After reading today's article in the post (http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_20335178/tight-ends-could-be-hot-commodity-upcoming-nfl) I'm even more convinced the NFL is becoming a game of physical mismatches, much like the NBA. Signing two FA tight ends coupled with the two we drafted last year there is a strong suspicion that Manning will be seeing multiple bigs on the field most of the game. McDaniels tried to do much the same with hybrid linebackers in terms of creating physical mismatches. Even McCoy added an extra Big on the O-line at times last year for the same reason. The NFL appears to be on the cusp of a paradigm shift that may change the face of football if this writer's guess is right. To put this concept in perspective picture yourself as a 6 ft. 190 lb. defensive back being forced to cover players a half a foot and 60 lbs. heavier all over the field, including deep. Times, they are a changing.

An old and heavy wagon still looks good behind the Budwiser Clydesdales. Much like a great pass rush can make an average secondary look great a great run blocking O line can make an average running back look all-pro.

I think Tebow is the catalyst behind some innovative thinking going on with EFX in that we're going to run to set the pass in an exclusive type of focus. My money says we are VERY likely to draft the top FB in this year's draft and pick up some road grader type offensive linemen through FA and/or draft. Scotty Payne's recent post about trading out of the first round NEARLY hit the nail on the head in terms of moving this direction. See the comparison that follows.

Continue reading this post »

Well, there ya go, the hand-writing in not only on the wall but on the AP billboard with the above article title..paybacks are hell.  One thing I can say for sure, if Fox and company force feed Tebow in the pocket without featuring the old Elway staples and he ends up getting benched my Sundays will be spent watching NASCAR or scratching my behind.

If there is one “greatest” frustration for this MHR member it is the sense that the idea of player development is missing or lacking with a significant percentage of the membership. Way too many seem zoned in on instant gratification and a “throw the bums out” if they don’t produce immediately, Ayers being a good case in point. What I’m afraid of with Tebow is how the current staff views player development for the position of QB. I sincerely hope Fox does not try to force feed the pocket/under center mind set at the expense of Tebow’s current strengths.  If Fox wants ANY success this year he needs to design roll out plays to fit Tebow’s present skills set and style. Great, make more of a pocket passer out of him over time but play to where his skills are now not where they wished they were.

Elway’s statistics the first year were a bit of a surprise as my memory doesn’t want to remember how rough he was in fitting the typical NFL QB profile then. The fact is Elway broke the mold and until they, being his early coaches and Reeves in particular, game planned to fit his present skills set did not taste real success. By the end of his career Elway was far more of the typical NFL QB model and yet he still managed a “helicopter” ride or two keep the defenses honest. IF…IF…we develop Tebow from this perspective we could have something special. If we don’t…well my bet is someone else will and he will come back to haunt us in the form of another team’s QB..god forbid the Raiders.

Wow! It amazes me how emotions can color one’s thinking. Unfortunately, much of it at an unconscious level. I really can relate to the energy behind many of the statements voiced here but hard earned patience has played a role in an improved ability to at least try and view contentious subjects with more objectivity.

First of all, my “bag” personally is player development and working to get the most value out of the team’s assets. Here’s the big caveat I’m hung up on with Tebow, and I am a HUGE fan of Tebow, he was hurt perhaps more than any QB in the league by the CBA mess by missing developmental time. There is no question in this writers mind that Tebow is really, really working at various aspects of being more of a pocket QB but he is definitely out of his comfort zone at this point. What I would love to see is the coaching staff using the first half of the season to bring him up to speed. If by then Orton has clearly demonstrated an inability to play to higher standard it would tickle the hell out of me for Tebow to get his chance. What I don’t want is a sense of forcing him before he is ready, which risks damaging his confidence, although that would be hard to envision with a man of his character.

One of the issues being bandied about is what a poor job Elway, Fox, and Mc are doing. Again, patience, they did a hell of a job in the draft this year. FA is still very much alive after the 2nd week of the season, something I’m not clear on but there is supposed to be some quality people after this week’s game. My hope is we pick up one or two D and O linemen of quality and maybe a CB of some value in this process. The bottom line is: I DO NOT CARE who is right about Tebow/Orton or any other fan conflict about who one of us thinks should be playing, traded, or cut. What I care about is this TEAM. I care that they build a foundation. Foundations take time and patience. Personally, I believe the managerial pieces are place to do so for the first time in 10 + years. People! Let’s think in terms of what is in the best interests of the team and NOT on which one of us ends up being right. Insisting on being “right” has ruined a lot of good and valuable relationships.

