J.J. Arrington Release Comes As No Surprise, But Is Denver Wooing Ellis?

The extremely crowded Denver Broncos’ backfield was thinned out a bit when the team released running back J.J. Arrington.

The release of Arrington really comes as no surprise as it seemed both he and second year back Ryan Torain were on the proverbial chopping block because of injuries.

Unfortunately for Arrington, his microfracture surgery will cost him the entire 2009 season, and even worse his signing bonus with the Denver Broncos. 

Arrington was signed along with Correll Buckhalter in the early stages of free agency, but complications with his contract delayed the official move for a couple of weeks.

When the Broncos signed Arrington, they also signed Buckhalter, Darius Walker, Kestahn Moore, and drafted Knowshon Moreno, so his role on the team was virtually unknown.  He was expected to be a kick return man and third down back by many.

With a roster spot now freed up by Arrington, could the Broncos look to a rush linebacker to help their young, relatively inexperienced group?

As it stands right now, the starting hybrid linebackers for the Broncos would be Darrell Reid and Elvis Dumervil, with Robert Ayers and Jarvis Moss on the second team.

Could Denver be looking for help in the form of former Dallas Cowboy Greg Ellis?

Ellis has been on the trading block for about a week now, and if the Broncos hold out long enough they may be able to get him for a late round draft pick.

If the price is right, the Broncos need to make the move.

Ellis is a 33-year-old veteran of the game who has great experience in the 3-4 defense, and the Broncos could certainly use him.

If not, free agent defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday is also still available, and the Broncos could bring him in for a look at defensive end.

Broncos Passing Camp Update: Chris Simms Takes First-Team Reps at QB

The Denver Broncos concluded their three-day passing camp today, and the media arrived to a bit of a surprise.

Quarterback Chris Simms, not the heavily favored Kyle Orton, was taking reps with the Broncos’ first offensive unit. 

Still, fans and observers are being told this is no guarantee whatsoever that Simms will be the starting quarterback in Game One, and that both he and Orton are just learning the ropes.

“Both of them will take reps with the ones, and we’re going to keep doing that until it becomes clear and apparent, and it’s not yet. They’re both doing some good things, and they’re both making some mistakes.”

Simms was not the only first-team surprise at the passing camp. 

While it is not usually the best indication of who the starters will be this early in the off-season, Denver featured many new faces on the defensive side of the ball.

On the defensive line, those running with the first team were Ryan McBean, Ronald Fields, and Kenny Peterson.

At rush linebacker were Darrell Reid and Elvis Dumervil, and in the middle were D.J. Williams and Andra Davis. 

There were not many surprises in the defensive backfield, but only one familiar face in Champ Bailey. Aside from him, the starters were Andre’ Goodman, Renaldo Hill, and Brian Dawkins.

Despite all the fresh faces, the Broncos appeared to be very cohesive during the practice session. In a hypothetical drill in which the clock had only one second remaining, Simms hit Daniel Graham for a touchdown. Still, Dumervil tried to plead his case to head coach Josh McDaniels that he sacked Simms prior to the pass.

The touchdown stood.

On special teams, kicker Matt Prater hit eight field goals on eight attempts.

At the end of practice, the Broncos had a little bit of fun with punt returns. 

Nose tackle Chris Baker fielded a punt that saved the defense from extra meetings, and fellow undrafted rookie Nate Swift, a wide receiver, caught a punt while already holding onto three balls he had previously fielded.

This is the time of year for NFL fans to be optimistic, and the Denver Broncos appear to be giving their fans reason to be giddy.

Practice info courtesy of the Denver Broncos’ official website.

 

Denver Coaching In 2009: A Mile High Change

The 2009 Denver Broncos will have a long road ahead of them as they have to deal with a mostly new coaching staff.

After the 2008 season the old era of Mike Shanahan came to an end and Josh McDaniels became a household name in Bronco nation.

McDaniels, has had a successful career before his arrival in Denver, however not as a head coach. McDaniels served as the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots from 2005 to 2008.

During that time the Patriots won a Super Bowl. Then two years later they went undefeated. In the undefeated season of 2007, McDaniels offense had an NFL record 75 touchdowns.

In 2008, when star quarterback of the Patriots, Tom Brady, went down McDaniels helped Matt Cassel come into the league and start games after not starting a single game in previous years or even in college.

The 2008 Patriots missed the playoffs but still had an impressive record of 11-5.

