Denver Broncos Training Camp Notes Day Seven: Orton Gets Booed

It was quite an eventful day seven for the Denver Broncos despite an afternoon practice where no starter was seen wearing pads of any sort.

After what appeared to be a pregame practice early in the day, the Denver Broncos arrived to Invesco Field at Mile High to the eyes of 13,400-plus fans, the most of any practice in franchise history.

While the practice was full of surprises, there is some other breaking news that must be shared prior to recapping the festivities.

Bronco fans received a bit of bad news when they learned that newly acquired safety Brian Dawkins had broken his hand.

The Denver Post is reporting that the broken bone in Dawkins’ hand will not keep him out of the season opener against Cincinnati, but that there is a good chance he will be held out of the whole preseason.

On the brighter side of things, rookie running back Knowshon Moreno is reportedly close to signing a five-year deal with the Broncos worth roughly $12.5 million in guaranteed money.

Unfortunately for Moreno, his seven-day holdout ends with him as the fifth or sixth running back on Denver’s depth chart. He will need to get back on head coach Josh McDaniels’ good graces, and fast, if he wants playing time, and I believe he will.

On to the practice notes.

As many may have heard by now, quarterback Kyle Orton was “booed” during practice.  The reports of his being booed because of interceptions thrown to Andre Goodman are completely false. 

Orton was trying to hook up with Jabar Gaffney on a deep out route, and overthrew him.  On the following play, Orton hit Gaffney, who dropped the pass.  A couple of plays after that, Eddie Royal dropped a perfect pass from Orton across the middle.

Both receivers were also booed.

Matt Prater was also booed after missing his first two field goal attempts, but he proceeded to make three in a row after that.

Let me address the Orton picks by saying this: The interceptions should not be attributed to poor play on the part of our new quarterback, but excellent plays by the defensive unit. 

The first pick was a jumped route by Goodman who came out of nowhere to steal a sure touchdown from Jabar Gaffney. Goodman turned the pick into a touchdown of his own.

The second pick was the result of the Broncos’ pass rush, which got to Orton and hit his arm as he threw. The hobbling pass fell straight into Goodman’s arms.

Other than that, Orton found the open receiver roughly seven times out of 10.  His favorite targets appeared to be Brandon Stokley and Tony Scheffler, but Eddie Royal had his share of touches as well.

Chris Simms and Orton continued to give the fans a good look at new receiver Brandon Lloyd, who has made a significant impact in training camp and possibly has earned a roster spot.

There were also reports that safety Josh Barrett was lining up as a middle linebacker in practice, and it appeared that those reports were true tonight. On multiple occasions, Barrett was identified by Simms as the “mike”, or mike linebacker.

The Broncos’ pass rush was in full form tonight as Ronald Fields. Andra Davis, and Darrell Reid all found their way to either Kyle Orton or Chris Simms for a sack.

One area where Broncos fans seemed to be very impressed was in special teams, particularly when Alphonso Smith and Kenny McKinley took reps as kick returners and both showed their great speed with some long run backs.

The team was without Brandon Marshall, Dawkins, and Rulon Davis for tonight’s practice session, but all figure to be back for the regular season, if not sooner.

Either way, Denver fans who complain about the assessments of Jamie Dukes and other mainstream media outlets for “bashing” the Broncos should realize that they are adding fuel to the fire by booing their quarterback during practice.

While it is the only measurement we have at the moment, take these practices for what they are—practice. The poor passes Orton made tonight came at a time when the defense knew he was passing, and the offense was without its top receiver.

There is no excuse for poor play, but if Orton is already being written off after getting booed for missing a couple of passes during practice, we better throw every other NFL quarterback under the bus.

Broncos fans were just having a good time at practice, booing for what they did not like, and giving a thunderous applause for what they did like.

What I am trying to convey here is that there is no need to worry about this one practice.  Orton has looked fine in the other sessions, and we have not even played a preseason game yet.

 

 

Kyle Orton Gets Booed: So What?

So Kyle Orton got booed during Denver’s night practice.

Oh no, it’s the end of the world.

Am I sold on Kyle Orton?

No.

Am I willing to give him a chance?

Yes.

Especially beyond a few days of training camp.

First of all, if he is going to throw any picks, let it be in training camp. I am perfectly fine with that. This is exactly what training camp is for: to get all of these kinks out. Now McDaniels has film Orton can go back and study, and show Orton what needs to be fixed and how to fix it so these types of plays won’t happen in a game.

Does anyone remember Matt Cassel’s first few games with the Patriots? No one was giving him the praise that he gets now. It is a new offense that Orton is learning and it is going to take a little time to completely learn it.

Brandon Stokley made the comment that he is impressed with Orton’s improvement from the beginning of camp to where they are now. Last time I checked Orton still has plenty of time to improve; Every day with McDaniels is a day that Orton will improve.

