SB Nation User Blog: unkown

Sunday Night Football Live Webcast

unkown — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:24:39 -0000

Sunday Night Football Live Webcast

I just came across a news article about NBC and the NFL working out a deal to stream all 17 of the Sunday Night Football games live on NFL.com and NBC.com, with some extra bells and whistles. This is awesome news for somebody like me (without a TV). I've been hoping they would stream games for years now. Unfortunately, there aren't any Broncos games currently scheduled for Sunday Night football. I have a feeling NBC will regret that.

I'm still looking for a way to catch the Broncos games on the internet.

Brandon Marshall: The Beast

unkown — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:29:46 -0000

Brandon Marshall: The Beast

This video from DenverBroncos.com features some great catches by Brandon Marshall in training camp.

Brandon Marshall on Brandon Marshall

unkown — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:45:28 -0000

Brandon Marshall on Brandon Marshall

Brandon Marshall talks about getting in trouble and how he intends to change. Totally on topic with what we've been talking about the last few days.

Learning About Rivals

unkown — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 20:51:40 -0000

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.

Anybody that would like to help me in this quest for knowledge, please post comments or fanposts with anything you know about our rivals. If you know of good sources for information on the Chiefs, Raiders, and Chargers, mention those too.

Thanks in advance to anybody who helps, and thanks to DaBolts for already sharing his knowledge.

Broncos Roster VS Chargers Roster

unkown — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 18:46:07 -0000

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.

DaBolts' comment, slightly edited:

Backups with serious talent include Scott Chandler, Charlie Whitehurst, Legedu Naanee, Ryan Bingham, Anthony Waters, Brandon Siler, Paul Oliver and Carlos Polk. I would bet most of them could start on a lot of clubs, some like Waters, Naanee and Oliver I expect to start on the Chargers before too long. Note that McCree didn’t have enough to make it as a Charger, but still got eagerly snatched up by the Broncos.

Players with big time talent include Pro Bowl center Nick Hardwick, Pro Bowl guard Kris Dielman, Pro Bowl Tackle Marcus McNeill, Pro Bowl Nose Tackle Jamaal Williams, ILB Stephen Cooper (the heart of our defense, even with all that talent) and Pro Bowl LB Shaun Phillips. Add that to LaDainian Tomlinson, Antonio Gates, Shawn Merriman, Luis Castillo, Antonio Cromartie, and Darren Sproles and you have twelve elite players, ten Pro Bowlers and eight extremely talented backups.

LoNeal was a great player for the Bolts and a leader in the locker room, but the two games after he went down LT rushed for over 100 yds, averaging 7.7 and 5.6 yds per game. LTs production fell off only after he was injured, Pinnock did an excellent job as fullback, plus he can catch. The Oline is the real key to running the ball, and with Turner as coach we have something to turn to now if opponents stack eight in the box. But lets go through position by position:

Rivers vs. Cutler

Cutler has the edge in almost every category but Ws. Rivers is competitive and knows how to win and performs well under pressure. His fourth quarter rankings are much higher than any other quarter. Still I would give Cutler the edge right now, it will be interesting to see how Rivers does with Chambers for the whole season next year.

LT vs. whomever Denver decides to plug in

Uh, LT Duh. Might it be bad if LT went down? Sure, but the backups did pretty well to pull it out against the Colts in their own house.

WR

Chambers and V. Jackson are big targets that really came into their own last year averaging about 100yds per game each in the playoffs. Buster Davis, last years first round pick had a slow start, but you could see potential at the end. Brandon Marshall is better than anyone the Chargers have, but you have to wonder about his mental stability and how his arm is going respond after the nerve damage he got whilst wrastling a paper bag (and they call the Chargers immature?). With Eric Parker and Malcolm Floyd, we are likely going to trade or drop a WR, this is the deepest the Bolts have been at this position in years. I’m going to call this a push.

TE

Uh Antonio Gates, duh. Come on the best tight end in the business, we have a great blocking tight end in backup and Chandler would start on almost any NFL team. So many of your arguments boil down to, ‘Yeah, he’s a stud, but how imagine if he gets hurt!’ Maybe that’s why the Broncos stick with those mediocre players, eh?

OL

San Diego has Hardwick, Dielman and McNeill, all Pro Bowlers. It’ll be interesting to see how your rook does, but the Chargers have a talented group. Oddly this is the one are we actually may see some depth problems if there is an injury; the only one you missed I think.

DL

Chargers by a long shot, even when Castillo has gone down our backups are awesome. The Broncos may be developing, but you are a long way yet. J. Williams knees are the only concern, and how do you replace a beast like him; his backups are good though.

LB

Chargers by a mile. Merriman is an athletic freak, Shaun Phillips often overlooked is almost as good. Stephen Cooper has turned into a monster in the middle, watch for him to make the Pro Bowl next year.

CB

I’ll actually call this a push, but because of your weak DL, you aren’t going to see the production that the Chargers do. Cromartie is another freak, two intercepts and a forced fumble in the playoffs, another in the Pro Bowl. Whoever said he only made it because of Manning should watch the three picks he made on him, two wouldn’t have been made by anyone else.

Safety

Uh, come on you are taking our cast offs and Lynch is geaser. Weddle is solid and watch for Paul Oliver to start at SS and play in nickel. Big edge to SD.