That’s my little RANT!

Watching the waiver wire movement for O-line, DT, CB prospects was a major focus as soon as the last preseason game completed.  Well, it appears we have picked up one of the more coveted CB FA from NE.  We may yet get a DT or two from FA cuts, and possibly an O-lineman.  Since there was no waiver activity I was forced to peruse the practice squad signings and was pleasantly surprised with you tube clips on Adam Grant.  We may have a diamond in the rough in our own back yard while we were looking for gold elsewhere.  The video clips I saw showed an ability to box his blocks in or out, an ability to scan for and pick up stunts when not currently engaged in blocking, an impressive ability to get to the second level, and I LOVED how he moved from a "no one to block" play to sliding into a double team where he hand punched the opponent into the ground.  Scouting reports says he tends to play too high and cites a lack of playing experience, due to injury and a position switch form TE but these speak to "coachability" issues to me.  In other words, he could easily be coached out of these bad habits.

Continue reading this post »

There is a major curiosity developing re both practice reps and preseason snaps for Brady Quinn and Tebow.  Can anyone tell me if there is ANY sense of equality regarding how many minutes/reps each of our QBs had with the 1st line in front of them?  With a little bit of thought I have to wonder the same for our various running backs.  If we're talking a fair comparison it seems to be a more than valid question considering how poorly our 2nd O-line played last night.  I mean, things like pocket time and how big the pocket space to work in is mean one hell of a lot in terms of allowing a progression of reads that many are saying Tebow doesn't do.  Quinn didn't look like he had much time for his progressions either and he looked like hell in this last game.  Maybe our 2nd and 3rd string running backs are better than their stats considering SOMEONE has to run block in order for a back to have SOMETHING to run through, like a reasonable hole.

I may be missing something in preseason having not attended camp nor had access to any kind of comprehensive video coverage.  Some days ago I stated something like this "The one area of concern I have with Fox is his statement that every player would get a chance to compete.  If one QB is playing with horses and the other pigs there is no equality.  Can you image what Orton would have looked like, with his lack of mobility, if the majority of his reps were behind the 2nd unit?  I wonder how much better Quinn and Tebow might have looked if they had Orton's 1st team reps, both in practice and the preseason.  All I can say is we have a HUGE depth problem that supersedes any one position battle.  Man, we had BETTER stay healthy is all I can say!

People can take both sides and talk till they are blue in the face about which quarter back should start but it's all about where the rubber meets the road, the cleats grip the grass, and mind overcomes matter.  Tell hell with picking sides, may the best man win and don't rule out they both do in some way.  The bottom line is all this b.s. has lit the competitive fires in both Orton and Tebow, with Brady jumping into the mix whether his detractors like it or not.  Now, how hard is it to guess who wins the most out of this whole conflagration?  You know who wins.  We do!

I will say this: Tebow's character keeps shinning in a way that this man can only respect.  How does a 23 year-old carry the kind of energy, integrity, and honesty that captures the hearts and minds of those 3 times his age?  If this kid's talent is half that of Elway's, literally, he has the character and will to carry himself the rest of the way.  Give Orton a solid line in front of him and a running game and he could take us a lot further than people think, maybe all the way to the promised land.  Brady may prove to be, at worst, a high quality backup worthy of trade material down the road and at best a man with a skills set capable of taking us to the playoffs, although I have to admit that seems at least another year or two down the road.

Having said all this, if I'm a player on this team, Tebow is the ONE I want to go to war with!  I loved his quote "game on" and we get a front row seat to watch it!

MHR reporting straight from training camp provided the next best thing to being there for those of us who weren't/aren't able to make it.  The reporting was excellent, looking through someone else's eyes type of feeling.  Does anyone know if MHR is planning something similar this year?  If so, when does it start?  I'm already faunching at the bit to hear about today's practice from ANYBODY but the press.

