By Sam Handler | Thursday August 17th 2006, 8:10 am
-Ron Dayne is most probably out for the next preseason contest versus Tennessee. He injured his toe during the Detroit Lions game and has been sitting out of practice this week. I’m dissapointed we won’t be able to get a look at Dayne, but with two more games to follow before the regular season opener, he’ll indubitably get a shot to prove himself.
-Tony Scheffler is learning how to block from an extremely hateful coach. That is what I like to hear. Top notch hatin’, (tight ends coach) Tim Brewster.
-David Terrell enjoys mauling children. No wait, that’s…defamation? There we go. Defamation. David Terrell does not enjoy mauling children, but in fact makes witty comments about when he bowled over a lil’ tyke during training camp: “I tried to slow down, and I hit her…I should have just stopped and jumped and then made the play on the ball and then let it go by. . . . I’m sorry about hitting her. She’s a tough girl, she needs to come out here and play some football.”
Even Shanahan showed his once-in-a-green-moon sense of humor. “Asked if there was a contract in her future, Shanahan said, ‘She might be owning the team here shortly,’”
reports Jeff Legwold.
-Hoorah for www.broncos07.com, my preferred choice for Bronco and Bronco-related news.
By Gabe Stein | Saturday August 12th 2006, 1:21 pm
According to the Denver Post’s Mark Kizla, there is no quarterback controversy, because Jay Cutler has already won. Kizla then does what any columnist would do in a situation like this - he goes straight into prediction mode, and makes the following statements without reservation:
1. Jay Cutler will win the Broncos their next Super Bowl.
2. Jay Cutler will boost Mike Shanahan into the Hall of Fame.
3. Jay Cutler will be starting next season.
4. Jay Cutler will be the next Ben Roethlisberger.
To make it even more interesting, Kizla said all of this before Cutler even took a snap against the Lions. Now I’m not going to rain on anyone’s parade here - especially since I am myself still feeling a high after Cutler’s very good performance against the Lions. Jay Cutler is undoubtedly the future of this organization - but anyone who believes that Jay Cutler is ready to lead an NFL team is a chump.
Why? Because Cutler hasn’t won in a long time. Choosing a second-tier football school like Vanderbilt was almost certainly what landed Cutler in our lap, but it’s also the main reason why he won’t be playing this year, and maybe not even the first part of next year. Last year, the VU Commodores were 5-6 in the SEC, despite Cutler’s outstanding 3,000+ yard totals. Cutler is coming from a no-pressure environment where winning anything was an afterthought, and being dropped into one of the toughest markets in football to be a quarterback. And after an AFC Championship year, it’s Super Bowl or bust for this team and its fans. Think Cutler can handle that?
There’s no doubt that Cutler has the talent to take any team to a new level - but does he have the grit yet? Remember Brian Griese, who was asked to follow John Elway and a Super Bowl win? Remember how that turned out? And people said Griese had a great football mind…
My point is, if a Super Bowl is what you want, you won’t rush Cutler into the starting role. He’s got to spend a year or two remembering what it feels like to have something real to play for again. And with the Broncos looking like one of the AFC’s strongest teams, you can bet he’ll have a pretty good opportunity to do that even from the sidelines.
Meanwhile, I don’t feel it’s time to give up on Plummer. Jake brought us very close to a Super Bowl last year, and if he gets us even closer this year, it’ll be very hard to convince me that it’s time to let him go. Plummer’s youth may be behind him, but I believe that his best years are ahead of him, and that he’ll get better for each year he stays in the Broncos’ system. As long as Jake continues to lead this team deep into the post season, I won’t be ready to let him go no matter who’s set to fill his place.
By Sam Handler | Friday August 11th 2006, 11:33 pm
The first game of the preseason brought promise and peril to Denver fans as they watched the Broncos lose to the Lions 13-20.
Missing half of the line and top cornerback Champ Bailey, the Broncos’ first team defense surrendered a field goal in the only series it played. The Lions offense drove 63 yards downfield to set up Jason Hanson for the score. They were efficient in the run during the drive and ate up almost seven minutes of clock.
The Broncos responded with two field goals and a touchdown during the rest of the game, but not before the Lions had scored a TD of their own as well.
