NFL to Denver: Still Just Human

It was suggested early last week by me, that, being that the Kansas City Chiefs employed two of the best players in the NFL- maybe they should try getting them the ball. I suggested maybe just passing the ball to Tony Gonzalez and Dewayne Bowe all the time, spell that by handing the ball off to Larry Johnson- couldn't be a worse outcome right? 

Well, slap my ass and call me Herm Edwards.

The problem? The Denver Broncos defense was complacent in their misery, they may have actually gained overall ground in the NFL against the Chiefs; being that the Chiefs only scored 33 points. The Broncos secondary gave up only 160 yards to the Chiefs and only 207 yards to their ground game. By all looks of it, Denver showed vast improvement on defense. As good as the Broncos defense is at being bad, it was ultimately the Broncos offense that lost the game. 

Denver fans were ready to crown Brandon Marshall the messiah and Eddie Royal his second coming. Then they both fumbled, Royal on the Broncos opening drive, deep in Denver territory. Marshall's was even worse though... 

The Messiah's drop cost the Broncos their drive, their forward momentum and their confidence. Quarterback Jay Cutler went on to throw two times as many interceptions to the Chiefs than he has all season, if that wasn't enough, his sack total was doubled as well. 

However, despite it all, Cutler threw for 361 yards, Royal had his second 100-yard game, Selvin Young kept chipping away at his 2,000 yard prediction with 49 yards (only 1,821 to go). So what gives? Brandon Stokley even came out a bit this game, he was worth 80 yards. So improved defense- check. Offensive production- check. Better special teams- check. What's so different this game?

It has become my mantra lately, defense wins championships, but not games- hell, the Philadelphia Eagles just proved it, losing to the Chicago Bears. Offense wins games.

Breaking down my focuses:

• Focus one: Contain Tony Gonzalez.
  
  Throughout all of my scouting on the Chiefs, last week I in advisably said that the Chiefs should just feed Gonzo the ball. Let Johnson and Bowe spell him and just see what happens. The Chiefs did find Gonzalez for a touchdown, but for the most part Boss Bailey kept the man in check. 
  
  
• Focus two: Stop Larry Johnson.
  
  The man went buck wild on that 65-yard run, he shouldn't have, but it happened and he did. He finished with 198 yards. He probably wouldn't have, except Kansas City was leading the whole game, did you expect them to pass? The man has made a career out of teeing off against the Broncos. 
  
  
• Focus three: Cover Dewayne Bowe.
  
  For the life of me I do not know why Bowe caught wild on Denver, but then again, I really do and that brings me to my fourth focus. That was... 
  
  
• Focus four: Incorporate rookie cornerback Jack Williams in as the nickel back. 
  
  Fed up with Karl Paymah getting ran over? Me too, I was the first calling for Jack "Mother F***ing" Williams two weeks ago, he tore it up in preseason and in training camp. However, Jack "Mother F***ing" Williams became Jack "Mother F***er" Williams today. However, what the hell was he doing covering Bowe in the first place? Who the hell was Champ Bailey covering on that play? It got to the point where literally every time Bowe caught a pass, Williams was covering him. What is up with that? Did the Chiefs have two other receivers that I wasn't aware of that warranted Bailey and Dre Bly's attention? 

Let me sum this whole thing up by saying that, I'd rather Denver get humbled in September by the Chiefs then get blown up by the Carolina Panthers in the midst of a playoff hunt. So with that out of the way, I've got plenty of Tampa Bay Buccaneers scouting information to report to you. So keep plugged in, because I'm back. 

Larry Johnson photo courtesy of Reuters.

Brandon Marshall courtesy of A.P./Charles Riedel

Denver Broncos vs. Dallas Cowboys: Fourth Quarter

Phelps won his 8th Gold Medal or 7th?

It's good to finally hear Keary Colbert's name.

Alright, Patrick Ramsey's a bum, leaving Glenn Martinez open like that. Hope that he's okay.

Are we seeing elements of Bob Slowik's, "Bend but don't break," defense? It's possible, haven't really seen a blitz or even eight men in the box yet this game. So it's hard to tell, during the season, I expect to see much more blitzing, especially from the corners and safeties though.

Please let Darrell Hackney come into the game with eight minutes left.

I think I jinxed Clifford Russell, Glen Martinez made a smart play downing the botched kick off.

No Darrell Hackney.

Brett Kern just redefined, "Booming," a punt.

Good to see Spencer Larsen having a presence this game on special teams.

Forgot to say that I like Jordan Beck this game on defense too, injuries are getting him many more reps.

Don't know what to think of Tyrone Poole in his first game back with Denver. Biggest hit I've seen him make came against Jarvis Moss so far.

