Denver Broncos blog, news and rumors


FB

[hype it up!]
[Share with Yardbarker]

Published on 01/19/2011 at Wed Jan 19 08:38.
Tagged: ,,,,,,,.



Might the Broncos Retain Martindale?

Posted Wed Jan 19th by

62180737

Martindale has asked for one more shot. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

On Sunday, it was reported that former Eagles defensive coordinator Sean McDermott was in contract talks with the Denver Broncos.  He then signed with the Carolina Panthers.

Then on Monday, Green Bay’s Mike Trgovac and former NFL Head Coach Jim Mora were thrust into the conversation.  The Packers Defensive line coach, Trgovac, will not be available for an interview until next week at the earliest, as his team is preparing for the NFC Championship game.

Mora was available though, and interviewed with the Broncos Tuesday night.  He left Dove Valley without an offer from the Broncos.

Tuesday night Vice President of Football Operations John Elway tweeted this:

(Via @JohnElway on twitter)

The entire staff would include an defensive coordinator, so is Elway saying that the team will have signed a new one by then, or is the team perhaps considering keep current DC Don Martindale?

If the team was serious about signing Mora, Trgovac or someone else, wouldn’t they have already fired Martindale?  He is still under contract and it has only been speculated that he’ll be fired; the Broncos have said nothing of it.

Although the Broncos defense had one of its worst seasons ever, many players have stuck up for Martindale, including cornerback Champ Bailey, “Wink has been great to me.  If I do stay here, I wish Wink could, too.”

There were many factors that contributed to the Broncos defensive collapse this season, having a fifth DC in a five year span was probably one of them. “I want stability.  I want a consistent guy on top,” said Bailey.  “I wish we’d stay consistent with what we have, but that’s just the way this game is.”

A plague of injuries was also a factor, Martindale was forced to start 20 players and use 14 different starting lineups.  Though he hopes to get another shot, ‘Wink’ knows he has no power over the situation.  “Hopefully I’m here next season, and we get another shot at this, like I’ve said before, but really, it’s out of my control.”

Martindale: Broncos Future ‘Out of My Control’ [MaxDenver]

  • 42n8

    I like Wink & would love the Broncos to give him a chance to play with a healthy defense that has had some draft-day studs put in there. For some-
    body like Champ to endorse Martindale, especially since he has nothing to gain or lose from his comments, to me is huge. I hope he stays.

  • http://Facebook.com/BroncosZone Jon

    I agree, let him go through a draft with Fox focusing on defense and give him a season under Fox as DC, I'm pretty sure the results would be sastisfactory

  • jdkchem

    In the past six years other than Bob Slowak I don't think the DC's have been particularly bad.

    It is also possible that having spent more time with Wink, Fox likes what he has. There is also some continuity as well.

  • Scottey

    This wouldn't hurt my feelings at all. I like the idea of keeping him on as the DC with Fox leading him. I see it as McCoy for the O, it keeps the same voice in there, with a new direction. Keep Wink, I hope he can be great here.

  • td30ismvp

    A strong Offensive Coordinator is more important to have with Fox, Wink would do just fine staying on here. Mora would be gone after his first good season as DC to a HC job.

  • MrEast

    Why should Wink have draft-day decisions? The GM, Coach, and VP trio should value his input, but that's about it.

  • MrEast

    It doesn't really matter if Mora gets hired as a HC somewhere after a good season. Denver needs a good season and has no more room for error.

  • http://Facebook.com/BroncosZone Jon

    Not saying let him have draft day decisions, just let him give some input to the Head Coach instead of taking the highest character offensive players ……

  • Steven Bailey

    Wink should stay i agree. Fox also has some defensive background and i believe them working together will turn the defense around.

  • Stav

    that's guaranteed based on if he's still there or not. you don't go looking to draft defense without hearing your DC's take on the player. That doesn't mean he has final say, but on draft day he's going to have some serious input on a potential defensive pick.

  • Stav

    You'd like to see a guy have a shot at doing his job with all his starters healthy and ready to go, as well as knowing he'll have atleast two-three more potential starters from the draft to work with.