The Lions sealed the Bronco coffin with an Artrose Pinner goal line run to the right side in the third quarter.
With the obligatory summary out of the way, here are answers to the questions posed before the game.
1. How does Jay Cutler look? Is the guy comfortable in the pocket and is he on-target?
Jay Cutler performed exceptionally well in his first game minus one fumbled snap. I personally think he looks like a stoner, but that’s beside the point (although that’s not as bad as the combine pic). His touchdown pass to standout wide reciever David Kircus showed exceptional touch, as he lofted the ball over a defender right into his target’s arms. Cutler also was rifling shorter passes with great velocity, which makes the differently paced ball all the more encouraging and special. A+ for the rookie, who finished the game 16/22, with 192 yards and 1 TD.
2. Can Elvis Dumervil play the run and moreover is he effective as a pass rusher?
Dumervil had one tackle, one assist and one quarterback pressure in the game. Not too impressive. D+
3. Is Mike really the better of the two Bells? How is he versus the Lions’ first-team D?
Mike Bell didn’t perform like a first teamer. He had 20 yards on seven carries, with a long run of eight yards. Not so hot. He also fumbled the ball, although it was due to great defense, not poor ball position. D-
Note: Tatum Bell averaged just over 5 YPC on five carries, though as usual, it was one yard gain, one yard gain, fifteen yard gain and so on. B for him.
4. Can John Lynch run at all? Sadly, he’s old enough that this is a question that must be asked every year.
Truthfully, I didn’t even notice his presence, although according to nfl.com, he had one tackle and one assist.
5. Is Brandon Marshall all he’s cracked up to be? Has Darius Watts actually improved?
Marshall was good in his limited time, with one catch for nine yards. He has excelent size and decent speed and hands too. A knee injury forced him to sit for most of the game, however (updates when available). C
Watts made some routine catches, which, considering his history, is a good accomplishment. Ol’ numb-in-one-hand had 4 catches for 35 yards. He could be the team’s third wideout this year.
6. Does the team have a true tight end recieving option, either in Stephen Alexander or rookie Tony Scheffler?
Tony Scheffler looked solid in his first effort. He caught four balls for 54 yards in the game and made a tough, heads up play to get out of bounds with the clock winding down in the second quarter. B
7. How many slants will Todd Devoe turn into 80 yard touchdown receptions?
Sadly, none. Todd Actually fumbled once on a reverse, although I think we can all agree that it was the rest of the team’s fault and not his. He also had two catches, and would have had more if Cutler had just given him the chance to catch them.
Other thoughts:
Roc Alexander can hit. He is back with a vicious vengeance.
Cedric Cobbs looked competent and strong and may be the tough counterpart to Tatum Bell if the Broncos go with the two-back system again this year. Dayne did not fare well.
The Lions are not good at football.
Ford Field is a good looking stadium.
Preseason football < regular season football < playoff football
By Sam Handler | Friday August 11th 2006, 9:18 am
Broncos football is here in less than 12 hours. Sure, the game is pretty meaningless and we’ll see the first team for twelve plays or so, butbut, football!
Line: Denver Broncos +1.5
Over/Under: 38
TV: CBS, 5:30 p.m.
Radio: AM 850
A few questions which will be answered in the game (not ranked in importance at all):
1. How does Jay Cutler look? Is the guy comfortable in the pocket and is he on-target?
2. Can Elvis Dumervil play the run and moreover is he effective as a pass rusher?
3. Is Mike really the better of the two Bells? How is he versus the Lions’ first-team D?
A note on number three: the injury bug bit the Lions defense badly. Training camp standout Cory Redding won’t play, and neither will Shaun “One of the Two Good Defensive Players on the Roster” Rogers. Plus, Boss Bailey (Champ’s brother who ran a 4.33 40 and is a linebacker ) is out along with MLB Teddy Lehman. Mike Bell’s performance won’t be against a true first team defense and won’t be a great gauge of future success.