Spencer Larsen laced Richard Bartel, good hit.

Jack Williams saved the game! Haha, should have been a pick six though.

Oh sure, now Darrell Hackney comes in.

Matt Prater goes 3 of 4 again this game.

Denver wins! 23-13.

Denver Broncos at Houston Texans: 3rd Quarter Notes

• Rookie Wesley Woodyard starts off the half with a special teams tackle inside the 20 yard-line.
  
  
• LB Niko Koutouvides gets beat by David Anderson. Makes up for it on the next play by almost stripping the ball.
  
  
• DE Jarvis Moss jumps offsides, but that didn't stop Houston from moving the sticks.
  
  
• Houston's (and former CSU Ram) David Anderson looks very good.
  
  
• Jarvis Moss may have injured his left arm on a tackle.
  
  
• Sage Rosenfels throws deep to Jacoby Jones covered by Roderick Rogers, 41 yards inside the Broncos 10. Jarvis Moss nearly had the sack.
  
  
• Rookie CB Jack Williams gets lucky that Sage Rosenfels didn't see David Anderson wide open. Williams had left Anderson wide open in poor coverage.
  
  
• 3rd and Goal from the six, Rosenfels bubble screen to David Anderson does not score. Denver's defensive tightening up when they have to. Houston settles for a field goal. 16-7 Houston.
  
  
• Clifford Russell returns the kickoff out to the 27 yard return.
  
  
• Anthony Aldridge's first carry is negated by a holding penalty on Denver rookie guard Mitch Erickson.
  
  
• Anthony Aldridge fumbles his next play, a pass from Patrick Ramsey, Denver recovers.
  
  
• 2nd and 15 wing right slot left, Anthony Aldridge gets another run, does nothing, gaining two yards. 3rd and long.
  
  
• Patrick Ramsey from shotgun hands off on a draw play to Michael Pittman, gets to the thirty. Denver will punt.
  
  
• A crazy punt return by Houston's Jacoby Jones that must have been at least 65 total yards of running from right to left, end in a fumble in which Denver's fullback Cecil Sapp recovers the ball. Sapp narrowly made it onto the field in time, looking like he wasn't aware he was supposed to be in on coverage.
  
  
• Denver lucks out starting this drive on the Texans 24.
  
  
• Patrick Ramsey passes for four yards to Michael Pittman who was playing fullback.
  
  
• Ramsey throws behind Pittman on the next play, now third down.
  
  
• From shotgun, Houston showing blitz, protection great, Ramsey's throw was tipped at the LOS by Gabe Long, almost intercepted, but Darrell Jackson just misses the catch.
  
  
• K Matt Prater attempt number two, splits the uprights from 38 yards. Field goal is
  good! 16-10 Houston.
  
  
• Houston's Steve Slanton is tripped up by Wesley Woodyard again at the 20 on the kickoff return. Woodyard was crawling on his hands and knees to make the tackle.
  
  
• Houston QB Shane Boyd fakes a toss, the entire defense bites and he gains 16 yards going the opposite way.
  
  
• Denver's defense stops Houston on 4th and short, taking over on their on Houston's 49.
  
  
• Darrell Hackney comes in just under three minutes left in the 3rd quarter. PJ Alexander is in at center.
  
  
• Hackney swings it out to Anthony Aldridge and picks up the first down.
  
  
• Anthony Aldridge takes a hand off and splits to the sideline for a gain of 20 yards.
  
  
• Darrell Hackney makes a good move, holding onto the ball and tossing it out of bounds on a broken play.
  

3rd Quarter Notes:

Positives: Darrell Jackson, Josh Barrett has been all over the field, Wesley Woodyard looks like he's going to make an immediate impact on ST. Darrell Hackney continues to look better than Patrick Ramsey. Cecil Sapp had a very heads up ST play.

Negatives: Anthony Aldridge didn't look too good before his 20 yard run. Keary Colbert needs to do something quick.

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Denver Broncos at Houston Texans: 2nd Quarter Notes

- Marquand Manuel made a big hit on WR Tim Carter, but Carter was able to hold on for a gain of 16.

- Cornerback Jack Williams was beat for a short gain.

- On 3rd and 7 Denver's pass defense was able to hold.

- Houston K Kris Brown is good on a field goal from 52 yards.

- RB Andre Hall subbing in for Eddie Royal to return kicks for Denver, he runs one back for 23 yards.

- Patrick Ramsey comes in for Jay Cutler, Andre Hall in for Selvin Young, Tony Scheffler comes in at TE.

- Tony Scheffler catches a 12 yard pass before being knocked out of bounds, he lined up in the slot.

