Believe It: Three Things The Broncos Can Do To Make a “Super” Run

Crazy, off your rocker, cracked, and insane.

Those are the words I would use if you had told me in August that the Broncos would be 6-0 going into their bye and talk of a Super Bowl run, let alone a playoff berth, would be discussed with a straight face.

But here we are.

Most fans almost always hold out hope at the start of every season that this could be “the year” for their team, but it was especially hard for Broncos fans to even give consideration to such thought this year. Their stalwart head coach was gone, as was their young Pro Bowl franchise quarterback, and their star wide receiver was throwing a temper tantrum that would make Terrell Owens proud. The defense was rebuilding in a new scheme under yet another defensive coordinator.  Broncos fans were bracing for the worst year the team had in recent memory.

But here we are.

The team is 6-0 going into their bye. The rookie head coach, Josh McDaniels, looks like a genius and the new quarterback, Kyle Orton, is having a career year playing practically mistake-free football. Brandon Marshall, the angry receiver, has overall bought into the team’s philosophy and is back playing in Pro Bowl form.  Perhaps most surprisingly, the defense has been playing lights-out football, pressuring the quarterback and generating turnovers.

Thanks to their 34-23 win over the San Diego Chargers Monday night, the Broncos hold a three and a half game lead in the AFC West. The team is healthy overall, and the confidence of McDaniels and his team is at an all-time high.  Barring an even more monumental collapse than last season, the Broncos are likely to make the postseason for the first time since the 2005-2006 season. 

But why stop there?

If the Broncos are going to make a serious run at the Lombardi trophy, there are areas they definitely have to improve in.  Here are the three most important areas of improvement:

 

 

1. Start games faster

 

During the first half of games this year the Broncos are barely outscoring their opponents, 57-56. During the second half,  however, the Broncos are walloping the other team by a combined score of 76-10. 

The Broncos have been fortunate so far, but if they are to make a deep playoff run, they need to get off to a better start. If they face Indianapolis in playoffs, which they very likely could (and the teams do meet during the regular season as well), the Broncos will need to at least keep pace as the Colts can put up points early and often as long as Peyton Manning is under center. Same goes for the Patriots as we all saw what Tom Brady is capable of during their 59-0 demolition of the Tennessee Titans.

In order to fix this, Orton needs to get in a rhythm much sooner than he has.  He usually starts games out 0 for 2 or so and it’s key that he be accurate early.  While it’s only two passes, you never know if those could turn out to be big plays.

The two-headed rushing attack of Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno must also be sharp early.  While they don’t need to get a first down every carry, pounding outs runs of four, five or six yards go a long way towards forcing the opposing defense into respecting the run game and allowing Orton to make more plays down the field.

 

 

2. Stop committing so many penalties

 

Looking at this past game against the Chargers, the Broncos were penalized four times for 44 yards.  While the numbers don’t look that bad, they don’t show the entire picture. Two of them were absolutely inexcusable and could have cost the Broncos the game. 

One was on Marshall for unsportsmanlike conduct in the second quarter that, had the Chargers not also committed a pass interference penalty, would have made an easy field goal for Matt Prater that much harder to make by backing the team up 15 yards. Three points could have come off the board there.

The second was on Moreno for spiking the ball after not getting a first down on 3rd and 1.  It was a five yard delay of game penalty that, had it occurred further down field, the Broncos could have lost points there as well.

Correcting this issue lies with both the players and the coaches.  The players need to maintain focus and mental discipline while the coaches need to inform the players that continually committing penalties could cause them to be removed from the field.

While the Broncos don’t have as severe an issue with penalties as say the Green Bay Packers do, committing penalties in key game situations will bring any potential postseason run to a grinding halt.

 

 

3. Handle adversity properly

 

I’m going to stop short of saying there’s no way the Broncos run the table and go 16-0.  If there is one thing I have learned about the NFL, it is to expect the unexpected. However, since the New England Patriots in 2007 were the only team since 1972 to complete a perfect regular season, it seems relatively safe to say the Broncos will lose at least one game along the way this year.

This is just about the only thing we have not seen from the team at this point: how they bounce back.  At 6-0, they haven’t dealt with a loss yet.  They have faced close games, but each one has turned out in their favor. 

They can likely bounce back from one, but what happens if the team loses two or three games in a row?  Will they begin to see themselves as overachievers that played too hard at the beginning of the season and that they aren’t as good as they thought they were?  Will the confidence of the team begin to dwindle?

My guess right now would be no.  McDaniels has been saying all season that he and the team haven’t accomplished anything yet and it is key to be playing their best football at the end of the season.   He is trying to keep the team humble by saying that many mistakes were made and need to be corrected.