Now McDaniels will make another step up as he moves from offensive coordinator to head coach. The reason why Pat Bowlen promoted McDaniels to a head coach position is probably a big thanks to the success that he had experienced at New England.

The offensive is going to be rebuilt indeed. Not only at the helm with McDaniels, but also offensive coordinator, Mike McCoy.

McCoy comes from a team that knows a little something about the Patriots, or at least what it is like to lose to the Patriots. Carolina was a kick return away from winning the Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Patriots before time ran out.

Passing in Denver has never been a big part of the offense, but in 2009 that could all change as McCoy comes from the Panthers, and together with McDaniels’ history with helping out quarterbacks, McCoy helped a start-up quarter back himself, as he helped Jake Delhomme make a Super Bowl, a pro-bowl selection, and four 3,000-yard passing seasons.

Under McCoy’s guidance the Panthers went on to a 12-4 record last season, and the Panthers were able to receive a first-round bye.

In 2007, McCoy did not have a fun year. He was the passing game coordinator/ quarterbacks coach. The Panthers were torn apart by injuries. In 2007, not a single quarterback would start more than three games in a row for the Panthers.

Despite numerous injuries to the Carolina offense in 2007 the Panthers did not finish last in their division, and finished the season at 7-9. Proving that McCoy can teach the quarterbacks and offense several key things they need to know to continue to win, despite who might be throwing the ball. Which is good news for the Broncos which still have a question mark for quarterback.

McCoy is no stranger to the Broncos, Denver signed him as a free-agent quarterback in 1995, but released him. He went on to play practice squad for the Green Bay Packers.

While the offense is sure to get a big change in coaching and playing in 2009 for the Broncos, the defense is going under a big change as well.

Denver is going to try the 3-4 defense, and to that some key players will have to change position.

Somebody that will be able to help in that transition is new linebackers coach, Don Martindale.

Martindale comes from one of the biggest rivals of Denver: The Oakland Raiders. From 2004 to 2008 Martindale served as the Raiders’ linebacker coach.

In that time Martindale helped make some Oakland linebackers rack up some impressive numbers. Which means that Denver’s new defense might be very tough in 2009.

One player that starred for Martinsdale is Kirk Morrison. Morrison was a third-round pick in 2005 and in four years with Oakland and under Martindale, he was able to gobble up almost 500 tackles. That ranked him first in the AFC and second in the NFL.

Before entering the NFL Martindale was the defensive coordinator at Western Kentucky University. In that time the Western Kentucky defense allowed the sixth fewest yards for division 1-AA.

As linebackers coach for the Broncos, Martindale is going to have to switch players around and turn linebackers into a duo threat, both stopping the run but also helping out on the pass.

So as a new season looms a lot of changes for the Denver Broncos. These changes are going to make the 2009 Denver Broncos a new threat in some ways.

The offensive is being held up with mostly first year coach’s for the Broncos, after racking up big numbers elsewhere while the defense plans to change schemes.

McDaniels brought in a bunch of new faces with him, sometimes change can be good, sometimes all change does is make people look for other changes to fix the changes that happened.

For the Broncos there is going to be a big change and hopefully, if everything works out, then the new change might just be OK.

The members of the new coaching staff have plenty of past successes. Offensive coordinator Mike McCoy received his position after proving in Carolina that he can help out starting quarterbacks.

Linebackers coach, Don Martinsdale, has made a tough line backing core in Oakland and helped several rookies over there record several tackles and interceptions, which fits right into the Broncos new defensive scheme.

And of course, there is Josh McDaniels who proved to be a great offensive leader in New England, and now hopes to lead an entire team of Denver.

It’s going to be a year of change in Denver, and at the end of the season, another change maybe adding another Super Bowl victory.

It may not happen in 2009, but it might happen soon.

The Universal Hatred of the Denver Broncos

We all have a team out there we hate. I have a few close friends that are into football, and we’re all into different teams. None of us have one team that we cheer for. However, we do have one team that we absolutely hate: the Denver Broncos.

Don’t ask me why but if there was one team that could just disappear, it would have to be the Broncos. I know, being a Chiefs fan I should hate the Raiders. And I do. Just…not as much as the Broncos.

I can’t tell you exactly why or how I came to hate them. I assure you, it wasn’t like I woke up one morning and decided to hate them. On the contrary, I actually use to tolerate the Broncos. I never liked them per se, but I tolerated them.

Champ Bailey is an amazing athlete. Terrell Davis is one of my favorite running backs ever to play the game. And don’t get me started on that beast named John Elway.