- Andre Hall runs back to the line of scrimmage.

- Denver's running attack looks anemic.

- Patrick Ramsey is picked off by former Bronco safety Nick Ferguson, returning the ball 32 yards to the Bronco 26. Ramsey over threw Keary Colbert.

- Marlon McCree stopped a walk-in touchdown by Chris Taylor.

- Former CSU Ram WR David Anderson catches a TD in front of CB Karl Paymah, toe tipping it in at the pylon. A play familiar to Denver fans, Houston QB Sage Rosenfels bootlegged out to easily hit an open Anderson.

- Clifford Russell and Anthony Aldridge back to take the kick, Aldridge receives for

- WR Keary Colbert misses a big block, which would have set off HB Andre Hall for a large gain, he's negated to six yards.

- Same play, Hall gains three yards.

- Double tight end set, Andre Hall needs short yardage and got the one yard he needed for the first.

- Patrick Ramsey passes to Andre Hall for no gain. Could have been picked off by Houston's corner.

- Andre Hall could have broke a big run, ends up getting 14 getting tackled by the last player that could have done so.

- Andre Hall on his sixth consecutive play getting the ball gains one yard on the next play.

- 2nd and 9 Houston pass interference on Keary Colbert, automatic first down Denver.

- Quick throw to WR Darrell Jackson, he's wrapped up quickly, gaining three.

- Quick throw to Tony Scheffler, same result three yards.

- Andre Hall runs on 3rd and 4 and gets the first down, gain of nine. Hall showed patience waiting for the line to collapse and opens up the soft spot in Houston's D. 04:40 left in the 2nd Quarter.

- Hall again up the gut for nine yards. Houston SS Glenn Hall makes the TD saving stop.

- HB Michael Pittman subs in and picks up the first down.

- Tony Scheffler catches the ball on the ten yard-line, making it to the eight yard-line.

- Denver showing a power running game.

- Michael Pittman was swarmed on 1st down and loses four yards.

- 3rd and 9 Ramsey over throws the well covered Nate Jackson, Ramsey was hit as he threw.

- K Matt Prater is out for his first field goal ever, attempt of 30 yards. He misses his first attempt as a Denver Bronco.

- Back on Defense, 2nd and 4 Houston's Sage Rosenfels hits David Anderson for the first down. Dre Bly was in for the first time.

- Denver's pass rush, led by Tim Crowder leads to a hurried pass, Marquand Manuel blitzing from his blind side.

- Next play, cornerbacks Chrisitan Morton and Dre Bly both blitz, Morton blindsides Sage Rosenfels, who fumbles the ball Houston's HB Chris Brown recovers the ball. Morton came in untouched.

- Eddie Royal gets his first punt return opportunity finally, yet the punt rush penetrates quickly and Houston's 39 year-old punter Matt Turk runs the ball for a first down. The referees review the play.

- After review the ball was one yard short of the first down. Denver gets the ball just inside Houston territory with 00:42 left in the half.

- Darrell Jackson catches a quick screen taking it 14 yards inside the 30 yard line. 00:13 left in the half. Play is negated on an offensive holding play, Ryan Harris now has three penalties in one half. Though it didn't look like holding on Harris. Back to the 45 yard line.

- Patrick Ramsey dumps off the ball to Andre Hall, flags fly and right tackle Ryan Harris is again called on holding. The ball goes back over the 50 yard line.

- Trips left, Darrell Jackson wide right, Patrick Ramsey throws deep ball is picked off, then lateraled, finally Darrell Jackson tackles the carrier. Half is over.

2nd Quarter Notes:

Positives: Andre Hall, Darrell Jackson, Denver's corner blitz.
Negatives: Matt Prater, Patrick Ramsey (2 int's), Ryan Harris (4 penalties, one half).

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Denver Broncos Announce Depth Chart

At least as of August 3rd, 2008 at least.

You can click the above image to expand it. A couple notes for those that may need them, however if you've been keeping up with my training camp updates you shouldn't be surprised by anything on the list:

• Rookie wide receiver Eddie Royal is the backup for Brandon Marshall (who may or may not be suspended by game 1).
  
• Darrell Jackson is the number two wide out, while Keary Colbert is third on the depth chart.
  
• Marlon McCree is the starting free safety, while Hamza Abdullah is the starting strong safety.
  
• Rookie corner back Jack Williams is a third stringer.
  
• Chris Kuper is listed as the starting right guard, while Montrae Holland is listed as the number two, despite not participating in training camp actively as a guard. Rookie Mitch Erickson is listed as the third-stringer.
• Rookie running back Ryan Torain is listed as the third string running back.
  
