Brandon Marshall: You’re an IDIOT

It’s been a while, Bleacher Creatures. After a nice stay in my home country in Lebanon, just a few minutes outside Beirut and a free tour of Cairo, Egypt prior to a connecting flight, I am officially re-energized.

Well, sort of. The dreaded writer’s block did me in for a few weeks, but I’m here ready to conquer it at the expense of Brandon Marshall.

While I was gone, it didn’t surprise me to see Brandon Marshall continually bitch and complain like past primadonna wide receivers. Sure, he has certainly outplayed his current contract and is a Pro Bowl receiver, but there are different ways of asking for a new contract than disrupting your already distraught franchise.

If it wasn’t bad enough for Denver Broncos’ owner Pat Bowlen to fire longtime friend and coach Mike Shanahan, trade away his crybaby franchise quarterback Jay Cutler to the Bears, and draft players that are good, but not the defensive help his team was looking for, now he has to worry about Brandon Marshall.

Yes, the same Brandon Marshall that went to the Pro Bowl. The same Brandon Marshall that when on his game is one of the best in the league. He’s also the same Brandon Marshall that choked, along with the rest of his team, during last year’s AFC West division race with the rival San Diego Chargers.

Marshall should take advice from The Governator.

And as much as I dislike Terrell “T.O.” Owens, at least his teams have made the playoffs—and Super Bowl.

Some people may still be hung up on Keyshawn Johnson’s departure from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2004 in which he was deactivated the final seven games of the 2003, but KJ didn’t necessarily want a new deal—he hated Jon Gruden. Oh, by the way, he also helped lead his team to a Super Bowl title the previous year.

Let’s see…How many playoff appearances have the Broncos had since Marshall was drafted in 2006? Zero. How many Super Bowls? Zero.

Yes, B-Ran, you did outplay your current deal. You also exceeded expectations in contending for the Pacman Jones Award for Off the Field Distractions. It’s quite impressive. Much more impressive than your accomplishments off the field. Let’s take a look!

Courtesy of Wikipedia and The Associated Press archives because I sure as heck don’t feel like typing up all this crap:

Halloween 2004: While a student at UCF, Marshall was arrested in Orlando on charges of assault on a law enforcement officer, refusal to obey, disorderly conduct, and resisting an officer.

March 26, 2007: Marshall was arrested in the Highlands Ranch suburb of Denver on suspicion of domestic violence after his girlfriend reported that following a domestic dispute, Marshall prevented a taxi she was in from leaving his house.

October 22, 2007: Marshall was arrested in the Denver-Aurora metropolitan area at the intersection of 14th and Blake St. for driving under the influence of alcohol. A trial was scheduled for Sept. 16, but Marshall instead agreed to a plea bargain four days earlier; he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of driving while ability impaired. He was sentenced to one-year probation and 24 hours of community service.

June 12, 2008: Marshall was ticketed for an illegal lane change, then found to be without his license and proof of insurance. The case was eventually dropped as part of a plea bargain for the Oct. 22, 2007 driving incident involving alcohol.

September 17, 2008: article on CompleteColorado.com stated that the solicitor’s office in Fulton County, Georgia filed misdemeanor battery charges on Sept. 10 for an alleged incident on Mar. 4, 2008, in Atlanta, Georgia. Marshall was booked on Mar. 6, then released the next day after posting a $1,000 cash bond. The case was assigned to Judge John Mather in Georgia state court. On Aug. 14, 2009, a jury in Atlanta found Marshall not guilty.

March 1, 2009: Marshall was arrested in Atlanta for disorderly conduct after allegedly being involved in a fight with his fiancee, Michi Nogami-Campbell. Marshall was released on a $300 bond. The charges were dropped the following day.

End of ridiculously-long rap sheet

 

As my buddy and former WCW World Champion Ron Simmons would say “DAMN!”.

Even the Florida State football legend dislikes Marshall’s antics…

That rap sheet is longer than most have had in a lifetime. So let’s see, if I decided to constantly get arrested, put myself in a position to be in trouble, and complained in a diva-like way at my retail job in an undisclosed location, I would NOT be asking for a raise, no matter how much I’ve sold.

