SB Nation - Anthony Alridge

Ail Will the Redskins, Ail My Sprained Knee

KevinE — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:43:34 -0000

Injury Report for the Redskins vs Broncos will likely need 2-3 sheets of paper.

Injury Report is a doozy this week.

Redskins will be continuing their patch work as they face the Denver Broncos this weekend. Zorn stated the Redskins will be looking to sign a RB with Portis "doubtful." Any guesses on this one?

Larry Johnson, who was recently released by the Chiefs, is the likely option. Be the first to get your LJ Redskins jersey!! Or, will Anthony Alridge get the hat trick with his 3rd signing this year with the burgundy and gold? Never a dull moment folks! Cerrato must be loving all the fun work he has to bring in another offensive weapon. Hopefully the Redskins don't lose a draft pick out of all this.

In other news, with the Mike Williams injury (ligament damage in ankle 2-4 weeks), Stephon Heyer will move back to right tackle, and Levi Jones will start at left tackle.

Other Injuries: Chris Horton is out 4-6 weeks (toe). Reed Doughty and Jason Campbell will be OK.

It's maddening how many injuries the Redskins have. Brian Mitchell, as expected, went off in the post-game show stating all this, especially the bad tackling, is a result of the easy training camp the players had. BMitch went on to add that the Redskins did not do any tackling drills in camp, which is clearly evident in the games and lack of effort. Again, one can blame Zorn, but Blache to me seems to be the one that doesn't care. His players are continually committing inexcusable, dumb penalties. I can't possibly see him wanting to stay here another year.

The media outlets that went to multiple training camps said the Redskins camp was very light compared to the others. A lot of the retired players on the major networks have also vocalized their distaste for the music over the loud speakers at practice. They said it absolutely sends the wrong message. Since I haven't been to any other NFL camps but the Redskins, it's hard for me to say one way or the other. The week I was there, there definitely were not any tackling drills that I saw, but they did tackle during their scrimmage drills.

Either way, each week just gets more laughable. Anyone want to guess how many of our week 1 starters will be out week 17 due to injury? 50%?

Horse Tracks 11/4/09 - Orton has sore left ankle; Broncos add two to PS, bringing back DT Carlton Powell

Douglas A. Lee — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:44:53 -0000

Good Morning, MHR Friends! Try not to lose much sleep over Darius Walker - I know a lot of folks liked what they saw from him in the preseason, but he gained his yards in garbage time against second- and third-teamers and still managed only 3.8 YPA. He's merely this year's version of Anthony Alridge, sans blazing speed. On an editing note, I feel like I've got to tighten up Tracks a bit; a return to quality over quantity (and more blurbs to help you decide which columns you want to read before you click on them). So I'm going to run some polls over the next few days - I need your help (because obviously what you want is what really matters, here). Don't worry, this doesn't mean I'll decrease the amount of Broncos-centric news. It's more a matter of the other stuff... Please be honest, as your input will help me improve Tracks and determine its direction. Thanks!

LTC - Orton thrives with Broncos, rookie coach - Brian Howell
"I’ve learned a lot," he said. "I think I’m a better player. The coaching has been great, and they’re making me a better player. I think this is the system that fits me." Sounds to me like a player who knows where his bread is buttered (hometown discount at contract time?). Then again, we don't really know how McD will value Kyle at a much higher price (versus his current $995,000 salary). Maybe he'll like Brandstater's value better...

DPP - Broncos rookie Moreno learning on job - Mike Klis
Although he's on pace for over 1,100 yards from scrimmage (very good for a rookie, especially as part of a backfield tandem), Knowshon is yet to break a run of 20+ yards. However, as Moreno himself says, "I didn't really have too many big runs at Georgia, either. It's all about those hard yards."

DPP - Defense ready for no-huddle from Steelers - Jeff Legwold
"Quarterback Kyle Orton may show up on the Broncos' injury report this week because of a twisted left ankle he suffered in Sunday's loss in Baltimore. Orton was hit by Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs in the second quarter and played the rest of the way with the ankle wrapped. Orton received treatment on the ankle Monday and Tuesday"

DB - Ball, Powell Added to Practice Squad - Gray Caldwell

NFLN - Playbook: Broncos vs. Ravens recap - Video
Billick & Mayock look at how B-more beat the Broncos. It's just as Orton said - two safeties sitting deep, tons of pressure - can't go deep, don't have time to make good throws underneath.

DB - Preparing For Pittsburgh - Patrick Smyth

DPP - Analysis: McDaniels will have his hands full with LeBeau's Pittsburgh defense - Jeff Legwold

DPP - McDaniels' involvement with Spygate not clear - Jeff Legwold

CSG - Loss should help keep Broncos humble - Frank Schwab

CSG - Coaches: Orton deserves some of shared blame in loss - Frank Schwab

LTC - Broncos’ loss is chance to find, fix flaws - Brian Howell

KDVR - Tanaka: Broncos still among the NFL's best

HSB - Elam comes full circle - John Hollis

Steelers News

FH - Hines Ward: Ryan Clark Should Sit Out This Week - J.J. Cooper

PPG - On the Steelers: Carter capable of filling in for Clark - Ed Bouchette

PPG - How do teams adjust to Denver's altitude? - Ed Bouchette

PPG - Ed Bouchette's Steelers chat transcript

AFC West News

ESPN - How I See It: AFC West Stock Watch - Bill Williamson

SFC - Creepshow: Raiders hitting an all-time low - Scott Ostler

OT - Poole: Bottom line is that bad NFL coaches are safe

OT - Peterson: Finding Raiders coaching candidates no easy task ... unless you get creative

SI - Oakland Raiders can't allow abusive Tom Cable to continue - Ann Killion

KCS - Chiefs add Chris Chambers

KCS - Chiefs use bye week to fine-tune offense - Kent Babb

SDUT - Chargers' defining time - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Jackson's DUI case on hold for now - Brent Schrotenboer

NFL News

NYT - N.F.L. Seeks Help in Enforcing Drug Policy - Ken Belson

FH - Congress Shoots Down NFL's Request for Help on StarCaps Ruling - Dan Graziano

NFL - Goodell meets support, critics in Congress over drug programs

NFL - Goodell, Smith to join latest round of labor negotiations

FH - Dan Snyder 'Sorry' for Redskins' Fans - Matt Snyder

NFL - Browns coach Mangini remains quiet about Kokinis' departure

NFL - Seahawks release 11-year veteran RB James

NFL - Bills' McGee expects to miss 2 weeks after arthroscopic surgery

NFL Opinion

NFP - Diner morning news: Kokinis never had a chance - Mike Lombardi
"Every time Mangini was given more responsibility in New England, he was not successful. Conversely, every time Josh McDaniels’ role was increased, he kept getting more and more successful." This is one of Lombardi's best columns - not for the McDaniels praise, but for the insight into how Eric Mangini has gone wrong already in Cleveland.

NYT - Circumstances of Kokinis’s Exit in Question - Judy Battista

NFL - Another 'do-over' on horizon for perpetually rebuilding Browns - Jason La Canfora

NFL - In-season coaching change is nothing but a knee-jerk reaction - Vic Carucci

SI - Cleveland Browns are mess; New Orleans Saints success is run - Peter King

SN - These elevators are going through the roof - Clifton Brown

CBS - Game-breaker Jackson becomes draft home run for Eagles - Clark Judge

NFP - Tavern talk: How Falcons gave away points - Mike Lombardi

FOX - Schein 9: These aren't same, old Texans

ESPN - Frustration and growing pains in Green Bay - Kevin Seifert

NFP - Packers defense comes under fire - Matt Bowen

Y! - Packers looking far from prime-time worthy - Mike Silver
"If Brian Dawkins and Ray Lewis had engaged in a pregame staredown Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium, would it still be going on right now?"

PFW - Can it get any worse in Washington? - Keith Schleiden

Y! - Lost identity contributing to Giants' woes - Jason Cole

SI - Alex Smith has San Francisco 49ers headed in right direction - Jerome Bettis
"There's an unwritten rule, Jay Cutler: You can talk crap to players on the field, but you don't direct that at coaches. I don't know how the chatter between the Bears QB and Cleveland defensive coordinator Rob Ryan started this week, but it's just not the way Jay should carry himself. Play the game. Rob Ryan can't make a play; he can't kick your butt on the field. So it shows a complete lack of class to bring him into the fray."

FH - Studs and Duds, Week 8: The Ginn Mill - Shane Bacon
You know, the guy probably took a lot of heat as a kid. But once past that, how awesome is it to have the name "Bacon"?

NFP - Scout’s notebook: defensive review - Wes Bunting

Power Rankings, Etc.

ESPN - NFL Power Rankings Week 9

CBS - Power Rankings: Texans have passing chance against Colts - Pete Prisco

FH - NFL Power Rankings, Week 9: There Will Be Blood - Josh Alper

FOX - NFL Power Rankings - Adrian Hasenmayer
"It was bound to happen. The skeptics were waiting patiently the past few weeks for the Broncos to come back to reality. But don't kick too much dirt on 'em, it's never a good idea to overreact to one game — win or loss."

USAT - USA Today's NFL power rankings

NYT - Week 8 QB Ratings: Favre Rising and Eli Falling - Luis DeLoureiro

PFW - MVP Meter: Favre chasing down Peterson - Dan Parr

PFW - Rookie Meter: Byrd finally cracks top 10 - Mike Holbrook

Poll

What do you think about the quantity of AFC West news (aside from the Broncos, of course) in Horse Tracks?

It's just about right; I tend to read most of it

120 votes

If half of it disappeared, I'd hardly notice

211 votes

Why do we need so much Raiders news?

42 votes

373 votes | Poll has closed

Pour Some Sugar On Me - Preseason Wrap-up: Can We Build a Team That Can Beat the Raiders? Yes We Can!

Sugar — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 10:00:22 -0000

I understand how important this last preseason game was for roughly 20-30 players per team. I do. For some it was the difference between making the 53-man roster or getting cut. For others who were relatively certain of their impending unemployment, it was a chance to get on tape for potential future employers. For coaches, it was one last look at a few players they may try to retain on the practice squad. But for just about everybody else (in the world) these games were simply painful to watch.

As a Redskins' fan, I of course watched the game against the Jaguars intently and hung on most every play. But as I watched the games around the league, I found myself losing interest quickly as penalty flags rained down on my living room as if Pacman Jones himself were throwing them.

