SB Nation User Blog: Arctic Bronco

Culinary delight Mock Draft

Arctic Bronco — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 17:57:07 -0000

Drafting should be based on need, but sometimes the need is not purely based on talent and desire. There is always a greater need and that is the need for culinary upgrades.

Do you hunger for hope? Are you thirsty for victory? Does your appetite crave for end zone celebrations? Well, it's time to get out the menu that sates your hunger for sacks! Here it is, MHR's first and only food based mock! Yes, there will have to be a few draft day trades to get the picks in the right places, so just think of this as being like a potluck. BTW, if you don't like these picks you can always send them back to the kitchen.

1st Rd Aaron Curry, LB, 6-2, 255, Wake Forest. Some hot stuff will definitely spice up the D.

1st Rd Darius Butler, CB, 5-10, 182, Uconn. Well... someone has to serve all these good dishes.

2nd Rd Jared Cook, TE,6-5, 246, South Carolina. It's good to get a young TE to learn McD's new recipes for the offense.

4th Rd Chris Baker, DT, 6-2, 325, Hampton (O). Denver kneads girth up front.

5th Rd Glenn Coffee, RB, 6-0, 210, Alabama. It feels wrong to pick a RB in any round other than the 6th (TD to HOF!), but it is hard to pass up a nice hot cup of java when we are grinding through the second day of the draft.

5th Rd Emanual Cook, SS, 5-10, 197, South Carolina. Yeah, too many cooks can spoil the broth but we have to accept risks to improve the D.

6th Rd Deon Butler, WR, 5-10, 182, Penn State. No need to overwork the other Butler.

7th Rd Why waste picks on Practice Squad career bench warmers when they can be traded for 5 Super Slams?

UDFA Antonio Appleby, ILB, 6-4, 243, Virginia. Always helps to have a professional restaurateur on the squad.

John Bacon, ILB, 6-2, 243, Oregon. A special team player must “bring home the bacon” to make the squad.

Maurice Kitchens, ILB, 6-2, 247, Marshall. Mr. Kitchens is a natural for this draft.

Rankings based on the “The Sporting News Draft 09” and the Great Blue North analyses

at: http://www.gbnreport.com/top100.html

Should I start the Denver DST in FF?

Arctic Bronco — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 05:42:57 -0000

I know this sounds like a strange request, but I want everyone's opinion for my FF team. My "go to" DST is the NY Giants, but they play at Phoenix against the reborn Cardinals featuring the well aged Kurt Warner and two big time receivers.

I just picked up the Denver DST. It wouldn't be unusual in most FF leagues for the Broncos DST to be available, but this 12 team league is made up of Broncomaniacs and you would think that at least one of my worthy opponents would have picked our guys just for nostalgia's sake. BTW, my thanks to Papi for starting this league. After the Falcons game I thought it was worth considering the Denver DST, especially as they will play the raiders at the Mile High.

So, what is your honest opinion of starting the Broncos vs. the Giants? After the Arctic Broncos did a Chiefs imitation and went 1-6, they started applying the lessons learned from the NPLB sessions and went on a 3 game winning streak. I need to keep my fannish sentimentality out of the equation, but I did get big time production from Hillis in the last two games and Graham was a great pickup prior to the Atlanta game.

Poll

Should I start the Denver DST?

Yes, the Broncos will play tough against the raiders

11 votes

No, the Giants are unreformed sackaholics

10 votes

Only if Spencer Larsen starts at MLB and Safety!

4 votes

25 votes | Poll has closed

The future looks so bright that we're going to need blue and orange sunglasses!

Arctic Bronco — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 04:22:22 -0000

The future looks so bright that we're going to need blue and orange sunglasses!

Denver plays Defense like....

Arctic Bronco — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 03:46:23 -0000

Okay, the Defense struggled but any time the Offense gives up four turnovers that is to be expected. However, the Denver Defense was soundly outplayed by the KC Defense when it came to forcing turnovers. The KC Defense forced turnovers against a good offense with a good O-Line, while our Defense, with the exception of the beautiful fumble Champ caused for LJ, should have been more effective against a weak Offense with a young and unproven O-Line.

No need to be totally focused on negatives. We need to look to the future. JMFW got some meaningful reps, unfortunately they were against a very good NFL WR. Plus, there were no significant injuries to the Defense and Woodyard and Larsen continue to impress on Special Teams. The starters at LB and FB are probably stepping up their game. If Larsen can play one of those positions like he plays ST he will be a starter soon. The kickoff coverage hit that knocked the KC returner’s helmet off was so hard it also knocked a bunch of pixels off my screen!!! Larsen definitely deserves a cool nickname.

Poll

Anyway, the 2008 Broncos play defense like....

a young team that is learning yet another new Defensive coordinator’s scheme (?)