However, I have come to realize that the Broncos and the Chiefs cannot co-exist together. I’ve never been able to make friends with a Bronco fan. Everyone I have ever met has been an obnoxious drunk who thought Jay Cutler was the second coming of Jesus.

And well, we all know how that turned out.

And I seriously believe that the Chiefs formulated last season to screw the Broncos over. Pollard takes out Brady, throwing the entire AFC off track. Matt Cassel becomes a franchise quarterback all of a sudden. Dwayne Bowe drops an onside kick, helping San Diego secure the AFC West.

Denver’s coach is fired, and the new coach is interested in Matt Cassel. This of course pisses current quarterback Cutler off, who demands a trade. Cutler gets traded, Cassel goes to the Chiefs. So the Broncos are left with no good quarterbacks (you’re kidding yourself if you think Kyle Orton is the answer Denver), and the Chiefs have suddenly found themselves only in contention with San Diego in the AFC West (sorry Raiders but Al Davis is still alive).

Well anyways, that’s my two cents on this whole thing. Kansas City is slowly but surely taking over the NFL.

I know you’re all laughing at me right now, but in two or three years…you’ll all remember me as the prophet of the NFL.

 

*This is just a humorous article. I really do hate the Broncos, but I don’t believe that the Chiefs are leading a conspiracy.

The Best Fans In Football

Denver is the ultimate sports fan town.

It’s so rare to see fans turnout and support a team, even when they’re down or haven’t been good in a while, but Denver fans will do just that, especially with the Broncos.

And the atmosphere that surrounds a team when they make a deep run in the playoffs is unparalleled, that’s what I love about sports in Denver and particularly about the Broncos.

When the Broncos are bad, which is rare, the fans still turn out in droves and cheer the team up and down the field, boo the opponents and jeer the officials.

When the Broncos are good, there is a hysteria in Denver that will not go away. People will talk Broncos all week, it will be on the front page of the newspaper and the lead story on the nightly news. Fans can not get enough of the Broncos when they are on the verge of something great.

Take the 2005 season for example. The Broncos stormed out of the gates, won 13 games and hosted the AFC championship game, all with a mediocre quarterback named Jake Plummer.

Plummer was never a huge fan favorite in Denver, known for his surliness and unkempt beard. But in 2005 you couldn’t go around the stadium on game day without seeing hundreds of Jake Plummer beards, either grown or painted on men, women and children.

Denver loves all its sports teams, they finish above average in attendance for all major sports, but the Broncos are the first love of the city.

For a long time, football was all Denver had with the exception of minor-league baseball. Starting in 1960, the Broncos were the first professional sports team in Denver.

The Broncos were terrible for a long time, never going anywhere and constantly being blown out in games, that was until the 1977 season.

In that season, Randy Gradishar, Tom Jackson and Lyle Alzado led the Orange Crush defense to a 12-2 regular-season record and an AFC Championship.

Sure, they lost Super Bowl XII to the Dallas Cowboys, but this town had never been closer to a championship and it went crazy. It was a “coming of age” as sports writer Terry Frei wrote in his book about that season.

Bronco-mania was in full effect during and after that season. People bought orange crush soda in waves and home games became a big-time event. Bumper stickers were now produced with lines such as “If God’s not a Bronco fan, why are sunsets orange and blue?”

Super fans such as the Barrel Man and the Bronco Leprachaun were also born and graced the stadium for the next 30 years.

From then on, the Broncos almost always seemed to field a competitive team, even though they weren’t able to return to the Super Bowl for nine years.

In 1983, the Broncos were able to trade for No. 1 overall draft pick John Elway, which ensured the Broncos would be good for the next decade and a half.

Elway gained fans by constantly putting the team on his back and leading them to victory with his famed fourth-quarter comebacks.

The most famous comeback being “The Drive” in Cleveland in the 1986 AFC championship game when, trailing 20-13, Elway received the ball on his own two-yard line and proceeded to drive the Broncos the length of the field in under five minutes to tie the game on a touchdown pass to Mark Jackson with under one minute remaining. The Broncos won in overtime, advanced to Super Bowl XXI and a legend was born.

The Broncos were lovable losers for a while, losing three Super Bowls in four years, all in routs, but Denver went nuts every time they were close.

Finally in the 1997 season, the Broncos were able to break through and win Super Bowl XXXII. They upset the Packers 31-24 in a thrilling game that left the city breathless. After the game, people would just drive down the street honking their horns and displaying their Bronco flags proudly.

