SB Nation - Niko Koutouvides

Boilers in the NFL: Week two of the preseason

BoilerTMill — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:45:54 -0000

With most of week 2 in the books it is time to start looking at fantasy draft options. Most of the Purdue guys are still kicking around, but the first round of cuts are coming. It is only a matter of time before this list gets a little shorter, unfortunately.

Side note: Speaking of fantasy, we have so far had four people sign up for the Hammer & Rails league through CBS Sports' college football. We need at least 6 more as well. If someone would be willing to commissioner this league it would be awesome as well. As a warning, CBS Sports fantasy is about as user unfriendly as possible, so hopefully someone out there has figures it out. Now, on with the update.

Arizona Cardinals - Chike Okeafor (OLB) - Okeafor had one assist on a tackle as he fights to stay a Cardinal. I would say his chances of making the roster are pretty good. The Cardinals lost to San Diego 17-6 in the second preseason game. He has been battling a sore back, however.

Carolina Panthers - Anthony Heygood (LB) - An undrafted free agent fighting for roster spot, Heygood got some more game action, notching a tackle as he tries to land a roster spot. He is in the same boat as Landon Johnson (LB) - Landon at least signed as a free agent this summer. He had no stats in the second preseason game though, a 27-17 loss to the Dolphins

Cincinnati Bengals - Greg Orton (WR) - Undrafted free agent fighting for roster spot. Greg had no stats in a 7-6 win over New England, so I would say his chances of making the roster at this point are pretty slim.

Dallas Cowboys - Anthony Spencer (LB) - Spencer had two tackles and one assist as the Cowboys opened their giant new stadium with a 30-10 win over Tennessee. The Cowboys lost rookie OLB Brandon Williams to a torn ACL, making Spencer that much more valuable.

Denver Broncos - Kyle Orton (QB) - Kyle had a much better second week of the preseason, completing 16 of 22 passes for 182 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Chris Simms is still breathing down his neck for the starting job, however. Kyle had an ugly left handed interception hat left Denver fans shaking their heads in dismay. Denver lost 27-13 at Seattle. Brandon Gorin (OL) - Gorin has a strong chance to be a starter along Denver's offensive line.

Detroit Lions - Cliff Avril (DE) - Cliff had no stats in the second preseason game, which is a shame because he had the chance to sack Brady Quinn, Medicine Woman. He struggled in limited action. Schweigert (S) - Stu had a tackle in the 27-10 loss at Cleveland in week 2. John Standeford (WR) - John had two catches for 16 yards after missing the first game with an injury. He has as good of a chance of anyone of making the final roster, as he performed very well in the second half of last season, all things considered for the Lions.

Houston Texans - Jacques Reeves (CB) - Jacques is battling a broken leg at the moment and may miss the entire season. Jeff Zgonina (DT) - Jeff still has a good shot of making a roster for his 17^th season in the league. He had two tackles and a sack in a 38-14 loss to New Orleans.

Indianapolis Colts - Curtis Painter (QB) - Painter saw quite a bit of action as Jim Sorgi was out again with a sore hamstring, but that will change in week 3 against Detroit. Sorgi is expected to return. Given his experience with the Colts, I have a hard time seeing Painter overtake him for the number two job. This is a season of learning for Curtis. Still, he completed 11 of 19 passes for 119 yards and an interception in a win over Philadelphia. He also ran once for a loss of six yards.

Jacksonville Jaguars - Uche Nwaneri (OL) - Uche is starting for now, but is likely headed to the bench once the season starts.

Kansas City Chiefs - Bernard Pollard (S) - Pollard sat out week 2 of the preseason. Had five tackles in preseason debut. Alex Magee (DT) - Magee played but did not have any stats against the Minnesota Favres last week. No one seemed to notice as it was all about Brett.

Miami Dolphins - Akin Ayodele (LB) - 8^th year in league. Akin is the likely starter again for the Dolphins. He had one tackle in limited action against Carolina. Ryan Baker (DT) - Undrafted free agent fighting for roster spot. Baker had a tackle and an assist in the second preseason game.

Minnesota Vikings - Ray Edwards (DE) - Like Pollard and Magee above, no one noticed what Ray Edwards did as Favre played his first game as a Viking. Edwards had a tackle and an assist as he is a likely starter.

New England Patriots - Matt Light (LT) - 9^th year in league. Has won three Super Bowls and has started all but two games in his career. Light will be the starting left tackle once again. Rob Ninkovich (LB) - 3^rd year in league. Rob had a very positive second week of the preseason, leading the Patriots with six tackles and three assists. Apparently he has moved from Defensive End to Linebacker

New Orleans Saints - Drew Brees (QB) - It is still smooth sailing for Brees, as he was 9 of 14 for 87 yards and a touchdown in the win over Houston.

New York Jets - Dustin Keller (TE) - DK plays his second preseason game tonight at Baltimore. The game will be on ESPN at 8pm

Philadelphia Eagles - Eugene Bright (TE) - Bright did not have a catch against Indianapolis, but he is still in the running for a backup tight end spot.

San Diego Chargers - Shaun Phillips (LB) - Phillips had one tackle in week 2 as he continues to hold down a starting linebacker spot. Nick Hardwick (OL) - 6^th year in league. Likely starter with 68 career starts at center and a Pro Bowl nod in 2006. Charles Davis (TE) - Davis did not have any stats in the second week of the preseason, making it harder and harder for him to make the roster. There is the possibility, however, of Davis making the roster as a fullback/H-back

San Francisco 49ers - Kory Sheets (RB) - Kory continues to be the most likely candidate to go from undrafted free agent to roster member, as he ran for 51 yards on 12 carries and added a fourth quarter touchdown to give the 49ers a 21-20 win over Oakland. Kory has all but sealed the 3^rd string running back job now.

I had video of Kory's TD, but SBNation allows only YouTube embedding, so you'll have to follow the link.

Seattle Seahawks - Craig Terrill (DT) - Craig had two tackles in the win over Seattle. He has been a stalwart in the Seahawks' defensive line rotation for years now. Seattle fans do like his ability to disrupt things on the line.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Niko Koutouvides (LB) - Niko had no stats in week two, as he fights for a roster spot after signing as a free agent.

Tennessee Titans - Stanford Keglar (LB) - Keglar had two tackles in the preseason loss at Dallas. Mike Otto (OT) - Otto is fighting for a roster spot, but the blog Music City Miracles thinks both Otto and Keglar will make the final 53 man roster.

Boilers in the pros: Preseason week 1

BoilerTMill — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:56:12 -0000

With the first week of the preseason in the books I wanted to take a quick look and see how all of our guys did in week 1. Obviously many guys are established on rosters already, but some are fighting for spots. This was a lot of fun, as I did most of the research on Sunday night, but waited until this morning to post it because there were a pair of preseason games last night. If I have time, I think I will make this a regular feature, as I have no weeded out hte teams that do not have former Purdue players on their rosters. Some guys, like Charles Davis, were happy finds because I didn't know they were still kicking around out there.

Here is how everyone did in week 1:

Ladies and gentlemen, your reigning NFL offensive player of the year.

Arizona Cardinals - Chike Okeafor (OLB) - 11^th year on team. Had a tackle against Pittsburgh in opener. Likely starter.

Atlanta Falcons - No players on roster

Baltimore Ravens - No players on roster

Buffalo Bills - No players on roster Side note: Who the hell is Gibran Hamdan? Apparently, he is a former IU quarterback that is on their roster, but I have never heard of him.

Carolina Panthers - Anthony Heygood (LB) - Undrafted free agent fighting for roster spot. Had one tackle in preseason opener. Landon Johnson (LB) - 6^th year in league, fighting for roster spot. The Panthers played their first game Monday night and Landon had no stats.

Chicago Bears - No players on roster

Cincinnati Bengals - Greg Orton (WR) - Undrafted free agent fighting for roster spot. Had no statistics in 17-7 loss at New Orleans

Cleveland Browns - No players on roster

Dallas Cowboys - Anthony Spencer (LB) - 3^rd year with team. Had one tackle in loss to open preseason. Likely starter.

Denver Broncos - Kyle Orton (QB) - Had brutal debut as starting quarterback with three interceptions. Completed 9 of 16 passes for 89 yards. Is still listed as the starter for now, but he obviously must improve. Brandon Gorin (OL) - Trying to return to NFL after starting 8 games at tackle for St. Louis in 2007. Six year veteran with 26 starts and former member of the Visa Five Layers of protection, thus making him the rare offensive lineman with an endorsement deal.

Detroit Lions - Cliff Avril (DE) - Second year player. Had two tackles as Lions won on late field goal. Stu Schweigert (S) - Found a home in Detroit last year after getting cut by Washington and Denver. Had four tackles in preseason opener and should be safely on the roster. He is also loving the fact he plays for his hometown team. John Standeford (WR) - After years on the Colts practice squad, finally made a regular season roster with the Lions. Emerged as #2 receiver late last season with four starts. No stats in opener

Green Bay Packers - No players on roster.

Houston Texans - Jacques Reeves (CB) - 6^th year in league. Will likely start at corner after breakout season in 2008. No statistics in opener. Jeff Zgonina (DT) - An astounding 17^th season for the last active player from the Colletto Era. Played in all 16 games last year with two starts. Is fighting for a roster spot apparently. No statistics in opener. UPDATE: It is no wonder Reeves had no stats in the opener, as he suffered a broken leg in camp and will be out for some time.

Indianapolis Colts - Curtis Painter (QB) - Rookie likely playing 3^rd string quarterback. Took the majority of snaps for the Colts in a 13-3 loss that was a boring as it sounds. Completed 10 of 17 passes for 77 yards.

Jacksonville Jaguars - Uche Nwaneri (OL) - 3^rd year in league. Likely starter at offensive guard after making 15 starts last year.

Kansas City Chiefs - Bernard Pollard (S) - 4^th year in league, probable starter. Most hated non-Yankee in New England after ending Tom Brady's season last year. Had five tackles in preseason debut. Alex Magee (DT) - Rookie on defensive line rotation. Had four tackles in preseason debut. The chiefs lost to the Texans 16-10.