Playing football for the sheer joy of putting maximal effort into a few second, pitting one's self against another's maximal resistance, and sharing that effort with 10 other team mates with one goal, to move the chains forward and over the goal is the nirvana of sports.  Much of this experience is lost these days as the result of the "look at me" individual mentalities ( certainly at the pro level) and the commitment to "how much money am 'I" worth?" (and it's NEVER enough) by both owner and player.  We as fans have contributed to this loss of purity in our own way with our "instant gratification" expectations garnered with Free Agency, the often unrealistic expectations of draft picks producing at an all-star level in their first year, and the throw the bums away if they don't.  Whatever happened to playing for the joy of playing and putting the "team" first?" 

The answer after the jump

Why, it's Pee Wee Football of course!!  The joy of coaching these little guys, discovering "my god, they don't even know what a 'three point stance' is", and jumping before the snap count is a given for each new coach to overcome.  I remember trying to teach one little guy, so small his helmet could spin around on his head without disturbing his ears, how to cut block (legally) a bigger opponent.  In order to teach the technique this "old coach" instructed the little guy to "hit me as hard as you can, knock the hell out of me".  Well, another little fella came up to me and said "I want to knock the hell out of you too", stated with a burning desire to do so mind you.  "Okay" I said, but one of you hit my drag leg 1st (the one that the opponent has to pick up first to apply his block) and the other hit me high".  Now you have to understand the WHOLE team is watching by now and with that incentive they fully applied the "knock the hell out of me" instruction, knocing me completely off my feet and onto my derriere!  The whole team erupted in a cheer that could be herded all way to main street, which was really only four small city blocks away, but it makes the story more interesting.  Anyway, the whole point of this little story was the team unity that was achieved that day and the smile on this Pee Wee coach's face a decade after the event in recanting it.

On another occasion one of the assistant coaches on the team came up and whispered quietly that the biggest player on our team was a "marsh mellow" and would never make a football player.  This was followed by his father telling me his son was "somewhat of a wusse" and that he had little expectation that he would stick the season out.  What true coach wouldn't take that as the ULTIMATE challenge.  At first I had to look for anything worthy of praise even if it had to be invented.  He "knocked the hell out of his coach" on a regular basis as we worked on building this kid's picture of how he saw himself.  Then, in a game one day he threw a key block down field that may or may not have been THE key factor in our scoring a touch down but it certainly was loudly played that way.  The whole bench roared their approval of his effort.  The bottom line?, this young boy became the best blocking lineman I ever coached.

This ladies and gentlemen was playing the game for the RIGHT reasons, coach and player alike.  Can the Broncos and their fans achieve a semblance of this spirit nowadays and resurrect the old Mile High Magic and Orange Crush days of yesteryear?   You bet your sweet booties Grannie!!! It starts with signing this Dadgum CBA agreement.  If they don't I'm going to go watch some PEE WEE FOOTBALL!!!

It seems most completely dismiss the possibility the Broncos will draft a QB with the 2nd pick in 1st round.  The speculation goes that Tebow will be dealt to another team like Carolina on the basis that the Broncos (read that Elway) does not believe he is a "franchise" QB.  Some have speculated John is just blowing smoke, others that he is dead set on getting that franchise QB.  What I would be curious to chew on is the possibility of a sign and trade, just as the Colts did with Elway (albeit) at the end of a gun so to speak.

Continue reading this post »

After reading Elway's introduction comments I couldn't help but come away with the feeling he was describing Rick Dennison when laying out their criteria for hiring a head coach.  He knows the organization and demonstrated for years his love for it.  His values are a known commodity and seem to be exactly what Elway was describing.  He was/is well respected as a coach and coordinator. 

The more I ponder the possibility the more the idea intrigues.  At this point I would be surprised if Rick Dennison is NOT interviewed for HC.

The Broncos are very deep at D-back and receiver...read that Willis and Decker not seeing the field.  It would not surprise to see an in-season trade coming out of one or both of these positions, up to and including a block buster that includes Champ.  Somehow, the team priorities seem to be shifting to getting the biggest bang for the buck and improving draft position as financial uncertainty hits even the NFL.  No doubt even mentioning the trading of Champ will stir up a ruckus with some but thinking of it in pure business terms it appears plausible.  The spark for these thoughts comes from the fact the Broncos have backed out of contract negotiations with Champ.  Something seems afoot.

