Just fucking fire him already. 21 points off of punt/kickoff team fuckups? Exhibit A:
What’s surprising is that Mike Shanahan, tactician Shanahan, let Sauerbrun kick not once, but twice to Devin Hester. Both kicks straight up the middle resulted in Hester running them back for TDs. The blocked punt in the third quarter which also resulted in a Chicago TD was the icing on the shit cake.
I realize Sauerbrun caused Ellis Hobb’s fumble in the 2006 playoff victory against the Patriots, and Denver was in a big bidding war with the Patriots over him earlier this year, but his direct responsibility for 21 points to a chump team like the Bears is a fire-able offense. His punt average of 48.5 yards is really respectable and all, but he showed today that he’s not capable of strategic thinking. The Broncos should have dumped him after his problems with ephedra came to light earlier this year.
The Broncos defense shares some of the blame too, giving up 14 points in a little less than 5 minutes to a shitty Chicago offense is pretty weak, and the Ponies’ failure to capitalize on third-down conversions (I think they were 1-for-8 today) also hurt (and continues my extreme antipathy towards Jay Cutler), but really Sauerbrun and special teams should shoulder the blame for today’s loss. Of course, as shitty as the AFC West is, the Broncos can lose today and still make it to the playoffs.