I know he may not be the long term answer, but give him time to develop in the system. Marshall wasn’t there tonight and we’re still waiting on Moreno; Two more weapons for Orton.

I wasn’t at the practice so if anyone who was there wants to leave a comment on how the interceptions and everything went down, that would be great.

Eddie Royal Is a Fantasy PPR Stud

With so much going on for the Denver Broncos this offseason, it’s easy to lose sight of what a great season Eddie Royal had in his rookie year. Last season, Royal had team rookie receiving records for 980 yards and 91 receptions.

This was a very productive year, and he makes for a fine complement to Brandon Marshall in this teams passing game.

The biggest shame to me is that we will never know what these two receivers would have done over the next five to eight years with quarterback Jay Cutler in the offense. This has to be a major disappointment to not only fantasy football owners, but especially to Broncos fans.

Eddie Royal To Be the next Wes Welker

Former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is the new head coach for the Denver Broncos. He’s implementing his offense from New England that has made Wes Welker a household name in fantasy football.

Under coach McDaniels’ system, Welker had catch totals of 112 in 2007 and 111 in 2008. It didn’t seem to matter who threw the football Welker’s way; he still posted a massive catch total for the season.

This year, Eddie won’t have Cutler. In this offense, though, one has to believe that Royal will still see many opportunities to stay active. Look for Royal to have over 100 catches in his second season in the league.

All Change Is Not Good Change

There’s no doubt there have been rifts in this organization since the team fired their old head coach and now have Josh in as captain of the ship. Jay Cutler was so ticked off about McDaniels’ entertaining offers for Matt Cassel, he ended up demanding a trade.

While that incident was bad, it hasn’t been the only issue with players that the organization has faced this offseason. Brandon Marshall is looking for a new contract. In June, he demanded a trade after a meeting with the owner of the team.

With camp starting up, Champ Bailey has been openly critical of the new coach’s way of doing things. Even the Broncos’ first-round pick from a couple years ago in Jarvis Moss has left the team and is considering retirement.

We don’t know if Moss is leaving because of the way things are going in the organization, but this is no doubt another piece of bad news in Denver.

My biggest problem for Royal’s production will probably be touchdowns. If you look at Wes Welker in the last two seasons, he had eight touchdowns with Tom Brady and only three touchdowns with Matt Cassel.

While Kyle Orton may find Royal many times for receptions, he may not be able to help him do better then his five touchdowns from a season ago.

Fantasy Football Information on Eddie Royal

Eddie’s value, much like Welker’s, is best in a points-per-reception (PPR) fantasy football league. Royal can make some big plays in the offense, but for the most part he isn’t a big play threat. That role tends to fall in Marshall’s lap in this offense.

If you are in a heavy touchdown performance league, then Royal is probably only a top 30 receiver coming into this season. If you’re in a PPR league, then you might want to consider Eddie as a top 25 or even 20 receiver this season.

At this point in time, I’m willing to say that Eddie should have a strong catch total even if the team is in turmoil this season. Drafting any Broncos players is going to be a roll of the dice, as this team is in major turmoil and it should be a problem throughout the season.

Fantasy Football Information Writer Sean E. Douglas: fantasy-info.com

My Feelings About Jay Cutler

I am angry and actually feeling kind of foolish. You see, I was one of the few who took the side of former Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler when he and Josh McDaniels battled and escalated to the point where Cutler was shown the door and the team moved on without him.

 

While I blamed both sides, I put more of the blame on McDaniels, after all he is the head of the franchise and it appeared as though he was stabbing Jay in the back.

 

Through all of the jabs back and forth, all of the whining and the crying about who was doing what, I sided more with Jay than McDaniels.

 

I was actually saddened by the trade, seeing a quarterback who I hoped would be more Elway than anyone who came before him.

 

After all, Cutler seemingly had it all, a big arm, just enough arrogance and an attitude that I believed would help make the team a winner.

 

Through his three years in Denver I stood up for Jay, though he made mistakes, though he was temperamental, and though he could never put the team on his back and put them in the playoffs.

 

It was easy to make excuses, I mean the guy played with a terrible defense, he got so angry when the talent around him made mistakes because of his competitive fire.

 

His feud with Philip Rivers was caused by Rivers; after all we saw the evidence on the infamous video of Rivers taunting Cutler.

 

Even after hearing Rivers’ explanation that Jay was taunting the Chargers, it could be explained away and I did just that.

 

I always admitted that he needed to grow up, but didn’t ever see the reason for the hate that Cutler constantly got thrown at him.

 

Even after he was a complete jerk at Fan Fair, texting and acting like he couldn’t care less about the fans in line to see him, it didn’t matter. He was going to help the team, attitude be damned.

 

Now as they say, times (and my opinion) are changing.

 

Maybe Philip Rivers wasn’t that far off with his characterization of Cutler. Maybe the local and national media wasn’t that far off when they talked about Jay as an infant who was constantly behaving like a child.