Continue reading this post »

A glance at Pittsburgh's linebacker measurables i.e. height/weight, is in significant contrast with the Bronco's roster at that position.  Pittsburgh has one line backer in the 260 range with the rest ranging between 220 and 245.  The Broncos on the other hand are peppered with 270/260/250, with Woodyard coming in 220 at the lightest.  The NY Jets are dominated by LBs in 240/250 range and they were the number one total defense leaders last year. 

This raises a question in my mind: do we have an anomaly developing here, a new defensive philosophy that includes a massive front seven?   With Alexander, Ayers, Kirlew, Hunter, pushing 270 is McDaniels/Wink building some kind of prototype?  Woodyard is the only LB that could be considered a "light weight".  Are we sacrificing speed for size in order to stop the run and at the expense of mid-range pass coverage.  One thing for sure, McDaniels mad scientist routine provides plenty of fodder for examining new trends.  Linebacker play is my number one watch priority not only for tonight against Pittsburgh but into the regular season as well.

What I wouldn't give to see McDaniel's entire plan laid out as it sure appears his thinking is way out of the box to me.

Wow!  What a great year for watching training camp!  So many new guys to watch!  So many rooks or 2nd year players to see how they adjust/develop!  It's like being a kid (or adult if you're a pastry hound ike me) in an old fashioned candy store.  Which one(s) look the best?  They all look tasty!  Here's my lip smacking priorities.

Continue reading this post »

After observing two years worth of free agency acquisitions thoughts are generated as to current Bronco philosophy re "building" a team over time.  The first phase seems to be building a base of competence throughout the roster with an eye towards grabbing potential stars in the draft as talent presents itself.  The second phase may mirror New England in terms of moving superior talent BEFORE value drops and stock piling picks that are more designed to take draft shots at what could develop into superior talent. 

Continue reading this post »

After reading a recent quote by Marshall I found myself thinking in terms not of this year's playoffs but acquiring the building blocks of a Super Bowl contender.  The curiosity is what will Marshall's trade value be if he continues producing at the level he currently is and do we even want to trade him?  If we can get a top flight defensive player and a reasonably high pick, say 2nd or 3rd rounder would that be a reasonable trade?  Better yet, a 1st round pick and a starting DT? 

Winning games on emotion may be workable in the regular season but you better have the horses in the post season.  In other words, we're a few horses short of a top flight team and are unlikely to go deep into the playoffs.  Rather than pay the big bucks to a man defined by question marks I'd say trade Marshall and spend the savings on free agency pickups. 

I know, I know, we're still in the regular season and in the playoff hunt but it's never too early to lay the ground work for building a solid team.  In the mean time I'm enjoying the demise of the Chicago Bears and the portent of getting a top ten pick next year as well as the thought of going into KC and kicking some royal butt this Sunday.

Love that Game Rewind!  It gives one a chance to iso virtually every play.

Wow!  It might have looked like a boring game on the surface but the latent potential on both sides of the line leaves one salivating about improvement as the season progresses.  Here's my observations for the game:

1.  Doom may not get a sack against the Raiders but I see the fact they will start double teaming him as the first sign it will release other linemen to make plays.  The sacks will start coming from all over the defense as the season progresses me thinks.

2.  I suspect offensive coordinators will start figuring out the 5-2 alignment pretty soon and start taking advantage of mismatches involving quicker players against our oversized linebackers.  However, with increasing experience of people like Doom, Ayers, et al I also suspect our mismatches will increase.

3.  Did I completely miss Baker playing in the game.  I strained to see # 75 out there but....  It does look like we have excellent depth on the D-line though.  Isn't it amazing how the MSM trashed our front 7 yet we have 2-3 quality players deep?

4.  Dawkins was OUTSTANDING the entire game!  What an acquisition!  With him leading the charge the secondary may be THE strength of the team this year.

5.  The offensive line run blocking is picking up.  If we can get our receivers used to how the new point guard (Orton) is distributing the ball the offensive balance will be impressive.  Moreno reminds me, hugely, of T.D. in terms of tough inside running BUT, man, he appears twice as explosive!  I am, however, still concerned about Orton's ability to stretch the field.

