SB Nation Blog: amirebram

Lane Kiffin anyone?

amirebram — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 07:05:27 -0000

We keep reading how he doesn't really get along with Al and the Faider front office, and how he would be fired if not for the money. He only has one year left on his contract (I think), and the chances of him staying in Oakland are slim.

So, is any one here interested in the guy?

He actually seems like a great coach. He also runs a Broncos type scheme. He installed the ZB scheme and ran it effectively last year. He uses a lot of mis-direction plays.

I want him as our next Offensive Coordinator. By that I mean a real coordinator who can bring something new and fresh to this team, and really help mix things up a bit. That's something we have missed since Kubiac left. Having recent experiance at the college level also means that he will be used to teaching football, which is good for a team with a lot of younger guys.

Personally I would go so far as to say we should let him become the next Head Coach once Shanny's corrent contract runs out in 2011 (Is that when his contract runs out?). I really don't think it is good to keep a head coach for 20 years. But that's just me.

We got one young coach from Oakland a few years back and worked out alright, why not try the other?

I don't get something.

amirebram — Mon, 05 May 2008 16:30:53 -0000

There have been a ton of top 10 DL picks that have turned into busts in the past. There have also been some late round successes. Typical of every position. When I think about it, most of these busts seem to have one thing in common, and that is the quality of their college team. I just wanted to see what you guys think.

An NFL example of what I am trying to say would be the Titan's D-line last year. When fat Albert was playing, they looked like an elite unit. Their DE looked great. But when their top dog got injured, their D-line looked no better than ours.

Extending the analogy, I want to ask, were Dorsey and Ellis really that good? Ellis' fellow DE was taken in the 2nd round this year. His fellow DT is projected as a top 10 pick next year. They were backed by the top LB corp in the nation (Rivers, Maliuga, and Cushing). Would Ellis looked half as good playing on Vandy's D-line? Same goes for Dorsey. There were two other top 10 talent D-linemen playing alongside him. Sims had Groves and Marks on the same line as him.

The only DT who really showed up all on his own was the guy from Notre Dame, Laws.

Perhaps it is important to look at the way these guys play on these all-star teams to really get a better idea about who they are.

* * * * * * *

Something else that has been bothering me for a while is how everyone says Doom is small for a DE. I agree a 100% that at 5'11" he is a good 4" short of the ideal hight, but he is not small. When most people say small, they mean too light and thin to take the pounding in the NFL. Or too light to be effective. But let's take a look around.

Robert Mathis (Colts)--starter-- 6'2" 247

Adewale Ogunleye (Bears)--starter-- 6'4" 260

Strahan (Giants)--star-- 6'5" 255

Osi Umenyiora (giants)--starter-- 6'3" 261

Travis LaBoy (cardinals now)--starter-- 6'3" 260

Gaines Adams (Bucs) --top 10 pick-- 6'5" 258

Our own Elvis Dumervil-------5'11" 260

Just look at the numbers here. Doom is heavier than half these guys and shorter than all of them by a good margin. He has a more solid built than every single guy on this list. How is it that some of you guys think Strahan who 6 inches taller and 5 pounds lighter can be an every down player, but Doom can't?

By the way, I agree 100% with anyone who says that Dumervil would probably be more effective if he only played about half the defensive snaps in a game ... but that is true of every D-lineman. It stops them from getting worn down and gassed.

Did you see the Bears' draft? They got all our guys!

amirebram — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:38:44 -0000

They had the draft that many of us wanted for Denver:

1. Chris Williams OT ** Some of us wanted him over Clady (risk and all that)

2. Matt Forte RB

3. Earl Bennett WR ** Another guy that many thought was the safest WR pick in this draft; not the best, but the safest. Nelson has more potential--I admit it--but he is also a riskier pick.

3. Marcus Harris DT ** The best DT after the top two guys, but with an injury history. I would have liked Pat Sims better, but Harris was about as NFL ready as a DT can be in the NCAA.

5. Craig Steltz SS ** Not a gifted athlete like Barrett, but he has the brains to play the position.

All guys we wanted. All drafted by the Bears. They also got Marcus Monk in the 7th round. I really wanted that guy. Him and Marshall would have been an awesome pair.

Some other teams got other favorites of the community here, but no one team took as many "MHR" guys as Chicago.