And if I did, I would do it in the nicest possible way, while showing my boss at the same time, I can stay out of trouble, be a model citizen, and perform when the lights were on brightest. Especially since I wouldn’t always have the luxury of being traded (in my case, transferred) to another store.

Must be nice for Brandon Marshall to potentially have that luxury, should a proposed trade by the New York Jets goes through.

The thing that really got me to write this column wasn’t just the fact that I needed someone other than Tony Romo to use as a literary and cinematical (I know that’s not a word, but if The Rock can create “Smackdown” then I can create cinematical) punching bag.

 

Heck, at least Romo has guided his team to winning seasons, behaved for the most part, and taken the ‘Boys to the playoffs (minus last season).

 

What really got me to thinking Brandon Marshall lacked serious common sense was a statement Keyshawn Johnson made on ESPN, saying that when he wanted to be traded by the New York Jets back in 2000, he calmly wrote a letter to management stating his request.

 

He didn’t belittle the team, nor make a complete ass out of himself during practice in front of rookies, veterans, authority, and media.

 

Only an idiot would do that. Wait, Brandon Marshall DID do that. Well, I hope for Mr. Marshall’s sake, he learns to act like a professional, in addition to just being an athlete.

 

Maybe one day he can stop getting accused of doing things that make people end up in jail and the NFL purgatory (Freddie Mitchell says “Hi.”) and become a wide receiver that can bring positivity to his team, community, and others around him both professionally and personally.

 

I hope that day comes for him. People can change. Too bad that day can’t come soon enough for the Denver Broncos.

 

Until then…

 

Brandon Marshall—YOU’RE AN IDIOT.

 

 

 

Fred “The F-Bomb” Richani is an actor and writer for BleacherReport.com and 411Mania.com, and has been featured on ProWrestlingTorch.com, LayUpDrill.com, 1Wrestling.com, GOOGLE News, and CBSSportsline.com. He is also the host of his own web series FRIDAY NIGHT F-Bomb (Youtube.com/FBombAndCo). He currently resides in Freehold, NJ with his family and cat Bella.

 

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Eight Bold Denver Broncos Predictions for the 2009 Season

After easily one of the most eventful offseasons in recent NFL history, the Denver Broncos are a team in turmoil. Longtime head coach Mike Shanahan was fired, franchise quarterback Jay Cutler was shipped to Chicago, and Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall no longer wants to be a Bronco.

I don’t think new head coach Josh McDaniels could have had a rougher start to his head coaching career.

Even so, the Broncos are ready to start their 2009 campaign. They may be without Shanahan, Cutler, and possibly Marshall, but they will be ready to play nonetheless.

Now, since the beginning of training camp, analysts, pundits, and fans alike have beaten to death the same predictions for the season: “The defense will continue to struggle,” or “Brandon Marshall won’t play for the Broncos again,” or “Kyle Orton will struggle as the starter.”

I am here to share my predictions for the season—predictions that don’t follow the conventional wisdom on the Broncos right now.

Here are eight bold predictions for the Broncos’ 2009 season.

 

Brandon Marshall Will Play, and He Will Play Well

Brandon Marshall and the Denver Broncos have had a lot of problems with each other this offseason. Marshall did not like seeing Cutler get shipped out of town, has shown a lot of unhappiness with his contract, and was even suspended for the rest of the preseason. He was also recently quoted as saying he “wants a fresh start,” with a team other than the Broncos, obviously.

However, provided McDaniels lets him play, he will absolutely play for the Broncos this season—and he will play very well.

Why? Because Marshall is not stupid. If Marshall ever wants to play for another team or get a new contract, his only choice is to play well this season. If he sits out this season or doesn’t play well, no team will give up what the Broncos are asking for him, and the Broncos will never pay him what he wants.

Marshall wants a new team and a new contract. The only way for him to do this is to show he deserves it with his play on the field.

 

Kyle Orton Will Finish with 3,300-Plus Passing Yards and 20-Plus Touchdowns

Many people have been down on Kyle Orton’s prospects as a starting NFL QB, but he has been a winner in his career, going 21-12 as a starter for an offensively challenged Chicago Bears team.

