Broncos coach Josh McDaniels could use a win. Or four. More than anything, some victories could douse the embers of “Spygate II” before McDaniels’ whole program in Denver goes up in flames.
Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post calls McDaniels the “most reviled man” in the city. McDaniels looks like a “beaten man.” McDaniels was asked if the events of the weekend hurt his credibility with his coaches and players.
“I have no idea,” McDaniels replied.
The Broncos have become something of a punchline, even in-house.
“Obviously, we didn’t see no tapes,” Champ Bailey told Dave Krieger. “If we did, it didn’t work.”
SI’s Peter King speaks to McDaniels and provides context for the situation in his MMQB column.
“McDaniels seems to know he’s got a traitor in his midst. Leaking what was said in a private meeting -- and leaking it with the possible intent of slanting it to make McDaniels looks bad -- is a sign that a coaching staff and organization could be fracturing from within,” King writes.
McDaniels said on Monday that he’s not going to spend time looking for the “rat” as Mike Singletary would say.
“I don’t know exactly what that was or who said it and I am not going to go chasing ghosts about what that is,” McDaniels said in comments distributed by the team. “I have a lot of faith and trust in our staff. I believe in them very much and I know they are going to work extremely hard here this week and the rest of the season as we go forward.”
The Broncos have more problems on the field than they do off it. They may own the worst defense in the league and the offensive line is inconsistent at best.
Unless McDaniels can find solutions that produce victories, any drama inside the organization almost seems secondary to the failures on Sunday.