Who Will Start for the Broncos in 2009? (Part Two)

(This is part two of a two-part article. The first part can be found here.)

In remembering the defenses that the Broncos have put out the last couple of years, I know it’s hard to get really excited about the “new changes” to the Defense. 

However, as a member of Bronco Nation, I can truthfully say that this year’s changes have to get you excited about the upcoming season!

It all starts up front for a defense.  Without solid line play, the Broncos have no chance at stopping opposing offenses.  On the other hand, a dominant defensive line will send the Broncos to the playoffs this year.

 

Defensive Tackle

The Broncos have eight defensive tackles on their roster as of now: Matthias Askew, Chris Baker, Nic Clemons, Ronald Fields, J’Vonne Parker, Kenny Peterson, Carlton Powell, and Marcus Thomas.

For a 3-4 defense to be successful, the Broncos need three big bodies on the defensive line, which turns large defensive tackles (310-plus lbs.) into nose tackles and regular-size defensive tackles (290-plus lbs.) into defensive ends. 

Weighing in at 315, 325, and 326, respectively, Fields, Parker, and Baker are the only defense tackles that can be viewed as true nose tackles. 

Fields is a five-year veteran, and has the best chance at winning the starting nose tackle spot at this time. He has the size and strength to be a stout nose tackle in the NFL, but one has to wonder why San Fransisco let him go so easily. 

Parker has ideal size and strength, but has little experience in the NFL. He’s a journeyman defensive tackle, and will be a good backup in the nose tackle rotation for Denver.

Baker will be the talk of camp this year.  The Broncos signed him out of college as an unrestricted free agent, which will turn out to be a very good value as the season progresses.  

Baker was severed from the Penn State football program for accepting money for work he didn’t do. Regardless of his past indiscretions, the kid has talent—enough talent that he could be the starting nose tackle when September rolls around. 

The nose tackle position is pretty much in the air, because there are so many unknowns trying out this summer.

Out of the other five defensive tackle prospects, Peterson and Thomas should be the starting defensive ends for the 3-4 defense.  All of the other tackles are unproven players that have a chance to make the squad. 

Again, the defensive end position is up in the air, especially since this would be a position change for these players, and because there are five more defensive end prospects on the roster.

 

Defensive Ends

Like the defensive tackles, the defensive end prospects are career backups, or rookies with limited playing experience on the line. The defensive end prospects are as follows:  Tim Crowder, Rulon Davis, Ryan McBean, and Everette Pedescleaux. 

Crowder has the most experience and upside, but at 275 lbs, he lacks the size to be a 3-4 line player.  If Crowder comes to training camp at 285, then he would be a great rotation player on the line.

McBean has ideal size for a defensive end in the 3-4, but not a lot of experience.  It will be interesting to see what he brings to the table at camp.

The last two prospects were just signed as rookie free agents and have no experience in the NFL. However, they are intriguing players with possible upside.

Pedescleaux is my favorite of the two to start.  At 6’6″ inches and 305 lbs, he could be a beast on the end.  With his height, he can stand to gain 20-30 lbs in a professional training program. This could be our next starting nose tackle!

Davis is a Marine. Enough said. These guys are considered tough at 200 lbs.  At 281 lbs, I’d drop my gun and pray this man didn’t eat me.  Davis is also, 6’5″ inches tall, so like  Pedescleaux, he could stand to gain 20 lbs.

These two rookies could find themselves starting in the middle of this season.

 

Defensive End/Linebackers Hybrids

Now this is the exciting part of the off-season! The hybrid players are guys that were originally slotted as pass rushing ends in a 4-3 defensive scheme, but have the ability to play the outside linebacker position in a 3-4 defensive scheme. 

Starting a hybrid instead of a linebacker gives a defense a stout pass-rushing end and better run support off of the edges. The problem these players run into is that they don’t have the coverage skills it takes to defend against the pass. 

The hybrid ends on the Broncos roster are as follows: Robert Ayers, Elvis Dumervil, Jarvis Moss, Darrell Reid.

Ayers is a stand out 3-4 lineman from the University of Tennessee.  He was the No. 18 overall draft choice in the 2009 draft, and looks to start at outside linebacker for the Broncos this year.

This guy is a gamer. He’s quick, strong, and intelligent. He has all of the ability to be a star in this league. Hopefully he pans out.

Dumervil is the Broncos resident sack master.  If you need someone to hit the quarterback, he’s your man. I envision Dumervil as starting opposite of Ayers at outside linebacker. 

As long as his coverage skills improve, Dunmervil should be a Pro Bowler at this position.

Moss could easily fight for a starting position as an outside linebacker. However, to this point in his career, he hasn’t shown the talent that got him drafted out of Florida three years ago.  This could possibly be scenario that Moss has been waiting for. If Moss comes to camp swinging, there is going to be a heck of a lot of competition for the hybrid spot this summer.

Reid is a special teams stand out. I’m not really sold on him being a starter. He’s kind of a tweener at 288 lbs—too big to be an outside linebacker, too small to be a defensive end.  It’s quite possible that he may crack the 53-man roster, but as of now, I’m not holding my breath.

Linebackers

The Broncos have 11 linebackers coming to camp this summer. They are as follows: Boss Bailey, Andra Davis, Louis Green, Nick Greisen, Mario Haggan, Braxton Kelley, Lee Robinson, Jeff Schweiger, D.J. Williams, Wesley Woodyard, and Spencer Larsen. 