McDaniels is saying all the right things, but we won’t know for sure until some adversity occurs.  Here’s hoping it doesn’t, but it likely will.

 

 

They can do it

 

Based on what we have seen through six games, it’s possible for the Broncos to make a deep playoff push.  That said, this team is far from perfect and they need to correct the above issues amongst others if they want to make a run for glory.

It would be the ultimate Cinderella story, and these first six chapters have been a lot of fun to watch.  Here’s hoping the next ten are just as exciting.

 

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Broncos Bye Week Pt. I: Breaking down the Controversial Offseason

A Wave of Shocking Change

It needs to be said and has been said on some levels, but here is the full explanation about the Denver Broncos’ play to this point. In the offseason there was much criticism of the Broncos’ front office. It started prior to the Broncos’ last regular season game in San Diego and was solidified with the demoralizing loss to the Chargers. The Denver Broncos were heading in a new direction. 

Mike Shanahan thought he was going to lunch with his friend and owner Pat Bowlen when he was shown the door. To Mr. Bowlen’s credit, he had to make a very hard business decision that involved a good friend with whom he had shared two NFL Championships. 

That is not easy to do, but given some of the recent history that had been built with fruitless results, it seemed as though it was the time to make the move.

The dismissal of Shanahan alone was enough to ignite whatever else happened in the offseason. Little did Broncos Country know the rest of the team roster was about to be set ablaze.   

The new coach was introduced at Dove Valley and almost as quickly as he landed in Denver was his selection being second guessed by all credible writers in the Denver media market. It seemed like there were at least two or three other candidates that were interviewed and at least a few of the older school coaches that could have been or even would have made more sense at the time.

The Broncos’ front office under Pat Bowlen’s guidance became enamored with the kid who just so happened to be Bill Belichick’s protégé. There was blind trust, it seemed, in casting everything to the winds of change.

Gone was the leader of the team in Jay Cutler, a number of coaches, and about half of last year’s team. Of the seven players that played tailback for the Broncos last season, only one of them remains on the team roster, that being Peyton Hillis.

On defense, only Champ Bailey retained his same exact starting position. The only other returning starting defenders from last season’s team were given new marching orders as starters under the Broncos’ new 3-4 scheme. Moving to the middle linebacker position was DJ Williams and to the outside linebacker position was Elvis Dumervil.

 

The Controversial Draft

While the Broncos had a controversial and successful draft, they were criticized for taking Knowshon Moreno and not a solid defensive lineman or linebacker at that position. Then the Broncos traded away one of the first rounders in next year’s draft for a second rounder this season to help bring depth to the defensive backfield this year. 

The Broncos also selected tight end Richard Quinn, who was projected to land in much later rounds, at the end of the second round. It seemed the Broncos were not making the wisest selections at those rounds, especially when considering that the Broncos could have picked up Brian Orakpo (DE), Brian Cushing (OLB), Larry English (DE), and Clay Mathews (OLB) to name a few.

Furthermore, the Broncos selected Alphonso Smith (DB) just one pick in front of the Bengals’ selection of Rey Maualuga (MLB), who has impressed already in the young season.

For the Broncos, however, at the time, it was more about what their most pressing needs were for this season to become a success. Certainly any of those other talents mentioned could have contributed to this team, but it was about creating depth for the future and the short run while getting by with the talent on the roster at that point in time.

 

A Lackluster Training Camp Coupled with a Disappointing Preseason

Much of Broncos Nation and the press were holding their breath once the preseason arrived. Certainly the Broncos were now going to have a new look and feel about them on both sides of the ball.

Enter Kyle Orton as the Broncos’ new quarterback and the new 3-4 defensive philosophy. Everyone knew for this team to step up, there would have to be significant improvement on defense and signs of life on offense.

A week prior to the first preseason game, Kyle Orton did not look sharp in the team scrimmage at Mile High. There was, however, some strong signs of potential in Orton and on defense. 

Still, there were the off-field issues with Brandon Marshall and his agent seeking out a trade and then an eventual suspension from the team. Marshall was told to take a break from the team for the remainder of the preseason because of his actions being detrimental to the team.

It seemed all was not well with Brandon and the performance in the preseason would lead one to believe that this was a work in progress.

The Broncos played fairly well in the first preseason game at San Francisco, especially on defense. The team, however, lost against a beatable opponent, even for a preseason game. 

Then the Broncos went to Seattle and laid an egg overall. Perhaps they were looking ahead to their next game. 

Enter the departed Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears in a game at Mile High that may have been one of the most anticipated preseason games of all time. The Broncos’ first team defense looked very good overall in the game, but Kyle Orton got a significant injury to his throwing hand index finger and it seemed the Broncos might be off to a rough start after losing that game.