Now that Orton has inherited the league’s No. 2 offense, he should substantially improve on his career averages of 2,450 yards and 14 touchdowns as a full season starter.

In Chicago, Orton played in a run-oriented offense and was always surrounded by lackluster receivers. In Denver, he will be playing in McDaniels’ Patriot-style offense, where Orton will throw a lot more passes than he has ever thrown in an NFL season.

On top of that, he will have weapons such as Eddie Royal, Brandon Marshall, Brandon Stokley, and Jabar Gaffney, as well as a slew of playmaking running backs.

With all that in mind, it is very easy to see Orton topping the 3,300-yard mark, as well as the 20-touchdown mark. He threw for 2,900 yards and 18 touchdowns in 15 games last season, and seeing as the Broncos will rely on him to throw the ball well and often, these numbers should be very attainable.

 

Eddie Royal Will Finish Top Three in Receptions

Eddie Royal had a great rookie season last year, and he will only improve his numbers this season. He was relatively unheralded as a receiver coming out of Virginia Tech, but he surprised everyone in the NFL, leading all rookies in receptions and yards.

Royal also finished seventh in receptions in the NFL with 91, a number expected to go up this year. With McDaniels now the coach in Denver, Royal will fall into the role played by Wes Welker in New England, where he will be relied upon to be Orton’s go-to guy, getting open on all sorts of underneath, crossing, and screen routes.

He may only have around 1,100 receiving yards, but he should be a sure bet for 100-plus catches. Expect him to be neck and neck with Welker and Andre Johnson for the receptions lead by the end of the season.

 

Knowshon Moreno Will Win Rookie of the Year

Knowshon Moreno has had a less than stellar preseason. After being picked 12th overall by the Broncos, he missed the first eight days of camp during a contract holdout, and then, after showing flashes of brilliance in the first preseason game, he sprained his MCL and has not played since.

But once the season begins, expect all that to change. When he was picked No. 12 to a team that finished second in total offense and 29th in total defense, McDaniels was questioned for the move. So Moreno needs to play this season, and you can expect that he will be given plenty of opportunities to carry the ball.

When he does carry the ball, expect him to have a Chris Johnson-type impact on the Broncos game. Peyton Hillis and LaMont Jordan will handle the goal-line carries, but Moreno should be a monster between the 20s.

I expect him to finish the season with close to 1,000 yards and a couple of touchdowns, narrowly beating out Mark Sanchez of the Jets for Rookie of the Year.

 

The Broncos Will Finish in the Top 20 in Total Defense

After finishing 29th in total defense last season, the Broncos had a lot of work to do to improve their porous defense. Outside of signing Brian Dawkins, however, the Broncos did not make any marquee additions to their defense.

What they did do, though, is sign a slew of solid and consistent, if not flashy players, who will help the defense immensely and lead Denver into the top 20 in total defense.

On the defensive line, the Broncos added Darrell Reid, Ronald Fields, and Ryan McBean and re-signed Kenny Peterson. None of these players are flashy, big-name guys, but they should, along with returning linemen Marcus Thomas, Carlton Powell, and Nic Clemons, provide new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan with a lot of bodies he can rotate along the defensive line.

At linebacker, the Broncos added Andra Davis and Robert Ayers, as well as moved Elvis Dumervil, Jarvis Moss, and Tim Crowder back to linebacker. Combined with D.J. Williams and Wesley Woodyard, the Broncos should have a solid group of middle linebackers and an explosive, if inexperienced, group of outside linebackers.

In the secondary, the Broncos, along with Dawkins, added Andre Goodman and Renaldo Hill, as well as Darcel McBath, Alphonso Smith, and David Bruton through the draft.

Goodman should be a big upgrade over the departed Dre’ Bly, and Hill will provide consistency at safety. Dawkins will become the emotional leader the Broncos have lacked since Al Wilson, and McBath, Smith, and Bruton will provide depth and youth in the secondary.

The Broncos have a long ways to go until they again have one of the better defenses in the league, but as of right now they have done a lot to improve themselves and should be able to be a top 20 defense this year.