4. Can John Lynch run at all? Sadly, he’s old enough that this is a question that must be asked every year.
5. Is Brandon Marshall all he’s cracked up to be? Has Darius Watts actually improved?
6. Does the team have a true tight end recieving option, either in Stephen Alexander or rookie Tony Scheffler?
7. How many slants will Todd Devoe turn into 80 yard touchdown receptions?
Lions-wise, there’s a bunch of questions. First, can Kitna or any other quarterback handle Mike Martz’s offensive scheme? Then there’s the ol’ which of the three first-round wideouts the Lions have drafted will step up? There are more, but who cares about the Lions?
A couple of things about who’s playing:
Rod Smith and Javon Walker are going to sit for injury reasons. Courtney Brown and Gerard Warren are out. Champ Bailey won’t play for security’s sake.
By Sam Handler | Thursday August 10th 2006, 11:08 am
Two of the Broncos’ starting defensive linemen are out for the preseason. The good news is that the preaseason doesn’t matter.
Courtney Brown’s troublesome knees acted up again this year at camp, and he had arthroscopic knee surgery yesterday to reduce inflamation in them. Mike Shanahan says Brown will be back by September 10th for the season kickoff versus the Rams (ONE MONTH!) and announced that the operation went extremely well.
A dislocated toe has sidelined Gerard Warren as well, and he likely won’t play until the St. Louis game either. The announced timetable for the Florida alum’s return is two-four weeks, but with little to nothing at stake in the games he’ll miss, the Broncos will probably lean toward the four-week option.
Aside from the glaring lack of negatives (unless the injuries turn out to be worse than thought), there are some positives to this situation. First of all, the Broncos will be able to give fourth round draft pick Elvis Dumervil more practice reps and game time with Brown out. There’s a lot of things that are still unknown about Dumervil: is he too small?, can he play against the rush decently?, does he have the quickness, speed, and moves to succeed above the college level?
It will be interesting to see Dumervil in action. The defensive end had superb numbers at Louisville– he forced 11 fumbles his senior year and once recorded six sacks in a game–but lacks ideal size (5′11″, 257). Some call him a poor man’s Dwight Freeney (6′1″, 268), but his 40 time, 4.68, is .2 seconds slower than the Pro-Bowler’s. There’s only one way to find out he can perform: throwing him into the fray.
Demetrin Veal will also see more game time with the injuries. With Warren out, Veal will fill the team’s right defensive tackle slot. Many of the concerns about Dumervil apply to Veal as well; the long-time backup has below-average size at 6′2″, 288, and there is doubt as to whether or not he can survive in the middle of the line. Again, there’s only one way to see if he’s a pro.
A positive to every negative…hopefully.
By Gabe Stein | Wednesday August 09th 2006, 3:20 pm
A year ago, Mike Shanahan took a risk by drafting Maurice Clarett, and promptly made the right decision by dropping Clarett from the team before the season began. Maurice has now been arrested in Ohio, after he was driving erratically late at night and was found to have several weapons in his car. According to many Broncos, much of the team tried to reach out to Clarett during his tenure in Denver, but he just didn’t seem to be driven to become a part of the team.
Mike Shanahan:
“I don’t think I’ve ever been around a bunch of guys who reached out to a guy more than Maurice, trying to help him, and having a guy not wanting that help.”
Rod Smith:
“If that did happen, it’s very unfortunate. Hopefully it hasn’t gotten to that point where he feels he has to go out and try to hurt somebody. I don’t know. It’s sad…”
Nick Ferguson:
“I was one of the one guys who really had somewhat of a decent relationship with him and talked to him on a consistent basis. The first time he left camp I was asked to kind of use that relationship to find out what was going on. But it just seems like the young man is troubled.”
I guess the only thing left to say on the subject is that it’s a good thing Clarett was cut. It’s clear that his psyche was never all there.
In other news…It seems that Dwayne “House” Carswell may not make the team after 11 seasons with the Broncos. Last year, Carswell became the first offensive lineman to catch two touchdown passes in a game in over 35 years before suffering numerous injuries in a car accident late in the season. Despite making what doctors have called an ‘amazing’ full recovery, Carswell is facing tough competition from six-foot-six tight end Chad Mustard, who has been impressive in camp.
Still, Carswell is a hard worker and a guy with soft hands, something that goes far in football. I’d hate to see his grit and veteran leadership leave the team - plus his teammates are all behind him, telling everyone not to count Dwayne out. My favorite is a quote from FB Kyle Johnson:
“House is a gamer. He’s not necessarily the best practice guy, but when that referee blows that whistle and that ball is kicked off, the guy can play.”