As unimpressive as everything else was to this point in the preseason, the final game of the preseason perhaps was a prelude and it could not have had better timing. With the Broncos losing to Jay Cutler and the Bears in their most important preseason game, this team was in need of an even greater spark. 

To his credit, Pat Bowlen stuck to his guns and never surrendered the expectations of how his teams should be performing. Additionally, the front office was more media friendly in the offseason than they possibly have been in some time.  

Against Arizona, current third string quarterback Tom Brandstater impressed in his first start against the Cardinals and he gave the Broncos fans hope for the future.

 

Tomorrow, part two of this series will focus on breaking down the regular season thus far.

Contact Chaz at sportsmanagement@gmail.com.

 

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Broncos Bye Week Pt. I: Breaking down the Controversial Offseason

A Wave of Shocking Change

It needs to be said and has been said on some levels, but here is the full explanation about the Denver Broncos‘ play to this point. In the offseason there was much criticism of the Broncos‘ front office. It started prior to the Broncos’ last regular season game in San Diego and was solidified with the demoralizing loss to the Chargers. The Denver Broncos were heading in a new direction. 

Mike Shanahan thought he was going to lunch with his friend and owner Pat Bowlen when he was shown the door. To Mr. Bowlen’s credit, he had to make a very hard business decision that involved a good friend with whom he had shared two NFL Championships. 

That is not easy to do, but given some of the recent history that had been built with fruitless results, it seemed as though it was the time to make the move.

The dismissal of Shanahan alone was enough to ignite whatever else happened in the offseason. Little did Broncos Country know the rest of the team roster was about to be set ablaze.   

The new coach was introduced at Dove Valley and almost as quickly as he landed in Denver was his selection being second guessed by all credible writers in the Denver media market. It seemed like there were at least two or three other candidates that were interviewed and at least a few of the older school coaches that could have been or even would have made more sense at the time.

The Broncos’ front office under Pat Bowlen’s guidance became enamored with the kid who just so happened to be Bill Belichick’s protégé. There was blind trust, it seemed, in casting everything to the winds of change.

Gone was the leader of the team in Jay Cutler, a number of coaches, and about half of last year’s team. Of the seven players that played tailback for the Broncos last season, only one of them remains on the team roster, that being Peyton Hillis.

On defense, only Champ Bailey retained his same exact starting position. The only other returning starting defenders from last season’s team were given new marching orders as starters under the Broncos’ new 3-4 scheme. Moving to the middle linebacker position was DJ Williams and to the outside linebacker position was Elvis Dumervil.

 

The Controversial Draft

While the Broncos had a controversial and successful draft, they were criticized for taking Knowshon Moreno and not a solid defensive lineman or linebacker at that position. Then the Broncos traded away one of the first rounders in next year’s draft for a second rounder this season to help bring depth to the defensive backfield this year. 

The Broncos also selected tight end Richard Quinn, who was projected to land in much later rounds, at the end of the second round. It seemed the Broncos were not making the wisest selections at those rounds, especially when considering that the Broncos could have picked up Brian Orakpo (DE), Brian Cushing (OLB), Larry English (DE), and Clay Mathews (OLB) to name a few.

Furthermore, the Broncos selected Alphonso Smith (DB) just one pick in front of the Bengals‘ selection of Rey Maualuga (MLB), who has impressed already in the young season.

For the Broncos, however, at the time, it was more about what their most pressing needs were for this season to become a success. Certainly any of those other talents mentioned could have contributed to this team, but it was about creating depth for the future and the short run while getting by with the talent on the roster at that point in time.

 

A Lackluster Training Camp Coupled with a Disappointing Preseason

Much of Broncos Nation and the press were holding their breath once the preseason arrived. Certainly the Broncos were now going to have a new look and feel about them on both sides of the ball.

Enter Kyle Orton as the Broncos’ new quarterback and the new 3-4 defensive philosophy. Everyone knew for this team to step up, there would have to be significant improvement on defense and signs of life on offense.

A week prior to the first preseason game, Kyle Orton did not look sharp in the team scrimmage at Mile High. There was, however, some strong signs of potential in Orton and on defense. 

Still, there were the off-field issues with Brandon Marshall and his agent seeking out a trade and then an eventual suspension from the team. Marshall was told to take a break from the team for the remainder of the preseason because of his actions being detrimental to the team.

It seemed all was not well with Brandon and the performance in the preseason would lead one to believe that this was a work in progress.

The Broncos played fairly well in the first preseason game at San Francisco, especially on defense. The team, however, lost against a beatable opponent, even for a preseason game. 

Then the Broncos went to Seattle and laid an egg overall. Perhaps they were looking ahead to their next game. 

