After Further Review...

Isn't DVR a wonderful thing? A second/third viewing of the September 14 game between the Broncos and the Chargers has produced the following observations:

• The overall defense wasn't as bad as it seemed in realtime. Run D is much improved.


• Pressure was applied to Philip Rivers, but he just stands in the shrinking pocket and throws the ball. Elvis is banged up and the Broncos need another pass rushing defensive lineman. We are all wondering about Jarvis Moss. Ekuban and Peterson made some big-time defensive plays. Engelberger had a sack. Josh Shaw played some. Robertson and Thomas are doing a good job in the middle and really collapse the pocket on pass plays while remaining solid against the run. The Broncos are playing a three-man odd-front D-Line in passing situations. My jury is still out on that.


• Sproles was mostly contained when he was rushing except for his TD run which must have been a blown play for the D. The Bronco LBs ran themselves out of position in a way that Slowik couldn't have possibly wanted. Aside from the kick return for a TD (oops), he was contained by Denver's ST.


• Denver's LBs may as well be considered as new with Williams and Webster in new spots and Bailey new to the team. Boss was playing in his first game since the first preseason game. It seems that he was manned up on Tolbert when San Diego made a big pass play to him in the third quarter. My take is that the defense will improve as it advances through the season with the backers becoming more comfortable with the system, the calls and each other. One wonders, however, if Webster runs himself out of position to make tackles. DJ was great and got a flag for a hit on Rivers which was duplicated by the Chargers later on, but with no flag on them.


• In spite of big plays by the Chargers in the third quarter, Denver's D held them to two FGs instead of TDs which is huge.


• Karl Paymah doesn't seem to be able to cover as a nickel DB. That's odd because nickel coverage is often cover 1. Paymah was clearly in man several times, especially against Chris Chambers. Eventually Jack Williams may get his chance.


• Safety play appears to be just adequate at the moment. Three of them (McCree, Manuel and Lowry) are new, so maybe we'll see steady improvement. I hope so. Two Safeties (Barrett and Rogers) are on the Practice Squad, so if there is regression at that position ...


• Punting and place-kicking are vastly improved this year. Prater made a 50+ FGA and Kern punted for about 60yds a couple of times. He seems to be a pretty good holder, too. This situation seems fixed. O'Brian seems to be a good coach for kickers/punters.


• Kick coverage is mostly good except for the occasional breakdown (e.g., Sproles' TD). There are many new players on ST (Koutouvides, Woodyard, Larsen, etc.), so maybe more consistency can be anticipated. Punt coverage was pretty good.


• Raving about the "skill" positions aside, the big development for Denver's O is the line. Hey ... , they ARE BIG. The tackles are very young and inexperienced, but the Ryans are playing great right now. Clady is a better pass than run blocker at the moment, but he has much upside. Harris has really stepped up and pleasantly surprised us all after we expected to see Kuper at RT. San Diego's odd-front DL w/a different backer coming each play was a good test for the O-Line. That front is more difficult for the C and Gs than for the tackles. Kuper struggled with it at times, but came out OK. Hamilton's return is doing wonders for the OL. His experience, leadership and consistency are invaluable. Wiegmann is doing a great job, but gets his butt kicked from time to time. An odd front with a big NT and ILBs blitzing the A gap is harder for him than a split-front. Let us hope Nalen can return before much longer and give Casey a break. Lichtensteiger is getting some game time in the backfield on short yardage/in + 20 situations which is interesting.


• Even after trading away Colbert and Jackson injured at the moment, Denver's receivers are a scary bunch especially when you include Scheffler. One of his TDs came on a route he ran as a split-end vs. double coverage. Marshall the Monster, Royal the Rookie (who plays like a vet) and Stokley the Slot Machine are as difficult a group to cover as any in the league because they are all so different from each other. Imagine covering Scheffler on one play and Royal on the next followed by Marshall and, later on, Stokley. Wait 'til Darrell is back at full speed. Graham is stll mostly a blocker (he's SO good at it), but he will get some balls thrown his way in each game. Nate Jackson draws coverage and is an excellent ST player.
• The RB committee is working well, better than most suspected. Hall, Young and Pittman are following their blocks, making the cuts and getting good yards. How did you like that 3rd and 24 situation where the Broncos gave the ball to Selvin who cut back and got blocks from Cutler, Marshall and Royal to run for a 1st down? Sweet! By rotating the backs, Shanahan is keeping them all healthy and using them on ST as well. Just wait until Torain returns ... just wait. Peyton Hillis deservedly earned his roster spot as the "true FB". He is learning as he goes. Sometimes he blocks the wrong guy on a blitz, but he will figure it all out sooner rather than later. His blocking is better than I thought it would be. Also thought he would have a bigger impact as a receiver than a ballcarrier, but so far it's been the other way around. It is inevitable that will change when defenses think they have found a way to cover Marshall, Royal and Scheffler AND stop the run when Hillis is in. That's when Shanahan and Co. will get him the ball through the air. Watch out when Pittman is in the backfield with Hillis.
• If Jay Cutler isn't the real deal as a premier NFL QB, then I haven't seen one lately. He has a ball security issue that I'm sure he will fix (dropped the ball twice vs. Chargers). Averaging over 300 yards per game, he seems to be on a mission to compensate for the defense (which shows signs of improvement). The OL is protecting him well giving ample time to connect with a dangerous group of receivers. The pass is setting up a run game which must be respected at all times. Finally, the playcalling is imaginative and aggressive. Cutler gives Shanahan and Co. the ability to run anything from their playbook from anyplace on the field.

Big Changes Coming

Everyone, I know that I've been a bit sporadic with the updates lately. I have been doing my best to make updates that you haven't known about the whole day when I do make an update. I'm being sub-planted on the east coast (back to New York City), so I've been running around, finding apartments and such... However, there are some rather major things in the works here at your favorite Denver Broncos Blog.

All will be revealed very soon, I can't give anything away just yet, but soon.

HBO's Hard Knocks featuring Denver Broncos tonight!

HBO's Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Dallas Cowboys features Dallas' trip to the Denver Broncos practice in Dove Valley this past week.

Sorry, forgot to announce this earlier, get your DV-R's ready. I'm watching it right now on the east coast. I'll be back to edit this with a review.

TMQ article opens up some old wounds

I might be part to blame, calling that the 2008 Denver Broncos would finish somewhere between 14-2 and 12-4 this season. I predicted nearly every preseason position battles winner (including Marquand Manuel over Hamza Abdullah), I predicted the rise of Jay Cutler and Eddie Royal and I've also predicted that Andre Hall would be the number one back in Denver (okay that one hasn't happened yet, but I've finally got the bandwagon behind me).

An unconscious memory was ripped to the forefront of my brain after reading this afternoon's TMQ Broncos Preview. Dripping in glossy sarcasm ESPN.com Page 2's Greg Easterbrook, points out that amongst other things:

"Bob Slowik is the new guy, and twice already Slowik has been fired after a one-year stint as an NFL defensive coordinator. This makes him an ideal fit for the Denver program."

Ouch, I don't want to point out that once Slowik took over the Broncos defense last season, the running defense specifically bumped up three pegs, from worst in the league to 29th in the league. Granted the Broncos shut down the San Diego Charger's LaDanian Tomlinson in a meaningless game, the same defense shut down Minnesota Viking's Adrian Peterson in a game that would have sent the Vikings into the playoffs.

I'm not here to be a homer or to rebut every point made by TMQ, there are very valid points made in the article. They were valid seven months ago too, but take into account those two games I mentioned in the last paragraph and package them with how Dallas' new one-two-punch did last weekend.

"The Broncos were 7-4 with the inside track to a wild-card berth, quarterbacked by Jake Plummer, a career 41-22 with Denver, and boasting one of the league's top defenses. Then The Ultimate Leader, Mike Shanahan, benched Plummer and sent in rookie signal-caller Jay Cutler. Since that moment, the Broncos are 9-12, their defense has gone Fizzie and even their vaunted rushing game has become mortal, slipping to ninth in 2007."

Need I say more? Jake Plummer was quite a quarterback, but had Denver stuck with Steve DeBerg (another guy who was quite a quarterback) in 1983 John Elway would never have emerged. Plummer had his shot, multiple times in the playoffs and he blew it, multiple times in the playoffs.

It's getting old, fans of Denver are ready to look forward to the upcoming season, why can't the media just let them? Take into account now, not last week, month, year... Right now, that's what matters.

