Know Your Opponent: Houston Texans

Denver Broncos record vs. Houston Texans: Home 1-0 Away 0-1, overall 1-1.

Connections: Houston head coach Gary Kubiak played for Denver from the 1983 to 1991 seasons, serving predominantly as a backup quarterback to the legendary John Elway. As a quarterback for the Denver Broncos Gary Kubiak had a record of three wins and two loses as a starter in his eight seasons in the NFL. A little known fact about Gary Kubiak as a player is that he actually filled in as a punter for Denver in 1989, starting once and punting twice that year (averaging 21.5 yards per punt).

After retiring he began coaching for his former college team, Texas A&M serving as a running backs coach for two seasons (1992-1994). He soon joined Mike Shanahan in San Francisco as a quarterback coach, assisting quarterback Steve Young to his second NFL MVP award and first Super Bowl MVP award.

The next season Mike Shanahan took Pat Bowlen's offer to become the head coach in Denver and Gary Kubiak followed. Kubiak was named the offensive coordinator in Denver and worked together with Mike Shanahan and John Elway to lead Denver to winning two Super Bowl. Kubiak stayed beyond John Elway's retirement, following the 1999 season, despite numerous head coaching offers from elsewhere in the NFL.

In 2006 Kubiak replaced Dom Capers as the head coach in Houston, becoming the second head coach in Houston Texans history. Kubiak has been a part of five Super Bowls (as a coach and player) with the Denver Broncos and one with the San Francisco 49ers. He was also been a part of two of his players winning the NFL MVP award (Steve Young in 1994 and Terrell Davis in 1999). Want a real random fact about Gary Kubiak? He is rumored, on the internet, to appear as a reserve quarterback in Madden NFL 2004 for the Indianapolis Colts however that is in correct, it was actually Jim Kubiak.

Kyle Shanahan, as fans will remember is the son of Denver Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan. The younger Shanahan has never coached for Denver, beginning his NFL career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers under coach Jon Gruden, serving as the assistant coach for offensive quality control, from 2004-2005. In 2006 Kyle Shanahan joined Gary Kubiak in Houston, coaching first the wide receivers, then in 2007 he was named the quarterback coach and this season Shanahan became the youngest offensive coordinator in NFL history (at 28) in Houston. He is a full three years younger than New England Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.
Alex Gibbs, the assistant head coach/offense for Houston served as an offensive line coach in Denver from 1984-1987 and again from 1995-2003. Gibbs is perhaps most famous in Denver for installing the "Zone blocking scheme," and for insuring that his offensive linemen unite by not speaking to the media.

On Denver's side: Denver Broncos wide receiver's coach Jedd Fisch served as the Houston Texans defensive quality control assistant from 2003-2005. Denver college scout Eugene Armstrong served in Houston for the previous seven seasons. Quarterback Jay Cutler posted his personal best game, as far as pass attempts (39) and completions (27), against Houston last season. Denver strong safety Marlon McCree spent the 2003 and 2004 seasons with the Houston Texans. Denver wide receiver Edell Shepherd was the primary kick returner for Houston in 2006. The Denver Broncos are undefeated (4-0) against the Houston Texans in preseason play.

History: Houston is a relatively new franchise, entering the league in 2001, but Denver has played them four times in the preseason and two times in the regular season. Former Denver offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak has modeled the Houston Texans on the Denver Broncos (earning the Houston Texans the name 'Denver Jr.' around these parts). However, last season, Mike Shanahan's former protege, Gary Kubiak and son, Kyle Shanahan spanked Denver knocking them completely out of the playoff race and lending to Denver's final 7-9 record.

Key contributors: QB- Matt Schaub, WR- Andre Johnson, RB- Ahman Green, DE- Mario Williams, LB- DeMeco Ryans.

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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."

What If?

I'm not particularly worried about John Lynch going to San Diego to play football. Some fans seem to be livid over the idea, if Lynch were to return to his hometown and play for the Chargers this season... What would that really be saying about former Charger safety (and current Bronco) Marlon McCree? San Diego let him walk, to apparently, "get younger," at safety.

Marlon McCree is in fact the main reason that Lynch was cut from the Broncos. McCree replaced Lynch in the nickel and dime formations, he will also most likely replace Lynch in the base 4-3 formation as well. San Diego let McCree go, McCree comes to Denver, knocks Lynch off of his depth chart spot and then Lynch goes to San Diego to play?

Come on... I don't see how San Diego fans can justify that one. Seriously, it will be a laughable point to make in any conversation between a Bronco and Charger fan for years to come.

Lynch Out: What's next for Denver?

Sad, sad news out of Denver, I responded to Kyle's post over at fellow Denver Broncos Blog - BroncoTalk by saying that, "I feel like my girlfriend just broke up with me (out of nowhere)." When my cell phone started lighting up with text messages, I assumed that Brandon Marshall had been suspended... Is that wrong of me? Then the news came in, Marshall's fine, but John Lynch is splitting with Denver!?