• Ryan Harris is listed as the starting right tackle, with rookie Tyler Polumbus listed as his backup.
  

Keep it here at the Broncos Denver Broncos Blog for further updates today and every day.

Head coach Mike Shanahan had the following to say in regards to the depth chart:

"You have to put a depth chart out before the first exhibition game," Shanahan said. "I think we all know there are a number of positions that are very close, but you have to put someone down at first team and second team — even though you really don't know. It's that close."

Denver Broncos Training Camp Day 9 (Morning) Report

Young Broncos are shinning! However, more on that in a bit.

As I stated yesterday, veteran center Tom Nalen's MRI came back negative, but he still sat out today. Nalen was joined on the sideline by: Chad Mustard (hamstring), Boss Bailey (knee), Hamza Abdullah (groin) and Montrae Holland was once again conditioning with Rich Tuten. Rookie linebacker Spencer Larsen was excused from practice, as his wife is having a baby. So congratulations to Spencer Larsen. More good news is that rookie fullback Peyton Hillis and running back Michael Pittman were both in pads and participating in practice today, Cecil Sapp can rest up a bit finally and Brett Pierce can return to only playing tight end.

Now onto training camp notes:

Jack Williams breaks up Keary Colbert's reception

• Rookie corner back Jack Williams and Domonique Foxworth continue to make the best of every opportunity that they get. Foxworth is making a legitimate case for becoming Denver's number two option at corner back. He's said earlier this week that he believes that there are 32 teams in the league that he could start for, which includes Denver. Foxworth and Dre Bly actually both caught the wrath of a peaked Brandon Marshall who shared one of his best days in camp with the extremely accurate Jay Cutler.

• Rookie safety Josh Barrett has also stepped up significantly this week, particularly in the last two days (in the absence of Hamza Abdullah). Having broken passes up, thumping running backs in the backfield and blitzing the quarterback, he's kind of making it look easy. Barrett's jarring hits while performing for the second-team defense didn't prove to be enough to cause tight end Nate Jackson to drop a pass, as he was leveled by Barrett, but managed to hold on to the pass. The young Barrett got his revenge in a goal line situation, preventing Jackson from scoring on a short pass at the three yard line.
  
  
• Position battle wise: Niko Koutouvides suited at middle linebacker with the first-team defense and the two day rotation between Koutouvides and Nate Webster became evident. I'm not sure anymore where Tony Scheffler stands, obviously Daniel Graham is the number one tight end, but did Nate Jackson become the number two for Denver and then lose it? Scheffler played more with the first-team today and Jackson played more with the second-team offense today. Patrick Ramsey's successes continue to pale in comparison to that of third-stringer Darrel Hackney. And as far as the offensive line goes, calls for heads rolling may have been a bit premature... Today Jay Cutler succeeded because the emphasis was on passing and the offensive line looks great in pass protection. However, when Cutler has a bad day it's normally because of the amount of time he has to pass the ball. One last position battle is the number four receiver, Eddie Royal and Keary Colbert, it's too tough to tell.

The crowd collectively asked, "Jason who?"

• Matt Prater went ten for ten in field goal kicks, including one for 68 yards. That's not a typo.
  
  
• Here's the deal on Denver's rookie running backs Anthony Aldridge and Ryan Torain. Bronco fans have every reason to be excited about these two, for many years ahead there will be success, but when they look the best, they're playing against second and third-team defensive players. That being said, I don't believe that anyone should be lobbying for Torain to start immediately, not that anyone is. Selvin Young and Andre Hall are still the guys in Denver and as I've said before, I wouldn't be surprised to see movement at the top of the chart sometime during preseason.
  
  
• The receivers, you've no doubt heard that this was Brandon Marshall's best day of camp, possibly anyone in Denver's best day of camp. The rest of the first-team receivers, Darrell Jackson and Brandon Stokley, both looked great as well. I mentioned the number four spot battle earlier and I think that Keary Colbert might have the edge over rookie Eddie Royal, because of blocking ability. That's just what my instincts are telling me.
  
  
• Jay Cutler's good day was directly due to the strength of the offensive line, who seemed to have finally come together as a unit, despite having their leader replaced by center Casey Wiegmann. That's the first-team offensive line, the second-team offensive line was a mess and the first-team defensive line, led by DeWayne Robertson, made them flat out look bad.
  
  
• Speaking of the defensive line, Jarvis Moss is making it look easy, adding several sacks, pressures and knock downs to his training camp total. Fans can look forward to a very strong interior rotation on the defensive line, consisting of: Ebenezer Ekuban, DeWayne Robertson, Josh Mallard, Marcus Thomas and Alvin McKinley.