 

Maybe his new teammate Brian Urlacher calling him a ***sy was accurate and maybe McDaniels was right, Cutler doesn’t have the football intelligence to run his complicated offensive system.

 

So what has made me feel like this?

 

Yesterday, Cutler was on a radio show based out of Chicago, when asked about the fans in Denver compared to fans in Chicago and the differences, Jay answered with the following:

 

“It’s the fans and how passionate they are…Denver’s on like a six, Chicago’s a nine…It’s a quite bit different…”

 

Whoa there, Jay…Time to think before you speak.

 

But what else would we expect? This is another case of Jay opening his mouth and inserting his foot.

 

Memo to Cutler: don’t you dare question the passion that I or any other Broncos fan has for our team. You have no idea what it means to be a Denver Broncos player or a Denver Broncos fan.

 

Wearing the Blue and Orange is something special and requires a certain type of player. We have seen greats like Rod Smith, John Lynch, John Elway, Randy Gradishar, Shannon Sharpe, Steve Atwater and numerous others pass through Dove Valley and Mile High.

 

Frankly, Jay would and will never be in that class of player. While he was talented and has the physical skills, he never had the mental makeup to succeed here. Now I wonder if he has the mental equipment to succeed anywhere.

 

At some point his potential will either be fulfilled or will go unused. Cutler can either become the quarterback many fans believe he is, or he can be the new Jeff George.

 

It is completely up to him on which way his career will go. Talent will only get him so far though and to be a champion and a leader will require him to grow up.

 

No more tantrums, no more screaming at teammates and no more acting like he is God’s gift to the quarterback position. The league is not graced by his presence; he is graced to be in the league.

 

To this point, Cutler has done nothing but make a lot of people angry, and this story certainly will not help him gain any supporters, especially here in Denver.

 

This is Broncos Country and we are some of the most passionate fans in the entire league. The Broncos have sold out every home game since the NFL merger in 1970. Crowds of fans packed Mile High and they continue to pack Invesco Field on Sundays.

 

Every team-sponsored event that is open to the public draws crowds of hundreds and sometimes thousands.  So, he has no grounds to say or insinuate that we are not passionate about our football team.

 

Whatever issues Cutler has with Josh McDaniels or the Broncos franchise should not involve the fans. He can be as angry as he wants at them, but there is no reason to attack the fans. Keep us out of it. Attacking the fans is bush league and unnecessary.

 

Some of us, if not most of us, supported Jay during his time here, even after he went diva and put his attitude above the team. Almost all of us hoped that Cutler would be the quarterback to finally make his own legacy and step out of the large shadow of Elway.

 

It wasn’t to be, so now it is time to move on. The Jay Cutler era in Denver is over, and it is probably the best thing for all parties involved. I am moving on, why talk about Cutler when he is no longer here?

 

Best of luck to him and the Chicago fans who now have to deal with him.

Thank You, Jay Cutler: Why His Words Will Help the Broncos

Yesterday, the football atmosphere was down to a new low in Denver. People weren’t as into the Broncos as they once were. Some fans wanted to ditch their season tickets, and some just stopped believing in the Broncos.

Today, the one man who caused all of the above just helped out the mile high city. He sparked a flame that might actually help the Broncos in the up and coming season.

Jay Cutler was interviewed and was asked about the fans in Chicago. He said they were great, and then he made a very interesting comment that sent Bronco fans in a tail spin.

Cutler said, “Bronco fans are like a six and Bear fans are like a nine. The fans in Chicago are a lot more passionate.”

After being played through every Denver sports talk show frequently throughout the day, Broncos fans everywhere were enraged. 

I’ve never heard so many responses to a Broncos issue. Never have I heard so many Broncos fans call in and stand up for the team. They expressed so much anger toward one certain individual.

Cutler is becoming one of the most famous female stars in the media this year. Yes, I said female because Cutler’s actions have been downright teenage girl-ish. 

Cutler strives for attention more than Britney Spears. He wants his name and opinion to be heard more than Paris Hilton. His maturity level and his obsession of wanting people to love him is that of the Jonas Brothers.

Basically, if you put Paris Hilton, Britney Spears and the Jonas Brothers in a pot, Jay Cutler would come out of it.

After thinking about this comment that has left Bronco fans so upset, I decided that his comment may have actually helped the Broncos. The fans now want to win and want to prove Jay Cutler wrong.

The fans in Denver are starting to show fire again.  They are actually starting to care for the Broncos. 

There is now excitement for the August 30th game in Denver against Chicago because so many people want to see Cutler get lit up by Brian Dawkins or DJ Williams.

As surprised as I was with this comment, I actually think this will do Denver good. It’s nice to see the excitement about football back in Denver. It’s nice to forget about the doubt in the defense, offense and Josh McDaniels for a day. All Broncos fans are concerned about now is August 30th. 

