Lonestar
04-08-2010, 10:25 PM
Broncos Mailbag: The forgotten wide receiver?
Jim from California suggests rediscovering a trusty target in Royal
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
POSTED: 04/07/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT
UPDATED: 04/07/2010 01:26:46 AM MDT
Denver Post sports writer Mike Klis posts his Broncos Mailbag in the first week of each month during the offseason.
Pose a Broncos- or NFL-related question for the Broncos Mailbag.
Mike - If a good attitude paired with great talent is what Josh McDaniels wants at wide receiver, why on earth has he largely ignored Eddie Royal?
-- Jim, Mendocino, Calif.
Jim - The two guys most directly responsible for Royal's statistics — McDaniels, the head coach and offensive playcaller, and Kyle Orton, the quarterback — have both stated regrets about how the No. 2 receiver was underutilized last season.
There are a few reasons why Royal went from 91 catches and five touchdowns as a rookie to 37 catches and no touchdowns in his second season. One was both McDaniels and Orton got a little too Brandon Marshall happy. Why feed the wing when the big guy is open in the post? Marshall is not expected to be around Denver for the 2010 season, so that should open some opportunities for Royal.
Another problem was because rookie Alphonso Smith did not develop as hoped, Royal had to handle almost all the return duties. After a return, it made sense for Royal to take a play off to catch his breath. When a player misses the first play of a possession, it can be difficult to find the rhythm of the series.
It also didn't help that Royal missed the last 2 1/2 games with a concussion. Jabar Gaffney had 33 catches and no TDs through 14 games. He had 21 and two in his last two games.
I also believe Royal would benefit from a shift to the slot position. Providing he can hold up physically, Royal can become the Broncos' version of Wes Welker, who also returns punts for the New England Patriots.
Are any of the restricted free agents close to signing their tenders?
-- Everett, Phoenix
Everett - Right guard
Broncos wide receiver Eddie Royal totaled 91 receptions with five touchdowns as a rookie in 2008. (Denver Post file photo)
Chris Kuper has signed. Brandon Marshall and tight end Tony Scheffler are not expected to sign their tenders unless the Broncos first have a trade lined up. The deadline for another team to present an offer sheet to restricted free agents is April 15, and the deadline for RFAs to sign their tenders is in June.
I would guess quarterback Kyle Orton would sign his tender by the June deadline. The trickiest case is Elvis Dumervil. He led the NFL with 17 sacks last season. Even though his tender calls for a substantial $3.168 million salary in 2010, he would have been in line for a monster contract that included guarantees in excess of $30 million through unrestricted free agency.
My guess is Dumervil will sign his tender, show up for the mandatory minicamp that is tentatively scheduled for June 11-13. But then he will have a decision to make on whether to report to training camp in late July if he doesn't have a multiyear contract extension by then.
I have to give kudos to the Broncos for upgrading the defensive line in free agency, but what's up with the offensive line? It's clear the Broncos need a center. It's obvious that it's likely to be addressed in the draft, but how about a veteran, too?
-- Joe Pierce, Woodland, Wash.
Joe - The veteran backup center would be Russ Hochstein, who's coming off late-season knee surgery. The Broncos' starting center in 2010? He has to be Maurkice Pouncey, the University of Florida prospect
SUBMIT A QUESTION
Pose your Broncos- or NFL-related question for Mike Klis.
Browse the Broncos Mailbag archive.
Read Mike Klis' most recent column.
who currently is waiting for his uniquely spelled name to be called in the draft.
Pouncey will go before the Broncos pick in the second round with the No. 45 overall selection. But do they dare take a center with their No. 11 overall pick in the first round? If so, Pouncey would be the highest-drafted center since 1968, when the Bengals used their No. 2 overall selection on Bob Johnson.
My draft projection for the Broncos is they trade down from No. 11 to, say, the 14th to 16th area, grab Pouncey there, and then pick up an extra second- or third-round pick. Easier said then done, but the No. 11 pick is a good trade-down slot. See 2006, when St. Louis traded its No. 11 pick to the Broncos, who jumped up from No. 15 to take Jay Cutler.
If the Broncos stay at No. 11, they could go with Alabama inside linebacker Rolando McClain.
I am glad Denver got Brady Quinn. Cleveland was ruining a potential starting NFL quarterback, and the Redskins were not a match (even with Mike Shanahan). I think they should come out and give Brady the vote of confidence and tell him and the fans: You will start and play the entire season; it's your position to lose. You have to stick with a quarterback, and Quinn has the smarts, size, arm and confidence to do the job. What about it?