Denver Broncos Training Camp: Day 6 (Morning)

Defense rules, offensive drools...

And the Denver Broncos roll on:

• Out today: tight end Chad Mustard (still on PUP list), center Tom Nalen, running back Michael Pittman, safety John Lynch, defensive tackle DeWayne Robertson, fullback Peyton Hillis and guard Montrae Holland is still being stalked by strength and conditioning coach Rich Tuten. Though fans should not stress at the list, Lynch had a personal day, while Nalen and Robertson were resting. Pittman sitting out is most likely due to the fact that the Broncos are wearing out their fullbacks left and right. Only one man, Cecil Sapp is still free of injury and tight end Brett Pierce has been pulled to help carry the load at fullback. Was the release of Mike Bell a little early?
  
  
• The Denver defense was dominant and that was most evident in the play of Jay Cutler, who spent the day running for his life (despite the fact that he can't be sacked). Cutler got to experience Ebenezer Ekuban in beast mode as Ekuban smashed a ball out of the air intended for rookie receiver Eddie Royal. There's more on Ekuban's play later in the blog. Cutler didn't do entirely horrible, he seems to have his timing down with Royal and Darrell Jackson.

Kyle Sonneman over at the official site was able to grab this great picture of Eddie Royal laying out:

Royal split the seam during seven-on-seven drills, blowing by rookie corner Jack Williams and Cutler hit him before Roderick Rogers could make it over to help out.

• Staying on the quarterbacks for a moment, did Darrell Hackney surpass Patrick Ramsey on the depth chart? Ramsey did not see nearly as much time as Hackney and the third string quarterback used every moment of the spotlight to shine. Hackney showed great poise and definitely planted his flag in the ground by the time morning practice was over. Connecting on deep passes to wide outs Keary Colbert and Brandon Marshall, both in traffic.
  
  
• In the backfield, Andre Hall continues to be the star of the group, but it seems to me that the only place you're going to read about that is here in this blog. Until someone at one of the Denver papers takes notice. Selvin Young does have a firm grip on his spot atop the Denver depth chart, if there's going to be any movement on the depth chart it's apparently going to have to happen in the preseason. Defensive end Jarvis Moss took advantage of the youth movement in his onslaught of rookies Ryan Torain and Anthony Aldridge, blowing them both up on two consistent plays. Torain seems to be more of the grinder and Aldridge is the stampeder. The jury is still out on Cecil Sapp, as injuries to Peyton Hillis and Michael Pittman have forced Sapp to take far more snaps than usual and the fatigue is starting to show.
  
  
• Moving on to the wide outs, as I mentioned Darrell Jackson is still good and will be Denver's number two (if not number one) at the season's start. Keary Colbert looked better than he has, but he will more than likely sit behind rookie Eddie Royal this season. Possibly even behind Glenn Martinez as well. Receivers such as Samie Parker, Lorne Sam, Taylor Jacobs, Marquay McDaniel and Clifford Russell all face steep uphill climbs to make the roster. Though if Marshall is suspended Parker looks to lead thus far in making it in as the sixth man for Denver's roster.
  
  
• Tight ends Tony Scheffler and Nate Jackson continue to one up each other throughout drills and eleven-on-eleven's. The lack of tight end was a concern during team camps, but Jackson seems to be earning that raise.
  
  
• Defensive tackle Marcus Thomas was the source of headaches to both backup center Casey Wiegmann and Jay Cutler as we was consistently busting through Wiegmann on his way to Cutler. Jarvis Moss is staying true to camp form, although Ryan Harris continues to grow and is looking more and more like the starting right tackle the Bronco staff so desperately wants him to be. If it were up to me, Denver's starting four at defensive line would be Elvis Dumervil, Josh Mallard, Ebenezer Ekuban and Jarvis Moss- all of whom Denver seems to be using when they line up first-team nickel formation. I'm not going to comment on the strength of Denver's defensive line for fear of jinxing them, but I don't think Denver will have the troubles that they did last season.
  
  
• Domonique Foxworth and Hamza Abdullah are still ball hawking, combined they both had around six interceptions today. Rookie safety Josh Barret snatched a ball away from Tony Scheffler, not an interception though, he literally grabbed a ball away that Scheffler had caught. Foxworth may push Dre Bly for the number two corner back spot and as I've mentioned previously Foxworth does play second during the nickel and 4-3-3-1 formations. Marlon McCree took all of John Lynch's snaps, in his absence.

Denver Broncos Training Camp: Day 5 (Morning Practice)

A little late, I apologize- ran into some traffic, here's the highlights:

Rookie fullback Peyton Hillis, starting center Tom Nalen and tight end Chad Mustard (who's been out since team camp) were not suited today. Right guard Montrae Holland again spent time on the sideline with strength and conditioning coach Rich Tuten.

