Andrew Mason gets sacked (the British way.)

In another brilliant personnel move that could save owner Pat Bowlen (pictured above) thousands, maybe even tens of thousands of dollars, Andrew Mason--the webmaster and essentially head online cheerleader of the popular blog pages at the Denver Broncos official website--was let go along with several members of the Broncos public relations staff (the most notable name being Paul Kirk, longtime director of media relations.)

Thank goodness we have such brilliant minds calling the shots in Englewood. The money saved could be used to buy at least six or seven ball-warmers, or maybe sign a few tackling dummies (stick them on the roster...the way both lines played this year, we might improve.) We would also suggest investing in a team hairstylist, mainly for Pumpkin Pie...but we're veering off topic here.

Maybe Andrew Mason never contributed to a victory on the field. Maybe he never made a difference in the final score. Maybe there's not a single Broncos player, coach, or employee who will miss him (and we doubt that's the case.) But Mase was a direct link between the fans and the team in a way that felt--to the thousands of NFL fans who frequented his blog on a daily basis, whether for news, rare insight on team operations, or simply because they enjoyed his easygoing, friendly take on what he saw happening with his favorite team--like they had a friend in the front office. Mason's readers ranged from rabid Broncos fanatics who accepted no criticism of their beloved team to people like, well, the two out of three of us here at LPP who liked to go in and serve up our gripes (LetPlummerPlay and WhiteHoss, pleased to meet you.)

The first excuse given for letting Mase and the PR staff go will be a quick and snappy retort about how bad the economy is doing, and how the Broncos are tightening their belts for tough times.

BULLSHIT.

According to Forbes, the Broncos are the sixth-most valuable and profitable team in the money-monster that is the NFL. Team merchandise rules the American Southwest since the only real competition for fans between Dallas and San Diego is in Arizona, and even people in Arizona only care about the Cardinals because of that shiny new stadium. The NFL is actually one of the few American business that isn't going to get its ass kicked until the economy gets back into shape. If anything, sports provides a welcome distraction to a nation's political and economical woes (don't believe us? Joe Louis practically became a God during the Great Depression, and no one can deny how rabid even--or especially--the most destitute countries go absolutely insane over soccer games.) The Broncos will turn a fat profit this year, just like they have for two decades.

Instead of wiping about two games worth of Cecil Sapp's bonus off the books, how about making some better TEAM decisions instead of trimming the fat in the public relations department? It would seem to me, that now, more than ever, the Broncos are a team in need of some good publicity. They've missed the playoffs two years in a row, their head coach has declined into Saints-era Mike Ditka, and they've wasted millions and millions of dollars over the past five years on BAD TEAM DECISIONS like signing Simeon Rice, or throwing a ton of money at Travis Henry despite obvious character issues, or hiring Jim Bates, or giving Todd Sauerbrun ten cents more than the league minimum, or overpaying Daniel Graham, or giving Ted Sundquist GM pay when the head coach was making all the decisions...and that's just the past two years. Hell, I'll even throw in Jake Plummer as a bad decision, because if you were going to pay him all that money to get the team wins (which he did for the most part) then let the guy play out his contract for what you hired him to do instead of throwing the rookie in just to see what happens (but this isn't about Jake.)

"Andrew Mason did nothing important for the Broncos," was probably the thinking at Broncos HQ. Sure. All he did was connect with the most important part of the team's future--the fans who buy the tickets, pay for Sunday Ticket, and buy the ridiculous amounts of merchandise even if they didn't need it. Who needs Broncos pencil sets and fanny packs? No one--but fans buy it because they WANT it, and anyone who can help instill that sort of loyalty is important to a team. Mase kept his readers focused and positive during even the worst embarrassments. He stayed positive and was always a fan first, offering only the lightest criticism and always encouraging the readers who may have been wavering in their loyalties a bit that sunnier days could be around the corner for the patient fan.

Hell, we'll just come out and say it...Andrew Mason has had more faith in this team over the past two years than the team's f***ing head coach! The "Ultimate Leader" had nothing on Mase's commitment to giving the fans the best football experience possible. And now, he's forwarding resumes in the hopes that some future employer out there recognizes hard work, intelligence, and loyalty as true assets rather than just some number on a budget sheet.

We salute Andrew Mason, Paul Kirk, and all the former employees of the Denver Broncos for their tireless and apparently thankless efforts to keep fans interested in an NFL franchise that had only made the job harder by becoming less and less relevant as the 21st century unfolded. Thanks for the efforts, everyone. We'd love to hire you all here at LetPlummerPlay.com, but our budget's a bit tight this year...and every year. Maybe if you used those first unemployment checks on a T-shirt...

We're sure you'll catch on somewhere, Mase, so good luck in the future from...

LET PLUMMER PLAY!!!