6.  Personally, I feel we left at least another 10 points on the field with some penalties killing some key plays and adjusting for the wind on field goals.  Thirty plus points from an offense the MSM trashed because we sent Cutler packing is pretty dad gum good for a "mediocre" offense don't you think?  Our offense looked even better when you throw in the fact Cleveland did an excellent job of keeping us in the hole with their special teams kicking game.

Wouldn't it be a major kick in the ass to see Dukes and the rest of the slacker MSM reporters have to eat their own crap by mid-season? 

Now, to cap it all off with totally destroying Jabba the Hut and his molting crew next week!

I watched special teams particularly close last night and, again, was not disappointed.  They will win us a ballgame or two and I'm betting the average starting field position for the opposition will be the best the Broncos have seen in a decade.

On critical downs, particularly defending at the goal line, it appears we are getting significant push up the middle.  Give the D more time and we will see some pretty, pretty sacks by the linebackers because of this.

I also watched some of the younger guys, the ones that could or most likely will make the team.  Ayers did some good things, enough to catch my attention a number of times.  By mid-season he could be one of those LBs/DEs making some pretty nasty sacks.  Lee Robinson caught my attention a number of times, especially on special teams.  We could have a real sleeper lurking here.

Lastly, did anyone else notice Matthias # 99?  Had the ball been going in his direction on several of his penetrations there would have been opportunities for some spectacular loses. 

Orton obviously looked significantly improved from the first game.  There is this feeling that McDaniels is focused on developing the timing of the short passing game rather than setting teams up for the big play.  I hope I'm right on this one as there is concern about teams stacking up against our short game, which may have been contributory to at least 2 of last week's interceptions.  You HAVE to go deep to loosen up that secondary or picks are almost a given.

Our running game disappoints so far, but again, this may be due to McDaniel's overall play.  One, we have some injuries at that position that are limiting looks.  Two, why pound our backs in the preseason and risk further injury.  Three, short passing reads and timing in the passing game may be THE offensive priority for Mc Daniels.

Lastly, there is this continually growing respect for the type of coach I sense McDanniels WILL be.  This looks like a well coached team, on both sides of the ball.  Nolan may be quietly doing the best job of finding talent and getting it ready (unbelievably fast in my eyes) of any of the coaches san special teams.  Now that I think about it our special teams coach appears to be doing at least as well.

The bottom line is: The Broncos are fun to watch again, win or lose!

Found myself reflecting on the Marshall situation after reading an article about his latest court appearance.  Initially, I have to admit finding myself thinking in terms of the effects on the Broncos but with a little effort at looking at it objectively came up with this thought.  "You do the crime you do the time".

If Marshall did indeed do the crime it is this man's belief that he should do the time, including the loss of playing time for the Broncos.  I believe in a kind of karmic process of living.  In other words we continue to attract to ourselves the type of energy that we put out.  Old behaviors tend to reoccur, making the same mistakes in perhaps a different disguise, but repeating old cycles.  If Marshall gets off from a crime he actually committed then it's likely the lesson will not be learned and he/we would likely see worse down the road.  Again, IF he committed the crime NOW is his opportunity to change, to learn from his mistakes.

My hope here is that JUSTICE will be served.

Pictures are emerging with every nugget posted by our able leaders and fellow fans. Thanks for being our training camp eyes fellow zealots.

One: Most are assuming our offensive line will be the most stable and dependable of all positions.  Have we thought about the consequences of shifting from our zone blocking to including pulling linemen?  I suspect we will see a number of missed assignments as our line adjusts to the counter measures of the defense in terms of taking advantage of the holes created by this unfamiliar, for the Broncos, technique.

Two: Giving immense credit to a previous MHR article re field position is necessary on this point for it too sparked mental pictures of consequences, positive in every way on this point.  Coffin corner kicks or pinning the receiving team to one corner of the field holds it's risks but the odds are higher that the results will be in our favor in terms of gaining field position.  The high percentage of kickoffs out of the end zone means  the average starting field position will likely be lower and certainly less risky than the potential for a big return.  I am salavating at the thought of our special teams coverage contributing to pinning the enemy further back and creating turnovers, be it stripping the ball or blocking kicks.