A lot of these player’s futures will be based on how strong the hybrid players above come out in training camp. If the hybrids don’t pan out, there will be four starting spots open for these linebacker prospects to compete for.

If the hybrid players do pan out, then the inside linebacker positions are the only starting jobs available. Davis and Williams will be locks at these positions. 

These two players will be a huge force in the middle for this defense. Both are run-stuffers, and both can blitz the quarterback with agility and speed. However, if the right outside linebacker spot is open, then I will expect Williams to play in that spot, since it is his natural position.

The other veteran linebackers—Bailey, Green, Greisen, Haggan, Woodyard, and Larsen—all have the opportunity and ability to start or be considered in the rotation on this defense.  At this point, the linebacker position will be figured out in training camp.  There are no other clear-cut starters.

Schweiger, Kelley, and Robinson are all rookies; therefore, I have nothing really to go on for these players.

Schweiger is an interesting prospect because of his size.  At 6’5″ and 276 lbs., he has the physical attributes to be another hybrid linebacker. He may be a diamond in the rough who could see playing time with the Broncos in the future.

 

Cornerbacks

The Broncos have eight cornerbacks on their roster as of now, but they most likely are only competing for the nickel and backup roles. 

They are as follows: Champ Bailey, Joshua Bell, Tony Carter, Andre’ Goodman, D.J. Johnson, Rashod Moulton, Alphonso Smith, and Jack Williams.

Bailey and Goodman are the veterans and starting cornerbacks for the Broncos at this time.  They should be the starters, barring an incredible camp by Smith, a rookie. 

Smith should be the starting nickel back, due to his tremendous play in a college and the fact that they Broncos traded a future No. 1 draft pick for him in this years draft. I’m fairly confident that he will pan out and become a starter for this team. His highlight reels and interviews were excellent. 

All of the other prospects do have a chance to be starters, but it just isn’t likely. They will most likely end up being depth players, or trying to crack a starting role on special teams. 

 

Safeties

The safety positions are all but taken care of, due to the signing of free agent juggernaut Brian Dawkins and veteran Renaldo Hill. The safety prospects are as follows: Josh Barrett, David Bruton, Brian Dawkins, Vernon Fox, Renaldo Hill, Herana-Daze Jones, Darcel McBath.

I am 100 percent sure that Brian Dawkins will be the starting strong safety.  Renaldo Hill is an above-average free safety, and should be the starter this year. 

I believe that Barrett has the talent to start in this league and should be a solid backup this year.  The Broncos may look at putting him at strong safety as well in the future.

McBath is another safety of the future and may end up at the backup spot to Renaldo Hill at free safety.

Bruton, Jones, and Fox should start on special teams. Bruton could break the starting lineup in the future through his special teams play. 

 

Below are my two starting scenario predictions on defense for the 2009 Denver Broncos:

DLE  Marcus Thomas
NT   Chris baker
DRE  Kenny Peterson
LOLB Robert Ayers, Jarvis Moss
LILB  Andra Davis
RILB  DJ Williams
ROLB Elvis Dumervil, Jarvis Moss
CB1  Champ Bailey
CB2  Andre’ Goodman
CB3  Alphonso Smith
SS   Brian Dawkins, Josh Barrett
FS   Renaldo Hill, Darcel McBath

Or

DLE  Marcus Thomas
NT   Chris baker
DRE  Kenny Peterson
LOLB Robert Ayers, Elvis Dumervil, Jarvis Moss
LILB  Andra Davis, Boss Bailey
RILB  Spencer Larsen, Boss Bailey
ROLB D.J. Williams, Elvis Dumervil, Jarvis Moss
CB1  Champ Bailey
CB2  Andre’ Goodman
CB3  Alphonso Smith
SS   Brian Dawkins, Josh Barrett
FS   Renaldo Hill, Darcel McBath

 

 

 

Who Will Start for the Broncos in 2009?? (Part One)

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With all of the surprising changes and moves that highlighted this year’s offseason reports, the Broncos’ training camps look to be quite exciting. 

There are a bunch of new names on Denver’s roster this year.  For some new players, training camp symbolizes the start of a new career. For others. it’s just another long day under the Colorado sun.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the current and possible starters for each position for the 2009 campaign.  Part one of this two part series, will focus on the offensive side of the team.

 

Quarterback

The leader of the pack.  The brains behind the brawn.  The “Big Cheese” as they would say in Green Bay.  The quarterback is the most important position in football.  No other player touches the ball as much as the quarterback and who ever has the ball, has the power. 

For the Denver Broncos, there are three new faces at quarterback; Kyle Orton, Chris Simms, and rookie Tom Brandstater. 

As of now Kyle Orton is the front runner to be this year’s starter.  Orton is a good game manager and positive locker room personality.  As long as he stays level headed and follows the coach’s plan, he should do just fine as the starter this year. 

Chris Simms is definitely a dark horse in this competition.  He has an NFL pedigree and played very well in his first years at Tampa Bay.  However, Simms suffered a season-ending injury in game three of the 2006 season, in the form of a ruptured spleen.  Simms hasn’t been the same since.  Could a change in scenery restart his career?

Tom Brandstater was a sixth round pick in this year’s draft.  He has a lot of upside and will look to compete for the second string spot in this year’s Bronco offense.  However, it’s more likely that he will become the third string quarterback and walk the sidelines with a clipboard this year. 

