SB Nation - Ryan Harris

Potent Quotables - Wednesday Ramblings from Dove Valley

John Bena — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:24:57 -0000

9 days ago: FILE - This is a Nov. 1, 2009, file photo showing Denver Broncos offensive tackle Ryan Harris leaving the field after an injury in the second quarter of an NFL football game against the Baltimore Ravens, in Baltimore. Harris is done for the season. The third-year pro was put on injured reserve Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2009, with an injury to his right big toe. (AP Photo/Gail Burton, File)

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HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

Opening statement

"We placed (T) Ryan Harris on injured reserve. We signed (T) Herb Taylor to the roster. Hopefully, everybody will be out there at practice."

On placing Harris on injured reserve

"His toe was too injured for him to be able to play without having a procedure. We're going to take care of that. After that happens, (with) the length of time that he would need to recover from that, it wouldn't make any sense for us to not make this move at this time on our roster."

On Harris' injury

"It was a toe injury."

On if Harris returned to game action too early against Kansas City

"No, he was fine. The previous injury was not the same injury. That has nothing to do with the new injury. It's the same toe, but it's not the same injury to the toe. It's kind of a fluke deal. He was playing well until the time that it happened."

On T Tyler Polumbus' improvement over the past five weeks

"I've seen a guy who's gained confidence because obviously, in this league when you're playing in the games, that experience is more valuable than the experience that you gain in the offseason and all the rest of it. He knows what we're doing. He knows our system. He communicates well with the other players. He's playing beside good players. We think that we have a guy who's getting better each week. He'll have a big challenge ahead of him this week."

On facing Indianapolis' no-huddle offense on Sunday

"We're just going to get lined up and play our call. That's it. We're not going to try to run a bunch of guys in and out of the game. Nobody does against this team. We're not going to try to do it either. You've got to line up and play good football. There's no more simple answer than that. That's what we need to do. That's what we're going to try to do."

On if the Broncos will use sub packages frequently against the Colts on Sunday

"We will not try to do something that is impossible to do, and that's impossible to do when you don't have the right time. If the ball hasn't been thrown down the field 40 yards, if there's not a timeout on the field, you don't try to do that and disrupt the entire flow of your game by allowing them to create situations where you have to call timeouts or you get five-yard penalties that keep the drive going and all the rest of it. We're going to play with the guys who are out there, and when we feel like we can substitute without issue, then we will substitute if we need to. If we don't need to substitute, then we're just going to play."

On Indianapolis Defensive Coordinator Larry Coyer's game plan

"I would say it's mostly the same philosophy, but you can tell that he's added a few different things that they haven't really done a lot of in the past. I'm not saying that that has taken over what they do. It certainly hasn't. The base things that they do, they're fairly simple in terms of the amount of volume of calls that they use, but they play faster than every team in the league. Everybody on this defense is fast. Their front is fast, they play fast, they stunt fast, they blitz fast (and) they cover fast. Everything that they do is about speed. That hasn't changed. He's added a few blitz-zones and some different coverage wrinkles here or there. They're playing as well as anybody in football on defense. They create a lot of turnovers (and) do a great job of stopping people in the red zone and on the goal line. Larry's done a great job with them."

On why opponents can't take advantage of Indianapolis' size on defense by running the football

"There's a quarterback on the other side who usually puts them ahead. I said the other day it's the best complimentary football team in the NFL, and it is. They play to each other. The offense tries to get out front. The defense rushes the passer and creates turnovers to give the ball back to the offense, which scores more points. Then you're behind by 14 or 21 points, and then if you hand the ball off three times in a row, you get booed. First of all, let me say this: they are not a bad run defense. If you could run the ball 40 times against them-that isn't going to be easy because again, the way that they stop the run is not the same way that we would stop the run, necessarily, or some other teams stop the run. They stunt and create disruption by picking people off or making two of your guys block one of their guys so that one of their fast players is free to the football. That's what they do. There are a lot of ways to skin a cat, and they do it a different way than some teams do, but they're really, really good at it and very effective. Everybody knows their job. They're extremely unselfish when they play run defense because there are a lot of people in that front who know, ‘Alright, I know I am not going to make the tackle on this play, but I'm going to go run in there and I'm going to take the guard and the center out, and now, somebody else is going to make the tackle behind me.' They have great trust and faith in their players."

On ranking Indianapolis QB Peyton Manning amongst all-time NFL quarterbacks

"I don't know where he stands in that. I'm not judging him or saying-I know he's one of the greatest of all time. He's unbelievable to prepare for. You can't beat him with a play call. You make the right call against some teams, and sometimes you have a better call than the other quarterback's coordinator made on their sideline, and hooray for you and you won one. With this guy, if he sees something or you show him something too early, it doesn't make any difference what the guy on the sideline called. He's going to make sure that he changes it to something that's going to hurt you. When he makes a decision to do that, usually, it ends up in a big play. There's a difference between him and everybody else because some other teams try to get out of a bad play and into a play that's a decent play. He tries to get out of a bad play and score a touchdown. He's an aggressive quarterback who gets rid of the football before you can get there most of the time. They've only (allowed) 10 sacks this year, and he's a great part of that. Their offensive line does a great job, but he does a great job, too. He attacks you at your very weakest point in every coverage, and that's what makes him so good."

On the Broncos secondary facing Manning

"When you play with a veteran secondary against him, that can help you. Certainly, we have to play well. The bottom line is when (WR) Reggie Wayne is out there, it doesn't make any difference who's on him. They're going to throw it to him. You're not going to put one guy out there on Reggie Wayne and say, ‘Okay, he won't throw it to Reggie today.' He's a great player. The two young kids who they have who are playing a lot, (WR Austin) Collie and (WR Pierre) Garcon, I don't know that I could imagine two young players coming into the league and then adapting to a difficult system and being able to work in pressure situations with a guy like Peyton Manning as well as those two have. It's remarkable what they've been able to do with those two kids. They're only going to get better. (TE Dallas) Clark is incredibly difficult to defend. You can try to take away some things, but ultimately, like I just said, he's going to throw it to the guy who you didn't take away, and you better be on him and you better be on him tight. You better try to get a pass rush on him because if you sit there and give him too much time and let him see what the coverage is, he's going to throw it to the right place."

On how Indianapolis TE Dallas Clark compares to Atlanta TE Tony Gonzalez or San Diego TE Antonio Gates

"(He has) great hands. I would say (he is) as good as a route runner as those guys you mentioned. He's one of those guys who has a knack for getting open. He can do things with his body. He has great body control when he runs routes. He can sell things and then do something different off of it. The thing about all of their receivers, including Clark, is they don't need much space. If he's from-me-to-the-microphone (approximately six inches) open, the ball is going to be ‘here,' and he's going to catch it because he's got great hands and he's got a good quarterback throwing him the ball. They've got so many weapons. You can't double-team everybody. We've got good players on defense, and we've got to play good defense."

On his decision to practice inside today

"It's sunny, it's zero degrees and we're playing indoors (at Indianapolis on Sunday)."

On how to beat Indianapolis

"I think there have been a lot of teams that have played them tough, and there have been a lot of close games. They've won seven games (by less than) a touchdown this year, which tells you that they execute in those pressure situations and have executed in those pressure situations better than their opponents have. It's not out of the question for you or for any other team to be close and to be in the game in the second half or to be ahead in the second half. You can't play 56 minutes. If you've played 56 good minutes, you might have a smile on your face and you're going to lose. If you play 58 good minutes, it might be the same situation. You've got to play 60 minutes or longer if it takes longer, and you've got to continue to come back to the sideline and say, ‘Alright, what are we going to do the next series?' and go out there and play well again. You've got to battle them, and you've got to play really, really good football down in the red zone, on third down and in two-minute (situations) because that's where a lot of their games have been decided in those crucial situations at the end of the game. They've made more plays than their opponents have, and that's why they've won 12 in a row and 21 straight in the regular season. If you can take care of the football and you can play your best football down there when it matters most, you've got a chance to be in the game and then to win the game."

QB KYLE ORTON

On T Ryan Harris being placed on injured reserve

"He's certainly a good player for us and brings toughness and a little nastiness to the line, so it's disappointing to hear about it. (T) Tyler (Polumbus) will step in. He's played before and he's played well for us, and he's going to need to the rest of the year."

On if the offense changed during the four weeks Harris missed

"No, I don't let it affect me. The guys have a job to do, and they're expected to do it. Tyler is expected to do it just like Ryan does. He's done a good job. I don't feel the pressure anymore. We have tough task this week, obviously. Everybody knows that, but we expect to go out and play well."

On if play calls are different when Polumbus is in the game

"No, I don't think so. We've kind of gotten away from doing some empty stuff, but I don't think that has to do with Tyler. I think that's just where we're at as an offense. I don't think we've done a whole lot to specifically help Tyler."

On being aware of each play's timing when facing Indianapolis' pass rush

"All 11 guys on offense have to be aware of it. Receivers have to have urgency getting open, I have to have urgency getting the ball out and the offensive line has to do a great job of running them by and giving me a chance to step up. Not just myself, but all 11 guys have to be aware of that."

On having to play well against Indianapolis QB Peyton Manning

"When you're playing a 12-0 team, I think you've certainly got to bring it, but Peyton is one of the best there is and one of the best who ever played. I'm not going to sit here and try to outdo him, for sure. We'll have to play smart football, and we'll have to play turnover free and mistake free on offense and try to hold the ball as long as we can and let him sit on the sideline and have fun over there."

On the term "franchise quarterback"

"That's all on the franchise. That's all on the organization. That's probably the only way you can decide that is if the organization thinks you're one, then you're one. I guess we'll just wait and see."

On if Manning is a franchise quarterback

"Peyton is a Hall of Fame quarterback. There are big differences between franchise quarterbacks and Hall of Fame quarterbacks. Peyton is a Hall of Famer, and there are not many of those around."

On Manning's star power in Indiana

"Well, he's the Colts. When you think of the Colts, not only in Indiana but across the country, you think of Peyton Manning. He's a premier player, and he has been for a long time. I know how important he is back in the Midwest."

On playing on the road late in the season

"There's a disadvantage going on the road, I would probably say, this time of year. We're playing good teams, and it's tough to win on the road. You go into a dome, and it's going to be extremely loud. They're a dome team. There's no question about it. They're built for the dome. They're fast. This will be the fastest defense that we see all year. We're going to have to handle the operation, have to handle the crowd noise and with all that, have to be able to handle the edge and everything with their (defensive) ends. It'll be a tough task."

On the challenges Indianapolis' defense presents

"They just tell their ends to go the quarterback, and everybody else rallies to the run. The ends really have no responsibilities other than to come back with the quarterback. They get there a bunch and cause a lot of havoc. Everybody else on that defense is extremely fast and they rally to the ball. There are usually five or six of guys there to make the tackle and try to strip the ball out."

On Indianapolis DE Dwight Freeney

"He's great. He's a great player, no question. He's done it for a long time. (DE Robert) Mathis is a great player. (LB Gary) Brackett is a great player. They've got young players-this is a younger team than when I played them last year, but their two secondary players are young and fast and they're not getting beat on the outside. We've got a lot of guys who we've got to account for this week."

On running the ball against Indianapolis' aggressive defensive ends

"A lot of draws are run against this team. A lot of screen passes, obviously, are run against this team, but like I said, they're so fast by the other nine guys who everybody rallies to the ball and they're there to make the plays. They play great team defense."