Three: Our high percentage offense is very likely to break a good number of long plays but my crystal ball says few of those gains will be the resutl of long bombs and more by break outs from shorter yardage plays.  This translates to an improved ratio of time of posssession, which means the other teams offense gets few opportunities to score.

Four: Some of our brethren's posts have mentioned our interior D-line is pushing back the line of scrimmage, which is absoltely music to my ears.  Remember, the general media says our front 7 is a bunch of dogs.  Then, why are they pushing back the O-best line in football.  Me thinks Baker, Fields, Thomas, and others are far more than servicable big boddies.  Ladies and gentlement, we may have some real talent lurking there.  Yes, they need some experience and will make the mistakes of those lacking in the same BUT THEY HAVE TALENT!

Five: Well, this is more of a wish than an observation.  Please!  Junk the dadgum prevent defense!  For the life of me I can't figure out why a defense goes into a prevent if they've been doing job without one.  Somehow, it just feels like the prevent will be less of McDaniells style as his thinking seems to counter trend nearly every norm in NFL football.

Six: Think back to McDaniel's comments about a Bronco draft board that was dramatically reduced in number due to a focus on specific individuals, with specific skills, for a specific system.  Is it possible/probable  that our free agents were selected in the same manner?  If so, is it possible/probable that the Bronco FAs were not 2nd teamers but hidden gems waiting to be placed in the right system?

Oh man, this is my favorite time of the year!  All the new talent for us to evaluate/speculate as to not only making the team but those having a near term to immediate impact.  Throw in what appears to be highly innovative thinking on both sides of the ball and I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE SOME FOOTBALL!!!!!!

Okay, okay, I know, tone it down.  Geez, this is only the first preseason game right?  I'm sure there will be one or two of us glued to the game with similar passion but not much more than that right?

Go Broncos!!!

There is a parallel between the CU Buffalos and the Broncos in terms of TE talent the last couple of years.  CU's quarterback limitations and dearth of wide receivers caused me to examine their available talent more closely, namely TEs.  The picture of a "jumbo" package of tight ends creating absolute terror in the eyes of 180 to 190 DBs started thinking along the lines of a new offensive paradigm.  Don't be surprised if the Buffs mirror the Broncos in this sense this year.  The NBA has become all about physical mismatches.  The NFL seems to be moving in that same direction and I think McDaniels may be at the forefront of this kind of thinking.

Hillis and Moreno in a two back set, both highly capable receivers out of the backfield, coupled with Graham and Quinn's blocking/pass catching skills is enough to raise the specter of mismatches and "terror" in the NFL as well.  Add in Schfler and we have a more than adequate blocker with down field ability to stretch defenses and keep them honest.   Talk about a "jumbo package, wow! 

The offensive options for the Broncos appear to be almost beyond comprehension.  Add in Royal, Marshall, et all and it conjures personnel packages that will be nearly be unreadable in terms of determining how to defend against this offense.  McDaniels has promised "some things that have never been seen before". I cannot wait to see this offense and personally feel it has the potential to greatly surpass last year's in terms of scoring and quite possibly total yardage.

On another note it was personally disgusting to hear that Orton was booed by some of our "fans" at the Thursday night practice.  It was PRACTICE for crimmony sakes.  If the Bronco offense comes together like I think it will the reason will be we have a quarterback capable of distributing the ball to ALL the various weapons available.  Physical comparisons aside Orton seems more suited for this offense than the "gunslinger" "win it by myself" mentality of Cutler. The boo birds need to accept the reality of Cutler being gone and get behind the reality of supporting the development of the quarterbacks we have now.

The bottom line is we have an organization/coach focused on the "team" concept and a theme of athletic diversity on both side of the ball that may make the Broncos the prototype of a new paradigm for the NFL.  It may take a year or two to acquire the "hybred" personnel to fit the offensive and defensive model envisioned by McDaniels but they will be fun to watch in interim!   