Better show up with your “A” game, Jay. I hope one of your tackles doesn’t “slip” and Brian Dawkins gets to you. It could be a long day in Denver for you.

Denver Broncos Training Camp Notes Day Six: Ayers, Moss Impressive

Day six of training camp was lacking for pure excitement at Dove Valley Headquarters, aside from a little rookie hazing at the outset.

After the team finished calisthenics, the rookies formed a line in a corner of the practice facility that had been watered down by the turf crew, making it a muddy mess.

With other players holding buckets of water and/or hoses, the rookies had to dive one by one into the muck after a fumble.

After that, the practice seemed very relaxed and easy going, though not for lack of effort by any means.

Instead of doing an 80-yard scrimmage, the offense and defense honed their red-zone skills, and each had their moments.

Chris Simms hit Brandon Lloyd in the back of the end zone for what was arguably the offensive play of the day, and Kenny Peterson laid a hit on Correll Buckhalter that the running back will never forget.

The team also practiced situational ball, such as third-and-four, third-and-eight, and so on. 

Jarvis Moss got to the quarterback on one play, Andre Goodman jumped a Kyle Orton pass, and Alphonso Smith picked off a Chris Simms toss, but this session was largely dominated by the play of the offense.

In the third-down drills, Brandon Stokley, Tony Scheffler, and Eddie Royal all proved why the Broncos had one of the league’s top offensive units in the NFL last season by snagging passes from Kyle Orton.

Orton also found a streaking Jabar Gaffney in one-on-one coverage against Joshua Bell on the right side of the field, although it appeared Gaffney pushed off of the second year corner.

One disappointing aspect from Wednesday’s session was that Chris Simms’ second offensive unit was sent running a lap around the field yet again.  This seems to be a popular trend from Simms lately, and quite frankly I am not impressed.

Rookie Robert Ayers showed off some skills as a pass defender today, jumping a quick screen toss from Orton and swatting it to the ground.

Another inspiring series of events came after a pass interference call on Alphonso Smith who was covering Brandon Stokley.

Smith appeared to be unhappy with the call, and Stokley was trying to convince him that the rookie was in the wrong.

He would not buy it.

So, on the very next play, Stokley caught an eight yard pass, faked a juke to his left which sent Smith flying, and spun to his right for a big gain.  When the play was over, he motioned to the crowd to make some noise, and he was not done.

On the next play, Stokley caught another pass for a first down, and again motioned for the crowd to applaud and give the offense some support.

I will give another update tomorrow night after the practice at Invesco Field at Mile High.

Brian Dawkins: The Bronco We’ve Been Waiting For

I was one fan that was absolutely ecstatic to hear about the signing of Brian Dawkins.

I know he is a little bit older in age and isn’t the long term answer.  He brings something very important to a new defense looking for answers.

Leadership.

Ever since our beloved Al Wilson went down on December, 3 2006, we have not had a clear cut leader on defense.

In 2005, Denver went 13-3, had 258 PA/13.1 ppg (third in the league), a differential of 137 points (third in the league), and a takeaway differential of +20 (second in the league).

In 2006, they went 9-7.  The Broncos had 305 PA/19.1 ppg (8th), a differential of 14 points (14th), and their takeaway differential was 17th in the league

I know we didn’t make the playoffs in 2006, but our defense was a lot better than in ’08-’09.  In 2008, we didn’t rank in the top 25 in any of these categories except for differential.  The rest of the stats were 30th or above.

Needless to say, when we lost our leader in Wilson, we lost more than just a player.

Now with Brian Dawkins, Weapon X, stepping onto the field for the Broncos, we have that vocal leader back on the field.

When I read reports of Dawkins doing push-ups on the practice field because he “only” broke up a pass when he knew he could have intercepted it, I get excited about this defense.

We drafted a lot of young talent on defense.  Ayers, McBath, Smith and Bruton are all getting the role model they need in Dawkins.  Whether or not they play the same position, they are seeing what Dawkins does.

A player of Dawkins’s caliber is what Mike Nolan was looking for and definitely what I, as a fan, was looking for.  He will hold everyone accountable on the defense and we haven’t had that in awhile.

We finally have someone to bring back the hunger in the defense.  Dawkins is the type of player that, when you look across the field, you know they are going to give 100 percent every down on any given day.

With Bailey, Dawkins, Hill, Goodman, and Smith or Williams in the nickel, I like the secondary a lot, definitely a lot more than I did last year with Bly, John, and Doe playing safety.

Taking age into consideration, I am hoping Denver is able to stay healthy on both sides of the ball.  That is definitely key to our defense as it is every team.

Denver only had 23 sacks last year.  Demarcus Ware almost had more than that by himself.  Our defense should be able to get more pressure with Mike Nolan wanting to be physical and attack this year.

In our 4-3 defense of previous years, we relied on speed.  We have added some more bulk this year.  We have an average of 15 more pounds on the defensive line (302 lbs.) and the linebacking corps increased their average by 20 (256 lbs.).