On scoring points against Indianapolis' defense

"We just know that we've got to go on 10-, 12-play drives. First of all, I think they've given up just a handful of plays over 15 yards, and that's in the run game and the pass game. To sit here and think we are going to have three-, four-play drives and hit big plays on them is kind of well wishing. We'll have to execute and take five yards and take five, six yards and take the backs and just know going into the game to be successful, we're going to have to drive the ball down, and when we get into the red zone, certainly, we're going to have to come away with touchdowns."

On the Broncos' offensive weapons helping him develop as a quarterback

"Everybody on our team has. This is the most talented offense I've played with, and obviously, it starts with the guys up front just giving me a bunch of time to throw and make my reads. I just feel that I'm a smart enough player that if I do have the time to sit back and read the defense, I am going to go the right place with the ball most of the time."

On if he has ever had to prepare for a defense that is playing as well as Indianapolis'

"Yeah, we've had to do it. Every year you've got to play defenses like this that are playing great. We feel like we're well matched with this team, and if we go out and do our job, we'll be just fine and win the game."

S BRIAN DAWKINS

On facing Indianapolis QB Peyton Manning

"A couple of times we've faced him, and they've won, I think, both of the times we played them. (It is a) very challenging preparation, as usual, for a good quarterback. This time is definitely no different with him having the weapons that he is using on the field right now."

On attacking Manning

"You can't let him know what (coverage) you are in. You have to do the best that you can to disguise what you are trying to do. From there, you've got to play football. Once the ball is snapped, you play football, and that is the end result in all the checks and all the things both sides of the ball that we will be doing defensively and offensively. When the ball is snapped, you have to make plays on the ball (and) you have to make tackles. We are in for a 60-minute game."

On if Colts' opponents try to disguise coverages

"You just do what you do. We have a veteran group in the secondary, obviously. We are going to do our best to make sure that we don't make the game easier for him than it already is for him. It is going to be, like I said, a 60-minute game of doing that, not getting tired of disguising."

On playing the undefeated New England Patriots in 2007 with the Philadelphia Eagles

"It seems like a decade ago as far as me playing with the Eagles and going against the Patriots in that situation. I just remember it was a hyped game. We were very jacked up because of the underdogs we were. I remember that, but that is a completely different ball team, completely different situation as far as I'm concerned, as far as where we are with this team and what we are looking to do. I don't think we are focused on that, to tell you the truth."

On if he will practice this week

"That's the plan. That's the plan: to practice and go out and be on the field with my teammates, doing what I can to help this football team this weekend. That is the intention."

On his physical condition

"I feel great. This is football. This is a contact sport. Things happen at different times. (You) may go through a stretch where you feel absolutely great, and then other times, especially late in the season, you are going to have to play through some things. This is nothing new for me."

On Indianapolis' winning streak

"What good is it going to do to be focused on somebody else's winning streak or what they are not doing? That is not what we are about. We are about this one game and what we have to do to see if we can pull out a victory (in) this one game. All those other victories and losses, whatever, even our losses, none of that stuff, means anything as far as this game is concerned. This is the most important game of our season right now at this point. That is what we need to focus on."

On where Manning ranks amongst all-time NFL quarterbacks

"I'm not going to tell you anything different. He is one of the best that I've ever faced as (far as) what he does with the football, his accuracy, his diagnosing defenses (and) him being able to put the ball where it needs to be to his receivers when he does check. I'm not telling you guys anything that you don't already know. He is one of the best to ever play this game."

On DL Vonnie Holliday's contribution to the defense

"Tremendous. Tremendous. He is a vocal guy. He is a guy that understands how to play his position in this defense. I think that has benefited some of the other guys who haven't played in this defense, allowing them to understand how to play their gaps and how to control different gaps and allow the linebackers to run free sometimes. He has been a tremendous, tremendous benefit for this team, and I'm so happy we were able to talk him into coming here."

On RB Correll Buckhalter's performance

"This is what I expect from Buck when he is healthy because this is what he did in Philadelphia when they gave him the chance. They didn't give him a lot of chances, having (Philadelphia RB Brian) Westbrook in front of him, but when he got in the game, he was one of the guys that gave us big plays. I remember last year in our stretch run, he was one of the guys that kept giving us play after play, even receiving the ball out of the backfield, giving us 50- and 60-plus yards after the catch. This is what I expect from him, and I don't think this is anything he doesn't expect from himself. I think he expects the same thing from himself. I'm just happy, and the Lord is blessing him to stay healthy."

On Buckhalter's comment that he may currently be faster than ever

"He is a blessed man of God. He is, and he knows that. He is a humble guy and throughout all that adversity, I was in his ear and I was always praying for him. Coming out the other end of that perseverance, he is a stronger person from it. You see the speed on the football field. Like I said, I'm just excited to be able to enjoy this with him the way it is happening right now."

Broncos place T Ryan Harris on IR; Sign T Herb Taylor

John Bena — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:51:51 -0000

The Denver Broncos on Wednesday signed free-agent tackle Herb Taylor, it was announced. As per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Denver also on Wednesday announced it placed tackle Ryan Harris on injured reserve with a toe injury.

Taylor (6-foot-3, 295 pounds) is a third-year tackle who entered the NFL with Kansas City as a sixth-round selection (196th overall) in the 2007 NFL Draft. He was waived by the Chiefs at the end of 2009 training camp. Taylor appeared in 18 games (1 start), including all 16 contests in 2008, with the Chiefs. As a rookie in 2007, Taylor played in two games, was declared inactive for 11 games and dressed but did not play in three outings for Kansas City.

At Texas Christian University, Taylor helped the Horned Frogs to an 11-2 record and a win in the Poinsettia Bowl as a senior. He earned first-team All-Mountain West recognition as a senior left tackle after garnering the same recognition as a junior right tackle. Taylor set a TCU record by making 48 consecutive starts. He was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team and received honorable mention freshman All-America accolades.

Taylor was a two-time all-district performer at Hightower High School in Houston, where he was also selected for the All-Greater Houston Team. Herbert Reginald Taylor II, who majored in advertising and public relations with a minor in social work at TCU, was born Sept. 22, 1984.

Horse Tracks - 12/9/09 - Broncos Lose Harris For the Season

John Bena — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 14:04:49 -0000

Yes, the loss of Ryan Harris is unfortunate, but certainly not unexpected. Perhaps the most important asset an offensive tackle has are his feet and footwork. That is what makes Ryan Clady so effective. An injury, such as a dislocated big-toe, can be a huge problem. Credit to Harris for trying to gut it out. Now the burden falls to Tyler Polumbus. He's played the majority of games the past 5 weeks and has improved as time has gone on. The time is now for Polumbus, who grew up in Denver and went to Colorado, to lay-claim to a future spot on the Broncos offensive line.

DB.com - Warriors of a Winter Food Drive(Zach Eisendrath and Chris Gentisalvo)
That tradition received a reward on Tuesday morning when Darrell Reid, Wesley Woodyard, Broncos cheerleaders Romi Bean and Jessica Flores and Broncos mascot Miles attended the students' lunch hour to congratulate them for their efforts.

DB.com - Holidays Come Early(Gary Caldwell)
There were plenty of smiles and full carts as the holidays came a little early Monday night.

DP - Broncos OT Harris out for season
The Broncos will play the rest of the season, including any playoff games, without starting right tackle Ryan Harris.

DP - How about Broncos' McDaniels for NFL coach of the year?(Mark Kiszla)
For everybody who cursed this young football coach for trading Jay Cutler, condemned his draft picks as madness or demanded he be fired before his first game on the Broncos' sideline, it's time to consider calling Josh McDaniels a new name:

DP - Broncos use Champ to be champ of special teams(Lindsay Jones)
No, that wasn't an error on the play-by-play report from the Broncos' 44-13 victory at Kansas City on Sunday. That really was Champ Bailey — yes, the likely future Hall of Fame cornerback — running downfield on a kickoff and making a solo tackle on a third-quarter kick return.

DP - Broncos' Prater has a big leg up on 2008(Jeff Legwold)
It's a simple, proven formula. To play the kind of field-position football the Broncos want to play down the stretch, it will start with their kicker, Matt Prater.

DP - Moreno looking good for the long run(Jim Armstrong)
This just in. Knowshon Moreno, after a preseason that included the obligatory contract holdout and a knee injury, is on pace to run for 1,000 yards.

DP - Harris out: What it means for the line(Lindsay Jones)
There is no doubt the Broncos will miss right tackle Ryan Harris, who is not going to be able to play the rest of the season because of the serious injury to his big right toe.

Broncos Thoughts and Musings - Kansas City Week

Emmett Smith — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:30:13 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

22 days ago: Denver Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil (92) reacts after sacking New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Denver, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009. Denver won 26-6. (AP Photo/ David Zalubowski)

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Following the burden of four losses, and continuing through the lighter job of a Thanksgiving turkey-down being visited on the NY Giants, I've been busy in the film room. The Broncos had gone through a hard stretch of the season and I wanted to know why: What changed? What made them goats after weeks of success? The game film was the only place to find out.

Of course, film room is a slight exaggeration. It's also the TV room, the reading room, the computer room and the filing room. In my case, it holds a large table that holds a lot of equipment, including my phones, router, speakers, tower (yes, I was raised PC) and a 26-inch monitor that lets me work in comfort. I worked in a padded brown leather office chair and a small table for the keyboard. I'd go wireless, but the keyboard is a special ergonomic model that I got used to and can't stop using. Maybe Microsoft will awaken and make a wireless version of this one, but so far, no joy. You can step outside the french doors that lead from the room onto my deck and watch the molten brass of the autumn sun sliding down into the ocean almost every night and that's a big plus. I miss the mountains, but that view doesn't seem to get old.

It's the only room that I have privacy in, other than a bedroom, but when I'm watching this much film, it's definitely a film room, so I'll use that term. The TV will have a DVD or a Tivo going that's relevant and the computer can be running two more games at once if I need to make some comparisons. I indulged in a quad core, 64-bit with a suitably large HD and an even larger external backup drive that saves everything, everyday. If I'm not on the computer, I also put in a leather recliner for the TV. Life is not hard...anyway you slice it, I've had a lot of time to watch the Broncos recently. The first few days of that were sheer torture, but it suddenly got much easier on Thursday last. It's funny how you enjoy breaking down film more when your team is winning.

I spent a lot of time watching each of the losses and trying to comprehend exactly why, in terms of their on-field play, they were losing. It was a helpful exercise. The losses showed exactly why we were struggling and the victory last week showed equally well what happens when you rectify those same errors. Losing is usually about errors -- sometimes you just are beaten by a better team, but most of the time you open the door and usher them into the victory circle. Jimmy Johnson is a complicated man but he nailed it when he pointed out that you only have to beat about 10 teams in the NFL. The others will create the victory for you if you just stay around. That's exactly what Denver was doing.

The entire breakdown is fiendishly long and I won't bore you with all of it. I'll pull bits and pieces off of it as the next few weeks move along. I can say this -- everyone agrees that there are certain basic principles that are essential to winning. Discipline is essential. Gap control is essential. Success in the trenches is essential. Mental errors are the bane of the football existence. If you just apply those to the losses, you'll find that nearly every failure was created not by the opponent, but by the Broncos.

For those who have asked me, yes, I was badly disappointed in the work of the referees during some of the games. They missed calls, called phantom infractions and generally weren't as good as they have to be, but the real culprit was gazing implacably out of the mirrors in the locker room when the Broncos came back in from the games. Here are a few observations to get us started, in no particular order.