Enter the departed Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears in a game at Mile High that may have been one of the most anticipated preseason games of all time. The Broncos’ first team defense looked very good overall in the game, but Kyle Orton got a significant injury to his throwing hand index finger and it seemed the Broncos might be off to a rough start after losing that game.

As unimpressive as everything else was to this point in the preseason, the final game of the preseason perhaps was a prelude and it could not have had better timing. With the Broncos losing to Jay Cutler and the Bears in their most important preseason game, this team was in need of an even greater spark. 

To his credit, Pat Bowlen stuck to his guns and never surrendered the expectations of how his teams should be performing. Additionally, the front office was more media friendly in the offseason than they possibly have been in some time.  

Against Arizona, current third string quarterback Tom Brandstater impressed in his first start against the Cardinals and he gave the Broncos fans hope for the future.

 

Tomorrow, part two of this series will focus on breaking down the regular season thus far.

Contact Chaz at sportsmanagement@gmail.com.

 

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Mike Shanahan’s Farewell: Thank-You Letter for Former Denver Broncos Head Coach

As the day rolls by and the mere thought of the success that the Broncos are enjoying brings a smile to my face I am reminded of the golden days, the days of John and even Jake.  Those days meant the world to me, as they did to lot of Bronco fans, yet I find myself sad when I remember I never gave you your proper farewell.

You see, when I think about the direction this team is headed in, I can’t help but to think about when you first arrived, a (relatively) young coach full of ideas and were finally able to bring home the gold to a much deserving QB and fan base.  You brought us a lot of good times and kept the bad ones at a minimum, while bringing forth a competitive team year in and year out. 

Although I must confess that I was part of that group that called for your job, I never forgot everything you ever did for me and our team.

I know that I must sound like a hypocrite right now, but I knew you and the team needed a change of scenery and your competitiveness would never allow you to step down, therefore there was only one way to make it happen and that was for you to be let go. 

Unlike most fans, though, I had an idea of why it would happen and it wasn’t because of your managerial skills or draft day picks, for the most part it was because you refused to back out of your word to coaches and players such as Slowik, Robertson, and McCree, among others, that finally happened.

After all, you’ve always had an eye for true talent and the proof is in the picks, and you did bring us guys like Berry, Hayward, Pryce, Pope, DJ, Darrent Williams, Al Wilson, Gold and so many others that I can’t remember and that, to me at least, proves that you had an eye not only for offense but for talent and football ability regardless of position. 

Towards your latter days when you knew that you had to show immediate results, not only to the fans and the owners, but yourself, in your visible frustration you made some mistakes with guys like Crowder and Moss but it’s ok, after all you are only human.

I remember with vividness the day I heard the news of your departure. I was at work doing my tedious and boring job while listening to sports radio, and I was so tuned in that when I heard, I almost spilled my coffee all over my desk.  One of my co-workers ran into my office and with disbelief looked at me and asked if it was a joke. 

All of us around the office were striken with sadness but we all knew, as ardent and hardcore fans, it was time.

It was some time after that day that I mindlessly walked into a 7-Eleven around Lowry, late at night and to my surprised I looked to my left while deciding which vitamin water to get, that I spotted you. 

You looked at me and said hello and then looked at my No. 30 jersey and told me that he was a hell of guy. It was then that I finally was able to say hello and as we both waited in line to pay for our beverages, I decided to ask you something that my girlfriend had wondered earlier, and I asked if you would coach again, you looked at me and said with a grin that you would like to, but not in the AFC West. 

My next question I felt was stupid but I asked, “Why not in the AFC West,” and you gave me an answer that brought a smile to my face and showed me what kind of man you are. You said that while facing the Broncos every once in a while would be hard, facing us twice a season would not be your ideal scenario.

While a side of me took that statement with a grain of salt, the other side wishes it is true.  Then I thought of a reason for you to lie and I found none, you had never lied to us in the past why would you now.  It was then that I realized that while a change was immanent and we had lost a great coach, we had also lost a great man.

I have supported McDaniels since day one, granted not on everything, but in him this fan sees a coach with great potential with an incredible eye for talent and football ability, a coach that has come in and put his stamp on the team and with it has brought in an all too familiar energy and, not to quote Marty, a gleam that makes me shake with excitement. 

I can only hope and pray that he is as successful as you were and his tenure is as sweet as yours was.

Mike, I wish you the best of luck in your future, which I know is bright and filled with many more victories and Super Bowl trophies, though not at the Broncos’ expense. I do hope to see you roaming the side lines once again.  At last Mike, with fond memories of the past, this Bronco fan bids you farewell and thanks you for everything you did for us.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Mike Shanahan’s Farewell: Thank-You Letter for Former Denver Broncos Head Coach

As the day rolls by and the mere thought of the success that the Broncos are enjoying brings a smile to my face I am reminded of the golden days, the days of John and even Jake.  Those days meant the world to me, as they did to lot of Bronco fans, yet I find myself sad when I remember I never gave you your proper farewell.

