FanHouse Marlon McCree

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

It's a brave new world in Denver, where the Broncos will take the field without Mike Shanahan on the sideline for the first time since 1995. Josh McDaniels, their new coach, was 19 back then, and has one of the shortest resumes of any head coach in NFL history. That could be a good thing or a bad thing, but it was clear that Shanahan's system was no longer bearing fruit and the team may benefit just from the change of voice on the sideline.

Two days ago, the Broncos were 4-2, featured one of the best all-around offenses in the NFL, and were primed to take a two-game lead over the Chargers in the AFC West. All they needed to do was beat a reeling Patriots outfit. Instead, Denver got their ass handed to them, and that's putting it politely.

Yesterday, cornerback Champ Bailey suggested the Broncos' defense lacked a "sense of urgency," which is ironic since he'll be out for the next four to six weeks with a torn groin muscle. That he'll return in a month and a half is the good news coming out of Denver.

Champ's brother, linebacker Boss Bailey, is done for the season -- he needs knee surgery -- as is backup quarterback Patrick Ramsey, who briefly filled in for Jay Cutler on Monday night. Turns out, he was in there long enough to reinjure his right throwing elbow, which had bothered him since the preseason.

So now, in addition to no experienced backup behind Cutler, the Broncos' already atrocious defense just got worse:

Remember Week 2 when Jay Cutler fumbled a ball against the Chargers, except the referee, Ed Hochuli, screwed the pooch and said it wasn't a fumble? And remember how that call allowed the Broncos to win a game they should have lost? Well, karma reared its head in Denver this afternoon and another botched call allowed the Jaguars to win a game they couldn't afford to lose.

Sorta. When the flag flew on Marlon McCree for interfering with Jags receiver Greg Estandia in the fourth quarter, it allowed Jacksonville to run out the clock and secure the victory. McCree never touched Estandia and Dre' Bly was also the victim of a questionable flag earlier in the contest but it doesn't change the fact that the Broncos did more than enough to lose the game all by themselves.

David Garrard, averaging just 175 yards a game through the air entering play on Sunday, threw for 276 yards and a touchdown. Maurice Jones-Drew, 35 yards per game, had 125 yards and broke a 46-yard touchdown run that illustrated the issues the Broncos still have stopping the run this season. The defense gave up two other first downs on that final drive to help kill the game so the bad call, while convenient, doesn't excuse a poor afternoon's work by the Bronco defenders.

If Chuck Bresnahan isn't out of a job after his defense gave up 42 points in a half, then I just don't know that the Cincinnati Bengals are all that interested in fielding an NFL caliber defense.

The hit on T.J. Houshmandzadeh in the fourth quarter isn't going to get enough attention because of the epic defensive collapse, but it was one of the dirtiest hits I've ever seen in my life. Marlon McCree deserves a fine and a suspension, but I'll be surprised if he even gets the former. I was seriously disgusted by McCree's incredibly ugly hit, and I'm not alone. This guy agrees with me.

It was great seeing Carson Palmer in 2005 form. I'd forgotten how good the Cincinnati Bengals offense is capable of being. This is a hell of a fun team on one side of the ball.

Anyone who slams Chad Johnson for being a distraction or a detriment to the team is an idiot. Dan Marino did it on HBO's NFL show this past week, and I'm just tired of it. The guy plays his heart out, and he should be recognized for that.

If you needed any more reminder of how much injuries have hurt this team, just look at the fact that Carson Palmer was throwing to Glenn Holt on fourth down with the game on the line in the fourth quarter. This season's gotten surreal.

Seriously, Chuck Bresnahan needs to go. Marvin Lewis came to Cincinnati as a defensive guru, there's no reason why he can't fire Bresnahan and call the defense for the rest of the season. It's looking like the season is toast right now, and I think even the slimmest hope of turning things around has to rest on some drastic action being taken. Let's hope Marvin does the right thing here.