I’d like a discussion about something that’s been on my mind for a while.

What do the terms “team”, “system”, and “team system” mean, if anything.

Terms like “team”, “versatility”, “intelligence”, “aggressiveness” and “toughness” are regularly injected into much of the communication that comes from the FO at Dove Valley. Are they just “jargon” and “pep talk (motivational) PR” or do they reflect a point of view that is significant and focused?

If you accept that they are intended to be more than jargon, can that help to understand what is perceived to be happening with the Broncos, especially now that TC has begun?

For the sake of argument (and the reason to post this article) let’s assume that these terms are more than jargon. What can we expect that will mean?

Here’s what I think I’m beginning to see.

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The amount of participation in the post on Guessing the Roster startled me, even daunted me. And it affected my thinking (the whole point of posting!).

The two things I like most about this site: 1 –  the unbelievable amounts of information that many of you provide in posts and comments. It is probably unparalleled; 2 – this site gets me thinking – and changing my mind.

The many, varied, and valid points made in that discussion makes me want to go further. I beg your indulgence. Because of everyone’s response, some things stand out for me. And I’d like to discuss them further by breaking the discussion down into the following issues:

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At this time of year everyone has their favorite topic for discussion. Lot’s of different angles have appeared on this site (stats, drafts, theories, opinions, ranks, etc.) which got me thinking about my own preferences, thoughts, feelings, and reactions to what has been posted.

I don’t find myself having many pet peeves. I don’t mind lots of statistics – some are, for me, very helpful, and some not so much; I read almost all mock drafts, even those a year in advance – mostly for the information about available players coming up – information which is the breath of life to this NFL junky; I use the phrase “We’ll just have to wait and see” when I feel like it and don’t feel like a lesser human being for it.

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There has been lots of discussion recently on this site about two things - the QB situation and the makeup of the final roster. This discussion has me thinking…

The Tebow pick has puzzled some, especially following the acquisition of Quinn. Many have consequently concluded it means that Orton is not regarded as the QB of the future, that Tebow is the heir apparent and that Brandstater is regarded as little more than a possible career #2 QB.

But I find myself having a different view of the QB situation and it spills over to some of the other roster moves.

During the Easter break I posted an article on “factors” I regarded as important but often overlooked, or at least downplayed, in analyzing the development of a roster for a consistently winning team. One of those “factors” was the salary cap. If the new CBA has no salary cap (which I am not expecting), it would change that factor some but not eliminate it. For the distribution of salary resources will IMO become increasingly recognized as important in the development of a consistent winner. And I think it should be discussed with regard to the QB situation.

After the break is my reasoning.

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There are other factors that, in various degrees, affect how an NFL team best builds a roster, given the recent trends in the NFL. In this post, I like to discuss four of these factors.

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It is often said that in the NFL “the battles are won or lost in the trenches”. I’m going to handle this post as if this statement might actually be true (the way we talk about QBs, RBs, and WRs [and pay them] notwithstanding).

This post follows one I did earlier on “Trends” and some excellent posts that followed it, especially one by Emmett Smith, “Analyzing Nose Tackles” and one by elvisalex, “The Offensive Line 2.0; A Redefined Stance”; and numerous articles by Steve Nichols, Hoosier Teacher, all over the place but especially in MHR University. In fact, truthfully, I am reacting to and trying to organize in my own mind much that has been posted on MHR which has gotten my interest.

BTW, this is not an argument or rebuttal. I’m just going to define some factors that, in my mind, organize much of the information, thoughts and opinions given on this site about the best way to build a roster given the recent trends in the NFL, and then a few implications that I see. I think I’ll use two separate posts to keep some separation in the factors I see.

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One of the things I like about MHR are the many posts that give information. John Bena, Jeremy Bolander, Steve Nichols, Tim Lynch, TJ Johnson, Sayre Bedinger, BShrout and ejruiz do a first rate job of feeding us information. Others, like Emmett Smith, etc. add by reacting, expanding, explaining and filling in.

I’ve come to like analysis and speculation about the game of football almost as much as I like the actual games. As a result the off-season can be a highlight for me.

I’d like to do another post (did one earlier on the Building of the Team which concentrated on roster discussion) on another topic that many on this site talk about and which is intriguing for me – “Trends”.

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Many of the posts at MHR have get me thinking – sometimes in ways I haven’t thought before. Mostly, I think about how the Broncos have changed in this year, how I see McX building the team and the way I (and others) feel about that.

This is my first post but I’d like to have reactions on a couple of things.

I’ve kind of divided it into three sections: First, some considerations that I often forget but which I should keep in mind because they are probably important; second, how I see what has happened so far under McX; and third, what I look forward to and expect in the immediate future.

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