You see, when I think about the direction this team is headed in, I can’t help but to think about when you first arrived, a (relatively) young coach full of ideas and were finally able to bring home the gold to a much deserving QB and fan base.  You brought us a lot of good times and kept the bad ones at a minimum, while bringing forth a competitive team year in and year out. 

Although I must confess that I was part of that group that called for your job, I never forgot everything you ever did for me and our team.

I know that I must sound like a hypocrite right now, but I knew you and the team needed a change of scenery and your competitiveness would never allow you to step down, therefore there was only one way to make it happen and that was for you to be let go. 

Unlike most fans, though, I had an idea of why it would happen and it wasn’t because of your managerial skills or draft day picks, for the most part it was because you refused to back out of your word to coaches and players such as Slowik, Robertson, and McCree, among others, that finally happened.

After all, you’ve always had an eye for true talent and the proof is in the picks, and you did bring us guys like Berry, Hayward, Pryce, Pope, DJ, Darrent Williams, Al Wilson, Gold and so many others that I can’t remember and that, to me at least, proves that you had an eye not only for offense but for talent and football ability regardless of position. 

Towards your latter days when you knew that you had to show immediate results, not only to the fans and the owners, but yourself, in your visible frustration you made some mistakes with guys like Crowder and Moss but it’s ok, after all you are only human.

I remember with vividness the day I heard the news of your departure. I was at work doing my tedious and boring job while listening to sports radio, and I was so tuned in that when I heard, I almost spilled my coffee all over my desk.  One of my co-workers ran into my office and with disbelief looked at me and asked if it was a joke. 

All of us around the office were striken with sadness but we all knew, as ardent and hardcore fans, it was time.

It was some time after that day that I mindlessly walked into a 7-Eleven around Lowry, late at night and to my surprised I looked to my left while deciding which vitamin water to get, that I spotted you. 

You looked at me and said hello and then looked at my No. 30 jersey and told me that he was a hell of guy. It was then that I finally was able to say hello and as we both waited in line to pay for our beverages, I decided to ask you something that my girlfriend had wondered earlier, and I asked if you would coach again, you looked at me and said with a grin that you would like to, but not in the AFC West. 

My next question I felt was stupid but I asked, “Why not in the AFC West,” and you gave me an answer that brought a smile to my face and showed me what kind of man you are. You said that while facing the Broncos every once in a while would be hard, facing us twice a season would not be your ideal scenario.

While a side of me took that statement with a grain of salt, the other side wishes it is true.  Then I thought of a reason for you to lie and I found none, you had never lied to us in the past why would you now.  It was then that I realized that while a change was immanent and we had lost a great coach, we had also lost a great man.

I have supported McDaniels since day one, granted not on everything, but in him this fan sees a coach with great potential with an incredible eye for talent and football ability, a coach that has come in and put his stamp on the team and with it has brought in an all too familiar energy and, not to quote Marty, a gleam that makes me shake with excitement. 

I can only hope and pray that he is as successful as you were and his tenure is as sweet as yours was.

Mike, I wish you the best of luck in your future, which I know is bright and filled with many more victories and Super Bowl trophies, though not at the Broncos’ expense. I do hope to see you roaming the side lines once again.  At last Mike, with fond memories of the past, this Bronco fan bids you farewell and thanks you for everything you did for us.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Talking Strategy on the NFL Draft

Recently I had a conversation with a good friend of mine about how the NFL draft is a complete crap shoot and how it is virtually impossible to be consistently successful during that famed weekend.

I disagree. I believe that the right strategy on said weekend gives you the ability to maintain good depth on the roster and supply the team with playmakers on both sides of the ball, all the while building for the future.

Of course, if you listen to this so called “experts” on the subject like Mel Kiper Jr. or Todd McShay, they will have you convinced that the best strategy is to draft the best available athlete despite of position.

Not only do they throw worthless numbers at you like 40 time and vertical leaps, but they celebrate teams that follow that mantra.

I say its all bull; however, the one thing that they have been right about is that, you never, ever draft for need.  That’s how you end up reaching and overpaying for a guy who may just end up as a back up.

The teams that have been constantly successful during this past decade have been the teams that follow a different motto on draft day.  I am speaking of teams like the Steelers, Patriots, Colts, Giants, and Eagles, among others. 

These teams have rarely followed the hollow rule of drafting the best available athlete, and yet they have all been successful.  So, what gives?

Is it that some teams have more information on prospects than others? Or maybe some teams have more luck than others?

