The most important angle that has come from camp this week may have snuck under most fans’ radars.

 

Maybe it never made print.

 

It wasn’t in the highlight reels from training camp.

 

What it was, is nothing short of special.

 

And it has meaning for the current state of the team as well as into the future for years to come.

 

What is it you ask?

 

It’s an openness we have not seen from the Denver Broncos front office without someone eventually losing their job.

 

Mr. Bowlen (Owner / CEO / Chairman), Mr. Ellis (COO), and Coach McDaniels should all be commended.

 

Give them credit for taking the fallout over the Jay Cutler debacle.

 

Maybe they needed the time out of the spotlight to get things in the right direction.  It’s possible they didn’t want the media circus or the rumors to bloom into something greater. 

 

Whatever the motivation, the net result is working, and it shows.

 

This week, for the very first time since Mike Shanahan was terminated, owner Pat Bowlen opened up along with Joe Ellis along a unified front on the local radio waves.  The great thing is that there were no questions that were off limits and in jest the responses were candid, mindful, with a definite enthusiasm that training camp brings.

 

Perhaps by virtue of a new regime being given a chance to succeed, the opportunity has been seized to have the default attitude be optimistic in nature.  

 

It’s not that the Broncos are glad that Mike Shanahan is gone, they’re not.  

 

It’s not that they are so happy to have Josh McDaniels running things; after all he did get rid of a franchise quarterback.

 

Still there are things about Josh McDaniels that still clearly impress Joe Ellis and Pat Bowlen that they are behind him 100 percent in order to give him the opportunity to succeed. With Coach McD, it really is more about the fact that his approach is bringing something the Broncos haven’t seen recently.

 

Certainly the thing that stands out about this camp is that it is run more like a high school or college practice.  That is to say it is very physical in nature, so much so that starting free agent safety Brian Dawkins already has a broken hand and the preseason hasn’t even started yet.

 

Bowlen and Ellis both gave incredibly candid, unified radio interviews about the Broncos’ new approach as an organization. 

 

The Broncos haven’t always been considered a physical football team, in part due to the altitude. This is not to say the Broncos haven’t been physical, they just haven’t usually been the biggest, or the strongest. This season, don’t expect the Broncos to be the biggest or strongest kid on the block either, but they are taking a definite turn in that direction. 

 

The Broncos noticed something in the way the New England Patriots went about their business.  Additionally, this year’s Super Bowl Champion, Pittsburgh Steelers may have one of the most traditional physical attacks on offense, with a balance of speed and a physical presence on defense.  In that combination the Broncos saw something they haven’t seen since  they repeated as champions at the end of the last century.

 

Therein is the endorsement of Josh McDaniels.

 

Joe Ellis had a great take on AM 1510 Mile High Sports radio when he mentioned that Josh started his interview process by talking about the defensive side. This went on for the better part of an hour according to Ellis. Obviously Josh knew offense, but the fact that he was able to get so in depth on the defensive side of the ball impressed the Broncos.

 

Coach McDaniels noted in interviews after the Cutler debacle and NFL Draft, that the choices made were because of a number of holes the Broncos roster needed to fill besides the defensive line. 

 

The fact that the Broncos current leadership has been methodical about every detail was also noteworthy.

 

Probably the most noteworthy mention came from Mr. Bowlen in an interview on Monday with Scott Hastings and Alfred Williams on 104.3 FM The Fan.  The interview itself is nearly twenty minutes in length, but it is a gem at that.

 

Things have changed for the Broncos and they are turning a new leaf in August by opening a unified front.  It also brings the franchise back to a previous decade  when talk of winning was constant. 

 

During the interview Mr. Bowlen said that Josh McDaniels brought new things that even Pat Bowlen hadn’t thought about previously.

 

Pat clearly stated that how the Broncos do is directly tied to his own personal legacy and how he will be viewed.  Ultimately change was made to improve the future of the franchise. Coach McDaniels obviously made a solid impression on Bowlen and was solidly endorsed during the interview.

 

When Bowlen was questioned about the Jay Cutler debacle and eventual trade, Mr. Bowlen humbly gave his best insights on the situation.

 

“Well, first of all, it was a tough decision, and it wasn’t made without a tremendous amount of conversation and analysis and everything else.

 

I think Jay sort of…it bothered me, when we were in the middle of this and I wanted to get his input, I wanted to talk to him face to face.  He didn’t want to do that for obvious reasons that I don’t know, because he never returned my calls and he never came to see me.”

 

“I’m still a big fan of Jay Cutler I hope he does well in Chicago, but that was one of the biggest disappointments that I think I’ve had as an owner, where I can’t get a key player, especially a key quarterback in to sit down in front of me and talk about the future.”

 

Have they talked since the trade?

 

“No, I mean there’s no reason too at this point, he’s a Chicago Bear now.”

 

Scott Hastings asked a question about Cutler’s lack of maturity from his perspective.  Mr. Bowlen kept pace and gave the following insight.

