SB Nation - Blake Schlueter

Seattle Seahawks Announce Practice Squad, New Names

John Morgan — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 21:48:19 -0000

by Ted S. Warren - AP

Chris Spencer is not 286 pounds.

Seattle's practice squad is headlined by a couple new faces: Roy Lewis formerly of Washington and Blake Schlueter. Schlueter is a former Horned Frog. Years of cosmetic surgery have...

His acquisition is interesting. Like Vallos, Schlueter is an undersized college star that only fits in a very-pure zone -blocking scheme. If you're looking for further writing on the wall about the future of Chris Spencer, note Schlueter is 286; that Schlueter is another bad-frame, good at football pick. A guy Alex Gibbs might like.

Lewis should be familiar to most. I assume the Husky standout and former captain is the honorary Michael Bumpus signing with side benefits. He could have been hidden on a bad team.

The rest of squad is familiar.

Jamar Adams S

Mike Hass WR

Devin Moore RB

Logan Payne

Kyle Williams

And one open spot.

Broncos release four as roster cutdowns begin

John Bena — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 17:57:06 -0000

Teams across the NFL has to pare their rosters from 80 to 75 players as the League prepares for the start of the 2009 Regular Season in 9 days. For the Broncos, that meant saying adios to 4 players, since Brandon Marshall is on the Reserved-Suspended list (currently, anyway).

As such, the team released P Britton Colquitt, WR C.J. Jones, TE Jeb Putzier and C Blake Schlueter.

Schlueter was a 7th-round pick in this past April's draft, and Colquitt seemed to be making a late run at Brett Kern's starting job, with two beautiful punts inside the 5-yard line Sunday Night. Too little, too late, I suppose.

The Broncos now sit at 75 players for Thursday's preseason finale against Arizona. Teams have to be at 53 players by Saturday, 9/5.

2009 Denver Broncos Training Camp -- 8/1 Update - Hits and hitting keep on coming for Broncos

John Bena — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 00:28:39 -0000

The Broncos had just one practice scheduled for today, but as has been the case through 3 workouts so far, Josh McDaniels made the most of the nearly 3 hours he had his team on the field. On a day when the temperature seemed much hotter than the 80 degrees being reported, the Broncos were once again in full pads and once again spent time physically getting to know one another.

Of course, the big news of the day, and there seemed to be a lot of it, was the return of Champ Bailey, Renaldo Hill and Marcus Thomas from the PUP list. At the time, the made every Bronco present and accounted for, except for the two rookies, of course. That all ended, both during the workout - Nic Clemons being carted off with an apparent left leg injury - and after when news broke that Jarvis Moss was taking some time to decide his future in football.

As for the work on the field, it is becoming increasingly obvious that Josh McDaniels' football team is going to pay attention to detail, focusing on the little things.

As such, I spent a lot of time watching the D-Line group go through their drills. I told myself I would pay attention until someone stood out to me. Finally, someone did, though my excitement is rather tempered.

Rulon Davis, signed as an undrafted free agent out of California, has shown speed for a man his size (6-5, 283) and has some power and explosion, at least on the sled.

You can also see the talent buried in the 6-2, 329-pound body of Chris Baker. Baker is small, but has a lot of speed and power in that 'tiny' package. He definitely rough around the edges, but I am interested to see what NFL coaching can do for him.

One thing for sure, the Broncos are coaching Ronald Fields hard. Fields is an important piece of the puzzle this season and they need him to play as well as he ever has is the defensive transition is going to be a smooth one.

The main focus of the individual work with D-line centered around "locking out", a term used to describe extending ones arms fully away from your body to keep an offensive lineman from getting his hands on you. Marcus Thomas and Fields struggled at times with it. Kenny Peterson, however, seems to be playing solid football. Perhaps Peterson will be a late bloomer under the watch of his former high school teammate.

As I mentioned earlier, Nic Clemons was carted off the field during the workout and walked gingerly into the locker room. McDaniels wouldn't elaborate on his condition, saying he hoped it wasn't too serious.

Here are some other random thoughts from the practice....

With Champ Bailey and Renaldo Hill back in the fold, the first team defense was complete for the first time. Here is how I saw them, at least during some drills today -

DE - Ryan McBean
DT - Ronald Fields
DE - Kenny Peterson

OLB - Darrell Reid(for Moss)
ILB - Andra Davis
ILB - D.J. Williams
OLB - Elvis Dumervil

CB - Champ Bailey
FS - Brian Dawkins
SS - Renaldo Hill
CB - Andre Goodman

Nickel - Jack Williams

It did seem Dawkins and Hill would switch positions at times, and again, this early in camp, you can take these lineups with a grain of salt.

Perhaps the funnest part of the day was another old-time high school drill. Some one-on-one hitting drills, which included tackling to the ground. DB's took on WR's while RBs and LBs went at it. I was on the side with the WR's and DB's. One solid encounter was between Brandon Marshall and Josh Barrett. It brought a loud reaction from the crowd as both men engaged.

One scary moment involved Tim Crowder, who went helmet-to-helmet with Peyton Hillis. Bad idea. Crowder laid on the ground for a couple minutes before rising to his feet. He return to action.

Have I mentioned how awesome Brian Dawkins is?? I have spoken about his leadership, but I can't say enough. He is constantly talking to the younger guys, and is a perfect complement to Champ in the defensive backfield. Overall, he is a huge ball of intensity, and his energy can't help but rub off on his teammates.

Speaking of the DBs, this might be the most talented group the Broncos have had in some time. Andre Goodman has really impressed me. He had an interception today as well as several pass deflections. As a whole, I really like this group.

Another example of how the Broncos are focusing on the little things - at two different points, the Broncos were forced to run laps because of mistakes. First, it was Tom Brandstater and Blake Schlueter who ran the 'Lap of Shame' for a fumbled snap. Then, it was the entire 2nd-team defense, a coach included, for not having enough players in the huddle. I love it!

Ryan Torain looked good again, which is worth mentioning since it was coming off of two hard workouts yesterday. Coming back from a serious injury like the one Torain had, it is important to see how he will respond on back-to-back days.

The practice ended with some field goals, which it appeared to me had Matt Prater hit 6/8. All were from various distances.

That is all, more to come later. For those who were in attendance, give your thoughts as well.

Horse Tracks 7/31/09 - Training Camp is Here!! Now, about Knowshon and Ayers...

Douglas A. Lee — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:53:20 -0000

DP - Broncos, Moreno are far apart in talks as camp kicks off - Jeff Legwold
Knowshon and Ayers are still unsigned, and there's bad news; Jokeland gave their first rounder (#7 overall) Darrius Heyward-Bey a 20% raise over last year's 7th-overall choice. That contract could throw everyone else off-slot, as the normal raise is 8-10%

DP - Champ Bailey longs for a championship
Champ says he's going to make sure all of his teammates want to win as badly as he does, and that he failed to see that fire in some players' eyes last year.

DB - Shelton, Moulton Re-Signed

DB - First-Year Players Primed and Ready - Broncos TV
Chris Hall catches up with some of the Broncos' rookies, including Nate Swift, Alphonso Smith, Darcel McBath and Marquez Branson.

DB - Staying in Big 12 Country
Zach Eisendrath profiles rookie WR Nate Swift, who joins Correll Buckhalter as Cornhusker alumni with the Broncos.

DB - INFORMATION REGARDING FAN AND MEDIA PARKING FOR BRONCOS TRAINING CAMP

DP - 10 questions as Broncos open camp - Mike Klis

DP - Boss Bailey back in business in Georgia
Notes from Legwold and Jones - Champ and Boss bought a trucking company in GA this offseason. Meanwhile, Champ, Renaldo Hill and Marcus Thomas will start camp on the active PUP list. Plus, WR Lucas Taylor cleared waivers and was placed on IR.

DP - Kiszla: The best Broncos jersey? Try this
Kiszla offers some suggestions on which Denver jerseys to consider buying, in hopes of saving you from having to get a new one in two years.

DP - A couple things to look for at Broncos camp
Legwold's suggestions for the camp competitions to watch for.