Even since Elway’s retirement and the return of the team to mediocrity have not stopped fans from being passionate and intense at games. They’ll boo when the team doesn’t play well, but they’ll cheer louder than any other fans when the team is on a roll.

The Broncos are and always will be No. 1 in Denver, and that’s what I love about them and the fans.

Denver Broncos Orange Jerseys

There are many NFL teams that have orange among their teams colors. It used to be when you would think about the color orange in the NFL, you would think Denver Broncos. I submit that it should be that way once again.

The Bears, the Bengals, the Browns, the Dolphins, and even the old school Buccaneers have had a measure of orange in their uniforms. These teams along with the Broncos have resigned orange to their secondary color. It really only gets showcased in their change of pace jerseys, worn only one or two games a year.

Gone are the days when orange is immediately associated with the Broncos. What happened to the Orange Crush?  What happened to the orange pride? 

To find the answer, lets take a look back.

The Broncos original uniforms were brown helmets, brown pants, white and mustard yellow jerseys with vertically striped socks. These uniforms were vilified by the public and the club eventually got rid of these jerseys two years after they debuted in 1960.

They celebrated the occasion by holding a public bonfire to burn the striped socks.

These uniforms will be revisited this year in honor of the AFL’s 50th anniversary for the following games:  Sunday, Oct. 11 New England Patriots (Boston Patriots) at Denver Broncos, and Monday, Oct. 19 Denver Broncos at San Diego Chargers in prime time.

The Broncos changed their team colors to orange, blue, and white in 1962 and unveiled a new logo featuring a bucking horse.

In 1968, the Broncos debuted a design that became known as the “Orange Crush.” Their logo was redesigned so that the horse was coming out of a “D.” The helmets were changed to blue and thin blue stripes were put onto the sleeves.

Denver undated their logo and uniforms once again in 1997—a design that they continue to use to this day. The current logo is a profile of a horse’s head. The biggest change was that the Broncos changed their primary uniform color from Orange to Navy Blue.

The press and fans spoke out against the change from the signature color up until the Broncos won their first ever Super Bowl in the newly designed uniforms that same season.

The issue seemed to die there. 

Especially since head coach Mike Shanahan was not a big fan of the orange jerseys.  Joe Ellis, current chief operating officer of the Denver Broncos, has been pushing over the past few years for the Broncos to keep the current styling, but go back to orange as their primary uniform color.

Eilis is most likely a proponent of this change because he wants to sell more jerseys. Regardless of his reasoning, I agree with him.

The orange Jerseys were iconic. 

They separated the Broncos from the rest of the pack. During the glory days of the late 70’s and 80’s, they were called the “Orange Crush.”  They were feared and rightfully so. They even got deep into the playoffs, including several Super bowls dawning their orange colors with pride.

The orange Jerseys can be iconic once again. And what better time than now to make the switch. 

The Broncos have a new head coach, a new GM, a new 3-4 defense, just an overall new identity.  With all the changes, why not change the Broncos image back to the glorious orange jerseys?

Maybe I’m talking crazy, but I would love to see the orange restored to the Denver Broncos primary jersey color.

What do you think?

Denver Broncos’ Chance In The AFC (Not So Wild) West

Not too long ago, the AFC west was viewed by fans and the media as one of the toughest divisions to play in.

All four teams had tremendous home field advantage. The Chargers had Qualcomm stadium while Oakland had the rowdy fans of the much feared Black hole. The Denver Broncos had the altitude advantage of Mile High Stadium and the Chiefs had the noisy fans of Arrowhead Stadium.

Now, some of the media and fans, appear to be content to let one team run (or perhaps Charge) their way to be the AFC Champion.

So what happened?

The stadiums are still the same, even though Mile High has moved a parking lot to the north and is now known as INVESCO field at Mile High.

And since the 21st century, only one team has been weeded out of the division, and that was the Seattle Seahawks, who now play in the NFC West.

Just seven years ago, the winners of the AFC West were four different teams. For the last three years, the same team has sat atop the standings. As preseason predictions are starting to leak out it appears that a fourth straight AFC West Championship banner will be given to the San Diego Chargers.

Last year, the AFC West came down to the final game of the season to decide who the champion would be. Denver seemed to have the division locked up after Week 14. All they needed to do was win a game to get in the playoffs.

However, matchups in the final three weeks against the Panthers, Bills, and Chargers all resulted in losses, handing the Chargers the AFC West.