To write a recap of each game would be worse than having to read Peter King rate every latte he has ever drank. So instead, this week I thought I would put my preseason watch-a-ton to the test. Every team has made their final cuts. I will attempt to build a 53-man roster from all the players released by the Saturday deadline. This may include some players who ended up on the practice squad, but you'll have to excuse that. After all, even though I did watch pretty much every preseason game played in the last month, my knowledge of certain teams' backups probably doesn't go much further than guys who should rightfully land on the practice squad. This already feels like a poor man's version of Madden fantasy draft. I get to decide who I am going to keep and at what position they will play. My ultimate goal: a 53-man roster capable of beating the Oakland Raiders final 53-man roster. Our team name: Sugartime Ballers. At the end, you'll get to vote on whether you think the Ballers can take down the Raiders. The first picks after the jump...

QB (3): Jeff Garcia, Joey Harrington, Chase Daniel

This team is going to have a questionable offensive line, so I am going to need a veteran quarterback capable of escaping pressure and getting rid of the ball. I watched as much of the Raiders' preseason as I could stomach and to me it seemed like Jeff Garcia was the quarterback that gave them the best chance to win now. My guess is that they sensed that too and decided that going with a guy staring down 40 years old would be the nail in the coffin for the JaMarcus Russell era, at least from a confidence perspective. Joey Harrington (cut by the Saints) is experienced in the art of art of hand signaling, which is what I want in my backup QB. Plus he is a great pianist so he can play getaway music on the piano as Jeff Garcia is running fro his life behind whatever offensive line I can put together. Chase Daniel gave it a good run in D.C., but failed to be named as the 3rd quarterback when the team decided to go with nobody instead (ouch).

RB (5): Dominic Rhodes, Anthony Alridge, Ian Johnson, Fui Vakapuna, Isaac Redman

It struck me as a little odd when the Bills jettisoned Rhodes. With Lynch out for the beginning frames of the season and Fred Jackson a little dinged this preseason, I figured a veteran like Rhodes would have value for that team. Alridge just barely missed being the last running back kept by the Redskins and adds speed out of my backfield. Ian Johnson is a young buck that got bounced by the Vikings. I have a soft spot in my heart for this guy after watching him have such a great career at Boise State, not to mention the now famous Statue of Liberty play against Oklahoma a couple seasons ago. Vakapuna is a guy I picked because I need a blocking fullback and I have been watching HBO's Hard Knocks this season featuring the Bengals. He is a big, athletic dude, and we are going to need a Samoan presence in the backfield on this team. Redman had a great preseason in Pittsburgh but the numbers game beat him. We are lucky to have him and Vakapuna muscling up in our backfield.

TE (4): Leonard Pope, Alex Smith, Bear Pascoe, Garrett Mills

The Cards cut Pope and the Pats cut Smith. Both are capable receivers that understand the position well. Bear Pascoe was on the 49ers squad and I remember hearing his name for the first time late in the game against the Raiders I think. He was described by his college coach at Fresno State as the "most devastating blocker" they had ever seen. He started out there as a quarterback. He blocked 6 kicks on special teams, and keeps his edge by participating in rodeos. He's an old-school kind of player and on my team he will play an old-school role: Iron Man. At 6'5", 250+ lbs, he will never leave the field. Our wildcat offense will be called the "Wild Bear" formation and we will direct snap it to him. He will rush the passer on defense and he will line up all over the field on offense. His importance on this roster almost necessitated adding a 4th tight end to help carry the load at the position, and Mills, fresh off the Vikings roster, will fit in nicely. The Raiders will not have a chance.

OL (9): Damien McIntosh, Tony Pashos, Andrew Crummey, Kynan Forney, Jeremy Bridges, Scott Burley,Justin Geisenger, Mike Butterworth, Mark Wilson

McIntosh (Chiefs), Pashos (Jaguars), Crummey (Bengals), Forney (Chargers), and Bridges (Redskins) are my starting five. Burley (Redskins), Geisinger (Panthers), and Butterworth (Falcons) are my backups. Burely went to University of Maryland and has been hanging around the league the last two years. Geisinger is a journeyman lineman who spent a season with the Redskins but has also been a member of the Bills and Titans. The Raiders gave Mark Wilson his walking papers, but he has had steady employment as a backup since 2004. Mike Butterworth made this team because I simply ran out of guys that I really knew much about...and I love maple syrup on pancakes.

All of my starters would likely be welcome on most squads in the league after a few weeks when teams are all of a sudden hit by injuries and become starved for guys who have played before. Forney was a huge shock getting cut by San Diego. He might be one of the two or three best players on the Ballers.

WR (6): Keary Colbert, Robert Ferguson, David Tyree, David Patten, Trent Shelton, Steve Sanders

Ferguson (Falcons), Colbert (Lions), and Patten (Browns) have all been unfortunate members of previous unfortunate fantasy teams of mine. So they owe me. Hard to argue against Tyree (Giants). He can start on special teams and catch balls with his helmet. With Bear Pascoe behind center, he might have to catch a few wild pitches. Shelton (Redskins) should make their practice squad and Steve Sanders (Cardinals) was great on Beverly Hills, 90210.

DL (8): Shaun Smith, Alex Buzbee, Ryan Boschetti, Darryl Richard, Rob Jackson, Tommie Hill, Matthias Askew, Terrance Taylor

The Patriots drafted Richard last April, and that is pretty much good enough for me. I recall Tommie Hill made a huge play late in the first Monday Night game against the Panthers, scoring a touchdown with no time left on the clock. Not being good enough for the Giants defensive line does not necessarily make you bad. Rob Jackson and Alex Buzbee both got cut from the Redskins so I have seen plenty of them and are comfortable with them as backups. Boschetti got dumped by the Raiders--can't remember anyone listing their personnel decisions as better than...well, anyone's. Shaun Smith was a shock to get sent home by the Lions. He is definitely good enough to anchor the Ballers' defensive line. And Terrance Taylor was a 4th round pick for the Colts. I am little surprised to see him gone from there, but we will not ask too many questions and scoop him up.

LB (8): Tim Crowder, Zach Thomas, Rocky Boiman, Khary Campbell, Bruce Davis, Jeremy Leman, Robert Thomas, Cody Glenn

Crowder should have cracked the Broncos' Final 53. Our squad will benefit from the veteran presence of Zach Thomas, who might not really have ever been realistically in the Chiefs' plans. Rocky Boiman has been around, most recently ending his second stint with the Titans. He has a ring from the Colts' Super Bowl victory and his experience will be put to good use for the Ballers. Khary Campbell is a special teams standout that did not make the last cuts in Houston. Bruce Davis was a huge underachiever for the Steelers. Here's hoping he can turn it around for the Ballers. Leman (Panthers) was a guy who I thought played well enough in the preseason to stick. I guess that is why my phone isn't ringing off the hook to become anybody's GM. Thomas and Glenn were both waived by the Skins. Thomas has plenty of experience in the league and Glenn (while still an odd draft choice by Vinny Cerrato--read: "wasted draft choice") is a raw player from the Nebraska Cornhuskers' program.

DB (8): Deltha O'Neal, Brian Russell, Brian Williams, Bernard Pollard, Corey Lynch , Deangelo Smith, Corey Ivy, Lendy Holmes

O'Neal (Texans), Williams (Jaguars), Russell (Seahawks), and Pollard (Chiefs) are my starting defensive backs (first two are CB's, second two will man the safety positions. Smith (Cowgirls), Lynch (Bengals), Ivy (Browns), and Holmes (Redskins) round out our scrappy secondary.

P: A.J. Trapasso - Any guy who takes aim for a $40 million video board in a preseason game, ESPECIALLY one bought by Jerry Jones, gets a spot on my team.

K: Brandon Coutu (Seahawks) - The 'Hawks kept this guy on their roster all season last year behind Olindo Mare in the hopes they could trade him. He has a hell of a leg and will get a shot from another team very soon.

Give Me the Numbers, Stat!

27-17, Ballers over the Raiders. Bear Pascoe has 78 yards rushing, 2 rushing touchdowns, 1 blocked field goal and 3 sacks. Jeff Garcia runs in for the other TD and throws the ball straight into the owner's box where Al Davis is sitting. Davis sues the NFL.

Next week at this time, we will be through the first weekend of meaningful football. Imagine...four quarters without any fourth-stringers (God willing). The season of excessive penalty-calling is over. Let the games begin. We'll see you back here on Tuesday--with nary a mention of any battles for the backup long snapper position.

Poll

Can this team I have constructed beat the Raiders today, on a neutral field, with a run-heavy offensive philosophy behind the Iron Man Bear Pascoe?

Yes, handily

164 votes

Maybe 51 times out of 100

142 votes

Maybe once in a 100 tries

51 votes

Not a chance

42 votes

399 votes | Poll has closed

Hogs Haven Predicts Redskins Final 53

Ken Meringolo — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:32:30 -0000

More photos » by Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP

Robert Henson and Cody Glenn may both benefit from being drafted by Vinny Cerrato. He HATES to cut players he drafts!

Browse more photos »

First, the obvious: Sugar has been shelved for the time being. I will be tackling a new writing assignment within SB Nation and I was asked to come up with a cooler name to write under. The best I could come up with was "Ken Meringolo". I know what you're thinking...sounds too much like an undercover secret agent of international intrigue. I guess you could say I followed the lead of one my heroes, Lt. Frank Drebin, and decided to use my maiden name.

Not that many tears (besides mine) will be shed over it, but Sugar will most assuredly be back. I will keep you guys posted on when and where my other writing assignments will end up. But on to the issues of the day.

Here is our crack at predicting the Redskins "Final 53". We have all been watching the preseason closely--there won't be many surprises. But we are picking a couple. Have at it (after the jump):

QB (3): Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, Colt Brennan

RB (5): Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright, Mike Sellers, Anthony Alridge

WR (5): Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El, Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, Marko Mitchell

TE (3): Chris Cooley, Fred Davis, Todd Yoder

OL (9): Chris Samuels, Derrick Dockery, Casey Rabach, Randy Thomas, Stephon Heyer, Chad Rinehart, Mike Williams, Jeremy Bridges, Will Montgomery

DL (9): Phillip Daniels, Albert Haynesworth, Cornelius Griffin, Anthony Montgomery, Kedric Golston, Lorenzo Alexander, Andre Carter, Jeremy Jarmon, Rob Jackson

LB (7): London Fletcher, Rocky McIntosh, Brian Orakpo, H.B. Blades, Chris Wilson, Cody Glenn, Robert Henson

DB (9): Carlos Rogers, DeAngelo Hall, Fred Smoot, Kevin Barnes, Justin Tryon, LaRon Landry, Chris Horton, Reed Doughty, Kareem Moore

P: Hunter Smith

LS: Ethan Albright

K: Dave Rayner

I put Rob Jackson in over Renaldo Wynn, Robert Henson in over Robert Thomas, Rayner over Suisham, and Anthony Alridge in over whomever you want to call the 53rd man to make it.

