Broncos wide receiver Brandon Lloyd is a Josh McDaniels guy. In an interview with 104.3 The Fan in Denver, he said he loved “McDaniels to death” and that he’s a “hell of a coach.”
Lloyd was asked if he thinks McDaniels might still be around if he went to Tim Tebow at quarterback before he was fired.
“I think so because that was the pick that everybody was betting the house on and if that would have materialized early in a productive offensive manner where we could throw, we could run, he could throw, he could run, and then maybe if we didn’t win but we were close in games and hovering around .500 or something, I think he still woulda been here.”
Just a few weeks ago, Lloyd said he wanted Kyle Orton to remain at quarterback because Orton gave the team the best chance to win games. A couple of starts have warmed Lloyd up to the rookie, but it will take time before Tebow is a leader of men.
“It’s not Tebow’s place to say anything to the team because he’s still a rookie,” Lloyd said via SportsRadioInterviews.com. “He’s a rookie, we are the veterans on the team, and our veterans speak. Brian Dawkins speaks . . . What I find funny about the whole Tebow thing is how well his passion has translated to the fans. We feel it as the players, but at the same time, he’s just another player to us. He’s not how the public views him and not how you guys view him as being the instant leader. . . . There’s no animosity towards his popularity. “
Lloyd raises a good point about Tebow and McDaniels. For all of McDaniels’ issues, his era will be looked back on a lot more fondly if McDaniels’ most controversial draft pick turns into a franchise pillar.