NFL - Signing status of 2009 NFL Draft first-round picks
There are now 11 first-rounders reported to have come to agreements, but still 7 players picked higher than Knowshon who have not done so...

RH - Versatile rookie Smith looking to earn respect with Broncos

FOX - Denver Broncos Football Team Report and Insider Slant
FOX's preview of the Broncos heading into Training Camp. Thanks to Elizabeth for the link!

CBS4 - From Club Med To Club Dread: Broncos Face Changes - Arnie Stapleton
While more intensity in Camp will probably mean a big injury or two, this is a team that needs more intensity and fight; so it's probably worth it.

BH - Josh McDaniels the biggest question mark in Denver
Back in Boston, David Ramsey takes a look at what McDaniels faces with the Broncos.

DDN - McDaniels making impact
Good luck reading that ridiculous font. Who the heck runs this site?!

GJS - Expect '09 to be ugly for Broncos - Rick Jussel

9NEWS - Running Red Rocks with the pros
Ebenezer Ekuban and Selvin Young are working their tails off at Red Rocks.

DP - AFC Preview - Jeff Legwold

DP - NFC Preview - Jeff Legwold

SDUT - Heated roster battles expected to center on four key positions

SDUT - Football Outsiders pick Chargers

SFG - Big payday shouldn't alter how Asomugha approaches his job

SFG - Heyward-Bey holdout lasts only one day

KCS - Chiefs' No. 1 pick absent as training camp begins

NFL - Patriots pleased to have QB Brady slinging passes on the practice field

SI - Vikes left to pick up the pieces after Favre debacle - Don Banks

NFL - Vick says he's 'getting close' to signing with a team, doesn't go further

NFP - NFL notebook: Vick heading to Seattle? - Matt Bowen

SI - Searching for rookie gems as NFL training camps open - John P. Lopez
Lopez likes Blake Schlueter, and apparently so do the Broncos' coaches.

SI - Top 10 positional battles in NFL training camp - Ross Tucker

FOX - 10 guys worth rooting for in NFL training camps - Peter Schrager

NFP - The head coach as agent - Jack Bechta

NFP - Diner morning news: Schwartz and the Lions - Mike Lombardi

ESPN - Camp confidential: T.O. can't cure all Bills ills

CBS - Bills camp report: Welcome to the pressure cooker - Clark Judge

FOX - Positional Power Rankings: D-lines
The Broncos come in at dead last, which would be hard to dispute...

ESPN - NFL: ESPN's Chris Mortensen previews his 24-day, 21-team bus tour of NFL training camps
No, Denver is not on the schedule.

SI - Plaxico Burress gambles on testimony in hopes of avoiding prison - Michael McCann

NFP - 2009 NFP scouting series: Temple - Wes Bunting

NFL - With defensive tackles' value rising, 2010 draft to feature bumper crop - Gil Brandt

Horse Tracks 7/30/09 - Still waiting on Knowshon, Ayers

Douglas A. Lee — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:06:53 -0000

DB - Wednesday: McDaniels - Broncos TV
YES!!!!!! Finally, Broncos TV has joined us in the 21st century. A larger video player, with full-screen capability and real volume control!! Oh, and Coach McDaniels spoke. He basically says not to pay much attention to early depth charts. Apparently, Johnny Knoxville is out getting Broncos sound bytes (green shirt) - talk about a fall from stardom...

DB - Wednesday Practice Report

DB - A Tight Bond - Zach Eisendrath
Tight ends Richard Quinn and Marquez Branson have become great friends, having met at the Combine and spending plenty of time together since. Plus, Josh McDaniels says Alphonso Smith will be playing several positions and hopefully be a boost to the return games. He's also pleased with the quarterbacks' progress.

DB - 2009 Position Previews: Offensive Line
Chris Gentilviso offers more O-line quotes than we might expect to read over several months; enjoy them while you can! I can't help but think - Chris Kuper will be up for a new contract after this year; what will the Broncos do? We're talking big bucks here...

DP - Paige: Broncos get fresh, with new faces all around
Woody makes some depth-chart predictions and points out that Coach McDaniels brought along a possible SpyGate figure with him to Denver...

DP - Schlueter's long road to NFL had slow start
Legwold details Blake Schlueter's rise from undersized high-school player to NFL draftee.

DP - Mailbag: Broncos training camp tips
Woody has some advice for what to look for at training camp and how to get autographs. He also talks about the name of the Big IF.

DP - McD: Early depth charts are "fluid"
Notes from Jones and Klis.

DP - The name is Everette Pedescleaux
Goodness, Klis. You would have known quite a bit about Everette had you been reading MHR...

PDN - Dawkins, Johnson made a formidable defensive team
BDawk looks back at Jim Johnson's significant impact on his career.

CBS4 - Smith Looking To Fill Multiple Roles With Broncos

NFL - Teams interested in Marshall should proceed with caution - Pat Kirwan
Kirwan reminds everyone that BMarsh is yet to rack up a lot of TDs despite being labeled by some as an elite WR. Oh, and apparently it's hard to tell the difference between a photo of BMarsh and Eddie Royal. Uh huh.

DP - New day for Broncos rookies
Legwold points out that today will turn what had been practice and learning into competition for the rookies.

LTC - Fresh starter
Brian Howell writes about Kyle Orton's first training camp as the starter.

CSG - Broncos quarterbacks benefit from reporting to camp early - Frank Schwab

LTC - Soreness keeps Marshall off field
Howell's notes from camp.

KDVR - The Marshall Plan? Coach McDaniels makes Brandon blink - Zubin Mehenti
Mehenti makes a good point; it's Brandon's fault he slipped to the fourth round, which was presumably a result of the same sort of issues which have been a problem for BMarsh in the NFL. Lower draft choice, smaller contract, and here we are...

DDN - McBath looking to make splash at camp

DB - Media Frenzy As Usual
Sacco talks about the complications of having so many media descending upon training camp.

ESPN - Double Coverage: Cutler and much more
Kevin Seifert and Pork Chop discuss Cuter/Orton/BMarsh on a podcast I didn't have the stomach to listen to. Enjoy!

RMI - Sports stars rely on ‘Steady’ hand to heal them
Bill Gallo profiles the docs who repaired John Elway's knee and shoulder in the 90's.

CBS11 - Fort Worth Girls Track Team Prays For Help To Reach National Competition In Iowa
D-Will's 7-year-old daughter is running on a track team in Fort Worth and is hoping to compete on a national level.

SDUT - Super Bowl buzz starting to grow again

SDUT - Ellison agrees to four-year deal

SDUT - Jackson files appeal in DUI case; suspension in 2009 unlikely

KCS - Haley expects Chiefs to be in shape when camp opens

KCS - Chiefs sign third-round pick Alex Magee, sixth-rounder Quinten Lawrence

CCT - Candid Cam: Raiders' Burgess AWOL

CCT - Inman: Cable has to be himself, and coach's style fits Raiders

SFG - Raiders Silver and Black Blog : Camp notes: Wednesday

NFL - Burress says he's 'truly remorseful' after addressing grand jury in gun case

NFL - Niners CB Harris out for season with torn anterior cruciate ligament

NFL - Steelers agree to new six-year deal with TE Miller that runs through 2014

SI - Terrell Owens attracts hordes to Buffalo Bills training camp - Peter King

NFP - Wednesday whys: A great coach is gone - Andrew Brandt

NFP - Johnson's teams played with pride - Matt Bowen

PFW - PFW's 'All-New' team
Cutler and BDawk make the list.

NYT - Q. & A. With Brian Burke of Advanced NFL Stats
Impressively, Burke points out there are limitations to breaking down JC's 2008 numbers, as his teammates and the Broncos' scheme figured heavily into his successes and failures.

Y! - Irvin comes to defense of Romo - Jason Cole

NFL - Vikings coach Childress 'more than content' with QBs Jackson, Rosenfels

NFL - Label me a Favre skeptic - Jason La Canfora
Me too.