Soon after the loss to the Chargers, the Broncos fired their coach for the last 13 years, Mike Shanahan.

Going into the 2009 season, the Broncos have some work to do. As a new coaching staff is coming into the Mile High Stadium with a new quarterback, there will be plenty of challenges for the Broncos.

The offense will also have to rebuild as Josh McDaniels will rebuild some positions that were vacated in the offseason. If that doesn’t work, he will try polishing some of the holes that allowed Denver to miss the playoffs the previous year.

In addition to offensive changes, the defense will be shifted around. Denver looks to change defensive schemes, as they move into the 3-4 defense.

A new defense means new players will need to be brought in and old players will have to change positions. One player who will most likely change positions is linebacker D.J. Williams.

Special teams will look to try and change as well as kicker Matt Prater will look to improve his kicking game. The returning game of special teams will try and gain more consistency in returning punts and kick offs.

Most importantly, the Broncos will need to improve on winning games, especially at the end of the season in order to avoid another late season crumble.

Focusing on the beginning of the season will be important too because if the team does not have a good chemistry with the new coaching staff, the rest of the season would be a tough ride.

The AFC West is full of teams that are in the middle of rebuilding or trying to find the secret success to win a game. It’s not just the Denver Broncos

Kansas City has been plagued with injuries and problems with personnel in coaching since winning the AFC West in 2002.

The Oakland Raiders, since losing the Super Bowl to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, seem to be in the middle of a rebuilding decade, despite drafting several No. 1 picks.

Even the champions of the AFC West in the San Diego Chargers are not without their problems. Star running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who has been affected by injury problems around playoff time, and defenses are slowly matching the lightning speed that LT has.

The AFC West was once very wild and the most unpredictable and competitive divisions in the NFL. Now, it seems that this once wild west has been tamed by the Chargers.

As for Denver’s chances, it seems that unless McDaniels and the Broncos figure each other out, then the Broncos may fit in second or worse in the 2009 AFC not so Wild West.

Change Is in the Air in Broncos Country

The Denver Broncos have had the ultimate offseason of change.

 

Starting at the top, Mike Shanahan was fired as head coach and replaced by 32-year-old Josh McDaniels (former offensive coordinator of the New England Patriots).  McDaniels proceeded to fire most of the previous coaching staff.

 

The Broncos owner, Pat Bowlen, then promoted Brian Xanders to the role of general manager after firing Jim and Jeff Goodman. Jim Goodman was originally reported to be next in line to take over the general manager role after Shanahan was fired. Instead he was unceremoniously fired after 11 years with the Broncos.

 

I mention the front office changes because it proves the point of how deeply changed this organization will be in 2009. The Broncos will be different from the GM to the long snapper on punts and kickoffs.

 

McDaniels hired Mike Nolan to be the defensive coordinator. He will install a 3-4 defense, which continues to gain popularity throughout the NFL.

 

As if these changes weren’t enough, McDaniels then traded Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears for two first-round picks and Kyle Orton.

 

In the draft, the Broncos made a splash by selecting running back Knowshon Moreno with the 12th pick.

 

Offensively, McDaniels brings a new system to Denver. While this system has roots in the West Coast offense, it is decisively different. There will be more three- and four-receiver sets.  oth the full back and tight end will be asked to line up on the slot to create mismatches.

 

The good news is that, with Peyton Hillis and Tony Scheffler, the Broncos have the personnel to get the job done. Both Hillis and Scheffler have excellent hands.

 

As in any offensive system, there is a lot of pressure put on the quarterback. The addition of Orton and Chris Simms brings new blood to the position. McDaniels is hoping that whoever wins the battle for the starting job—many believe it will be Orton—will have the ability to read defenses and make accurate passes. These are the most valuable assets for a quarterback to posses in this offense.

 

The running game is often used to set up the passing game. This is why McDaniels has spent so much time and money on bringing in free agents and using a first-round pick on the position. Everyone is expecting Moreno to be the starter on opening day, but he will be pushed by LaMont Jordan and Correll Buckhalter.

 

The defense was ranked 30^th in the league last year. Wholesales changes were made as a necessity.

 

The addition of safeties Brian Dawkins and Renaldo Hill will be a huge upgrade from the horrific safety play last season.

 

The main concern here is the front seven. Elvis Dumervil and Jarvis Moss will be asked to move from defensive end to outside linebacker. The defensive line will be revamped.  Free agent acquisition Roland Fields will likely start at nose tackle, but Marcus Thomas will get a chance to play there, as well. 