-- R. Neville, Washington
R. - I agree with the smarts and size. Not yet sure about the arm and confidence because Quinn hasn't played enough to show enough about those qualities. He has the outward confidence, to be sure. True, inner confidence, though, can only be attained through consistent on-field success and as you pointed out, R., Quinn hasn't had that opportunity yet.
As for coming out and saying he's the man, that's not the way it's going to work. Kyle Orton is the Broncos' starting quarterback and deserves to be. Orton has 29 wins as an NFL starter. Quinn has three. Do you make Quinn the starter based on what you think he can be, even though Orton is the more proven player? Occasionally, this happens but not often. And not in this case.
If postseason games are worthy of a change in overtime rules, why not regular season? Couldn't a team miss the playoffs because of a loss in OT based on a coin toss? Seems if the OT rules are flawed for postseason, they're equally flawed for regular season.
-- Dan Nace, St. Louis
Dan - This has been the question since NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the competition committee powered the postseason overtime amendment past a sizeable group of disapproving coaches and general managers. The central concern with the new "two possession" rule is, first, extended playing time, and two, fairness.
Extended playing time increases the risk of player injury and a team's ability to bounce back for the following week's game. The fairness issue is about giving the "four down" advantage to the second-possession team.
The holdup for using the new overtime rule in the regular season is the extended playing time. The following week's game is a greater issue during the regular season, when there is one, than during the postseason, when defeat means there won't be. Thus, the one-step-at-a-time approach to adopting the new rule.
Hi, Mike. Do you believe there is a good chance a zone-blocking scheme team will come after Chris Kuper — or even Mike Shanahan's Redskins?
-- Stuart, Victoria, British Columbia
Stuart - Kuper is essentially off the market after he signed his tender two weeks ago. While he was on the restricted free agent market, he didn't receive an offer sheet, in large part because the Broncos wisely slapped him with a pricey, first-round tender. Had he been given a second-round tender, Kuper might have received offers. A first-round draft pick, though, is considered steep compensation for a guard.
Shanahan does consider Kuper a Pro Bowl-caliber guard. Then again, the Broncos demonstrated similar belief through their first-round tender.
As you suggest, Stuart, Kuper would be a good fit in Washington or with Gary Kubiak's Houston Texans or Alex Gibbs' Seattle Seahawks. But too bad. Kuper will be blocking for the Broncos in their new power-style scheme this season.
Mike - If you had to choose between the two former Notre Dame quarterbacks to lead our Broncos, who would you choose: Jimmy Clausen or Brady Quinn? Thanks.
-- Nick, Seattle
Nick - This sounds like a leading question. Leading right into trouble. No wonder players are paranoid of the media. Anyway, I'll take Quinn. He's here and has been around the NFL environment for three years, even if he remains unproven. Clausen is not here, although I do think he has the potential to be a great NFL quarterback. I know Notre Dame was only 6-6 last season, but check out Clausen's stats as a junior: 28 touchdown passes, four interceptions, 310.2 passing yards per game.
I know Navy, Washington and Stanford (combined 1,214 yards, 9 TDs, 2 INTs) aren't the Chargers, Colts and Cardinals (Aha! It's the Stanford Cardinal, not Cardinals). But I do see an NFL future with Clausen having big games against the Chargers, Colts and Arizona Cardinals.
Why would Josh McDaniels release Andra Davis? If not a quality starter, he would have made a solid backup. His salary was not that much. I'm concerned on the quality of backups we have this year as injuries can plague a team.
-- Dave, Elizabeth
Dave - Backup linebackers are the heart, soul, head, arms, legs, feet and chest cavities of special teams. And Andra Davis has long since graduated from special teams. With veterans like Davis, they either start, or they don't make the team.
As for deciding Davis was no longer a starter here, he (like everybody else on the Broncos' defense) played well early, not so well late. It was the Week 10 game against the Washington Redskins — whose injury ravaged offensive line nevertheless helped create a combined 155 yards rushing on 35 carries from Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright — that marked the beginning of the end for run-stopping defenders like Davis, Kenny Peterson and Ronnie Fields, who remains part of the defensive-line mix but had his starting job given to Jamal Williams.
Mike - I have been a Denver Broncos fan my whole life. I keep seeing all these mock drafts that have Denver taking Dez Bryant with its first pick. I just don't see McD and Co. doing this. What do you think?