If he doesn’t show any potential, the Broncos will send him to the practice squad and give him another chance to show up next year.

 

Offensive Line

Offensive line has always been a source of constant production for the Broncos.  Their zone blocking scheme has become the scourge of the NFL, with many challengers and champions.  Regardless the perception is of this scheme, it works.  McDaniels looks to capitalize off of the success of the zone blocking scheme and infuse it into his own spread offense scheme. 

 

There won’t be any changes to the starting five of the offensive line for Denver this year.  The changes in the depth chart will likely be in the second and third string spots, which lay out the offensive line of the future.  Ben Hamilton and Casey Wiegmann are getting up there in years.  This leaves two future starting spots open in the next coming years. 

Most likely Wiegmann will retire next year, which would move Ben Hamilton to center and leave the left guard spot open for young players like: Corey Lichtensteiger, Seth Olsen, and Pat Murray.  Blake Schlueter will slide into the second string center spot and be groomed to start within a couple of years.

 

Tight End

The Broncos have three returning players in Daniel Graham, Tony Scheffler, and Jeb Putzier, and one rookie in Richard Quinn. 

Daniel Graham looks to start again on the strong side.   I see Richard Quinn as being a better fit at weak side tight end in two tight end sets for running downs.  Tony Scheffler would be the better choice at weak side tight end, or lining up in the slot, in passing downs. 

At this point I see this being a 2A/2B situation for Richard Quinn and Tony Scheffler.  Both provide a service for what the offense needs in certain game situations.  Unfortunately, I think that Jeb Putzier will be relegated strictly to special teams, or cut before the season starts.

 

Running Back/Fullback

The Broncos start this year’s mini camp with seven tailbacks on their roster.  They are as follows:  J.J. Arrington, Correll Buckhalter, Peyton Hillis, LaMont Jordan, Knowshon Moreno, Ryan Torain, and Darius Walker. 

The starting running back has to be Knowshon Moreno;  hands down.  If he isn’t the starter, Bronco Nation will HAVE to question McDaniel’s choice to pick Moreno at No. 12 in this year’s draft.  That being said, I think he’s good enough to win the starting spot easily and he should solidify the Broncos’ running attack. 

Correll Buckhalter should be the second string running back without any problems.  Lamont Jordan and Ryan Torain will battle to be used as the third string running back and in short yardage situations. 

J.J. Arrington and Darius Walker will challenge each other for the “speed back” position in this offense and be returners on special teams. 

Peyton Hillis is the obvious starter at fullback and should be considered the premier line pounder and short yardage back in the Broncos’ running attack. 

Depending on how McDaniels’ offense is setup, all of these players could make the squad, because they offer distinct abilities for certain game type situations. 

However, I also see the following players on the bubble if McDaniels feels he doesn’t need as many specialists in the back field:  Lamont Jordan, Ryan Torain, J.J. Arrington, and Darius Walker.  In my opinion, Ryan Torain has a mountain of upside and should make the squad this year and possibly challenge Correll Buckhalter for the second string spot next year.

 

Wide Receiver

The Broncos have a solid receiver squad returning this year in Brandon Marshal, Eddie Royal, and Brandon Stokley.  Hopefully, the league’s silence on Brandon Marshall’s possible suspension means he will be safe for this year.  If not, then Jabar Gaffney and Chad Jackson will have the chance to start along side Eddie Royal for a couple of games. 

Brandon Stokley is still a premier slot receiver in the NFL, but has been hampered with injuries as of late.  The slot receiver position is Stokley’s to lose at this point, but look for newly acquired rookie Kenny McKinley to put a lot of pressure on the veteran for the starting slot position.

With so many new faces at camp this year, the offensive competition looks to heat up at the tailback position.  McDaniels has enough talented personnel to put out the best team he can this year.  The Broncos offense should be exciting to watch this year.

 

Here are my current predictions for the 2009 Denver Broncos starting offense:

 

Quarter Back       Kyle Orton
Left Tackle           Ryan Clady
Left Guard            Ben Hamilton
Center                  Casey Wiegmann
Right Guard          Chris Kuper
Right Tackle          Ryan Harris
Tight End 1            Daniel Graham
Tight End 2            Richard Quinn
Running Back         Knowshon Moreno
Full Back               Peyton Hillis
Wide Receiver 1    Brandon Marshall
Wide Receiver 2    Eddie Royal
Slot Reciever         Brandon Stokley

 

A Look at the Upcoming Denver Broncos Season (Part Three)

(This is the third part of the following article)

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/169633-a-look-at-the-upcoming-broncos-2009-season

Special teams is an area where the Broncos have been, well, special in the past. 

With such good kickers as Rick Karlis and Jason Elam, you could always count on Denver coming away with three points at the opposing team’s 40 yard line.  Matt Prater is the kicker of the future and shows great promise.  Bret Kern is a solid punter and commands $500,000 to $1 milion less then the much touted Todd Sauerbrun. 

If your defense or offense is having a rough day, a good special teams can help your football out of a jam every Sunday.

Kicking

Prater has a very powerful leg, but is having problems with his accuracy as of late. He ended the 2008 season with a 73.5 FG percentage. 

Interestingly so, the bulk of Prater’s misses came from field-goal tries between 40 to 49 yards, but he was 5-for-6 in FG tries from over 50 yards. 

Luck?  I think it’s more of an experience issue. 