 

Elvis Dumervil Will Record a Career High in Sacks

With Denver switching in part to a 3-4 defensive system, Dumervil will be moving from defensive end to outside linebacker, a role he should thrive in. After recording 12.5 sacks in 2007, his numbers dropped dramatically last season, as he totaled only five.

As a smallish defensive end, he spent most of his time in the three-point stance, being forced to take on tackles much larger than he was. Now, Dumervil will move back a couple of feet to outside linebacker, which will give him a running start at the quarterback, giving him more sack opportunities.

Expect Mike Nolan to use Dumervil the way the Cowboys use DeMarcus Ware—as an outside rush linebacker, whose main purpose is to hit the quarterback. If the Broncos do this with Dumervil, expect him to record a new career high in sacks.

 

Denver Will Win as Many or More Games than the Chicago Bears

Much has been said about the Bears this offseason, most of it surrounding the addition of Jay Cutler, with good reason. Many people are predicting they will be the NFC North winner this season.

However, outside of Cutler, the Bears have made no other substantial improvements to their 26th-ranked offense and 21st-ranked defense. While they do have RB Matt Forte on offense, they lack consistent receiver production, and their defense is aging and inconsistent.

On top of that, their schedule is much more difficult than most people realize, as they have seven games against 2008 playoff teams, including Arizona, Baltimore, and Pittsburgh, as well as three games against the much improved Packers and Seahawks.

If the Bears can sprinkle in a few wins against some of the stronger teams in the league, they could make a run at the North, but more realistically, they should finish around the 8-8 or 9-7 mark.

 

The Broncos Finish .500 or Better, Place Second in the AFC West

If you listen to any NFL “expert,” they will all tell you how much the Broncos will struggle this season. Maybe it’s the die-hard fan in me, but I don’t buy that. Kyle Orton is obviously no Jay Cutler, but the talented receivers the Broncos will line up around him will make him better, as will the stable of talented running backs the Broncos have at their disposal.

If you add to that mix the fact that the Broncos’ defense should (hopefully) be better than it was a season ago, the Broncos could conceivably win eight or nine games this season. 

Let’s go through it game by game:

The Broncos should start 3-0, as they should be able to beat Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Oakland. In their next eight games, the Broncos face Dallas, New England, San Diego (twice), Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Washington, and the New York Giants. I see the Broncos splitting the series with San Diego and beating both the Cowboys and Redskins.

So, after 11 games, the Broncos are 6-5.

In the final five games, the Broncos face Kansas City (twice), Indianapolis, Oakland, and Philadelphia. They should beat the Chiefs twice, as well as the Raiders. That gives them a 9-7 record on the season, which should be good enough for second place in the West.

 

Those are my bold predictions for this season. Some predictions everyone may agree with. Some predictions may be seen as outlandish. And some people may just think I’m stupid.

Leave me some comments and let me know what you think.

Read more Denver Broncos news on BleacherReport.com

Denver Falls to San Francisco but Prove They Have Depth

Now that we are a few days removed from the Broncos’ preseason opener, its time to take a look at the game without emotions raging inside of us.

Although Denver lost the game 16-17, the Broncos showed that they have depth at many positions.

The receiving corp looked good throughout the whole game. Despite less playing time, rookies Kenny McKinnley and Nate Swift looked good.

The starters also looked good, even without star Brandon Marshall, who is recovering from a hamstring injury. He is likely to return next week.

The running back position proved to have the same depth as the receivers did. Correll Buckhalter started the game at running back, but only racked up four yards on as many carries.

Fan-favorite Peyton Hillis led the team in yards with 49 yards on 10 attempts, continuing his average of almost five yards a carry.

Rookie Knowshon Moreno looked impressive until he was taken out in the second quarter with a knee injury. He is most likely out for the rest of the preseason, but should be ready for the start of the regular season.

With a great showing by the skill players came an unbalanced performance by starting QB Kyle Orton.

He move the ball down the field very well. He looked very accurate on most of his throws except four three of them. All were interceptions, including one in the endzone by veteran Nate Clemons.

On the other hand, backup Chris Simms looked very impressive. He played the entire second half while throwing for almost 150 yards and two touchdowns.

Let’s flip it over to the defensive side of the ball now.