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Shots Fired: Marcus Thomas vs. Flozell Adams

I was a major proponent of the Denver Broncos bring in Flozell Adams this off-season, I guess we can all see now why we didn't. Him and Marcus Thomas wouldn't have gotten along at all (haha). Today a fight broke out in which Flozell Adams, apparently, ripped off Denver defensive tackle Marcus Thomas' helmet and swung it back towards his face.

The HBO Hard Knocks crew should enjoy editing that one together and Denver fans can enjoy it next Wednesday night.

I would make this a two part Shots Fired article, but Brandon Marshall is owning Pacman Jones... It's funny to see these two jawing at each other, with the NFL's attention weighing heavily on both.

picture courtesy of AP via Dallas Morning News.

Preseason Football: Denver @ Houston: Observations

Please accept my sincerest apologies for being absent. Unless you'd like to field some questions on The Iliad, let's get to the first Bronco game of '08.

Quarterbacks:

Jay Cutler: 8-10-0, 60 yds, 1 att, 15 yds TD.
Patrick Ramsey: 8-13-2, 49 yds.
Darrell Hackney:5-8-0, 68 yds, 1 att, 16 yds.

Had Jay Cutler played the whole game, Denver victory. What do you want in a backup? A game manager or a guy who can make plays? Darrell Hackney is making a case for the latter. In the event Patrick Ramsey disappears from the roster, he might be going on a secret mission for the CIA; into Iran to overthrow the Ayatollah (who is always wide open).

Running Backs:

Andre Hall: 8 att, 45 yds, 5.6 avg., 1 rec, 0 yds
Anthony Alridge: 3 att, 20 yds, 6.7 avg, F (FR by Polumbus) 3 rec, 21 yds
Micheal Pittman: 6 att, 18 yds, 3 avg, 1 rec, 5 yds
Selvin Young: 4 att, 7 yds, 2 rec, 21 yds.

This would appear to be the committee. Their success is symbiotic with the offensive line which is brand new. Selvin Young and Andre Hall both ran behind 1st team offensive although I didn't notice if Hall was up against Houston's first-team defense the whole time. Ian predicted the emergence of Andre Hall [editors note: fist pump]. Anthony Alridge is super fast and Michael Pittman is tough inside and a capable receiver. Peyton Hillis needs to get well soon. Selvin Young needs to step up.

Wide Receivers & Tight Ends:

Tony Scheffler: 4 rec, 61 yds
Darrell Jackson: 3 rec, 18 yds
Eddie Royal: 2 rec, 13 yds
Nate Jackson: 1 rec, 11 yds
Samie Parker: 1 rec, 10 yds
Brandon Marshall: 2 rec, 8 yds
Daniel Graham: 1 rec, 7 yds

A wide receiver who didn't catch a pass, but made a big play was Cliff Russell who drew pass interference at the +3 giving the Broncos a scoring opportunity in the 4th quarter. He is still very fast as he was at Utah. Eddie Royal looked good. Tony Scheffler is a big part of the passing game as he has always proven to be. Darrell Jackson wasn't used effectively which is a coaching flaw, not his. Keary Colbert drew a pass interference penalty, too, but was otherwise ineffective. It's a good group of receivers who can give Jay Cutler a variety of players to whom to throw.

Offensive Line:

The starting line which played the first half has essentially two rookie tackles (i.e., the Ryans). Houston's upstart defensive lineman Mario Williams pushed Ryan Clady around which was a good experience for Clady. Ryan Harris drew four penalties only two of which he deserved. The illegal formation one could have as easily been given to the other Ryan or the guards. One holding call was a bogus flag thrown by a guy on the sideline who was seeing things. The false start and one holding were deserved. Not too bad; nothing that can't be fixed. In the event Montrae Holland returns and starts and Chris Kuper returns to right tackle, Ryan Harris is definitely the #6 offensive lineman. Casey Wiegmann did a good job as did Ben Hamilton. These guys need chemistry and that will only come with playing together. Stay tuned for what happens with Tom Nalen whose injuries are nagging him to the extent he is sidelined. Depth is good.

Special Teams:

Matt Prater was 3 of 4 on field goal attempts. His kickoffs mostly came down at the +5 to the goal line. Sam Paulescu's one punt was fielded 52 yards from the LOS and was returned. Brett Kern's one punt was fielded 42 yards from the line of scrimmage with more hang time and wasn't returned. Both held for extra points and field goal attempts. Eddie Royal had two kick off returns for 47 yds, Clifford Russell had one for 27, Anthony Aldridge one for 24 and Andre Hall one for 20. Glenn Martinez fielded one punt for two yards. The leading special teams tackler was Wesley Woodyard with three including the stop on Matt Turk who tried to advance a punt attempt for a first down and came up one yard short; ball over to Denver on downs-big play. Clifford Russell had two special teams tackles, and Michael Pittman forced a fumble which Cecil Sapp recovered.

Defense:

The only sack was shared by linebacker Jordan Beck and defensive tackle Steven Harris. There were no picks. Boss Bailey injured his bad ankle and his backup, Louis Green, injured his neck and suffered a concussion. The Broncos are extremely lucky to have Jamie Winborn who switched from DJ Williams backup to first team strong side linebacker and did a great job. That put Jordan Beck as DJ Williams backup where he played as weak side linebacker during the second half. Nate Webster had one tackle and two assists and a flying helmet. Niko Koutouvides and Spencer Larsen each had four assists. The most outstanding starter was Domonique Foxworth with three solo and two assists including a 5 yd tackle for loss. He is making his case. The defense was without DeWayne Robertson and Champ Bailey and very quickly lost Boss and Louis. The interior defensive line played well with Kenny Peterson logging two solos and Marcus Thomas had one. The defensive ends need to step up. I expect some shuffling/experimenting there. Ebenezer Ekuban had two solos and two assists and an offsides penalty.

The second teamers in the second half produced the leading tacklers:
Josh Barrett: 7 solo and 6 assists
Jordan Beck: 5 solo, 3 assists, 1/2 sack
Wesley Woodyard: 5 solo, 1 assist
LaMont Reid and Christian Morton had 4 solos each with the latter including a 7 yd sack.

Josh Barrett's detractors have described him as looking like Tarzan and playing like Jane. If so, Jane had a hearty meal of roast Texan Saturday night which was fresh-kill. He was in the box, often lining up over the TE in a 9 tech on the line of scrimmage. Having heard nothing about Wesley Woodyard from training camp reports, he suddenly exploded during the game making big plays on special teams and defense. On running plays these two totally attack the line of scrimmage. Josh Barrett came down the line of scrimmage several times and I didn't even notice him until he was the last guy to get up from the bottom of the pile. I had to pause the DVR and advance it one click at a time just to figure out where he came from. Wesley Woodyard and Josh Barrett also have great speed for guys their size. They seem to work well with Spencer Larsen and Jordan Beck. The linebacker depth and Jim Ryan's great coaching was very much in need and it all came through.

I expect to see more from the Broncos in next week's game with the Dallas Cowboys besides the vanilla O & D which they showed ... except not during practice ... with Dallas, that is.

CBS Channel 4 in Denver gets a C+/B- and an A for effort. The box guys need binoculars ... or bifocals. The director needs more monitors and helpers and to stop showing graphics instead of THE PLAY WE'RE MISSING. Also, how about more replays? But, hey, thanks for broadcasting the game. Do it again ... please?

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New Bronco Blogger - Horvil Tiki goes live

"Got to hone it guy!" Horvil Tiki goes live! I'm hoping that he doesn't mind me putting that up.

He ignored my pleas to join the Broncos Denver Broncos blog, but it looks like Mr. Tiki has gotten himself his own blog.

Words cannot express how much I love reading Horvil's posts, you can find him responding to The Denver Post and (I believe) The Rocky Mountain News Bronco articles. It's only a matter of time before Woody Paige has to mention him on ESPN.

I admire whoever is using the pen name Horvil Tiki, let's just hope that he doesn't spawn any copycats. That could get annoying.

Here's Horvil welcoming you to his blog:

"Hey guy welcome I so happy to have site. Panff makey all this he say fill with content. I not know what the content is. He say just rite stuff guy. So here I is to makey all the post. I is happy to have hooge website. It like walk in Shanhan massive house and guy say here is key you can have shanhan house. I was is so happy guy if have shanhan house I go and try to call bronco cheerleader first thing. Say come for to look at my hooge house."