Well the answer to those questions is a resounding no. You see, the best strategy is to draft the best available FOOTBALL player who best suits your specific scheme.

Take, for instance, the San Diego Chargers. They have followed the advice of drafting the best available athlete for some time and the reality is that their draft picks of recent years have been less than desirable and team depth is an issue at key positions.

Just look at the NT position, Jamal Williams is 34 years old, that means he’s about 50+ in football years specially for a guy in the trenches, and yet AJ Smith has not addressed this issue.

Instead, Smith went with picks like Larry English, who was not only a reach but the Chargers also exposed the fact that they either don’t believe in Merriman or they do not plan to keep him.

Also, the safety position has been in shambles for the Chargers since Harrison was let go.

Also there are the Raiders. They have have continuously drafted the fastest player available and that hasn’t really worked out well for them. 

Now, I understand that being the fastest does not mean your the best athlete; it is, however, a big part of how we define a great athlete, at least in the NFL.

I am glad to see that McDaniels is not of this school of thought and instead drafted the best available football players who best fit his needs, guys like McBath, Smith, and Moreno.

McDaniels was alsosmart enough to lure Baker, a guy who before his little mishap and during his last year at Penn State was being graded as a can’t-miss prospect, along with bringing in veterans to tutor the children and get them ready for the future.

I admire McDaniels for sticking to his guns on draft day and finding the best player to fit the team and knowing when to take them. 

After all, desperation on draft day cost Shanahan his job, but today I feel that would not be a problem when building the future of my Beloved Broncos.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Talking Strategy on the NFL Draft

Recently I had a conversation with a good friend of mine about how the NFL draft is a complete crap shoot and how it is virtually impossible to be consistently successful during that famed weekend.

I disagree. I believe that the right strategy on said weekend gives you the ability to maintain good depth on the roster and supply the team with playmakers on both sides of the ball, all the while building for the future.

Of course, if you listen to this so called “experts” on the subject like Mel Kiper Jr. or Todd McShay, they will have you convinced that the best strategy is to draft the best available athlete despite of position.

Not only do they throw worthless numbers at you like 40 time and vertical leaps, but they celebrate teams that follow that mantra.

I say its all bull; however, the one thing that they have been right about is that, you never, ever draft for need.  That’s how you end up reaching and overpaying for a guy who may just end up as a back up.

The teams that have been constantly successful during this past decade have been the teams that follow a different motto on draft day.  I am speaking of teams like the Steelers, Patriots, Colts, Giants, and Eagles, among others. 

These teams have rarely followed the hollow rule of drafting the best available athlete, and yet they have all been successful.  So, what gives?

Is it that some teams have more information on prospects than others? Or maybe some teams have more luck than others?

Well the answer to those questions is a resounding no. You see, the best strategy is to draft the best available FOOTBALL player who best suits your specific scheme.

Take, for instance, the San Diego Chargers. They have followed the advice of drafting the best available athlete for some time and the reality is that their draft picks of recent years have been less than desirable and team depth is an issue at key positions.

Just look at the NT position, Jamal Williams is 34 years old, that means he’s about 50+ in football years specially for a guy in the trenches, and yet AJ Smith has not addressed this issue.

Instead, Smith went with picks like Larry English, who was not only a reach but the Chargers also exposed the fact that they either don’t believe in Merriman or they do not plan to keep him.

Also, the safety position has been in shambles for the Chargers since Harrison was let go.

Also there are the Raiders. They have have continuously drafted the fastest player available and that hasn’t really worked out well for them. 

Now, I understand that being the fastest does not mean your the best athlete; it is, however, a big part of how we define a great athlete, at least in the NFL.

I am glad to see that McDaniels is not of this school of thought and instead drafted the best available football players who best fit his needs, guys like McBath, Smith, and Moreno.

McDaniels was alsosmart enough to lure Baker, a guy who before his little mishap and during his last year at Penn State was being graded as a can’t-miss prospect, along with bringing in veterans to tutor the children and get them ready for the future.

I admire McDaniels for sticking to his guns on draft day and finding the best player to fit the team and knowing when to take them. 

After all, desperation on draft day cost Shanahan his job, but today I feel that would not be a problem when building the future of my Beloved Broncos.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Denver Broncos Continue to Impress

We admitted last week in our article “2009 NFL Surprise Teams: Broncos and Bengals ” that we were wrong in our preseason expectation of the Broncos. As we said last week, we saw the disarray in the Broncos’ camp surrounding the Cutler fiasco and the Brandon Marshall suspension, and we thought the Broncos were a last place team waiting to happen.

We did a new chart last week in our article “NFL 2009 Win – Loss Records: A Look at the Schedule Excuse .” In this article, we looked at all of the teams with winning records who had faced competition also with winning records. The list last week consisted of three teams, and this week there are five.