I am not yet sold on our defense completely turning things around by any means, and we may not have a bunch of high profile names on our defense, but what we do have is a lot of people out to prove themselves.

As I stated previously, we were almost last in the league in several defensive categories and our offense was 16th in scoring.

Our defense can NOT get worse.  I don’t see how it could, so a small improvement in defense, say moving within the 15-24 in overall rankings, and some improvement in scoring, which should happen under McDaniels, is all we need.

I am excited about what this Broncos squad will bring to the table in 2009.

Can Josh McDaniels and the Denver Broncos Succeed With a Tough Schedule?

In 2008, the Denver Broncos were 8-8, lost three straight games to make their way out of the playoffs. That led to our beloved head coach being fired, new GM, and many new players including a new quarterback.

In 2009, the Broncos barely look the same and they look to finally make that push to the playoffs after a three year hiatus. 

Here’s a look at their 2009 schedule.

 

Week 1

September 13th, 2009
Denver Broncos (8-8)* @ Cincinnati Bengals (4-11-1)
All-time series: Broncos lead 16-8
Last match-up: Broncos W 24-23 in 2006

Prediction: Broncos W 24-21

The last matchup was a real close one, where the Bengals could have tied it at the end with an extra point, but botched the snap which resulted in a win for the Broncos. 

I don’t see the same thing happening, but I see it being a close game where the Broncos kick a field goal in the end to win.

Broncos: 1-0

* 2008 records

 

Week 2

September 20th, 2009
Cleveland Browns (4-12) @ Denver Broncos (8-8)
All-time series: Broncos lead 17-5
Last match-up: Broncos W 34-30 in 2008

Prediction: Broncos W 21-10

Uncertainty at quarterback and receiver for the Browns helps out our defense. 

Our running game will be really helping Kyle Orton and it looks like the Broncos will make it to 2-0.

Broncos: 2-0

 

Week 3

September 27th, 2009
Denver Broncos (8-8) @ Oakland Raiders (5-11)
All-time series: Raiders lead 58-40-2
Last match-up: Raiders W 31-10 in 2008

Prediction: Broncos W 31-17

The Broncos have had success against Oakland away. Especially last year when they blew them out. 

I expect the same thing to happen with an improved defense, and Jamarcus Russell still not being what the Raiders hoped him to be.

Broncos 3-0

 

Week 4

October 4th, 2009
Dallas Cowboys (9-7) @ Denver Broncos (8-8)
All-time series: Broncos Lead 5-4
Last match-up: Broncos W 24-21 in 2005 

Prediction: Broncos Lose 28-17

We will not be able to stop the Cowboys’ rushing attack with Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and Tashard Choice. Romo wasn’t having that good of a day but his running backs carried him. Our offense got down early and just couldn’t score to get back in the game.

Broncos: 3-1

Week 5

October 11th, 2009
New England (11-5) @ Denver Broncos (8-8)
All-time series: Broncos lead 24-16
Last match-up: Patriots W 41-7

Prediction: Broncos L 35-7

I see the same thing happening as last year except they got their guy back from injury. Could be a game where McD outsmarts Bill, but I really doubt that happening. I think McD learns from the experience of going against his former boss, but the Broncos still lose.

Broncos: 3-2

 

Week 6

October 19th, 2009
Denver Broncos (8-8) @ San Diego Chargers (8-8)
All-time series: Broncos Lead 53-41-1
Last match-up: Chargers W 52-21

Prediction: Broncos L 24-21

I do not see the Broncos going to San Diego and winning this year, but I also do not see a blowout. It will be a close game all around and there will be no Cutler-Rivers feud.

Broncos: 3-3

 

Week 7

Bye Week

 

Week 8

November 1st, 2009
Denver Broncos (8-8) @ Baltimore Ravens (11-5)
All-time series: Tied 3-3
Last match-up: Broncos W 13-3 in 2006

Prediction: Broncos W 14-10

The loss of Rex Ryan and Bart Scott to the Jets does not help the Baltimore defense, but I do see it still being a low scoring game.

I think without a really good receiving core, Joe Flacco will struggle and our defensive back field will read him like a book.

Broncos 4-3

 

Week 9

November 9th, 2009
Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) @ Denver Broncos (8-8)
All-time series: Broncos lead 13-6-1
Last match-up: Broncos W 31-28

Prediction: Broncos L 34-20

I still think the Steelers are the best team in the league even with a crappy offensive line. I think the Pittsburgh running game will pick up, and run all over our front seven.  Kyle Orton won’t be able to do anything because of the Pittsburgh defense, and it will look like the 2005 AFC championship all over again.