Tight Spots

It didn't take a lot of film work to notice exactly why the Broncos drafted Richard Quinn earlier this year. Josh McDaniels requires a talented blocking tight end and long-time TE Daniel Graham showed up on film as having difficulty at holding the edge on passing downs. While Quinn is still struggling to master the speed of the NFL and the intricacies of the complex Broncos offense, he was the highest-rated blocking TE at this year's Combine. He'll have to step up greatly to fulfill the Broncos' faith in him, taking him as the last pick in the 2nd round of the 2009 Draft, but it's still fair to say that Graham was struggling during the losses. He'd look like an All-Pro on one, then disappear on the next.

About Quinn - the Broncos drafted off of a 'short board' this year, listing only those players that they felt would fit their system effectively. That has led to complaints by the Mile High community regarding where, exactly, they made their choices, but it explains a lot. Drafting a player that they didn't see in their system makes far less sense than using a 2nd-round pick on a player who was rated in the late-2nd to the 4th round. Why Quinn? Because during the losses, Daniel Graham made me wonder if he was getting older. Of course, after last Thursday, I'm not as concerned with that problem. He just hadn't played his best for a few games.

When Graham is on, he's one of the best. Blocking, chipping, running routes and catching, Graham is a tremendous advantage for Denver. When he fails, though, especially since Tyler Polumbus was struggling, it can make for a long game for both the run and the pass.

Graham has an issue with his hand placement. I've mentioned this previously on a thread, but he has a tendency to grab at the outermost aspect of the shoulders of the jersey. Technically, it IS holding, the way he uses it. Keep in mind, by the way, that his placement is legal as long as he works inside from it. Unfortunately, Graham has been finishing plays with a hip-twist to the side that takes down his player with a judo-like throw. He seems to do this a great deal - some refs call it, some don't, but he has to learn a better hand placement or we will have that issue regularly. It's a lot of fun to watch, but is still illegal. We need his play, though - he's still one of the best, all-around, and that's a huge plus.

Lots of fans including myself have awaited two things - a more balanced attack and better usage of Tony Scheffler. A big reason the latter didn't happen was that the blocking wasn't good enough for him to be used as a receiver more often. As the blocking improved, magically, Scheffler got free and started to create matchup troubles for NY.

It all starts with blocking. The trenches are where the games are won.

Being Offensive

Speaking of blocking, watching film over the past week has opened my eyes to the exact nature of the Broncos' decline on offense. I'd like to state, for the record, that I more or less expected to see problems that could be traced to many players and situations, but particularly to issues with the blocking and to the offensive line. I was still stunned to see how far those problems on the O-Line extended, though. Here are a couple of examples from the 1st quarter of the Pittsburgh game that might serve to clarify the issue. They were good illustrations of what we are dealing with.

The right side of the offensive line, except for the continuing excellence of Chris Kuper, has been a huge problem during the losses. Ryan Harris has been injured and Tyler Polumbus hasn't been able to step up fully in his absence until the Giants game. Daniel Graham seemed to be struggling to finish his blocks. In addition, I grew convinced that Russ Hochstein isn't the answer at guard before he played well on Thanksgiving and confounded me. The following two plays were a good indication of the problems as they stood. The plays ran back-to-back.

In the first one, Denver is lined up on offense with 5 down lineman and 4 receivers; Brandon Marshall is in the right slot. His safety, the man covering Marshall, releases to penetrate, going after Orton. Orton sees him and chooses his receiver quickly, accurately gunning it to Brandon. Marshall goes over the middle and makes the reception. However -- the safety ran square into Polumbus who missed the speed rush, letting the safety move easily past before he hurried Orton. The pass is still complete, but Polumbus got taken.

An illustration of just how bad the blocking had become came next, on a power running play Denver used toward to the end of the 1st quarter. The Broncos lined up the usual 5 OL, with Hochstein outside of Polumbus on the right side of the line and Graham on the outside of him to the right. Hochstein was essentially playing as an extra blocking lineman, as was Graham. This wasn't the kind of play that is designed to fool anyone: it was a simple, power run formation. It looked good, right up until the ball was snapped.

At the snap, Hochstein fired out of his stance and toward an OLB on the right as Orton took the snap and handed the ball to Knowshon Moreno. Unfortunately for Russ, his man simply stepped back and to the side. Hochstein went after him, and the end of the play saw him still literally chasing around behind the player who was not, happily, much in the play. Polumbus was keyed on James Farrior, ILB, who brushed him aside as you might a small child, knifing into the backfield. Polumbus fell flat on his face, Farrior reached Moreno in the backfield, almost untouched, and the play went for a loss of three.

There are a couple of obvious things to mention. I've rarely, if ever, seen a power run to the right that left two of our right-side lineman grasping at air, having failed to engage anyone at all that they were supposed to block. Polumbus knelt there on the ground and pounded it with his fist, but that's no substitute for doing your job. This wasn't the only play that left me leery of Hochstein, by the way - it seemed unfortunately obvious why he's been a backup for most of his career. In my own view, I'm sad to say that Tyler hadn't played well enough to even keep him as a backup in the offseason unless he improved rapidly. Of course, this changed greatly against the Giants and he had a very good game. That's been a pattern -- good O-Line play will win you games. Lacking it is an invitation to a loss. What's new?

A third example involved Ben Hamilton. Ben looked like a different player on the recent film. It's almost as if someone stole him in the night and left a changeling in his place, one who fooled everyone into believing that he's Ben. How bad was it? In the same quarter listed above, earlier on, the Broncos ran off-guard to the right. Hamilton was tasked with taking up a linebacker on the play. He easily got to the second level, made contact - and quit. He just stopped and let the player disengage. His man promptly ran over, following the run, and tackled Correll Buckhalter. Hamilton was immediately pulled for one play, with Hochstein taking his place. Unfortunately, Russ wasn't an improvement and Hamilton returned for the next play after, having received some loving personal instruction and attention from Rick Dennison. I've never known Hamilton to quit on plays before this season - something is obviously going on with him.

Think about it. Orton is hit on the first play. He made the completion anyway (Orton looked very good in that half) but it was touch and go whether he could get the pass off accurately within that narrow window. On the next play, Moreno never had a chance - Farrior had a perfect shot at him. On the third play, Buckhalter would have had a first down if Hamilton just finishes the play. Instead, the Steelers killed that drive. That was a pattern during the losses. Individuals didn't play well and the team couldn't get anything going.

I'm not claiming for a moment that we don't have other issues, and I'm going to talk about others over the next few weeks. The defense was also a problem, communication between Orton and the receivers left some points on the field, and there were plenty of other things to work on. It's just that the degree of problems with the offensive line were killing drive after drive, even when you had to look carefully to see why that's true. I had to run the plays over and over to spot every player, but once I did, the crux of the matter was too obvious to miss.

I also saw that plenty of people - far too many - made mental errors at critical times. To be honest, it's the NFL - any time is a critical time. A single mistake wipes out a 40-yard gain - is that critical? It is to me. The difference in the Giants game? For what it's worth, I think that it's not that they didn't make those errors - they still did. It was that once they had, they got it back on track and didn't keep on making them, while the Giants did. If they can keep that kind of aggressive spirit and increase their effective discipline, the Broncos can still compete in the playoffs.

Not-so Special Teams

In watching film, a pattern emerged that had hovered just at the edge of my consciousness. I've been listening to and reading about how the special teams play has been a problem and I fully agree. If you look at the overall results it's hard not to be concerned about this area of the Broncos. Many of the members had problems with bringing ST coach Mike Priefer on board, and I tend to agree. But the problem here, even so, can easily be deceiving. A pattern came to light that has no simple solution.

It's this: Our opponent gets the ball. We stop their drive, but they make it to about mid-field. They punt, and their punter is good at finding that 'coffin corner', pinning us back in our end of the field. Sure, you hope that Eddie Royal can break a few, but let's be real - Eddie is getting the ball with two players or more in his face. He's in a tight area, with defenders reaching him under the punt. We get pinned in the 10-20 if he catches the ball, maybe the 23 or so. It's on the 20 if it rolls into the end zone. We're looking at another long, tiring drive - if we're successful. If not, we're punting and the opposing team gets it at about the 30-to-40 yard line. then we do it all over again until the D is tired and/or we get scored on. I used to notice this with Shanahan's last few teams as well. It's a terrible habit to get into, since it assures that you will have the maximum problems scoring and will give the easiest time to the opponent.

And then came the Giants game and it all changed back, as mysteriously as it arrived. The Broncos suddenly woke up from an autumn nap, smelled the air and strapped on their helmets. They stopped them at their end of the field, created a little more room to run back punts and boomed punts that stuck the Giants back in their end of the field. Everything was different. In the end, the starting field position was Den: 30.20, NYG: 21.30 according to StatMaster TJ (Thanks for the aid, Your Dudeness). Seeing that showed why the difference was so stark.

If we look more at the starting field position, we really did get clobbered by BAL and PIT. After that, it was more about errors. Consider our starting field position over the past 5 weeks:

Week 8, Baltimore: 20.55

Week 9, Pittsburgh: 21.64

Week 10, Washington: 27.91

Week 11, San Diego: 29.60

Week 12, New York: 30.20

The Washington game, to me, was a matter of mistakes and the issue of Chris Simms - if we had Orton, I still think that we would have won, even with a poor performance by the D. Our field position was not that bad and we did score well. the lack of defensive discipline may have tipped the game in their favor. SD was a meltdown. Error compounding error, awful work by Simms, who will not return, Orton trying to play lame. We had decent position and lost it anyway.

Yet, with about the same position, we pounded on NYG. The difference was that we put together a comprehensive, complementary football game, with all sections doing "A" work. That's hard to beat. It sounds awfully simplistic, but this time, the solution was simple. Stop making egregious errors that kill drives or sustain the opponents' drives. If a mistake happens, overcome it with better play. Many times, how we responded to errors determined whether or not we won any given battle.

Throwdown, Elvis Style

Daniel Graham wasn't the only Broncos who's been engaged in throwdowns recently: What to make of Elvis Dumervil? With 5 games to go in the season, he's accumulated a career high and NFL-leading 14 sacks. Will the Broncos pay to keep him around? Count on it. I don't know any more than you about how they will deal with the uncapped year and the new CBA beyond that, but Doom will be a Bronco in 2010. Dumervil is already sixth all-time in the NFL in third-down sacks in a season. The record is held by San Francisco's Tim Harris, who had 11 third-down sacks in 1992 and Doom has 5 more games to pad that stat. When he finds the QB on third down, it does more than just give us back the ball. It changes the way the game flows. How will they pay him? Again - that's what Brian Xanders does. I've got a lot of faith in him. Gosh, why do you want a GM with a lot of cap experience? I couldn't believe it when I heard that in the offseason. The cap is a defender who will always be waiting to trip you up, year 'round.

When Doom is getting his sacks on any down the Broncos are almost impossible to beat. That's because when he's bringing the QB down, It also means that everyone else has tied up their guys or is bringing their own pressure. Good as he is, only when the team plays well does he do as well. His numbers are a tribute to Mike Nolan's job and the play of the front 7 in general. It was one of the huge differences in the losses and the wins. The play of the front 7 will always be essential to success.

Very few teams get a weapon like him, someone who can shut down the passing game in the 4th quarter and protect your win. Doom gets his sacks more often than not when the Broncos play aggressive defense, stay in their gaps and collapse the play. Usually, Doom places a move on a lineman while his cohorts are filling the lanes and gaps, giving the QB no place to run. Even though the number of sacks is a tribute to his talent and performance, he's getting there because the players next to him are doing a great job.