He's not for everyone, but personally I can't wait to check his blog out every day. Between Horvil Tiki and Mr. Hercules Rockefellar (Orange Bucksnorts) I'm loving Bronco Blogs right now.

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Madden 09: Broncos Roster Updates

Not that this is official Denver Broncos news, but is exciting to many of your readers, I am sure, I've put the parts below that will directly affect your team in bold:


EA Sports has released the breakdown of all the changes within the roster update for Madden 09 that will be out by (or on) release day. An update has already been done taking care of many of the changes that are detailed even as they continue to add to the upcoming one to make it the most accurate possible.

Last year there was an average of just below two updates a month which would seem sufficient. The problem was a long painful stretch from mid-November to mid-January that lacked any. If they can keep the consistency up this year than everyone should be pleased with the post-release roster support.

One thing that isn’t noted in this list is the fixing of player numbers. I immediately noticed that Julian Peterson had gone from the #59 of last year to the #98 of this year. Continue on to view the complete list of transactions, ratings adjustments, new contract lengths, and injured reserve placement.

Transactions
HB Cedric Benson – Released to Free Agents
HB Kevin Jones – Signs with Bears
CB Blue Adams – Released by Bengals (Removed)
HB Kenny Irons – Released by Bengals
HB DeDe Dorsey – Added to Bengals
LT Demetrius Bell – Released to Free Agents
LB Donnie Spragan – Signs with Bills
HB Mike Bell – Released by Broncos DT Carlton Powell – Released to Free Agents (IR) DT Kenny Peterson – Added to Broncos FB Peyton Hillis – Added to Broncos FS John Lynch – Released by Broncos
C LeCharles Bentley – Released by Browns
QB Ken Dorsey – Released to Free Agents
C Marvin Philip – Added to Browns
WR Kevin Kasper – Added to Browns
LB Ryan Nece – Added to Bucs
TE Troy Bienemann – Released by Cardinals
RT Kelly Butler – Signs with Cardinals
LG Jasper Harvey – Added to Cardinals
LG Scott Peters – Removed (IR)
HB Marcel Shipp – Released by Cardinals
WR Eric Parker – Released by Chargers
K Billy Cundiff – Released by Chiefs
FB Oliver Hoyte – Released to Free Agents
FB Chris Manderino – Added to Chiefs
K Nick Novak – Added to Chiefs
LB Nate Harris – Released by Chiefs (Removed)
FS Brandon Condren – Added to Colts
WR Terry Glenn – Released by Cowboys
RT Julius Wilson – Released by Dolphins
RT Trey Darilek – Added to Dolphins
DE Quentin Moses – Added to Dolphins
DT Dan Klecko – Released to Free Agents
DT LaJuan Ramsey – Released to Free Agents
DT Kimo von Oelhoffen – Signs with Eagles
FB Jason Davis – Added to Eagles
FS Jimmy Williams – Released by Falcons
CB Wilrey Fontenot – Added to Falcons
DT Grady Jackson – Signs with Falcons
LG Qasim Mitchell – Released to Free Agents
RT Shane Olivea – Signs with Giants
DE Renaldo Wynn – Signs with Giants
TE Michael Matthews – Added to Giants
RT Adam Koets – Released to Free Agents
LT Barry Sims – Added to 49ers
S Darnell Bing – Released by Jets (Removed)
QB Chad Pennington – Released to Free Agents
SS Cameron Worrell – Signs with Jets
WR Devale Ellis – Added to Lions
QB Brett Favre – Traded to Jets
FB John Kuhn – Released to Free Agents
HB Alex Haynes – Released by Panthers
FB Kyle Eckel – Released to Free Agents
LB Jon Alston – Released to Free Agents
S Greg Wesley – Signs with Raiders
WR Todd Watkins – Added to Raiders
RT Seth Wand – Added to Raiders
RT Mark Wilson – Released to Free Agents (IR)
HB LaMont Jordan – Released by Raiders/Signs with Patriots
LB Vince Hall – Released to Free Agents
LB David Vobora – Added to Rams
FS Eric Bassey – Added to Rams
FS Stuart Schweigert – Released by Redskins
DE Jason Taylor – Traded to Redskins
TE Tyler Ecker – Released to Free Agents
TE Jeremy Shockey – Traded to Saints
SS Mike Green – Released by Seahawks
SS Jamar Adams – Signs with Seahawks
HB Najeh Davenport – Released by Steelers
P Paul Ernster – Signs with Steelers
LT Tony Hills – Released to Free Agents
HB Gary Russell – Added to Steelers
QB Quinn Gray – Released by Texans
LT Jordan Black – Released by Texans
WR Mike Williams – Released by Titans
DE Sean Conover – Added to Titans
HB Travis Henry – Suspended
DT Claude Wroten – Suspended
LB Ian Gold - Retires
DE Michael Strahan – Retires
G Gene Mruczkowski – Retires
DT Quinn Pitcock – Retires
S Artrell Hawkins - Retires