Broncos: 4-4

Week 10

November 15th, 2009
Denver Broncos (8-8) @ Washington Redskins (8-8)
All-time series: Broncos lead 6-4
Last match-up: Broncos W 21-19 in 2005

Prediction: Broncos W 27-17

I feel like Jason Campbell was glad Dawkins was out of the NFC East, but when he found out he had to play him again, he started to cry. I’m just kidding, but I do see the Broncos getting a couple interceptions off of Campbell and the offense running the ball on them.

Broncos: 5-4

 

Week 11

November 22nd, 2009
San Diego Chargers (8-8) @ Denver Broncos (8-8)
All-time series: Broncos lead 53-43-1
Last match-up: Week 6

Prediction: Broncos W 31-28

I see it being another close game at Mile High. I also do not see the Broncos winning by an Ed Hochuli call. I do not see what happened last year when we could of sealed the deal when we were in the red zone and Cutler threw a pick. 

I doubt Marshall will get 18 catches again but it will still be a solid Broncos win.

Broncos: 6-4

 

Week 12

November 26th, 2009
New York Giants (12-4) @ Denver Broncos (8-8)
All-time series: Giants lead 5-4
Last match-up: Broncos L 24-23 in 2005

Prediction: Broncos L 28-14

I think that Brandon Jacobs will just tear our defense apart without a solid front seven.  Eli Manning (now the highest played player in the NFL) won’t have to do much. The Broncos offense will also struggle.

Broncos: 6-5

 

Week 13

December 6th, 2009
Denver Broncos (8-8) @ Kansas City Chiefs (2-14)
All-time series: Chiefs lead 53-44
Last match-up: Broncos W 24-17 in 2008

Prediction: Broncos L 20-10

I don’t see the Broncos winning in Kansas City because they have lost eight out of the last 10 times out there. Larry Johnson will be the one killing the Broncos, Not McD’s old quarterback.

Broncos: 6-6

Week 14

December 13th, 2009
Denver Broncos (8-8) @ Indianapolis Colts (12-4)
All-time series: Broncos lead 11-6
Last match-up: Broncos L 38-20 in 2007

Prediction: Broncos L 34-17

Even if the Colts don’t have their beloved head coach and a few other coaches, they still have Peyton Manning. Even though he usually chokes in the playoffs, he is a monster in the regular season. The Broncos will get down early and our offense won’t be able to score points.

Broncos: 6-7

 

Week 15

December 20th, 2009
Oakland Raiders (5-11) @ Denver Broncos (8-8)
All-time series: Raiders lead 58-40-2
Last match-up: Week 3

Prediction: Broncos W 38-20

The Broncos offense has their best game of the year against the Raiders. They will be able to run the ball, pass it, and even do some trickery.

The Raiders will be down in the first quarter and won’t be able to do anything.

Broncos: 7-7

 

Week 16

December 27th, 2009
Denver Broncos (8-8) @ Philadelphia Eagles (9-6-1)
All-time series: Eagles lead 4-6
Last match-up: Broncos W 49-21 in 2005

Prediction: Broncos L 17-14

This game could really go either way. Westbrook is injury prone and the Eagles’ middle linebacker is already out for the season. The Broncos will have their share of injuries and I see this being a really close ball game.

Broncos: 7-8

 

Week 17

January 3rd, 2010
Kansas City Chiefs (2-14) @ Denver Broncos (8-8)
All-time series: Chiefs lead 53-44
Last match-up: Week 13

Prediction: Broncos W 41-20

I think this is where we will see what we have for years to come. A great team that needed a bit of time to establish. Everything goes right for the Broncos and everything goes wrong for the Chiefs.

Broncos: 8-8

 

Hey it’s not that bad.  The Chargers won the division with 8-8 last year, we could do the same.

Alex’s 32 Teams in 32 Days: Team 26—Denver Broncos

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2008 Record:   8-8

 

2008 Season Review

For the Broncos, 2008 was a dramatic, rollercoaster of a season.  They experienced ups and downs, twists and turns before it all came crashing down.

The season started off with three-straight electrifying offensive performances.  Sitting at 3-0, the Broncos were averaging 38.0 points-per-game.

But then came the first dip in their season.  Denver went 1-4 in their next five games, including an embarrassing 41-7 loss to New England on Monday Night Football.

With three games remaining the Broncos sat at 8-5, three games ahead of the 5-8 Chargers in the AFC West.  However, that would not last long.

After two-straight losses and with San Diego on a winning streak, the quest for the division title came down to the week 17 match-up between the two division rivals.  It was a matter of win and you’re in, lose and you go home.

The game was a disaster for the Broncos.

San Diego got out to a 24-6 halftime lead and ended up winning 52-21.

One of the biggest reasons for their ugly collapse was the defense. Actually the defense struggled all year, but the offense could no longer keep up with the massive amount of points the opponents were scoring game after game.

In the last three games, the Broncos were outscored 112-54.

Overall, opponents averaged 28.0 points-per-game against Denver, a ranking of 30th in the NFL.

They gave up at least 30 points in half of their games, an incredible statistic.