It comes up a lot when I talk to other football geeks: Disciplined gap defense wins games. I can't explain why the Broncos started trying to run around their blockers instead of taking them on and defeating them, but that was exactly what happened as they lost and it didn't change until Thursday. By moving back to gap control and discipline, they took on and overpowered blockers and showed the kind of performance that they can be proud of. Brandon Jacobs is a big load at running back but he was held to 27 yards on 11 carries. There were no gaps for him to exploit, leading to gang tackles and short yardage. That's the kind of defense that wins game.

If the Broncos maintain that gap discipline against the weaker KC line and Jamaal Charles they can shut down the run game and force Matt Cassel to beat them. If the secondary plays the kind of vicious, lockdown coverage that they showed last Thursday KC won't be able to keep up.

What else does gap discipline result in? Stopping the run on first and second down leaves a lot of third-and-long plays which plays into the Broncos' aggressive style and leads to chances for Doom and Co.

Rookies

There is a lot of talk about the Broncos' rookies in the game. Some fans are leaping to conclude that X player is or isn't a bust based on the 1st half of the season. That's something of a bizarre idea. Despite fan 'rules' about how anyone taken in the the top 10 or 15, or the 1st round, should be ready to come in and contribute immediately, that's a rare thing in the NFL. What you really hope for is that they find some ways to contribute the first season and that they play well over the course of the rest of their career. Anything else is 'gravy' so to speak.

Josh McDaniels isn't opposed to playing rookies who can contribute immediately, such as Moreno and Alphonso Smith. Even Knowshon has struggled as he has to learn a completely different style of running, reading and executing. From the early results, I suspect that he'll be fine but it's also fair to say that playing running back is less stressful mentally than playing cornerback, as an example. Then you get to the defensive line, where you really hope for a breakout in the player's 3rd or 4th year. Demanding too much from the rookies is a path to problems. Why? Rookies = mistakes.

It's not just in the NFL, either. Regardless of the sport, very few rookies contribute much. There's just too much to learn. Even those who play brilliantly in their first season, rare as they are, often suffer a diminishment in the second season, just as Eddie Royal and Ryan Clady have done. Why? It's a tough, fast, difficult game. Once other teams know what you do and what you struggle with, you're going to see a lot of hard situations that will challenge you in new ways.

This means exactly nothing over the course of the player's career; most players improve during their first few seasons. Much is made of the stat that the average player has about a 4-year career, but that stat takes into account the number of payers who don't stay after a single year. They are the undrafted or the badly drafted, those who just can't make the leap from college to the pros. I've never seen a breakdown of how the average is determined, and I'd like to. Because in general, those who do fairly well during their first year tend to be out there for a long time.

That's what we're going to see from some of our rookies. Knowshon Moreno, Alphonso Smith, Darcel McBath, Robert Ayers and David Bruton have all done some good things during their rookie season. I'm not going to get bent out of shape if they can't suddenly be brilliant - that's a rare thing in the NFL. But I do want to see flashes of why we wanted those men, and I have. The rookies are doing well. Give them time.

I have to note that we saw some fine performances from a lot of our 2009 rookies against New York. The draft class stepped up front and center last Thursday night and the list of contributors is long. Alphonso Smith had a big game - he made a couple of mistakes, but his overall performance was excellent and lends support to his draft status. David Bruton and Knowshon Moreno we've discussed; Bruton was brilliant and Knowshon gets better every game. I went back and saw more of Quinn on ST than I expected to. Robert Ayers also returned to the active roster after a week in which the Broncos believed that Jarvis Moss could contribute more for them; they were playing the odds because SD had troubles with speed rushers, and that fit Moss better than Ayers. Ayers had another good game against NY, though. McBath played well. The team has some great young players and they will contribute for seasons to come.

Knowing Knowshon Moreno

Speaking of great young players, I loved Knowshon Moreno's comments after the Giants game:

"Every week it's gonna be tough. The offensive line opened up those big holes for us and we just ran through them. We all looked out for each other."

Typical Knowshon. No arrogance, no personal preening, just a willingness to share the credit and to accept the blame. Given that he's also reputed to be a delight to coach and a pleasure to have around in the locker room, I'm thrilled that he's going to be a Bronco for a long time. Watching his TD run over and over, each time I'm sure that he'll be stopped short and each time he keeps the legs churning in classic form. He's up for Rookie of the Week again, too. Talented, gutsy player. Great draft choice.

Knowshon has been growing into this role on the team steadily and not that slowly, either. The only thing that has stood between him and a few 100-yard games is the fact that he's being rotated with Buckhalter, a runner whose contribution to the team is just as essential. 'Buck' is teaching Moreno during the week and making him more effective on weekends. Both runners block well and receive well and Buck even had a 41-yard kickoff return in the third quarter. That's exactly what a good team requires. I'd love to see a third back in the rotation, but that hasn't been important so far (knock on wood).

Knowshon's comments also bring out the same thing I mentioned above: The Broncos go as the lines go. When the O-Line is making three errors in the red zone, back-to-back-to-back, we are in serious trouble. When they get it together and blast open those holes, they're tough to stop.

By the way, check this from the denverbroncos.com:

During the last three weeks, rookie RB Knowshon Moreno has totaled the sixth-most rushing yards (265 / 88.3 ypg.) and the third-best yards per rush average (5.6) in the NFL. He leads all league rookies in rushing yards (688) and yards from scrimmage (784) this year.

To that end, I loved seeing Polumbus and Hochstein step up against NY. That's exactly what we need to see from them. Daniel Graham made a few bad errors, but he also blasted linemen and linebackers alike and he deserves a round of applause as well. The Giant's were holding him and trying to apply what looked like takedowns against him by the end of the game - he confounded them in high style. The running game will always be dependent on what happens in the trenches, including the TEs. Always has been, always will. Last week, they were the team that's very hard to beat. They need to take that anger that they seemed to tap into to KC. Decembers there are tough.

By the way, a big thank-you to Spencer Larsen and Tony Scheffler as well for their work against NYG. They each played a role in making this a complete-team win and blocked like demons in the running game. I can't think of a single area where the Broncos didn't dominate. The final stats seemed more respectable due to the vagaries of garbage time, but the fact was that NY was shut down and hammered flat.

Another player that deserves recognition is Wesley Woodyard. Woodyard has struggled recently, as did most of the defense, but he brought back his "A" game for the Giants. He was in the right place at the right time over and again, and even though he's very light as LBs go, he's doing a heck of a job on the nickel defense, hitting and making tackles. Nice going, WW. I hope that his neck injury is short-lived.

Orton and Learning

There's no way to deny it: I've been a Kyle Orton fan ever since I watched a lot of film on the man during the offseason. The more I saw of it, the more I liked him. Now that he's thrown with a brace on a right index finger that was mangled and played hobbled without excuse, he's impressed me. This is the second season in a row that he's played on a bad ankle and never complained; I'm starting to really like the man. He never, ever, blames anyone. He puts it on his own shoulders. If they're successful he talks about wishing that he had a couple back and about how well the team played. If they lose, he states baldly that everyone needs to step up more. There's no finger pointing, no nonsense. No fuss, no tantrums, no excuses. Expect to see a lot of Kyle over the next few years. I'm great with watching Tom Brandstater, by the way. If he can outplay Kyle, more power to him. I expect Brandstater to be 2nd string next season. But Orton? You have to go a long way to find a tougher QB. I love that in any player.

It's also worth noticing that we're starting to see more of the longer passes. Whether that's the playbook opening, players getting to know each other better, or taking what the defense gives us can be debated, but Brandon Marshall on a go route will scare a lot of defensive coordinators. He's not blazing fast but his ability to get to the ball is rare when he's playing like he did on Thursday. Orton said this, yesterday:

"He's the first guy that I've had like this. It's been a change for me in my way of thinking, being able to trust him and give him those chances. He's a phenomenal player, and I don't see too many people when the ball is in the air going out and out-jumping him or being more physical than he is going for the ball. You certainly want to put it in a good spot to give him the best chance go up and make a play."

What that tells me is that the early comments that Orton and the other players needed to get used to each other and the offense were right on, and kudos to the guys that caught it. I'm starting to see the defenses collapsing on the short and mid routes and Marshall taking the go route to counter and I love it. Those fans who called for more longer passes are getting their wishes fulfilled. The NY game showed us that this is still the team that started 6-0. They can win a wild card slot if they continue to play like that as the season winds down.

You can talk 'til Hades is endothermic, but Orton will be our starting QB next year. He will agree to a nice contract that will keep us cap-friendly and will give him a lot of financial security. That's exactly why we brought him in and why we brought Brian Xanders on board.

Orton has also improved every year that he's been in the pros. I'd say that you can look for that to continue, and that he's going to bring the rest of the offense with him. .

For Kicks

Here's a toast to Mitch Berger, the much-maligned punter who took over for the struggling Brett Kern a few weeks past. He managed 3 punts for 145 yards, an average of 48.3 yards per punt. I can't tell you why he seems to be improving, but that kind of performance can't be overstated. The punting game in the previous losses tended to the pattern I talked about earlier. By kicking longer and permitting good hang time, he let the coverage move down the field and do their jobs. They did - and a special thanks to MHR favorite David Bruton, who was tearing up ST on Thursday night. When we talk about young drafted players who are stepping up, I don't hear his name quite often enough. Give him a few years and he's going to be a heck of a safety, too, bringing that same intensity and talent for the big hit. I know that we talk about this safety and that one, and that's understandable. I'd love to have Eric Berry playing for the Broncos. But it's more likely that we won't, and we won't have a big dropoff if Bruton continues to develop the way that he has.

Berger wasn't the only one who knocked the laces off the rock, by the way. Matt Prater had a stellar night, bisecting the uprights on kick after kick and driving his kickoffs far back into the end zone. If they can't run it out, they won't have much of a runback. Domenik Hixon managed just two returns for 20 yards each for NY, while Prater was faultless on 4 field goals, with a long of 47 yards. Contrary to many concerns, he's shown no signs of fading as the season wears on. He won the AFC ST Player of the Week award, and he earned it.

"I think that's the best game I've ever had," said Prater. "It was perfect weather for kicking." Perfect weather for a dominating win, too.

Kansas City Here I Come

Want an unusual stat? Kyle Orton is still one of the best QBs in terms of home record in the past 3 decades. That's a heck of a stat, really, but it's not even the one I'm interested in. What interests me is that he plays even better on the road, whether his team might or not. Orton's home QB rating? 80.3, less than his overall average of 84.1. On the road, Orton is managing an 89.6 QB rating. That's one of the things that gives me a lot of confidence gong into the KC game this week: Orton has actually been better on the road.

KC can be a meat grinder at home - that's worse in December and I'll never discount that. The Steelers took them too lightly and were handed their hats with a defeat that could end up influencing their post-season standing. The Chiefs gave a heck of a tussle to Baltimore and beat the Redskins (who are coming on themselves, you might notice) and the Raiders. They are still a weaker team, but they have some pieces that are starting to fall together and their 3-4 is starting to play well. Jamaal Charles is a great addition to their team and Larry Johnson a great subtraction.

The Broncos will be well rested going into the game and they will have some extra time to gameplan. My sole concern is whether this squad is ready to keep on being angry and aggressive. If that happens, I believe that we'll have an eighth victory to celebrate, moving into the game against Indianapolis, but I expect this one to be hard-fought.

One thing I like about KC: Matt Cassel. I like the fact that he's working hard, making improvements, and that he's able to score some points if you give him some time. KC still doesn't have that great an offensive line and frankly, I'm shocked that the Steelers gave them so much time to throw -- it's not a mistake that Denver can afford to emulate. I'm glad that PIT did, though. It gives us a clear picture of what happens when you don't bring the intensity that the NFL requires to a game. My question is whether the Broncos can bring the kind of pressure that has won us some games. If so, we'll probably take this one.