Ratings Up
RT Stacey Andrews – Bengals – 78 to 83 – Franchise tagged. A versatile lineman that can play 4 positions.
LB Brandon Johnson – Bengals – 67 to 71 – Has impressed with 1st round pick Keith Rivers holding out.
HB Chris Perry – Bengals – 80 to 82 – Early word is that he has recovered from injuries that cost him the better part of his first 4 seasons.
LG Andrew Whitworth – Bengals – 82 to 86 – Mammoth body at LG for the Bengals. Just received a contract extension.
HB Kenny Watson – Bengals – 82 to 83 – Underrated backup in Cincy behind Rudi Johnson.
WR Steve Johnson – Bills – 71 to 75 – 4 year College player from Kentucky drafted in the 7th round has been good so far in camp. HB Ryan Torain – Broncos – 71 to 76 – An torn ligament to his elbow put this budding Denver backs campaign for the starting position on hold for now.
WR Michael Clayton – Bucs – 78 to 79 – Gruden says he looks like the old Michael Clayton again and looks to be in the mix this season.
LB Bertrand Berry – Cardinals – 82 to 84 – Injuries have cost Berry the past two seasons. He looks to regain his pass rushing form that netted him 26 sacks in 03’ and ’04.
HB Tim Hightower – Cardinals – 71 to 74 – Marcel Shipp was cut to give this guy the backup tailback job to this rookie 5th rounder from Richmond.
WR Marvin Harrison – Colts – 94 to 96 – Early word is his knee is fine and the old Marvin is back.
LB Clint Session – Colts – 70 to 75 – In a battle for a starting linebacker spot with the injured Tyjuan Hagler.
WR Isaiah Stanback – Cowboys – 66 to 68 – The Cowboys have continued to speak highly about this former college QB’s transition to WR. This is his second season at WR.
HB Ricky Williams – Dolphins – 83 to 85 – Ricky looks like “a beast” and is running very hard and should get plenty of carries this year in Miami.
WR Derek Hagan – Dolphins – 72 to 76 – Has jumped Ernest Wilford on the depth chart. Not likely to stick but he has drawn praise on his growth from last season.
DE Victor Abiamiri – Eagles – 75 to 79 – In a position battle with Juqua Parker to start opposite Trent Cole in Philly.
DT Mike Patterson – Eagles – 84 to 87 – Averaging over 50 tackles and 3 sacks a season his first three years in the NFL out of USC.
HB Lorenzo Booker – Eagles – 77 to 79 – Looks to be in the mix for touches in Philly this year and has passed Tony Hunt on the depth chart after being acquired from the Dolphins for a 4th round pick in the offseason.
LB Akeem Jordan – Eagles – 64 to 69 – Is the Eagles 4th LB this year and should be more involved.
CB Brent Grimes – Falcons – 68 to 72 – His role just got bigger as the Falcons lost free agent CB Von Hutchins for the year.
RG Max Jean-Gilles – Eagles – 80 to 82 – Keeps drawing praise for his play while Shawn Andrews was out after a strong finish to last season.
HB Michael Robinson – 49ers – 77 to 79 – Fighting off free agent pickup DeShaun Foster for backup touches in San Francisco.
TE Delanie Walker – 49ers – 73 to 77 – “Freakishly athletic” TE for the Niners. Looks to be in line for some playing time as Martz loves him so far.
WR Mike Walker – Jaguars – 71 to 75 – Looks to have recovered from a knee injury last year and has looked good early.
CB Leigh Bodden – Lions – 90 to 91 – Acquired from Cleveland for Shaun Rogers in the offseason. Is one of the leagues underrated corners now playing in the Tampa 2.
DE Cliff Avril – Lions – 76 to 79 – This guy is gonna be a problem for tackles for a while. Looks to be a real threat coming off the edge in his rookie year.
CB Tramon Williams – Packers – 75 to 78 – Fighting off rookie Pat Lee for the nickel job in Green Bay. Also is an explosive returner in the return game.
LB Desmond Bishop – Packers – 73 to 75 – Has past Abdul Hodge for the backup MLB job behind Nick Barnett.
HB Brandon Jackson – Packers – 81 to 83 – Did his play in camp get Ryan Grant to rush back? Looks to be improved from his rookie season.
WR Sam Aiken – Patriots – 68 to 73 – Has risen up the Patriots WR depth chart after being signed from Buffalo in the offseason.
LB Ricky Brown – Raiders – 62 to 71 – Currently penciled in as the Raiders starting strong side linebacker.
QB Andrew Walter – Raiders – 76 to 78 – If given time offers a more than serviceable backup in Oakland.
DT Cliff Ryan – Rams – 74 to 77 – Had 30 tackles and 2 sacks his rookie year. His role just got bigger with the loss of DT Claude Wroten to a yearlong suspension.
QB Troy Smith – Ravens – 73 to 76 – In the fold to start at quarterback for the Ravens. Consistently struggles with accuracy but might be a good manager for a team that might make one more run before surefire rebuilding begins.
WR Derrick Mason – Ravens – 87 to 89 – Has had 1,000 yards 6 out of the past 7 season, and 2 out of 3 in Baltimore. Had one of his best season last year.
FS Haruki Nakamura – Ravens – 72 to 77 – Has been a true “ball hawk” in camp and will be in the field this year it looks like.
HB Willis McGahee – Ravens – 91 to 92 – Rushed for 1,200+ yards with 7 TD’s and 40+ catches on a team with a limited passing game. Knee injuries have been bothering him this far in camp.
QB Colt Brennan – Redskins – 73 to 74 – Looks like everyone was hard on him for getting met in the backfield by two SEC ends on every play in the bowl game. Looked sharp in his preseason debut.
WR Adrian Arrington – Saints – 68 to 71 – Doesn’t have a great shot at making the team but is guaranteed to be on the practice squad if he doesn’t make the team over any of Devery Henderson/Lance Moore/Terrance Copper.
DT Red Bryant – Seahawks – 74 to 78 – An injury derailed his strong start to camp.
DT Brandon Mebane – Seahawks – 80 to 82 – Very strong DT who bull rushed his way to 29 tackles and 2 sacks his rookie season.
LB Lawrence Timmons – Steelers – 75 to 78 – Has drawn a lot of praise so far as he transitions to MLB for the Steelers after an ineffective rookie year.
WR Santonio Holmes – Steelers – 85 to 86 – Looks to take another step in becoming an elite WR.
CB Fred Bennett – Texans – 82 to 84 – K.C. Joyner voted him the best cornerback last year, and he was a rookie.
HB Steve Slaton – Texans – 72 to 75 – As long as he can hold onto the ball he should get touches in a crowded Texan backfield.
LB Stephen Tulloch – Titans – 79 to 80 – Has delivered bone crushing hits in camp and is still penciled in as the backup behind Ryan Fowler.
WR Brandon Jones – Titans – 80 to 81 – Looks to be the most talented Titan receiver on a cast of thousands.
DT Fred Evans – Vikings – 68 to 71 – Should get more playing time with the departure of free agent DT Spencer Johnson.

Ratings Down
WR Mark Bradley – Bears – 77 to 75 – Has never cracked it in the NFL. Can’t move up a bad Bears wide receiver core.
FB Jeremi Johnson – Bengals – 87 to 86 – Has continued to unimpress in Cincy.
WR Jerome Simpson – Bengals – 76 to 71 – Looks like at least this year will be a learning season in the NFL, feedback has not been good so far.
RT Willie Anderson – Bengals – 92 to 89 – Tries to hold off Stacey Andrews and looks to be near the end of his fine career.
DE Igor Olshansky – Chargers – 86 to 83 – Chargers appear content to let him walk after this year after resigning Luis Castillo.
RG Mike Goff – Chargers – 88 to 86 – The tandem of Goff and RT Clary are not nearly as effective as the Pro Bowl left side of the Charger line.
LB Napoleon Harris – Chiefs – 84 to 80 – Whether its camp head games or not has dropped to 2nd at MLB behind a guy 99.5% of people have never heard of (Pat Thomas).
LB Bobby Carpenter – Cowboys – 80 to 78 – Doesn’t appear to be an ideal fit for a 3-4 defense and they appeared to be unsuccessful in trading him this offseason.
FB Reagan Mauia – Dolphins – 89 to 88 – Has drawn heavy criticism for the bricks where his hands are supposed to be.
WR Ernest Wilford – Dolphins – 84 to 83 – Cannot get open in practice and has been passed on the depth chart by consistently disappointed Derek Hagan.
QB John Beck – Dolphins – 78 to 77 – His nickname is “Checkdown” by a local Miami writer. Guess that is what happens when you are accustomed to having 0.6 seconds to throw.
WR Mario Manningham – Giants – 78 to 76 – Has looked slow and can’t get open in New York so far.
DT Justin Harrell – Packers – 77 to 74 – This guy has bust written across his forehead.
DE Cullen Jenkins – Packers – 92 to 90 – A talented and versatile defensive lineman, but not 92 OVR talented.
DT Terdell Sands – Raiders – 83 to 79 – Can’t start over big money Gerard Warren. He seems to be unmotivated.
RG Fred Weary – Texans – 77 to 74 – Currently a backup behind undrafted Mike Brisiel in Houston. Could be cut.

Contracts
DT Tommie Harris – Bears – 5 years total
LB Brian Urlacher – Bears – 5 years total
WR Devin Hester – Bears – 6 years total
LG Andrew Whitworth – Bengals – 6 years total
DT Kyle Williams – Bills – 5 years total
HB Earnest Graham – Bucs – 4 years total
RG Brad Butler – Bills – 5 years total
HB Earnest Graham – Bucs – 4 years total
FS Ken Hamlin – Cowboys – 6 years total
TE Delanie Walker – 49ers – 5 years total
RG Chris Snee – Giants – 6 years total
DE Paul Spicer – Jaguars – 3 years total
CB Leigh Bodden – Lions – 6 years total
LB Brady Poppinga – Packers – 5 years total
HB Ryan Grant – Packers – 4 years total
DE Will Smith – Saints – 7 years total
WR Marques Colston – Saints – 4 years total
RT David Stewart – Titans – 6 years total

Injuries - IR
LB Alvin Bowen – Bills - Knee
CB Von Hutchins – Falcons - Foot
DE Phillip Daniels – Redskins – Knee
DT DeMario Pressley – Saints – Foot
P Daniel Sepulveda – Steelers - Knee

There's more! Check out the Broncos Denver Broncos Blog for multiple daily updates.

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Former Denver CB joins Patriots

The Associate Press is reporting that former Denver Broncos corner back Jeff Shoate has been signed by the New England Patriots. The corner was the Broncos fifth round pick in 2004 and played a total of 14 games for the squad.

Denver released Shoate on December 5, 2007. He was signed to the Baltimore Ravens practice squad and then joined the New York Giants practice squad during the playoffs.

There's more! Check out the Broncos Denver Broncos Blog for multiple daily updates.

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Schefter: Brandon Marshall will be suspended three games, cut to two

According to Adam Schefter of NFL Network, Brandon Marshall will be suspended for three games on Monday. However, the suspension will be reduced to two games if Marshall will undergo counseling. No word on what specific type of counseling, but it might have to do with breaking up with your crazy high school girlfriend. That is purely speculation though.

The Denver Post's Mike Klis is reporting that, "An NFL source said the Broncos were assured Sunday night that a final decision had not yet been made."

While The Rocky Mountain News reports that according to a second source, "The league also is maintaining that no decision has yet been made."

This suspension would not end Brandon Marshall's training camp, nor would it affect his preseason. He would be allowed to continue working with the Denver Broncos up until the first week of the regular season begins, at which time he would not be allowed in the Dove Valley Facility. Nor would he be allowed to work with anyone employed by the Denver Broncos or the National Football League.