  • TheTroglodyte

    Yeah it does. 5 DC's in 5 years is already embarrassing and detrimental to success, I don't want to make it 7 for 7

  • MrEast

    Odds are Mora wouldn't get another chance after one season. Even if he did the point is that the defense would have to be really amazing and that right there would be the problem solved. Denver is starting from scratch, they shouldn't keep the guy because he knows the old system and the soon to be old players.

  • Stapleton29

    Their are some high character guys out there, that come to work everyday, lunch pail in hand, Martindale is one of them. Let him work with a full compliment of defensive players and coaches.

  • Vince_marine

    Here's the problem with Wink…He is a 3-4 DC, and Fox is a 4-3 guy. So if Wink is retained which defense do we run? I think they are trying to keep him on the staff, just not as the DC. Whatever happens I wish him the best!

  • TheTroglodyte

    I agree with you we shouldn't keep Wink solely for continuity. Mora can't be trusted to be around after 1 year whether he has a HC offer or not. The guy seems to run his life with one foot out the door at all times.

    Than again, I'm not a fan of Mora or his abilities as a D-Coord so I am biased.

  • dogheadbrew

    From what I heard (and am a big proponent of), Coach Fox is looking to acquire talent on the Def side, then decide on a scheme. I know that we have pretty different line men especially for the two schemes, but I would say talent trumps position/scheme nearly every time. Mr. Albert “I'm more important that anyone else ever born” Haynsworth could be the best lineman in the NFL at any position if he wanted to.

  • areferee

    Shefty tweets:

    49ers announced they have named Ed Donatell secondary coach, Geep Chryst quarterbacks coach and Jim Leavitt linebackers coach.

  • Stav

    Here's a scheme/draft question: Not that I'm concerned, but based on the scheme we go next year, if Fairley goes #1 over Bowers, which I think will happen, and we go 4-3, do we pick Bowers and move Ayers back to DE? Bowers is a DE, so what happens to Elvis? Also, Bowers did nothing his first two years at college, 1 sack, 3 sacks, and then bam, 16 sacks. Kind of scared of that sudden jump. I dunno, do we just grab Peterson although we have no ability to get to the QB outside of Elvis? Elvis flourished as a 3-4 OLB, so what happens if we go back to what Fox knows best, 4-3?

  • http://Facebook.com/BroncosZone Jon

    Both Ayers and Dumervil could play defensive end (IMO), don't forget in 2007, Dumervil recorded 12.5 sacks as a DE and the year before (his rookie season) he recorded 8. In 2008 he had a broken hand but still got to QB's 5 times … it was just a matter of time before he had a break out season, as a pass rushing OLB or 4-3 DE. I trust Ayers case is similar.

  • NMBronc

    Thank god you posted that. I was on the edge of my seat to see who the bloody 49ers picked for coaches.

    I can go to bed now.

  • areferee

    The point of the post is Ed Donatell, who obviously is no longer a Bronco.

  • NMBronc

    I know. My apologies, but I see 49ers and think 55-10 and go red. Mea culpa.

  • Hansen

    Everyone keeps getting distracted by shiny things. Instead of debating about Fairley/Bowers at #2, we all need to understand that we (read: Broncos) need bodies. After listening to Stink and Alfred and their initial assessment I'm not sold on them either. We need to trade back, even to 4 or 5, pick up an additional pick, and perhaps have access to Marcel Dareus. Cecil Lamey talked up the guy from N. Carolina, Marvin Austin. What about Clairborne. Remember, Fairley wasn't blocked by Oregon and their gimmick offense. This defense needs bodies, and not pining our hopes on one guy at #2.

    Now stream of consciousness here. Assuming Lendale White will be 100% healthy and he doesnt weigh 280 lbs., perhaps the Broncs pursue DeAngelo Williams and maybe get a pick out of Moreno. Hmmmmm.

  • CJ

    Its extremely rare to be able to trade down from the second pick… even if you wanted to.

    If we keep Martindale then im assuming we go 3-4 —- Coach Fox already said there the same thing…

    If we go 3-4 we gotta get a dominant DT
    Ayers has already shown he cant play olb in that system sooo…. idk???