NFP - Diner morning news: Childress must fix this mess - Mike Lombardi

FOX - Dear Brett: Thanks for finally quitting - Kevin Hench

CBS - Nix the Vick-can-play talk, backing up is his future - Pete Prisco

SI - Brett Favre's shadow will follow Minnesota Vikings this season - Steve Aschburner

NFL - With Favre out of the picture, Vikings' focus turns to Jackson, Rosenfels - Pat Kirwan

NFL - Super Bowl hero now in fight for spot on Giants' roster - Steve Wyche

NFP - 2009 NFP scouting series: Oklahoma - Wes Bunting

Estimating the Rookie Contracts- McAfee, Painter and Thomas

shake n bake — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:03:56 -0000

(Updated to include Jaimie Thomas)

Continuing from the first installment and the two fourth round picks, to the late rounders including the just signed (link) Pat McAfee

Recapping the cap (non) situation, the Colts have been allotted just over 4mil for signing rookes of 7.5 to 8 million in cap room. They are unlikely to need very much of that space to sign the rookies. The biggest reason being that every rookie signed bumps a minimum salary player out of the top 51 of the roster, meaning that 310K comes off the cap at the same time as the signed rookie's hit goes on.

To the late rounders,

Curtis Painter (#201 overall)

via cdn0.sbnation.com

Last year Tom Santi was taken (#196 overall) and recieved a 4 year 1.805million dollar contract, with a 100K signing bonus. Steve Justice taken (#201 over) last year got a 4 year 1.80mil contract with a 95K signing bonus. Both the players to either side of Painter signed deals worth 1.84million in total, with Brandon Myers getting a 90K bonus, and DeAndre Wright 92K.

My estimate- 4 years 1.84million, 100K bonus, 335K '09 cap hit

running total (4 picks) 1.635mil

Pat McAfee (#222 overall)

via blogs.suntimes.com

Last year Jamey Richard (#236 overall) signed for 4 years, 1.74 million with a 37K signing bonus.

3 picks ahead and 2 picks behind are the closest signed players with contract terms disclosed. Niners saftey Curtis Taylor (#219 overall) signed for 4 years 1.80 million with a 60K signing bonus. Broncos lineman Blake Schlueter (#125 overall) will get 1.81 million with a 57K signing bonus

My estimate- 4 years, 1.80million, 65K bonus, 327K '09 cap hit

running total (5 picks) 1.962mil

Jaime Thomas (#236 overall)

via cdn2.sbnation.com

Last year the Colts drafted a Jay-Me in the exact same place in the draft Jamey Richard (#236 overall) signed for 4 years, 1.74 million with a 37K signing bonus.

At pick number 232 Julian Edelman signed for 4 years 1.8million with a 49K signing bonus. Two picks after Thomas Stoney Woodson got 1.8mil and a 45K bonus in a 4 year deal.

My estimate- 4 years, 1.80million, 55K bonus, 324k '09 cap hit

running total (6 picks) 2.286mil

2009 Denver Broncos - Breaking Down the Roster -- Guards/Centers

Jeremy Bolander — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:30:10 -0000

Denver Broncos offensive linemen take part in drills during the team's football minicamp at the Broncos headquarters in Englewood, Colo., on Sunday, June 14, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

View full size photo »

If you listen very closely you might hear, at a distance, a faint, almost imperceptible sound.

In the wake of resigning C Casey Wiegmann to a two-year, five-and-a-half million-dollar contract, one could be forgiven for suspecting that this sound is the dismay and despair of defensive lines throughout the league who must now contest with what is arguably one of the strongest, most coherent and most productive offensive line units in the NFL. Within that unit, no group works together more closely, or relies on each other as much as the guards and centers.

Casey's return, combined with the returns of LG Ben Hamilton and RG Chris Kuper, would do well to inspire a certain level of despondency in Denver's 2009 opponents, as it was an interior unit which ranked 1st overall in ALY (Adjusted Line Yardage), and 5th overall in ALY solely in the cramped spaces between the right and left guards. When one factors in the added emphasis on pulling guards that is a hallmark of the McDaniels offense (ranked 2nd overall ahead of Denver for guard-to-guard ALY in 2008), and the addition of multiple blue-chip RBs to the stable, the Denver rushing attack should indeed be fearsome.

But the sound that can be heard on the edges of training camps around the league are not the wails and moans of teams who fear having to do battle with such a proven unit. This is the NFL. What the sound portends is the approaching storm. A league full of defensive lines who desire nothing less than to tear apart this line's reputation and cast it down to the perceived depths of incompetence that the rest of the team is rumored to have reached. They will believe, fully, that annihilating Denver at the point of attack will reduce the Broncos to an afterthought that can be easily tossed aside. These defenses have made up their minds to do battle, and they will be focused, louder, more terrible, less relenting. Like Northerlies they will blow in every week, where they must be rebuffed by Denver's varied, complex schemes, swift, repeated blows and confusing attacks which resemble withdrawals.

But even early success against such hordes won't be enviable. The opponents will bristle with hostility at every loss, as if upset by human intelligence, and the attack will be renewed again.

This will be a season of such storms, and the guards and centers are the prow of the ship that Denver must steer steadfastly into them...

Ben Hamilton

#50 / Guard / Denver Broncos

Height: 6-4

Weight: 290

Born: Aug 18, 1977

Age: 32

College: Minnesota

Contract: 2009: $3.34m $4.39 against the cap, 2010: Free Agent

Acquired:Draft #4a (113th overall), 2001

One year removed from a season-long absence due to post-concussion syndrome, Ben Hamilton saw his reputation take a bit of a hit in 2008. Of course, he was still elite, but perhaps the expectation was that, as the longest-tenured member of the Broncos line, he should also be its best member. As it stood, he gave up the most sacks and was flagged for the most penalties, and in a way seemed to be the weak link. Yet, as noted above, the line still managed to clock in as one the finest units in the league, in every measurable statistic.

Maybe he really wasn't that bad?

He certainly has to be looking forward to his contract year, especially in conjunction with his run of good health and the line talent that has been amassed around him. He has been nothing less than a pro's pro, beginning with his first season starting for Denver, where he played both center and guard, covering for an injury to Tom Nalen. He also has been exceptionally durable, and except for the 2007 season (a case where toughness is trumped only by long-term concern and care taken for the unknowns involved in post-concussion symptoms) has yet to miss a start in any game the Broncos have played since he was promoted to the active roster after a stint in NFL Europe.

Of interest is that since the final game of the 2003 regular season, Hamilton has yet to log any more snaps at center. With the accrued depth at center over the last two seasons, there is a developing chance that Hamilton may not be the first name called upon if Wiegmann were to go down with an injury (though it is likely he would be the second name called up.)

Hamilton's leadership on the line, too, should not be overlooked; with a contingent of new, young guards behind him, it is imperative to hang onto the veteran player in order to smooth their transition into the Bronco's complex scheme. Next year, Hamilton's story should be quite interesting in the offseason; but for now, it's steady as she goes.

Casey Wiegmann

#62 / Center / Denver Broncos

Height: 6-2

Weight: 285

Born: Jul 20, 1975

Age: 34

College: Iowa

Contract: 2009: $2.5m, 2010: $2.2, 2011: Free Agent

Acquired: Unrestriced Free Agent (Kansas City), 2008

With the restructured contract handled with significant professionalism, Casey Wiegmann looks to continue his streak of 8,046 consecutive offensive snaps (tops among offensive linemen). He is nothing if he is not durable, and as his battle with Kris Jenkins will attest to, he is playing with as much savvy and intensity as could be asked for from a 34-year-old lineman.

When a soul refuses to yield to the weaknesses of the body, it is a source of immense power, and Wiegmann has certainly learned how to tap that, regaining in tenacity what he loses in vigor. But he also benefits greatly from his natural physicality, as a smaller lineman with good girth and strength, which allows him to move fluidly and easily within the confines of his area of work, which goes part and parcel with the demands placed on the center in an offense which features pulling guards (as it is usually the center who must execute the athletic 'trap' part of the block). He was well suited to a pure zone-blocking scheme, but he is eminently suited to the new wrinkles that McDaniels has brought into town for this offense, including being an above-average snapper in the shotgun.