Miami Dolphins - Akin Ayodele (LB) - 8^th year in league. Starter 13 games with 75 tackles last season. Likely starter again. Ryan Baker (DT) - Undrafted free agent fighting for roster spot. Both Ayodele and Baker had one tackle Monday night in a 12-9 field goal kicking contest.

Minnesota Vikings - Ray Edwards (DE) - 4^th year in league. Likely starter after 15 starts and five sacks last season. Had tackle in preseason debut win over the Colts.

New England Patriots - Matt Light (LT) - 9^th year in league. Has won three Super Bowls and has started all but two games in his career. Will be protecting Tom Brady's blind side until both head to Canton most likely. Rob Ninkovich (DE) - 3^rd year in league. Has played in just 8 career games as he tries to return from serious knee injury. No stats in preseason debut.

New Orleans Saints - Drew Brees (QB) - 9^th year in league. Will be starter after making the Pro Bowl for third time and second time being named All-Pro. Reigning Offensive Player of the Year. Completed 6 of 9 passes for 88 yards and a touchdown in 17-7 win over Cincy.

New York Giants - No players on roster.

New York Jets - Dustin Keller (TE) - 3 catches for 52 yards in preseason debut. Likely starter after solid rookie season in 2008. Big things are expected from him this year.

Oakland Raiders - No players on roster.

Philadelphia Eagles - Eugene Bright (TE) - An interesting one, as Bright was a pretty average Defensive end at Purdue and never played tight end. Undrafted free agent trying to make roster. Had one catch for eight yards in preseason debut.

Pittsburgh Steelers - No players on roster.

San Diego Chargers - Shaun Phillips (LB) - 6^th year in league. Likely starter as one of San Diego's best linebackers. Had 2 tackles in first game. Nick Hardwick (OL) - 6^th year in league. Likely starter with 68 career starts at center and a Pro Bowl nod in 2006. Charles Davis (TE) - Has bounced around league (Giants, Panthers, Jaguars) trying to make a roster, but has yet to play in an official game. No stats in opener

San Francisco 49ers - Kory Sheets (RB) - Undrafted free agent trying to make a roster. Kory probably had the most beneficial weekend of anyone. Rushed for 51 yards on 10 carries and a long of 25 in win over Denver. Also saw main competition Thomas Clayton unfortunately tear his ACL and get released. Has solid chance to make roster as 3^rd down back/kick returner.

Seattle Seahawks - Craig Terrill (DT) - 6^th year in league. Is having a very Jeff Zgonina-like career so far. Will likely be in the rotation at defensive tackle and may start. Had no statistics in opener.

St. Louis Rams - No players on roster.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Niko Koutouvides (LB) - 6^th year in league. Fighting for roster spot after disappointing year in Denver last season. Had four tackles in preseason debut. Buc fans are excited to have him.

Tennessee Titans - Stanford Keglar (LB) - 2^nd year in league. Played in 13 games as a rookie last season. Leads the team in tackles with 11 through 2 games (The Titans played in the Hall of Fame game too). The Titans think he may be the steal of last year's draft, too. Mike Otto (OT) - 2^nd year in league officially. Has been on practice squad and has played in one official game.

Washington Redskins - No players on roster.

Chiefs Not the Busiest but Having the Best Off Season in the AFC West

Chris Thorman — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:59:08 -0000

I know it's always fun to give Broncos, Raiders and Chargers fans a good ribbing now and then about their respective teams but the joke is really on the AFC West.

The Chargers, 8-8 last year, won their final four games of the year to snatch the divisional crown away from the bumbling Broncos. The Chiefs and Raiders were never in it. As a whole, the teams of the AFC West averaged about 5.5 wins each last year and no team's record was over .500.

So, you'd expect a lot of changes in personnel in the AFC West after such a poor showing by, well, everyone. The Broncos have been by far the busiest AFC West team in free agency and the activity dwindles as you go from the Chiefs, to the Raiders and to the Chargers.

The Chiefs cut a few salary cap heavy veterans and traded for a franchise quarterback and a defensive leader. Not too shabby for the first three days of free agency.

Let's see how the rest of the AFC West fared in the first wave of free agency.

Denver Broncos

Cap space before free agency: ~$37 million

ADDITIONS (8)	SUBTRACTIONS (15)	RE-SIGNED (0)
RB J.J. Arrington (FA, ARZ) RB Correll Buckhalter (FA, PHI) WR Jabar Gaffney (FA, NE) FS Renaldo Hill (FA, MIA) G Matt McChesney (waivers, MIA) LS Lonie Paxton (FA, NE) DT Darrell Reid (FA, IND) S Brian Dawkins (FA, PHI)	RB Anthony Aldridge (waivers, WSH) CB Dré Bly (cut) DE John Engelberger (cut) CB Domonique Foxworth (FA, BAL) RB Alex Haynes (cut) TE Nate Jackson (cut) LB Niko Koutouvides (cut) S John Lynch (retired) S Marquand Manuel (cut) TE Chad Mustard (cut) RB P.J. Pope (cut) DT Dewayne Robertson (cut) WR Cliff Russell (cut) DT Josh Shaw (cut) LB Jamie Winborn (cut)

It says something about how unhappy your new head coach is with the team when there have been 23 transactions on your team and nobody was re-signed. New Denver head coach Josh McDaniels wants no part of Mike Shanahan's legacy, even QB Jay Cutler.

Brian Dawkins is a decorated safety who will turn 36-years old in October. J.J. Arrington and Correll Buckhalter are the exact type of running backs you'd expect the old Broncos to sign (and subsequently get injured). Considering Denver was down to it's 7th running back or something close to that last year, it's probably a good idea to nab at least two of them in free agency.

To add to those sub par signings, WR Brandon Marshall was arr ested over the weekend and charged with disorderly conduct. ESPN is speculating that an 8-game suspension in 2009 could be in order for Marshall. Whatever the punishment is, it's good to see a great rival WR go down the tubes. Even if nothing comes of this latest arrest, you know Marshall is going to get arrested again. And again. And again. He's that stupid.

Verdict: Lots of movement by the Broncos but little of it was in a forward direction.

Oakland Raiders

Cap space before free agency: ~$8 million

ADDITIONS (1)	SUBTRACTIONS (5)	RE-SIGNED (3)
QB Bruce Gradkowski (waivers, CLE)	WR Ronald Curry (cut) DE Kalimba Edwards (cut) FB Justin Griffith (cut) OT Kwame Harris (cut) S Gibril Wilson (cut, MIA)	CB Nnamdi Asomugha CB Chris Johnson P Shane Lechler

If it wasn't for the whole winning thing or putting together a solid football team, it wouldn't be that bad to be an Oakland Raider. CB Nnamdi Asomugha was re-signed in mid-February to a deal that guarantees him $28.5 million in the first two years of his contract. I mean, if you hang around in Oakland for a couple of seasons and keep your mouth shut, Al Davis is going to throw you a bunch of cash.

Right now, the Raiders don't even enter my thoughts as AFC West competitors. And they probably won't until Al Davis leaves his ownership post. Despite putting together a Super Bowl team in the early part of this decade, Davis has fallen even further off of literal rocker in the last few seasons.

Verdict: Still the Raiders, which is like being the Keystone Cops of the NFL.

San Diego Chargers

Cap space before free agency: ~$14 million

ADDITIONS (0)	SUBTRACTIONS (1)	RE-SIGNED (1)
	LB Anthony Waters (cut)	G Kynan Forney

The big news isn't about any of the Charger's moves but only about one potential move- LaDainian Tomlinson. Rumors have surfaced mentioning the New Orleans Saints as a potential LT landing spot but nothing concrete has occurred. Moving LT would be contract related, as the Chargers will have to re-sign QB Philip Rivers to a huge contract next season.

The Chargers were the most stable team personnel wise in the AFC West, which may account for part of their lack of activity in free agency.

Verdict: Still the most talented team in the AFC West but the gap is closing quickly.

Poll

Which AFC West team did the best in the first wave of free agency?

Chiefs

930 votes

Raiders

4 votes

Broncos

160 votes

Chargers

7 votes

1101 votes | Poll has closed

Broncos Release Six

Jon Tollerud — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 01:20:25 -0000

The Broncos on Monday announced the release of the following six players: John Engelberger, Nate Jackson, Niko Koutouvides, Marquand Manuel, DeWayne Robertson and Jamie Winborn.

hat tip to RiG for the news!

Engelberger started six games for the Broncos in 2008, recording 51 tackles, and had spent the previous three seasons with the club. He began his career with the San Francisco 49ers.

2008 was Jackson's fifth year in the NFL, having spent every season with the Broncos. He started three games in place of the injured Tony Scheffler and caught 11 passes before being placed on injured reserve on November 20.

Koutouvides was a first-year Bronco after spending four seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. He saw action in 14 games in 2008, playing mostly on special teams.

Manuel was also a first-year Bronco after having played for the Bengals, Seahawks, Packers and Panthers. He started 14 games at strong safety for the Broncos in 2008.

Robertson joined the Broncos via trade with the New York Jets on April 24, 2008 and started 15 games at defensive tackle. He spent the first five years of his career with New York.

MHR University - Who Should Start, and Why

Steve Nichols — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 23:00:06 -0000

From Born Orange comes these excellent questions, which are at the heart of much discussion at Milehighreport.com lately:

What's become of K2? He seems to have fallen far from Shanny's grace to have both Larsen and now Haggan starting at MLB in Webster's absence (I still think we're better off without Web in the middle).

Also, what's your take on the status of some of the rookies/backups who've been doing a good job filling in for the injured starters, once the starters are healthy again- primarily the LBs and CBs?

When players go down to injury, a coach has a headache on his hands. If the back-up plays poorly, the coach has to make adjustments to cover for the weakness. If the back-up plays well, a controversy can be in the brewing.

Let's take a look at the issues in BornOrange's questions, and take a look at the thinking that goes into when (and whether) to bring back injured starters.

More below the fold...

Niko Koutouvides

First, let's address the K2 issue.

During the pre-season, Webster and K2 were locked in a struggle to determine who would start at MLB. Webster edged out K2, and the season got started. Fans quickly tired of Webster's missed gap assignments and his overpursuits. But he's an energetic player who fires up his teammates, and folks like keeping count of how many times his helmet flies off (I guess).