Recording four sacks on the day, the pass rush was definitely the highlight of the game. Players who helped reach that total were converted DE to OLB Elvis Dumervil and rookie Chris Baker.

Leading the team in tackles was all around player Spencer Larsen. The backup fullback/linebacker got five take-downs versus the Niners’ offense.

All together, the Broncos looked alright vs. San Francisco. Their are still many things to work out before the start of the season, but that’s what preseason is for.

I’m looking forward to seeing what next week has to offer.

Kyle Orton’s Day Off: Broncos Throw First Game to 49ers

…the defensive backfield still plays very soft, very soft.  Very few passes were defended aggressively.

Madden NFL ’10 Rankings: An Insult to Many Denver Players

Each August, EA Sports releases it’s annual edition of the well-known Madden franchise.

Madden has long been regarded as the best NFL video game out there, in many ways simply because it has been the only game that includes rosters of real players for a number of years now.

Each edition includes updated “ratings” for players and teams.

Each player is given an overall rating on a scale of 0—100, which is complied using more specific rankings of various skills.

Common skills include speed, acceleration, awareness, and strength, as well as specific skills for each position. For example, a cornerback is rated on his “shutdown” ability and a linebacker is rated on his “big hit” ability.

These numbers, especially for rookies, are almost entirely subjective. Real NFL statistics do not play an important role in determining ratings.

That means the developers and analysts who work for EA are the ones dishing out the ratings. That fact has led to some insulting results, in the eyes of a Broncos fan.

For starters, the Broncos received a team rating of 70. The offense alone is rated at a very respectable 88. While many fans would argue for at least a 90, 88 is acceptable.

The defense, on the other hand, is given a lowly 62, above only the Chiefs, Rams, and Lions. Back in grade school, that would translate to a D.

Champ Bailey is fairly ranked second among corner backs with a 96. He is the highest-rated Bronco.

On the other end, Matt Prater is insulted with a rating of 58. The EA developers essentially gave him a big fat F as an NFL kicker.

The majority of the team is underrated across the board, but no group so much as the offensive line.

The Denver offensive line was regarded as the premier group of the NFL in 2008. Jay Cutler was sacked merely eleven times…in over 600 pass attempts.

If there was one player who absolutely held down the line, it was Ryan Clady.

Clady had an outstanding season, absolutely shutting down the likes of Julius Peppers, John Abraham, Luis Castillo, and Derrick Burgess.

For these efforts, EA rewarded him with a ranking of 88, good for 12th among left tackles.

In comparison, Joe Thomas is the top rated at the position, followed by the likes of Jordan Gross, Jason Peters, Matt Light, and Jake Long.

Although these are all very respectable linemen, quite honestly they are not on the same level as Clady.

When the camera was focused on him, fans could see the opposing lineman or linebacker attempt to bull rush Clady, be knocked back, then attempt a spin move, only to be overpowered and fall to the turf.

That is the mark of a dominant left tackle, not a B+ left tackle.

As for the rest of the offensive line, Ryan Harris receives a 73, Chris Kuper a 78, Casey Wiegmann an 87, and Ben Hamilton an 81.

No player on the offensive line is graded above B+, and Ryan Harris, one of the better right tackles in the game, has a lowly C—.

In retrospect, none of this really matters. We, as fans, know that Clady and the offensive line will continue to be the best. Matt Prater will continue to improve, and the Broncos may surprise a lot of doubters around the NFL this season.

Although they might not be the best group of guys to play as against your friends on your Xbox, they might be a great team to watch in real life.

The EA ratings do not really matter, however it would be nice for Bronco fans to be able to see their favorite players perform as they actually do when they are playing a video game.

Kind of like how Patriots fans are treated to a team ranked 92 overall that will dominate any Madden online match-up.

Denver Broncos Training Camp Notes Day Eight: Moreno Agrees to Terms

After the longest rookie holdout Denver Broncos fans of this generation have known, Knowshon Moreno has finally agreed to terms with the team on a contract.

The rookie out of Georgia, selected 12th overall in April’s draft, has agreed to a deal worth $23 million over five years with $13 million guaranteed.