Broncos OL Draft History: "Don't believe the Myth"

amirebram — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:21:18 -0000

Here are all our O-Line picks from 96 to 06

7th Banks . . D
7th Ratliffe . . D
2nd Neil . . A+
7th Teague . . C
4th Carlisle . . C
4th Hamilton . . A+
1st Foster . . D
6th Meyers . . B
5th Kuper . . B
6th Eslinger . . D

So, as you can see, in the past 10 years our best drafted O-Linemen were between the 2nd and 4th rounds. 5th, 6th and 7th rounds have not been that good to us. (Note: Nalen is from more than 10 years ago).

We have had two College Free Agent O-linemen (un-drafted) who did a good job for us (Pears & Lepsis). We have also had a 100 other ones who failed to make the team. So I won't count it

So basically, the idea that we can draft O-Line left is a myth.

>>> Conclusion?
We want mid-round O-linemen.

My Dime.

amirebram — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:05:00 -0000

It's a bit more than 2 cents (Denver Mock).

I am assuming that we trade down twice (similar to what's going on in the mock Guru is a part of). Go from 12 to late teens for a mid 3rd. Go from there to mid 20's for a late 3rd rounder.

I listed an alternative player just to make it more realistic.

1. FS K Phillis . . . . OR . DT K Balmer
2a DT P Sims . . . . OR . DT T Laws
2b WR E Bennett . . OR . OT S Baker
3a DT M Harrison . OR . LB J Goff
3b SS T Zbikowski . OR . WR J Nelson
4a TE J Finley . . . . OR . TE B Cottam
4b DE B Johnston . OR . RB M Hart
5a OT B Giacomini . OR . OL C Rinehart
5b P D Brooksor . . OR . K T Mehlhaff
6. WR M Monk . . . OR . WR J Rivers
7a DE/T M Dixon . OR . DT J Thompson
7b P Dragosavich . OR . K S Longest

More evidance that the Chargers are roided-up

amirebram — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:01:23 -0000

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3348671

SAN DIEGO -- Chargers inside linebacker Stephen Cooper was suspended for four games by the NFL on Tuesday for testing positive for a banned stimulant.

Cooper, who moved into the starting lineup last season and led the Chargers with 179 tackles, said in a statement released by the team that he took a stimulant that was recently added to the NFL's list of prohibited substances.

"I regret that I mistakenly took a stimulant that I did not realize at the time was banned by the NFL," Cooper said.

Yah right. Like anyone will believe the guy.

Moving Back Might Be The Wrong Move!

amirebram — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:01:57 -0000

I know how all of us have been talking about moving back in the first and getting an extra 2nd or 3rd round pick. But let's slow down and look at our options again.

I think everyone agrees that if we stay at #12 we will wither pick DE Harvey or OT Williams, two phenomenal talents. They can be huge difference makers on any team. So what would we do if we moved back? We all keep talking about how it will give us an extra pick, but we have never considered who we would pick once we trade down.

Just a quick thought.

amirebram — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:03:51 -0000

As the reloading season started we all seemed to agree that Denver had to address needs (in no particular order) at DT, LB, S, OL, and WR.

Looking at our FA moves, it is clear that we have signed our starters for the next couple of years at LB and S. We have also singed a couple of WRs, one of them for a decent chunk of money.

There were also a couple of no-name signings at DE and DT, but I won't count those, since the team didn't invest money into it.

To me, these moves mean that we are looking at OL and DL for the draft... and if we don't move up or down from #12, then it will be a OT that we draft.

A look at age.

amirebram — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 23:53:07 -0000

A lot of us have been looking at draft and free agency. Addressing our needs has been a big topic, so I decided to take a look at future needs.

That outlook starts with an evaluation of our roster in terms of age. I've made a list of players over 26. That means everyone else has more than 4 seasons before they turn 30. In today's NFL 4 season is about the longest outlook on any roster--given the rate of change anything longer doesn't make sense.

I broke this list into 3 groups: "Important players", "Age don't matter" & "Who cares"

Click to read

The funny thing about rumors

amirebram — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 13:34:18 -0000

The latest "news" going around on many sites and forums is that Oklahoma WR Kelly has been working out with Cutler. I think Mat Mosley at Hashmarks was the original source for many people.

It's utter rubbish of course. Kelly interviewed at the combine yesterday, and when asked if he thought Bills might take him at 11 he said, "[nice] But I was talking to Jay Cutler, he's down [in Atlanta] training where I am. The Denver Broncos didn't interview him the year he got drafted, so you never know."

www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/282865.html

So from working out in the same gym/center to working out together. What else can we expect from ESPN? Pile on.