K2, on the other hand, is a speedy LB who shines making open field tackles on coverage units. Many folks (including me) were hopeful he would get a shot at starting. Keep in mind, though, that K2 had a shot at starting during the pre-season and during camp, and didn't beat out Webster.

Then came the injuries. K2 had a shot at starting, as did Larsen (who plays at MLB and FB). Larsen proved himself the better MLB, to such an extent that the Denver staff had him play both ways on the field.

In short, as much as some fans may not be thrilled with Webster starting, K2 just hasn't earned the position, having been beat out by Webster and Larsen (and even a virtual unknown Haggan). Sometimes the devil you know is better than the one you don't.

But what about starting Larsen?

Let's stay on the MLB position for a moment. Why isn't Larsen our starter? First, I'm going to grant that Larsen is probably the best MLB we have. But the situation for the coaching staff is more complicated than just "Who is the better player".

Denver has been losing a lot of games to a lot of bad teams throwing the ball "early and often" and "deep". The spread offense is a fine concept, but not for this Denver team, which needs to be pounding the ball after gaining a lead (the formula that has taken Denver to championships). Only lately, Denver has realized the folly of throwing too often (we hope), and discovered the talent of power RB Hillis.

Hillis faced one of the best run stuffing teams against the Jets. Keep in mind that he is a 7th round pick, was meant to be a FB, ran in single back formations (meaning no FB run support) and is somewhere around a 5th string RB for this team. Against the Jets, a lot of fans were reminded of the dominance of a true powerback. Hillis, who was a FB behind two elite RBs at Arkansas, still managed to prove himself in college as a powerful blocker, receiver, and runner. In the NFL, he proved that he deserves to be Denver's #1 RB.

So what does any of this have to do with Larsen not playing at MLB? He's needed at FB even more. Here's why.

Denver's FB Situation

Denver has lost a FB, but in a good way. Hillis is one of those "diamonds in the rough" that has been discovered by Denver. He is a one cut runner who plows over and through defensive players. For readers of Chalk Talk and MHR University, it has been preached time and again how a power running game is needed to wear down defenses, to limit interceptions (defensed can't exclusively play in pass mode), and to set up the break away runs of faster RBs.

With Hillis out of the picture at FB, Denver has only three options.

Play a lot of single back formations
Use Pinnock at FB
Use Larsen at FB

One is to play Hillis in single back formations (as against the Jets). This option worked very well, and took the Jets by surprise. A lot of fans would likely want to continue on this path. But it isn't good coaching.

The Jets assumed that Denver would be their regular pass heavy selves. When they saw three recievers and a single back, they played pass. Denver hit them right in the gut. As pointed out by a couple of astute MHR members, nothing kicks you in the stomach like a powerback charging into a nickle defense. If Hillis is the answer at HB (and I think most of us agree that he is), then teams are going to adjust for him quickly.

Teams were not ready for Jay Cutler and the wild spread offense, but they adjusted, and Denver suffered. The way to stop teams from adjusting is to play a balanced game, where the opposition can't load up a defense against a particular trait. Denver needs to have a FB in to block for Hillis, and also needs to run some pass plays with multiple receivers without a FB. Denver needs to mix it up, instead of relying on a single look.

In other words, we will need a FB in our system.

The second option is to use Pinnock. Who? That's right. A virtual unknown. With Denver near securing a playoff bearth, the time for experimenting is over. Pinnock was brought in because we lost a FB (Hillis, to the starting RB role). But he wasn't brought in to start. He was brought in to back-up Larsen in case Larsen goes down.

The third option is to use Larsen. If we use Larsen, why not use him at MLB too? He's done it already this year! Fans may disagree on the point I'm going to make, but here's the coaching thinking that is likely going into the decision.

Playing Larsen two ways is a fan pleaser, but it isn't good football. Larsen played two ways for Denver because Denver was short handed and desperate, not because they wanted to. Larsen beat the odds and played both positions, and did it very well. To do so game after game though, is to risk injury, not to mention an exhausted player playing at two positions (hurting both sides of the ball).

Like it or not, Larsen can only do so much on a weakened defense. As a FB, he ensures that there are no postions on the offense that aren't elite. Right now, ensuring that our un game can keep up with our pass game is what will make this offense unstoppable.

Take it from me. I'm all about defense, and I would be kicking and screaming to get Larsen in at MLB if I was the defensive coordinator. But for the sake of the team overall, I think Shanahan is making the right move.

What About Other LBs (Haggan, Woodyard, and Winborn)?

Let's assume the obvious. DJ Williams is going to start at WILL. He is a better run stopper than Woodyard, and has more big play potential. He is one of the true elites on the team, and plays his position better than anyone. He never lost his position when he went down. While the WILL position isn't primarily a run stopping position (it zones the weakside and blitzes more often than playing man), my point is that DJ does everything Woodyard does, and more.

Woodyard's best fit is at WILL. He is not really a true MLB, and has an excellent future ensuring depth at WILL and playing coverage for STs. Moving him to MLB would be an adjustment (something we don't want late in the season), and would weaken the depth at WILL.

Haggan is getting a lot of love from the MHR faithful, but there's a catch. He has played on limited downs, and it's hard for a coach to make a major decsion on very limited data. Haggan may have raw talent, but going towards the playoffs (where experience is everything), he just doesn't have a record beyond a few plays. As it is, He is listed as the third string at WILL (an excellent place for a LB with raw talent, but little experience with the team), but can also play third string behind K2 at MLB.

Winborn is the natural fit at SAM. He has played over the talent level of Boss Bailey (IR), and will likely keep his position unless he is bumped by a draft pick in the offseason.

What About the DBs?

This is the most complex issue for me to address.

Let's start with the easy part; Dre Bly. Dre Bly will return and keep his #2 CB position. Bailey and Bly are #1 and #2 in interceptions since 1991. They are both two of the best in the game.

Fans are leary of Bly, pointing out his seeming lack of production in Denver. But in the two years he has been in Denver, Bailey hasn't looked stellar either. I have attributed this to Denver's weak pass rush, and even more to the decision to put the strong safety in the box. (A story on this issue is coming up next week).

Yet, in the last game Bly looked great. Denver had two safeties in deep coverage (despite the rain). Coincidence? No way. Denver respected Favre, and played the right defensive alignments. This allowed Bly to be himself, and it showed. Bailey's return (hopefuly this week) should be a major boost.

But what happens at safety and at nickleback?

Tough call. Very tough call. Let's assume for moment that Denver finally decides to play two safeties out of the box. Lowry would likely have a better showing than his first outing, when he was one of the top tacklers for the Broncos, but whiffed on several tackles trying to guard the entire field horizontaly by himself. As much as I've defended him, I don't think he's the best option.

This leaves McCree and Barrett. Like most fans (I believe), I would like to see Barrett get the call. McCree has the experience, and could play well if he has another safety to take half of the field. Barrett has the advantage in speed and athleticism. All other factors being even (which they aren't), I would like to see Barrett developed. This close to a playoff run, it's a tough call.

At strong safety, Manuel has done a decent job playing in the box. Out of the box, in the Jets game, Fox came out looking like a winner. In my mind, we should play the strong safety out of the box, and play Fox (unless he proves the Jets game was a quirk). My uneducated guess is that Manuel will get the start.

For the safeties, in my mind, the big question is whether we go back to playing 8 in the box or if we go traditional.

At CB, the contenders for nickle are Paymah, Williams, Bell, and Jones. I don't know much about Jones. Bell looked good, but like Haggan, it was in limited action. The competition then comes down to Paymah and Williams, and I would guess Paymah gets the start. My guess is as good (or bad) as anybody's on this topic, and I'll bet readers have some good thoughts on why someone should start over someone else.

So how about it gang? What are your thoughts?

Poll

How many picks should Denver use on LB this reloading season?

None. Several of our back-ups should start next year.

13 votes

One. How can we pass on a LB in a good year for LBs in the draft?

157 votes

At least two. We need major help at LB.

49 votes

219 votes | Poll has closed

The 2008 Broncos - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Steve Nichols — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 22:00:06 -0000

An MHR University Emergency Edition

If you came into this season with great expectations (13-3), you've been brought back to Earth. It's time for an assesment of the team that doesn't swing too far towards fantasy ("But we really can go deep this year") and doesn't fall to the other extreme ("We suck!"). The truth is that what many of us have been saying has been proven, and it isn't such a bad thing. To wit: This is a team that is in full rebuilding mode, and we are right on schedule. If you want a championship this year (or expected it), I'm terribly sorry. If you got overly excited by the first few games (or depressed by the recent losses), I'm also sorry. But the pronouncements of several Broncos writers (Guru chief amongst them) that Denver is building a team for next year or the year after is dead on accurate. Those fans with patience will be rewarded.

It's time to set aside emotion and to hit the books and the chalk board. This is a team that is stocked with massive potential, but still has a lot of house cleaning to do. We are perfectly positioned for a deep run in '09 or '10. The offense is young and dynamic, but still young. The defense took a backseat to repair work in the reloading season to ensure a future dynasty for the offense. Over the next two years, the defense will benefit from a focus that will bring the team into balance soon, but not this year. And that's ok. There is a lot of bad news for Broncos fans, but only fans who live in the present and want it all right now. For those of you who are ok with a 10-6 season, some respectability, and a very, very bright future, you've come to the right place.

First though, I want to start with a little story...

Read on

Once there was a small restaurant owner who loved his little business and slaved over every minor detail. He barely slept, instead focusing on the love of his life, his precious restaurant.

He hired the best chefs and staff that money could buy. He paid them top dollar, and treated them like family. He bought only the best ingrediants. He personaly stopped by each table to ensure that customers were happy. His business soared, and became wildly successful.

One day, word got out that a food critic was coming to dine. The food critic had a reputation for making or breaking a restaurant. People knew and trusted his work, and the owner knew that no matter how good his business was, the critic's articles were going to determine his future.

One night, the critic came to dine. The owner did a smart thing. Instead of catering to the critic, he went about business the way he always did, providing wonderful food and service to each and every customer. He neither ignored nor smothered the critic. But then something happened. Something seemed to go terribly wrong.