One of the things that was true last week and is still true this week is that not a single one of the unbeaten teams has faced competition with a combined record over .500,  while none of the winless teams have faced competition with a combined record under .500. 

However, the Broncos and Saints are actually close. In fact, for both teams, if you drop the games their past opposition has played against them, then their competition’s combined records would be over .500. This is not true for the other two unbeaten teams: the Vikings and Colts. 

Going forward, the Broncos’ competition does not appear to be that tough in that they have a combined win-loss percentage of just .491. We are not trying to argue that the Broncos do not have some tough teams in their future; they do.

They still have to face the Steelers(4-2), the Colts(5-0), the Giants(5-1), the Eagles(3-2), and the Ravens(3-3). Given the way the Broncos have played the first six games, we now have to believe that they can win at least two of those five tough games.

In our PossessionPoints.com preseason preview, we said it looked like the AFC West was the Chargers’ division to lose. As we have said, that was a poor assessment. We call ourselves a “data analysis” company, so we try to learn as much from our mistakes as from our successes. So, we went back over our preseason data, and we are going to blame some of our “surprise” on human error.

It turns out our Preseason “Relative Performance Measure (RPM)” data was pointing to good things for the Broncos relative to the Chargers in their division. If you go back to our article “2009 NFL Preseason Performance Rankings ” you will see we said:

“So, are we concerned about the 1-2 Chargers who have a terrible -55 RPM? Yes, we are a little. To us, this might be a warning flag. We would rather see the Chargers’ RPM up there with the 0-3 Broncos.”

In the chart in that article, the Broncos were 10th with an RPM of positive 9.96. If you read through the comments in that article you will see that we took some heat from Chargers’ fans who just wanted to throw out the preseason. We mistakenly agreed that you probably should not read too much into preseason data.

However, our stat is scoring drive-based, and good numbers can be accumulated quickly even in preseason, so perhaps we undervalued the chart a little.

If we look back on that preseason chart we see the bottom five consisted of the Raiders (currently 2-4) the Chargers (2-3), the Rams (0-6), the Titans (0-6), and the Chiefs (0-6). The top five consisted of the Saints (5-0), Falcons (4-1), Steelers (4-2), Cardinals (3-2), and the Jets (3-3). We’ll remember that next year when we look at preseason performance.

This week’s regular season RPM chart has the Broncos at seventh with an RPM of positive 39. This is a really nice performance, and while their future schedule has some teams with good RPMs, only two—the Steelers and Giants—are currently higher than the Broncos.

Our RPM chart this week is below:

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Denver Broncos Continue To Impress

We admitted last week in our article “2009 NFL Surprise Teams: Broncos and Bengals” that we were wrong in our preseason expectation of the Broncos. As we said last week, we saw the disarray in the Broncos’ camp surrounding the Cutler fiasco and the Brandon Marshall suspension, and we thought the Broncos were a last place team waiting to happen.

We did a new chart last week in our article “NFL 2009 Win–Loss Records: A Look at the Schedule Excuse.” In this article, we looked at all of the teams with winning records who had faced competition also with winning records. The list last week consisted of three teams, and this week there are five.

One of the things that was true last week and is still true this week is that not a single one of the unbeaten teams has faced competition with a combined record over .500, while none of the winless teams have faced competition with a combined record under .500.

However, the Broncos and Saints are actually close. In fact, for both teams, if you drop the games their past opposition has played against them, then their competition’s combined records would be over .500. This is not true for the other two unbeaten teams: the Vikings and Colts.

Going forward, the Broncos’ competition does not appear to be that tough in that they have a combined win-loss percentage of just .491. We are not trying to argue that the Broncos do not have some tough teams in their future; they do.

They still have to face the Steelers (4-2), the Colts (5-0), the Giants (5-1), the Eagles (3-2), and the Ravens (3-3). Given the way the Broncos have played the first six games, we now have to believe that they can win at least two of those five tough games.

In our PossessionPoints.com preseason preview, we said it looked like the AFC West was the Chargers’ division to lose. As we have said, that was a poor assessment. We call ourselves a “data analysis” company, so we try to learn as much from our mistakes as from our successes. So, we went back over our preseason data, and we are going to blame some of our “surprise” on human error.

It turns out our Preseason “Relative Performance Measure (RPM)” data was pointing to good things for the Broncos relative to the Chargers in their division. If you go back to our article “2009 NFL Preseason Performance Rankings” you will see we said:

“So, are we concerned about the 1-2 Chargers who have a terrible -55 RPM? Yes, we are a little. To us, this might be a warning flag. We would rather see the Chargers’ RPM up there with the 0-3 Broncos.”