With his experience doing the line calls, and spearheading multiple league-leading rushing and passing offenses (2003, 2006 and 2008) the offense is in completely capable hands with Wiegmann.

Chris Kuper

#73 / Guard / Denver Broncos

Height: 6-4

Weight: 302

Born: Dec 19, 1982

Age: 26

College: North Dakota

Contract: 2009: $1.01m, 2010: Free Agent

Acquired: Draft #5 (161th overall), 2006

Chris Kuper is what I would consider an almost-ideal starting guard for Denver's system. Big and athletic, very strong and terrifically balanced only begin to describe Kuper. He is also versatile, having started his career with Denver on the left side subbing for Chris Myers (who had been subbing for Hamilton in 2007), before moving over to the right side to replace Montrae Holland. In both instances, he made the most of his opportunities, and can be counted on as a player who rises to meet expectations. He also slid over to left tackle during his senior year in college, and showed that in addition to being a sound technician as a guard he could also show the athleticism and awareness to adequately man the pass-protection schemes. He isn't likely to see any snaps at center.

Since coming to Denver he has improved significantly in one particular category: reach blocks. Early in his career he would extend too far when blocking away on reach blocks or when moving to the second level, and while his athleticism and quickness still made him a force against the linebackers, he has since learned to use his long arms (a major asset) to get into his blocks under control, where he can use his strength to redirect. He is also an excellent pulling and trapping guard, who will be perfect for the new offense, and he strengthens any interior unit that he is a part of with his ability to switch off and onto blocks during defensive stunts and blitzes, a combination of intelligence and quickness. He makes his center's job easier by a large margin.

In addition, he is durable and exceptionally tough, maintaining a starting streak by playing with a broken hand last year that looked like a side of ham strapped to his wrist. Depsite the injury there was simply no noticeable dropoff in his play. He is the type of player that refuses to be the weak link.

There can be an expectation that the Denver line will fall a bit short of the elevated level of play last year, due to both the schedule and the idea that teams will be gunning for them. However, I think that Kuper, being in his prime and entering a contract year, has the goods to be even better than last year, and will catch on around the league as one of the premier free agents at guard in 2010. Denver should be in the top two or three teams in the league when running off his flanks. Like with Hamilton, 2010 will be another story, especially during the offseason; but for now, we are exceptionally solid.

Kory Lichtensteiger

#67 / Center / Denver Broncos

Height: 6-3

Weight: 295

Born: Mar 22, 1985

Age: 24

College: Bowling Green

Contract: Escalators are available in the final year if he plays 35% of the offensive snaps in two of his first three seasons. 2009: $385,000, 2010: $470,000, 2011: $555,000, 2012: Free Agent

Acquired: Draft #4a (108th overall), 2008

Kory Lichtensteiger is a player who is used to being the best: best lineman on his high school team, then district, then division, then college, and most recently the Rimington Award winner in 2008 for the nation's best collegiate center.

After seeing action in every game as a rookie, Kory doesn't look to be slowing down or tailing off anytime soon, having logged special teams contributions in all 16 games of 2008, while lining up as an H-back on numerous goal-line formations, most of which were scoring plays.

Looking forward, the first thing you see is his ideal somatotype for center: squat, stocky, long arms, thick upper body and strong lower body. His quickness makes him highly effective in tight spaces, and his intelligence (awarded the Falcon Medal of Honor, which is given to a player that exemplifies sportsmanship and scholarship) makes him a consistent contributor in terms of properly reading and making line calls. He made a name for himself in college by leading the NCAA's centers in sustained blocks, which is a measure of tenacity, strength and will. He finished first in this category in 2008 by a wide margin.

He did primarily shotgun snapping at BGSU, and it was all quality work, which fits well with the expected offensive scheme. It remains to be seen how prepared he has been for the classic under-center exchange, but as it is a function of hand quickness, it can be expected that he will adapt and perform well in this area, as he shows excellent hand quickness and placement on reach blocks and when locking up the body of the defender.

His versatility is the opposite of Chris Kuper's, being as he is eminently suited for interior blocking. As a guard he registered 184 knockdowns in his first two years at BGSU, mostly on pulls and traps; so again, he seems to be a perfect fit going forward. He is not quite the quick lateral mover that Kuper is, and so it is expected that Kory will not see time subbing on the outside, and also that he will likely have a learning curve in pass protection slightly behind his run blocking.

Lichtensteiger is an excellent prospect to have in the wings who will be ready to contribute as a starter sooner than later.

Matt McChesney

#60 / Guard / Denver Broncos

Height: 6-4

Weight: 310

Born: Nov 06, 1981

Age: 27

College: Colorado

Contract: Undisclosed

Acquired: Free Agent, 2009 (Miami)

Before you say roster fodder, consider his unique brand of versatility. He played DT at Colorado, and logged snaps there for both St. Louis and the Jets before a knee injury landed him on two different versions of IR in two years (due to NFL Europe rules at the time).

In an effort to stick on a roster, McChesney went through a position switch to OG, where he has noted that his intensity and aggressiveness, while helpful, have needed to be dialed back, a task which has taken up most of his learning curve since the switch in early 2007, but which has improved enough to get him a look from 2008 Miami Dolphins architect Bill Parcells.

But most of his learning curve was taken up by figuring out how to deal with the loss of his little brother, who died in an accident on the Roaring Fork River. Those kinds of events change people, and McChesney is no different. By going back to his roots (he dreamed of someday playing for the Denver Broncos when he was a kid in the South Stands screaming his lungs out for them) and being close to his family, he hopes to break onto a roster where there is already top talent and very little room for error.

Described as "tough and smart," he seems to fit the general mold of players that McX are looking for, and might make his dream come true in 2009's Training Camp.

Mitch Erickson

#61 / Guard / Denver Broncos

Height: 6-6

Weight: 290

Born: May 14, 1985

Age: 24

College: South Dakota State

Contract: Reserve/Futures Contract

Acquired: Rookie Free Agent, 2008

After leading SDSU to a Great West title, Mitch Erickson made it to Denver's practice squad where he is working on adding bulk and improving his balance. With the five starters well established and over ten backups vying for spots on the line, he will need to show that he spent 2008 picking up on all the little things.

His flexibility is of the guard-to-tackle variety, where he logged starts in all 44 of his career college games. At his height and weight, he seems better suited to back up LG, or moving out to back up the RT position. In the 2008 training camp he got most of his reps at RT, and is quite similar to former Bronco Eric Pears, in both build and playing style, with some of the same shortcomings.

My gut says that while Mitch probably has the right attitude, and is a tough player, he may a bit too much of the Shanahan mold. I would expect him to have a very difficult time making this roster.

Pat Murray

#72 / Guard / Denver Broncos

Height: 6-3

Weight: 310

Born: Oct 31, 1984

Age: 24

College: Truman State

Contract: 2009: $385,000, 2010: Restricted Free Agent

Acquired:Practice Squad Signee (Seattle), 2008

A better physical specimen in terms of what McX are looking for in a lineman, everything about Pat Murray indicates that he is at best an ideal candidate for the practice squad. His best attribute is his "jack of all trades" versatility, having logged most of his experience at RT in college, yet seeing extensive practice reps at both guard and center while in Green Bay and Seattle.

In general, his playing style and college play isn't ideally suited to the offensive scheme (it is more of a drive-blocking style) but there is no doubt that his versatility makes him a boon in practice and training camp in order to field 2nd- and 3rd-team lines in order to run drills.

But eventually those drills become pregame practices, and somewhere in that transition Murray usually gets lost. With the severity of the numbers crunch coming up for the interior linemen, Murray will need one heck of an opportunity to arise even to scratch back into the practice squad. Could quite likely be the first offensive lineman cut.