Romo: 2008 Cowboys are the 1997 Broncos

Caught this over on Orange Mane:



Okay Tony Romo seems fair enough, but you're no John Elway yet.

Mike Bell signs with Denver Jr.

Former Denver Broncos running back Mike Bell has signed with Gary Kubiak's Houston Texans. This after Bell's visit to the New England Patriots was cut short by the Patriots quickly snatching LaMont Jordan off the waiver wire.

We look forward to hopefully seeing Bell two Saturdays from now (August 9th) when Denver takes on the Texans.

Preparing for the 2009 NFL Draft; pars decima.

In the effort to wrap up this series which developed an out-of-control life of its own, I am affected by what has transpired at Dove Valley since training camp began yesterday morning. After having scouted Carlton Powell in a couple of his Senior year/VA Tech games and concluding he is a special run-stopping DT, boom, he's out for the year with a ruptured Achilles (something Hector wished for sooner rather than later).

That has ramifications for the 2009 draft. Montrae Holland is running around trying to lose some weight. I hope that and the inevitable dogging/nicknaming that will follow puts him in a suitably nasty mood to do some hitting. If so, then Carlton may not be the only DL casualty especially if that group engages in some intra-squad smack. What? One group of fat guys calling another fat guy fat? Never!

Having observed high school football programs up close and personally for many years, I wonder about the way Shanahan and Co. orchestrate the off-season especially leading into TC. The Broncos are a group of mature athletes, not the squirrel-boy teenagers I've been around. The former have years of training and should have developed some sense of discipline, even the rookies (with the jury still out on Brandon Marshall). The latter must be guided with a carefully planned program with much strengthening, conditioning, stretching and gradually increasing running in which they have absolutely no input and very little time in which to develop bad habits.

High School football players who try to invent their very own (no adult supervision) off-season workouts often end up hurting themselves and/or each other (it's what they do). We expect more from NFL Players with the possible exception of Marshall who seems capable of hurting himself with the most innocuous items (hamburger wrappers?!?!). Please! Keep the pens and pencils away from him! Too sharp! Question is, "Is Shanahan trying to create an environment in which injuries are bound to occur, thus establishing a Darwinian weeding out process to produce the least injury-prone group?" If so, that didn't go very well last season, did it? Just wonderin' ...

If you read "pars nona", you may have noticed the introduction of a postion not mentioned in the previous partes: Punter/Plackicker and Placekicker/Punter. In the event you think a redundancy is apparent, it's just a matter of emphasis: one guy who does both with his strength lying in one of the two. Back in round six speculation we listed Sam Swank from Wake Forest who does all the punting, placekicing AND kicking off. I admit to being obsessed with one guy doing all of those in the interest of saving a roster spot with the contingency of injury dealt with by constantly carrying a kicker or two on the PS. All of the PS kicker guys would be kicker-multi-taskers, too. Staying with the same line of reasoning, how about a LS who isn't just a specialist but is another position guy (e.g., TE, LB, OL, DL with several on the depth chart)? That's why I'll be very interested to see if Josh Mallard can unseat Mike Leach as LS.

Here are some possible seventh rounders to consider in '09:

• Ryan Succop, K/P, South Carolina, 6-2, 224, 37/37 XPA, 13/17 FGA, 49 long, 56 P, 2330 yds, 41.6 avg (34.4 net), 3 blk, 15 in +20 in '07.
  
  
• Demonte' Bolden, DT, Tennessee, 6-5, 292, 26 tkl, 2 sk, 3 tfl, 2 pbu in '07.
  
  
• Brandon Hughes, CB, Oregon State, 5-10, 184, 57 tkl, 7 tfl, 12 pbu, 2 int in '07.
  
  
• Thomas Morstead, P/K, SMU, 6-4, 232, 43/43 XPA, 13/20 FGA, 53 long, 57 P, 2545 yds, 44.6 avg (39.3 net), 1 blk, 21 in +20 in '07.

You may have noticed that all the kickers listed are larger guys, not the teeny-tiny field goal kickers you often see on college teams that suit up eighty players for a home game and still manage to take several specialists on the road. That is because if one guy is doing ALL the kicking, he must be able to cover and tackle on his own punts and kickoffs.

It would be nice if the loss of Powell for the '08 season is the last season ending injury sustained by the Broncos in '08. Some other nice things might be: solidification of MLB w/Niko Koutouvides and Spencer Larsen; a strong RB committee which stays healthy; quality depth at most positions; and, the return of all five CBs in '09. These would facilitate a more planned and predictable draft without the necessity of acquiring too many UFAs. I still feel that the position needs of FS, G and TE will definitely be there in '09 and that they can be dealt with via the draft. I hope I didn't jinx Carlton by saying nice things about him and then listing some '09 DTs. We all wish him a good rehab from this injury, but even if he returns at full strength in '09 it appears a DT or two should be added.

The draft could be utilized for this as well as FA or both. The short life-span of NFL (especially Bronco) RBs may necessitate the addition of one via the draft. Kickers will probably be needed, but it's possible to get some without drafting at that position.

The Denver Broncos may only have six draft choices in '09 due to the DeWayne Robertson trade. FS + G + TE + RB + DT + ? = 6. That would be a very efficient usage of picks if the Broncos could get six guys at those positions who would make the team. It seems as if UFAs will be inevitable along with a trade or two. NO ONE will be more surprised than me if Denver actually drafts any of the players listed in this series. The purpose of the exercise was more to inventory, evaluate and speculate rather than predict. That is why each round had several "players of interest". This is what we football junkies do. We watch college football and wonder which players our NFL team will draft.

Preparing for the 2009 NFL Draft; pars nona:

Having begun this attempted peek into the future, and having attempted to prognosticate five rounds thus far, there is a certain compulsion to finish; not Danish, not Swedish, finish. [editor: ZING!]

As previously stated, the exact terms of the DeWayne Robertson trade being unknown to me, a fourth, fifth or sixth round pick might need to go to the Jets. Seems as if the trade was conditional on how many snaps as a percentage of the total Robertson will participate. A review of the previously covered rounds will have all Bronco fans hoping that DeWayne will only cost a sixth.

Let's look at some possible '09 sixth rounders anyway:

• Anthony Felder, OLB, Cal, 6-2, 236, 101 tkl, 2 sk, 1.5 tfl, 1 pbu and 1 int in '07
  
• Jeremy Navarre, DE (DT in '08), Maryland, 6-3, 274, 41 tkl, 5.5 sk and .5 tfl in '07
  
  
• Aaron Brown, RB, TCU, 6-1, 192, 106 att, 490 yds, 2 TD, 24 rec, 161 yds, 1 TD, 14 KOR, 344 yds in '07 [*4.4 speed]
  
  
• Terence Moore, SS (OLB in '08), Troy, 6-2, 216, 64 tkl, 1 tfl, 4 pbu, 1 int in '07
  
  
• Wopamo Osaisai, CB Stanford, 5-11, 198, 45 tkl, 1 tfl, 8 pbu and 1 int in '07 [*4.4 speed]
  
  
• Sam Swank, PK/P, Wake Forest, 6-1, 206, 44/44 XPA, 18/21 FGA-52 long, 76 P, 3,024 yds, 39.8 avg, 34.2 net, 1 blk, and 21 in +20 in '07 [*handles all three kicking jobs-P/PK/KO]
  
  
• Worrell Williams, MLB, Cal, 6-1, 248, 105 tkl, 1 sk, 7.5 tfl, and 2 pbu in '07 [*pop quiz-Who is he?]

Although the '09 pool doesn't seem as deep as '08, there are still some interesting players projected as sixth rounders. All of the guys listed in this study bear watching during the '08 college football season. We wish then all luck.

Scraping the Summer Football Bucket

Before continuing with the 6th & 7th rounds and conclusion to "Preparing for the 2009 NFL Draft", thought I'd share a few observations gleaned from the slim pickings of football before TC. There are a few NFL replays that are enjoyable, but none have anything to do with the Broncos. Recuperating from surgery has made me more sedentary than I would prefer, so the many channels via satellite dish have been perused and reperused for anything, and I mean ANYTHING interesting. CBS-College and ESPNU to the rescue, especially the former. Three of their rebroadcasts caught my eye recently: Arkansas at LSU, 11/23/07; Boston College at Virginia Tech, 10/25/07; and, the ACC Championship Game, BC vs. VaTech, 12/1/07. Besides the attraction of games with so many players recently drafted, here was an opportunity to observe three Denver draft choices in action and all of them in big games.