By staff | Monday August 07th 2006, 2:55 pm
Mr. Bell has made the top of the deep Denver running back depth chart. He has impressed Mike Shanahan and the other coaches enough to finally take his place on the top of the depth chart, ahead of Ron Dayne and the other Bell: Tatum.
What?
Everyone, including me, expected Tatum Bell – one half of the second-ranked rushing threat in the NFL last year with Mike Anderson – to assume the top spot on the depth chart this year. People figured he would garner most of the carries and then Shanahan would bring in Dayne for two or three yard situations. (We’ll refer to Tatum Bell as “Mr. T” from now on because this could get confusing).
But no. This morning we get word via the Denver Post that rookie Mike Bell has done well enough this season to supplant Mr. T and Ron Dayne on the top of the depth chart. This doesn’t mean he will start the team’s first game Sept. 10 at St. Louis, but it gives him a hell of a good chance. Shanahan told the Post that Mike Bell will start in the preseason opener this Friday in Detroit. Mike Bell rushed for 952 yards on 200 carries in his senior year at Arizona, averaging a respectable 4.76 yards. Let’s see how well that will translate at the pro level.
Mike Bell was the No. 3 running back but has switched spots with Ron Dayne, while Mr. T has been No. 2 the whole time.
There are two immediate thoughts on this.
1. Mike Shanahan has a good eye when it comes to running backs, so perhaps we should trust him if he thinks this rookie will do better for him and the Broncos than veterans Ron Dayne and Mr. T can do. When it comes to running back decisions, the whole league should defer to Shanahan because the Broncos have had the most running yards in the NFL since he took over.
2. This is a deliberate move by Shanahan and the coaching staff to light a fire under the rumps of both Dayne and Mr. T to have them work harder and realize that in the Shanahan running system, there are no sure bets. Imagine what it feels like for Mr. T to work hard to get the top spot for two years and then a rookie comes along and pushes him aside. This will either motivate him to work that much harder or it will break his will and he will have a mediocre season as the No. 2 running back.
The saying goes that you could put anyone in the Shanahan/Broncos running system and they’ll get at least 1,200 yards. That may or may not be true (it probably is) but let’s just hope that Mike Bell has what it takes to keep the Broncos on top of the NFL in the rushing department.
By the way, first round draft pick Jay Cutler has also moved up on the depth chart, passing Bradlee Van Pelt. This isn’t really big news; anyone with an ounce of intelligence could have seen this one coming. There are rumors that if Jake Plummer underperforms this season Cutler will be the starter next year. Plus, if the Broncos were that confident in Van Pelt as a backup they wouldn’t have wasted a top-20 draft pick on Cutler.
By Gabe Stein | Monday August 07th 2006, 11:00 am
As the preseason starts and the sounds and sights of FOOTBALL!!!! are in the air again, it’s time to break down this years’ thrilling installment of the AFC West by their rank and record this year.
4th Place: Oakland Raiders (7-9)
Does anyone think they have a real shot at the division? First of all, Aaron Brooks is their quarterback. Apparently no one in Oakland ever watched a Saint’s game, because as Steven A would say, ‘That guy is TERRIBLE.’ Here’s an intriguing stat for you: Last year, Brooks threw 16 interceptions and only 13 TDs. Yeah, he was on a bad team, but it’s not like he has a lot more going for him in Oakland. The point is, when he has people around him, Brooks is a decent QB, but he’s not a guy who can come in and turn a team around by himself, which is what he’s being asked to do in Oakland, and basically what he’s gonna have to do if they have a shot at the division. And that’s just not a roll Brooks will ever play.
3rd Place: Kansas City Chiefs (9-7)
The Chiefs do have Larry Johnson, but if we’ve learned anything from the Broncos, a good back is a nice thing to have, but he’s never going to be very effective without a good offensive line blocking for him. The Chiefs will not have a good offensive line this season. First, they’re old. The entire Chiefs line is over 27, with three guys over 30. Second, Willy Rove retiring means the anchor of the line is gone, and his replacement is not going to be the leader or talent that Rove was. The upshot of this is that the line in front of Johnson is going to be suspect at best, and will probably fall apart by the end of the season. Plus, if for any reason some of you chief fans are still getting excited about the season, here’s a reason not to: one of your big defensive acquisitions in the off-season was Lenny Walls, the Broncos’ 4th corner last year…you STILL don’t have a defense.