Compare kicking field-goals to making a putt on the green at pebble beach.  As easy as it should be, it takes an extreme amount of concentration to put that little white ball into that big black hole. 

Such is the same for field goal kicking.  I think Prater will get even better each year.  Focus and maturity comes with age.  The Broncos’ kicking game will be reliable and Prater will come out with a much better field goal percentage this year.  I predict 85 percent or better.

Punting

Kern ended last season with a 46.7 yard average per punt.  He was ranked in the NFL among the top five punters. 

Kern presents a real value to the Broncos.  Being able to push an opposing offense back near 50 yards to start with, gives your defense a lot of breathing room.  I look for Kern to keep up the good work and possibly get better each year.

Return Game

The Broncos were ranked 22nd overall in average kick return yards with 21.8 and they ranked 13 in average punt return yards with 9.8. 

Eddie Royal is the top return guy for our team and looks to keep his starting position this year.  Averaging 26.1 kick return yards and 10 punt return yards, Royal was easily at the top of the individual statistics boards in the NFL. 

Hopefully he will continue with his success and add to his rookie year success.  JJ Arrington has also been touted as a return specialist and should be able to help boost the Broncos’ overall rank for return in the NFL.

A Look at the Upcoming Denver Broncos 2009 Season (Part Two)

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(This is the 2^nd part of the following article)

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/169633-a-look-at-the-upcoming-broncos-2009-season

 

Defense

The 2008 Denver Broncos Defense was one of the hardest squads to watch, in my time.  It was like watching Corey Dillon breaking the single game rushing record (278 yards Bengals vs. Broncos, 2000) 16 times. 

This defense couldn’t have stopped the run if William “The Refrigerator” Perry was toting the ball. 

It was completely demoralizing as a fan to watch the offense score, only to have the defense give up an easy seven. 

 

Follow the links for last year’s starting team and this year’s projected starters.

 

The Defensive line

I get chills when I look at last years starting four lineman.  These players just didn’t work well together at all.  Ranking No. 27 overall in rushing yards allowed, this line get’s all of the blame.

John Engelberger was a high-energy guy and a coach’s favorite, but so was Rudy Ruettiger. 

He wasn’t big enough to stop the run and wasn’t fast enough to create pressure.  Engelberger would have been more suited for a second string role at that point in his career. Engelberger has been released by the Broncos.

Dewayne Robertson was a huge disappointment.  I thought that the Broncos really had something there.  He was a veteran with injury issues, but I figured he could provide support at the defensive tackle position. 

I was wrong.  As a backup, I would have been happy with Robertson’s production, but the Broncos shelled out a ton of cash for this guy. He just wasn’t worth the investment.  Robertson has been released by the Broncos.

Elvis Dumervil is a passing situation lineman only. He’s a sack master, but struggled against the run and maintaining the corner. He wasn’t big enough to be a 3-4 down lineman, which the Broncos needed.

I look for Dumervil to start in 2009 in the Broncos newly added 3-4 defensive scheme as an outside linebacker.  If he can make the switch to linebacker and increase his coverage skills, he will be a huge defensive threat of the corners. 

Marcus Thomas was a shining light on the defensive front.  In his sophomore season as a Bronco, Thomas tallied 34 total tackles and even caught an interception for 11 yards. As a fourth-round choice the Broncos couldn’t have been happier with his production. 

As Thomas grows, he will only get better.  Yahoo has Thomas slated at the second-string Nose Tackle position, but I just don’t agree with this move. 

Thomas should be a starting end in the 3-4 defense and could also vie for the starting Nose Tackle position, although he may be better suited as a back up to the bigger prospects on the roster at this time.

 

The Linebackers

With the front four not holding their blocks or creating pressure, the linebacker squad for the Broncos was put in position all season. 

D.J. Williams is one of the top defensive players on this team and the AFC, in my opinion.  If this squad was as popular as the Baltimore Ravens squad, he would be considered a perennial pro bowler. 

Williams could only do so much to help out the defense, and injuries hampered him last season, making his production minimal.  I look for Williams to have a career year in this revamped defense.  He’s had 100-tackle seasons before and I believe he will return to dominance.

Nate Webster is all heart and half the skills. I love Webster as a back up linebacker, but as a starter, he just lacked the concentration to shut down plays.  Flying around the field will only tire you out in the long run—and as we saw last year, isn’t very productive either.  Webster has been released by the Broncos.

Boss Bailey, brother of NFL icon Champ Bailey, has all of the upside to become a star, but he just can’t stay healthy enough to contribute on a consistent basis. 

Out of five professional season, Bailey has played only two 16-game seasons. Although his production on the field is great, you cannot help your team if you are not playing. 

Hopefully the injury bug is gone from Boss’s life, and he can become the player that we all hope he is.  Look for Boss Bailey to be an excellent coverage inside linebacker alongside DJ Williams in this year’s 3-4 defense. 

 

The Defensive Backs

Lead by Champ Bailey, this squad had a lot of promise before the season started. Most great defensive backs start with consistent quarterback pressure from the defensive line.

Without a consistent pass rush, defensive backs are left on their own playing catch-up.  This is exactly what happened last year.  In this unfortunate situation, coupled with injuries, you couldn’t expect this squad to do any better.

Champ Bailey had a bad season last year.  Injuries held him to 9 games for the season.  Although his production was quite good for those nine games, it was widely speculated that he wasn’t 100% throughout the season. 

