There’s chatter in league circles that Broncos coach Mike Shanahan a/k/a Coach Kevlar plans to pin the team’s current troubles on G.M. Ted Sundquist.

As the current rumor goes, Shanahan is considering dumping Sundquist and replacing him with Mike Lombardi.

Lombardi, who was essentially the Raiders’ G.M. until earlier this year, has been working for the Broncos on (as we have heard it) an unpaid basis.

If Shanahan makes such a move, it’ll be the clearest sign yet the Shanahan is feeling heat for his team’s poor performances.

Meanwhile, some Internet hack from a disreputable web site who writes a couple of columns per week for SportingNews.com plans to delve into the topic of Shanahan’s uncanny job security more thoroughly in the very near future.