The critic, upon receivng he meal, took one quick bite, got up and left. Oh, the horror! The owner and his staff were terrified! After the customers left for the night, the staff sat around and worried. "What did we do wrong?", they asked themselves.

I'll continue the story later. Suffice it to say that I watched the first half of the Monday Night Football game against NE, and saw what I needed to see. Much like the critic that took only one bite to know what he needed to know, I drove home from my father-in-laws house, and went to bed. Was I disgusted by what I saw? You betcha. But I saw enough in that first half to realize that we are right were the Broncos want to be, even if it isn't where the fans want to be. Allow me to explain.

...the bad and the ugly.

First, my disgust. In "MHR Chalk Talk" I wrote the keys for the week. The most prominant key was the first key for Denver (which was so critical I even put it in bold print). It said, "Limit turnovers". Denver allowed two turnovers almost right away (Andre Hall), and lost the turnover battle 5 to 0. This cost us the game more than anything. And what was my first and most important key for NE? "Gain at least 100 yards on the ground (starting RB Maroney may be out this game). NE hasn't had a 100 yard rusher yet this year." So what did we allow the Patriots to do? According to NFL.Com, "New England ran for 257 yards, its highest total since Dec. 22, 1985."

I'm glad that folks read MHR. I just wish that the NE Patriots wouldn't follow my advice.

First, let's agree on a few issues. As a team, Denver has some good points and some terrible points. Most teams do. For example, Denver cannot stop the run to save their lives. We can argue over whether the fault lies with the defensive line, the linebackers, or scheming. But for our discussion right now, that's not important. Let's just admit the obvious. Denver will not be a run stopping team this year, just like last year. In fact, let's just make a list of each premise that I have right now for the team. Some are good, some are bad, and some are just plain ugly.

This defense cannot stop the run.
This defense cannot stop the pass.
Jay Cutler is the second coming. But he isn't old enough or wise enough yet to put it all together for a full season.
We also have some terrific receivers, but they too are young and will improve with age.
Despite the 3 sacks given in the MNF game, the OL remains one of the best pass blocking OLs in the League. Like 3 and 4 above, youth is an issue.
Young and Hall have potential for great break away runs, and are thus fan favorites. But as discussed last year, both are injury prone, and neither is consistent.
Scheffler is one of the best receiving TEs in the League, but is unable to stay on the field.

The underlining theme is our youth. They demonstrate great ability, but are also prone to gaffes. Jay has a rocket arm, and is great whether in or out of the pocket. He still makes "youth" mistakes, but is heading in the right direction, and doing so faster than can be fairly expected. By next year, Cutler will be leading this team to better pastures.

As good as the OL is, they are very young. Wiegmann is not going to be at center much longer, and his replacement (Lichtensteiger?) will be a key. But the tackle positions are set for at least the next 12 years. We are already good, and only going to get better.

But let's face some facts that many of us will have a hard time with. Selvin Young has quite a following. He bulked up in the reloading season because of accusations that he was too light to absorb much punishment. I won't get into the debate in detail here. What I will point out is that he wasn't in this game. A player, no matter how good, is useless if he can't stay healthy enough to play on the field. Selvin's back-up is Andre Hall. In my book, Hall has the speed to be a great change-up. He is not the kind of back I want to run often. Two fumbles cannot be excused. The bare minimum requirement for any running back is that you don't drop the ball.

I like what I saw from Pittman. Against a NE front seven that finally played up to it's star name potential, Pittman was able to gain respectable yards per carry. Again, it may not be the flashy "big play" look that fans want, but a bruising, power, one cut runner is what Denver needs to gain yards, keep the defense off the field, and wear down opposing defenses. Denver's pass game will be even harder to stop if opposing team's respect the run. I don't think that Hall and Young are either healthy enough or consistent enough to run the ball over the course of the game. This team needs Torain to come in healthy and able. Let us hope that he and Pittman can intimidate opposing defenses with a one-two power punch, allowing a Young or Hall to come in late in games for a few designed long yardage plays.

Outside of Marshall, Cutler loves to get the ball to Scheffler. For this reason, a lot of fans love Scheffler as the premier TE on the team. Except that he isn't. Graham is the number one TE on the team. Unlike Scheffler (who suffers from chonic foot problems and was out for this game), Graham is an everydown TE. He blocks better than any other TE in the League (something that most fans file under "who cares" when it comes to comparing a TE to a "receiving" TE). While he doesn't have the flashy catches that many receiving TEs do, he was the lone catch for a TD last night, had the second longest catch for Denver.

The real elephant in the room is the defense. Let's just admit the obvious. We can make all of the analysis that we want. We can see progress here and there (and I have), we can blame play calling or individuals. The bottom line is that this team has very few star talents on defense (DJ Williams and Bailey are solid, while Doom and Thomas continue to improve).

This team does not have a good pass rush. Even in last night's game (which saw 5 sacks for Denver), the sacks did not occur as a result of simple pass rushing. Denver loaded up the line of scrimmage, and brought massive blitzes. Without the blitzing, Denver does not always get effective pressure. Also, Denver continue to toy around with only rushing 3 linemen.

NE (on the other hand) showed a lot of four man fronts (something that NE likes to do against Denver). They got effective pressure against Denver's Secret Service offensive line, even without massive blitzes. Denver needs to have a capable front four, and they just don't.

Denver's DL was pushed out of the way for running plays, and only got pressure on passes when the rest of the team came forward to blitz. This was despite the injured status of a Patriots starting lineman and a starting RB. In a simple power scheme, NE RBs Morris, Green-Ellis, and Faulk each powered through lanes opened up against the defense, and each (often) required multiple tacklers to bring down.

The LBs were also a disapointment. Boss Bailey? Injured (again). Webster? A sack (on a play he wasn't even blocked), but only 3 tackles.

And scheming also seems to haunt this team. NE kept Denver out of the endzone, and helped their DBs get interceptions by doing something that Denver doesn't do consistently. NE puts both safeties deep and they keep the play in front of them (this is not a cover two system; it is the common usage for safeties on any team). This stopped big plays by Denver, and it allowed the CBs to take chances for turnovers.

The Good

The fearless leader of MHR, Guru, has written that Denver is in the third year of a five year rebuilding plan. One could quibble over particulars, but I won't. The fact is that his premise is correct. Denver is building a powerhouse team, and this year's team is not the end goal. As I wrote earlier, Denver has to be pleased with the plan, even if fans are disgusted with the present.

Some folks may be eager to defend the paradigm that Denver is bound for glory this year. They will correctly point out that Denver is leading the AFC West, and has already beaten the main AFC West Rival that can challenge for a playoff spot. But I think this misses the point. I have mantained from before the season that Denver may have a record close to 10-6, with a reasonable (50/50) shot at the playoffs. A playoff appearence should be a minimal goal for any team in the NFL with a good program, but it is also not "glory". I expect Denver to make the playoffs, and to play in the bye round. I give Denver a very small chance of advancing, with little to no chance of getting to the SB. Some may think this is terrible! But I think that would be very short sighted. While Denver will try to advance as far as possible, the rel goal is '09 or '10. And I think that future is more beautiful than a short term desire for glory this year.

We've looked at the bad and the ugly. Let's examine the good.

The offense is pretty much completed. We have youth in just about every key position. The penalties and turnovers were horrible last night, if you were looking at a veteran team. Denver is still a youth movement, and they look pretty decent even though they haven't hit full stride yet.

Cutler is the franchise QB. Marshall is the franchise WR. Royal is the franchise number two WR. Stokley won't be the slot receiver forever (age and concussions), but he will hold the position until the team decides whether to get a "thrid amigo" or to put more emphasis on depth at TE.

At TE, Graham won't be around forever. Whether or not Scheffler's foot improves, I believe that the TE position will get Denver's attention in the next two or three years, and Denver will ensure the pick is one that Denver fans will fall in love with.

Tho offensive line has the youth and talent to play well now, and yet improve for years to come. Losing Nalen (and soon thereafter Wiegmann) will set the stage for a battle at center, but the guard and center positions will do just fine.

I continue to believe that Denver knows how to scout and use RBs. Torain will be a hero or he won't be. I believe that Young is on the bubble right now and needs to stay healthy. I think Hall may be in the doghouse. Pittmann is not going to be the face of our RB corps, but he will be a solid and neccessary part of the team.

No, the real work for this team is the defense. And the good news (as much as it sounds like spin) is that the team can focus much attention on the defense, perhaps for two or three years (given the youth and talent on theoffensive side of the ball).

Marcus Thomas seems to improve each game. I liked what I saw from Thomas last night (four tackles and two assists), though he still has a long ways to go. DRob is not the answer to this team's woes. He plays well enough, but is far from dominating.

Ekuban plays well, but is getting older. Doom has a future if the rest of the line can be improved.

At LB, the only solid play has come DJ. Bailey has turned out to be a continuing injury risk, and both Webster and K2 have proven themselves enough of a non-factor that several other LBs are being tried out in games.

Champ Bailey is highly paid, and coming up on the end of his contract. He presents an intersting dilemna. Do you pay out the nose, and shut down his side of the field? Do you trade him for some picks or players (or both), and improve several positions at the expense of one? Do you let him go, and pocket the cap room to build up the defense that way? Bly (whether because of being overated or not having any support in the pass rush or from two safeties) is also coming up soon for contract considerations.

Lowry and Manual were the stars for Denver last night (though they could have been easily overlooked). Lowry was second only to DJ in tackles (Lowry with 7 tacks, 5 assists) while Manual was third (5 tacks). Still, something is badly wrong when the safeties are getting the tackles.

Denver can devote the draft, free agency, and any potential trades to the defense. I expect to see a major overhaul of the defense in the next two years. Will we lose consistency? Yes. But I expect the decisions will result in Denver gaining several playmakers (whether by intent or accident). If Denver stumbles onto one good DT, the entire defense will improve somewhat. If Denver stumbles onto just one good LB, the LB corps goes from 1/3 talented to 2/3 talented (and can focus attention on just fixing the last position). One good CB can either mitigate the loss of Bailey some day, or complement him better than Bly. If any of the front seven positions are fixed, the safeties may be allowed to play the natural "goalie" position they are supposed to play, negating the need for a great safety. But even so, a good safety pick-up in such a scenario would serve to prevent big plays like we saw in each of our losses.