If the new defense can create significant pressure on the quarterback this year, Champ will be a shutdown corner as usual.  At 100 percent health, Champ is the cornerstone of this defense.

Dre’ Bly had a lot of hype coming into the Broncos’ organization.  With all of the problems going on with the defense, Bly was unable to live up to the high expectations of the Denver brass. 

I don’t believe he was as bad a player as the Denver faithful made him to be. I feel he was too aggressive in coverage, which led to some unneeded scores against him.  Bly has been released by the Broncos.

Marlon McCree and Hamza Abdullah were considered average IMHO, and didn’t really add anything to last year’s defense. They were later replaced as starters, due to injuries and ineffective play.  

Marlon McCree and Hamza Abdullah have been released by the Broncos.

 

My opinion of this year’s defense

Head Coach Josh Mcdaniels has been very active this offseason, signing a whole new group of free agents to this team.  The free agent signings can be viewed here.

 

The brunt of the signings was allocated to the defensive side of the ball. Only five true starters remain on the depth chart from last year (Champ Bailey, Boss Bailey, Marcus Thomas, Elvis Dumervil, and DJ Williams.)

The rest are new additions, including the resigning of a few players form last year.  Along with the active free agency, the Broncos look to use a completely new defensive formation, opting for the 3-4 defense over the traditional 4-3 defensive scheme.

In my opinion, the additions of Brian Dawkins, Renaldo Hill, Andre Goodman, and Andra Davis are significant upgrades to a weak defense last year. 

The Broncos also added a large group of untested defensive lineman through draft free agency that all have great upside.  The list of draft free agency players can be viewed here.

As we go into training camp, we can only be optimistic for the Denver Defense.  They have new players. a new scheme, and a new coach.  When looking at last year’s defense, change is a GOOD thing. 

I look for the defense to go from 29th, 27th, 26th, and 30th in NFL defensive ranking to 12-15th overall this year.  This defense has the possibility of being really great.  Time will only tell how this squad will come together in August.

Below, I have added my predictions of the first two starting teams for the defense:

 

DLE     Marcus Thomas    Darrell Reid                         

NT       Ronald Fields        Chris Baker            

DRE     Kenny Peterson    Robert Ayers          

LOLB  Elvis Dumervil       Jarvis Moss     

LILB    D.J. Williams        Boss Bailey              

RILB   Andra Davis          Spencer Larsen 

ROLB Robert Ayers        Wesley Woodyard

LCB    Champ Bailey        Josh Bell    

RCB    Andre’ Goodman   Jack Williams         

S          Brian Dawkins      Vernon Fox

FS        Renaldo Hill          Josh Barrett

 

(Part 3 of this series will briefly cover the special teams unit)

 

A Look at the Upcoming Denver Broncos 2009 Season (Part One)

With a new coach, defense and quarterback the Denver Broncos’ 2009 NFL season has all of the makings for and exciting year, or another “SpongeBob” porous defensive line coupled with a red-zone challenged offense. 

The purpose of this article is to give my opinion of the current status of the Broncos roster from top to bottom.  Part one of this three part series will consist of my summary of the current offense.

 

Offense

The 2008 Shanny/Cutler lead offense was both exciting and excruciating to watch. 

When the offense was completely healthy, the Broncos would execute plays with  commanding bravado. Defensive coordinators around the nation would update their resumes and pack their bags before the games, just in case the don’t make it out of the stadium with a job. 

However, the offense would then follow up these incredible feats of athleticism with “pop warner-esque” mistakes. Fumbling the football, without even being challenged by a defensive player. How can you forget when Jay Cutler would try to force the ball to Brandon Marshall, when he was covered by eight players. I like to compare 2008’s offense to a Ferrari with mud all over the windshield.

The offense had all of the potential and personnel to get the job done, but they couldn’t see the road.  Later in the season the “Ferrari” would blow a tire about seven times in the form of injured running backs. 

So what has changed?  Have the Broncos brass fixed the issues?

Offensive Line:

There are some upgrades and downgrades to last years offense, but all in all most of the starters from last year have come back for another season. 

Leading the way are the Broncos’ front five. 

The Offensive Tackle duo of Ryan Clady and Ryan Harris combined for a paltry 3.5 sacks total, making them one of the top tackle tandems in the NFL.

Chris Kuper has returned for his third year as a Bronco and has become and accomplished run/pass blocker. The veterans Wiegmann and Hamilton bring experience to the middle of the line and can create the holes needed for a blue chip running back attempting to make his mark on the league. Mcdaniels will be running a hybrid version of the Broncos’ famous zone blocking scheme.

The front five will be better than last year.

Receivers:

Brandon Marshall was dominant at wide receiver as usual, tallying 104 receptions and 1265 receiving yards. 

The most pleasant surprise would be how dominant rookie Eddie Royal was in his debut as a Bronco, catching 94 balls for 980 yards. If that wasn’t enough, the Broncos held on to Brandon Stockley, Tony Scheffler, and Daniel Graham who all combined for 1562 receiving yards. By adding Jabar Gaffney to the mix, Mcdaniels has a wealth of receiving options for his spread offense. 

This unit should be dangerous and exciting to watch. 

Running Backs:

Though often injured, the running game for the Broncos averaged 116.4 yards a game last year, which will make any quarterback in the NFL smile. 

Look for Knowshon Moreno and Peyton Hillis to start this year at HB and FB.