 

“Well that’s what happened, we had I feel, a good relationship between us.  He had his reasons too.  He was prepared to move on for a reason.  I don’t know what that reason was.  I’m certainly not being negative on him about it; I mean I hope he has a good career in Chicago.  I hope we beat them when we play them and beyond that the rest is football.”

 

Regarding Brandon Marshall’s current status with the team Bowlen remained firm.

 

“Yeah I sat down with Brandon for about an hour and we talked about various things.  It’s clear he wants a new contract but there’s another 40 guys out there that would like to have a new contract too.

 

My theory has been, play out your contract, if you’re as good as you think you are. Guess what?  You’re going to get a big contract on your next negotiation.  That’s sort of the way you’ve got to work it. You can’t have people lining up outside your door for new contracts when they have two or three years left or even a year left.

 

If I do something outside the box for Brandon, then why am I not going to do it for the next guy?  You just can’t run a football organization like that.

 

On the importance of winning, the emphasis remained clear how he’s conveyed things to Coach McDaniels

 

“Make sure you do the right thing because in this community 8-8 isn’t going to get it. That’s not going to get it with the owner either.  So what I always want to do is have a coach I have a significant amount of confidence in, can have conversations with and that I like.  That’s the way it was with Mike and that’s the way it is with Josh.”

 

Alfred Williams immediately jumps in jubilantly.

 

“Wow!  I love that!  I love the fact that you just said it.  You know what I’m saying.  I love the fact that you just said that 8-8 just ain’t good enough!”

 

Mr. Bowlen in a nutshell closed out by saying that the Broncos have to be competitive enough to get into the playoffs.  Once they make the playoffs anything is possible, even in the face of the most challenging schedule.

 

Finally, Mr. Bowlen promised the fans an exciting football team to watch this season.

 

That is something that hasn’t been talked about by the owner so openly, in public for sometime. 

 

Moreover, during the interview Mr. Bowlen was staying on top of negotiations with holdouts Robert Ayers and Knowshon Moreno.  Ayers signed by Tuesday and Moreno should be signed by the end of the weekend.

 

That Broncos fans is, something special coming from the brass in Dove Valley. 

 

Sure it’s rooted in fundamental sales to communicate with your audience, but Mr. Bowlen is very well aware that there is a strong expectation of this football franchise. 

 

Why else would he have made the difficult decision of releasing his good friend Coach Shanahan?

 

Why would he have let Jay Cutler go?

 

It’s because he cares about this business of football.  He loves his job, being the owner of the Denver Broncos and he cares about how he will be remembered.

 

That should encourage fans to push the Broncos back to new heights.

 

Other Notes Worthy of Mention

—

High honors go to Mr. Bowlen for staying on the high road about Jay Cutler.  That interview was on Monday.

 

Yesterday (8/6) Jay Cutler popped off on Chicago radio when he rated the Bears fans a nine and Broncos fans a six with regards to their passion for their team.  The Bears regularly are having around 10,000 fans at each practice session where Dove Valley can only hold about 1,500.  The Broncos did however get about 10,000 at the stadium last night. 

 

So what does this all mean?  

 

Jay Cutler said what he said in the face of fans, reporters, and former teammates who looked past all his faults on and off the field.

 

Somehow I have a hunch that week three of the preseason is more than just a preseason game.  It will be interesting to see how much or how little Jay Cutler plays in that game.

 

—

While Orton was booed at last night’s practice, he does show a myriad of positives and negatives.  Here are comments I previously posted on articles by Seth and Sayre.

Just my quick take in breaking down what I see in Kyle Orton thus far:

1) He has good pocket presence and pretty good technique in the pocket.

2) He lacks zip on the ball. He really should work with coach Tuten on strengthening the ligaments in his throwing shoulder. The stronger and tighter they are, the more zip he will be able to put on the ball. You can tell by how loose he is in the pocket that he needs to tighten up a bit as well. That will work itself out with live action to some extent.

3) Orton needs to work mentally on having greater anticipation skills. I notice when he’s checking down or going with his read he gets locked up. Every QB deals with this on some level, but he has a lot of that going on right now. His decisions to check down or check off a receiver needs to be immediate and anticipated. He’s still uncertain where he’s going. He is also trying to force the ball in some situations where he just needs to checkout, find the next receiver or throw the ball away.

4) On the deep routes he has to have the strength and zip, otherwise it’s easy picks for the DB’s.

5) With Orton, only time will tell, but he appears to have good leadership, but just needs to push himself harder to be a force on the field. QB’s should be THE force to recon with. So the shy part of Kyle needs to become aggressive, and open up enough to be a play maker.

—

The Broncos closed Wednesday morning practice to the general public so presumably business partners of the team could privately enjoy the practice.

 

Thursday’s boring walk through was open to the public.

 

I guess if you’re hanging with your infant son rolling around in the sun, it’s not a bad gig if you can get it.

 

—

The Broncos start the preseason a week from tonight in San Francisco against the 49’ers at 8pm Denver time on CBS 4 KCNC.

 

Sponsored Links

Buy Denver Broncos Tickets, NFL Tickets, Football Tickets and Sports Tickets at StubPass.com.

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”