In the chart in that article, the Broncos were 10th with an RPM of positive 9.96. If you read through the comments in that article you will see that we took some heat from Chargers’ fans who just wanted to throw out the preseason. We mistakenly agreed that you probably should not read too much into preseason data.

However, our stat is scoring drive-based, and good numbers can be accumulated quickly even in preseason, so perhaps we undervalued the chart a little.

If we look back on that preseason chart we see the bottom five consisted of the Raiders (currently 2-4), Chargers (2-3), Rams (0-6), Titans (0-6), and Chiefs (0-6). The top five consisted of the Saints (5-0), Falcons (4-1), Steelers (4-2), Cardinals (3-2), and Jets (3-3). We’ll remember that next year when we look at preseason performance.

This week’s regular season RPM chart has the Broncos at seventh with an RPM of positive 39. This is a really nice performance, and while their future schedule has some teams with good RPMs, only two—the Steelers and Giants—are currently higher than the Broncos.

Our RPM chart this week is below:

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

QBER/Week 6: J.C. Superstar Who? All Kyle Orton Does Is Win Games

(QBER is short for Quarterback Efficiency Rating, a more comprehensive, easily understood rating system that I devised to place the emphasis where it belongs—the ability of a quarterback to advance the ball, avoid negative plays, and score touchdowns in comparison to his peers. A rating of 100.0 is the league average.)

It was then Philadelphia Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan who once said of a wide receiver years ago, “Lemme tell you, all Cris Carter does is catch touchdown passes.” Much the same can be said of Kyle Orton, the Denver Broncos quarterback who doesn’t do much more than win football games.

 

That the Broncos are off to a 6-0  start rates as one of the surprises of the early season, but maybe it shouldn’t come as a complete and total shock. In three seasons with the Chicago Bears, Orton had a 21-12 record as a starter despite fairly average talent around him, further proof that the best QB isn’t necessarily the one that throws the tightest spirals but manages the best game.

 

Orton never had the full support of team management, however, which was stuck on Rex Grossman from the start. When the Broncos made Jay Cutler available last summer, Orton was kicked to the curb.

 

Months later, the trade appears to be a steal— for the Broncos, not the Bears. Orton may have a low glitz factor, but his QBER ranks No. 5 overall, three places higher than his NFL passer rating.

 

What separates Orton from the pack is his remarkable consistency, as his rating has never been lower than 132.0 in any week. And while Cutler continues to be a turnover machine— among qualifiers, only Kerry Collins, Jake Delhomme, and Mark Sanchez give up the ball at a higher rate— the man he replaced has been guilty of only one such mistake in 208 pass plays.

 

So lemme tell you, unlike a certain wide receiver, don’t expect Orton to be released any time soon.

 

 

The QBER leaders after Week Six of the regular season:

 

1. Brees 165.2 2. P. Manning 150.2 3. Favre 148.3 4. McNabb 142.6 5. Orton 139.8 6. Ryan 136.8
7. Schaub 135.4
8. E. Manning 131.0
9. Brady 122.6
10. Flacco 121.9
11. Rodgers 120.5
12. Hasselbeck 113.4
13. Cassel 113.0
14. Roethlisberger 112.1
15. Rivers 109.0
16. Cutler 106.2
17. Warner 106.1
18. Hill 104.8
19. Romo 102.0
20. Bulger 100.9
21. Palmer 90.4
22. Leftwich 88.2
23. Wallace 87.5
24. Garrard 84.9
25. Kolb 80.42
26. Edwards 80.38
27. Campbell 79.3
28. K. Collins 75.6
29. Stafford 62.5
30. Johnson 61.5
31. Russell 60.2
32. Sanchez 44.4 33. Anderson 37.7 34. Delhomme 13.5

A few observations:

 

• A large part of the QBER system is tied to the ability to avoid negative plays, one of the most overlooked factors in performance at the position. David Garrard has lost a league-worst 230 yards in sacks, fumbles, and interceptions. On the flip side are JaMarcus Russell and Drew Brees, who have lost two and three yards, respectively.
• At 165.2, Brews has the highest QBER since the first week of the season, when his 209.2 mark was off the charts.
• If may be time for the Carolina Panthers to pull the plug on Jake Delhomme, whose QBER ranks last for the sixth consecutive week. In 148 pass plays, Delhomme committed no fewer than a dozen turnovers (10 interceptions, two fumbles), by far the worst rate in the league.
• Is there a QBER jinx? One week after Matt Hasselbeck took over the top spot, he inexplicably had a 74-yard, two-turnover, no-touchdown performance. He tumbled to No. 12 as a result.
• Tom Brady cracked the top 10 for the first time this season, as QBER doesn’t take into account the kind of passive resistance that the Tennessee Titans‘ defense displayed last weekend.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

« 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”