There's a certain glow to a long week off after an excellent home win. Now, let's take it on the road...

Go Broncos!

Horse Tracks 12/3/09 - Harris, Jordan, Orton, Royal, Woodyard all practice; Dawkins sits another Wednesday out

Douglas A. Lee — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 12:42:45 -0000

DB - Week 13 - Wed: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - Expect a Battle - Gray Caldwell
"For the Broncos, Brian Dawkins (ankle) was the only player who did not participate in Wednesday's practice. The five other players listed on the injury report -- Ryan Harris (toe), LaMont Jordan (back), Kyle Orton (ankle), Eddie Royal (thigh) and Wesley Woodyard (neck) -- all had full participation in the session."

DB - Finding His Footing - Chris Gentilviso
"I think one thing that has really helped is we have been kicking with a little skinnier than arena uprights in practice," Prater said. "So then when I go out there for the games, I look at the uprights and they look a lot wider. Just a mental (edge) too."

DPP - Matchmaking puts Bailey on defensive - Jeff Legwold
"So, instead of waiting for the action to come to the eight-time Pro Bowl selection, Nolan tries to put Bailey where the Broncos want the action to go. That is a departure from past years, when Bailey could spend entire games without two passes directed toward him."

DPP - Q&A: It's best for Champ to stay at corner - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Chiefs no long December darlings - Mike Klis
"The Chiefs have lost both of their home December games each of the past two years, and five of their past six."

DPP - Analysis: Moreno prepared himself for NFL grind - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Briefs: Orton-Marshall connection proves a big hit - Lindsay Jones

DB - Week 13 - Wed: Orton - Broncos TV

DB - Week 13 - Wed: Dawkins - Broncos TV

Inside the NFL - Broncos are back? - Video

DB - Pro Bowl Voting Update No. 2 - Gray Caldwell

DB - Much More Than Football - Mike Rice

CSG - Harris ready to return - Frank Schwab

CSG - Cassel was unwilling participant in Broncos drama - Frank Schwab

DPP - Chiefs' investment in Cassel falling short - Dave Krieger

DPP - Woody's Mailbag: Tiger and the truth

KDVR - Broncos trying to break December curse in KC - Chris Tanaka

AFC West News

KCS - Chiefs find using Charles a lot harder to avoid - Adam Teicher

KCS - Chiefs notes: Team works with Niswanger on snaps - Kent Babb

KCS - Porter is a fascinating pickup by Chiefs - Randy Covitz

SDUT - Oliver making most of his time - Chris Jenkins

SDUT - Questions for Quinn, always - Chris Jenkins

SFC - If Raiders lose, it's time for Russell's Last Chance - Scott Ostler

SFC - Defense just as predictable as all the big plays it allows - David White

OT - Oakland Raiders remain headed for fall - Steve Corkran

Concussion News

NFL - Goodell issues memo changing return-to-play rules for concussions
This is a good start...

NYT - The N.F.L. Issues New Guidelines on Concussions - Alan Schwarz

NFL - Lewis' career likely over after he suffers post-concussion symptoms

NFL - Warner: 'I'm progressing' after missing one game with concussion

NFL - Eagles WR Jackson uncertain to play Sunday after concussion

SI - Playing through injuries part of NFL players' culture - Ross Tucker

USAT - 'Tough' NFL culture counter to league's fight vs. concussions - Jarrett Bell

SFC - NFL needs cultural shift on concussions - Gwen Knapp

NFL News

FH - Report: Seattle GM Tim Ruskell to Resign - Chris Burke

NFL Opinion

NYT - Why Brees and the Passer Rating Aren’t Perfect - Luis DeLoureiro

NFP - Tavern talk: Big plays are key to winning - Mike Lombardi

NFP - Diner morning news: Weis won't go jobless - Mike Lombardi

NFP - Wednesday whys: Eagles reward Brent Celek - Andrew Brandt

NFP - Urlacher should take Sapp's advice - Matt Bowen

NFP - Chalk Talk: man-to-man coverage - Matt Bowen

NFP - The agent presentation - Jack Bechta

NFP - Coaching carousel: Plenty of vacancies - Robert Boland

SI - Bengals return top five - Don Banks

FOX - NFL Third Quarter Report: How things have changed - Alex Marvez

Y! - Schedule favorable for Johnson's run at 2,000 - Charles Robinson

NFL - Ground game, defense no longer keys to championship run - Pat Kirwan

NFL - Nothing but a number: At 40, Favre is at his best - Bucky Brooks

ESPN - Once a long shot, WR Marques Colston is vital to New Orleans Saints' success - Anna Clemmons

ESPN - Will the Saints go unbeaten? - Pat Yasinskas

ESPN - Will the Colts go unbeaten? - Paul Kuharsky

FH - Dirty Dozen: Wait Until End of Season to Pick an MVP - Dave Goldberg

FH - Pocket Presence: Time For a Change - Bruce Ciskie

ESPN - Elite QBs more vital than ever - John Clayton

SN - Road from coordinator to NFL head coach full of tribulations - Clifton Brown

CST - Jay's all-of-blame speech - Brad Biggs

NYT - Buffalo-Area Businesses Pay the Price for Bills’ Trip - Ken Belson

NFL - All this Bills fan wants for Christmas is ... Ron Wolf! - Nick Bakay

Y! - The 10 best NFL games of the last decade - MJD

NFP - News, notes on junior prospects - Wes Bunting

Predictions

NYT - Week 13 N.F.L. Game Probabilities, and Playoff Projections - Brian Burke

SI - NFL playoff projections, scenarios for Week 13 - Dom Bonvissuto

FH - NFL Picks, Week 13: Weather Won't Be Frightful for Saints - Dave Goldberg

FOX - Week 13 Cheat Sheet: NFL picks and predictions - Peter Schrager
"The Pick: Chiefs 33, Broncos 20"

Potent Quotables - It's Chiefs Week Wednesday Gathering

John Bena — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:36:51 -0000

More photos » by Jack Dempsey - AP

22 days ago: Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels reacts as he leaves the field after Denver defeated New York Giants 26-6 in an NFL football game in Denver, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009. Denver won 26-6. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Browse more photos »

**Compliments of the Denver Broncos P.R. Staff**

HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

On T Ryan Harris' performance during Tuesday's practice

"He did fine."

On the chances that Harris will play at Kansas City on Sunday

"I would say (the chances are) good."

On Harris' rehabilitation

"I think we're past the regression part of that injury. There's obviously going to be a little bit of discomfort, but he's done a nice job with his rehab. Hopefully, we feel like he's at a point now where we can just kind of move forward with it. He's going to have to tolerate probably a little bit (of pain). Only he can know how painful that is. He did fine yesterday."

On how the nickel package changes if ILB Wesley Woodyard cannot play at Kansas City on Sunday

"We'll have some other people ready to go. I would expect Wesley to be out there, hopefully, today and hopefully ready to go (on Sunday). We have other players that have, obviously, taken reps there. (OLB/DE) Mario (Haggan) has been there and (S) Josh Barrett has been in there. We'll do whatever we have to do to make sure that we can play effectively in the nickel package if for some reason he wouldn't be able to go. We're hopeful that he will (play)."

On Kansas City QB Matt Cassel

"It's hard to anticipate what kind of year you're going to have coming into a new system, a new organization (with) a lot of new players, but you can tell that he's a leader on their team. He's taking care of the football. He's only got a handful of interceptions (and) only one interception in their three wins. He's done a decent job of taking care of the football, by and large, the whole season, which I think shows his level of experience. He gained a lot of experience last year, went through some of those growing pains and certainly is doing those kinds of things better. He's mobile (and) athletic. He's definitely extended some plays with his legs. He can be a problem on third down, red zone plays (and) things like that. If you let him out of the pocket, he can definitely throw on the run and make some plays that maybe weren't there originally. He's a good football player. He really is. He's going to be a good football player for a long time. He's in a new system (with) new players. Anybody who, I think, goes into that situation, you do the best you can, and he certainly has. They're getting better each week. (WR Chris) Chambers certainly has kind of given him a different kind of a go-to guy. You can tell that he really has good chemistry with Chris, and (it) hasn't taken him long to develop that. (There are) a lot of good things he is doing, a lot of things that we have to defend."

On Kansas City's defensive line

"(DL) Tyson Jackson and (DL Glenn) Dorsey both are playing well, penetrating at times. They play blocks well. I know something we liked about Jackson this year when we looked at him was he was able to hold a point in the running game, which he can do. Both of them have been disruptive at times in the backfield in the running game and added some things to the pass rush at times inside, also. (They are) two big bodies (who are) hard to move out. You've got to do a nice job of staying tight on any kind of double-team blocks or anything like that or else they can get into the backfield and create some problems for you and put you in long-yardage situations. The teams that have been in long yardage on third down a lot have not fared well against this team. It's one of the things that we're talking a lot about this week."

On selecting defensive linemen early in the NFL Draft

"I think every team is different. You've got to take a look at what you feel like you need or what you feel like you want to do at whatever position that may be. Then, you can look at what players are available. If you like a defensive lineman at that pick, it's certainly something that you can do and build your team, your defensive front, around that type of player or those types of players. If it's not a defensive lineman, it could be any other position. There are a lot of positions that you could draft that high because players are that good. It really depends on your situation, what you feel like you need to do with your team and then how good is the crop of players that you're choosing from at those positions. If it's a good fit, then you take them. That's kind of what we did. I don't want to speak for anybody else in terms of their philosophy, but I know (Jackson and Dorsey) are two good players."

On Denver's defensive line

"Obviously, we always say we can do better, and we can. I think the fact that we've used a lot of them in there-we have a pretty solid rotation of guys. We don't just leave three guys in there the whole game and make them fight the fight. They all kind of help one another and spell one another and stay fresh. Doing their job is really an important thing, and in our system, sometimes that's a position that doesn't get a lot of glory or glamour, but if they take on a double-team block and allow (ILB) D.J. (Williams) or (ILB) Andra (Davis) to run to the football and make tackles, or (S) Brian (Dawkins)-that's their job and they do it, and they do it very unselfishly. We're happy with the progress that we've made with that group and are looking forward to continuing to get better in December and hopefully, playing our best football out there in front of us."

On why Cassel's numbers are lower than last season

"Any time you change teams, I think it takes a little while to get used to different players, different system. He's got a different offensive philosophy, different play callers (and) different receivers. A lot of things change when you change organizations. I see that all the time here in my role, so I'm sure he's going through some of those same things himself. There are a number of reasons for that. People say why do... We've given up more sacks this year than we did last year. That's not just because of the offensive line. That's the tight ends, that's the quarterback, that's the passing game (and) that's the philosophy that you use. I think that there are a number of things that go into that. I think, sometimes, passer rating is extremely overrated in terms of trying to figure out how well somebody is doing in a system. Completion percentage is something that is valuable. The fact that he has not turned the ball over is something that's valuable. He gives his team an opportunity to score in the red zone because he doesn't turn the ball over down there. I can't speak on last year to this year. He's at a different team with a lot of changes around him. I think he's doing a nice job with the team, and they're continuing to get better. Like I said, the addition of Chambers has definitely changed some things for him. He's just continuing to progress."