 

There is now talk of first-round pick, Robert Ayers, moving to linebacker in the scheme. He could move back and forth between defensive end and linebacker in a hybrid role for this defense. 

 

The linebacking corps should be pretty good, assuming Dumervil and Moss can make the transition. Of course, with the changes to a 3-4, Boss Bailey and D.J. Williams will have to make adjustments, also.

 

There will be a lot of things worked out on this side of the ball in mini-camps and training camp. I am not sure the coaching staff can tell you who will be where when the season starts. There could be as many as eight new starters on this defense, which isn’t a bad thing since they played so badly last season.

 

With so many changes on a team during one offseason, we will have to wait and see what happens when they actually lineup and play a game, or at least scrimmage. The playbook is completely new to everyone on the team, and there are huge changes in personnel. 

 

One thing is for sure, this season will be fresh and interesting for the fans. I just hope it all comes together in the end.

Denver Broncos: 2009 Coaching Staff Profile

st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) }

/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:”Table Normal”;
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-parent:””;
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:”Times New Roman”;
mso-ansi-language:#0400;
mso-fareast-language:#0400;
mso-bidi-language:#0400;}

Once change hit the Mile High City in the form of Mike Shanahan being replaced, the winds carried a curiosity of how the franchise would now be run.  Five full months later we now a number of questions answered about the staff and the philosophies that will carry this team into the immediate future.

The following is a short profile overview of the Denver Broncos coaching staff and what each coach brings to the order of making the Broncos a better football team.

 

Head Coach

Josh McDaniels arrived in Denver bright-eyed and eager, and was quickly brought down by the Jay Cutler debacle. Josh was brought to Denver for his specific work and knowledge of working inside the New England Patriots organization.

McDaniels is the 12th coach in franchise history, all at 33 years of age. McDaniels won three World Championships and four AFC Championships with the Patriots. Josh was the coordinator that led the New England Patriots to their undefeated regular season in 2007. That group set a number of scoring records along the way. 

The primary criticisms of McDaniels as the new head coach would be his age, only being a coordinator for three years in New England, never being a head coach, his handling of the Jay Cutler situation, and his handling of the 2009 draft for the Broncos.

While Coach McDaniels has had to face the critics, cynics, and doubters early in his tenure in Denver, he does have a talented team. How well this team competes will very well dictate his future not only with the Denver Broncos but also in the NFL. Fortunately for Coach McDaniels, he does have some solid coaches in some key positions.

 

Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach

Mike McCoy comes to the Broncos from the Carolina Panthers where he spent nine years focusing on their passing game and coordinating. McCoy is 37-years-old and previously competed as a backup with the Broncos in the 1995 training camp.

His prior experience in Denver under Mike Shanahan and various experiences since could provide a good insight and balance to how Josh handles the offensive side of the ball. In essence, Mike could become just the coach Josh will need to help him and the franchise get over the hump this season.

 

Defensive Coordinator

Mike Nolan is no stranger to Denver either. He comes back to Denver by way of the San Francisco 49ers where he was the head coach between 2005-2008.  Mike was previously with the Broncos from 1987-1992 as a special teams and linebackers coach for Dan Reeves. What Mike brings to the table is experience (28 years in the NFL) on multiple levels of the NFL. He will also be a much needed mentor to Josh McDaniels and the staff.

 

Special Teams Coordinator

Mike Priefer has coached seven seasons in the NFL as an ST Coordinator. He comes to Denver from Kansas City where he spent three years in that position.  Mike previously coach for Jacksonville and the New York Giants. Mike fills one of the most vital roles in Denver this season.

In the past special teams was an afterthought for the Broncos franchise; Mike’s presence is solid and he brings a much needed voice in this phase of the game. Broncos fans should expect to have much better execution in this phase of the game.

 

Tight Ends Coach

Clancy Barone comes to Denver from San Diego where he spent the last four seasons with the Chargers. He has also coached in Atlanta as an assistant offensive line coach and has 17 years of collegiate experience. He has previously coached Pro Bowl Tight Ends Alge Crumpler and Antonio Gates. Clancy inherits one of the deepest talent pools on the Broncos. He should have immediate impact on the tight ends in blocking and receiving. Look for this group to play a vital role in the overall success of the Broncos offense.

 

Special Teams Assistant

Keith Burns starts his third year in the NFL as a coach. If ever there was a special teams player (or coach for that matter) who had the heart of a city behind him, it would be Keith Burns. His spirit as a player was positively infectious, similar to what Brian Dawkins brings to the Broncos now.