Why do I continue to keep Renaldo Wynn off my final 53 list? If you think like me, then you think Wynn is not really a guy who is going to get a lot of snaps anyway unless there is an injury. Rob Jackson is still a little young and raw, and I have not heard his name a ton but if you are going to keep a guy around to caddy for the rest of the defensive linemen, why not keep a young guy who has a shot to develop into a serviceable backup instead of a guy at the end of his rope who has played all of his best football already? This is the pick I will most likely be wrong about, as Renaldo Wynn is a pro who knows how to play the game, and was brought in for his leadership and experience this offseason. But I had to stay true to what I have been saying this summer.

The Robert Henson/Cody Glenn/Robert Thomas decision at linebacker is a little more straight-forward. I think Cody Glenn is at the head of the 3-pack. The decision between Henson and Thomas is not so hard when you remember one thing: Vinny drafted Henson. He hates to be wrong about his draft picks. And lucky for him, he is in the position to pronounce his rightness! Henson has made a few mental blunders during games this preseason, and dropping that sure interception against the Ravens hurt him (coming out of TCU, he was actually graded as a sure-handed linebacker.) But in the end, the team will keep the guy they picked in the draft, and drop the guy they signed off the street. Regardless of who is better--though let's not make that out to be a huge deal. Neither Henson nor Thomas factors huge for us this season, and if Henson can figure out to stay on the field for special teams by mid-season, he will be worth the investment. Finally, it says here that Robert Henson will pull off an Alfred Fincher kind of performance against the Jags and earn the spot.

Anthony Alridge...really? Vinny brought him in this offseason and the word from the inside of the building is that Vinny loves him too much to let him go. What's not to love? He is one of those "yards-per-touch" guys. He is going to get the ball in the flat on screens, pitches, and dump-offs and he is going to get upfield in a hurry. I know Marcus Mason has been a fan favorite to make this squad multiple times, but the fact of the matter is he does not give us something we don't already have. Alridge gives us a scatback, speed option off the bench that will prove very useful this season.

I went with Rayner over Suisham even though there seems to be a resounding consensus that Suisham will retain his position. I FEEL LIKE I AM TAKING CRAZY PILLS! How do you hold any benefit of the doubt in a kicking competition when you were last in the league in field goal percentage? Rayner has had the better kickoff leg and neither has blown the roof off with their field goals. If anything, I would be tempted to keep Rayner and then bring in either Mike Nugent (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) or Brandon Coutu (Seattle Seahawks)--helps to watch every preseason game!--to compete with Rayner in the week leading up to the regular season. Coutu has a good chance to make the Seahawks' roster, but if he doesn't, we wouldn't be the only ones trying to sign him.

Practice Squad Predictions: Edwin Williams, Scott Burly, Keith Eloi, Robbie Agnone, Chase Daniel, Eddie Williams

WaTimes 53-man roster [Redskins 360]
WaPost 53-man roster [Redskins Insider]
Redskins Blog [Terl took his link down...I swore it was there?]

What do you guys think?

Poll

Which player that I put in do you think is most likely NOT to make the team?

Robert Henson

113 votes

Anthony Alridge

226 votes

Rob Jackson

263 votes

602 votes | Poll has closed

Game Preview: Washington Redskins vs New England Patriots - Preseason

KevinE — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 13:51:49 -0000

TV:

TV Announcers: Jim Nantz & Phil Simms

Radio: 980 AM, 730 AM (Spanish), 94.3 FM and 92.7 FM

New England Patriots @ Washington Redskins

Friday, August 28nd, 8PM, Fedex Field

Weather:

Tailgate: 2PM-8PM (70% chance rain - 81 degrees)

Game time: 8PM-11PM (64% chance rain - 74 degrees)

Not expected to play: Rock Cartwright, Carlos Rogers, Shawn SpringsQuestionable: Mike Williams, Richard Seymour, Wes Welker, Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris

What I am watching for:

1.) ANYONE on offense to make a play (1st unit). Three weeks in a row with no TDs is inexcuasble. I don't care if we're playing the '85 Bears tonight. Campbell is expected to play the entire first half. He should be able to find SOME sort of rhythm. As for Colt and Chase. To echo Rick Snider, there is no QB controversy. Just like Colt last year, Daniel was running the limited plays he knows against 15th stringers. Against the Steelers, Colt was running more complex schemes against better players. He's still a work in progress, so let that develop. I'd be shocked if Colt did not win the 3rd spot. I mean, Zorn has to say Daniel "is in the mix" to keep the players motivated.

2.) Justin Tryon vs Super Bowl QB (Part II). With Carlos Rogers out, Tryon will see some action against Brady and the first unit. I think the words of Harry Dunne (Dumb & Dumber) apply here after Tryon's abysmal game against the Steelers: "Just when I thought you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this... and totally redeem yourself!"

3.) 3 and outs. I want to see the Redskins start to out-number teams in this statistic, which they have failed to do so far.

4.) Special Teams. They were atrocious last week, but at the same time, Danny Smith is throwing rookie and journeymen out there to test them out. This coming Tuesday, Sept. 1, the Redskins have to cut 5 players to get down to 75. I will be playing close attention to the young guys like Robert Henson, Cody Glenn, Eddie Williams, and Anthony Alridge. The second half of tonight's game means everything for 5 players. Another interesting tidbit is that for Marko Mitchell to lock up the 5th WR spot, he HAS to contribute on special teams. This means he'll have to play a gunner on punts. Marko has never done this before and said that he is trying to get used to it. Keep an eye on the gunners tonight. I expect Dorsey, Eloi, Tryon, and Alridge will see some action at this position too. It could be the make or break for a couple players.

What will you be watching for?

August 4: Our Recap from Training Camp Today

KevinE — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 19:05:04 -0000

Another sweltering hot day. The practice started for QBs with Zorn throwing the ball on the ground and each Qb having to fall on it in a spooning/sliding fashion. Colt did it the best of the three. Todd Collins seemed to run up to it, squat, and fall on it which drew laughter from the crowd. Campbell also had an awkward fall on it which resulted in a quick lecture from Zorn.

Next up was practicing 15 yard screen passes. The QB would drop back and then Zorn would yell which square he wants the QB to throw in. Campbell's first pass was a direct shot, but he got a quick lecture on Zorn on footwork. The drill reminded me of a dunk-tank at a county fair. The crowd would go crazy any time the ball caught into one of the squares.

Next, the Qbs ran this drill on the run. Todd Collins looked a lot more consistent than the previous day I saw him (Saturday). The subsequent drill removed the net and insert in tight ends (no coverage). Fred Davis made a nice grab and his turn and momentum up-field is very impressive. As Sugar said before, Fred Davis is going to make himself known this year.

Hunter Smith was doing a few drills today. He was catching some Ethan Albright snaps for place kicking...one-handed. Everything Terl covered with Hunter being the best holder of all time appears to be true. I asked Suisham if Hunter has made a big difference. "Yes" he replied. "How is it different than Durant's hold", I asked. Suisham thought for a few seconds, laughed, and replied, "It just is." Seems to go with what Hunter said that every ball he puts down is the exact same, smooth motion.

At 9:30AM the horn sounded and the 11-11 drills commenced. I took notes of every single play, so here they are in sequential order:

- Fincher comes straight through into the backfield

- London Fletcher came in untouched and Campbell throws an INT. Zorn shouts "You got to earn it offense!"'

- JC fumbles snap

- Heyer slightly false started, Sellers held, but JC finished the play and connected on a long bomb to Randle-El to the crowd's delight.

- Todd Collins completes a nice throw over the middle to Trent Shelton

- False start

- Todd Collins 5-yard slant complete pass.

- Sweep to Alridge for no gain.

- Fred Davis goes in motion and stops as fullback. Colt hikes and looks for a screen to Fed which is well-covered, so Colt scrambles out of bounds.

- Jeremy Jarmon burns Jeremy Bridges and is able to bat down Colt's screen attempt

- Campbell quick slant to Randle-El for short gain (I got a flashback to 2008)

- Campbell overthrows Fred Davis. Cornelius Griffin got to the QB first.

- Betts run left for a few yards.

- Quick pass for 3-yards to Hagans. Will Montgomery playing Center and lost his battle.

- Anthony Alridge bobbles the handle off and fumbles. Kareem Moore scoops it up. Fan screams "Cut his ass!" which drew a laugh

- Dominque Dorsey runs left for a 5 yard gain before defense gets to him

- Todd Collins screen to Marcus Mason who runs down the sideline and takes a full hit from Robert Henson

--- Drills now switch to Red Zone ---

- Antonio Dixon gets in the backfield. Portis stopped for a loss.

- Campbell has lots of protection and scrambles up the middle for a TD

- Collins nice fade pass to Marko Mitchell for a TD

- Betts runs left for a TD. No LBs were there to cover that side and Robert Thomas was the closest one.

- Colt has a really nice play-action fake bootleg and throws a pass to Fred Davis in the end-zone. Zorn throws his hands up in the air in celebration.

- Pitch to Marcus Mason which is broken up by Rocky McIntosh behind the line of scrimmage.

- Colt Brennan can't find an open WR...looks around and runs out of bounds. Gets some coaching from Zorn.

- Dominique Dorsey run up the middle. Albert Haynesworth is an absolute wall on this play. No gain.

--- Back to normal field plays ---

- Offense is clicking now. Todd Collins completing passes. Blache is using prevent defense.

- Next 2 plays are Todd Collins interceptions.

I was able to talk to several players post practice which I'll write up shortly once I get my audio converted over (Moss, Cooley, Daniels, Henson). Overall, the offense did look better. They weren't getting run-over like I saw on Saturday. Phillip Daniels confirmed this when I asked him about it. Other notes: Orakpo continued to shine burning Samuels on one play (oohs and aaah's from crowd). Fincher was also very disruptive. It is still way too early to pass judgement on playes. Once they see some real game time can we make evaluations. Roydell Williams is out 3-6 weeks so the door seemed to have opened for Hagans, who looked strong, and Marko Mitchell.

August 1: Our Recap from Training Camp

KevinE — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 17:30:23 -0000

More photos » by Evan Vucci - AP

4 months ago: Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn, right, looks on as quarterback Jason Campbell throws a pass during NFL football training camp at Redskins Park on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2009 in Ashburn, Va. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

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I made it over to a sweltering Redskins Park today to catch day three of Redskins practice. They were in pads and were tackling at times. Joe Jacoby and Joe Theismann were on-hand as well.

Did not practice: Carlos Rogers (soreness) and FB Eddie Williams (hamstring injury)

Here's my notes:

- Rookie mistakes stood out.
Marko Mitchell dropped an easy ball. Anthony Alridge also dropped an easy pass and fumbled on a hand-off exchange. On the 1-1 drills Kevin Barnes and Doug Dutch got worked over.