On seeking advice about playing at Kansas City in December

"I know this: there aren't really any good sources to check with because in the last 18 years, they've only lost seven times in December at home. I think the biggest thing we are trying to focus on is ourselves and our preparation and what we can do to try to go in there and play our best game. If we start looking for answers outside of this building, I think we're going to run into a dead end pretty quick. There's no magic formula (where) you call somebody and they say, ‘Hey, do ‘this' or ‘Eat spaghetti on Saturday night' or whatever it may be. I don't think that's going to really change what happens on Sunday. I think we've got to have a good week of preparation and practice, have a good game plan and go out there and play our best football. If we're looking for another answer, we're probably going to run into a dead end. It's not an easy place to play. We know that going into it, but we're not going to spend too much time talking about that. I think the best thing that we can do is really focus our efforts on trying to play our best."

On ILB/FB Spencer Larsen's performance on offense

"(We are) very pleased with what he's done at fullback. Spencer is a very physical, tough kid (and is) unselfish, knows his role, accepts his role (and) splits his time. He's learning the defense. He's learning the offense at the same time. He's got a lot on his plate. He's a core special-teams player for our football team. He does an incredible amount of different things that really don't get spoken about too many times in the media and all those things. He did a great job lead blocking for us last week. Again, (he) plays a big role for us on the goal line, plays a big role for us in short-yardage situations and has really become a dependable lead blocker for our team. That's a critical thing. If you really want to try to run the ball better as the weather gets worse, you need that player to be a dependable guy and know who to block. We run different schemes each week, and he's got to know those things as he goes along. (We are) very pleased and encouraged with what he's done. The dependability and the toughness that he brings to our offense also is the same thing that he brings to our kicking game and then defense when he's out there."

QB KYLE ORTON

On the challenge playing at Arrowhead Stadium

"Every time you play on the road against a divisional team, it's going to be a heightened atmosphere, intensity, everything. We'll have to play our best ball and face a team that's playing really hard and playing good football as of late."

On struggling after the bye week and not repeating those mistakes on Sunday

"We just came out and we didn't play very well. Hopefully, we'll come off the (Thanksgiving) break fresh and excited to play a divisional opponent and play our best ball."

On comparing Head Coach Josh McDaniels' and Bears Head Coach Lovie Smith's intensity

"They're two totally different coaches, for sure. I think both coaches get their players to play hard for them in different ways. Obviously, Josh, everybody knows how fiery he is and all of that, which guys respond to well. I know that when I was in Chicago, we responded well to Lovie's more laid-back approach and just kind of going about his business."

On comparing McDaniels and Smith as a quarterback

"I love playing for the offensive coach. Playing for Josh is great. Playing under a defensive head coach, they do different things, and we certainly go about it differently here."

On WR Brandon Marshall's physical play drawing pass interference calls

"Well I think more importantly, we'd love to get the receptions and everything. That's great to get the yards and the penalties and all that, but Brandon does a great job of knowing that when I do give him a chance to make a play, it's either him or nobody. We haven't had any negative plays come out of those situations, which is great. He does a great job of making sure that if he does have to turn into the defender, he gets the ball down."

On what has allowed him to be successful during his first year in a new offensive system

"I don't know. It is tough. It's obviously a lot of work, trying to get as familiar with the system as you can. It's tough for a lot of reasons: to get to know the personnel around you, to get to know the system around you, the coaches (and) the way you run practice. Everything's different, so it's a tough adjustment, and it usually doesn't come very quickly."

On how long it took him to adopt the Broncos' offensive system

"I'm still trying to feel as comfortable as I can with our offense and with our guys around me and everything. It will be a continual process."

On the Broncos' struggles in Kansas City in December

"They've had some good football teams, and it's a tough place to play. We feel like we're a good football team and that if we go out, play our best football and execute and don't turn the ball over, we'll have a great chance to win."

On Marshall's ability down field

"He's the first guy that I've had like this. It's been a change for me in my way of thinking, being able to trust him and give him those chances. He's a phenomenal player, and I don't see too many people when the ball is in the air going out and out-jumping him or being more physical than he is going for the ball. You certainly want to put it in a good spot to give him the best chance go up and make a play."

On if he's ever played in Kansas City

"No, this will be my first time."

On comparing Arrowhead Stadium to other NFL venues

"It's loud. I've played in loud places before. We played up in the Metrodome a number of years up in Minnesota, and there are not too many places louder than that. We'll have to handle the operation, try to limit our penalties and do a good job on offense."

S BRIAN DAWKINS

On if the mood the Broncos locker room has improved after Thursday's win

"Absolutely, it's better. It's always going to be better after a win, but I think we understand what we need to do going forward in order to keep this feeling."

On Kansas City WR Chris Chambers

"I think first of all, they're going to him and making a conscious effort to make sure they get him the ball. Any time that you have a receiver as talented as he is that has the respect and the trust of the team's offensive coordinator to get you the ball, obviously, you're going to go out there and make sure you put your best foot forward. He's doing that, big time.

On Kansas City QB Matt Cassel

"I think one of the first things that stands out to me is that he's a very, very mobile guy. He's able to keep plays alive if you allow him to. When he does that, he's able to get the ball up field and make plays that way and with his legs (he is) able to break tackles, even. It's going to be a huge task for us as a defense to make sure we don't allow him to keep plays alive and extend plays and throw the ball up the field. He's very accurate with the ball. To do some short throws, he's putting the ball where it needs to be for his receivers. This is a challenge for us."

On if Head Coach Josh McDaniels' experience with Cassel helps the defense

"At the end of the day, it's about playing football. Coaches can only tell you so much and give you so many things to prepare for, even if they don't know a quarterback as far as being in the locker room with him. It's up to the players then to take that knowledge, if you will, to the football field and make it work. We're going to have to make sure that we do what we're coached to do. Those things that he may have given us, we have to go out and execute them."

On if he is affected by the Broncos' struggles at Kansas City in December

"Honestly, no because I wasn't here for those times. To be honest with you, my thought processes are on what I can do to help this team this year. I'm not concerning myself with what happened in the past because there was nothing I could do about it then, and there's nothing I can do about that now, besides what's going on today. That's practicing and making sure we're ready going into a hostile environment and hopefully, coming out with a win."

On Kansas City RB Jamaal Charles

"It's another huge challenge for us. Each week presents different challenges. Obviously, last week, we knew who they were bringing in with (Giants RB Brandon) Jacobs, a bruising back. We knew we had to get to the hole for a different reason because you didn't want that weight to gain momentum coming forward. This week is different, (but it's the) same thing. We have to get to him early before we allow that track speed to get going. We have to swarm to the ball and not put one person in a pressure position to make tackle after tackle on this guy. We have to swarm him. It's going to be key for everybody to do the same thing that we did last week: play with emotion, play technique sound and get to the football with an attitude."

On having three division games left in the season

"Honestly, my focus is on Kansas City. I'm not worried about anything after that. Once we play them, then we can get into the next opponent, and then we'll talk about them next week. As of right now, my focus is on Kansas City and what we have to do this week to beat this team. If you look past it, if we start looking past all that stuff, those things are traps, emotional traps, that you put energy into different things that has nothing to do with the team that you're playing. We can't allow ourselves to do that."

On Allen Iverson signing with the 76ers and what he means to Philadelphia

"He was definitely an icon. I don't know if he was definitely an icon everywhere, but in Philadelphia, he was an icon. The guy went out on the basketball court and gave that city everything that he had game in and game out. I definitely respected him for that. For them to open their arms wide open again to him, to invite him into that atmosphere to bring some energy and juice to that team, I think it's going to be a good thing. I'm pretty sure-he's one of those guys that is in that city because it's such a tough place. I think he welcomes that challenge. I think he'll step up to it."

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:03:21 -0000

More photos » by Jack Dempsey - AP

22 days ago: Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno (27) has his hand examined during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Giants in Denver, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009. Denver won 26-6. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Browse more photos »

Happy Wednesday, and welcome to a day-late, dollar-short version of ST&NO. First of all, big up TJ for working hard to bring in his outstanding The Dude Abides... Stats That Don't Lie in a day early. I am a bit healthier on Tuesday as I write this, and I am going to see what I can get cranked out in one day, with moderate sneezing, and a heavy Day 1 of close workload in that pesky day job. I didn't take notes, and I didn't remember to record the Broncos game, so I am without a lot of detail this week, and will need to speak more generally than usual. No time to waste, so let's not waste any time. Ready..... BEGIN!!!

1. So I mentioned that I would be in the Constitution State, and that I'd be playing in a football game with my friend Tony, a diehard Giants fan. The morning game was fun, but I ended up pretty sore, for those who asked. It's tough playing once a year at the most.

As for the night game, well, my mom is not what you'd call a high-tech person. Every time I visit, without fail, there's some junk Coby brand DVD player she wants me to plug into some junk/old TV set without RCA inputs. (You have to drop like $40 on an RF modulator to run through coax, which is about 2.5 times the price of the DVD player.) The "how" of plugging in a DVD player is too daunting for my mom to even give it a try for herself. In her main TV-watching area, she has a 21ish-inch Symphonic brand LCD flat screen that I am sure came from Wal-Mart. Her equipment is garbage, but it works for her I guess. Law & Order SVU looks fine on it. (I don't mean to make fun of my mother; she just doesn't share my priorities, or general attitude toward spending a few extra bucks for quality gear.) It turned out to be moot anyway, because NFL Network is on a premium tier she doesn't subscribe to.

So, what to do? Well, Tony was still around. I asked if he wanted to go to a bar for the game, but he ended up inviting me to his parents' house to watch, which was cool. His dad, also Tony, is also a big Giants fan. I usually watch football alone, because I don't consider it to be a social activity. It's really kind of become my job, and I do best when I can take notes, and pause and rewind, and focus on being analytical. I will talk to my brother Chris sometimes during games, but that's annoying, because my DirecTV feed is always 2-3 seconds behind his, so he knows what happened before I do.

Last Thursday, I sat in the living room with Tony and Tony. Tony Version 2.0's mother, and his girlfriend Ana, were there for most of the first half. I like them both very much, but having women around for a Broncos game was a whole other level of different for me. Like, I don't think it has happened since I was married, and that ended Halloween 2007.

But I digest. (I just had a sandwich from Tomayydo Tomahhdo for lunch. It was excellent, as always.) Back to the lecture at hand. I'm watching this game with two Giants fans and their women, and I got it in my mind that I was going to be really respectful of the Giants one way or the other. It turned out I had to do so in the one way, and not the other, which made me happy. For me, it's easier to be gracious in victory than in defeat.

The Broncos dominated the Giants, and in my opinion, played their best all-around game of the season. Kyle Orton threw one bad ball that he'd like to have back. The Giants got one receiver wide open on a well-conceived rub play where Alphonso Smith and Andre' Goodman ran into each other. The line had those 3 stupid scoring-area false starts, and gave up one sack, on the opening play of the game, and it came from the free rusher on a blitz (which puts it on coverage and Orton). Other than those few plays, and a sense that Correll Buckhalter went down a little too easily a couple of times, I wouldn't change much of anything.

McGeorge asked after the San Diego game if I still stood by my 11-5 prediction. I wanted to see how the Broncos did against New York, but after that, I sure do. The Giants game showed the exact formula that the Broncos can use to beat just about anybody. On defense, it was coverage, pressure, and gap control. On offense, it was sharp routes, great catches and good throws, combined with hard running and excellent run blocking. If the Broncos play like that, they will crush the Raiders and Chiefs, and end up with a minimum of 10 wins. They match up pretty well with both the Colts and the Eagles, too, and I think they can win 1 out of those 2 games. Here is my rationale for saying they match up well.