It’s hard to imagine Keith ever played anywhere else but Denver; he did, however, have stints in Chicago and Tampa. If his coaching career goes as well as his playing career, Keith is on track to become one of the best special teams coaches with an eye on the future. Burns brings the understanding of spirit and team, something essential to play in the NFL at a high level.

 

Offensive Line Coach

Rick Dennison returns to Denver after being in the running for the head coach position prior to Coach McDaniels hire.  This will be his 15th season as a coach for the Broncos. Coach Dennison was an understudy to Alex Gibbs when the Broncos won back to back Super Bowls behind the offensive line that put Terrell Davis over two thousand yards.

Last season’s offensive line allowed only 11 sacks, in part due to Jay Cutler’s mobility. However, the play of the O-Line was one of the only bright spots during a season that fell short. How well this group helps the Broncos execute a balanced game plan will set the tone for every game this season. Dennison has an incredibly important job on this team.

Despite not being selected as the Broncos head coach (for now) don’t under estimate how vital his role is to the squad this season. The Broncos must run more affectively than they did last year with the O-Line reaching the second and third level consistently. This will complement their already stellar pass protection from last season.

 

Secondary Coach

Ed Donatell has had two stints with the Broncos and the New York Jets and has also coached in Green Bay and Atlanta. Donatell comes back to the Broncos from the University of Washington where he was the defensive coordinator in 2008. On the defensive side of the ball, Donatell will have the vital role of bringing this entirely new unit together. 

Part of his focus will have to be tight coverage and tackling, both areas that became lax the last few seasons.  He is benefitted in having Brian Dawkins and Champ Bailey in the same defensive backfield; moreover through free agency and the draft the Broncos have brought skill and speed to this position.

 

Wide Receivers Coach

Adam Gase is going into his fifth year in the NFL as a coach. He is young, which comes with inherent pluses and minuses. He’s not as experienced as Steve Watson who previously held the position and who played for the Broncos organization during the 1980’s. If something is going to buckle for the worse due to coaching, it may come at the wide receiver position. The counter to that is the talent level the Broncos currently carry at the position.

So, it is hard to get a clear read on this position. Adam will presumably gel well with Coach McDaniels and Mike McCoy who form a youthful nucleus of driven intellects on the offensive side of the ball. The thing this position loses is a more seasoned coach and respected member of the community.

 

Linebackers Coach

Don Martindale comes to the Broncos from the Oakland Raiders where he coached their linebackers for five seasons. Martindale inherits a talented pool of linebacker talent.

He is a serviceable coach who can help the Broncos goal of tightening up the defensive side of the ball through speed and technique in the 3-4. With the log jam of talent at this position, the challenge is to find the right guys to be in the right positions. The overall chemistry of this unit will probably have a significant impact on the outcome of Denver’s 2009 season.

 

Offensive Assistant

Ben McDaniels comes to Denver from the high school ranks. He is the younger brother of Josh McDaniels. Coaches in these types of positions generally work hard to learn the ropes while spending hours assisting the needs of other coaches. Positions like these are where Josh McDaniels got his start.

While there shouldn’t be any real expectation out of this coaching position on the field, there is something worthy of note here. Understandably, Josh hired his brother to come on board to help reinforce the team culture. What should be the more important point here is that a high school coach has made the leap into the NFL. Some might see this as a bad thing—they shouldn’t.

High School coaches are by and large more than capable of succeeding in the NFL. Kudos goes out to Josh for giving his brother Ben an opportunity to gain valuable experience in the NFL. There should be more coaches and organizations more supportive of this concept.

 

Defensive Line Coach

Wayne Nunnely is the man with the tallest task next to Josh McDaniels in Dove Valley. What’s impressive is that Nunnely appears to be just the guy to be up to the task. Wayne has one of the more impressive resumes not only on the Broncos staff but in the NFL. He most recently spent 12 seasons in San Diego building up the defensive line to where it is one of the most revered units in pro football.

Nunnely is a master tactician who also was a head coach at UNLV. He could be the right instructor for guys like Tim Crowder, Jarvis Moss, and Marcus Thomas needed to get their careers on track this season. The success of this group gives the Broncos an opportunity to win games. Look for the Broncos to become more technically sound up front and see if that helps them to be more competitive this season.