    As for Moreno i dont think anyone with a brain would wanna trade for him.. Maybe a 6th rounder hahahahahha

  • 5280

    CJ i agree with you on the 3-4. Fox has stated that he can run both, it doesn't matter. i think we should stay at 3-4 so we can get the maximum production possible with dumer. ayers needs to show something this season or i say trade his ass for a pick in next years draft. to me the kid just isnt instintive enough. hansen i like your take on the draft except i wouldn't trade up. the 2nd pick is a valuable pick and we can still gather draft picks by trading one of our 2nd rounders down for a 1st rounder and picking up more 1st round talent, however i do think we need to pick up marcel dareus. morenos not going anywhere cuz that would be insane. he can be a GREAT 3rd down back out of the backfield and i do think we should make a move for DeAngelo Williams even though we have lendale white. whites never healthy and we could use the extra muscle in the running game between the tackles. my concern on offence is the front line. it has been speculated that the might go back to the zone blocking scheme and if so how does walton and beadles fit in to that? they're big and sterdy and best suited for a power blocking scheme. so if they go zone, are they just gonna throw out 2 quality lineman just to go zone? or are they gonna try to convert them and make them drop weight and become more nimble on their feet? or could they trade them and get quality picks for them? I think it would be a mistake to get rid of these 2 rookies because they were about to come into their own and become quality lineman.

    In my oninion wink needs to go, but how do the broncos fill that void when DC's are scarce at this time and we need to get someone fast so we can get to the work that needs to be done.I hust don't think wink is agressive enough with his play calling. going 5 for 5 with DC's won't help us either. the only option is to keep wink for awhile and in a couple of years see what kind of DC's are available unless wink has an absolute breakout season and the defence shoots to the top 5 in the next 2 or 3 years but do any of you really see that happening with an inexperinced guy like wink? to go from 32nd to the top 5 or ten on a short year or 2? in all reallity probably not, but it has happened before on fox's watch so we shall see.

  • areferee

    No prob. It didn't help that SF jumped all over Harbaugh either.

    Is the NM for New Mexico? Northern Michigan? Not Mine? No Mas? Numbnut McDaniels? :-)

  • LevonZevon

    If Fox says we are going 4-3, then we will be viewed as wanting certain players in the draft. So he stays ambiguous. But no top-notch 3-4 defensive-coordinator will want to work for him (like Rob Ryan).

    That's because they won't have the freedom to innovate or the scheme they are used to (and we don't have the double-team absorbers, like Clay Matthews Jr, to make that work). So add personnel issues as the third issue scaring away top D.C.'s.

    Having a Revis-Island-type CB could help too (but who knows if Peterson or Prince could be that). But Denver rarely tried that even with Bailey in his prime, since Shanny hated blitzing and wanted to call games like a scaredy-cat (as did McD).

    I just don't know why Elway couldn't have waited two days and offered Mularkey the job. Maybe he wasn't interested even after the season (in which case, my second-thoughts are irrelevant).

    But Mularkey as head-coach and Rob Ryan as Defensive-coordinator would have been ideal.

    Future net-historians take note: my first-ever second-guessing of Elway.

  • LevonZevon

    Moreno, Ayers, Kuper and Orton. Lets trade 'em all and start rebuilding (while some GM's still have enough cause to think they will flourish in a winning environment).

    We are faaaaaaaar away from being competitive. Maybe even in 2012-13. Lets just start rebuilding and hire some competent front-office scouts (even expensive ones)

    Otherwise, how will we know which of the North Carolina five are the real pros and which were beneficiaries? Its another tough draft for Denver.

  • CJ

    Why would we hire another offensive minded coach!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Stapleton29

    Lets stay away from the Iowa guy Clairborn, poor conditioing and attitude problem. We need guys with a motor, that runs high rpm all the time. Don't forget character counts.

  • Stapleton29

    Lets stay away from the Iowa guy Clairborn, poor conditioing and attitude problem. We need guys with a motor, that runs high rpm all the time. Don't forget character counts.