The offense is already very good, but young enough to make some bone headed errors. By next year, this will be a "NE Brady led" or "INDY Manning led" level talented offense. What reamins to building a SB team is putting a defense with that offense. Give the team one or two years. The offense will still be around, playing very well and with many years left.

Shanahan has bought himself time to fix the defense, while growing the offense. If your goal is a SB appearance in the next few years, than this year is a bright moment because it is part of the path that Mike has built. If this year is your goal, you might not enjoy the season. But if you can look at the big picture, and see that this year is the journey and not the destination, you can smile. Yes, even after last night's game.

The owner called the newspaper and aked to speak with the critic. When the critic answered, the owner apologized for anything that might have been wrong. He told the critic about the hard work, the love, the effort, the time, and the money he had invested.

The critic just laughed. "You must think I had a bad experience! Not at all! The food was great, the atmosphere was great, the service was great, and I loved it all. Your restaurant is in first place in my book, and my article will reflect that. Your phone call tells me that you interested in continuing improvement. Someday, I think your restaurant will be known far and wide. Just keep doing what you are doing".

"But you only had one bite", said the owner.

"That's true. But this isn't my first restaurant I've looked at either. I've been around the block a few times. I know what a good place looks like, and what doesn't work. There are always things that need work, and there are always positives and negatives. I tried the food and it was great. But I also looked ahead. Your business is expanding, and you are making the right moves to put together a chain of restaurants some day. The food is just a part of the equation. I know what it takes to have a successful restaurant. You are a winning owner, and you are willing to do what it takes to always expand and grow."

I've been watching football for a few years. I've been around the block. I've endured losses, both for the Broncos (whom I love) and teams that I have coached at the academic levels (and it is very personal to have a team win and lose when you are one of the coaches). I've learned a few things during that time.

Don't let the wins get you too high. Use your head, not your heart.
Don't let the losses get you down. Use your head, not your heart.
Shoot for the moon, but keep your expectations realistic.
Recognize that there is a trend within a season, but also from season to season. Know the difference.
Sustained improvement from season to season is more valuable than within a season.

Given that., now consider this...

We are a better team than last year.
We can expect to be even better next year.
Who came into this season expecting us to beat NE? (We didn't)
Who came into this season expecting us to beat SD? (We did)
Who came into this season expecting the NFC South to be so good? (Note that we have beaten both NFC South teams we have played).

And now, I want to use our own words from an old article I wrote, called The '08 Schedule Overview (Pt. 1).

First, a poll (that covers our first 8 games, including the upcoming MIA game after the bye):

Denver wins how many games in the first half of the season?

2%

7 or 8

2 votes

32%

6

22 votes

46%

5

31 votes

17%

4 or less

12 votes

67 votes | Poll has closed

If we beat MIA, Denver is meeting or exceeding the expectations of 64% of MHR members who voted.

Here are some other worthwhile quotes from the article. Keep in mind how optimistic people are, even assuming losses to JAX, SD, and NE. (In fact, we beat SD, and lost to JAX and NE as expected. KC is the only real bump in the road here)...

.500 should do the trick.

I think that if the Broncos can manage 4-4 thru there first half of the season, then they should be set up nicely for a playoff run. However, 4-4 leaves little room for error in the second half…5-3 would really be looking pretty good (and allow for the game off the Broncos like to take now and again).

by UnarmingMermaid

Agreed.

I think we manage better than 4-4, but we still have plenty of room for a good season even with 4. I think we get 5 or 6.

by hoosierteacher

Setting aside (for a moment) how good JAX is or isn't...

...I think that from a scheme perspective they match up with us very well. I’ll cover this in detail in the week preceeding the game, but of all the “toss-up” games this one concerns me the most.

by hoosierteacher

I agree with the 5 win prediction.

One area of help is that SD plays two teams with simular records from last year. That may keep us in striking range for a playoff berth. They are as good as last year (or even a little less, with potential season starting injuries), but we should be moderately improved. Relatively, our schedule should (thus) be slightly easier.

by hoosierteacher

bingo

yes, indeed the first 1/4 of the season has 3 important division games. fortunately, we should be able to scrape by the raiders and chiefs in the early going. i still think the sd game will be trouble, being they are a solid team at this point. we are not. yet. the saints could be trouble if we don’t have our o/d-lines and st’s operating smoothly, but we should be settled in enough to take them at home. jax and ne will be the real tests after that. i don’t like either one of those. tb could also be trouble, but we should eke that one out. the fish? pencil that one in as a w. i’m guessing 5-3, and in the second half of the season we should rip off a bunch of wins. even on the road. the offense will be rolling by then, and we should win some games on that alone. i expect a strong finish against very beatable teams. i’ll say 11-5, a playoff wild-card berth, and a 34-20 beating at indy in the wc round(sorry, i had a nightmare). the big dogs will be in the playoffs, and we just don’t look solid enough in all areas. new coaches, players, injury concerns, and rookies in important spots usually doesn’t make for a playoff run. if we can steal the division, this all changes. but sd has a similar schedule, and i just can’t see them stumbling to 5-6 losses. can i?

by davecheffy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My bottom line? We are right were we expected us to be, and we felt good about being here when we predicted it. Now is not the time to be upset! We are in a good position based on our pre-season hopes. Many of us would be happy with 4-4 or 5-3 after the MIA game, according to our pre-season hopes, but when it happens, we express sorrow?

Shake it off Denver fans!

We are right where I thought we would be, and it's a good place.

We lead the division. We are better than last year. We have a shot at a playoff spot to prepare our youngsters for next year. We can reasonably expect to improve next year.

Now get out there and cheer your team on!

Poll

Denver is actually where most MHR fans expected them to be (4 wins) according to an MHR article from the preseason. 4-4 or 5-3 was what most fans expected after the upcoming Miami game, and they felt good about the 2008 team. Are you now thinking...

"Right where we should be"

95 votes

"Not happy"

192 votes

"Very happy"

6 votes

293 votes | Poll has closed

Denver Broncos 16 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 13 - Post Game Notes and Quotes

John Bena — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 12:12:28 -0000

FINAL GAME NOTES

WIN NO. 150 FOR SHANAHAN

* - With the win, Broncos Head Coach Mike Shanahan earned his 150^th overall career victory (150-96-0, .610) and became the 17th coach in NFL history to reach that win total. His overall record with the Broncos improves to 142-84-0 (.628).

SIXTH IN A ROW AT HOME

* - The Broncos extended their home winning streak to six games with their victory against Tampa Bay. It is their longest such streak since posting 13 consecutive home wins in the regular season from Dec. 12, 2004, through Oct. 15, 2006.

CUTLER MILESTONES

* - Broncos QB Jay Cutler completed 23-of-34 passes for 227 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions for a 96.1 passer rating.

* - His 10-yard touchdown pass to WR Brandon Stokley in the third quarter moved him ahead of QB Steve Tensi for sole possession of seventh in Broncos history in career touchdown passes (39).

* - Cutler also became the eighth player in Broncos history to reach 6,000 career passing yards, finishing the game with an even 6,000 for his career.

* - The victory improved Cutler’s career record as a starting quarterback to 13-13.

SCHEFFLER MILESTONE

* - Broncos TE Tony Scheffler had a team-high 65 receiving yards on four catches (16.3 avg.) to move into fifth place in Broncos history in career receiving yards by a tight end (1,094). He moved ahead of TE Jeb Putzier (1,087) today.

SERIES STUFF

* - With the win, the Broncos improved to 5-2 all-time against Tampa Bay, including 3-1 at home. The Buccaneers entered the game as the only team in the NFL that had yet to visit INVESCO Field at Mile High, which opened in 2001.

DEFENSE IMPRESSIVE

* - Denver allowed season lows in points (13) and yards per play (5.0) while tying for its season low in total yards (307 – also allowed that total at Oakland, 9/8/08). In the first half, the Broncos gave up only 54 passing yards.

* - After holding Tampa Bay to a field goal in the first quarter, the Broncos remain one of six NFL teams that have not allowed a touchdown in the first quarter this season. The Broncos have outscored their opponents 28-15 in the opening quarter, allowing a total of five field goals through five games.

PRATER GOES FOR DISTANCE

* - With his 55-yard field goal in the second quarter, Broncos K Matt Prater tied for the fifth-longest field goal in franchise history. Prater is now 4-of-4 on field goals of 50-plus yards this season, becoming the first Bronco make four 50-plus yarders in a season since K Jason Elam made 4-of-6 50-yard attempts in 2002.

* - Prater leads all NFL kickers in 50-plus yard field goals (4) this season. He also connected on his remaining two field-goal attempts (40 and 27 yds.), making him 12-of-13 for the season on field goals and 15-of-15 on extra points for a club-best 51 points.

* - The second-year player recorded touchbacks on four of his five kickoffs. For the season, Prater has posted 11 touchbacks on 30 kickoffs.

MULTIPLE SACKS

* - With their three sacks (LB D.J. Williams, DE Ebenezer Ekuban, DE Elvis Dumervil), the Broncos recorded their second multiple-sack game of the year (3 at Oak., 9/8/08). Tampa Bay had not allowed a sack in its last two games entering today’s contest. The sacks marked the second of the season for both D.J. Williams and Ekuban.

* - Dumervil recorded his first sack of the season in the second quarter. His 22 sacks since the start of the 2006 season ties him for eighth in the NFL during that span.

ROYAL RETURNS

* - With his 20-yard punt return in the second quarter, Broncos WR Eddie Royal now has a punt return of at least 20 yards in each of his past three games. Royal, who ranked second in the NFL with a 16.6-yard punt return average entering today’s game, has averaged 14.3 yards on eight returns (114 yds.) this season.

STOKLEY TOUCHDOWN

* - With his third-quarter, 10-yard touchdown pass from Cutler, Broncos WR Brandon Stokley scored his first touchdown since Dec. 9, 2007, when he had a 21-yard touchdown pass vs. Kansas City. Stokley finished the game with a team-high six catches for 52 yards (8.7 avg.).