As luck would have it for Moreno, his first day on the job will be the day off, as the Broncos will not hold any training camp sessions on Saturday.  His first practice will be on Sunday afternoon.

The return of Moreno finally gives the Broncos the full dream offensive weaponry they have been hoping for since they took him with their first of two first-round selections in the draft.

The Broncos feel that an offensive combination of Moreno, Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Tony Scheffler, and Peyton Hillis on the field at one time will be so threatening to opposing defenses, the Broncos will have their way.

And why should they feel otherwise?

Moreno is expected by many to be the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year.  Brandon Marshall is a top ten receiver in this league, and made the Pro Bowl in 2008.  Eddie Royal had 91 receptions as a rookie, and led the team in all-purpose yardage. 

Tony Scheffler is one of the best receiving tight ends in the league, averaging over 16 yards per catch last season.  Peyton Hillis emerged late last season as one of the most punishing running backs in the NFL, and has better hands than most wide receivers.

And that is not even the half of it.

I did not even mention Daniel Graham, Brandon Stokley, Jabar Gaffney, Brandon Lloyd, Chad Jackson, or rookies Richard Quinn and Kenny McKinley.

How about key reserve runners Correll Buckhalter, LaMont Jordan, and Ryan Torain?

With this arsenal, how can Kyle Orton not succeed?

Did I mention the Broncos have an offensive line that only surrendered 11.5 sacks on 620 pass attempts in 2008?

Maybe this is an overly optimistic view, but the signing of Moreno makes the Broncos a better team, all over the place.

Despite the media’s view that the Broncos are a horrible team with the loss of Jay Cutler at quarterback, when you say it out loud, this team screams potential, and it screams character.

Now that every Bronco is on board, this team can focus on doing what it has done more than any other NFL franchise the last 25 years: win football games.

Is it Sunday yet?

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.

Josh McDaniels’ Old-School Camp Approach Will Pay off Down The Line

“I hated every minute of training, but I said, ‘Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.'” ~ Muhammad Ali

That has always been my personal favorite sports quote. It’s one that I try, and the key word here is try, to live my life by, and you know what? Something about the Denver Broncos’ training camp thus far makes me think that Josh McDaniels likes that quote too.

For all that Mike Shannahan accomplished during his tenure as Broncos’ coach, much is made over some of his bone-headed decisions. I believe one of those decisions was his somewhat soft approach to the physical portion of training camp.

To be fair, Shanny was no slouch when it came to getting his team ready for the season. He did, however, tend to coddle his players a little too much in camp, especially his veterans and high-profile rookies.

I went to training camp each of the past three years, and let me tell you, there was no shortage of guys just standing around and watching. At times, Broncos players looked more like a herd of cattle than football players preparing for the season.

Luckily I took some pictures of those moments, because I doubt I’ll ever see the inmates behave that way again as long as McDaniels is running the asylum.

As we here in the Rocky Mountains are slowly finding out, the “Patriot Way” of doing things applies to far more than just the players and the system; it also covers the kind of mentality a team should have when they practice.

This isn’t your “No Fun League” type of training camp. In fact, you probably haven’t seen or heard of something like this in Denver since the days of the Orange Crush.

One of the biggest differences so far in this year’s camp is that players are actually allowed, and more importantly encouraged, to tackle each other in certain drills.

“We don’t do them too many times, but I think early in camp it is good to do that because you certainly do not want to go into your first game not having tackled somebody or been tackled,” McDaniels said when asked about the tackling drills. “You have got to weigh it, you are right. There are pros and cons to doing it too much, but we are going to try to hit the right mix hopefully.”

If being more physical early on means the defense might actually still be playing in December, then I’m all for it.

Seriously, how many tackles did Bronco defenders miss last season? Hundreds? Millions? Zillions?

Was it due to lack of talent on the roster, or did Shannahan simply not give his players the kind of practice they needed to be ready for games?

It’s a little bit of both, in my opinion, and if you need any indication to how much tougher camp is this year, just take a look at Jarvis Moss. No more than three days into the process and Denver’s first-round pick of two years ago already considered throwing in the towel.