Seth Olsen

#70 / Guard / Denver Broncos

Height: 6-4

Weight: 306

Born: Dec 17, 1985

Age: 23

College: Iowa

Contract:

Rookie

Acquired:

Draft #4b (132nd overall), 2009

Seth Olsen is one of those naturally "big" linemen, the kind with the good bone girth as opposed to being just 'weighty', and he is well balanced in that area, having good strength in both his lower and upper body. He excels at using his hands, and his hand technique is the strongest part of his game. Intelligent, tough and resourceful, he was also trained in the art of zone blocking at Iowa, and so has an advantage in that department.

However, his second-level play is an order of magnitude below where it needs to be to compete with the current veteran guards, his most likely position. He will need to work on regaining leverage at the second level instead of leaving his feet to make a block, or extending out of control and thereby lunging past defenders. If he can bring that element of his game in line, his hand play should take care of the rest.

In a way, Olsen is a significant departure from the traditional "Shanahan" offensive lineman, and I see him as very much the product of the new scheme and philosophy ideas that McDaniels holds, so adjusting to Olsen's skill set may take a little while. Olsen is not the quickest player, and does not have the best lateral agility, something which was prized under Shanahan, and Olsen could even be accused of "trudging", something I haven't seen in the starting lineup since George Foster left town.

But he is a smart, tough technician with an aggressive mean streak and the versatility to man both RG and RT, and even has experience at LT and LG. Ideally a right guard, he has the natural physical makeup to be the lead candidate for the first backup G/T combo player (with Kory being the first G/C combo), as he has the natural girth and trained leverage to effectively "sit down" in pass protection, a major boon when having to be inserted in case of injury to a starter.

Olsen has significant improvements to make to be a starter-quality player, but the backup job appears to be his to lose.

Blake Schlueter

#63 / Center / Denver Broncos

Height: 6-3

Weight: 284

Born: Apr 22, 1986

Age: 23

College: T-C-U

Contract:

Rookie

Acquired:

Draft #7 (225th overall), 2009

Denver's final pick in the 2009 draft, some immediately questioned whether Lichtensteiger had a future in Denver. Don't. Schlueter is an excellent find and a terrific opportunity to insure both the guard and center position, with a tenacious, mean and intelligent player.

He is a good size already to man the center position, but his body type is a bit different from Wiegmann (though similar to Hamilton) so he may need to add some bulk in order to play at Casey's level in the middle, and to anchor effectively in pass blocking.

Where Schlueter really impresses is his potential for special teams. You've seen it before, but here are his pro day numbers:

40 yard dash	4.79
20 yard dash	2.77
10 yard dash	1.64
225lb bench reps	28
vertical jump	35"
broad jump	9'3"
20 yard shuttle	4.28
3 cone drill	7.42

This is an exceptionally athletic, and more importantly, driven young man. He is a wild card that will make it difficult for the coaches to settle on the eventual active roster, but with McDaniels' deep respect for the role of special teams, it seems quite likely that Schlueter will be part of the active gameday 45-man roster, which means he is putting significant pressure on backups like Murray, Erickson and McChesney.

If Schlueter can maintain his drive right through training camp, than just like his pro day, he will be impossible to ignore.

SUMMARY

2009 looks to feature as strong a group of interior lineman as Denver could hope for in an offseason of significant tumult. The starting trio of Kuper, Wiegmann, and Hamilton have the combination of experience, talent and camaraderie that will keep the unit playing at a high level, while backups such as Olsen and Lichtensteiger give the starting offense confidence that the wheels will stay on in the event of injury. Players like McChesney and Schlueter will drive the above group even harder, and the additions of Murray and Erickson should keep the entire unit running smoothly throughout training camp, perhaps earning themselves a future look.

But when the leaves begin to fall, there will likely only be ten total linemen kept, including tackles, and only seven will be expected to be activated for game day. With players like Schlueter too talented to keep off of the special teams roster, and players like Licthensteiger (also a special teamer) too critical to risk leaving off the game day roster in the event of injury, good players like Olsen may find themselves in a tragic numbers crunch, which at best may keep them off the active roster, at worst may put them in danger of having to clear waivers just to make the PS, and even then they won't be completely safe.

One drawback to solid team-building philosophies are the roster limits and their unsympathetic treatment of excellent depth at a position. And with a major free agency period for Hamilton and Kuper coming up in 2010 these roster decisions will end up having far-reaching consequences. They have to be made with utmost care.

The battle from within can be as critical as the battle without, and the coming storm demands proper choices now. Forces amass against this unit, waiting for the smallest weakness to show up.

It has been said that Wind is all winds, Force is all force. The whole of that horde is now coming.

On one side, that legion.

And on the other?

We must be shrewd.

Poll

What are the chances that their could be a surprise cut or trade from the group of Ben, Chris, Casey, Licks Ten Tigers, Seth and Blake?

Zero chance. They are all keepers in some capacity.

137 votes

Mild. I could see one of the rookies not making the cut.

212 votes

Moderate. Licks Ten Tigers is part of the old regime, he may not be the apple of McX's eye.

56 votes

Surprising. There are rumblings that Hamilton doesn't fit the long term plan.

64 votes

Exceptionally surprising. We paid Casey just so we could cut him...

10 votes

479 votes | Poll has closed

Broncos Dreams and Musings July 3, 2009

Emmett Smith — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:48:55 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

6 months ago: Denver Broncos linebacker Darrell Reid, left, talks with head coach Josh McDaniels before drills during the team's football minicamp at the Broncos headquarters in Englewood, Colo., on Sunday, June 14, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Browse more photos »

The Denver Broncos and Michael Lombardi

I was meandering through some old materials this weekend when I found a pre-draft set of concerns about the Broncos by Michael Lombardi. I had thought at the time that they were reasonable and a fair consideration, so I kept them around. Here is what he said:

DENVER

Who is going to be the Broncos starting quarterback? Can they repair, restore and revive the relationship between Jay Cutler and the head coach?
With the switch to a 3-4 there are plenty of positions up for grabs, but the essential question is this: Who will rush the passer from the outside?
Denver forced only 13 turnovers last season and clearly lack speed on every level of their defense. Who is going to be their playmaker?
The Broncos struggled to cover anyone, even with Champ Bailey, and finished with just six interceptions for the season. Who can cover?
Can they expect to get another year out of Casey Wiegmann at center? They struggled when they played physical defensive teams

I thought, even then, that these were excellent questions. There was not doubt that pre-draft, the Broncos had reason to give pause to even the most voracious fans. This led to a lot of musing on what happened and dreams of what might be. That being said, let's take them one at a time and see if Denver did anything to work out those concerns.

Question 1: Who will be the Quarterback?

The Broncos made a decision to give up on the more emotionally fraught and fragile situation with Jay Cutler, cut their losses and make a deal that would yield a starter in Orton and kept their backup in Simms. That same deal also netted them (in essence) Knowshon Moreno and Alphonso Smith and 'half' of Richard Quinn, with a caveat involving the trade of a 3rd-round pick for a 5th-rounder (There are different ways to parse this, but this one seems most accurate to me). However, the issue of who starts at QB, although important, is secondary to the issue of whether or not the Broncos got good value in a trade that most industry people agreed that they had to make. While it’s easy for fans to argue (as I have myself) that it would be grand and emotionally satisfying to see them sit Cutler on the bench for a while, that kind of thing can poison a locker room and distract a team already facing huge changes. It isn’t reasonable and it wasn’t going to happen. I have to say that they seemed to do very well with a tough situation.

In addition, the arrival of Tom Brandstater, who will probably suit up as an emergency quarterback and who will begin his apprenticeship under Head Coach Josh McDaniels and the two QBs ahead of him is a very good sign. Brandstater has all of the tools to become a very good backup or even a starter in the NFL. He needs time and work, and should be able to receive both.

Question 2: Who will rush the passer?

This is a great question. It was then and it still is now, prior to training camp. One of the many areas of weakness last year was the inability to get pressure on the QB (or the running back or the receivers, for that matter). Part of that will shake out from the front 3, and other than Ronnie Fields it seems open right now. But the draft yielded one Robert Ayers, lately of Tennessee, who was one of the best young DEs in this year’s options. Will he rush the QB well? This could be one of the questions that determines the outcome of the Broncos season (The production of Knowshon Moreno is the other).

