Quote:
Originally Posted by CRedskinsRule
But of course Sir. and I was intrigued, so I started to go to the 1995 Broncos reference page (Shanahan's first year there) and ours. There are some similarities, both teams were 4-4 after 8 games. Elway was 35, McNabb 34. They had a ProBowl FS, we have -very likely- a probowl Safety in Landry. They had better offensive output certainly, but our defensive play has been better. A truth is that the 1995 Broncos went 8-8, but the 96-98 Broncos had no less than 12 games in any season.
Seriously you can express your opinion, that's what the board is all about, and I can express mine as well.
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CRedskins Rule:
Your comparisons are on target. Having said that, there are three big differences between the '95 Broncos and the '10 Redskins. Consider:
Difference #1: The Broncos had John Elway at QB; the Redskins have Donovan McNabb at QB. Let me be clear here; Donovan McNabb is a
VERY good QB; he is the best QB the Redskins have had since the Sonny/Billy days. Not a word of what I am about to say is meant to be a put-down for Donovan McNabb - - but he is not now, has never been and never will be close to John Elway as a QB. I see no way that this "difference" can be overcome.
Difference #2: The Broncos of 1995 had in place plenty of talent on their OL. It had not been fully developed/exploited but there was talent there; the coaches (Alex Gibbs for one) had raw material to work with. The offensive line for the Redskins in 2010 consists of a really promising rookie tackle (Trent Willliams) and a half-dozen other guys whose best attribute is that they could serve as piano movers in the off season. Even in the most soaring flights of fancy, it is difficult to give this OL a label as kind and gentle as "Marginally Competent". This difference can be overcome with a couple of solid drafts, some
SMART free agent signings - - not necessarily expensive free agent signings - - and really good coaching. Time will tell...
Difference #3: Also on the roster for the Broncos in 1995 was a rookie running back named Terrell Davis. And remember, he had a talented - - but not yet fully developed - - offensive line in front of him. In the years 1996 - 98, Davis was force to be reckoned with. Until he blew out a knee, he never had a season with less than a 4.5 yards per rush attempt. I know that Ryan Torrain is a good young back that Shanny "discovered" in his Denver days; I also think Torrain can be a solid RB in the NFL. But to compare him to Terrell Davis as a talent is a bit too much of a stretch for me - - unless all I had to go on was Larry Michael's descriptions and accounts of NFL games. To overcome this difference, will probably require the acquisition of a RB not currently on the roster. No, Clinton Portis in 2010 and going forward will not make up for this difference...