12 votes

a team that is focused on tiring out the other team’s Kicker

3 votes

a bowlegged goalie with a hangover and hiccups

18 votes

the Jays Girl avatar

10 votes

43 votes | Poll has closed

Constitution Day, September 17

Arctic Bronco — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 20:44:33 -0000

Today, September 17, is Constitution Day. Our Constitution was ratified on September 17, 1787. I apologize for going off topic, but the significance of this document cannot be understated. The Constitution is the document that ratified the concerns of the States and allowed them to coexist in peace and prosperity. This happened because the Constitutional Convention provided a forum for the worlds’ leading practitioners on the development of the principles of a constitutional republic to share and develop their ideas.

Although two freedoms that are near and dear to the heart of most MHR participants; freedom of speech and freedom of the press, are not mentioned in the Constitution, that document did set the stage for the establishment of those freedoms. If you would like to learn more about the Constitution, please go to: http://www.constitutionfacts.com/

The site is full of historical facts and quotes about the Constitution. My favorite is a quote from Benjamin Franklin:

As Benjamin Franklin left the Pennsylvania State House after the final meeting of the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787, he was approached by the wife of the mayor of Philadelphia. She was curious as to what the new government would be. Franklin replied, “A republic, madam. If you can keep it.”

WR Mario Manningham to Tennessee

Arctic Bronco — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 23:36:24 -0000

The Titans' fans have WR ranked as the most desirable 1st round selection so I was trying to stay in character and represent them appropriately. I sent an email to Guru to take Manningham. Vince Young is the Titans' building block and he really needs some reliable receivers. VY struggled with interceptions so it seemed like getting a WR with excellent hands and smooth route running seemed like the best way to jump start the offense.

I really wanted Sweed because he is also sure handed plus he played with VY at Texas and won a championship. Manningham might have more upside due to his speed, grace and body control. He is very slender, but there are other slender WRs that have made big impacts.

Clady still a Bronco

Arctic Bronco — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:50:52 -0000

This is how the draft went at the WCG site http://www.windycitygridiron.com/.

I really wanted one of the two monster DTs, but trades weren't allowed. Clady would make a great consolation prize at a position of need. I was really glad that 3 CBs and a WR were picked before #12, I didn't think that I had a chance at Clady.

Disregard my comments promoting Harris as the projected LT, the Shanahan press report favoring fellow Alaskan Kuper came out shortly after I made this post. Maybe that is why Shanahan is a Head Coach and I am just a fan!

Ryan Clady, Offensive Tackle, Boise St.

ANALYSIS: The Broncos break tradition by picking an Offensive Lineman in the first round. Not only is this a break with tradition, but this particular lineman is much bigger than the typical Denver lineman, Clady is 6'6" and 315 lbs. The offensive line is getting old and needs young blood. Two starters were on the IR last year, Center Tom Nalen with a torn bicep and LG Ben Hamilton sat out the season with a concussion he suffered in training camp. The RT, Erik Pears, will be a free agent at the end of the 2008 season and the projected LT, Ryan Harris, is unproven. He was a 2007 third round pick who only played on special teams and goal line formations in 2007.

Clady has the mobility and athleticism needed to execute Denver's zone blocking scheme. As an added bonus he is bigger and more powerful than the traditional Denver lineman. He has a small school background, but Boise State was a very successful team. His solid execution of the fundamentals that he has been coached on and his potential for refinement of his technique make him ideally suited to be a big contributer to Denver's run-first offense.

Pro Football Weekly:

"Clady looks every bit the part with a big frame and long arms. The game appears to come easy for him - he's a natural 300-pounder who can bend and adjust - and he is loaded with upside."

Pick

1 Miami Dolphins Jake Long
2 St. Louis Rams Chris Long
3 Atlanta Falcons Glenn Dorsey
4 Oakland Raiders Vernon Gholston
5 Kansas City Chiefs Sedrick Ellis
6 NY Jets Darren McFadden
7 New England Patriots Leodis McKelvin
8 Baltimore Ravens Matt Ryan
9 Cinncinati Bengals Keith Rivers
10 New Orleans Saints Mike Jenkins
11 Buffalo Bills Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

12 Denver Broncos Ryan Clady by Arctic Bronco

Poll

Who else should have been taken?

Somebody else

2 votes

More cheerleaders!

3 votes

Chris Williams

2 votes

Dan Connor

1 votes

Desean Jackson

0 votes

8 votes | Poll has closed

Value for draft picks

Arctic Bronco — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 05:32:15 -0000

How would it benefit the Broncos to move down in the draft? If the players they are targeting in the first round are not available, they might get more value for their pick by trading their 1st rounder for 2nd &/or 3rd round picks. The Broncos have had more success with player development when they have moved around to target specific players in the 1st round such as Moss, Cutler, and D.J. Williams than when they took the best player available (BPA) at a position of need (Nash, Middlebrooks, Lelie, Foster).

2nd round players are usually just as athletically capable as mid to late 1st rounders, they might have dropped due to more questions or playing a position that doesn't have a lot of immediate need for most teams or they have specialized skills that need to be mated up with the right system or salary cap structure.