A change in scheme is also letting them move Elvis Dumervil, Jarvis Moss and Tim Crowder to the outside and will let them create a wide variety of looks and options. Moss's and Dumervil's weakness against the run made them less effective coming in from the outside - the change in scheme could create a better disguise for what they are going to do. Denver will be moving towards a full time 3-4 defense, but will give a lot of different looks over the course of the season. See here for SlowWhiteGuy’s helpful look into one way to view this change.

We're going to rush the passer with scheme as well as players, as hoosierteacher pointed out with his excellent series on the Ted Blocker.

Question 3: Who will be the playmakers and create turnovers? Do we have enough speed?

To me the first section was and is the biggest question. Who will be the playmakers? You need to look at this question from two angles. If, by this, you mean to create turnovers (And it seemed that was the thrust of the question) there was a quick response by the Broncos. The answer was to redo the entire secondary, with only a scant few holdovers. They are looking to Andre' Goodman and Alphonso Smith as well as Champ to knock down and pick off passes, to Darcel McBath (David Bruton may take longer to mature, but he has the potential to be a lot more than a special teams player) to learn centerfield and look for opportunities, and Brian Dawkins and Renaldo Hill to prevent the kind of repetitive big plays that hamstrung them in the 2008 season.

I'm not huge on extrapolating stats. The players get injured or have a career year, the scheme changes and with few exceptions, rookies aren't going to get what they did in college. Still - you have to look at the overall stats to see where you were and what needs to change. When you add up last year's turnovers versus our new starters, the new players so far outdid the Broncos measly 13 defensive turnovers that you have to be impressed, and Alphonso Smith was brilliant at creating turnovers in college - fumbles as well as interceptions. The emphasis in training camp has included new drills on how to function if you're the 2nd or 3rd player to a tackle - you generally ignore the man (if he's going down) and hammer on the ball. It wouldn't even matter if he's getting away from Tackler 1 as long as you get the ball loose. Watching film from last year, it was clear that we did that erratically, but not with any consistency. We lost several fumbles to teams that used this practice. Will we be better? I hope so. Are we better prepared via personnel and approach. Assuredly.

If by playmaking you mean 'coming up big with plays to stop drives' you would have to include the massive restructuring of the front 7 as well. Ayers, Doom, Moss, Woodyard, probably Reid and certainly Williams in some degree of rotation, probably with A. Davis at LILB to start, will have to step up. I'd expect Spencer Larsen to be a backup to start and to be moved around from special teams to fullback to inside linebacker, although he may well take the job at linebacker later in the season or in next year's training camp. Fields has been noted by a few writers as the steal of the off-season, and there's reason to believe that since his explosion off the snap was the best on the 49ers D-Line last year. There are too many options for NT and DE to cover here, but that fact in and of itself makes my point. There will be no shortage of folks who can step up. The question of whether they will step up will begin to be answered in training camp.

I did look with interest on the part of this question that involved speed. I'll concede part of the issue - Shanahan drafted for speed for a long time, but we ended up with a smorgasbord of players, styles and abilities due to the revolving door at defensive coordinator and the accompanying revolving personnel door. We became neither fish nor fowl, although we managed foul pretty well.Many of our most recent pickups aren't incredibly fast nor incredibly slow. Bruton looks to be a backup - he's incredibly fast for a safety. McBath is just fast. Smith - there will always be an asterisk in my mind around the players from this year's draft. The timing was flat-out off. He's not a burner, but neither is he slow.

Most importantly, the scheme that we are setting in motion will use more zone coverage to minimize the issues of speed. We drafted fairly well for speed as well - Darcel McBath is in the 4.58 range, Bruton was in the 4.46, A. Smith was 4.51, not a burner but very quick and agile. Ayers only had a 4.9 40 - slow for a linebacker, but good for a defensive end. Jarvis Moss, on the other hand, is a 4.7 40 guy. Overall, I'd still have to say that Lombardi has a point. Scheme will have to help us here or we'll see issues from it, but I'm Ok with that as we stand now..

Question 4: Coverage and Interceptions

This is a great question. My own feeling is that they had answered it in spades at both the cornerback and the safety positions before the draft and filled out the answer sheet in depth during the NFL draft. Champ is healthy, they added Alphonso Smith in the draft and Andre Goodman in free agency. Jack Williams or Josh Bell will have to step up to stay on the team. They also did 'a little' at the safety position, with Brian Dawkins there to anchor the team and Renaldo Hill to start. Behind them are three young players, all distinct and with different skillsets.

Jerry Angelo got my honest appreciation for this comment in a recent National Football Post article by Matt Bowen. It brought out some issues on our safeties.

"...it's obvious that Angelo sees the safety position as a concern heading into this summer, and not just in Chicago.

"It's the poorest-played position in football right now," he said. "It's very hard to find a safety that can tackle high to low," meaning players who can tackle from the free safety spot in the open field. As Angelo said, there's so much emphasis placed on athleticism and ball skills at the position that sound tackling has become a thing of the past. "

This is one area where Angelo and I are in full agreement, and when I read it I suspected that our own Hoosierteacher wouldn't argue much with us either. In fact, I took this chance to ask him about this remark and appreciated his reply so much that I wanted to include it here:

"The big problem with safeties (in my opinion) at many levels of football is the mistaken belief that they are just extensions of the cornerback position. This line of thinking has safeties valued for the ability to race to a passed ball and intercept or disrupt. But this is not the classic role of safeties, and the effect of this type of thinking is what has hurt the position.

Safeties are, above all else, the last line of defense. They must be sure, open field tacklers because they are intended to stop any ball carriers (runners or receivers) that get past the front seven and corners. The ability to tackle, speed, and read plays are the most important ingredients. When one of those skills (almost always "tackling") is sacrificed to get a safety with "good hands" for interceptions", the position suffers. Good hands should be seen as icing on the cake for a safety, not as a requirement."

In addition to the pleasure of a chance to learn from MHRs master of Xs and Os, the other thing I love is that along with Josh Barrett, the Denver Broncos now have three young, hard hitting safeties (Barrett, David Bruton, McBath) that can play on special teams and who love to make tackles. Having lacked a decent backfield general for years, the Broncos suddenly find themselves with a plethora of riches among the veterans and the youngsters. Will they keep all of them, or will Vernon Fox make the team. I'm better that Fox falters in training camp, but I could be wrong.

With Renaldo Hill starting as the season opens and both McBath, the current heir apparent and David Bruton behind him both having great scouting reports as bright players and sure tacklers, the Broncos are finally paying attention to the defense as a unit, rather than to one position (cornerback, for example, or DE) during one draft and a second position (DL) the next. The upgrade of quality, with new FA players brought in at all positions and a lot of great young talent there from the draft and an unparalleled CFA class, is pointing towards a huge change from the past two years and brings a smile to my face.

By the way, this article on safeties and on Rodney Harrison in particular, also by Matt Bowen is a better than average look at the position and the skills it requires.

I've mentioned this, but have you noticed that the Broncos have more talent in the defensive backfield than at any time in modern memory? Think about it. With Champ Bailey and probably Andre' Goodman starting and Alphonso Smith able to bring his zone coverage skills to the table as a nickel back, we finally have a decent crew at cornerback. Even better, Goodman and Hill have played well together in the past so we've got some built-in continuity. There will be changes in scheme and terminology, granted, but these two know and understand each others tendencies. Even better, they are paired with Champ and Brian Dawkins, who brings instant leadership and drive to a secondary that last year was best described as ‘porous'. We are much, much better than we were last year.

Question 5: Can Casey Wiegmann play, and can the Broncos play physical football?

Let's move on to the second issue right away. I know that Lombardi meant this in terms of the offensive line, but it's such a good question that I though we should look at the entire team this way. The Broncos gave up way too much to other teams in terms of physicality last year and prior to that. Shanahan preferred speed to size; there are arguments both ways. I'm of the school that wants both, but will take the speed guys if they (and Wesley Woodyard is my favorite current example of this) like being physical, regardless of size, and enjoy taking on the challenge of a team trying to out-muscle them.

