for Bo Nix at #12 now because he sees a Drew Brees of the Rockies?

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Appreciate the article, Mike. I was a skeptic of the Sean Payton hire, was even saying that Payton's seat should be hot after that bad start, but then saw some positives (even if there was turnover luck) and reconsidered my position.

Now, though, the question is what Payton does moving forward. And currently he gets to hide behind George Paton, who is taking the brunt of the blame (though plenty of it should go his way), while not asking themselves (a) who really hired Payton (Mike Penner) and (b) who's really in charge of personnel now (hint: it's not George Paton any longer).

I'm trying to keep my cautious optimism, because there were a few positive developments beyond turnover luck. But there has to be more -- and as others have correctly pointed out, the Broncos are not just a few players away from the playoffs, contrary to what some fans and pundits are telling themselves.

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I have no idea what will happen next, but coaches who do not have to act with urgency usually do not.

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Left out the one huge thing that Payton pulled in New Orleans. Sean first created the Cap Hell the Saints are now neck deep in, knowing he'd soon be flying the coop so just 'Too Bad So Sad' for whomever had to clean up after him.

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In defense of Payton: a) Loomis was a happy co-conspirator; and b) Cap Hell started with "Pay Brees by any means necessary," which was fine when he was great and the team was winning 12 games.

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Well. a) "co-conspirator" does not capture the power imbalance. Payton was the Big Kahuna in New Orleans. However enthusiastic Loomis was about the plan, he was carrying out Payton's; b), going into Cap Hell while Brees was still there did make sense. Just think it merits pointing out Payton's timing in bailing out of there.

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Payton was indeed emperor, and he did leave because of the cap problems he helped create as much as Brees' retirement. But this is offseason 3 without him. The Saints' 2022 cap issues may have been on Payton but Loomis is the one still extending all the old guys!

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So I found this article through a hyperlink that just had the title of your blog. I was halfway through reading when I was like man this is awesome, who is this writer. Then I scrolled to the top and I was like OF COURSE it's Mike Tanier. So, obviously, instant subscribe. Love your work 👏🏼👏🏼

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If A-Rod and Russ played for like the Panthers or something, we would have known about their heinous weirdness in 2014.

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I wish Denver had just made the playoffs last year because the next couple of seasons look bleak.

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Holy Shitshow central! What a waste of years past, present and future! Yikes! 😳

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