• Fans who have followed should notice that the Broncos defense will in fact look towards the past with their new scheme. This means blitzing, especially from the edges, we've seen Champ Bailey come off the edge so quickly that had it been a game the quarterback may have been annihilated. Today it was Dre Bly's turn and while he gave his best effort to sack Jay Cutler, Cutler seemed to exhibit a thing or two that he's been working this off season- scrambling. Cutler broke past Bly with a spin move that was called canceled out by coaches who ruled the play a sack, based on the fact that defensive players are not allowed to hit the quarterback. Denver fans have a lot to look forward to though, as the bootleg is back and rookie fullback Peyton Hillis possesses two of the best hands in Denver.
  
  
• Where the Broncos may be in trouble at their quarterback position is with their backup, Patrick Ramsey does not seem to be able to gel very well with the new guys. Over throwing backs in the flat and give me interceptions to the Denver defensive backs (one of which newly acquired safety Marlon McCree picked off).
  
  
• As I mentioned earlier, Tom Nalen sat out and we got to see Casey Wiegmann at center with the first team. He did not disappoint, the offensive line, with only one single returning starter from last season (Chris Kuper) looked leaps and bounds better than they have over the last couple of days as a unit. Charging the way for Cutler to connect consistently during the eleven-on-eleven scrimmage, resulting in a touchdown pass, on a bootleg to wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Right tackle Ryan Harris continues to improve, making every day better than the last for him. That's the good news, the bad news (for Ryan Harris) is that Erik Pears and rookie tackle Tyler Polumbus are breathing heavily down his neck, both had very good days. At right guard Kuper was able to fend off defensive tackle DeWayne Robertson (whom has been a nightmare for Broncos interior linemen thus far). Though Robertson proved to be too much for Wiegmann once or twice. Rookie center/guard Kory Lichtensteiger also got a lot of work in and he looks good.
  
  
• At tight end, Tony Scheffler and Nate Jackson lined up opposite each other, with Daniel Graham looking improved in the short passing game. The heavy involvement of Jackson over the last couple days may indicate depth chart movement at this position- meaning Jackson may have bumped Scheffler down. However, I don't see that being the case, as Scheffler has always been Cutler's favorite option on the field.
  
  
• In the offensive backfield Michael Pittman played the entirety at fullback. Andre Hall was once again the best running back of the committee, catching and running better than the others. That is not to say that Selvin Young isn't still brilliant at running back, because he is. Hall's just looking better. Rookies Ryan Torain and Anthony Aldridge both continue to shine in training camp. Denver's offense seems to be using the running back more and more as a pass option than they have in recent years, one if not two of the backs in Denver could draw comparisons to great receiving backs of the past. Torain knocked over defensive end Elvis Dumervil in a pass block, while both Aldridge and last year's starting fullback Cecil Sapp struggled a bit with dropped balls that should have been caught. Where Sapp failed (catching passes), Pittman excelled and both quarterbacks (Cutler and Ramsey) used him as a constant option throughout the day. Sapp also drew the teeth of Mike Shanahan and running back coach Bobby Turner, over his apparent lack of focus.
  
  
• At receiver both Brandon Marshall and Darrell Jackson looked great, though Jackson fumbled on a reverse from Cutler. Glenn Martinez may have surpassed Keary Colbert on the depth chart, as Martinez played predominantly with the second-team and Colbert played mostly with the third-team. The Martinez "**** in his hat," as Shanahan says, dropping a nice pass from Cutler that may have gone for a large gain, had Martinez caught the ball. Rookie Eddie RoyalBrandon Stokley were both very quiet, which may have had more to do with corner back Dre Bly stepping up his coverage game than the level either receiver is playing at.
  
  
• Rookie Eddie Royal did do exceptionally well as a punt returner, Glenn Martinez and Marquay McDaniel also fielded punts. Punters Sam Paulescu and Brett Kern continue to go head-to-head with Paulescu's performance today, Kern may not be able to run away with the roster spot.
  
  
• On the defensive line, Tim Crowder saw time with the first-team at defensive end and Alvin McKinley spent some time at defensive tackle. Defensive end Jarvis Moss also rotated with Elvis Dumervil and continues to dominate (despite a newspapers report that he was struggling). Crowder went head-to-head consistently with Ryan Harris and the two seemed to draw the best from each other. Ebenezer Ekuban maintains at first-team tackle, but I think that coaches are resting him, giving room for Josh Mallard to continue to dominate. Defensive tackles Kenny Peterson and Marcus Thomas both are doing very well, but mostly against second-team offensive linemen.
  