Indianapolis - The Colts are not a complete team, but nobody really is in the salary cap era. What the Colts are is a team which is constructed around the idea that their QB is going to give them leads, and that their defense will therefore need to protect leads. What does that mean? Well, they value zone coverage and pressure from their DEs. If you make them defend both the pass and the run on any given snap, you can score on them without a lot of trouble. Because the Colts can't stop even an average running game with 7 men, their SS Melvin Bullitt runs down into the box very frequently, and the Colts are therefore susceptible to being beaten over the top on play action, if you can run against them. It was no accident how the Texans got out to a big lead Sunday. They ran and threw, and had the Colts defense off balance early. The Colts rookie CBs couldn't handle Andre Johnson and Kevin Walter, and I'm here to tell you, they have nothing for Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal either. The Texans can't handle Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, and the Broncos can, assuming Ryan Harris is fully back by then. The Broncos can block the Colts DEs, beat their CBs, and move their front seven in the running game.

Remember this point. Just because the Colts are 3^rd in scoring defense (just behind Cincinnati and Dallas, and just ahead of Denver) doesn't mean they have a good defense. They really don't. They have a defense which is equipped to take care of leads by making teams gain yards in smallish chunks, and by sacking QBs with edge pressure. That, combined with Peyton Manning's constant use of the whole play clock leads to low-scoring days by opposing offenses

The trick, of course, is defending the Colts, and that's where the Broncos have historically struggled. This Broncos team, however, is better equipped than any in recent memory to have some success. The Colts do best when they can run the ball, and I like the Broncos' chances to stop their running game with 7 ½ men (meaning Brian Dawkins is starting in a cover-2 shell, but keying run first). By stopping the Colts run, you take away their play action stuff, which makes Peyton Manning beat you with perfect throws, and his receivers beat you with perfect routes. Which, of course, they can do, but it's a harder go than the other way. I like the secondary matchups pretty well for the Broncos, from Champ Bailey against Reggie Wayne, Andre' Goodman against Pierre Garcon, Ty Law or Alphonso Smith against Austin Collie, and either Law or Josh Barrett against Dallas Clark. The Clark matchup is key against the Colts, and I like Law and Barrett, depending on down and distance, better than anybody else's sub-package guys in the NFL for covering a big-time TE.

I'm not saying the game will be a runaway Broncos win, just that I can easily make a case for them TO win, and that I think they CAN win. What do you think?

Philadelphia - This is a game the Broncos SHOULD win. The Eagles are a lot like the Giants, from both schematic and personnel perspectives. From the angle of attacking Philly's defense, you can outside zone them to death, like the Broncos did so well against the Giants. That's because their LBs tend to be bigger, slower guys who struggle a bit to cover the lateral width of the field. Will Witherspoon is an exception to that archetype, but Chris Gocong, Joe Mays, and Moise Fokou are vertical players.

You have to block the Eagles' blitz packages, and it really helps to stay on schedule against them. That's a bit easier than it is against a Baltimore or Pittsburgh, because you can run the ball. (They're currently ranked 8^th against the run, but trust me, you can gash them if you try a little.) In the passing game, you'd like to exploit Asante Samuel, who bites on a ton of double moves. Yes, he's a ball-hawk, but he doesn't shut anybody down. He can catch extremely well, and he's an excellent tackler, but he's just an okay coverage player. Sheldon Brown is kind of the opposite; better in coverage, but lesser as a ball-hawk and tackler. Where you can kill the Eagles is from the slot, and with TEs, especially if you block their blitz packages.

Offensively, the Eagles are a big-play offense, and the Broncos have been as good as anybody in the NFL at limiting big plays. Brent Celek got paid Tuesday, and he deserved it. He's a very good receiving TE. The Eagles don't have a big, physical #1 type WR, but they have two speedsters outside with DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. The guy I think is dangerous is Jason Avant, who is much stronger and more physical than the average slot receiver, and he's a tough matchup for the average thin/quick nickel CB. Of course, Alphonso Smith and Ty Law are both thicker/stronger players, so it's less of an issue. I don't fear the Eagles running game, because if you stop it early, they quit going to it.

This game can go either way, obviously, but the Broncos are well-equipped to get a good road win in Philadelphia. I feel pretty good about both games, actually. So, yeah. I still like the 11-5 prediction.

2. Information From My Eyes - Other Games:

a. Richard Seymour is still playing at a high level in Oakland, despite his fairly modest statistics this season. I watched him defeat the left side of the Cowboys offensive line several times on Thanksgiving Day. Seymour's contract is up after this season, and you have to think he'd rather not re-up with the Raiders. Of course, given the price Al Davis paid, he probably gets franchised. If he somehow isn't, I'd sure like to see him in Denver. Forget all this nonsense about building exclusively through the draft; as we've all hopefully realized this season, a team should take any approach available to it, in order to acquire the most good players possible.

b. Anthony Spencer had the best game I have ever seen him have for the Cowboys. Some Dallas fans took exception with my calling Spencer "just a guy" in Week 3, and if he keeps playing like he did last Thursday, I'll have to rethink my evaluation.

c. I have been a fan of the Cowboys' passing scheme for several years now, going back to the end of the Parcells regime. In 2007, when I started to make it my business to watch teams other than the Broncos closely, Jason Garrett was the young, hot name as the Offensive Coordinator, and Jerry Jones paid him a lot of money not to leave for jobs in Baltimore and Atlanta after the 2007 season.

When Tony Sparano left to become the Dolphins Head Coach last season, it came to light that Garrett hadn't been the primary playcaller in 2007, and that he'd be doing it for the first time in 2008 with Sparano's departure. The Cowboys took a noticeable step back last season, and some of the bloom came off the Garrett rose, even as he interviewed for Head Coaching jobs with the Broncos, Lions, and Rams, and seemed to initially be the favorite for the Rams job. There was speculation that Jones would love to be out from under Garrett's $3-million contract.

Well, the point of the history lesson is that the scheme and execution look much better in Dallas lately than they have since Sparano left. I don't know if this makes Garrett a Head Coach, but it makes him a guy who appears to have grown into his job. The Cowboys' passing scheme is very vertical, and it does a good job of getting the ball in the hands of its playmakers. Some will say they don't get Roy Williams involved enough, but those people believe more in Williams than I do. I think he is what he looks like; a lazy player, who has below average hands, lacks quickness out of his breaks, and rounds off his routes. If there's no salary cap for the Cowboys to take a prorated hit against, I guarantee that he gets released in the offseason, and has to beg for a 1 year, $1-million contract to compete for a backup role somewhere.

d. Charles Woodson is playing the best football of his career right now, which I have mentioned several times this season. He had a big stat game Thursday on national TV, and now everybody is on the bandwagon with me. I actually thought it may have only been the 3rd- or 4th-best game I have seen him play this season. To me, he's the no-question Defensive Player of the Year so far.

e. The Packers defense has really gotten their act together lately, and are a big key to the push they seem to be making. I am pretty comfortable projecting that the Packers will be in the postseason as a Wild Card at this point.

f. Jim Leonhard of the Jets is a tremendously underrated player, and I left him out of my Good AFC Safeties list last week, kind of by accident. He is always around the football, and I've been a big fan of his game going all the way back to his days at Wisconsin. The Broncos offered him more money than the Jets this offseason, but he chose to follow Rex Ryan. It seems like it was a good decision for him, anyway.

g. I watched the Short Cut of the Jets-Panthers game, and I agree with Doug Lee that Mark Sanchez's 13-of-17 stat line was very misleading. He had happy feet, and he looked really confused a lot of the time.

h. I've seen a few people starting to use the line which goes "If Alex Smith plays like he did Sunday, the Niners might not replace him in the draft." Really, he has played pretty well for six games, better than ever before in his career. I think the decision would already be made, if it was up to me. You have a guy who is proving he can play, and he's improving even as teams get some film on him. That rollout and throw to Frank Gore for the second TD was a thing of beauty, as Smith waited till the last possible second, and threw the ball to the only spot he could put it. I'd be looking to improve the offensive line, and counting on having a Top-10 offense next season, with Smith, Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree, Josh Morgan, and Vernon Davis. Joe Staley is a solid LT when he's healthy, but General Manager Scot McCloughan really would do well to replace the other 4 starters up front. Sunday's game was the first time in 18 games that the 49ers didn't give up a single sack.

i. I tend to like a lot of University of Florida guys, but Ray McDonald is really coming into his own in a specialist role for the 49ers. He looked unblockable at times Sunday. McDonald usually plays in passing situations at DE. According to ESPN, he didn't record a tackle, but he did recover a fumble. I'm telling you, though, he was defeating some blocks Sunday, and bringing a lot of pressure.

3. There are two kinds of name-droppers, and I am the second kind. It's not like I am extremely famous (yet) with my writing for this site, but when you think about it, I'm known by more people than probably 98% of the population. I'm definitely more famous than any of my friends and family, and in the course of telling my stories, I find it adds rhetorical flourish to mention them sometimes, and it's also fun to share my little bit of light with them. I tell people, if they want to make ST&NO, they should do something interesting with me.

The first kind of name-dropper is the one who tries to stand in other people's light. Our dear friend Jay Glazer is the quintessential example of this kind. Check this douchebaggery, from Tuesday night:

First of all, it's Too $hort, not two-short. And, you know what? That's all I have on that topic. I like making fun of Glazer, but whatever, you know? Fish in a barrel.

I am now going to name-drop a person who is as famous as I am. I met Doug Lee for lunch in Manhattan on Saturday. Yes, THE Doug Lee. Friggin Horse Tracks Doug Lee, people! Doug is a cool guy, and he suggested a great burger spot on the Upper East Side.

The lunch conversation was very interesting, the food was terrific, and it was great to meet Doug, but the hijinks ensued when I left to get back on the road back to Cleveland. I had parked on E 71st Street between 1st and 2nd Avenue (for 14 bucks for 2 1/2 hours.) I came out heading south on 2nd Ave, thinking my GPS would send me back to the FDR, and the Triboro bridge, back up to catch the George Washington Bridge.

Well, it took about 2 minutes for my boy Tom Tom to reacquire a signal, and by then I had gone south 10-15 blocks on 2nd. Tom Tom then wanted me to go to the Lincoln Tunnel, the entrance for which is in the 30s, off 9th Avenue, so significantly south and west of where I started out. It's an unquestionably stupid way to go, driving over the river and through the woods in Manhattan, even on a Saturday afternoon, especially considering the Lincoln Tunnel spits you out on the New Jersey Turnpike, heading toward the world-renowned hell-hole of Newark.. (Home of wred-mann.)

Where's the payoff pitch? Here it goes. I was sitting at a traffic light at E 43rd St and 2nd Avenue, and this Puerto Rican guy (with a flag on his shirt, incidentally), knocked on my window. I looked at him like, WTF? But I lowered the window, and he told my right rear tire area looked like it was on fire, and was smoking like crazy. A woman walking behind him told me the same thing, so I pulled over on 43rd and troubleshot it with my dad on the phone for awhile, before deducing that the emergency brake had probably stayed clamped to the rotor, and was causing sparks and smoke. I watched it, with my mirror pointed down, but eventually I was comfortable enough to go through the tunnel, and eventually through Newark, and back to I-80. The moral of the story is if somebody knocks on your window, he may be trying to be helpful, so you shouldn't look cross-eyed at him, as a matter of instinct. Also, sometimes, Tom Tom messing up is a blessing in disguise. If I had gone FDR to the Triboro, to the GW, It would have been all highway, with nobody walking down the sidewalk to knock.