2nd Place: San Diego Chargers (10-6)
Two words: Phillip Rivers. Even though he has LT in the backfield, Rivers is an un-tested quarterback and starting one is always very risky. Plus, the Chargers made little defensive improvement in the offseason and without Drew Brees leading the team, I just don’t think they’ll go very far. Any time you come off a 9-7 season and then change QBs from a hot veteran to an untested, basically a rookie, you know you’re gambling and unless Rivers is just amazing, it’s going to be a development year for the Chargers, not a winning year. And that’s not even getting to that mess they call a secondary.
1st Place: Denver Broncos (13-3)
We made a couple of key acquisitions in the off-season in picking up pro-bowler Javon Walker and another member of that Cleveland D-line that we started grabbing a year ago. Walker should be a marked improvement over Ashley Lelie, who despite having enormous potential never showed up in a big game and appears to have been a nut case all along. Even though we lost Mike Anderson, we know by now that any running back can work in the Shannahan system, and all the two-bit analysts are saying the o-line might be as good as its ever been, even dating back to the Terrel years. Plus, we have some pretty good backs in camp: Ron Dayne showed a lot of promise last year and Tatum Bell was extremely motivated this offseason to get a little bigger and move up to a 25-30 carry back as opposed to just 15-20, attending 100% of the Broncos’ offseason conditioning program. Additionally, in drafting Cutler, we’re the west’s team of the future, too. We do have a very tough schedule this year - but we had one last year and overcame that just fine. Now we’re a much improved team and should do just fine.
The one thing all of us need to worry about in Denver is overconfidence. I know that making it to the AFC Championship game has gotten us all excited and everyone’s motto seems to be ‘Super Bowl or Bust!’ But we all have to remember that there are 16 regular season games before the playoffs start, and at least two games in the post-season before the Super Bowl. Everyone, the fans and the team needs to concentrate on each game instead of getting caught up in placing bets on the score of the big game. I don’t want to hear ANYONE trash-talking about winning the Super Bowl on any media outlet, pedastal, or even private conversation. Okay, good practice and I’ll see you tomorrow. Oh and Moncrief…good hands out there.
By staff | Thursday August 03rd 2006, 9:55 pm
The Broncos have won a remarkable 106 times in the last 10 years, according to stats compiled in the latest “A-List” column by the Rocky’s Sam Adams. That is the most wins by any team in the NFL since 1996, followed closely by the Packers and the Patriots. We’ve also had the best home record in that time period (64-16-0), and have the third best road record (42-38-0), which isn’t that good considering it’s only four games above .500. He adds that the Broncos had seven playoff berths, three AFC West division titles and two Super Bowl championships in that time. I would say that’s pretty damn good.
The problem is in that same time period we’ve gone 8-6 in the playoffs (don’t get too excited, seven of those wins were in ‘97 and ‘98 when we won the two Super Bowls). We had our first playoff win last season in seven years — the first since Elway retired — in dramatic fashion against the Patriots, only to lose a game we should have won against the Steelers. What does that tell you?
We can win during the regular season, but when it comes to pressure situations like the playoffs, we consistently come up short. Case in point would be the Steelers game that was totally within our grasp if we hadn’t been out-coached and outplayed. I know our players are going to use the experience as motivation to try and make it back to the AFC Championship and eventually on the Super Bowl this year, but I’m still not quite over that loss.
All the wins in the world — the most wins by any NFL team, the best home record, etc. — doesn’t mean squat unless we win Super Bowls. Period.
Other Broncos notes: The Broncos signed free agent running back Damien Nash on Thursday, who was with the Titans the last two years. In that time he averaged 5.3 yards per carry, exactly the same as potential-starter Tatum Bell. The difference: Nash has only played in three games in his career, where he put up six rushes for 32 yards.
Former Chargers receiver Rashaun Woods did not make the squad after he failed a physical. Denver had claimed him off waivers, but he did not make the grade.