Peyton Hillis was obviously the focus of my attention in the Arkansas/LSU game. Several future opponents were there as well (Jacob Hester-Chargers, Glenn Dorsey-Chiefs, Darren McFadden-Raiders, Felix Jones-Cowboys, Nate Garner-Jets, Marcuses Harrison & Monk + Craig Steltz-Bears, Chevis Jackson & Keith Zinger-Falcons, Matt Flynn-Packers and Early Doucet-Cardinals). All of these will be opponents during pre/regular season '08 (except the Bears) and will give many draftniks the opportunity to confirm or deny their previous thoughts about these players.

Peyton Hillis is a good blocker and receiver. He did some lead blocking, mostly for Felix Jones, and seemed effective. His best block, however, was the kickout and he took his guy to the sideline every time. His pass protection also seemed more than adequate, all of this against a pretty good defense. His route running is very exact for a back and he has good hands for catching passes. His best route, as expected for a back, was the wheel route and he scored on one of those. It was cool to see him play and it gave me a good feeling all over again about the Broncos picking him. His chances of making the roster seem very good because of his special set of skills perfect for a FB/H-Back.

Watching the two VaTech/BC games consecutively was very cool, too. Once again, there were a number of players soon to be drafted (Matt Ryan-Falcons, Gosder Cherilus-Lions, DeJuan Tribble-Chargers, Duane Brown & Xavier Adibi-Texans, Brandon Flowers-Chiefs, Chris Ellis-Bills and Josh Morgan-49ers). The focus of my attention was, of course, Eddie Royal and Carlton Powell. Virginia Tech lost the regular season game at home by four points due to: failing to cover an onsides kick after BC finally scored in the 4th quarter; and, a come from behind scoring drive led by Matt Ryan after BC covered their KO. In the ACC Championship game, ST kept VaTech in it (two blocked kicks) at first, followed by the D, until the offense finally scored the go-ahead TD in the 4th quarter on a stunning catch at the GL by Eddie Royal. In both games he caught a number of passes, many for first downs, but Eddie was one of four good VaTech WRs BC had to cover. He was lined up as a Z, off the LOS, sometimes in motion. He is a dangerous P/K returner BC worked very hard to contain.

Carlton Powell started at RDT, but VaTech rotated their whole D-Line regularly, so that's something he's used to. In the regular season game he was often lined up as a 1 tech (inside shade of the G) and, consequently, was often doubled. In spite of that, he was able to split the double on a number of occasions. BC didn't run the ball right at him very often and when they did they didn't gain much. VaTech slanted and stunted their DL often. A couple of times the call had Carlton slanting away from the side the run went to, but that's not his fault, it's the call. He seems to have a motor. On pass plays he gets a big push off the ball and has a spin move which I didn't expect. Sometimes the call had him looping outside where he shows quickness. Carlton had a tfl on a running play (5 tech in 3-man line prevent D) to force BC to punt from their - 8 or so, but they got a first down on a roughing the kicker penalty. He always pursues and never stops going for the ball until the whistle ends the play.

In the ACC Championship Game, Powell played mostly 3 tech although he got kicked to 0/NT a couple of times. His play was very consistently similar to the previous BC game. He is very strong at the point-of-attack and knows how to split a double. On passing plays, he always gets a big push off the ball and that kind of penetration is important because it can create gaps in pass pro. In the 4th quarter, I believe, BC had a 3rd & short situation where they tried to convert by a power running play. They came out in tight wing left, split backs w/FB left. Carlton was in a 3 tech. BC had their LT (Gosder Cherilus) block down on Carlton so their LG could pull and kick out the DE. BC's C and LT were supposed to double Powell out of the hole. BC's playside TE & Wing/H were supposed to block down/across the hole and clear out the backers while the FB was supposed to lead the TB through the 5/6 hole for a first down. When the G in front of Carlton pulled, he was able to get a little penetration before Cherilus and the C doubled him. Isn't the DVR feature great? I watched that play ten times in a row, at least. First to understand the blocking assignments and then to see what happened because the play lost almost a yard. When he got hit with the double, Carlton got stood up a little, but he SPLIT THE DOUBLE and ended up standing in the hole which allowed his teammates to flow to the ball and stuff the play for a loss. I should also add that the pulling G's kickout didn't go well either because the DE got low and didn't get moved.

Carlton Powell, JR. is a very hard DT to block, even with two OL. It must be a combination of strength, technique and tenacity. When BC tried to block him on a running play and Carlton wasn't slanting or pinching, he didn't get moved out of the way. In other words, at his level of competition, Powell is an OC's play calling red flag. BC actually ran mostly to the other side. But, on that crucial 3rd & short in the 4th quarter, Steve Logan (OC) must have thought they could double team Carlton out of the hole and get enough for a first down on a power running play. That's a classic case of the D lining up on the O. With a TE, H and a FB to that side, Tech correctly read run to the D's right. Maybe BC should have run PAP ... ? Carlton will be a rookie in the NFL probably rotating with DeWayne Robertson. It's a whole new game for him, but he seems to have what it takes, especially against the run.

It was nice to scout these Bronco rookies and focus on them exclusively since I already knew the outcome of the game. There probably won't be too many other rebroadcasts with Bronco rookies, although I did get to see Wesley Woodyard recently in the LSU at Kentucky game from 10/13/07. Like all Bronco fans, I hope most of their rookies make the team (one CFA, Hartley, was cut yeterday) and especially all the draftees. These recent rebroadcasts have given me cause for optimism.

Bad day for a vacation!

Haha right?

Today the Broncos:

• Cut last season's favorite to be the feature back in Denver Mike Bell, if you'll remember entering training camp Bell was listed as #1 on the depth-chart. Quickly falling from grace all the way into the fullback category. They also, of course, released kicker Garrett Hartley. There are still a few kickers left in free agency, John Carney being the most notable.
• They signed center Kory Lichtensteiger, leaving just three picks to be signed before Thursday. Remember there are still more cuts coming, because Denver still needs room on their roster for those three picks. Early guess for next cut? I'd say have a look towards the wide receiver position or the very deep defensive line pool. Most likely a receiver though.
• Pat Bowlen will introduce Gary Zimmerman at his Hall of Fame induction.

First Madden 2009 Denver Broncos scouting report published:

Maddenlist.com just featured the Broncos on their version of 32 teams in 32 days. It looks like you're going to have to work hard to get the Broncos up to the level to compete with some of the big dogs in Madden. Their offensive line isn't as great, Brandon Marshall's a beast and Josh Barrett may be on accident one of the best safeties in the game, if you're manually controlling him.

2008 Game by Game Preview: Week 7 New England, Week 8 Bye Week

With the NFL Preseason weeks away we here at Broncos Denver Broncos will be previewing the entire season ahead, two games at a time. This is all in fun, but in reality it will be our best effort at predicting how the 2008 season will actually shape up for the Broncos. It should be fun to look back in January or February and laugh...

So here goes any credibility that we have, hope that you enjoy and feel free to add, subtract or crack my orange tinted glasses in half. Just do it in the comment section:

Week 7 (Mon. October 20th, 2008)
at New England.

some facts: Denver and New England are tied for 2nd in the NFL for Super Bowl berths, with 6. Denver was the 6th team in the NFL to go to back to back Super Bowls, New England was the 7th. Denver was the only AFC team to do it in two decades, until New England joined them. Patriot's coach Bill Belichick and Mike Shanahan are the only active coaches to have won two Super Bowls and are members of an elite fraternity (12 coaches) to have ever won two Super Bowls. Since 1995 (under Shanahan) Denver is third (130-78-0) for most wins in the NFL, New England is first (135-73-0). In that same time span Denver is third in the NFL for points scored (5,079), while New England is fourth (4,883). Shanahan is 8-3 against the Patriots as a head coach, 4-2 at home and 4-1 at Foxborough. In the 2003-2004 seasons New England surpassed Denver's record of most wins in a two-year span (33), setting it at 34. Champ Bailey had one of the most dramatic interceptions in NFL Playoff history picking off New England's Tom Brady in the end-zone on January 14th, 2006, setting an NFL record for longest interception return not for a touchdown. Bailey's career was foreshadowed when he picked off former New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe in his first preseason game, returning it 46 yards for a touchdown. In 2005's regular season corner back Domonique Foxworth had 10 total tackles against New England (the second highest in his career). Denver tight end Daniel Graham was drafted by New England in the first round in 2002. Both safeties John Lynch and Marlon McCree's last interceptions took place against New England. McCree's best game in 2007 was played against New England (10 total tackles, 6 solo).