- Devin Thomas did not drop a ball all day.

- Santana Moss looks like he is in mid-season form.
(Made a diving catch in the center of the end zone)

The QBs were the only unit that were front and center the entire practice for the crowd. It is crystal clear that Campbell is the best Quarterback of the four out there. And this is not me saying this is a fan or personal preference...it's just a fact after watching them all throw.

- Jason Campbell looked good
(Had a lot of zip on the ball, but had a couple of bad tosses and a couple plays where he held the ball too long. He had a gorgeous 30-yard pass to Todd Yoder, threading the ball through a lunging Laron Landry)

- Todd Collins did not look good today.
(Overthrows and didn't see a blitzer on another play)

- Colt Brennan was up and down
(Had some nice throws but missed fired on a cross pattern to Moss and held the ball too long on other plays)

Offense spent 15 minutes doing red zone drills. One of which was a corner slant to Malcolm Kelly who was 1-1 with Fred Smoot. Campbell threw a perfect ball, which Kelly went up for but Smoot made an incredible play to break it up. Too bad I didn't hear the audio afterwards on that.

- Chris Horton made an incredible play to break up a pass to Santana.

- Albert Fincher was all over the field. Made multiple plays.

- Keith Eloi and Malcom Kelly both had spectacular catches

As for the lines:

One one play, Renaldo Wynn absolutely barrelled over Mike Williams putting him on his back. The next play Wynn tried a speed move around and Williams had excellent footwork to keep him outside the pocket. So, it's clear Mike is still has a lot of catchup to do regarding the physical part of the game. It was quite impressive however on a running play for Marcus Mason, Mike Williams pushed left and created a running lane the size of I-95.

Haynesworth wasn't in on that play. Speaking of Haynesworth, he was getting double-teamed all the times I saw. He was giving Derrick Dockery fits today.

Chris Wilson stood out multiple times playing left end. His first step off the line ia a blur. He got to the QB real quick.

Orakpo played a few snaps with his hands on the dirt. One play was a run right at him and he bear-hugged the RB immediately. No gain.

Coach Thrash helping in QB drills
via photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net

Here's the link to Redskins.com practice notes and quotes:

"The defensive line is wreaking havoc in our backfield right now. We have to block these guys. I'm excited on one hand, and then on the other I want to get going, too." - Coach Zorn

Zorn called the offensive line a "work in progress."

"I've seen some things I've wanted to see, but we're not done yet," he said. "Our guys are working hard and they're going to get better."

He said that while Stephon Heyer is working with the first team offensive line, he has not yet secured the starting job. He won't determine that until after preseason games.

The only real downer of the day is that a bottled water cost $4. In that heat, water is imperative and I was none too happy at those kind of prices. The burgers ($6) and bag of chips ($2) seemed fair, but for $4 a bottled water, I'd almost rather pass out and let the EMS hydrate me for free. There was a single, misting fan available but there was an army of kids hogging enjoying that.

Daily Slop: Training Camp Is Here

KevinE — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:04:41 -0000

via farm2.static.flickr.com

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I'm not sure about you guys, but it feels like Christmas morning to me. Twitter world is blowing up that the Loudon County Parkway is already jammed with cars trying to filter into Redskins Park. Grills are burning...yes, officially football is back. I am tentatively planning to attend camp this coming Tuesday, August 4th.

- Joe Gibbs rated 17th best coach of all time...of ALL sports [WaTimes]
(For cleaning up Spurrier's mess he should be automatic top 5)

- Chris Cooley absolutely destroys Cowboys fans in latest blog [Cooley Zone]

- Haynesworth has yet to find a house after looking at 40 of them [Tennessean]

-Redskinettes Calendar Release Party tonight in D.C. [redskins.com]

- WaTimes writer Ryan O'Halloran makes his 53-man roster predictions [WaTimes]
(RB cuts: Anthony Alridge, Marcus Mason and Eddie Williams...Dorsey makes it as the 4th RB)
(Roydell Williams the 5th WR...Marko gets cut)

OK...prediction time...I'll post mine in the comments as to not influence yours.

1.) Who will be the surprise player to make the squad?

2.) Who will be the surprise cut?

3.) Who will be the first Redskin to sit out a full practice w/ a tweak/injury?

4.) Who (if any) of 3 will make the squad? Marcus Mason, Dominique Dorsey, Anthony Alridge

5.) Who will win the 5th WR Spot?

6.) Does Zorn say the word 'golly' in any of his interviews today?

2009 Denver Broncos - Breaking Down the Roster - Running Backs

Douglas A. Lee — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:30:10 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

7 months ago: From left to right, Denver Broncos rookie running back Knowshon Moreno talks with fullback Peyton Hills and running back LaMont Jordan during the team's football minicamp at Broncos' headquarters in the southeast Denver suburb of Englewood, Colo., on Sunday, May 3, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

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The Broncos and Mike Shanahan developed quite a reputation for running the ball over the past 14 seasons. Denver basically became known as Running Back Central, where Shanahan and backs coach Bobby Turner turned several late-rounders into stars. While Shanny and Turner worked their magic in 2008 by turning seventh-rounder Peyton Hillis into a Denver cult hero, the season was noted more for its multitude of backfield injuries. New coach Josh McDaniels is no stranger to running-back attrition, as the 2008 Patriots suffered a similar fate; rookie BenJarvus Green-Ellis started 3 games after being elevated from the practice squad.

Lesson learned, McDaniels and GM Brian Xanders spent the offseason turning over the depth chart. Among the pair's first moves were cutting P.J. Pope, Alex Haynes and Anthony Alridge; the departure of Cory Boyd followed soon after. Xanders and McDaniels began adding new runners at the start of free agency, signing Correll Buckhalter, LaMont Jordan and J.J. Arrington in short order. Next came the draft, and the consensus of fans and experts alike was that Denver would emerge with at least one more back; the only question was when that would occur.

Although several fans were wishing for the Broncos to select Knowshon Moreno out of Georgia, most were expecting Denver to go defense-defense and fortify the front 7 with their two first-round picks (#12 and #18). While it appears that Xanders and McDaniels were hoping for such a scenario, the draft day board did not fall that way; highly-ranked 3-4 defenders Tyson Jackson and B.J. Raji went ahead of Denver's slot to Kansas City and Green Bay, respectively. Once their turn came around at #12, Denver's goal was to choose Moreno and DE/LB Robert Ayers with their two selections, in no particular order. Hearing that San Diego was trying to trade up to #13 in order to nab Moreno if Denver passed on the running back, Xanders and McDaniels pounced on the Georgia star.

Following the draft, Denver signed Kestahn Moore as an undrafted free agent; Moore was subsequently released in June. In the week following the draft, Denver cut Selvin Young, who had been projected as the starting back in 2008 before injuries derailed his season. The Broncos then added Darius Walker to the roster, who the Texans had chosen not to re-sign. J.J. Arrington's knee problems led to a failed physical and his eventual release in late May; the transaction cost the Broncos $100,000.

After the break, we'll take a deeper look at who the Broncos enter training camp with, and some expectations as to how the competition will play out:

Knowshon Moreno

#27 / Running Back / Denver Broncos

Height: 5-11

Weight: 205

Born: Jul 16, 1987

College: Georgia

Exp: Rookie

How Acq: 2009 Draft (1st Round, 12th Overall)

Contract: Unsigned

Moreno arrives in Denver with the highest expectations for a rookie back since Bobby Humphrey was supposed to help put John Elway over the top in 1989. Although several stars have occupied the Broncos backfield over the past 15 years (Terrell Davis, Mike Anderson, Clinton Portis, Reuben Droughns), each player was able to fly under the radar before assuming the starting role. Not so for Knowshon, whose name is a combination of his father's moniker (Knowledge) and his mother's first name (Varashon). At Middletown South HS in New Jersey, Moreno completed his career as the state's all-time leading scorer and second all-time leading rusher in carrying Middletown to three straight championship titles. Knowshon's accolades at Georgia include being named the SEC's Freshman of the Year in 2007 and an AFCA All-American in 2008. He also joined Herschel Walker as the only Bulldogs to compile back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons. It should also be noted that Moreno had 551 touches at Georgia and never fumbled.

Accomplishments aside, Knowshon brings a wide-ranging skill set to the Denver backfield; Coach McDaniels has spoken of Moreno's abilities as a runner, pass catcher and blocker. Wes Bunting of National Football Post wrote pre-draft that "(Knowshon)'s vision, toughness and ability to make people miss are rare." Meanwhile, Russ Lande of The War Room wrote, "Moreno is one of the most physical running back prospects our scouts have evaluated in years. Despite his lack of elite speed and burst, he is faster than expected and consistently outruns defenders who have angles on him. What's truly impressive is his ability to move well in tight quarters, a trait that separates the good NFL backs from the elite ones. He also is a polished receiver."

While it is difficult to project just how much Moreno will play in 2009, it is safe to say that Denver drafted him to be their #1 running back. During McDaniels' four years running the Patriots' offense, he never had a workhorse back at full health; therefore, it is uncertain whether McDaniels truly favors the committee approach he appears to, or a feature back to carry the bulk of the load. That said, look for Knowshon to emerge as Denver's de facto starting running back and to catch a lot more passes than we're used to seeing out of the Denver backfield.

Moreno is not yet under contract; naturally, how quickly he signs a deal may effect his development with the Broncos. As the twelfth pick, a simple look at Ryan Clady's contract (six years, $14.75 million incl. $11.415 million in guarantees) offers the framework for Knowshon's expected deal (with guarantees about 10% higher). Either way, he is quite obviously a lock to make the roster and should receive significant playing time for the Broncos in '09. Knowshon just celebrated his 22nd birthday on Thursday.

Correll Buckhalter

#28 / Running Back / Denver Broncos

Height: 6-0

Weight: 217

Born: Oct 06, 1978

College: Nebraska

Exp: 9th Year

How Acq: 2009 Free Agency (Philadelphia)

Contract: 2/27/2009: Signed a four-year, $10 million contract. The deal includes $1.8 million guaranteed. 2009-2012: Under Contract, 2013: Free Agent

Buckhalter signed with the Broncos in March after 8 seasons with the Eagles, during which he carried the ball 476 times for 2,155 yards (4.5 YPA) and 18 touchdowns in 74 games. CB also has 85 career receptions for 930 yards and 4 touchdowns. While these numbers would suggest low mileage on Buckhalter's knees, those joints haven't been too kind to Correll over the years; a torn ACL in his left knee cost him the 2002 season, while the 2004 and 2005 campaigns were lost to a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. However, Correll has been active for 49 out of a possible 53 games over the past 3 seasons in Philly (including playoffs). 2008 saw Buckhalter at his most productive (in terms of yards from scrimmage) since his rookie season, as he gained 369 yards rushing and 324 yards receiving, along with 4 total touchdowns. He did not fumble in 2008.

