This isn't going to be long and well thought out. I just want to toss my perspective out there on what kind of player I believe Brandon Marshall is and what he can bring to this team.

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Oh man, I've been praying for this for a long time. It's a service that lets you watch any of the games this season in their entirety! They are streamed in HD to your computer, and you can watch as much as you want within your subscription period ($5 for a week or $20 from now to March). The service is blacked out while there are live football games on.

Oh man, goodbye free time!

Check it out: http://gamerewind.nfl.com/nflgr/move/player/demo.htm

Right off the bat, I don't have any new information or opinions here. This is an information gathering post.

I for one am very interested in what our rivals are doing. That means the Chargers, Chiefs, and Raiders. Maybe even the Colts, since we most likely will have to beat them if we ever want to get to the Super Bowl again. Recently, they really have had our number.

I know this is a Broncos community, and I am a Bronco fan through and through, but I am also a fan of football. I also think that I can be a better bronco fan if I understand more about their situation. No team exists in a vacuum. What I am proposing is to have some fan posts about our rivals (by me, or hopefully by other people more knowledgeable than me). The information, while not directly about the Broncos, should be relevant. It should also help fill the void between now and when training camp starts with some fresh information.

To that end, I would like to start gathering some information about our rivals. Things like their personnel and schemes, what direction they are headed, etc. Not just surface level fluff either like "the faders suxxorz," but something which gets at exactly what parts of them suck and where they are strong. What reasons they have for hope and why they are likely to disappoint their fans.

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The following is taken from one of DaBolts' comments in Zappa's "The San Diego Chargers...A Paper Tiger?" post. I wanted to make a new post out of it so we can have a focused discussion. My thanks to DaBolts for coming over here and giving us an outside perspective.

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Defensive tackle has been a position of concern since the beginning of last season, but is it actually in better shape than we fear? The maturation of Marcus Thomas and the acquisition of Dewayne Robertson provide sparks for hope that the DT play will actually be good this season. That said, what does the picture look behind the two probable starters?

Steven Harris, part of the same defensive line as Marcus Thomas and Jarvis Moss at Florida, isn't a rookie anymore and made some contributions at the end of last season after being signed to the active roster from the practice squad.

Carlton Powell, drafted in the 5th round, was dominant in Division I-A, holding opponents to -13 yards on 106 attempts, on running plays directed at him. He also has a degree in Human Nutrition. 

Josh Mallard via www.denverbroncos.com

A Mallard Duck via fohn.net

Josh Mallard, having some seriously spooky eyes and the name of a duck, came on strong at the end of the season. Despite playing in only 8 games with no starts, he recorded 20 tackles (15 solo) and 3.5 sacks. In the season finale against Minnesota, he had 4 tackles and 1.5 sacks. In the previous game against San Diego, he had 3 solo tackles and put Philip Creeks on his butt on a 3rd down to force a punt.

Alvin McKinley, anchoring the DL in 2007 (like a fencepost in a tornado), scored modest stats, but played in 15 games, starting 10.

The Scrooge (watch out for those guns) via www.denverbroncos.com

Wait, but thats not all, there is a wild card at Defensive Tackle. His name is Double E, a.k.a. The Scrooge, a.k.a. Ebenezer Ekuban. 2007 was his Achilles Heel, but in 2006, he started 15 games and recorded 78 tackles (61 solo) and 7 sacks. Now that he is recovered from his Achilles injury, he is getting time at Tackle as well as End. He had this to say about playing Tackle: "I like it." Not one to leave it at that, he elaborated by saying:

"I got my feet wet in there two years ago. It's different, you've got to be a lot quicker off the ball, you don't have a lot of time to react -- everything happens right now."

"I can play both (end and tackle) and I hope that's what I can provide for this defense. Be a versatile guy so when someone goes down, I can step in and we won't lose a beat."

There you have it, a Duck, a Scrooge, hope, depth, and some really scary eyes. I'm feeling pretty good about the Defensive Tackle position for 2008. Maybe it's not going to send anybody to the Pro Bowl, but I don't think it's going to be the weakest link this season either, even if a couple guys go down.

*All stats, pictures, and quotes courtesy of DenverBroncos.com