They're going to 'murdah' me for this one, but it is undeniable that Shanahan has owned the Patriots, whether it be in Denver or Foxborough. Actually the Patriots would probably be better off if this game were in Denver. Last year, as stupid as it sounded, the Patriots were lucky that they didn't have to play against Denver, with the way that teams were playing every game against them as if it were the Super Bowl (see the game vs. the Ravens or any game following week 7).

New England has the least difficult strength of schedule of anybody in the NFL (go figure) and partly because they're playing the AFC West. This is also likely the most difficult game that Denver will have all season, given the respect for the opponent coupled with the fact that the game is on Monday Night Football, the team should shine. That as well as the fact that the team has nothing to look forward to the next week except a well deserved break, following the most difficult stretch of their season.

Expect many players to step up in this game that haven't been necessarily heard from before. As always when Denver plays New England, fans will see formations on both sides of the ball that they haven't seen all season. Look at how great some of these match-ups will be, Champ Bailey vs. Randy Moss, Ryan Clady vs. Richard Seymour/Mike Vrabel, Tom Brady vs. Denver's Secondary, Boss Bailey vs. Ben Watson, Daniel Graham/Tony Schefler vs. Tedy Bruschi/Victor Hobson, Dre Bly vs. Wes Welker, et cetera...

New England for whatever reason, seems to never be able to defend against the safety blitz, when it comes to Denver (or even certain other AFC West teams). Denver had extreme trouble competing with teams that played the 3-4/5-2, the good news is this season, by this game, they will have already faced two of the best 3-4/5-2 defenses the NFL has to offer in Jacksonville and San Diego. So the Broncos offensive line will hopefully be ready for whatever it is that New England has to throw at them.

The scary part is on defense for the Broncos. Do they have what it takes to defend a full-on Brady attack? I think that they do, even with the likely emergence of Chad Jackson and Jabar Gaffney the talent in the secondary in Denver is going to be too much for anyone this season. Couple that with the fact that Brady will be avoiding joint rushes from Marlon McCree and John Lynch the whole game.

In the end, this will be the definitive game that makes the rest of the NFL take a look back and say, "Huh? These guys are really that good," and I'm looking forward to it. Got my tickets to Gillette Stadium already.

Denver emerges from Week 7, victorious 6-1, as they head into a perfectly timed Bye Week.

Week 8 (Sun. October 26th, 2008)
Bye Week.

Denver comes off the most difficult part of their entire schedule with a much deserved one-week vacation. Back to Denver to prepare for Miami and lick their wounds, in the upcoming weeks they face Miami, Cleveland (in Cleveland) and Atlanta (in Atlanta).

Denver is 6-1 with their sights set on Miami.

Preparing for the 2009 NFL Draft; pars octava:

Before continuing with this purely subjunctive, speculative and mostly imaginary (only the football players aren't) exercise, let's take a moment for some relevant considerations. The rounds in which the players discussed here may be drafted are mostly guesswork. For sure, it's based on measurables, production, level of competition and other stuff (e.g., character considerations), so maybe you could call it educated guesswork. Estimating how many and which Juniors come out in '09 and where they may plug into an anticipated draft order is like voodoo divination.

The League has been cool to allow fans to peek into the process, but the teams themselves jealously guard their evaluations and draft boards, especially the criteria by which they arrive at those conclusions. Plus, no team is monolithic in their thought processes. Within each club are factions which argue and struggle between and during their times on the clock. Between now and the end of April '09, much can happen. An entire college football season is yet to be played. Players will emerge to have impressive performances not only in big games, but over the course of the year. Injuries will occur and, unfortunately, so will arrests and dismissals. When the selection process begins, thirty-two different points-of-view will be presented in each round requiring quite a bit of reassessment on the fly. The draft itself is a game inside a game inside a game.

In '08, for example, who would have thought no WRs would be taken in the first round and that the first would be Donnie Avery from Houston? More CBs were drafted than most draftniks had predicted: five in the first round; six in the second; four in the third; NINE in the fourth; four in the fifth; one in the sixth; and, three in the seventh for a total of THIRTY-TWO! That's close to one-seventh (c.14%) of all players drafted at that one position. Chevis Jackson, CB, LSU was taken by Atlanta at #68 in the third while Steve Johnson, WR, Kentucky, who tore Chevis (and the SEC) up in '07, wasn't drafted until the seventh round (#224) by Buffalo. Denver surprised it's own fans (something I always enjoy) by drafting Eddie Royal, WR, VaTech in the second round and Jack Williams, CB, Kent State in the fourth.

The '08 draft pool was very deep before a bunch of great Juniors joined it. It was a good year for the Broncos to have nine draft picks. The quality of the CFAs is also testimony to the great depth of '08. Studying the probable '09 draft pool has led me to believe that it won't be as deep as '08 even when adding the anticipated group of Juniors. CFAs in '08 would probably be drafted in '09 (e.g., Wesley Woodyard and Anthony Alridge). I'm not exactly sure how many draft choices the Broncos have in '09. I'm assuming seven, but are they due any from other teams or by compensation? Don't know. It also isn't completely clear what Denver will need to give the NY Jets for DeWayne Robertson. Seems as if it might be conditional on how much he plays involving anywhere from a 4th or 5th to a 6th or 7th round pick. I sure hope it isn't a fourth because if you'll reread "pars septima", the fourth round of '09 is expected to still have a bunch of good football players.

Another unpredictable is whether or not Mike Shanahan will trade up. He'd tell you he isn't even worried about that right now because TC and the season are here. He'll study it after the season. He has a whole staff of college scouts on it. FS, G and TE should still need help in '09. Question is, how well the RBs, MLBs and DL do in '08? What will the CB situation be as regards resignings, FA and salary cap? The fourth round in '09 could be used to address any of those. I really think that every other year the Broncos should try to keep all of their picks and even acquire some more. They have been accumulating many young players, but there is a limit to how many rookies a team can absorb. It takes two or three years to properly evaluate rookies and most of them seem to be signing three or four year contracts. Drafting ought to be an exercise in choosing guys who have a good chance of making the team as '08 seems to be. Alternate years could be used to target players for whom to trade up (usually requiring the loss of draft choices) as in '07.

Here are some possible fifth rounders for the Broncos to consider in 2009:

• Jaison Williams, WR, Oregon, 6-4, 240, 56 rec, 844 yds, 8 TD in '07. [*Ducks' leading receiver] Seems big enough to be an H-Back or TE, doesn't he? So are Brandon Marshall and rookie Lorne Sam. If the Broncos feel the need for a big receiver, here's Jaison. If he gains over a thousand yards in '08, he might be worth it. Dropped passes seem to have been an issue. Guys his size shouldn't worry about the coverage. On the contrary, he should be terrorizing the secondaries. We'll be watching.
  
  
• George Hypolite, DT, CU, 6-1, 288, 49 tkl, 6 sk, 5.5 tfl, 1 pbu and 1 int in '07. After the "jumbo" experiment with DT in '07, he seems small, but have you seen him play? This dude has a motor. I'm thinking he would fit with Denver's new DL concept. He could become one of those three-hundred pound bowling balls I think the Denver DL needs. Besides, when a DT comes in on rotation, he needs to bring some game and not just hold the fort.
  
  
• DeAndre Wright, CB, UNM, 5-11, 193, 36 tkl, 1.5 tfl, 9 pbu and 3 int in '07. If the Broncos decide to add another CB in '09, I would prefer Londen Fryar, Western Michigan, listed as a fourth round prospect. If however, another need is addressed in the fourth, this Lobo could be worth it depending on the CB position situation Denver finds itself in next Spring. As much as the Mountain West throws the ball, their DBs are usually pretty good.
  
  
• Will Johnson, DT, Michigan, 6-5, 290, 40 tkl, .5 sk, 2 tfl in '07. Plays for a big school with the biggest stadium in a big conference. Need to keep tabs on him in '08. Michigan will probably play the 3-3-5 D that Rich Rodriguez used at WVA. DL in that D are usually sent to a designated gap on each call (e.g., slant, angle, pinch). That could be considered a good preparation for the style the Broncos may use this season. By the way, Will's one of those academic awards guys, too.
  