It reminds me of the 2002 Tampa Bay hard nosed rushing attack of Mike Alstott and Michael Pittman, only with more fire power. The additions of Correll Buckhalter, LaMont Jordan, and J.J. Arrington, will provide much needed depth at these positions. 

Combine the talent of the runners with the front five, Denver will look to increase their average rushing yards per game to 125-130. This will be the Broncos bread and butter and will make Kyle Orton look like a Veteran in the pocket.

Quarterback

Quarterback was the big story this year in Denver. Cutler said this, Mcdaniels said that.

Too much drama for a male dominated sport, I think. 

Kyle Orton and Chris Simms are now challenging each other for the first string quarterback spot, though Orton appears to be the front runner. What Orton lacks physically compared to Cutler, he makes up with his level headed play and locker room demeanor. Orton may be the game manager that Mcdaniels is looking for, but only time will tell. 

Orton will be a great QB in Denver.

My Summary of the Offense

The offense was ranked number two overall in yards last year.

I believe that they will stay in the top five with Mcdaniels’ new system. The Broncos will need to focus on finishing drives and scoring in the red zone.

Turnovers are very costly in the NFL and the Broncos can not afford to average 1.8 turnovers a game. 

For the Broncos to succeed this year, the running game will have to be stout and Kyle Orton will be called upon to manage the game and make a minimal amount of mistakes.

The offensive mind of the Broncos’ new head coach will be significantly challenged in his first year, especially since the outcome of the defense is quite unknown at this point.  Hopefully, the broncos can pull through this season and go 10-6, but that will be a very hard fought accomplishment, considering the difficulty of this years’ schedule. 

If the Broncos experience the same amount of injuries as they did last year, it will be a long season for players and fans here in Denver. 

I don’t believe they will be worse then 8-8, but winning more then 10 is very optimistic at this point.

 

Part 2 of this series will cover the defense

Will Broncos Feel Trade Winds Blowing at NFL Draft?

I have two trade proposals that I have been thinking about, and others on this board are starting to realize as well. So, I’m going to take the chance to write about them before they become a common thread.

 

Trade Scenario One

“Ohhh, we’ve got trouble! Right here in Denver City! That’s a capitol ‘T’ that ends with ‘E’ that stands for Scheffler!”

According to last year’s stats, if Scheff stays healthy he is a top-five TE producer in the NFL. He was Jay Cutler’s best friend. He publicly criticized the firing of Mike Shanahan. After Cutler was traded, an “unknown Bronco” publicly criticized this move as well. I speculate that this was also Tony. 

Tony also wants to be a receiving threat in the NFL. The Broncos’ new offense will hamper his production, the same way it did Daniel Graham in New England.

I believe his days are numbered in Denver—about three days left, to be exact. The trading of Scheffler could change the whole outlook of the Broncos’ first day draft. 

Here is my speculation:

The Broncos will trade Tony Scheffler and their fourth round choice (114) to the Detroit Lions for their second round choice (33). 

The Lions are in need of a hefty TE threat. Scheff will give them, and possibly newly acquired QB Matt Stafford, another receiving threat to go along with the incredible Calvin Johnson.

The Broncos will gain another second round pick. This changes a lot in Denver’s draft. With this No. 33 overall pick, the Broncos will shore up their defense in choosing James Laurinaitis, ILB, Ohio State. What an incredible value in the second round! 

Laurinaitis is a team captain on a nationally recognized NCAA team, the second best ILB in the draft (No. 1, IMHO), and the second coming of Brian Urlacher!

At the No. 48 spot, the Broncos will pick Patrick Chung, SS/FS, Oregon, who has great size and tenacity. This guy will learn a lot behind Brian Dawkins and could start in place of Renaldo Hill. “No, Ron Brace,” you say. Hold on, I’m getting to that.

 

Trade Scenario Two

Moving into the third round, the Broncos find themselves with two picks—No. 79 and No. 84. 

Cleveland has an issue on their hands similar to the McJaygate issue—that was so fun to go through here in Denver. Shaun Rogers (NT) wants out—so much so, the Broncos almost got him in the trade for Jay Cutler. 

Due to recent trades, the Browns do not have a third round choice. The Broncos will trade their No. 79 and No. 84 picks to the Browns for Shaun Rogers and their fourth round (104) and sixth round (177) picks. 

The Broncos may get away with trading one third rounder and a fourth rounder as well. Rogers would no doubt solidify the nose tackle position and Denver’s new defensive line. To me, he is well worth the two third round picks because Denver was probably looking at D-line help in this round. 

The Browns won’t be playing Denver in the regular season this year, so they don’t have to worry about seeing Rogers for another year. Plus, the Broncos add another fourth round pick, to find a QB, NT, K, OG, or C.

 

With these new trades, Denver’s draft may change significantly.  Here is what my alternate mock draft looks like.

 

Round One

12. Tyson Jackson, DE, LSU (possibly B.J. Raji if he falls to No. 12)

I think this is the beast we’re looking for in Denver.  He would be a perfect 3-4 defensive end and is a good value here.

18. Brian Cushing, OLB, USC

He can play ILB and OLB in the 3-4 and is a Zach Thomas-type guy. He will bring the Denver defense up a notch just by showing up to practice.

 

Round Two

33. (From Detroit for Tony Scheffler) James Laurinaitis, ILB, Ohio State

48. Patrick Chung, SS/FS, Oregon

Round Three

Denver trades No. 79 and No. 84 for starting NT Shaun Rogers.