* - Stokley’s six receptions were his most in a game since posting six catches for 73 yards with one touchdown vs. Houston (11/13/05).

PITTMAN AGAINST OLD TEAM

* - Broncos RB Michael Pittman, who played for Tampa Bay for six years from 2002-07 and won Super Bowl XXXVII with the Bucs in 2002, faced his former team for the first time. He finished the game with six rushes for 39 yards (6.5 avg.) with a 16-yard long and two receptions for 22 yards, including a 15-yard grab.

BRONCOS EXTEND SCORING STREAK

* - The Broncos have now scored in 250 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL. Denver’s streak, which began with a 16-13 overtime loss at Seattle on Nov. 30, 1992, is the fourth-longest such streak in NFL history. The Broncos have extended the streak by the by halftime 238 times, including in today’s contest.

LEADING TACKLERS

* - D.J. Williams led the Broncos with 11 defensive tackles (9 solo).

* - LB Niko Koutouvides led the Broncos with two stops on special teams.

MISCELLANEOUS GAME NOTES

* - For the third time this season, the Broncos forced their opponent to go three-and-out on its first offensive drive.

* - Broncos rookie P Brett Kern, who came into the league with a league-low nine punts on the season, had a career-high five punts for 248 yards (49.6 gross / 45.8 net) with a 63-yard long.

* - Broncos S Vernon Fox made his Broncos debut on special teams against Tampa Bay after being signed on 9/23/08. He was inactive for last week’s game at Kansas City.

* - Broncos WR Glenn Martinez saw his first action of the season after being signed on 9/30. He finished with a 12-yard reception and two punt returns for nine yards (4.5 avg.).

* - Denver DT Marcus Thomas posted his second career interception and the Broncos’ second of the season in the fourth quarter. His only other career interception came vs. Oakland on Sept. 16, 2007.

GOING FOR NO. 400 NEXT WEEK

* - With the win, the Broncos earned their 399^th victory as a franchise (regular season and postseason combined) and will look for No. 400 next week against Jacksonville. The Broncos’ all-time combined record stands at 399-352-10 (.524). Denver is No. 16 all-time in victories with 399, but second among original AFL teams (Oakland, 426).

DENVER BRONCOS COACH MIKE SHANAHAN

Opening statement

“Obviously that was a nice team win. We beat a good team in Tampa Bay, they’re a team that’ll be in the playoffs. Excellent defense, offense and special teams. Our guys fought hard for 60 minutes and that’s what I’m most proud of. We started out playing hard in the beginning, and we continued that throughout the game. We didn’t turn the ball over against a team like that. When we had to we came up with a few runs to end the game, and that’s the way you want to do it. We want to finish that way.”

On RB Michael Pittman

“When we signed him I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I watched him throughout his years at Tampa Bay and Arizona, but I knew we had a special guy, because I had talked to enough people to know that you want this guy in your locker room. He’s got everything you look for in a person and in an athlete and he’s demonstrated that both on and off the field. He made some big plays today and had good third downs that we needed, obviously I’m very happy to have him.”

On the defense

“The defense played extremely well. Obviously going up against a team that moved the football very well, we came up with some key plays and made some plays when we had to.”

On the passing game

“That was our game plan coming in, I’m very pleased with [QB] Jay [Cutler]. You can not go down field against this team and expect to win. That’s why they’ve had the turnovers and the touchdowns, as well as an excellent pass rush and disciplined secondary. You have to take what the defense gives you. We missed a couple third downs by a yard, but our defense stepped up and made some good plays. When we had to make the plays we made them and we stopped ourselves a couple times with penalties. We managed field goals instead of touchdowns, that’s the way you win a game like that, you have to be disciplined and not turn the ball over.”

On team effort

“The object is to win, that’s the bottom line. You find guys fighting hard in the locker room, like we did, then you feel good. There are a lot of key plays as you go through the game. People remember the plays at the end of the game, or close to it. You have to keep on fighting and our defense fought. We made a couple plays, backed up on our 11 yard line, with three time outs left for Tampa Bay. We threw the football and made the play and that shows the kind of confidence that we have, and we knew that they were going to have an eight or nine man front, so we threw the football there. [TE] Tony [Scheffler] made a nice catch. We made them use their timeouts and that’s how you win games. I’m very pleased with the total effort of the team.”

On the pass rush

“I knew it was going to come. I knew we were going to get better as time went on, because we have too many quality guys who are working extremely hard together. For a team that hasn’t had a sack in a while, it’s nice to come up with a few big plays. We will keep on getting better defensively. That’s what it’s all about – getting better every week. That’s what we did today.”

On K Matt Prater

“It starts in practice. Since he’s been here, he’s been very consistent. In practice on Wednesday’s we always end with a long field goal and he’s made it from 70 yards consistently. So, when he’s out there, you know it has nothing to do with the distance. You’re just hoping that he has the accuracy. He’s been very consistent in practice and that’s why he’s getting the opportunity in the games. The thing most people don’t notice is his kickoffs; it’s nice to have a weapon and an extra guy on special teams, with his ability to kick the ball off well. He’s done a good job for a young player. He’s handled a lot of pressure and we all know what a great player Jason Elam was to this organization and how many clutch field goals he’s hit through the years. It’s very hard to fill those shoes, but he has stepped up and done a great job, hopefully he can keep on doing that. I don’t want to take anything away from Jason, because there’s nothing better than Jason Elam, both on and off the field. When someone does go, you need a guy like this to step up and get the job done.”

On wide receivers

“That’s why you have to have depth. Any time you loose great players, it’s tough. Obviously with [WR] Brandon Stokley, we know what he can do and we don’t want to overplay him, because he’s such a pivotal part of our third down package. When [WR] Eddie [Royal] does go down, we have four wide receivers dressed and somebody’s got to step up and obviously, we did.”

DENVER BRONCOS PLAYERS

QB JAY CUTLER

On how Tampa Bay’s defense changed the Broncos offensive plans

“A lot and that’s not really my thing. We are used to throwing the ball down the field a lot and getting big chunks and we really couldn’t do it against this defense. There’re disciplined, really sound. They get to their jobs. You just have to be patient, take them apart and believe in the system and hopefully get a little momentum and hopefully get some big plays here and there.”

On RB Michael Pittman’s running game

“He was fired up about this one, there’s obvious reason’s. Pittman’s been there all year for us. Third down, goal line, shorter yardage, he’s very valuable for us.”

On the big picture

“We have been in some high scoring ball games, back and forth and the defense has caught a lot of heat. We had trouble stopping some people, but we knew they were a lot better than that. We have too much talent, too much character over there. It’s just good to see them lock it down this week.”

On his pass to TE Tony Scheffler

“It was pretty high and Tony is a big target. I put it high and outside, it was him or nobody. Tony gets in and out of breaks pretty quick. [LB] Derrick [Brooks] is a pro bowl player, he’s one of the best to play that position. You have to be careful when you deal with him.”

WR BRANDON MARSHALL

On Tampa Bay taking away the deep ball

“The win offset that. Once we got the lead, we knew we were going to hold it, so it didn’t matter. As long as we got the win, and we did that today.”

On winning both ways, offensively and defensively

“The guys just played together today and they were sound in their technique and within the scheme and it showed up out there today. Defense did a great job and they won a game for us.”

On whether the Denver Broncos are the best team in the AFC

“We’re a good one. It’s still early in the season. Five games in, there’s no telling, but we want to play our best football come November.”

On RB Michael Pittman

“The way he ran the ball today, he didn’t get a lot of opportunities, but when he did – he took advantage of his opportunity and he made them pay. He wouldn’t be human if he didn’t.”

On the defense double teaming him all day

“A little bit of what they were doing and myself, I dropped the ball out there and slipped on a route on a wide open pass; so it was a little bit of both me and what they were doing. But, we moved the ball well and we got the win.”

On two game lead over the San Diego Chargers in the AFC West

“This is just football, that’s all it is right now, and football season starts in November. It’s still early. Like I said, we want to play our best football come November. When we get to that part of the season, then we’ll start talking.”

WR BRANDON STOKLEY

On celebrating his touchdown

“It was a little premature but I thought I was in there. It had been a while so I was excited.”

General

“Good teams find a way to win these games. We didn’t play well last week but the whole team had a good game today.”

On Tampa Bay’s defense

“They are a very good defense. They have a good coach in (Defensive Coordinator) Monte Kiffin. We got into a little bit of a roll in the second half and that was big for us.”

LB JAMIE WINBORN

General

“The win feels great. There has been a lot of talk about the defense not stepping up to the plate but we came through today.

On bouncing back from last week’s loss to Kansas City

“There was a bitter taste in our mouths from last week (33-19 loss at K.C., 9/28/08). We knew we didn’t play our best ball but we came back this week and played a lot better.”

DT KENNY PETERSON

On the defense

“We played a pretty good game today especially in stopping the run. We gave up a couple of explosive plays but we were able to make adjustments.”

On criticism of the defense

“We have played against some pretty good offenses and we played another explosive offense today. We wanted to set our identity by stopping the run and making plays and we did that today.”

On the defensive line

“We turned up the pressure a little bit up front. When our pistons are all firing it looks like we are playing with 12 men instead of 11.”

TE DANIEL GRAHAM

General

“This win feels good. Our goal was to come out and play 60 minutes and all four quarters. We did that today and we got the victory.

“We can’t blow teams out or put up a lot of points every game. Our defense came to play and stopped them when they had to.”

On playing Jacksonville next week

“We have a tough game next week. We will enjoy this win, look at the film and get better.”

LB BOSS BAILEY

On the defense

“We still have work to do and we can still get better. We are only satisfied because we won the game.

“They had plays downfield but we had coverage for them. Everybody did their job today and it worked out for us.

“This proves that we are a good defense and we can do it week in and week out.”

DEFENSIVE END ELVIS DUMERVIL

On the defense

“Guys came out today and made plays. The crowd was into it the entire game and it really helped out. I think they had a few false start penalties. The defense made big plays and the offense did their part.”

More on the defenses

“We knew after the loss in Kansas City that we had a lot of work to do to get ready for today’s game. That is the character of this defense, we worked hard during the week and we played well today. We were excited to get the win and now we have to prepare for Jacksonville.”

