broncopriestess said that she hoped to see TT's throwing motion before the season starts so here goes...

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The quarterback seems to be the constant focus in football these days. The MSM harps on the importance of the "franchise" quarterback. Fans debate the merits of this QB or that. But unless you've played the position, I doubt that most fans, or pundits, understand what really goes into playing the position.

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Lately fans are hearing a lot about "the Spread." Unfortunately there is as much misinformation as there is accurate information. Sometimes it seems as if every time a quarterback drops back into the shotgun some announcer describes the team as going to the Spread. With all the conflicting information some fans may be confused by all this talk of the Spread. And perhaps more important, what does it mean for the Broncos. I hope to be able to give readers a much better understanding of what the Spread is, as well as what it isn't, in this first piece. Then in a second piece I will share what I think we may see from the Broncos offensively.  
 

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Over the past few months I have repeatedly made the comment, "stop thinking 3-4 and think 5-2." That's a vague statement; what does it really mean? Let me describe the evolution of my own thinking before getting into what I meant by that statement. Last January I went over the state of Denver's defense and my thoughts about our needs here, here, and here. Once it was announced that we would be shifting to a 3-4 defense one of the biggest question marks I had was what to do with tweeners like Doom and Moss who didn't fit well in a traditional 3-4 scheme. Then we signed Reid, another tweener and drafted Ayers yet another tweener. Word from OTAs was that Crowder was also being tried out at LB with the rest of the tweeners. What the heck were the Broncos thinking? Then I got some insight - the Broncos weren't planning on a 3-4, at least not what most people think of when they think of the 3-4. They were going to run a variation of the old 5-2 for their base - at least that seemed to be a useful way to think about it.

 

 

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In my career as a project manager I have had day, weeks, even months when it seemed like everything was going to heck in a hand basket. In those times I always found it helpful to ask myself how bad could it really be. As Broncos fans the last 10 days seem to be one of those trying times. So I ask myself, how bad can it really be?

 

Poll

So, how bad do you think it could be?

24%

The sky is falling; the sky is falling....

24 votes

54%

It sucks for now, but it will probably work out,

54 votes

22%

This whole fiasco could actually work out in our favor.

22 votes

100 votes | Poll has closed

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Lately there's been a lot of talk about the Broncos trading Tony Scheffler, but as they say in reporting, are there any legs to this story?

Poll

What's your opinion on the Scheffler trade rumors?

9%

It's all over but the crying

10 votes

54%

It's possible but nothing definate is in the works

61 votes

28%

It's a complete fabrication of the media

32 votes

7%

Who cares; can't we just get on with the draft

8 votes

111 votes | Poll has closed

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Like almost everyone, when I first read about Brandon Marshall's latest run-in all I could think was, "Oh well, here we go again." And, like most of the media and members of MHR I assumed that he would probably get suspended. However, after looking into this matter in greater depth I think there is a good chance he doesn't.

Poll

What do you think the Commisioner will do? (not what he should/what he will)

13%

Ignore the consequences and hand down a major suspension (4 games or more)

25 votes

27%

Issue a token suspension just to show he's still in charge.

51 votes

40%

Give Marshall a hand slap and stern talking to.

76 votes

19%

Whitewash the whole thing; it's not worth it.

36 votes

188 votes | Poll has closed

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This morning Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports calls out Chris Mortenson. While the article is written from the NE perspective he essentially accuses Mortenson of fabricating, or at least greatly stretching the truth, of the whole Cassel for Cutler trade.

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With the departure of Dre Bly a lot of the Bronco faithful were hopeful that the Broncos might sign Nnamdi Asomugha. But the Raiders dashed their hopes by signing the CB to a record making deal. On further examination, I assert that the deal is actually beneficial to the Broncos.

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There are a lot of very well thought discussions on who should stay, who should go, who we need, and who we don't need. In fact it seems to me that there are more good ideas regarding the Broncos roster on MHR than in the entire MSM. Aren't they supposed to be the pros? What does seem to be missing from some of these discussions are the salary cap issues. In the past the Broncos were not always salary cap savy, but all signs point to a new Broncos front office and personnel group that are going to be be very cap saving. Based on that let's look at how cap issues might frame some of these dicussions.

Poll

What is the best use of the Broncos cap space this year?