It's not necessarily a situation of preferring one or the other. Lots of players give you both - look at Ryan Clady on offense or Ron Fields on defense, each of whom is very fast /explosive/agile for their position. We have quite a few examples of getting both now - David Bruton ran a 4.46 40 at Combine and had the third highest number of tackles on Notre Dame in 2008. NFLDraftScout.com calls Bruton a playmaker "with the size, speed and athleticism to potentially be a good starter and very good special teams player." (There's video at the link I provided). Then there's the physicality of players like Robert Ayers, Alphonso Smith (who was referred to by Jonathan Hull of fantasyfootballjungle.com as the Steal of the Draft) and Jack Williams, all of whom are fast but not burners, yet incredibly tough players.

It's interesting to me that Buckhalter is still our fastest running back (Yes, even despite his knee surgeries) and that Hillis is just slightly (.02 - .04 seconds) faster than Moreno, yet Moreno's nimbleness has astonished people, while Hillis just runs them over like gophers in the road. Toughness - would anyone out there take Selvin Young and Andre Hall over Moreno and Hillis when it comes to toughness? I'm just asking. Toss in Buckhalter and Jordan and our squad is even stronger. I know - the injuries last year did seriously hurt the Broncos RB squad, but even so... Top to bottom, we just have a much better group at RB. We have a question mark at Torain, but we brought in a couple of young guys to cover us if Torain doesn't get well (don't be surprised if they get him on IR to start the season and to give themselves an option later when there are 2009's injuries to deal with). But toughness? It's a very new year, and for that I'm thankful. This is a tough bunch of guys.

When Parcells won the Super Bowl against the LA Rams in January of 1991, he leaned over to Will McDonough for the Boston Globe who had also been a long time friend, and while waiting for the post game press conference to begin he loudly whispered two words: "Power Football!" During the days following conference, he noted the same thing twice more:

"...I've coached this game for a long time, and I know one thing," said Parcells, two days later. "Power football wins games." He then repeated it, just for emphasis.

Personally, I love speed but I know that Parcells was often right. I believe that speed has to be paired equally with the ability to match up, stand up and finish up. That takes power and strength (and scheme, which we often lacked). Games are usually won in the 4th quarter and we lost too many that way, whether by lack of strength or lack of conditioning. Our free agent acquisitions like Brian Dawkins, Renaldo Hill and Andra Davis are also very mentally tough, as is undrafted college free agent Rulon Davis, for example (Davis also has run his 40's in as little as 4.8, although his combine time was 5.06). Tough wins games. Tough generates the stats that correlate to wins. Given the smaller, lighter DEs that we've found ourselves with (Moss, Doom, etc), turning them into bigger linebackers makes a lot of sense. We also added a little weight, players like Fields, Parker and Askew

Moving back to the first part of the final question - How about Casey Wiegmann and the physicality of the Broncos O line approach? There are two good questions here. Can Wiegmann play another year? He says that he can and the Broncos have responded with a 2 year contract so they obviously believe him. The odds are very good, and yet the Broncos had the sense to hedge their bets. They drafted two good offensive linemen. They have Kory Lichtensteiger as the guard/center apparent, Tyler Polumbus at tackle, new center Blake Schlueter and an assortment of other options. 'Steiger has a reputation for toughness that borders on sheer nastiness and he's down to 295 of rock muscle (from up to 310 lb) and dropped some soft weight. Our new offensive lineman, Seth Olsen, was described by draftcountdown.com as "Very tough...Plays with a nasty demeanor" and plays at about 306 lb. Just our new kind of guy - he was also elected as a member of the Leadership Group in all four of his playing seasons for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Wiegmann is light for his position - listed at 285. The guys behind him are a little bigger - 'Steiger at 295, even Schlueter at 290 - but adequate for a zone blocking center (Denver will add other blocking schemes, and actually used to use some other schemes, but we will keep the predominance of the ZB). The question will be whether they can play with technique and leverage - for the ZB, that's the real issue.

As far as being physical, by the end of last year the Broncos were playing much more physically on offense. Their run blocking was a work in progress last year - by the end, they were hammering out holes for people that you either hadn't heard of or didn't want to, but the holes kept coming anyway. The relative size of Seth Olsen gives us a clue as to the direction they will go in – the retention of line coach Rick Dennison says a lot for the zone blocking approach, but they will be adding other blocking schemes as well. They may be looking at bigger guards than they have used in the past. Ryan Clady’s 325 lb. goes a long way towards creating a bigger, tougher line, and the genius of their zone blocking scheme will always put more of a premium on athleticism than just sheer road-grader size. Olsen is big but not huge at 306 yet he's very strong and late rounder Blake Schlueter is smaller yet very athletic (and mean). He's more of the lineman that Denver used in the past, but something about him drew the Xanders/McDaniels team to him. That 'something' was simple - he's incredibly fast, agile and tough as nails, is a master of the knockdown despite his lighter weight (leverage and technique are big tools for him and wields them like sledgehammers) and was a team captain in his junior and senior year.

I'm still not sure about Ben Hamilton. He just didn't seem quite the same guy. Could just have been the year off, maybe something else was going on. I don't see any signs that it was concussion-based, by the way. I do wonder if he's vulnerable to an in-camp challenge by a younger guy. McDaniels has shown one thing - he's not huge on sentimental holdovers.He needs to win.

You could also question this one issue from Lombardi: I'm pretty sure that Casey Wiegmann, among others, out-played, disarmed and diffused Kris Jenkins and a host of other players. It seemed, after looking at the numbers and the tape, as if the Broncos O line was pretty physical themselves. I thought that the physicality questions were better asked of the rest of the team, but maybe that's just me.

Conclusions:

Michael Lombardi asked a lot of good, insightful questions regarding where the tam came from at the end of last year and where it's trying to go. What stands out to me is how well these questions were answered. In looking back at the players that we (often mercifully) let go, the free agents acquired and the way that we handled the draft, the Broncos did a solid job of providing players that answer what I thought were fair, sensible queries.

They ranged from the quarterback to the pass rush, to playmakers at each level of the defense, to the quality of the secondary and defensive backfield and back again to offense. There was one question on Casey Wiegmann and another on the level of physicality on the Bronco, particularly the offensive line. Frankly impressed at how well they’ve answered them to the extent that they can, pre-training camp. I think that every team has a high level of expectation from the fans during the weeks prior to training camp. A certain allure can abound, sometimes realistic, sometimes false. How do you tell which is which?

I think that there are several means. We cannot truly understand how the Broncos are matching players to scheme simple because we do not, cannot know the schemes. But many of us have done substantial work on the statistics and schemes that our current coaches have used in the past. We've done more analysis of last season than any year in my memory (our available tools improve as does the quality of the people we have researching and writing). We can look at who stayed, who went and who was ushered out the door and consider the background and stats on those who replaced them. Taking all known factors into account, I'm impressed at how well we answered the valid and reasonable questions that were put to the Broncos early last spring. With the onset of summer, training camp is nearly in our grasp.

Bring it on!

One Down...Broncos ink first '09 Draft pick, C Blake Schlueter

John Bena — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 23:02:56 -0000

The Denver Broncos on Friday signed center Blake Schlueter, whom they selected in the seventh round (225th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft from Texas Christian University. As per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Schlueter (6-foot-2, 279 pounds) played 50 career games (38 starts) at TCU and earned All-Mountain West Conference recognition during each of his three seasons as a starter. He helped TCU to a 30-9 (.769) overall record, three bowl wins and two top-25 final rankings (Associated Press) during his final three years at the school.

As a senior in 2008, Schlueter was a first-team all-conference choice after starting all 13 games and blocking for an offense that ranked 12th in the nation in rushing (220.2 ypg.). He was part of a TCU team that finished the year with an 11-2 record and a No. 7 national ranking from the Associated Press that marked the school's highest final ranking since 1959.

Schlueter earned second-team All-MWC accolades as a 12-game starter during his junior campaign and was an honorable mention all-conference pick as a sophomore who started all 13 games.

A first-team all-state selection at center and defensive end as a senior at Ganado High School in Ganado, Texas, Schlueter was born on April 22, 1986.