Good news/bad news, if John Lynch does in fact decide that he'd prefer reporting or manning a chair with CBS Sports/ESPN/Fox/NFL Network, et cetera and he retires... Could John Lynch and Rod Smith actually go into the Hall of Fame the same year? It's possible, if in fact Lynch does decide to retire as a Bronco.

Early word out of San Diego is that they would love to have him. I'm sure that Herm Edwards over in Kansas City would as well. Though he's not likely to get more playing time at either location than he would in Denver. Anywhere Lynch goes, if he does in fact stay in the NFL, is fine with me as Lynch will not join a program unless it is a perfect suit for him and his family. Bless the Lynch's and thank you for being such great citizens to the great city of Denver. Most of all John Lynch, thanks for the memories, the fans of Denver Broncos will not soon forget you.

Now, let's get down to business. The killer in me, the day the Denver Broncos picked up Marlon McCree from San Diego, wanted to see both Lynch and McCree lined up together in the deep Denver backfield. Would anyone dare go over the middle against Denver? Not realistic though, as they are both just a bit iffy in coverage. However, as this training camp has shown, outside of the base package- four defensive line men, three linebackers, to corners and two safeties- Denver was not going to utilize Lynch. McCree was brought in for all passing opportunities and rookie Josh Barrett was also utilized in the nickel formation and 4-3-3-1 formations.

Hamza Abdullah has placed his flag atop the depth chart of strong safety and even as a strong safety has been quite the ball hawk in passing situations. You never heard from me that John Lynch had lost a step, I don't think that's fair to say of a man who made the Pro Bowl last season and has started and been effective in all of the four-years that he played in Denver. However, Marlon McCree was brought in as Lynch insurance and McCree is just as capable of splitting someone's helmet as John Lynch was.

However, there's a dark horse in Denver, his name is Marquand Manuel. Ever seen the video of Manuel thumping Dallas running back Marion Barber? If I could find it, I'd share it, but the man's an animal. Fans of the Broncos should feel very happy with the hands that they're left in, given the absence of John Lynch. Both Manuel and McCree look to be very effective and true to Denver safety form. There will still be fireworks coming from the safety position Denver faithful, not to worry.

Here's some vintage Marlon McCree:

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.

Training Camp: Day 3 (Morning Practice)

Here it is, let's get the ball rolling.

Apparently yesterday Ryan Harris got blown out worse than we had speculated. Orange Mane's "24" posted this picture which pretty much sums it up, you can view that picture here. (Hope that he doesn't mind me including that link!)

• Spencer Larsen is back and participating in training camp and faced off against Peyton Hillis in one-on-one drills (and looked good).
  
  
• Keary Colbert again took reps with the second-team, Brandon Marshall, Darrell Jackson and Brandon Stokley all took first-team snaps with the offense.
  
  

• Rounding out the rest of the offense was: Ryan Clady, Ben Hamilton, Tom Nalen, Chris Kuper and Ryan Harris remained the starters on the line and Jay Cutler (who looked better than he has all TC today), Daniel Graham and Selvin Young rounded out the rest of the first-team o.
  
  
• Fans saw a new defensive line as the first-team fielded: John Engelberger and Elvis Dumervil on the bookends with Alvin McKinley and Kenny Peterson in the middle. Peterson is filling in for DeWayne Robertson who is not suited today.
  
  
• Guess the major story is that Nate Webster, not Niko Koutouvides played middle linebacker and he looked great. Boss Bailey and DJ Williams started at Sam and Will, respectively. In the backfield were Champ Bailey, Dre Bly, Hamza Abdullah and John Lynch. With Josh Mallard, Domonique Foxworth and Marlon McCree still coming in for nickel formations.
  
  
• During one-on-one drills, Champ Bailey blanketed Marshall and basically made him ineffective, with the exception of one pass in which Marshall beat Bailey and went yard. Scheffler looked very good in his drills... I mentioned Harris earlier, during one-on-one he looked great, handling Dumervil easily- Clady had a bit of trouble with Dumervil. Defensive tackle Josh Mallard continued where he left off last season, strong- This man will be a monster this season.
  
  
• Tight end Daniel Graham looked exceptional during one-on-ones as well, blocking wise.
  
  
• Andre Hall will definitely give Young a run for his money this training camp. Hall is quickly proving that he's the best receiving option Denver has in the backfield. Michael Pittmann may be in camp literally to provide veteran guidance to the very young backfield, he's been a non-factor for the offense thus far and has looked especially bad catching balls out of the backfield. Rookie Ryan Torain continues to prove that he is a rookie, after a very disappointing day yesterday, he looked better today, but had a false start and dropped pass.
  
  
• Which running back did we forget to mention? Oh! During nine-on-nine drills (no receivers/corners) the defense stuffed the run. These drills are done at full speed, however, I'm now knocking on wood. As I said at last year's training camp the Broncos defensive line looked impressive as well. Of all the running backs the Broncos played, only Anthony Aldridge was able to find real success. Scampering for several 15-yard gains.