Despite the defensive struggles, the offense was very explosive and led by quarterback Jay Cutler, was capable of putting up impressive numbers at any time.

They ranked second in yards gained, 395.8 yards-per-game, and third in passing yards, 279.4 yards-per-game.

Even though they ranked high in total yards and passing yards, it was a combination of a middle-of-the-road rushing attack and too many turnovers that resulted in a mediocre 23.1 (16th in NFL) points-per-game.

Denver turned the ball over 30 times, and had a turnover differential of -17 (worst in the NFL).

The backfield was torn up with injuries. Opening day starter Selvin Young went down early in the season with a hamstring injury and was eventually placed on injured reserve (IR). From there, the dominoes never stopped falling and the ground game suffered.

Michael Pittman, Ryan Torrain, P.J. Pope and Andre Hall were all placed on IR.

When fullback-turned-halfback Peyton Hillis had five touchdowns and was averaging 5.5 yards-per-carry over his weeks 11-14 starts, the Broncos seemed to have found their running back for the remainder of the season.

But the injury bug bit Hillis too.  Hillis was placed on IR with a hamstring injury.

After falling short of the playoffs for the third year in a row, longtime coach Mike Shanahan lost his job.

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was hired as Shanahan’s successor.

 

Key Additions 

S Brian Dawkins, CB Andre Goodman, S Renaldo Hill, QB Kyle Orton, QB Chris Simms, RB Knowshon Moreno (draft), RB Correll Buckhalter, RB LaMont Jordan, LB Nick Greisen, WR Jabar Gaffney, DT Ronald Fields, LB Andra Davis, DE Robert Ayers (draft), CB Alphonso Smith (draft)

 

Key Losses 

QB Jay Cutler, CB Dre’ Bly, S Marlon McCree, S Marquand Manuel, LB Jamie Winborn, RB Selvin Young, DE John Engelberger, DE Dewayne Robertson

 

2009 Preview

The transition in Denver from the Mike Shanahan era to the Josh McDaniels era has been everything but smooth.

Early in the offseason, Matt Cassel, then of the New England Patriots, became available for trade after Tom Brady seemed to be on track with his recovery from knee surgery. 

Of course McDaniels coached Cassel with the Patriots so he was familiar with the young quarterback and he knew Cassel was knowledgeable of the offensive system.

Therefore, hearing Cassel was available sparked interest in McDaniels.

McDaniels felt Cassel would be a better fit in the offense than Cutler so he tried to make a deal with the Patriots.  But it was too late.

New England had already completed a deal that would send Cassel to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Despite the Broncos trying to keep the word quiet, the news got out that McDaniels tried to acquire his former quarterback.

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Cutler, who was already aggravated at ownership about the firing of Shanahan and the decision not to bring back quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates, was upset by the reports.  Although McDaniels and owner Pat Bowlen each tried to talk with him about the situation, Cutler requested a trade.

On April 2 Cutler was shipped to Chicago in exchange for draft picks and quarterback Kyle Orton.

Orton was quickly named the 2009 starting quarterback for Denver after he beat out Chris Simms for the job in the spring.

Orton is a good player, but Cutler led Denver to the NFL’s No. 2 ranking in total offense last season. However, McDaniels is confident Orton will play well in his system. But, if Orton starts slow, the pressure on him will increase.

Orton’s top target may be Brandon Marshall.

However, Marshall has also requested a trade out of Denver. He wants a new contract but isn’t getting it.

Behind Marshall on the receivers depth chart is second-year wideout Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokely, and free agent signee Brandon Lloyd.  Tight end Tony Scheffler is also a big target in the passing attack.

With the first of their two first round picks in the 2009 draft, Denver selected Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno.

Moreno is expected to be the starter and share time with Correll Buckhalter and LaMont Jordan in the backfield.  Others such as Ryan Torain, Darius Walker and Peyton Hillis will compete for a spot as well.

The offensive line is certainly a strength for the Broncos. Second-year tackle Ryan Clady quickly emerged as one of the best offensive lineman in the league as a rookie.  Clady will continue to block the quarterback’s blindside in 2009.

Veteran guard Ben Hamilton is always a consistent piece on the line and Pro Bowl center Casey Wiegmann will snap the ball.

The weak defensive unit from a year ago saw several notable changes for ’09.

New defensive coordinator Mike Nolan will help the unit improve from a play calling and schemes perspective.

Under Nolan the defense will transition from a 4-3 scheme to a 3-4.  There will likely be some “growing pains” through the transition.

Veteran safety Brian Dawkins comes over from the Eagles to be the hard-hitter and leader in the secondary.

The additions of Andre’ Goodman and rookie Alphonso Smith will provide much needed talent and depth to go along with Champ Bailey at the cornerback position.

With Jamie Winborn, Denver’s 2008 leading tackler, now gone, the health and play of linebacker DJ Williams and newly acquired Andra Davis will be essential to the success of the linebacking corps and the defensive unit.