  
• Jorvorskie Lane, FB, Texas A&M, 6-0, 278, 169 att, 780 yds, 16 TD, 12 rec, 115 yds, 1 TD [*as a RB] Mike Sherman is moving him to FB in '08 which will put Lane and TB Mike Goodson in the backfield together for obvious reasons. It remains to be seen how Jorvorskie will adapt to a different position where he will have plenty to do (blocking and receiving) without being handed the ball. Sherman is probably looking at his roster and saying to himself that a 280 pound back: a) better be a blocker; and b) needs to lose some weight. Lane has a reputation for slacking in the offseason, but maybe a new coach and a new attitude will change that. FB was a need for the Broncos last year. Peyton Hillis will have the opportunity to become a pro fullback which consists of blocking, special teams, blocking, receiving, blocking and carrying the ball occasionally followed by more blocking. Sometimes big RBs who have been accustomed to running the ball have difficulty becoming the multi-dimensional player a FB must be. Maybe a real pro coach can turn Lane into a real pro FB.
  
  
• Andy Levitre, G, Oregon State, 6-2, 324. A college tackle who projects to G in the NFL and can play C as well. Interchangeability is a necessity for NFL OL and this guy could play T or C in a pinch. Sometimes fans try to pigeonhole OL in one starting or backup spot. Truth is you start your best five and if one of those goes down, bring in #6 and shuffle if necessary. I hope the Broncos will have drafted a G before the fifth round in '09, but if not, Andy might be there. He probably compares to Montrae Holland. Oh, and he's one of those academic awards guys, too.

If the Denver Broncos end up having to give a draft choice to the Jets for DeWayne Robertson, I hope it's just a sixth or seventh because it looks like the '09 pool of players holds up fairly well through five rounds. A reasonable 2009 draft through five rounds for Denver might look something like:

• 1st: Courtney Greene, FS, Rutgers;
• 2nd: Mitch Petrus, G, Arkansas;
• 3rd: Bear Pascoe, TE, Fresno State;
• 4th: Scott McKillop, MLB, Pitt or Devin Moore, RB, WYO or Londen Fryar, CB, Western Michigan;
• 5th: George Hypolite, DT, CU or DeAndre Wright, CB, New Mexico.

Quantitatively the Broncos may need to draft more defensive than offensive players in '09 ... maybe.

Linebackers & Special Teams

Since the demise of Al Wilson, this position has been in need of help. At the conclusion of '07, the only definite was DJ Williams, but exactly where he should be in the LB Corps was under debate (not to be confused with salmon eggs & nightcrawlers). At MLB, DJ had 170 TT in '07, almost double that of SLB, Nate Webster, with 100. Nate was surrounded by players with high tackle numbers: Champ Bailey (81); John Lynch (62); John Engelberger (59) and Nick Ferguson (56). Is it possible they (especially the DBs) were picking up a few he should have? I always thought it was a bad sign when the DBs were making a large number of tackles.

DJ is now at WLB where many feel he will dominate. Boss Bailey was brought in at SLB not only replacing Webster, but bumping him to MLB due to the excellence of Jamie Winborn. The void at MLB has Niko Koutouvides (FA/Seattle), Spencer Larsen (6th round/Arizona) and Nate Webster as candidates. In the recent mini camps, Webster worked with 1st team D, but none of it was w/hats & pads. Many expect Webster to compete with Koutouvides to be the starter. Some have predicted that Webster making the team will be trouble for Jordan Beck.

This reminds me of those predicting Travis Henry (who?) would start at RB in the season opener. I'm over 300 miles from Englewood (GO PIRATES! I student taught there) and have no access to practices. I'm not Jim Ryan, in whom I have great confidence. It's presumptuous to boldly predict who will and won't make the team. Having said all that, you expect something, don't you? Of course!

My take is that if Larsen plays ST well and looks promising in the middle, he makes the team. Ditto for DJ, Boss, Koutouvides and Winborn. Also listed as a LB is Wesley Woodyard (CFA Kentucky). Wearing #59 it seems that he is , for the moment, a LB. He could be a candidate for SS/Monster/Rover to follow in the cleat marks of John Lynch. Let's wait until we see if his number changes or if he is listed as a S. He's a strong, young defensive player who has a chance to impress on ST just as Larsen does.

Special Teams! Yeah, how did that go in '07? Not well from my perspective. I see a slew of young, fresh legs headed toward TC who have the chance to impress with ST play. Speaking of ST, who was leading ST tackler in '07? Jamie Winborn. Who was #2? Jordan Beck by only one stick. Are we counting on our fingers yet? That's right. Including Wesley Woodyard and Louis Green, whom we haven't mentioned (3rd in ST tackles, one behind Beck) the Broncos have nine LBs going into camp. Beck, who went to a pretty tough school academically (Cal Poly San Luis Obispo), is 25 years old and has a pretty impressive set of wheels for a LB. His ST play in '07 is still in the mind's eye for me. Wasn't he a 3rd round pick of the Falcons in '05?

I can't see into the future as Homer's immortal gods, but methinks a pattern is developing. The Broncos are on a serious youth movement. ST needs some headhunters, too. Young guys are good at ST. If Nate Webster doesn't start at MLB and if Larsen (MLB) makes the team ... I don't know if Nate will survive the last cut. From backup LB to starting MLB to starting SLB to fighting for MLB doesn't sound very settled (kinda like his helmet). How many LBs will Denver keep? My guess is six (two each of WLB, MLB and SLB) and the backups better be ST aces. Green at 28 years old seems to have a better chance of making the roster than Webster (30) although he seems pressed, too.

Let us not forget that Spencer Larsen was in the process of learning FB as well as MLB which must mean he knows how to block (as well as having brains). How many ST do you think he'll be on? All of them. It's a gut feeling on my part, but I think Woodyard will move to SS. Let's observe his ST performance closely during preseason.

Nate Webster is nothing if not an all-out totally enthusiastic football player. However, if he doesn't beat out Koutouvides, he'd better beg for the chance to shine on ST. Niko was ST captain in Seattle so you'd expect him to be on at least one. That reminds me of something I haven't seen much of lately, and that is talk of the truly fierce competition for position combined with ST implications. Morituri te salutamus. Let the games begin.

'08 Season Record: Cause for Optimism?

Or delusion? Ever hear the way Lewis Black says that? Delooosion. Well, Ian, I've given some thought to the same topic on which you have held forth so persuasively. This is something you hope the players never do (yeah, right)... prognosticate. Being a creature of habit, there is a certain way I have always broken down the Broncos' upcoming season. The repetitious and structured nature of the schedule lends itself to this.

Division opponents: At this time, a split with San Diego would seem a reasonable goal with game two at Denver being the obvious venue. It comes after a Monday night game at Oakland. Nothing in the NFL is easy. KC and Oakland are in the process of getting better, too, but a sweep of both will be necessary. 5-1?

AFC East: Buffalo and Miami at home; Patriots and Jets on the road. Optimistically speaking, we could say defeats of the home opponents and split the road games. I like the Bills and respect them; always have. But, I think winning at Mile High will be too much for them. At this point few would expect the Dolphins to defeat the Broncos although they did defeat the Ravens ... Cutler's arm should do well in the Meadowlands allowing DeWayne to have a successful reappearance in his old stomping grounds. Realistically, we are expecting an L in New England although the Broncos have had some success even there... 3-1?

NFC South: This is where the luck of the scheduling is most advantageous. The two toughest teams from this group, the Saints and the Bucs, appear in Denver early in the season. The Broncos travel to Atlanta and Carolina during the second half of the season. Would a sweep of this division be too optimistic, especially after '07's unsatisfactory performance vs. the NFC North? Nah! 4-0?

The other two second place teams from AFC divisions: This is the most problematic of these segments. The tougher of the two, Jacksonville, is a home game in the first half of the season. Normally, I would figure that as an L, but the Broncos could conceivably be 5-0 at that point. Momentum and the hysteria of Denver's home fans would be formidable obstacles for the Jags to overcome. The Browns have a weird, symbiotic relationship with the Broncos. The nature of the symbiosis seems to be just when the Browns are starting to get good, the Broncos rain on their parade. Not yet? 1-1? 2-0?

Let's see, 5+3+4+1 or 2=13 or 14. Wow, Ian, you are persuasive!