• One eleven-on-eleven drills, second-year safety (former Wisconsin Badger) Roderick Rogers continued to shine, picking off two balls (both tipped one by Marshall, one by tight end Nate Jackson). While Marshall again made a tough catch in traffic, Young ended the drill beating Jarvis Moss around the end to gain that could have gone on forever, if he didn't end up being knocked out of bounds.
  
  
• Speaking of Young, he beat Boss Bailey on a pass coming out of the backfield and the mistake quickly drew the wrath of his older brother.
  
  
• It wasn't all bad for Boss though, he drew acclaim from Coach Shanahan after breaking up several passes.

Training Camp: Day 2 (Morning Report) Part II

More notes from the AM practice:

Brandon Marshall out duels Dre Bly for a reception:

Picture taken by Kyle Sonneman © DenverBroncos.com

• DJ Williams looked so good, no one seemed to notice who's taking the majority of reps at middle linebacker, Niko Koutouvides started off the day with the first team. Are bothKoutouvides and Nate Webster that good or that bad?
  
  
• Coach Shanahan on Koutouvides, "We've been watching him for the last 17 days, and try to get the pads on and the chance the evaluate everybody day by day. That's what all the preseason is about; To get a pecking order and see these guys compete and see what they can do in special situations. It's only the second day."
  
  
• Boss Bailey has done well in pass coverage and loves being back on the field with Champ, "It's a lot more easier for me to be back on the field with my brother. It's a comforting thing for me," he said. "It's just been fun playing with him and watching and learning and trying to steal some moves from him."
  
  
• Here's what Coach Shanahan has to say about the younger Bailey, "He's been great. He did a great job during the offseason conditioning program and adjusted to our system very quickly. He's got the ability to cover the tight end by himself. He plays as a coach... So far so good."
  
  
• Both Domonique Foxworth and Josh Barrett got interceptions in the morning 7 on 7 drills.
  
  
• Jarvis Moss made Ryan Harris look bad more than once, even pushing him to the ground once. Is it that Moss is good or Harris is bad? Or are they both good and Moss is just better?
  
  
• When the first-team offense squared off against the first-team defense, the offense did not score.

Other offensive/defensive scrimmage notes:

• Peyton Hillis scored on a dump pass out of the backfield.
  
  
• Eddie Royal caught a pass in traffic that brought the crowd to their feet.
  
  
• DeWayne Robertson broke through the offensive line to bat down a screen play.
  
  
• John Lynch and Marlon McCree appear to be swapping when the Broncos bring in nickel formation McCree's playing free safety. While Domonique Foxworth,is coming in as the nickel back.
  
  
• Darrell Jackson appears to be the number 2 receiver as of right now.

That's the end from the AM, here's a thought or two from me:

Why isn't Casey Wiegmann filling in for Montrae Holland? Most likely, because it would mean someone else giving snaps for the second-team offense, but if this were the season... I don't know who would be manning the right side of the offensive line.

Are we in trouble at middle linebacker?

Don't be fooled, last year our defensive line was said to be "very impressive." Wait until Denver goes up against Dallas to decide how good the offensive/defensive line is.

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.

Marlon McCree: In His Own Words

"I think it's going really well," Marlon McCree said. "I think guys are learning the defense, I think the scheme is great, every day it's a battle and we're all having a lot of fun."

"It kind of makes you settle a little bit, especially when you have a number that's been pretty good to you," he said. "I've only lost about seven games with No. 20, so hopefully we can carry that over."

"I'm definitely just trying to help out any way I can," he said. "Wherever the coaches feel I'm needed, that's what I'm trying to do."

"It's interesting, because there are a lot of similarities and there are a lot of differences, too [between San Diego and Denver's practices]," he said. "The guys on this team, the work ethic is extremely hard -- I've never worked this hard in an offseason program before."

"I'm in the best shape of my life, the guys on the team are in the best shape of their lives, and it's going to be a great year for us."

When Marlon McCree was brought in, Denver not only got a great player that has been essential in San Diego. He comes with a total of 404 tackles, 16 interceptions, five fumble recoveries, and three sacks and fumbles. Speculation is that McCree may have been brought in to replace John Lynch, who may or may not be in his final season in Denver (or the NFL).

However, it would be great to see the utter havoc a combo Lynch/McCree defensive backfield could unleash. If only for a year, wide receivers would tremble in fear of catching over the middle against Denver with these two skull crackers snarling somewhere in the mist.

#20 Present at Team Camp Today.

No, Denver definitely cut Travis Henry yesterday and not to say that new Denver Broncos Safety was happy that Henry was cut, but he's already wearing Henry's old jersey number.

I don't know if anyone's more excited to have McCree on the Broncos than I am. Hopefully getting his true number will bring out the McCree that Broncos fans remember and now hopefully love.

Here's a Youtube clip of McCree laying out Reggie Wayne (a player who has almost single handedly dismantled the Broncos in the past) and probably winning the game for San Diego last season in the Divisional Playoffs.