Shortly after Denver signed Buckhalter, he was unceremoniously linked to a drug dealer during a Pennsylvania court case. Fortunately, the convicted dealer denied selling marijuana to Buckhalter; no charges have been filed against the running back.

During his time in Philadelphia, Buckhalter was the primary backup to Brian Westbrook, filling in as the starter when necessary but averaging only 7.6 touches per game. While that number may rise in Denver, don't expect his role to change significantly. The Broncos have added Buckhalter for his versatility; Scouts, Inc. says, "Buckhalter is a productive back with a good combination of size and speed, displays good run skills and acceleration through the hole, has above-average hands with good open-field run after the catch ability." As stated above, the Broncos drafted Knowshon Moreno to be their top back; Buckhalter will get his touches, but he is still primarily a backup. It should also be noted that Correll has gotten reps as a kick returner, having taken back 37 kicks for 798 yards (21.6 YPR) for Philly in 2007.

Buckhalter signed a four-year deal in February, including $1.8 million in guarantees and worth as much as $10 million over the length of the contract. Salary details were not released. Those guarantees mean Buckhalter is a virtual lock to make the roster; of course, past history suggests a trip to the IR is always a possibility. Correll will turn 31 following Denver's Week 4 game versus Dallas.

LaMont Jordan

#32 / Running Back / Denver Broncos

Height: 5-10

Weight: 230

Born: Nov 11, 1978

College: Maryland

Exp: 9th Year

How Acq: 2009 Free Agency (New England)

Contract: 3/4/2009: Signed a two-year, $2.5 million contract. The deal included a $500,000 signing bonus. 2009-2010: Under Contract, 2011: Free Agent

Also signed at the outset of free agency, LaMont Jordan joins his fourth NFL team in 2009, and his third squad in three seasons. A versatile back, Jordan racked up 1,588 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns for the Raiders in 2005. However, it was his only standout season in a career thus far marked by underachievement. After spending the 2008 season with the Patriots, Jordan has stated his preference was to stay in New England; when that opportunity did not arise, he chose to follow Josh McDaniels westward. Perhaps he sensed that McDaniels knows best how to utilize his skills; although he did not catch any passes in 2008, Jordan did rack up his best YPA (4.5) on the ground since 2004, with 363 yards gained on 80 carries. What makes Jordan's lack of receptions in '08 stand out is that he hauled in 70 passes during that career-best 2005 season. LaMont fumbled once in 2008.

After spending four years as an understudy to future-HOFer Curtis Martin in New York, Jordan received an $11 million bonus to head west to Oakland. After that productive first season with the Raiders, injuries and perhaps a bit of laziness cut down Jordan's playing time and output in subsequent years. Last month, LaMont had some interesting comments which alluded to his attitude in prior years, saying he was "out here for the offseason program, something I’ve never really done throughout my career...I want to play at a lot less (weight) than what I’ve been playing. ...I never really put in the work to being my best, and that’s what I’m here doing now."

At his best and when healthy, Jordan is quite a load out of the backfield, packing 230 pounds onto a stout 5'10" frame. As those numbers would suggest, Jordan is not an elusive back, but one who is difficult to tackle. Scouts, Inc. says Jordan "can fill a need as a power back who catches the ball out of the backfield and can be hard to tackle once he gets to the second level or catches the ball in the open field." Expect Jordan to be a threat in short-yardage and goal-line situations for Denver, and possibly as a receiver out of the backfield. His knowledge and experience from spending 2008 with McDaniels in New England will surely help him in Denver.

Jordan signed a two-year deal including a $500,000 signing bonus and worth as much as $2.5 million. Like Buckhalter, Jordan's salary is unknown. His small bonus means LaMont is quite expendable in a salary-cap sense; but if he does show up in shape for camp, Jordan's experience with McDaniels in NE, excellent hands and size should make him a keeper. Durability has been an issue for Jordan at times, as a torn MCL landed him in IR in 2006 and calf problems kept him from dressing for eight games in 2008. LaMont will turn 31 after the Broncos' Week 9 contest versus Pittsburgh.

Peyton Hillis

#22 / Fullback / Denver Broncos

Height: 6-1

Weight: 250

Born: Jan 21, 1986

College: Arkansas

Exp: 2nd Year

How Acq: 2008 Draft (7th round, 227th overall)

Contract: 7/16/2008: Signed a four-year, $1.755 million contract. The deal included a $49,800 signing bonus. 2009: $385,000, 2010: $470,000, 2011: $555,000, 2012: Free Agent

photo via static.nfl.com

As mentioned in the intro, Peyton Hillis went from nearly undrafted to Denver folk hero in a matter of months, thanks to the bone-crushing hits he dished out; and that's when he was carrying the ball. Although Hillis was a star running back in high school, he was relegated to fullback in his time at Arkansas thanks to the arrival of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones. After the Broncos selected him, Hillis was seen as a fullback with great hands to catch passes out in the flat. He certainly showed off those skills during Denver's Week 9 loss to Miami, tallying 7 receptions for an eye-popping 116 yards and a touchdown. But his role would grow...

Injuries to Selvin Young, Michael Pittman, Ryan Torain and Andre Hall left Hillis as the Broncos' primary ball-carrier midway through Denver's game in Cleveland on Nov. 6. Hillis punished opposing defenses for several weeks, highlighted by a 22-carry, 129-yard effort with a touchdown at a rainy Meadowlands (with your trusty author in attendance) against the Jets. Unfortunately, Peyton's wonderful rookie campaign came crashing down the next week as a circus-like catch resulted in a torn hamstring against the Chiefs. Despite the brief cameo atop the RB chart, Hillis managed to rack up 343 rushing yards (which led the team, sadly) with a 5.0 YPA and an impressive 5 TDs. His receiving numbers were also notable, with 14 catches for 179 yards and a stunning 12.8 YPR. While these are relatively small samples which should not be extrapolated to a full season, Peyton's statistics are surely evidence that he is a playmaker with versatile skills and a promising future. By the way, Peyton did not fumble in 2008.

The arrival of Moreno and Buckhalter indicate that dreams of Peyton Hillis as Denver's workhorse back are distant from fruition. However, one cannot envision the Broncos' 2009 season without a hefty role for Hillis. As Peyton related to his hometown paper last month, Josh McDaniels recognizes the player's wide skill set; he had the second-year player "getting snaps at running back, wide receiver, fullback and tight end." McDaniels offered a glowing review of Hillis, saying "He's got great hands, and he's a very tough runner to bring down when you give him the ball. So he'll do a lot different things for us." Look for Peyton to fulfill myriad roles in 2009; he'll be featured at times in one-back sets, he'll be motioning out wide to catch passes, he'll be lining up at times as a fullback, and maybe we'll even see him as the tailback in a two-back set from time to time.

Hillis is entering the second year of his four-year rookie deal which will pay him a salary of $385,000 in 2009. He is a lock for the roster and should see significant playing time. Peyton doesn't turn 24 until during the 2009 Playoffs.

Spencer Larsen

#46 / Fullback / Denver Broncos

Height: 6-2

Weight: 240

Born: Mar 04, 1984

College: Arizona

Exp:2nd Year

How Acq: 2008 Draft (6th round, 183rd overall)

Contract: 7/9/2008: Signed a four-year, $1.801 million contract. The deal included a $97,500 signing bonus. 2009: $385,000, 2010: $470,000, 2011: $555,000, 2012: Free Agent

photo via static.nfl.com

As a late-round selection last year, Spencer Larsen made the Denver roster on the strength of his special-teams play and versatility. His stadium-shaking hit on a kick return in Week 4 was arguably Denver's best tackle of the year and the only positive memory from that horrific game in Kansas City. Later on in the season, Larsen made headlines as a starter on offense (fullback), defense (linebacker) and special teams (kick coverage); he was the first Bronco in team history to do so. In fact, he received the Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week for his efforts. A groin injury slowed Larsen down in December, and he did not play in Denver's losses versus thePanthers and Bills.

Although Larsen's versatility means he offers Denver roster flexibility (backup FB and ILB are the same guy), he is (to this point) nothing special as far as fullbacks go. MHR's own Styg50 wrote "Larsen was only adequate as a blocking FB however, and he has mentioned how uncomfortable he would be if he was ever asked to carry the rock," in his review at season's end. Larsen did not carry the ball or catch a pass in 2008 for Denver. However, he needn't worry much; if the past four seasons in New England are any indication, there won't be a lot of touches allocated to the fullback position.

Larsen is entering the second year of his four-year rookie deal which will pay him a salary of $385,000 in 2009. The fact that Spencer fills more than one spot on the depth chart means he would be a very difficult player to cut. Having spent 2003 and 2004 on a Mormon mission in Chile, Larsen entered the NFL at an older age than most, turning 25 this past March.

Ryan Torain

#42 / Running Back / Denver Broncos

Height: 6-1

Weight: 225

Born: Aug 10, 1986

College: Arizona State

Exp: 2nd Year

How Acq: 2008 Draft (5th round, 139th overall)

Contract: 7/9/2008: Signed four-year, $1.903 million contract. The deal included a $198,000 signing bonus. 2009: $385,000, 2010: $470,000, 2011: $555,000, 2012: Free Agent

photo via static.nfl.com

Ryan Torain entered the league with some rather unfair expectations. As a running back and a fifth-round choice of the Denver Broncos, Torain was doomed to fail from the very beginning. After all, his draft position and injury-shortened senior year at Arizona State made Ryan the obvious heir apparent to the crown of Late-Round Denver Running Back Comes From Nowhere to Top 1,000 Yards and Turn Every Fantasy Football League Upside Down. The shoes of Terrell Davis, Mike Anderson and Olandis Gary are hard to fill; Torain suffered a freak elbow injury during training camp, and throughout his recovery there were whispers that he would be the starting running back for Denver upon his return.

Granted, the reputations Mike Shanahan and Bobby Turner were bestowed as Running Back Whisperers was not undeserved; they did often turn what other teams deemed chicken you-know-what into chicken salad. But Torain, who has seemingly never been able to stay healthy for more than a couple months, had no chance. His pro debut resulted in a single yard gained on three carries (yes, that's 3 carries, 1 yard) versus Miami. A few nights later, the national stage was to be Torain's; Denver's matchup against the Browns was televised on the NFL Network and the previously-mentioned slew of RB injuries meant it was finally Torain Time. Although Ryan showed an odd and upright running style, it worked for most of the first half, as he racked up 68 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. Savvy fantasy-football owners everywhere rejoiced. Torain did not fumble.