On making plays

“This week we were able to make plays and that was the difference from the past few weeks. This is a good start but there are 16 games this season and we are only five games in and now, like I said, we have to prepare for next weeks game against Jacksonville.”

RUNNING BACK MICHAEL PITTMAN

On playing against his former team

“I am a very emotional player and I just wanted to come out here and win this game. It was a big win and I wanted to play hard. I just wanted to do everything I could to help my team get the win. I have all the respect in the world for their team and their coaching staff but I am a Bronco now and I did my part and I am excited to get the win.”

On the Tampa Bay defense

“I know their defense really well and I know their strengths and weaknesses. They have a great defense and I give their coaching staff including Monte Kiffin a lot of credit for what they do.”

WIDE RECEIVER GLENN MARTINEZ

On coming back after being off four weeks

“The coaching staff did a great job of getting me ready and into the game plan. After spending this week getting prepared and staying in shape while I was gone, I feel like I haven’t skipped a beat.”

On catching punts

“I have been catching punts for so long that it will take more than four weeks to loose that skill but It is only one week I have to take things one day at a time and prepare each week to come out and play well.”

Should a 3-0 Broncos Team Have Any Concerns?

Steve Nichols — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 21:00:05 -0000

At this point in the season it feels pretty good to be a Broncos fan. Cutler is playing like a Pro Bowl talent, and his targets are playing at the same level. Perhaps the best news about the Broncos is the youth movement.

Does anyone doubt that Clady and Harris will play at offensive tackle for years to come? How about Marshall and Royal? The team is throwing points at opponents at a staggering rate, and the Broncos faithful are loving it.

But questions remain, even for a team out to a three and zero start. It may not be pleasant to consider, but it bears discussion.

Some statistics point to an effective defense, and the case can be made that the defense isn't doing so bad. On the other hand, teams are putting up a lot of points.
Does the offense need balance? Can we really keep winning putting the ball in the air so much?
Are the Broncos changing their identity on both sides of the ball, leading to new era? Is this a good thing?

Let's look at these points and bring together our community at Milehighreport.com for a discussion.

Read on...

The Defense

In the opening season game, Denver's defense seemed to allow the Raiders to fire up their offense towards the end of the game. This led to games against SD and NO where the opposing teams seemed to move the ball at will. Is this an issue?

One school of thought says no. This thinking holds that Denver is an explosive offense that can win with minimal defense. The school of thought that I subscribe to believes that there are consequences for a team that allows opponents to move the ball so well that they put up almost as many points as our own dynamic team.

But the debate can be further muddied. Yet a third school of thought can claim that the defense is actually doing fairly well. For example, stats can be found showing that we are holding teams' running games in check. Is this accurate, or are teams throwing the ball because we are forcing a shootout?

Let's look at some key areas for discussion.

First, what are we doing with our safeties?. I'm not going to give much thought to this area, because Styg50 is going to be rolling out an excellent look at the safety position, and how it needs to be utilized to work in concert with the rest of the team.

Second, are we satisfied with the play of our LBs? DJ Williams hasn't made a lot of major plays (sacks, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries, INTs, etc) but he remains a tackling machine. Debate still seems to linger with MLB Webster, and his issues with overpursuit. There is some talk pro and con about Webster or Niko being the better option. But I'll stick my neck out about Boss Bailey. I remain concerned about his playing time (injuries), and it's too early to tell for sure, but I like what I see in TE match-ups. Brees and Shockey may not be a fair measure of how well a LOLB does incovering a TE, but I like B. Bailey's speed, swivel, and tackling. Boss wasn't on Shockey on every play that Shockey performed well on, but the ones where he matched he did a credible job.

The defensive line has points pro and con as well. On the one hand, there simply isn't enough pressure to stop teams from throwing with success. Denver recognizes this, and experimented with the 3-4 against New Orleans. (note - Styg50 had asked me about teaming up for an article looking at the merits of running a 3-4 this year. I was dismissive about the value of the article a the time. A nod goes out to Styg while I eat a big mouthful of humble pie). The hope was that Denver could at least disguise one of the rushers, which you can't do with a 4-3. By the second half, Denver realized that this wasn't the answer either.

I'm going to assert that our defense isn't getting the job done. We can point to very valid points in defense of the defense, but I don't buy it. Some will point out that we are doing a much better better job of stopping the run. This is true, but teams are throwing the ball against us. Some will point out that we are playing top notch QBs. Again, this is true, but only to a point.

We let Russell (Oak) throw on us effectively late in the MNF game, and I wouldn't call him a solid QB. I watched that game, and I didn't really see that we were playing a prevent defense at all. Rivers threw well against us, enough that the game could have gone either way. Brees went at us missing his number one target (Colston), and put up even better numbers than Cutler did. Except for some missed kicks by NO, Denver could have lost that game.

Here's my worry. We are doing a fantastic job as a team right now, but this kind of play won't work in the playoffs. (Yes, I'm going to talk about playoffs. We are definately good enough to get there). The playoffs are a single elimination tournament, and teams that can't put away their opponents go home. We aren't "closing the deal". We're racking up a lot of points, allowing our opponents to do the same, and hoping we come out on top. That's a major gamble. We are on the razor's edge of being 3-0 or 1-2 right now. I don't want to be that razor thin in the playoffs. We can afford a loss here and there in the regular season, but not in the playoffs.

Case study - the Colts. The Colts depend on a star QB and multiple star receiving threats. Take way one key playmaker on defense (safety Sanders) and the team goes into a nosedive.

Case study - the Patriots. Everyone focuses on Brady and his offense. Big mistake. The same defense that stopped the "Greatest Show on Turf" (STL) is the same defense that magicaly adjusts to any offense it plays. It is the play on both sides of the ball that makes the Patriots a dynasty this decade.

Balance on Offense

Why isn't Denver running the ball? Again, there are two opposing schools of thought. One goes, "Why bother? We're beating the excrement out of teams with Cutler's sure hand". True.

But the other way of thinking goes like this. Because Denver doesn't run the ball much, several other things happen.

Our offense doesn't stay on the field for as long as they could. This means our defense is getting worn down.
Our offense isn't able to eat up the clock, which would prevent second half scoring frenzies ala Oakland and San Diego.
We aren't tiring down opposing defenses.

In my mind, these are the differences between winning and losing close games versus winning games by a comfortable margin. Maybe a blow out isn't as fun to watch, but it sure makes it easier to progress to a trophy.

Young and Hall are doing a fine job rotating about every five plays, and Pittman is doing a good job on short yardage. But we just aren't using them very much. Perhaps the coaches are giving Cutler as much practice as possible to speed his advancement. After all, we'll always have a good running game. Or maybe it's a new trend. Which leads us to...

Denver's New Identity

Is it just me, or has Denver radicaly changed on both sides of the ball?

We know that Denver has abandoned last year's Run Contain System on defense. I think a lot of us expected an aggressive defense from a coordinator with a reputation for attacking. Not so. In act, we're not only seeing base plays from the Broncos, we're still seeing adjustments. This is a concern. The 3-4 we saw for awhile against NO was likely an attempt to disguise who the fourth rusher is. Coach Slowik is likely to take what he's seen back to the drawing board to look for tweaks to maximize the defense.

But the offense is morphing into uncharted waters. The zone block running game? Still there, but rarely used. West Coast? Still there, but awfuly close to a spread offense. Instead of spreading the field east-west to set up the middle, one-cut runs, we are setting up vertical passes with short passes. Is this "new way" here to stay, or are we going to settle back into a game that causes more confusion for our opponents?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm hoping to create a lot of discussion with this story. I don't have the answers, but like each of us, I enjoy theorizing. I love watching Cutler dissect a defense, but I don't like seeing opponents do the same to us. I love watching Denver put up points, but I don't like the absence of a running game that could keep opponents from catching up. I love seeing a 3-0 record, but I would like to see games won by a comfortable margin.

I'm not complaining. I love the fact that we are 3-0. But it isn't a dominant 3-0. We can't improve much on Cutler and the passing game; we're blessed there. But we do need to see other elements of the team thrown into the mix and to see other parts of the team step up, or we could deflate later in the season.

Poll

Denver is 3-0.

We're winning, that's all that really matters.

40 votes

We need to make some adjustments if we are going to keep winning.

263 votes

303 votes | Poll has closed

MHR Chalk Talk -- Week 1 - Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders

Steve Nichols — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:44:00 -0000

YOUR SOURCE FOR THE VERY BEST

IN DENVER BRONCO PRE-GAME ANALYSIS

FROM MILEHIGHREPORT.COM

How important is this game to the Broncos? After all, this isn't a game against the Chargers for the title of AFC West best. However, it is an important game in many, many ways.

The winner is undefeated, the loser has to win two games in a row for a winning season.
The game is a divisional pairing; crucial for playoff tie breaks.
This is Monday Night Football; the big stage. The confidence boost (or lag) could be a major factor going into the early season.

For Denver fans, it doesn't get any better than this. Denver playing in the opening MNF game against the hated Raiders. Let's break down the Xs and Os, and take a look at how these teams match up.

Read on...

Introduction

Denver is a team that struggled last year with injuries, an unusual system on defense, and (for Denver) uncharacteristic character problems. They were coming off of a season that featured the murder of one up and coming star, the untimely death of another player (at a charity event, of all places), and a dramatic mid-season change in quarterbacks.

Denver tried the new defensive system, and went on a spending spree by bringing in big name talents. The system was a failure, and fans were caught off guard by "me first" players. The Mastermind, Head Coach Shanahan, learned from his mistakes quickly. The new defensive coordinator become the former defensive coordinator, as did the general manager. Many players were also shown the door.

Free agency and the draft focused on returning to what the Broncos had before the disaster of '07. Character, character, character. Free agents were signed at reasonable costs, and Denver went after players with a lot of potential who just didn't seem to fit where they were at. Hungry players. The draft didn't focus on critical positions and star names. Instead, it focused on team depth and long term potential.