  
• The linebackers, Niko Koutouvides is back "honing," (as Horvil Tiki would say, guy) the mike position for the first-team defense. Koutouvides got beat at times in coverage and Nate Webster continued to work on his camp highlight reel, while working with the second-team defense. Boss Bailey earned cheers from fans and coaches alike and DJ Williams, replaced punter Brett Kern with offensive lineman PJ Alexander as the leader of the stretches, drawing laughs from the team. Illustrating that there are more than a handful of leaders on the defensive side.
  
  
• In the secondary, during eleven-on-eleven scrimmages, the Broncos have started to fore go the nickel formation, keeping three linebackers in, three corner backs and one safety. That safety is Hamza Abdullah, who has been everywhere during camp and does not look at risk of losing his safety position at camp. In this formation, Dre Bly is covering the slot receiver with Champ Bailey on one side and Domonique Foxworth manning the number two receiver. Foxworth is handling the number two receiver very well and in this contract year, he may earn the extension that he expressed interest in during interviews yesterday. Rookies Josh Barrett and Jack Williams continue to do very well. Barrett shut down a run in the backfield and Williams shut down none other than Brandon Marshall, leaping to break up a pass to Marshall during eleven-on-elevens.

The Afternoon Practice will is a walk through, so don't expect a ton of exciting news. Although, keep it here, we've got some stuff for you.
photo taken by Jake Grilley © DenverBroncos.com

Broncos sign rookie corner Jack Williams

The Denver Post is reporting that the Broncos have just signed Kent State corner back Jack Williams.

This leaves just two players for the Broncos to sign before Thursday. First round pick and assumed starting left tackle Ryan Clady and second round pick wide receiver/kick-off messiah Eddie Royal.

Williams will make a very good push on current dime corner Karl Paymah. However, having signed a four-year contract, he will most likely emerge in his second season, as both Paymah and Domonique Foxworth will be unrestricted free agents this coming off-season.

The bad news for current Broncos with these two remaining unsigned rookies, is that we will most likely see two more cuts from the current Denver roster.

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.

Nickel & Dime/Gun Control and what dialect do you speak?

One reason I love the game of football so much is its seemingly endless capacity for innovation. I was fortunate to work under a brilliant head coach who was steeped in football history. Not who necessarily won what when, but certain coaches at certain schools and what they came up with and what they called it. It wasn't just formations and defenses, it was drills, plays, blitzes, etc. All the stuff he used had the appropriate names paying homage to its originator and place of origin. That's another thing about football, the need to communicate. Certain terminology is ubiquitous while some is local dialect.

Shotgun formation has been around for a long time shooting the ball from the center to the QB. Hey, if you could snap it to a FB in Single Wing and to the punter, why not in ... shotgun. Then came the fairly recent combo of gun + option + spread formation = spread option. Then Chris Ault at Nevada shortens the gun and puts a TB behind the QB, and it's ... pistol. All this stuff is great for the game and you can see it in HS football stadia if you are a student of the game. Try it , football fans. It's not expensive and it won't interfere with college and pro ball. Surely you NFL/fantasy league guys can figure what mere high school football teams are doing. Plus, it's educational; you might learn something ... about football, that is.

Each football team must make up certain terminology. Most defenses have four DBs. So, if you take out a backer or a DL and put in a fifth DB, it got called nickel because the author thought, "One, two, three, four, five pennies make a nickel." Hey, if the HC said it, who's going to argue with his impeccable logic? After all, this is the guy who has the power to name any player anything he wants and to send assistants to scout in Jal. What if you add a sixth DB to that? Another line coach and I used to vehemently insist that you can't call it dime unless you have TEN DBs. If five DBs is nickel, ten DBs is dime. Come on! Be consistent! Actually, we just wanted to see a D w/ten DBs. Didn't Ray Rhodes try that? Once again, logic is defeated and dime is six DBs, usually with four DL and one LB.

There are certain core rules common to all levels of football (not including Arena, Canadian, XFL, etc.). Offense must line up seven players on the LOS who must be set prior to the snap of the ball. Only the players on the ends of this line are eligible to touch the ball before it touches the ground. There are four who line up in back of this line one of whom may be moving when the ball is put into play. Isn't it amazing how much variation has been derived from that? Five WR sets two of whom must be ends; empty backfield; watch out for QB draw.