The positions that Denver needs to get immediate upgrades at via the draft, LB, DT and Safety, in my opinion, usually have a lot of good value in rounds other than the 1st round. For the last 5-6 years, there have been many reaches on DTs (Ryan Sims, Jonathan Sullivan, Ryan Pickett, etc.) due to team needs and the annual shortages of big bodies. Most of the big DTs are difficult to evaluate for several reasons such as: needing more time to grow into their bodies, more time to develop stamina and the difficulty in determining the legitimate need for resting their big bodies versus lack of desire. There were no reaches on DTs during last years 1st round. Usually only 3 to 5 LBs are taken in the first round and since the Broncos won't be competing with teams that use 3-4 defenses for big LBs their chances of getting value in the 2nd round for fast run-containment-system LBs are high. It is rare to see more than 2 safeties drafted in the 1st round, so the chance to get good value in the subsequent rounds is usually not a problem for this position.

The Draft Trade Value Chart from the Great Blue North Draft Report site, http://www.gbnreport.com/index.htm, gives approximate numerical values of picks. Sorry that the chart has some html conversion glitches, for easier viewing check out the GBN site. Keep in mind that this is just a generalization of value, any item's price is ultimately determined by what the individual seller and buyer agree on. An example of that is Denver trading a 2008 3rd round pick to Minnesota for their 2007 4th round pick. That was done to get Marcus Thomas and looks like it was a productive trade.

If Denver finishes in the 17 to 21 range, their pick will have a value of 950 to 800 points. Miami's 2nd and their other 2nd (from San Diego for Chris Chambers) have values of 580 and approximately 420 to 360, based on San Diego finishing within an overall range of 17th to 22nd. The total value of 780 could be spiced up with a late round pick or two. Miami is desperate for immediate help and could probably get better results with another 1st round pick rather than two 2nd rounders and a couple of late rounders. Having three 2nd rounders could bring some really quick talent upgrades to the defense.

What if San Francisco wants to make up for the disastrous trade of their 1st rounder to New England and wants to get value from the pick they got from Indianapolis? The Indy pick will be in the 27 to 31 range (600 to 680), add the SF 3rd rounder at about 245 for a total value of 845 to 925 and you have a deal! A late 1st and an early 3rd might be good fits for the positions of need for Denver and would really create some exciting options.

What are your ideas for the draft, what are your recommendations?

DRAFT TRADE VALUE TABLE
Round 1
#    Value    Round 2
#    Value    Round 3
#    Value    Round 4
#    Value    Round 5
#    Value    Round 6
#    Value    Round 7
#    Value
1    3000    33    580    65    266    97    112    129    43    161    27    193    14
2    2600    34    570    66    260    98    108    130    42    162    27    194    14
3    2200    35    560    67    255    99    104    131    41    163    26    195    13
4    1800    36    550    68    250    100    100    132    40    164    26    196    13
5    1700    37    540    69    245    101    96    133    40    165    25    197    13
6    1600    38    530    70    240    102    92    134    39    166    25    198    12
7    1500    39    520    71    235    103    88    135    39    167    25    199    12
8    1400    40    510    72    230    104    86    136    38    168    24    200    11
9    1350    41    500    73    225    105    84    137    38    169    24    201    11
10    1300    42    490    74    220    106    82    138    37    170    23    202    11
11    1250    43    480    75    215    107    80    139    37    171    23    203    10
12    1200    44    470    76    210    108    78    140    36    172    23    204    10
13    1150    45    460    77    205    109    76    141    36    173    22    205    9
14    1100    46    450    78    200    110    74    142    35    174    22    206    9
15    1050    47    440    79    195    111    72    143    35    175    21    207    9
16    1000    48    430    80    190    112    70    144    34    176    21    208    8
17    950    49    420    81    185    113    68    145    34    177    21    209    8
18    900    50    400    82    180    114    66    146    33    178    20    210    7
19    875    51    390    83    175    115    64    147    33    179    20    211    7
20    850    52    380    84    170    116    62    148    32    180    19    212    7
21    800    53    370    85    165    117    60    149    32    181    19    213    6
22    780    54    360    86    160    118    58    150    31    182    19    214    6
23    760    55    350    87    155    119    56    151    31    183    18    215    5
24    740    56    340    88    150    120    54    152    31    184    18    216    5
25    720    57    330    89    145    121    52    153    30    185    17    217    5
26    700    58    320    90    140    122    50    154    30    186    17    218    4
27    680    59    310    91    136    123    49    155    29    187    17    219    4
28    660    60    300    92    132    124    48    156    29    188    16    220    3
29    640    61    292    93    128    125    47    157    29    189    16    221    3
30    620    62    286    94    124    126    46    158    28    190    15    222    3
31    600    63    276    95    120    127    45    159    28    191    15    223    2
32    590    64    270    96    116    128    44    160    27    192    15    224    2