I wonder how many of us MHR regulars are closet talent evaluators?  For some reason one of the greatest pleasures for this poster is evaluating talent from Pee Wee all the way up to the pros.  Elevating "football intelligence" to the level of pure athleticism was driven home on one of my Pee Wee teams.  There was this highly athletic individual that I made QB due to his ability to impact a game solely on his ability to run and throw.  A great kid he was running, making plays, good arm but the problem was he couldn't remember left from right under pressure.  My team lost every game that year.  The next I had my choice of three highly athletic backs ...guess what my first priority was...Yes, a quarterback who could tell left from right.  Talk about smart that little dude even did a darn good job of impresonating Elway on the hard count, especially at the right time, 3rd and short.  We won the championship that year. 

There are two major criteria that jump out when spotting the "exceptional" talent.  One is football intelligence, the type that is always paying attention, the one who never takes time off even between plays as he is constantly watching everything from a nod of a head in the huddle to a coach talking to a player on the sidelines and rushing in a "special" play.  He's the one who will lay back on such an occasion and either bust up the play or force a turnover.  Anybody remember Billy Thompson?  The second is "burst".  I remember watching Alfred Williams when he was a freshman and telling my cousin, who was the golf coach at CU, that Alfred was going to be a special player.  You can't coach burst and you can't coach football intelligence.  What you can coach is combining burst with intelligence.

I CANNOT wait for training camp and preseason due to the fact we have multiple D-backs that exhibit both of those stellar qualities.  The obvious ones are Baily and Dawkins (he may be aging but there's still that "burst") but it looks to me that Alphonso Smith has these qualities based on the videos I've been watching.  One that seemed to get lost in the shuffle last year was Jack Williams.  Talk about burst and anticipation, this guy comes out of nowhere even on a television screen. 

All this talent will be wasted if the QB has too long to throw.  The question marks as to who and where the pressure will come from and whether we can stop the run so the other team has to pass are multiple to say the least.  My prediction is we will be more than adequate in the middle of the defense (I know, I know we don't have a premier NT).  I didn't say great but "more than adequate".  We may be 2-3 three players away from a great defense but one or two of these may already be on the roster in the form of those making the conversion from D-line to LB, Doom, Ayers, Crowder, and Moss.  Any two of these guys work out and it could be a bit.xx**ch to run against this D. 

Okay, the foundation is laid for the point of my High Risk HIgh Reward headline.  The bet here is Nolan will run a high risk D with lots of blitzes and stunts thereby setting up plenty of opportunities for picks and turnovers.  Of Course, the obvious risk is the other team breaking off log plays for scores.  Couple this with what I think will be a high risk special teams mentality and we will be an entertaining team to watch, something that was missing at times over the last several years. 

The keys to a successful year will be the linebacker conversions and the interior D-line MUST be at least adequate.  The bottom line is we have the potential to be a playoff team AND we seem to be laying the foundation for a VERY solid team over the next couple of years.

The only problem now is patience in waiting for training camp to open:O)

Go Bronco!!!

Today's missives were sparked by Brandon Marshall's "holdout" from the first required minicamp.  This event triggered a nostalgic escape into the past where I began to think about the differences between "then" and "now".

Today's NFL is a different beast from the one I grew up and...ahem, older with, staring with the 67 Floyd Little era.  Then it seemed men played more for the love of football than money.  Yes, it was a business then for the owners, like now, but the old era was more about drawing revenue from building football teams to get more fans into the stadium than squeezing nearly obscene dollars from concessions, fan memorabilia, and, now, even practice jerseys.  In other words, like much of the rest of our society, it became more about money than the love of football. 

For me Floyd Little epitomizes the concept of playing more for the love of football than the love of money. Floyd was the first high profile signing I remember and the point at which a general curiosity about pro football morphed into an ever grown passion for anything Bronco.  In those days our fan base was primarily blue collar workers whose knowledge of football was arguably the best in the nation.  The Broncos may not have had the best talent in those days but we fans reveled in the "team" effort men like Floyd exhibited when he decked one of his offensive linemen in the huddle for lack of effort.  We didn't buy teams through free agency we took men who wanted to play football for any price and original NFL cast offs and built teams through "coaching them up" as McDaniels might say. 