Rookie Robert Ayers will likely play a hybrid position. He can play either defensive end or outside linebacker. But no matter where he plays, he must rush the passer effectively for a team that had just 26 sacks in ’08.

Elvis Dumervil and Darrell Reid will compete for the other defensive end spot. Dumervil thrived as a pass rusher in his first two years, collecting 21 sacks, but he was only able to tally five sacks last season. He sometimes struggles at the point of attack and lacks the size of a prototypical end in the 3-4, but his experience gives him an advantage. Reid is bigger but has started just two games in his four NFL seasons.

 

Bottom Line: With the many changes in Denver, there are many questions: Do the players trust McDaniels? Can Kyle Orton succeed? Will the defense be improved?

We really don’t know the answers to those questions yet, and until we do it’s hard to predict what this team will be like.  But I think the Broncos will take a small step back before going forward in 2010. Expect somewhere between five and eight wins in ’09.

 

Previous Rankings

32. Detroit Lions

31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

30. Cleveland Browns

29. Oakland Raiders

28. Kansas City Chiefs

27. St. Louis Rams

Be sure to check in tomorrow for the unveiling of team 25. 

 

Denver Broncos Training Camp Notes Day Five: Jack Williams Picks a Pair

Denver Broncos’ training camp moves into Day Six with an interesting battle seemingly taking place.

Cornerback Jack Williams, selected in the fourth round of the 2008 NFL Draft is doing anything and everything in his power to maintain the “nickel” position he currently possesses, and he is doing a great job of it.

In Tuesday’s evening practice session, Williams picked off two passes; one that went for a 98-yard touchdown score.

“It’s man to man,” Williams said. “You’ve just got to play the man first and be in position to make the interception. I got lucky and did.”

Prior to his interception, Williams was called for pass interference in the end-zone on wide receiver Brandon Stokley, but the sophomore corner more than made up for it by jumping a quick Kyle Orton pass.

Head coach Josh McDaniels has taken notice of the great strides Williams has made this offseason and in training camp, and he thinks he can have a big role in the 2009 defense and beyond.

“We have gotten our hands on a bunch of balls and made some interceptions,” McDaniels said. “Jack, I think, had his first couple today. It is great to see improvement from our younger players, and he is one that we are counting on.”

With youngsters like Williams, Alphonso Smith, Josh Barrett, David Bruton, and Josh Bell among others learning from great players such as Champ Bailey and Brian Dawkins, this Bronco secondary appears to be set for quite a while.

In addition to the secondary being given a big boost, the Broncos’ hybrid linebacker group grew by two on Tuesday as joining the team were Jarvis Moss and rookie Robert Ayers.

Moss was gone on personal business, and contemplated retirement. McDaniels did not seemed very worried about Moss on the surface, and said he was pleased with the former first-round pick’s effort during practice.

“We talked this morning, and he is ready to go,” he said. “He went out there and had a good practice today. That is what you need to see, and that is what he gave us.”

If Moss can impress at camp and have an impact this season, the Broncos will more than welcome it.  He has not yet played a full season for Denver, and is already being considered a “bust” by some.

The Broncos’ defensive staff wasted no time getting Ayers into action either, and the first-round pick saw time with the first-team defense in his first full-padded NFL practice.

“They want to see me match up against the first-team offensive linemen,” Ayers said. “They want to see me go against the second team, just to see how I compete against different guys. It’s not necessarily going with the first team. It’s more so just trying to get matchups.”

When asked about Ayers being in camp, McDaniels was blatantly honest about the youngster.

“Doesn’t know what to do half the time, yet. But he’s very physical. Has a long way to go, but great to have him here.”

There were two not-so-highlights of Broncos camp on Tuesday, as running back Knowshon Moreno remained unsigned, and newly-acquired linebacker Nick Greisen was pronounced to the injured reserve, and he will miss the 2009 campaign entirely.

Greisen will be replaced on the Broncos’ roster by undrafted rookie linebacker Braxton Kelley of Kentucky, who will begin his second stint with the Broncos after being waived earlier this offseason.

Adam Schefter, now of ESPN, reported that Moreno’s deal was to be finalized by Thursday morning at the very latest, so the Broncos and their fans should expect to see No. 27 in uniform at the Invesco field practice then, if not earlier.

Reportedly, team officials are working out a deal that will be for five years and over $12 million guaranteed. The only obstacle is figuring out how much more he will receive in the deal.

Another fun part of Tuesday’s camp was that Broncos fans welcomed the infamous Ed Hochuli to officiate three days of practices.

Hochuli is known best not for his 20 years of NFL referee experience, but for his botched call Week Two against the San Diego Chargers.

Tim Crowder is also now practicing with the first-team defensive unit at outside linebacker.

I will be updating after tomorrow night’s 5:30 practice session, so check back for more news!

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