 

Assistant Linebackers Coach

Roman Phifer won three Super Bowls with the New England Patriots and comes to Denver as part of Coach McDaniels reinforcement of the new culture. This is Phifer’s first season as a coach in the NFL and should bring a wealth of experience to players that need relationships with former players who can understand life in the NFL.

As a player Phifer also saw time with the Jets and was originally selected by the Los Angeles Rams. He could prove to be a valued asset to the staff over time.

 

Defensive Assistant Coach

Jay Rodgers comes to the NFL from the collegiate ranks where he worked primarily on passing offense and game coordination. Rodgers could be valued for his understanding of the spread offense.

 

Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach

Greg Saporta enters his 15th season at this position for the Denver Broncos. In conjunction with Rich Tuten, they run the year round program for the team.  What should be recognized is that they are some of the very best anywhere at what they do, the very best of the best.

 

Running Backs Coach

Bobby Turner also enters his 15th season in Denver as the running backs coach. His name is synonymous with success in the NFL as he has consistently helped the Broncos to get the most out of each athlete. Everyone knows about the work Bobby put in with the Terrell Davis his most notable subject.

What’s interesting is that Bobby has another talented Georgia running back in his midst in Knowshon Moreno. Look for Bobby to help him adapt to the professional game quickly.

Bobby is truly the best of the best and the Broncos are fortunate to have retained his services. He has a full plate however in trying to make the Broncos run game more physical.

 

Strength and Conditioning Coach

Rich Tuten also enters his 15th season as the Broncos head strength and conditioning coach. He is known for working with players to help them develop and recognize strengths and weaknesses. Rich has worked hard to stay on top of the needs of the athletes he serves. This led him to develop a wooden sled that players like former Bronco Rod Smith swear by because of the workout it gives.

Coach Tuten is also mindful of each individual and their needs to be competitive. Coach Tuten is as good as it gets in this area. His challenge this season is to help the Broncos to build the solid foundation they need this season in to the future with regards to the training regiment.

 

On the whole, this Broncos coaching staff has a good balance of youth and experience. New philosophies balanced with the tradition of the Broncos. This team will be interesting not only in it’s makeup but how it responds to the coaching. There are some highly skilled coaches on this staff and they all probably have something to prove much in the way the franchise does this coming season.

 

Denver Broncos Fans Should Expect Big Season From Healthy Marshall

Over the past three seasons, there has not been a player more tough to figure out on the Denver Broncos than wide receiver Brandon Marshall.

Marshall’s off-field incidents have given him a very negative reputation around the league, and quite honestly have prevented many NFL observers from giving him the title of “elite receiver.”

While his off-field incidents distract from this, the Pro Bowl receiver is not a bad person in the least. 

Marshall volunteers his time on a regular basis to charities around Denver, and he is always willing to sign autographs or take pictures with Bronco fans.

Since he is such a nice guy to his fans, it is hard for one to imagine Marshall as anything less outside of the Broncos. 

Many of his cases with the law have been dropped, and last season he even had his three-game suspension reduced to one by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell through an appeal.

Earlier this off-season, Marshall was again arrested, but the charges were dropped in a mere matter of hours.  Still, he faces a possible suspension by the league, one that could be up to eight games.

Since Goodell did not issue punishment prior to the draft for the Broncos to make roster moves to fill his absence, one is compelled to believe that a suspension dealt to Marshall, if any at all, will be very short.

What does this have to do with the 2009 season?

Marshall suffered a hip injury early in the 2008 season, and played his entire Pro Bowl year with this particular ailment.

He has since had surgery and is rehabbing, hoping to come back for training camp. 

Over the past two seasons, Marshall has compiled 206 receptions, which is second best only to New England’s Wes Welker.  Many Broncos fans are giddy about the prospect of what damage a healthy Marshall can do at this level.

With Kyle Orton at the helm, the Broncos’ offense will be more centered around short passes, which is Marshall’s forte.  He is known as a possession receiver who can gain extra yardage after the catch, and he does it very well.

As long as he stays healthy throughout the season, a revived Marshall should continue his dominance on the field, and should put together his third consecutive 100 reception season.

« Previous Page — Next Page »

BroncosZone Latest

• The Denver Broncos Must Face Their New Reality
• Denver Broncos: The Beginning of a New Era, Or The Beginning of the End?
• Hey Denver, Where’s the Love for Josh McDaniels?
• Josh McDaniels Is the Poster Boy for “Too Much, Too Soon”
• Denver Wide Receiver Brandon Marshall: “I Love Being a Bronco”