a day to celebrate?

denver fired head coach mike shanahan today.

shanahan, affectionately known as "shanarat" in my circle, for both his obvious rat-like appearance (the overbite, dear Jesus, how annoying can you get. Plus he always looked like he had a tail tucked between his legs) and for his amazing rat-like ability to escape from any situation (like a rat on a sinking ship).

I always envisioned the day that man met his demise in denver, I'd be doing backflips down the hallway. (To be fair, that's not possible right now; my old mattress is sitting there waiting for big item pickup on Friday). I thought I'd be so ecstatic that I'd immediately drive to that little piece of heaven on the gravel road of 15th Street in unincorporated Douglas County and promptly drop $100 on some quality adult entertainment performed by someone not named "Breezy".

Sadly, I don't feel that way.

I feel ... fear.

Look it, I am thrilled that shanarat is gone from denver. The man is a tremendous head coach. He's unquestionably one of the top 5 offensive minds in the game. He is always locked into the immediacy of the situation. Unlike our current head coach, he never wastes challenges, calls two timeouts on the same play, or lacks a basic understanding of clock management 101, game management 101, or talent development 101. I think it speaks volumes that denver has spent the last 3 years "rebuilding" from the 2005 AFC Title Game appearance ... and in 2 of those 3 years, simply needed a week 17 win to reach the playoffs.

mike shanahan is a brilliant head coach, and the Chiefs are unquestionably better off now that he's out of denver.

At least until we see who his replacement is.

To me, the obvious hire for denver at this point is Bill Cowher. I will probably puke in whatever I'm drinking if and when it happens ... but how can it not? Cowher wants final say, and the ability to hire his front office. Well, denver needs both a coach and a GM now that shanarat is gone. Cowher (I would think) wants to take over a team that's at least talented. denver is definitely that -- 24-24 the last three years, only four years removed from hosting the AFC Title Game. And Cowher has to want an established proven QB in place, I would think. jay cutler may still have a ways to go ... but he's far better than anything we've got. Or that oakland has. And I don't think he's any better or worse than Phil Rivers.

And what of shanarat? PFT posted my nightmare scenario tonight. Let's say "Stanley Roper" pulls a, uuh, Stanley Roper, and the Chargers get rolled Saturday night by the Colts. (Note: I do not think this will happen. I actually believe the Chargers will not only win Saturday night ... they will reach Super Bowl XLIII. I LOVE their draw, and they're peaking at just the right time. Just like the Giants, the Steelers, the Bucs, the Ravens from earlier this decade).

But let's say Indy wins something like 30-10. There's no way San Diego can bring Stanley Roper (aka Norv Turner) back. No way. 8-8 is bad enough, and a firable offense given the talent there ... but they still got in. Its not how you get in, its how you finish. A solid ass kicking at Qualcomm, and AJ Smith has to pull the plug on Mr. Roper.

And why wouldn't he consider shanarat as the replacement?

Cowher in denver. shanarat in San Diego.

Both could happen before we even know who the hell Clark Hunt has in mind for a GM candidate. Let alone before we learn the fate of our coaching staff.

Yeah, its nice to see we pushed Carl out the door two weeks early for this ...