Educated Guess - 2009 Depth Chart Thoughts

Steve Nichols — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:30:09 -0000

It is still too early to have a good idea of what depth chart Denver will be using. But members of the media and fans at Milehighreport.com will put up depth charts anyway because it is fun to speculate on who will play at what positions. I love depth chart projections because the conversation that ensues serves to educate. Some folks will share information about a player trait that others weren't aware of, and discussions of schemes ensue.

Most longtime members of MHR love the annual depth-chart breakdown that Guru does. It was my favorite feature of MHR before I joined the site a few years ago. If you want accurate predictions, that's your story. If you want some educated guesses and a good discussion, I hope you'll enjoy the following....

As I've written consistently, this is a tough year to guess on our final roster and dept chart. New coaches, new system, a radical change in player-use philosophy, and a major turnover in players makes this year tricky, but very intriguing. We'll know much more when camp is fully underway, but here are some of my thoughts thus far.

DEFENSE

SAFETY

One of my most difficult tasks is to guess whether or not Brian Dawkins plays at his historical free-safety position or moves to strong safety. There are strong arguments both ways. Even at his age, Dawkins had a terrific season again last year. He still has speed and range, and can sack quarterbacks from the deep safety position. He still has the hands to intercept. And when he hits a ball carrier, the stadium hears it. Brian Dawkins remains a terrifying force on the field. I would like to see him stay at FS, but I'm starting to lean towards a move to SS. I have a few reasons for this, but I'm not 100% comfortable with making a firm projection.

First, Dawkins will be getting older, and the eventual slowing will make him a better fit at SS. Second, I'll take Dawkins covering a TE over some of the prospects at LOLB. Third, in most schemes the SS will have more run-support responsibilities, and Dawkins is one of those safeties that can consistently bring down even the biggest of RBs.

Renaldo Hill would then become my guess at FS. Coming off of the good year he had last year, I think he is a definite upgrade at FS. Given his age, he will likely be holding the position for a young up-and-coming player in the near future.

Darcel McBath is my favorite for the backup FS spot. He should do well on STs, but I think he will be the future at FS, and a player to watch. I think he'll see some playing time this year. For the fourth spot on the safety chart, we might see a duel between Vernon Fox and Josh Barrett. Fox could win out because there is talk about Barrett getting some looks for an OLB position.

Where does this leave the "other" rookie (David Bruton)? I think he has a shot at being a special teams ace for now, and a project for a future role at safety.

Cornerback

Superstar Champ Bailey is a lock for the #1 CB position. Andre Goodman was brought in to take over at the #2 position, and should do a great job there. Controversial draft pick Alphonso Smith will be exciting at nickel back, and is likely going to be a #2 CB in the near future.

I love what the team has done at safety and corner. We have two future-Hall of Famers at defensive-back positions, a hot rookie, and two solid veterans. The battle for the final spot will be between Jack Williams, Josh Bell, and Rashod Moulton.

Inside Linebacker

In my last article, I wrote that I was proud of myself for predicting that D.J. Williams would again be moving, this time to RILB. It is his natural spot, and one that he is happy with. He will be the anchor for the LBs. At LILB, Andra Davis will be stopping runs and "ted blocking" the way to sacks for the RILB. Beyond these two, nothing is sure.

I'm guessing that Larsen will be a FB / ILB hybrid. Someone pointed out a fact to me in the last couple of weeks, and I buy the reasoning - Larsen would make a great LILB because (as a FB) he is already capable of blocking the way through the trenches. I buy that, so Larsen becomes my pick for #2 LILB. Woodyard is my pick to back up Williams.

Outside Linebacker

With hybrids, this is a very tough call. Until he gets injured, Boss Bailey has a shot at starting LOLB, and Jarvis Moss is my guess to compete for the spot. The more I think about it, I like Elvis Dumervil at ROLB. He isn't big enough to play RDE in a 3-4, but his rush skills would make him a feared presence in a 3-4 played with a 5-2 look. I'm not sure who backs up Dumervil. With safety Josh Barrett getting looks at LB, I think he could go ROLB or LOLB. For now, let's consider ROLB a possibility.

Nose Tackle

The early favorite is clearly Ronald Fields, who was projected to start for the 49ers this year. Carlton Powell and Marcus Thomas are both bulking up and fighting for a spot, and I think there may be a better competition for the spot than earlier thought.

Defensive End

Let me throw out the names in the mix as I see them (in no special order) - Robert Ayers, Tim Crowder, Ryan McBean, Kenny Peterson, and Nic Clemons.

I think Ayers, McBean, and Crowder compete for the LDE spot. I think Peterson starts RDE, with Clemons or one of the three players competing for LDE backing him up.

OFFENSE

Quarterback

Kyle Orton had a lesser offensive line and lesser receivers in Chicago, but still managed more wins than Denver's previous QB. He may not have the physical tools and potential of a Jay Cutler, but he also lacks the drawbacks (forcing the ball into interceptions, not looking off receivers, decision making in general). Chris Simms is not likely to be the starter, but could be a surprise if called in during an injury to Orton.

Tom Brandstater may be a long-term project, or a desperate emergency player in the event of a catastrophic string of injuries. The only real question is, "Do we carry three QBs on the roster, or keep Brandenstater on the practice squad but suited up under the NFL's emergency 'third QB' rule"? Tom is a very smart kid, and may be a surprise in a couple of years.

Running Backs

Denver is loaded at this position. I was sorry to see Arrington not pass the physical, but Denver didn't lose much in the signing. Still, Denver finally has a workhorse RB in 1st-round draft pick Knowshon Moreno. The next question is, do we go committee or run a prime back? Do we spell or rotate? Peyton Hillis is a proven commodity as a power back, but can also block as FB or gash defensive lines running the ball from the FB position. Correll Buckhalter and LaMont Jordon are solid backs, not castoffs. The running game will not be an issue for Denver this year.

Larsen and Hillis can both play FB. Hillis is good enough to start at RB (with Moreno), and Larsen is good enough to play at LILB (likely rotating behind Davis).

Denver has a lot of options.

Receiver

Brandon Marshall starts at #1, and Eddie Royal starts at #2. Brandon Stokley is probably still going to be our slot receiver, and that's a good thing. This is a great starting group. Competing for the coveted 4th-receiver spot are Jabar Gaffney, rookie Kenny McKinley, and Chad Jackson.

Tight End

Daniel Graham is not only the clear starter, but has played in the NE offensive program before. He is an outstanding blocker, but can cause defenses problems if he goes out to catch. Tony Scheffler is too good of a receiving TE not to be in the mix, and will see the field in a lot of two-TE sets. Jeb Putzier and rookie Richard Quinn will fight for the 3rd TE position. Putzier has the advantage in catching, but Quinn is a heck of a blocker.

Center

Casey Wiegmann will start. Kory Lichtensteiger is being groomed as his replacement. Blake Schlueter (rookie) is either going to back up Kory next year, or might back up one of the guards this year.

Guard

Ben Hamilton starts at LG, and Chris Kuper starts at RG. Seth Olsen and (perhaps) Blake Schlueter are my guesses to back up.

Tackle

Ryan Clady is a lock at LT, and Ryan Harris is a lock at RT. Tyler Polumbus is a likely backup, but Brandon Gorin might give him a run for his money.

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Special teams is settled at K, P, and long snapper. The only question is whether Royal will be relieved of his return responsibilities.

As mentioned earlier, without knowing the systems we'll be running, and with the added complexity of the Amoeba philosophy and the hybrid scheming, this is a tough depth chart to figure out. I'm certain that I'm going to be wrong on a least a few of my early guesses, but my overarching hope is that we as a group can discuss the roster and use the chart as a good base to exchange ideas.

I look forward to hearing from folks on their thoughts!

Poll

Assuming that Marshall, Royal, and Stokley start at the first three WR positions, which of the following players should start at #4 WR?

Jabbar Gaffney

726 votes

Kenny McKinley

83 votes

Chad Jackson

66 votes

875 votes | Poll has closed