Did it work? No one will know until the season gets going, but early signs look good. Ryan Clady (1st round) will start at left tackle on Denver's historically elite offensive line. Eddie Royal (2nd round), drafted as a punt returner and long term slot receiver prospect, looks to be the team's number 2 receiver behind star Brandon Marshall. Rookie Ryan Torain (5th round) is out for six weeks with an injury, but looks to be the team's starting RB in the near future. CB Jack Williams (4th round) looked good enough for the team to feel they could part ways with Dominique Foxworth.

Free agent pick ups include McCree and Manuel at safety, both of whom look like starters for Denver. WRs Darell Jackson and Keary Colbert may have been a little upstaged by a rookie (Royal), but both bring credible depth. All eyes will be on Boss Bailey (Strong LB) and DeWayne Robertson (DT) to gauge their value, and the battle at middle linebacker (between current 1st string Webster and challenger Niko K.) may last well into the season.

But the biggest key for Denver is QB Jay Cutler. While outshining some historically great QBs in his first several games, Jay went on in his first full season to lose 33 pounds. At the end of games he was weak and tired, but you wouldn't know it from his play. After being diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes, Jay has been able to adjust with diet, constant monitoring, and insulin injections. Imagine an already solid young QB playing well with a disease, now being unleashed to play to his full potential.

Comes now the Raiders. While only a 4-12 team in 2007, Oakland went on a spending spree (some would say beyond what their salary cap can endure in a couple of years) to prop up the team. Ignoring woes on the defensive and offensive lines, the team went for flash with their highest pick, adding yet another RB to their stable. In a strange twist of fate, they spent wildly to obtain former Bronco WR Walker (of the field with injuries the last two out of three years) who left his former two teams on bad terms and ten tried to retire during Oakland's training camp. He now looks likely to sit out game one with an injury (hamstring). As if that isn't enough of a delicious story, Oakland then went out and obtained the services of Ashley Lelie, who angrily demanded to be traded after finding he would have to play number two behind (you guessed it) Javon Walker in Denver. Ah the Fates! After Lelie failed terribly for two other teams, Lelie ends up, again, behind Walker, but now for a team that is far from the playoff picture.

There is little doubt however that oakland has talent across the team. But team work remains problematic. A big question mark will be the Raiders' own QB. Jamarcus Russell's qualities should be a big arm and mobility. But question marks were raised when he showed up to camp big in the gut. Oakland also features a coach struggling to do what coaches do, namely, running a football team. But in Oakland, head coaches don't get to run the team the way it should be run. The team is micro-managed by owner Al Davis, who has seen his team dwelling in the basement more often than not in recent years. SInce their last playoff appearance (2002), the Raiders are 19-61.

System Matchups

Denver's Offense versus Oakland's Defense

(Note: most of the technical terms you read here, including system names, can be found in the Mile High Report University series, which is featured at Milehighreport.com during the reloading season).

Denver will run the Zone Block running system (with the one cut runner variation), coupled with a West Coast Offense overall system for passing and philosophical approach.

Denver's offensive line runs the zone block scheme to perfection, and the runners are required to run single cuts to maximize the system. Young and Hall are both speedy backs, but there are questions about how much punishment they can take (based on last year). Pittman has power (and catching ability), but isn't the primary RB. As mentioned earlier, rookie Ryan Torain (The Train) was projected to be the starter, but his power running style will have to wait until at least week six. Rookie FB sensation Hillis will be the FB.

Denver will be missing #1 receiver Brandon Marshall due to a one game suspension, but will have solid depth to fall back on (perhaps the best WR depth in the team's history). Add in TEs Graham, Sheffler, and Jackson, and there will be plenty of targets.

Oakland will counter with a Press and Force (man) system, which is made all the more entertaining because of defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's tweaks (varying players on the line, throwing in a rover, etc). The press and force means that pressure is continuous, both on the line and against the receivers. The line interchanges one and two gap approaches, and the cornerbacks almost always jam the receivers. With the LBs and CBs in man coverage, there is little room for error, but a lot of pressure on the offense to make mistakes. This doesn't mean a lot of blitzing though. Ryan has blitzed in the past quite a bit, but last year played more conservatively.

Oakland features it's own elite talents at CB (Asomugha and D. Hall), and solid play at safety.

How does this play out?

Expect Denver to establish the run, but to throw a (very few) long passes early to keep Oakland honest. One or even two deep (throw away) passes in the first drive should do it. Denver will hit the gut early to attempt to wear down the offense, saving the outside runs for when the OLBs start cheating to the inside. Cutler (who can run the bootleg and option plays well) may stay in the pocket more than usual, dropping back even five steps if Denver plays 3 receiver sets. Most of Denver's passes will be mid to short range, with the receivers being set up for yards after the catch. Denver will continue to use misdirection to allow runners to break for big plays or to allow Cutler the time to roll out to an uncovered WR.

Because of the skill level of the Oakland CBs, and missing a #1 starter, it might be a good move for the Broncos to run several 2 TE sets, with any of Denver's three top TEs being solid match ups against the Raider LBs (this can be used to brush back strong safety Gibril Wilson if he is creeping up to hinder Denver's run game). If an Oakland LB can't handle the TEs, a safety (most likely Gibril) will have to take the job.

Also watch for some surprises from Hillis at FB, especially near the endzone. He can catch screen passes, or bull ahead like a power RB.

Expect the Raiders to counter the zone block by calling more two gap assignments for the DTs. Expect the CBs to press the WRs to throw off Cutler's timing. Without Marshall, Oakland won't feel the need to double team WRs. Oakland will hope to create pressure with the front four, but may have to send in a LB to blitz if Denver protects Cutler well enough. If that becomes the case, Denver will counter by calling a screen to the now uncovered player (a RB, FB, or TE). For that reason, it will be key for Cutler (or Nalen at center) to read the blitzes correctly to audible the play effectively.

System Matchups

Denver's Defense versus Oakland's Offense

Everything rides on Oakland QB Russell. He has solid receivers (Walker may be out with a hamstring), but not the best protection. Despite what may be too much weight coming into camp, Russell is quick on his feet, and can throw on the run. He'll need his arm for Oakland's Vertical Pass scheme, which is coupled with a Zone Block run game. Like Denver, the one cut variation is used, but not with the same frequency. (Oakland falls between teams like Denver and Houston who use one cut, and other zone block teams that use regular runners).

There is no doubt that Oakland has talent and depth at RB. They'll need it, because Russell faces Bailey and Bly at CB, and upgrades Manuel and McCree at safety. Denver will also be returning to the (man) Show Blitz scheme of the (defensive coordinator) Larry Coyer days, with LBs up on scrimmage and a "shown" blitz on every play (everyone or no one). Defensive Coordinator Slowik has a reputation for aggressive defense, and the players look forward to it.

This will play out with Denver using mostly one gap calls to plug running lanes or pressure the QB, with the LBs either joining for a blitz or backing off to play man coverage (Coyer used man for the "show", though it is usually a zone defense at the HS level where I coached defense). The players to watch are (potential pro-bowler) DE Dumervil, a pass rush machine, and D. Robertson at DT, a player new to Denver and a question mark. Denver's defense this season may be tied (in part) to DRob's play.

Oakland will (like Denver) fight to establish the run. If Denver hasn't fixed their run defense woes from last season, Oakland can win on runs alone (almost). If Denver is up to the task, Oakland has the choice between grinding the game out with occasional deep chances on passes, or allowing Russell to get away from game management and trying for multiple, intermediate passes. This might not be the best game for Oakland to try that route.

Because Russell can scramble well, Denver should focus on collapsing the pocket from outside (not the middle) to keep him stationary. Expect Bailey to play off coverage (his own personal quirk), while Bly sticks to his man. Also, watch SS Manuel to see if he plays in the box. If Denver can stop the run, he can play back a bit more (a good sign for Denver). If he plays in the box all night, it is likely because Denver is having problems stopping the run (also a sign that Oakland may have the lead).

Overview

Oakland should try to keep the game close, wear down the Denver defense, and keep the ball on the ground. Denver would love to engage the Raiders in a shoot out. For this reason Denver needs to score early in an attempt to force the Raiders out of the run game. Oakland needs to keep the Denver offense off the field so that they can weaken Denver's defense, and avoid taking chances with the pass.

Keys to the game -

Oakland Raiders

Run the ball effectively
Win on time of possession
Limit penalties (a problem area for Oakland in the past)

Denver Broncos

Effective Special Teams play (P, K, and coverage / field position)
Limit turnovers
Play with the lead

Player matchups

QB - Denver

FB - even

HB - even

WR - Denver

OL - Denver

TE - Denver

DE - Denver

DT - Oakland

LB - Oakland

CB - Denver

SAF - even

STs - Oakland

Coaching - Denver

Home Field This Game - Oakland

Conclusion

This game pits two teams against each other that had terrible years in '07. Denver went 7-9 (one of Denver's worst years in decades) while Oakland went 4-12. Both teams' fans expect better this year, and both teams' fans believe their team is far superior to the other. The rest of the League's fans don't have either team on their radars.

This game, for the fans as well as the players, goes very far in building confidence for the season. Expect the losing team's fans to crash with depression, thinking the season is over, while the winning fans expect a fantastic season. Both extremes may be foolish, but that happens when two historicaly powerful teams that are rivals come off of a bad season, and face each other on a MNF game to start the season.

Right now I (a Broncos fan) see Denver as the better team. However, I also believe that Oakland has the talent to beat Denver if Denver doesn't play at its best. I think both fan bases are undervaluing the opposing team, and the game is hard to predict. Denver has remade themselves with many new faces, but they've also gone back to their tried and true "original formula". Oakland has spent money like mad (the Snyder / Redskins approach) to bring in game busters in the hopes that big names equal wins.

I expect that this game will be a game for the ages, but only for one set of fans. : )

Poll

Who will have the best game?

A Denver RB

40 votes

Denver's QB, TE, or Receiver

243 votes

A Denver Defensive Back

20 votes

A Denver Defensive Lineman

8 votes

A Denver Linebacker

10 votes

Oakland RB

216 votes

Oakland QB, TE, or Receiver

18 votes

Oakland Defensive Back

23 votes

Oakland Defensive Lineman

4 votes

Oakland Linebacker

8 votes

590 votes | Poll has closed