Much to my sadness, Ed McCaffery will probably retire after this season. He is dropping more balls than is typical of him – telling me his confidence has taken a major hit. At the same time, he can’t stay healthy for more than a few weeks.

Even before the preseason games began sports writers were proclaiming that Ed would lose his job to Lelie, because Lelie’s skills were just too incredible to keep him on the bench. While Ed did lose his job to Lelie, that wasn’t the cause.

Ed lost he starting job when he short-armed a pass in a preseason game. During the same game Lelie was laying it out, playing as if the team had reached the Super Bowl and their entire season now rested within his hands.

Unfortunately, once Lelie had the starting job his performance on game day dropped dramatically. He was still a stud during practice, but come game time he became a scrub. Whether for lack of effort or lack of confidence, he’d drop easy catches. Lots of easy catches. He dropped at least 8 balls just in the Kanell games. Yeah, fine, since then he’s had two great games, saving the game vs the Browns and setting the tone for the game vs the Colts. Personally, I need more to show me that he’s a game time stud, rather than a scrub.

There is Broncos’ history on his side, though. The first few years that Rod Smith started he dropped so many balls that I fervently wished for him to be cut or traded. At the same time Ed McCaffery was showing the world that he was not only tough as a rock and faster than most believed, but that he had fabulous hands, ran perfect routes and blocked like a demon.

Now, Smith has redeemed himself again and agin, year after year. He’s become one of the most reliable WR’s in the NFL. His counterpart, talented, dependable, consistent and until now durable McCaffery has come to the end of his career. Lelie may well prove to be worthy of lining up beside Smith and replacing McCaffery. But two good performances don’t negate a season of mediocrity.

Smith and McCaffery built their careers and their reputations and proved their worth by simply getting the job done week after week, no matter who defended against them, no matter who threw them the ball, no matter the conditions they played under.. Lelie hasn’t proven anything except that he has potential.