Given the caliber of NFL WRs today, such an offensive formation needs the best possible defensive coverage. The Broncos' WRs seem quite deep. Could we see five wideout/empty backfield formations this year? If you want to run cover 1 against that it could be done with dime either using one DB as a FS or doubling the most dangerous receiver with one backer as a spy on the QB and rush four DL. You could have nickel cover zero and still keep a couple of backers in. With such limited time between plays, someone in the box with binoculars and a headset must do nothing but watch personnel changes going in. How they get that done amazes me.

NFL teams that run cover 2 have acquired the necessary safeties to cover deep halves. They're really more like corners. The Broncos may play more of a 4-4 w/a box safety and a deep/FS. That works great aginst the run and in cover 3, but what about nickel and dime? If it was cover 1 or zero, I'd pull both safeties and the MLB. Assuming Jack Williams makes the team, the Broncos have five good corners. If you need another DB for dime, put in the best FS type along with the five corners. When an offense lines up with four or five WRs, you don't have to play man. D can play zone even in nickel and dime. Always try to make it look like what it isn't; look like zone, play man; look like man, play zone; man under, zone deep; zone under, man deep.

Around the time of the draft it seemed there were many voicing the idea of trading Domonique Foxworth. I guess at draft time some guys think if they have twenty picks it means they're going to the Super Bowl. KC expressed some interest in Karl Paymah (love the Nordic spelling), but as I recall, Shanahan himself nixed it. Hmmm. You don't suppose any of this had to do with the departure of Ted Sundquist ... do you? I just can't imagine Mike Shanahan wanting to be rid of any of his corners. It was a surprise when Jack Williams was drafted, but it seems that NFL teams can't get enough corners. A bunch of them were drafted rather early. Remember the playoffs? Deep playoff runs like the Giants' require depth everywhere, but especially in the secondary because the teams you're facing have great receivers.

As the Broncos get ready for training camp, cornerback is the strongest, deepest, most settled position they have. This is a good thing, compadres, embrace it and desire to keep it that way as long as possible.

Broncos Special Teams Improved?

Spencer Larsen warms up during Team Camp.

Yep... However, I was looking for a Matt Prater highlight for this very blog, let's just say it didn't go well. The only thing I could find was a horrible shank that he had last year for Atlanta. I want to pull for Garrett Hartley (OU Rookie F.A.) to make it as our Kicker, he was nominated for the Lou Garza Award (best college Kicker), but despite having the best statistics he did not win. Hey, if Jason Elam made it in Denver and he was from Hawaii, why not Hartley from Oklahoma?

A lot of our free agent/draft signees, I cannot see contributing anywhere else other than special teams. Look at Spencer Larsen or Wesley Woodyard. Those guys are here to bust some heads on Kickoffs and Punts. Obviously there's Eddie Royal, there's also Anthony Aldridge who should contribute on Kickoffs, as well as Jack Williams who could as well. Hell, maybe even Peyton Hillis will be out there (everyone knows the story of how Terrell Davis got noticed) cracking skulls as he chases down an opposing team's Punt Returner and blocking on Kickoffs.

Also, there's Defensive Tackle Josh Mallard challenging Mike Leech as the Long Snapper on Punts. If you watch the Chicago game, which many people did, because it was just on NFL Network last week, in both Touchdown returns Leech missed tackles on Hester very early on. If he could have simply got in the way, maybe we win that game and we're 8-8 instead of 7-9. Which at a certain point in the playoff hunt would have gotten us in.

Anyway, looking forward to see the new Special Teams this season, a little worried about the Kicker and the Punting situation... Even before Jason Elam left, I love him, but it was his time to ride off into the sunset. Our Punting may not have been great before we cut Todd Sauerbrun, but it was scary after.

Carrying a Load

From DenverBroncos.com

Seventh-round pick Josh Barrett is enjoying some of the perks of rookie life already this season. On his way in from practice, Barrett was spotted alongside fellow rookie defensive back Jack Williams carrying quite a few extra helmets.

"It’s kind of an unwritten law I guess and a rite of passage in some respects, but it just comes with it," Barrett said. "No big deal."

Barrett said there hasn't been any hazing in the locker room, though. Adding that no one's been taped to any goalposts -- yet.

"Nothing like that," he said. "The guys here are real cool, if you have questions they’ll take time and answer them. There hasn’t been any hazing by any means."

There is a little extra responsibility that comes with being a rookie, Barrett said, and a lot of it has to do with high expectations, both from yourself and from teammates and coaches. Barrett has been meeting those expectations so far in camp, and says the transition has gone fairly smoothly. The biggest difference between college and the NFL, he said, is freedom.

"Between the coaching staff, the personnel, you’re more of a grown individual at this level," he said. "If you don’t do something or if you’re not responsible, that’s on you. This is a profession, whereas in college you were a student, that was pretty much a profession in itself, and then football came. It’s different in that respect."