But as quickly as Torain Time had arrived, it departed just like that; an awkward tackle near halftime turned out to be a torn ACL in Ryan's left knee. His rookie season was over, after just 15 carries and six quarters of football. In addition to the knee and elbow injuries of 2008, Torain lost much of his senior season to a fractured toe. As a sophomore at Butler Community College in 2004, he missed several games with an ankle sprain. The hope, of course, is that Torain is someday able to find better health (fortune?) and make good on the promise he showed while at ASU (93.8 rushing yards per game and 5.4 yards per carry in 19 games). Those numbers, along with his large measurables, make Torain sound like a smaller version of Brandon Jacobs. However, his aforementioned upright running style mean he's more often receiving than doling out contact.

Torain is entering the second year of his four-year rookie deal which will pay him a salary of $385,000 in 2009. Health is clearly an issue; even if he is able to practice and perform in training camp, Torain may still find himself in competition with Darius Walker for the final RB spot on the roster. But his size, talent, potential, and injury history make Ryan much more likely to be on the 53-man roster, IR or PUP list than on the Broncos' cut list. Torain did participate in individual drills in June minicamps with a brace on his left knee, which is obviously a good sign for his future in Denver. Ryan will turn 23 during the upcoming training camp.

Darius Walker

#43 / Running Back / Denver Broncos

Height: 5-11

Weight: 205

Born: Oct 21, 1985

College: Notre Dame

Exp: 2nd Year

How Acq: 2009 Free Agency (Houston)

Contract: 5/7/2009: Signed a two-year contract

photo via static.nfl.com

Walker entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with Gary Kubiak's Texans in 2007. A star for the Fighting Irish, Darius was highly productive despite only seeing action in four games with Houston. He tallied 264 yards and 1 TD on 58 carries, plus 81 yards on 13 receptions for a total of 345 YFS; these are impressive numbers for any back, let alone an undrafted rookie. Walker has not fumbled in the NFL. 2008 was a lost year for Walker, as he spent 5 weeks on the Texans' active roster but saw no action; he otherwise had three practice-squad stints - two with Houston and one with St. Louis.

Despite those encouraging statistics, Walker is apparently not that great at anything in particular. As Scouts, Inc. put it, Walker "is not quite as big as you'd like and not quite as fast as you'd like, but he does have some quality running skills...He adds some value as a situational player who can spell the starter and run routes out of the backfield, but does not have enough physical skills to make you think he has a chance to ever be a starter." It does not appear that Walker has had any notable injury problems.

Walker signed a two-year deal with Denver; terms of the contract were not released. It's safe to assume Walker received a minimal signing bonus (figure less than $100,000) and money will not be a factor in the decision whether to keep him on the roster. If the Broncos' other backs are healthy, it would be a surprise for Walker to make the 53-man roster. Assuming another team does not snatch him up come August, don't be surprised to find him on Denver's practice squad. From my research, it appears that Walker still has practice-squad eligibility; he has only accrued one season (2007) and during that year he dressed for fewer than nine games (6, to be exact). Thanks to broncobear for help with that one. Walker will turn 24 following Denver's Week 6 Monday Night game in San Diego.

Overall Outlook

The common threads which seem to link Denver's running backs are versatility and sure-handedness; Josh McDaniels clearly prioritizes players who have the ability to run with the football, to get out of the backfield and catch passes, hang onto the football when they've got it, and to stay in and block when more protection is necessary. Expect to see more passes thrown the backs' way, if Josh McDaniels' time in New England is any indication. Look for Moreno to be the starter, with Buckhalter and Hillis seeing a good amount of touches, Larsen filling in at times as fullback, Jordan getting carries in short-yardage and goal-line situations, with Torain's role dependent upon his health, and Walker on the bubble. As for strategy, it is safe to say that Denver will return to a more balanced offense in 2009 than we saw last year; more runs near the goal line and more draws to combat the 3-4 defenses of San Diego and Kansas City. For more on Josh McDaniels and the running game, check out this earlier piece from broncobear and myself - Divining the McDaniels Way.

Divining the McDaniels Way, Part 2 - The Running Game

Emmett Smith — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:30:09 -0000

This series is the outcome of a month-long collaboration between nycbroncosfan and broncobear. In general, NYC covered the stats and Doc handled most of the writing and analysis. We hope that it sheds light on some of the questions that have arisen as to just what, exactly, Josh McDaniels has been doing with the New England offense over the past four years. It also looks at Jay Cutler's time as the primary starter in Denver over the past two years to establish where the two Patriots and Broncos do and do not match up. We thoroughly enjoyed working on this project and hope that you will take just as much pleasure in reading it. Hopefully it will answer some of your questions about what to expect of the 2009 Broncos, and we look forward to your comments and critiques. Many thanks to our esteemed colleagues styg50 and hoosierteacher for their input, and to Zappa for his invaluable aid in managing the code and the templates.

Note: In light of Denver's trade of Jay Cutler to the Bears, we decided to push back the schedule of our series. Today we present Part 2, with Part 3 now scheduled for Friday, April 10th and Part 4 following on Tuesday, April 14th.

The Broncos Running Attack

In Part 1 of our look at The McDaniels Way, we provided a view of what new Broncos Head Coach Josh McDaniels may look to achieve on offense in 2009. Part 1 covered more of the general goals - higher efficiency of yards and point-scoring, better control of the game clock, and more success in red-zone and goal-to-go situations. Today, we will address the facet so many of us have/had strongly identified with Broncos football, especially with the noted successes of the recently-departed Mike Shanahan - the Denver running game.

As noted in NYC's The Fall of the Denver Rushing Attack, the Broncos' commitment to the run has waned significantly in recent years. After averaging 508 carries per season from 1995 to 2005, the 2008 Broncos only ran the ball 387 times. While they maintained a strong YPA (Yards Per Attempt) of 4.8, their relatively small number of carries led to fewer first downs via the ground game (103 versus an average of 125/year from 1995-2005) and poor clock control (28:43 in '08 versus 32:15 from '95-'08).

In terms of gross yardage, the falloff went from an average of 2,264 yards per season (1995-2005) to just 1,862 in 2008. The rushing attack also failed to produce big individual games, as the '08 Broncos only topped 175 rushing yards once, although that number was padded by a 71-yard carry by WR Eddie Royal on an end-around (in the crushing home loss to Buffalo, incidentally). Compare that to the Broncos of 1995-2005, who topped 175 yards in a game on an average of 4.6 times per season. Without the benefit of a strong running game, one which never even dominated a single game in 2008, the pressure was focused squarely upon Jay Cutler and the passing attack.

At first glance, the hiring of Josh McDaniels seemed only a continuation of Denver's move to a pass-dominant offense. This is certainly a natural and excusable assumption, as Tom Brady's 4,806 yards and 50 touchdown passes of 2007 quickly come to mind. However, it is important to consider that 2007 may have been an anomaly, a remarkable alignment of the stars which allowed for arguably the greatest offensive performance by a team in any one year. Even so, the '07 Pats ranked 9th in the NFL in rushing attempts with 451 and 5th in rushing touchdowns with 17; while not dominant rushing numbers, they certainly evidence a commitment to the run. The Patriots' 2006 and 2008 numbers show an even greater offensive balance, which we will share in a bit.

So, what can we expect of Josh McDaniels' Denver Broncos when it comes to running the football?

The O-Line

Performance of Pats and Broncos O-Lineman in 2008 and 2009 Season Age
	NE Starters	'09 Age	Starts	Sacks	Pen	Sks+Pen	DEN Starters	'09 Age	Starts	Sacks	Pen	Sks+Pen
LT	Light	31	16	7.5	1	8.5	Clady	23	16	0.5	3	3.5
LG	Mankins	27	16	5	2	7	Hamilton	32	16	2.5	6	8.5
C	Koppen	30	16	4.5	2	6.5	Wiegmann	36	16	1	3	4
RG	Neal(Yates)	33(29)	9(7)	2(6.25)	2(1)	4(7/25	Kuper	27	16	0	4	4
RT	Kaczur(LeVoir)	30(27)	14(2)	4(2)	3(0)	7(2)	Harris	24	16	2.5	2	4.5
Tot/Avg		30.2	80	31.25	11	42.25		28.4	80	6.5	18	24.5

The above chart is a position-by-position comparison of New England and Denver's starting offensive lines from 2008. Although it mostly deals with passing-down numbers, in some areas the chart gives us clues about rushing as well. Looking across the LT column, Matt Light will be 31 years old during the 2009 NFL season. He started 16 games in 2008, was charged with 7.5 sacks and 1 penalty was accepted and attributed to him. Continuing across are Ryan Clady's numbers. Looking below at the RG row, right guard Stephen Neal started only 9 games, while Billy Yates filled in for the other 7 games. Yates' stats follow Neal's in parentheses - the same goes for Mark LeVoir, who filled in for Nick Kaczur in 2 contests. The stats attributed to Yates and LeVoir are part of the Pats' total, in order to adequately compare the starting lines of both teams: 5 starters x 16 games = 80 starts per team. What also must be noted is that team sack totals do not match up with those sacks attributed to the offensive line. For example, many of us know the Broncos' quarterbacks were only sacked 12 times in 2008. However, only 6.5 of those were attributed to the starting linemen, while the balance were charged to backups, tight ends and to the quarterbacks themselves (coverage sacks).

The issue of injuries may explain some things that came up on video. After watching the six games of film, the only real surprise that Doc had was the uneven work of the Patriots' offensive line. He said,

"I was surprised at how poorly they played in certain areas. That made it hard to obtain or understand some of the info on tendencies. Often, the line wasn't effective enough in the run or, especially, in the passing game. And yet, that's hard to see if you look at the numbers - unless you look carefully.

I watched a lot of running plays that were blown up at or behind the line of scrimmage because the O-Line couldn't move the defenders. Often the runners managed to get small yards anyway, and that's more a tribute to the runners than anything else. The passing problems showed up more in the stats.

However, even after saying that I have to point out the other side: according to FootballOutsiders.com, NE had the 5th-best rate of being stuffed, at 21% (Denver was 1st at 17%). Denver had the #1 run-blocking efficiency - but NE was #2. Again - they are very efficient. But for the Pats, one reason that number is so good was that the RBs commonly broke tackles behind the line, fell forward and almost inevitably gained a couple of yards. They had a very tough group, and adding Jordan to the Broncos, knee surgery and all, is a great addition. They also had the best percentage of 1st downs per carry at 28.3% (Denver was second at 26.6%) even though they were fourth in the league for rushing attempts (513).