46%

Preserve cap space for emergin stars in the future;

29 votes

42%

Sign key FAs to fill the void on defense;

27 votes

9%

Take the cap hit and clear out the dead wood.

6 votes

1%

Other (post below)

1 votes

63 votes | Poll has closed

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While most of the MSM is talking as if Denver's conversion to a 3-4 defense is a foregone conclusion, there are many knowledgeable writers, including our own HT, who have expressed the idea that the 3-4 may not be a done deal. A number of us have talked about a “Hybrid” defense. While I know that many readers probably have a good idea what a hybrid might entail, I'm sure there are others who may have questions about it. This is my best attempt to explain what what I think we might be seeing.

Poll

What do you think Denver should do on defense next year?

38%

The Hybrid looks great to me, probably gets better mileage too.

38 votes

14%

Hybrid, schmybrid; bite the bullet and go for the 3-4

14 votes

47%

Anything would be an improvement over Bates/Slowik OLE defense.

47 votes

99 votes | Poll has closed

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Having already analyzed the D-line and Linebackers it's time to take a look at the defensive backfield. Like the defense in general, a poor backfield from 2007 turned even worse in 2008. What's surprising is that, as bad as the Broncos were on pass defense, they weren't the worst pass defense and were statistically better at pass defense than run defense. However, that may merely be a condemnation of our run defense. Let's discuss the players, their performance, and their possible future with the team.

 

Poll

What is the most important change for the backfield?

13%

Convert Champ to centerfield - we need our own Palomaulu

18 votes

31%

Bring in a FA safety like Landry

41 votes

9%

Bring in a new CB like Asomuhga

12 votes

45%

Draft a safety like Chung

60 votes

131 votes | Poll has closed

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Yesterday I posted and evaluation of the defensive line. Today lets discuss the linebackers. It seems hard to believe that a mere three years ago the Broncos has one of the best linebacking core in the game. Wilson, Williams, and Gold were the fastest group of linebackers in the NFL and the Broncos routinely lead the NFL in run defense. But Big Al sustained a career ending neck injury in 2006, Ian gold seemed to lose his passion for the game, and DJ Williams has been moved more than a military family: three different positions in three years. In 2008 the Broncos' linebacking core is a mere shadow of the previous group, roundly considered one of the weakest groups in the NFL. So what can be salvaged and what just need to go. Let's start with the lightning rod of the group:

 

Poll

Which Linebacker do you most want to keep?

56%

DJ Williams - he's the best of the bunch

96 votes

41%

Wesley Woodyard - he's has the most impact

71 votes

1%

Nate Webster - I'm on crack

3 votes

0%

none of them, throw em all out and start over

1 votes

171 votes | Poll has closed

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On another post someone asked if anyone could give a run down on the current defensive line. I'm no expert, but I've been putting together my own notes so here goes...

Poll

The Broncos defensive line is?

13%

just a few players away

10 votes

60%

has some blocks to build on

46 votes

26%

worthless - blow it up and start over

20 votes

76 votes | Poll has closed

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We've been hearing rumours that Capers would be the new DC. Well that didn't turn out to be the case, but there are continuing rumours that Capers is still being sought for one of the defensive coaching positions. So who is Mr. Capers...

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If the rumors are true, Mike Nolan will likely be the new defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos. Since most of the information I could find on him was crap, I though I would post what I know and other can add to it so we can get and idea of who the man is who is tasked with fixing our embarrassing defense.

 

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All of us have our opinions on what went wrong with the 2008 season and most of them are far better informed than the MSM. I took a statistical look at the past season and found that my perceptions were often not supported by the statistics. As we think about what needs to be fixed and the various candidates to do the fixing I think it would be instructive to compare our collective perceptions with the statistical facts.

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I posted this two years ago during the last HC search. Looks like it may be relevant again.

 

Pop quiz - out of all the head coach candidates mentioned, who is the only one with experience on defense, special teams, offense, and with longstanding ties to the organization?

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There are a lot of names being bandied about for the HC, but I was always taught that you can't figure out who the best candidate is unless you know what you're looking for. Based on that, I thought it would be interesting to discuss some of the conditions and criteria that go with the new position.

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First I LOVE HT's Chalk Talks; the best stuff on the web. But I want throw out what I see as the keys to a Broncos victory on Sunday, and subsequent playoff birth, and see what everyone else has to say.

 

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