Round Four

104. (From Cleveland) Jonathan Luigs, C, Arkansas

He is 6’5″, 315 and can play center and guard. He will dominate after a couple of years of NFL training.

114. Sammy Lee Hill, DT, Stillman

He is a big nose tackle prospect. I think he would be a great value at this pick.

 

Round Five

149. Trevor Canfield, OG, Cincinnati

He measures 6’5″, 295 and has room to bulk up. He will add great depth and could start in a couple of years at guard.

 

Round Six

177. (From Cleveland) Arian Foster, RB, Tennessee

Once a top draft prospect, Foster now may have something to prove. He is a good blocker and receiver.

185. Hunter Cantwell, QB, Louisville

He is a good project player for Mcdoughnut.

Round Seven

225. Patrick Turner, WR, USC

He is 6’5″, 220 and a Mike Williams-type guy. He would have huge upside at this pick.

235. Pierre Walters, LB, Eastern Illinois

He has Lance Briggs-esque size. He could be a freak, could be a bust.

Ryan’s Final 2009 Mock Draft 1.2 for Denver Broncos fans

A new era! A new Coach! A new QB! Now Denver will draft a new Defense! Hopefully this draft will yield a playoff team. Denver has some of the greatest fan following in the nation, but lately it’s been hard to watch this team play. A #2 offense means nothing, when the defense can’t keep teams from scoring. This is the year that Denver finds it’s defensive identity. This is the year that Denver goes back to the playoffs. This is my final Mock draft, before Saturday. Let the fun begin!!!!

Ryan’s 2009 Denver Broncos Mock Draft 1.1

For my new draft, I’m going to explore other trade avenues the Broncos could follow. To assess the value of draft picks, I will use Profootballtalk.com’s value chart (found here).

I will be using Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft from ESPN.com to predict possible draft spots for the first 20 prospects. 

My mock draft will be focusing on the possibility of Denver moving up, from the No. 12 or No. 18 picks, to grab a lineman in the top 10 picks. 

If Denver tries to trade the No. 12 pick, then they would target picks three through five for Aaron Curry or Michael Crabtree—no QBs! 

This is highly unexpected, but still would be fine for Denver due to having two first-round picks. 

To fully ensure that the Broncos have the chance to choose between the two, they will need to trade for the No. 3 pick currently being held by Kansas City, which won’t happen. But stay with me on this one—the Broncos would then need to trade for the No. 2 choice and either jump on Curry, or try to offer the pick to the top three to five teams. 

The No. 2 pick is worth a whopping 2,600 points. After trading their No. 12 pick, this leaves 1,400 points of value for the Broncos to come up with. It would take all of the Bronco’s first-day draft picks to compensate for 1,400 points. There is no value in this trade.

According to Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft, Denver can only find value in picks 8-11 for top D-line prospects—again, no QBs! The teams holding picks eight through 11 would be looking to move out of the top 10 because they don’t foresee a good value for these picks. 

The Broncos’ 18th pick is worth 900 points and would end up being the choice that the teams with picks eight through 11 would want to move to.

The players Denver would target in these picks would be (in this order) Brian Orakpo, B.J. Raji, Aaron Maybin, and Robert Ayers. Orakpo and Raji are the only players I would feel happy with Denver moving up to get. 

To fully ensure that the Broncos have the chance to choose between the two, they will need to trade for the No. 8 pick currently being held by Jacksonville. 

After trading the No. 18 pick to the Jags for the No. 8 pick, the Broncos will have to find 500 points to compensate the Jags for the trade. The Broncos would trade their No. 48 and No. 114 round choices and swap their No. 84 pick with the Jags’ No. 72 pick. Denver loses their second and fifth round choices, but moves up 12 spots in the third round and 10 spots in the first round.

Now Denver would have the following draft picks:

No. 8, No. 12, No. 72, No. 79, No. 149, No. 185, and No. 225.

 

Round One

No. 8 Orakpo or Raji. 

I believe that Raji is the most-needed pick here, but both would contribute as starters their rookie season.

No. 12  Tyson Jackson—DE, LSU

I’m sticking with this pick from my previous draft. He will be an awesome DE in the 3-4.

 

Round Three

72.  Jasper Brinkley—ILB, South Carolina

My pick didn’t change. Freaky run stuffer. Jasper is by far the coolest name for a defensive player.

79.  Terrance Taylor—DT, Michigan

My pick didn’t change. Can hold his ground and stuff the gaps. Will work well as a defensive end in the second rotation with Marcus Thomas.

 

Round Five

149.  Rhett Bomar—QB, Sam Houston State

Joe Flacco-type QB. Played in the spread offense his entire career. 6’2″, 225 lbs. is average size. Played at OU, but got kicked off the team for off-field issues. Will have something to prove in the NFL.

 

Round Six

185.  Vaughn Martin—DT, Western Ontario

Freaky size. He would be a big NT prospect behind Raji and Fields.

 

Round Seven

225.  Arian Foster—RB, Tennessee

Once was a top draft prospect; now he may have something to prove. Good blocker and receiver.

235.  Pierre Walters—LB, Eastern Illinois

Lance Briggs-esque size. Could be a freak. Could be a bust.

 

All in all, this could happen—and Denver would have blue-chip talent on their D-line.

Denver Broncos: Draft Day Trade? Pull The Trigger, McManager!!!