A lot of that was the scheme, and some of the rest could be attributed to simple effectiveness at carrying out assignments on the part of the RBs - and to Cassel, who ran often with 73 attempts and a total of 270 yards and a 3.7 average. In his two full seasons, Cutler averaged 50.5 rushes for only 202.5 yards, so the difference there is obvious.

You also have to look at where they run and run well, and where they don't. They weren't productive at left or right end, or at right tackle, although left tackle (except on pass pro) and the middle of the line plays were usually very good."

There are discrepancies between the New England offensive line's certain very good stats and their obvious failures. For example, they were 1st in the league for rushing 1st-downs with 145, but they were only ranked 19th-best in the league converting on 3rd-and-short via the run, a category that is telling for the line. The Patriots' offensive line was quite a mixed bag in 2008, and that showed on the film. We will talk about the passing side of their equation tomorrow but on the rushing side, Doc saw players who were missing assignments and who weren't getting to the second level consistently.

A brief look across the league shows that the Patriots' O-Line is older than the norm, and that the right side in particular saw a lot of injuries over the course of the season, which may be part of the reason that they weren't as good as expected. Their tackles are seven years older than the Broncos', on average. Even factoring in the advanced ages of Casey Wiegmann and Ben Hamilton, the New England line is two years older than the Broncos across the starting five. Their size/weight numbers are roughly comparable to the Broncos.

We asked styg50 about the issue of offensive linemen and aging. Was the gap scheme wearing on the players? Could age, at about 30, be the issue with their poor play, (especially on passing downs)? He said,

"My first thought, is that everybody is different, so some guys might not be affected while other guys are significantly affected. The main trait of the pulling guard(or center) is good footwork, and to a lesser extent the core strength to re-engage quickly on the move, which has "balance" as its primary indicator when watching them. It is reasonable to assume that as a player ages, his footwork might suffer and become "heavier" or slower, but I think this applies more to heavier linemen who stay heavy. O-Linemen are generally no stranger to heavy lifting and maintaining and increasing lean muscle mass, but as they age they need to be open to the idea of increasing flexibility and agility, which should always lean towards playing at lighter and lighter weights.

The plus side of aging as a pulling lineman, is that you have to be able to locate and line up your block, which becomes even more difficult if it is intended to occur at the second level, and that is more about experience than anything. Hamilton and Nalen were good examples of guys who could block out to the third level, which is exceptionally difficult for a lineman, and they could do it because of how quick they were/are and how savvy they are about lining up the block. Rookies and young players didn't stand a chance against them."

Regarding the Broncos, Styg added,

"As to zone-block increasing players' longevity, I think it has more to do with what players have been tapped for zone-block: smarter, lighter, more agile. The smarter could aid them in whole-body health, the lighter reduces Isaac Newton's effect on them, and the agile protects them in the game itself, helping them avoid contortion strains and the like. The zone-block seems as likely to me as any other system to expose players to abuse by virtue of the system itself, but HT can answer that question better than I can. What wears players out more than anything is going to the ground and having to get back up again (barring the occasional 79-yard fumble return, which is more about oxygen than anything) and that occurs a lot in zone-block."

HT (hoosierteacher) was kind enough to weigh in as well. His comments centered on two things - the abilities of the players in terms of balance and flexibility, and their abilities to work together:

"The Denver OLmen are culled from the masses because they have either the inherent ability or trained ability to use flexibility and agility from early on. Teams with less of a focus on pure zone-blocking will age less gracefully. "Big and strong" diminishes over time. Flexibility and agility, if maintained from an early age, can last much longer on the football field.

I hate to keep coming back to martial arts. I know you and Styg are experts in the field, while I'm just an amazed spectator. (lol). But you guys will appreciate the analogy. The old man who is a martial-arts master seems to have the advantage over younger men who are more physically fit. In MMA competitions, we never seem to see these old men. But I know that I've been to studios (dojos) where I've seen old (frankly ancient) guys who have techniques and experience to beat up on the younger guys present.

While football is a little different, there is a similarity. While age slows all of us, it is going to slow physical qualities (such as strength) quicker than skills that are harder to quantify (such as balance, agility, footwork). Teams that look for these types of players are going to have players with more longevity. They also get the boost of having players that play together longer, which is a key for any offensive line.

The only thing that really keeps too many teams from moving towards zone-blocking is the pool of players to draw from. When too many teams try to move towards zone-blocking, the pool decreases. The teams already established in ZB have enough players who have played together in the system, while newer teams will struggle because they have to get more players from the drafts. If enough teams could establish themselves, colleges (the suppliers) would feed the demand, but it would take several years. In the meantime, teams with successful zone-blocking linemen should hold onto what they have, needing only to pick up a player here and there."

Professor Barber, the master instructor who Doc had the privilege to train under in martial arts used to assure him that "old age and treachery will conquer youth and skill." Given that and the direction of our two resident experts, we suspect that the issues of injury to the lower body, combined with a need to frequently adjust to different combinations of players were at the heart of New England's woes along the offensive line.

On the other end of the offensive-line universe, Josh McDaniels has to salivate at the idea of installing his scheme behind what is arguably the best line in the NFL. They are mostly younger (and Casey Wiegmann still has great skills) with Ryan Clady entering only his second year and Ryan Harris just his third (second as a starter). Chris Kuper is looking at only his fourth season. Ben Hamilton is 31, and Wiegmann is pretty spry for an old man (Casey will turn 36 during training camp). Primary backup Kory Lichtensteiger is getting good early reviews in the middle, and Tyler Polumbus showed promise at tackle, even taking some reps at center..

Small wonder, then, that the Broncos' new coach kept Rick Dennison to coach the line and Bobby Turner to coach the running backs. Josh McDaniels is a very smart young man, and those decisions were probably not very difficult for him. The Broncos may need better depth, but the line is first-rate in its current incarnation. After watching this film, Doc appreciated it even more. So will McDaniels. You may not see another season where every Broncos lineman starts all sixteen games, but these guys are very, very good nevertheless.

Much has been made regarding Josh McDaniels' comments on instituting a higher level of 'gap' blocking as well as the zone-block scheme. It is important for the fan to recognize that Denver ran some solid gap-blocking last year, and that Hamilton and Kuper both excel in pulling; so the change should not be a concern. In fact, the reality is that no major changes are indicated. But McDaniels is sitting on something new in how the line and the running backs will function, and he so far isn't letting much slip. McDaniels only said,

"We did more gap schemes in New England, where we're going to pull a guard. The good thing about Denver is they've done those things, and they've got really good guards to be able to do that."

Watching the Broncos O-Line closely, both Hamilton and Kuper, light-footed as guards go, were pulling on several plays each game. The biggest difference Doc sees is that the Broncos were even better at it than New England was.

As an aside, a recent segment on NFL Total Access suggested that Ryan Clady will be the 'Surprise' player of 2009. We can only suggest that the hosts weren't watching much film, as Clady was arguably the great surprise player of 2008. The only shock that he could provide in 2009 is if he's not elevated from Second-Team to First-Team All-Pro.

Ryan Harris was nearly as good, and Denver's pair of tackles is equal or superior to any other set of bookends in the NFL. Kuper has turned into a fine young guard, and if Ben Hamilton is the Broncos' 'weak link' as some have stated, Denver has but some very small problems to deal with. Wiegmann's contract will likely be renegotiated to keep him in town for a couple of more years, and in that time the Broncos will have settled on their backups and groomed their new center. Lichtensteiger may be best at either center or guard, but Polumbus has taken snaps effectively at center as well as at tackle. The Broncos probably need one more good backup, and they have some options already on the practice squad. they will, if our member's drafts are any indication, take another in the draft.

The Running Backs

Rush/Pass Splits
	Rush %	Pass %
DEN '07	44%	56%
DEN '08	38%	62%
DEN Avg	39%	61%
NE '05	42.6%	57.4%
NE '06	47.3%	52.7%
NE '07	42.6%	57.4%
NE '08	46.8%	53.2%
NE Avg	43.1%	56.9%

In terms of total plays, New England ran the ball 46.8% of the time in 2008. Over the 4-year period of 2005-2008, the Patriots exhibited a 43.1% rush, 56.9% pass balance. Despite their pass-first reputed approach, they like a fairly balanced attack. Meanwhile, the Broncos were the second-most pass-reliant offense in the NFL, behind only Arizona and tied with New Orleans last season. Obviously, Denver's running back injuries and the elevation of Jeremy Bates to play-caller factored in. Bates' preference for passing was quickly obvious to even casual Broncos fans. That reliance on the pass placed a lot on Jay Cutler, but it also led to predictability in the passing game, which we will discuss in Part 3. Few fans will mind the fact that Bates won't be deciding if or when to run the ball in 2009.

However, it should be noted that New England also suffered several injuries to their offensive backfield; top backs Laurence Maroney, LaMont Jordan and Sammy Morris all missing significant time. This forced the Patriots to sign BenJarvus Green-Ellis from their practice squad and give him the bulk of carries for two games. Interestingly, their commitment to the run did not wane - with Green-Ellis as their primary ball carrier in weeks 9 and 10 versus the Colts and Bills, respectively, New England rushed 75 times and Matt Cassel dropped back to pass 70 times. This represents a 51.7% run/pass split. No, the Patriots' and Broncos' backfield situations were not identical, but New England's run commitment with a practice-squad running back may serve to lessen the excuse provided by Denver's injuries.

The acquisitions of running backs with a history of good receiving numbers (and comparatively low miles, despite the issues with Correll Buckhalter's or J.J. Arrington's respective knees) would tend to indicate that Denver will be moving to the New England-style of running back usage. Let's look at what that was last year:

The Patriots' top runner in 2008 was Sammy Morris, with 156 carries for 727 yards, for a 4.7-yard average (he also took some snaps at fullback). LaMont Jordan had 80 carries for 353 yards and a 4.5 average. Kevin Faulk had 507 yards on just 83 carries for an explosive average of 6.0 yards per carry. Meanwhile, 2006 1st-round draft choice Laurence Maroney had only 28 carries for 93 yards, and New England has made it known that they aren't pleased with the young back. Then you have little-known Ben-Jarvus Green-Ellis, who filled in brilliantly with 74 carries and 275 yards. They spread the ball around, and they ran to the tune of 513 carries last season. That's bad news for those Broncos fans that yearn for a 1st-round back pounding and dodging his way into Canton. It seems very unlikely to happen under McDaniels. But it's good news if you like a well-balanced attack.