The fact is even though he hasn’t panned out so far, Shannahan had no choice but to support Moss when he was coach because he traded up to draft him in the belief that he would be an impact player.

McDaniels, on the other hand, has no obligation to show that kind of bias to any of the holdovers that came from Shannahan’s mistakes, and it will be interesting to see how many of those players survive the first round of cuts.

Time will tell whether or not this roster is built for success, but it is this writer’s belief that this old-school training camp will do nothing but play to the Broncos’ advantage.

If nothing else, McDaniels will ensure that this team goes through all the motions before they even think about suiting up for a game.

Broncos Training Camp Notes: Marshall Holds Out, Jordan Running With First Team

News and notes from observations at Friday night’s session of Day One of training camp:

— Brandon Marshall didn’t practice in the night session after a good (reported) earlier session.

— LaMont Jordan is running with first team, Correll Buckhalter with second team and Ryan Torain with third team. Remember, Knowshon Moreno is not in camp yet as he waits to get a contract deal done.

— First-team WRs for most of night session were Eddie Royal and Jabar Gaffney. Brandon Stokley played in the slot with Daniel Graham at TE.

— Team ran a lot of group drills after going through stretching exercises.

— Offense ran a number of short five- and 10-yard in-and-out patterns, including a nice catch by rookie Kenny McKinley.

— Passing game looked rough when it went up against the secondary—a lot of deflections and near interceptions.

— Kenny McKinley made a couple of nice long catches from Chris Simms.

— Team threw a number of swing passes to the left flat to Peyton Hills.

— Correll Buckhalter had one nice inside handoff run.

— Brian Dawkins nearly picked off one of Simms’ passes.

— WR C.J. Jones got rocked on one offensive play. Left practice, but came back later.

— DE Tim Crowder would’ve had a sure sack on rookie QB Tom Brandstater on one play. QBs are wearing non-contact red jerseys.

— Rookies Alphonso Smith and Kenny McKinley were working on kickoff returns along with Eddie Royal.

It’s (Mile) High Time For Josh McDaniels To Show What He’s Got

OK, Josh McDaniels, show us what you’ve got.

The time has come for the 33-year-old hotshot head coach of the Denver Broncos to silence all the critics and prove that he is the second coming when his team opens training camp Friday at Dove Valley.

New quarterback Kyle Orton will be there. All the rookies—OK, we’re still waiting on first-rounders Knowshon Moreno and Robert Ayers—will be in attendance. Shoot, hotheaded wide receiver Brandon Marshall is even here.

But make no bones about it. Even with all the free agents brought in this offseason, all the rookies—and there are plenty of them, 10 in all—and all the holdovers from the Mike Shanahan regime, when the first of two practices starts Friday morning at 8:30 a.m., all eyes will be on McDaniels.

Hoodie Junior, as he’s been affectionately called as a reference to his mentor, New England’s Bill Belichick, has turned Broncos Country upside down ever since he was named head coach in January.

Now, all things considered, that may not be such a bad thing. Consider that the Broncos were the first team in NFL history to blow a three-game division lead with three games remaining last year, and had a defense with more holes than swiss cheese, change may be a good thing.

But his very public spat with incumbent quarterback Jay Cutler is what comes to mind first and foremost when people think about McDaniels. Almost as quickly as McDaniels arrived in time, Cutler had a one-way ticket out, courtesy of a blockbuster deal with the Chicago Bears that brought Orton into the fold.

Behind Cutler and Marshall, the 2008 Broncos had an offense that was second to none when it came to moving the ball between the 20s. It was getting into the end zone that was a problem. Hopefully, McDaniels and his offensive prowess can fix that problem.

But he’ll have to do that without the services of Cutler. He’ll have to do that with an injury-proned Marshall, who despite demanding a trade and having concerns with both the new head coach and the training staff, reported to camp on time.

That said, maybe McDaniels can keep the offensive chugging along with a more balanced attack than what Denver was able to utilize last season, after a plethora of running back injuries rattled the team. That’s of course depended on Moreno signing his rookie deal and getting into camp.

Come Friday, Broncos fans will get to see for themselves whether McDaniels was the right choice to replace Shanahan. For his sake, I hope so.

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