(This draft scenario was actually a stem from my other mock draft called “Ryan’s 2009 Mock Draft for Denver Fans, which can be found at the following link: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/157747-ryans-2009-mock-draft-for-denver-fans)

Mike Shanahan had a knack for effective draft day trades.  Now McProdigy has a chance to start off his career on the right foot.

I want this draft day trade to happen! 

The Broncos have the No. 12 and No. 18 picks in this year’s draft.  The word of the day for this team will be D-E-F-E-N-S-E.  At picks No. 12 and No. 18, the Broncos can acquire a defensive end, hybrid DE, or OLB to go into their new 3-4 defense. 

In almost every mock draft I’ve seen, the Broncos have picked Tyson Jackson—the defensive end out of LSU—and a USC linebacker.  I believe the Broncos can get the same value while gaining an extra third round draft choice.

James Laurinaitis is arguably one of the best ILB prospects in this draft.  However, he has fallen to the late first round.  From what I’ve read, it looks like he will be taken somewhere between picks 25 to 30. 

I propose that the Broncos management take advantage of this fall and snag another pick.  The Broncos should trade their No. 18 pick to a team picking in the 25 to 30 range for their first round choice and extra third and fourth round choice.  Profootbaltalk.com’s trade chart has the following values for these picks:

1st Rd

2nd Rd

3rd Rd

4th Rd

5th Rd

6th Rd

7th Rd

25	720	57	330	89	145	121	52	153	30.2	185	17.4	217	4.6
26	700	58	320	90	140	122	50	154	29.8	186	17	218	4.2
27	680	59	310	91	136	123	49	155	29.4	187	16.6	219	3.8
28	660	60	300	92	132	124	48	156	29	188	16.2	220	3.4
29	640	61	292	93	128	125	47	157	28.6	189	15.8	221	3
30	620	62	284	94	124	126	46	158	28.2	190	15.4	222	2.6
31	600	63	276	95	120	127	45	159	27.8	191	15	223	2.3
32	590	64	270	96	116	128	44	160	27.4	192	14.6	224	2

 

The No. 18 pick is said to be worth 900 points.  The difference between the picks from 25 to 30 picks is around 300 points.  A third and fourth round choice should make up for this deficit and make both parties happy. 

Then the Broncos will choose James Laurinaitis and have for depth picks in the third and fourth rounds.  These can be used for running backs, a quarterback, or more defensive choices.  Let’s look at the possible new choices in the third and fourth rounds.

 

Graham Harrell, QB, Texas Tech, 6’5″, 205

Great pocket passer.  System QB.  Has experience in a pass happy offense.

 

Shonn Greene, RB, Iowa, 5’10”, 235

Travis Henry-like size and strength.  Automatic 1,000 yard rusher in the Broncos system

 

Sen Derrick Marks, DT, Auburn, 6’1″, 294

Would be a DE in Denver’s 3-4 defense.  Great athlete!  Good value.

 

Vance Walker, DT, Georgia, 6’2″, 295

Would be a DE in Denver’s 3-4 defense.  Great athlete!  Good value.

 

Brandon Williams, Hybrid DE, Texas Tech, 6’5″, 246

Would be an OLB in Denver’s 3-4 defense. Pass rusher specialist. 

 

Asher Allen, CB, Georgia, 5’10”, 190

Aggressive speedster.  Reminds me of Darrent Williams.

 

Michael Hamlin, S, Clemson, 6’3″, 205

Good size with ability for growth.  Plays well in the box.

These are all possibilities with more picks, and the Broncos still come out with a blue chip defensive end in Tyson Jackson and a ballhawk in James Laurinaitis. 

I think it could happen.  I also think that this trade may be able to go down, by trading Tony Sheffler.  Sheffler should yield a lower third round choice, but no extra fourth rounder.  Of course, there would be no first round choice in play.

Denver Broncos: Ryan’s 2009 Mock Draft

This is the draft that I want to happen for Denver this year. 

Round 1

12.  Tyson Jackson DE LSU

I think this is the beast we’re looking for in Denver.  He would be a perfect 3-4 defensive end and is a good value here.

18.  Rey Maualuga ILB USC

Ray Lewis, Junior Seau.  Incredible comparisons.  I love Polynesian football players!  They are warriors!  Mario Fatafehi, Ma’a Tanuvasa were some of my favorites.  Troy Palamalu is another.  I like this guy and I think he would bring fire to a fizzling Bronco defense.

Round 2

48.  Jarron Gilbert DT/DE San Jose State  

This pick would be great for our 3-4 defense.  At 6-foot-5 285, he still has room to grow.  Long wing span, which will make him a good end force.

Round 3

79.  Jasper Brinkley ILB South Carolina

Freaky run stuffer.  Jasper is by far the coolest name for a defensive player.

84.  Terrance Taylor DT Michigan

Can hold his ground and stuff the gaps.  Will work well as a defensive end in the second rotation with Marcus Thomas.

Round 4

114. Sammy Lee Hill DT Stillman

Big nose tackle prospect.  I think he would be great value at this pick.

Round 5

149.  Ramses Barden WR Cal Poly

Freaky size.  He would be a big red-zone option.

Round 6

185. Hunter Cantwell QB Louisville

Good project player for Mcdoughnut.

Round 7

225.  Arian Foster RB Tennessee

Once was a top draft prospect, now he may have something to prove.  Good blocker and receiver.

235.  Pierre Walters LB Eastern Illinois

Lance Briggs esque size.  Could be a freak.  Could be a bust.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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