Personally, I like McDaniel's focus on building a "team" rather than catering to "stars".  Cutler and Marshall have demonstrated/are demonstrating that money comes before team.  Refusing to communicate with the boss (Bowlen) or refusing to attend required minicamps both appear to be immature and individualistic perspectives prone to promoting the destruction of the team concept.  I'd rather go back to the days of mediorce win/loss records where all out efforts to win every minute of the game was the norm rather than watch a bunch of self-focused stars celebrate a touchdown with the latest coreographed moves.  If Marshall continues to refuse manditory camps I say move him too.  We could trade straight up for a nose tackle that I'm sure wouldn't have a clue how to dance but would love to set up tackles for his teammates. 

Whether Marshall stays or not we will have an exciting team on both sides of the line this year.  They will be fun to watch!  Mark these words: our offense will be unpredictable, diverse, and chocked with examples of individuals contributing to scoring for the team. whether they carry the ball across the goal line or not; and, our defense will be ball ball hawking turn-over machine. 

The prices of tickets and beer may not be coming back but the team concept is!!!!

Go Broncos!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

McDaniels is certainly blowing my picture of who I thought we might get this year but I have a hunch we might be overlooking people already on the roster that allowed for shifting the Broncos draft focus.  Crowder, Doom, and and Moss may offer at least one stud linebacker for the 3-4 and I do meant STUD.  Darrel Reid at 288 can play both D-line and LB so we could be massive at the LB position.  I understand this year's draft is heavy with linebackers so we may pickup a good one or two in the early to mid rounds that are off the main radar screen.

It would have been nice to see us pick Raji but there may be a surpise on the roster, although no one comes close to Raji's size.  However, Fields is no light weight at 315.  Film study of Marcus Thomas showed what I thought to be a potentially dominent D-lineman and it would not surprise to see him breakout.  Given the dearth of NTs in this draft it makes sense to wait until next year for that position rather than making a reach this year.

The more I digest the fact we drafted Knowshon the more I find myself shaking my head.  We bring in three new RBs, have outsanding potenital coming off of injury in Torain and HIllis.  How do we create enough carries to give everyone their due chance?  I''m not saying Knowshon wasn't a good to great pick.  I just saying this will be a MOST intersting position battle in training camp.

Whoa!  Next year's 1st for an extra 2nd this year?  Our next 2 and and both 3rds better be a surprise or McDaniels is setting himelf up for a lot of questions.  There's no doubt he has some chutzpa but it remains to be seen how good a talent evaluator.  Six picks in the first 100 rated players sure looks like he intends to win this year.

Well, two 3s tomorrow and a 4 tomorrow will be the highlight of the day.  Overall, a good but not overly impressive 1st day.

Ah, one of the favorite times of the sports year leading up to the draft!  It seems there are at least two ways to look at the approach to this year's draft.  One, is to focus on drafting to win now and the other is drafting to win next year and beyond.  It's time to play "what if".

THIS YEAR

What if:

We trade up to grab Raji?  Would another team take an extra third round pick to do so?  Perhaps a pick and Tony Scheffler since he seems headed out the door when his contract is up anyway?  I love Scheffler but me thinks he's in the same camp as Cutler and wants out of Denver.

We package both picks and grab a "franchise" quarterback?  Well, it's debatable whether any rookie QB will work out (Does Ryan Leaf ring a bell).  Personally, I think Sims or Orton will end up being a pleasant surprise.  If I'm McDaniels I'll take a shot at winning this year but my priority is next year and beyond.   Focusing on grabbing all the talent the Broncos can get at the expense of winning big this year figures a lot more acceptable to the Denver faithful than next.

We focus the first five picks on moving back in the draft to take a shot at finding one or more of those 3rd or 4th round "finds" that turn into a perennial pro bowler.  

NEXT YEAR

What if:

We trade one of this year's 1st round picks for extra picks in next years draft, say a 2nd and 4th or two 3rds and a player?  Can you imagine next year having two 1sts, two 2nds, and perhaps two 3rds or 4ths as ammunition to move up and take a certain Texas quarterback?

We trade Scheffler (see FIRST YEAR) for a 2nd in next years draft?  Given the previous scenario we would have two 1sts and 3 2nds in next years draft.  In this writer's opinion Denver has never been in a more advantagous position in terms of options over the next two years.

Cutler may ultimately be remembered at the catalyst to the Broncos building a perennial Super Bowl contender for the next decade.

Go Broncos!