New England has some great numbers. They are very efficient - They were 6th in the league in big runs (carries of 10 or more yards), with 55 such plays. They were only 10th in the league in yards per carry (4.7), but 4th in rushing touchdowns with 21 in 2008. They know how to score, and the Broncos will benefit from that knowledge. As you'd expect, they don't leave a running back in the game for long. Rotation is common and at times it is a constant. They are into ‘fresh legs'. Some describe an inability of the back to ‘get into a groove' when rotated. That's in opposition to the NE idea of doing a job perfectly in execution each time, regardless. Faulk was at times their first option, or Morris or even Maroney, but they ran a wide variety of plays for all the backs.

We should also look at the scheme that Denver employs. In his article Denver's Unique Running Back System, Doc noted that a Denver running back needs the following qualities:

They have to put the team before their own stats and ego.
They have to block, run routes, chip and receive well, in addition to their running skills and intelligence.
They need excellent field vision, defensive-scheme comprehension and the neuromuscular abilities to see and respond very quickly (advanced proprioception).
They have to put the coaches' knowledge before their own "I've done it this way my whole life" approach.
They have to be able to come in from the bench and do their jobs well immediately without needing to ‘get into a groove'.

SlowWhiteGuy wrote,

"I would add one quality that is essential for backs in the Turner/Dennison system. They must trust the system, more than their ability. There actually is nothing that unique about Denver’s zone-blocking system; lots of teams use ZB. What is unique is the way they combine it with the 1-cut system. Denver stresses that the back must wait to make his cut until the backside pursuit has been sealed off. Most backs want to cut into the hole as soon as it opens, but that’s not Denver’s way. In fact you will often hear complaints about runners being too slow to the hole.

One of the reasons that Denver selects back lower in the draft is that backs who are selected more highly tend to have depended on their athletic/physical skill set. They are reluctant to abandon what got them to the pros. Lower round backs tend to be less physically gifted and have made it through hard work honing their technique. They are used to succeeding through study and hard work. For them, trusting the system comes more naturally; it’s an extension of what got them to the pros."

Can the two systems mesh? Absolutely. Denver has gone out in the offseason and added running backs who they feel can integrate into the zone-block scheme, catch passes out of the backfield and block well. They may be running the draw, running up the middle, some to the sides, although less. They will be catching passes, blocking for the pass and creating mismatches. McDaniels said as much the day after the Cutler trade and we were predicting the same before he did. By the way, he was also praising Hillis. Doc feels better now.

Rushing TDs, First Downs, Fumbles
	Rush TDs	1st Dns	Fumbles/Lost
DEN '07	10	96	30/14
DEN '08	15	103	18/12
DEN Avg	12.5	99.5	24/13
NE '05	16	101	19/9
NE '06	20	121	27/15
NE '07	17	124	14/6
NE '08	21	145	17/10
NE Avg	18.5	122.75	19.25/10

More Rushing TDs - New England has certainly been considered a pass-first offense in recent years and rightfully so, but only to an extent. In the red zone, the Patriots went to their running attack to dominate their scoring. As mentioned earlier, they have shown more balance than Denver and have run for a lot more touchdowns than the Broncos in recent years. Remember all of those goal-to-go situations that resulted in the dreaded chip-shot field goals lately? Hopefully Coach McDaniels' new offense will put those memories to rest. We shall see.

The Patriots had an interesting stat as far as scoring touchdowns. The Patriots top 5 scorers broke down this way: Randy Moss led the team with his 11 trips to the end zone, while four running backs ranked behind him [Morris (7), Faulk (6), Green-Ellis (5) and Jordan(4)]. For Denver, the top five had Peyton Hillis and Brandon Marshall tied for the team lead with 6 total touchdowns, followed by Eddie Royal (5), Daniel Graham and Michael Pittman (4 each). Tony Scheffler and Brandon Stokley had 3 each. That should look very different at the end of the 2009 season - look for more touchdowns out of Denver's offensive backfield. When Tom Brady went down, the Patriots went from 17 rushing TDs in '07 to 21 in '08. As they always do, they adapted their game to the new QB and moved on, efficiently.

More Rushing First Downs - The 2008 numbers jump off the screen - The Patriots moved the chains 145 times via the ground game, while the Broncos only did so on 103 occasions. As NYC mentioned in his earlier piece, every Broncos team which made the playoffs under Mike Shanahan had at least 124 rushing first downs. Granted, that is a correlative statistic, but we can probably all agree that the Broncos need better balance on offense.

Given the number of yards that the Broncos rolled up in '08, you would expect at least an average number of rushing TDs. The lack of that, in our opinion, shows something other than the oft-mentioned 'injuries' excuse. The Broncos were rushing for 4.8 yards per carry. Failing to use the rushing attack was, in our opinion, more of a factor of the play-calling of Bates than any deficiency in the rushing game.

Making a more balanced use of the rushing attack will have the added benefits of eating more of the clock and resting the defense. We believe that McDaniels' greater experience as an offensive coordinator will benefit the Broncos in this area.

Fewer Fumbles - Even more so than interceptions, this statistic may be more about personnel than coaching, but New England has put the ball on the ground less than Denver, and hopefully things will change there as well.

Rush-Direction Propensity Broken Down by Gap - Broncos '07-'08 and Patriots '05-'08
	LE(5)	LT(3)	LG(1)	C(0)	RG(2)	RT(4)	RE(6)
DEN '07-'08	16.7%	13.8%	6.3%	30.2%	8.7%	11.8%	12.5%
NE '05-'08	11.5%	13.1%	12.9%	29.8%	14.1%	12.3%	6.3%

More inside running - Certainly this may be somewhat attributable to personnel, but scheme was the final determinant of where each team ran. Denver has run for the most part around and behind Ryan Clady, Tom Nalen/Casey Wiegmann and Ryan Harris/Daniel Graham. Meanwhile, New England has run behind their guards almost twice as often as the Broncos have. Of course the retention of offensive-line coach Rick Dennison and running-backs coach Bobby Turner will have a lot to say about the Broncos' running game, but look for McDaniels' single-back sets to get more use out of the 1- and 2-gaps than the Broncos have under Mike Shanahan's tutelage.

From the game films, the Patriots preferred in 2008 to use the draw play heavily and keep their running backs between the tackles. If a back went to the outside, they were usually going to receive, and when they ran there they weren't very productive. The screen pass was an effective weapon for NE and that's inline with their overall preference to keep passes shorter and completions high.

Using the Fullback

If McDaniels goes with the same ideas of a fullback in Denver that he used in New England, it is potentially a good role for Spencer Larsen, who noted that he was uncomfortable handling the ball: in this offense, he wouldn't need to worry. The Pats' fullback, Heath Evans, only had 11 carries for 23 yards over 16 games in 2008, or 0.7 carries per game. The rest of the time when Evans was used (about 1 play in 7), he blocked. The use of Evans in 2008 was basic and for the most part unoriginal, which struck Doc as odd given the range with which they used other weapons. For the most part, he was a blocker - period. While we would like to watch Larsen on the field more and would prefer him at LILB, we could see him being very effective in a Heath Evans-type of role.

Of course, if Coach McDaniels chooses to stay with the idea of a fullback who is essentially there to block, Andrew Pinnock may be the perfect choice, and that would free Larsen to do what we believe he does best - blow people up on special teams and play inside linebacker. Doc has been especially interested in watching this aspect, and he thinks that keeping Pinnock but letting some other backs go (Anthony Alridge, Alex Haynes and P.J. Pope) spoke volumes on McDaniels' part.

The use of Heath Evans is a good illustration of how the Patriots adapted their offense to the players available. Prior to picking up Evans in 2005 (one week after Evans was cut by Miami), the Pats were making use of a 5'10", 217-lb player, Patrick Pass, at fullback. Because of his size and skill set, Pass was greatly used as a receiver and had hauled in 23 receptions prior to being injured in November of 2005. Late in October, Pass was even used as a halfback due to multiple injuries to his backfield mates. However, the switch from the lighter Pass to the 250-pound, hard-blocking Evans eventually brought about a change of scheme.

Injuries to Corey Dillon, Kevin Faulk and Pass pushed Evans into an immediate starting role at halfback, and he excelled with 158 rushing yards on 33 carries in two games. He also was used effectively as a pass-catcher, very much as the Patriots had used Pass. Over the next three seasons, however, Evans got fewer and fewer touches, culminating in just 11 carries and 3 catches in 2008. From Patriots.com following the 2006 season,

"The 6-foot, 250-pounder has spent the majority of the season lining up as the fullback in the I-formation, where he has served as a lead blocker and short-yardage specialist, but has also expanded his role as a pass catcher, even lining up as a split end at times. He has been a big contributor on special teams and is also known as one of the friendliest players in the locker room."

McDaniels may not have liked him receiving, and may not have used him as a running back very much, but Evans was a versatile and effective contributor nonetheless. However, the limits of his use as a runner and receiver show a possible prejudice on McDaniels part, since Evans was a star running back in college, has run very well for New England and showed himself to be a good receiver in 2005. However, as time passed McDaniels' preference for using the fullback became clear - short yardage and lead blocking.

Many Broncos fans were disappointed that Hillis, when at fullback, was not used more as a receiver and in a Howard Griffith-type role before first becoming their star runner and then being injured. That was indicative of the change to Bates' system, such as it was. The modern fullback is being used less and less, both in NE and during this time frame in Denver. Eventually, we may see the change to a FB/H-back (for Denver, the pieces are there), but it isn't happening often or quickly, despite frequent comments about 'H-backs' in the media, a phrase that usually seems to simply mean a tight end who receives. That's not an H-back at all, but we understand what they are saying.

Still, change is the only constant. This year's draft is relatively deep in fullbacks. Andrew Pinnock, if he sticks, could get some competition in Denver, but it's not a priority. In 2008, the fullback slot went to Michael Pittman, then Hillis, then to Spencer Larsen, and to heck in a handcart by the time the season mercifully closed. Let's hope for greener pastures this year. Pinnock is just what McDaniels usually wants at the position - a strong blocker who is team oriented.

Balancing the Run and the Pass

When watching film on the Pats, the issue of run/pass balance came out in the difference between halves. New England was 26th league-wide in first-half runs called, 14th in the second half. These run/pass ratios are exactly the theories that went into building the West-Coast Offense, but despite a common misperception, the Patriots run a modern variant on the Erhardt-Perkins system. Their approach is less smash-mouth. It uses the pass more. However, since Erhardt is reputed to have said, "Pass to score, run to win", the McDaniels version of this approach (which was originally installed by Charlie Weis and has morphed and adapted to changes in personnel often since) uses the pass more in the first half and runs more in the second. A glance at their record also confirms that teams which have the lead in the second half will tend to run more.

But running the ball is often only half the battle on offense. Passing is the dominant attack for most teams, and both Denver and New England have exhibited that. On Friday, we will examine the passing game in Part 3 of our series.