And overall there won’t be the adjustment to a new offensive and defensive system this year. Chargers were playing much better on both sides of the ball at the end of the year, and even with tons of injuries kept the championship game close until the final quarter. Ron Rivera has the guys ball hawking, most turnovers in the league, watch for it again next year. Chargers go 12-4 and go to the Super Bowl this year, you heard it here first!

by DaBolts on Jun 20, 2008 7:01 PM PDT

Poll

Which roster is better, top to bottom, on paper?

San Diego Chargers

41 votes

Denver Broncos

19 votes

60 votes | Poll has closed

Defensive Tackle: Strong? Maybe. Deep? Definitely.

unkown — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 05:36:15 -0000

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

Poll

How does the Defensive Tackle position look so far?

Stellar!

2 votes

Hopeful, not great just yet, but has a lot of potential.

21 votes

Reliable, decent, not gonna blow it.

24 votes

As sturdy as a duck (that means not sturdy, a.k.a. BAD).

3 votes

50 votes | Poll has closed

A Team Coming Together

unkown — Fri, 30 May 2008 20:39:47 -0000

There are a number of tangible qualities which ultimately determine the success or failure of a football team: talent, coaching, injuries. There are also some intangibles: drive (want to), experience, chemistry. I'm going to be talking about the last one, chemistry, also known as team spirit.

Everybody knows the saying "the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts." In any situation where people have to work together to accomplish something, like a football team, this saying applies. However, the opposite can also be true. The whole can be less than the sum of it's parts.

What determines the team spirit, the chemistry, whether the whole is greater or less than the sum of it's parts? I say leadership is essential. A team needs a representative, somebody to carry the banner, look after their interests, and be their voice to themselves and the outside world. Another component of good chemistry is a willingness to sacrifice the individual for the good of the team. This is what is meant when you hear talk of "playing for the guy next to you," or even "leave it all out on the field." These kinds of attitudes must be motivated by a genuine respect or even love for one's teammates and the team as a whole. Why would you sacrifice your body, your comfort, yourself for somebody who doesn't want to be part of the team and doesn't want to sacrifice themselves?

A team spirit develops over time because respect is earned. A rookie who has done nothing under the excruciating circumstances that NFL pros face during the season can hardly expect to earn that respect just for collecting a paycheck and showing up. However, after players of played beside each other for a few years and gone through good times and bad times, there is a better chance of genuine respect and even love between the players.

Now that I've laid out what I mean by team spirit, let us examine whether the 2008 Denver Broncos have it. First, it starts with leadership. In 2007, the three primary leaders for each phase (offense, defense, and special teams) didn't make it onto the field. I am referring to Rod Smith, Al Wilson, and Keith Burns. I believe this was the primary reason the team broke down in certain games, there wasn't a strong enough team spirit to sustain players and push them past their limit, so some players gave up while others fought on.

How does the leadership picture look in 2008? It seems that Champ Bailey has become much more outspoken, representing the players and the defense. He has always been the physical leader of the team, coming through when it was needed the most and generally dominating his half of the field. He has the respect of his team and the whole league, and identifying the lack of leadership on defense, he seems to be stepping into the role. There is also the potential for Niko Koutouvides to step into the MLB leadership role, but it will take time for him to gain the trust of his teammates.

On offense, Jay Cutler seems to be taking command of the Broncos. He has been the consummate professional ever since he was drafted. He has played at a high level and continually improved. He has faced personal adversity in the form of untreated diabetes, played hard in spite of it, and hasn't faltered in coming back to full strength. And now, he seems to have the full endorsement of the leader of the veterans, Champ Bailey -

When I heard about it, I wanted to see if he was the guy I expected him to be. And he's been exactly what I expected and gone through this like it's no problem. Who knows what he deals with behind closed doors, but in the public eye, he's been perfect.

I expect the offense to have great chemistry this season. Javon Walker was admittedly fearful for his life in Denver, and wanted out before the season. He clearly was having trouble coping with the death of Darrent Williams, and who can blame him? Nonetheless, he is off the team, removing one player who didn't want to be part of the team. The only offensive players who have been with the team longer than Jay Cutler are Nate Jackson, Ben Hamilton, Tom Nalen, Erik Pears, and Cecil Sapp. It's time for him to take full control of his team.

The defensive chemistry should be improved as well. Gone is a defensive coordinator who never gained the trust of the veterans in Jim Bates. Replacing him is Bob Slowik, who has been with the team since 2005 and already has a great rapport with the secondary, where the majority of the defensive leadership lies. There is a nucleus of veteran defensive players who have been with the team for at least 3 years who can set the tone and standard for the newcomers. Among the newcomers is Boss Bailey, who's acclimation period should be reduced by the presence of his older brother. It may take some time for the defense to learn how to play together, given the large number of new starters, but I have high hopes that at some point partway through the season, they will gel together.

Last, but maybe most important, is character. When two people meet and talk and both are of similar character, this fact tends to become clear to them quickly. By focusing on high character players for the reloading season acquisitions, Mike Shanahan has hopefully complemented the personality already present in the locker room. This should increase the speed with which all the new players can gel with the established Broncos. The result, greater team spirit faster.

Here is hoping that the 2008 Denver Broncos are greater than the sum of their parts, because those parts are looking pretty good.

Poll

How important is a team's chemistry to their overall success?

Essential

34 votes

Helpful

4 votes

Not Important

0 votes

38 votes | Poll has closed