4. One of the hazards of relying on "insiders" for information is that it comes with agendas and spin. Pro Football Weekly is a (Bill Williamson Memorial) decent site, but they rely tremendously on anonymous insider commentary. They've been talking to somebody who seems incentivized to cast Raheem Morris as woefully inept. Check this out:

Talk of the Buccaneers giving head coach Raheem Morris another offseason to turn the team around is fading fast, as his latest bold decision was another admission of failure in a season marked with disappointment. Morris seized defensive coordinator duties from Jim Bates on Nov. 24 and demoted Bates to what is being described as an advisory role, although it's not clear just what kind of involvement or authority, if any, Bates will have for the rest of his time with the organization.

Morris made a couple of mistakes in hiring his staff, but they were the kind of mistakes a first-timer can make, especially one who gets a Head Coaching job a month after most of the movement was over. There's this persistent meme that relieving Jeff Jagodzinski and Jim Bates of their duties somehow shows Morris to be weak. I say it's the other way around. He realized that he had made mistakes, and he let sunk costs be sunk costs, and made the moves that he felt gave his team the best chance to win.

Morris's team is 1-10, but the Bucs have improved as the season has gone on, and it would be asinine to fire him after a season which was a declared rebuilding year, where a coach who they knew was probably hired a year too early learned the ropes.

There are a lot of haters in the world, and I relate pretty closely to Morris. I have always been an overachiever, who has consistently beaten out older, more experienced professional competition for promotions and recognition. Not to toot my own horn or anything, but I have a pretty good deal of talent, and a strong work ethic. The majority of my critics have only been moderately talented people, with medium work ethics. Let's face it, there are a lot of people in the center of the bell curve. I am in the center of the bell curve in certain ways, and so is everybody. I am not, though, as an accountant, and Raheem Morris is not as a football coach.

So, some 25-year career assistant who has been hired and fired 15 times is jealous of Morris and his early success. He spouts off to Dan Parr at PFW, and Parr writes that article above. The same thing was going on with Josh McDaniels, with the questioning of his ability, and Josh only got clear of it by winning. Morris will, too.

Even a guy like Marshall Faulk was hating on Morris on Sunday morning, intimating that all the young coach knew how to call was Tampa-2. Well, for 7 end-of-game goal-to-go plays, he called press man-to-man, and his guys covered well. On 4th down, Roddy White made a great play, and won the game for the Falcons. Really, if Connor Barth had hit the 51-yard field goal he attempted, they would have only been playing for a tie. I saw somewhere Morris was criticized for kicking the field goal rather than punting. Really? The point is don't listen to these idiots. I'd be very surprised if the Glazer family is.

5. I have a couple of quick college thoughts.

a. The Head Coaching job at Notre Dame is not a good one. I could usually take or leave SI.com's Stewart Mandel, but he has it exactly right. The expectations there are entirely unreasonable, given the constraints they face. If I were Cincinnati's Brian Kelly, there is no way in hell I'd take that job. At Cincinnati, he has a program whose credibility is on the rise, and who will soon be taken more seriously in the National Championship picture. At Notre Dame, there's just faded mystique.

b. I am a Florida fan, and I think it is unlikely that Tim Tebow wins the Heisman Trophy. I am actually pretty excited for the prospect of the lesser Colt McCoy winning, because history will be repeating itself. I am projecting a win against Alabama, and a Texas win against Nebraska, neither of which is a foregone conclusion, but let's say it happens like that. Tebow will lead Florida into a National Championship game against a guy he lost the Heisman to. I would be really bullish for Florida's 3rd title in 4 years, even more than I already am.

c. Speaking of the Heisman, I think it's ridiculous how it's turned into nothing more than a tool for media conjecture. Frankly, it follows along the same line of thinking that dominates professional football writing, that all of the best players are QBs and RBs, joined by the occasional WR. It's a total farce.

That's all I have this week. I will be back next Tuesday for more of a full-figured ST&NO. Have a great week, and Go Broncos!

Horse Tracks 12/1/09 - Broncos given extra day of rest, return to practice today in preparation for trip to KC

Douglas A. Lee — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:36:05 -0000

DB - Weekly Press Release - Patrick Smyth

DPP - Broncos give any foe a run for money when they can run - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Hurting Broncos enjoy some rest - Lindsay Jones
"The Broncos also will be closely watching offensive tackle Ryan Harris, who is expected to return to the practice field in earnest this week for the first time since dislocating a big toe Nov. 1 against Baltimore."

DP - Broncos Mailbag: Giants caught napping? - Mike Klis

DPP - Analysis: Urlacher points out the Bears made a mistake the Broncos made first - Mike Klis

DPP - Q&A: McDaniels still in Cassel's fan club - Jeff Legwold

NFL - NFL declines to address investigation reports about McDaniels' spat
"McDaniels indicated the Broncos asked the NFL to look into the encounter, according to ESPN." Honestly, I think they should just leave it be...

CBS4 - Holliday Credits Win To 'Complimentary' Football - Matthew Buettner
I'm pretty sure (like roughly 100% so) that the word Vonnie used was "complementary" and not "complimentary". What makes the Broncos D play well is not telling each other, "Hey Elvis - nice play."

CBS4 - Elway Says Broncos Players-Only Meeting Helped - Jesse Sarles

CSG - Broncos rookie class having quiet year - Frank Schwab

DPP - Broncos eyeing ... The Chiefs - Lindsay Jones

DPP - Spotlight on Broncos kicker Matt Prater - Lindsay Jones

DPP - By the numbers, Broncos chasing only Chargers

KDVR - Broncos leading AFC Wild Card race - Chris Tanaka

DB - Ask Vonnie Holliday...

NFL Results

NFL - New England Patriots 17 at New Orleans Saints 38

NFP - The Monday Rewind - Matt Bowen

SI - New Orleans Saints look unbeatable while dismantling Patriots - Don Banks

Y! - Saints' monumental rout means 16-0 within grasp - Jason Cole

FH - Brees, Team Mardi Gras Headed to 16-0 - Jay Mariotti

SN - Saints have it all: a perfect blend of offense, defense - Dennis Dillon

NFP - Brees, Brady: good people, great players - Andrew Brandt

AFC West News

ESPN - Weis could land in the AFC West - Bill Williamson

SDUT - Injury updates - Kevin Acee
"Norv Turner confirmed that free safety Eric Weddle sprained his knee and will likely miss the next two games. Weddle, who has a sprained MCL, is expected to play Dec. 20 against Cincinnati. Turner also said he might consider resting outside linebacker Shawne Merriman this Sunday against the Browns."

SDUT - Why wait? Sign Turner - Nick Canepa
Yes! Please! Do it!!!! I understand he's been winning division titles, but that hasn't exactly taken much in recent years. The Dolts underachieve relative to their talent every single year...

SDUT - Browns give Bolts a needed respite - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Defense shows its depth in secondary - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Ex-Charger’s mistress charged with stalking - John Wilkens
Well, this explains the release of Chris Chambers...the drama-to-catches ratio was simply too high (sort of like the people-to-cake ratio).

KCS - Chiefs’ Haley knows Weis well - Adam Teicher

OT - Raiders safety Mike Mitchell bids to prove 'experts' wrong - Steve Corkran

NFL News

PFW - Week 13 matchup tidbits

NFL - Playoff Picture 2009

NFL - Falcons' Ryan to miss next game, maybe more with turf toe

NFL - Cardinals' Warner dealing with eye issues following concussion

NFL - Broken finger may finally sideline struggling Delhomme

NFL - Jackson's status remains uncertain for Eagles after concussion

NFL - Giants' Manning not 'overly concerned' over stress reaction in foot

NFL - Giants place defensive captain Pierce on injured reserve

NFL - Benson will be back for Bengals

NFL Opinion

NYT - Steelers’ Ward Voices Conflict Between Team Goals and Player Safety - Greg Bishop

NFP - The Monday Tavern - Mike Lombardi

NYT - N.F.L. Quick Hits, Week 12: Could Kubiak Be Finished? - Andy Benoit

NFL - Six from Sunday: Questionable calls prove costly - Pat Kirwan

ESPN - Fix Steelers' D; Woodson for DPOY - Jeffri Chadiha

SN - Week 12 Checkdown: Wild scramble ahead for final playoff spots - Vinnie Iyer
Iyer sees the Ravens and Steelers beating out Denver for the wild-card spots

CBS - December heat: Eight facing delivery deadlines - Clark Judge

NFL - Titans' Young has made the most of his second chance - Mike Lombardi

FOX - The Day After: Tale of two quarterbacks - John Czarnecki

SI - Steelers find capable backup QB in Dennis Dixon, but is there trouble? - Jerome Bettis

FH - Ravens' Ray Rice an Unexpected Star - Thomas George

NYT - Top 10 List: Quarterbacks Win on Final Play - John Maxymuk
Elway to Smith

Poll

Who do you think will be on Mike Shanahan's next coaching staff?

Gary Kubiak

118 votes

Jeremy Bates

101 votes

Both; Kubes as OC, Bates with the QBs

104 votes

Neither one

132 votes

Who cares?

384 votes

839 votes | Poll has closed

Horse Tracks 11/27/09 - Broncos dominate Giants; Royal, Woodyard, Thomas, Law all leave with injuries

Douglas A. Lee — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:43:49 -0000

Good Morning, MHR Friends! Now doesn't that feel better? It wasn't perfect (issues in the red zone, lots of offensive penalties), but the Broncos put in quite a performance last night. Their play along both lines of scrimmage was absolutely dominant, as the Giants' offense faced third-and-long situations all night long, while the Broncos' O-Line kept Kyle Orton mostly clean and paved the way for a solid game from Knowshon Moreno. The Broncos' D made several big plays, including three sacks and three takeaways. Denver's special teams were better than they've been all year, highlighted by a perfect night from Matt Prater (4-for-4 on field goal tries and 7-for-7 on getting kickoffs into the end zone). Brandon Marshall made two one-handed catches (I'm not sure I've seen better from him), Knowshon made some highlight-reel moves, and Denver's secondary was stellar. The Broncos now sit at 7-4 and just ahead of Pittsburgh and Jacksonville (both 6-4) for the fifth seed in the AFC. Next up? The fourth Sunday in seven without Broncos football. Strange, right? Then, it's off to Kansas City...

NFL - Broncos 26, Giants 6 - Highlights with NFLN calls

DB - Giants Postgame: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - Giants Postgame: Report - Broncos TV

NFL - New York Giants 6 at Denver Broncos 26 - Box Score

DPP - Broncos stuff Giants, snap losing skid - Mike Klis

DPP - Briefs: Elvis nothing but "money" when it counts
"Wesley Woodyard (neck), Marcus Thomas (shoulder), Eddie Royal (thigh) and Ty Law (hamstring) all suffered game-ending injuries and were slow to leave the locker room. Running back Knowshon Moreno left the game in the second half with what appeared to be a hand or arm injury, but later returned to have one carry just before the two-minute warning...The Broncos players will be off for three days before returning to the practice field Monday. . . . Two Broncos were inactive with injuries, right tackle Ryan Harris (toe) and running back LaMont Jordan (back)."

CSG - What a difference a day (or four) makes - David Ramsey

DB - Giants Postgame: Orton - Broncos TV

NFLN - Dawkins on-field interview- Video

NFLN - Giants vs. Broncos highlights - Video
Eisen, Deion, Mooch and Faulk

DB - Giving Thanks on Gameday - Chris Gentilviso

DB - A Giant Release - Gray Caldwell

DB - Turkey Day Turnaround - Chris Gentilviso

DPP - Broncos' defense paves way for offense - Jeff Legwold

DPP - Marshall happier, more productive in Broncos' win over Giants - Lindsay Jones

DPP - McD swears Broncos are back - Mark Kiszla

DPP - Everything depends on defense - Dave Krieger

DPP - Broncos save their season - Jim Armstrong