-- Keith, New Jersey
Keith - I don't see it, either. The reason all these mockers have the Broncos taking Bryant is because the team will have an obvious need with the expected departure of Marshall. The star receiver is expected to be moved not because of talent and proven production — he has three 100-catch seasons and two Pro Bowl appearances the past three seasons — but because his attitude doesn't fit with the kind of locker-room chemistry McDaniels is trying to mold.
Bryant, to me, is the same type of player — incredibly talented, so much so that he's considered worthy of the No. 11 overall pick, but with character concerns. In short, it doesn't make sense to replace a Marshall with a younger version of Marshall.
Curious. How do one-day "retire with your old team" contracts such as the one Jason Elam recently received work out? Is there compensation written in which is never collected due to retiring? Team protections, in case of a change of heart? Is it a standard NFL contract or is there a specific retiree one?
-- Tim, Denver
Tim - Is there no piece of Broncos minutia that doesn't draw the interest from Broncos' Mailbaggers? Elam just signed where they told him to sign. It was a standard NFL contract. No tricks. No dollars, although by rule, the NFL minimum salary of $860,000 for players with more than 10 years of service was written into the contract. Elam was plenty gratified by the Broncos' willingness to give him a farewell press conference. Rarely are kickers so honored.
Mike Klis is entering his sixth season of covering the Broncos for The Denver Post. He previously covered the Rockies and Major League Baseball for 15 years. Pose a Broncos- or NFL-related question for the Broncos Mailbag.
Jim from California suggests rediscovering a trusty target in Royal
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
POSTED: 04/07/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT
UPDATED: 04/07/2010 01:26:46 AM MDT
Denver Post sports writer Mike Klis posts his Broncos Mailbag in the first week of each month during the offseason.
Pose a Broncos- or NFL-related question for the Broncos Mailbag.
Mike - If a good attitude paired with great talent is what Josh McDaniels wants at wide receiver, why on earth has he largely ignored Eddie Royal?
-- Jim, Mendocino, Calif.
Jim - The two guys most directly responsible for Royal's statistics — McDaniels, the head coach and offensive playcaller, and Kyle Orton, the quarterback — have both stated regrets about how the No. 2 receiver was underutilized last season.
There are a few reasons why Royal went from 91 catches and five touchdowns as a rookie to 37 catches and no touchdowns in his second season. One was both McDaniels and Orton got a little too Brandon Marshall happy. Why feed the wing when the big guy is open in the post? Marshall is not expected to be around Denver for the 2010 season, so that should open some opportunities for Royal.
Another problem was because rookie Alphonso Smith did not develop as hoped, Royal had to handle almost all the return duties. After a return, it made sense for Royal to take a play off to catch his breath. When a player misses the first play of a possession, it can be difficult to find the rhythm of the series.
It also didn't help that Royal missed the last 2 1/2 games with a concussion. Jabar Gaffney had 33 catches and no TDs through 14 games. He had 21 and two in his last two games.
I also believe Royal would benefit from a shift to the slot position. Providing he can hold up physically, Royal can become the Broncos' version of Wes Welker, who also returns punts for the New England Patriots.
Are any of the restricted free agents close to signing their tenders?
-- Everett, Phoenix
Everett - Right guard
Broncos wide receiver Eddie Royal totaled 91 receptions with five touchdowns as a rookie in 2008. (Denver Post file photo)
Chris Kuper has signed. Brandon Marshall and tight end Tony Scheffler are not expected to sign their tenders unless the Broncos first have a trade lined up. The deadline for another team to present an offer sheet to restricted free agents is April 15, and the deadline for RFAs to sign their tenders is in June.
I would guess quarterback Kyle Orton would sign his tender by the June deadline. The trickiest case is Elvis Dumervil. He led the NFL with 17 sacks last season. Even though his tender calls for a substantial $3.168 million salary in 2010, he would have been in line for a monster contract that included guarantees in excess of $30 million through unrestricted free agency.
My guess is Dumervil will sign his tender, show up for the mandatory minicamp that is tentatively scheduled for June 11-13. But then he will have a decision to make on whether to report to training camp in late July if he doesn't have a multiyear contract extension by then.
I have to give kudos to the Broncos for upgrading the defensive line in free agency, but what's up with the offensive line? It's clear the Broncos need a center. It's obvious that it's likely to be addressed in the draft, but how about a veteran, too?
-- Joe Pierce, Woodland, Wash.
Joe - The veteran backup center would be Russ Hochstein, who's coming off late-season knee surgery. The Broncos' starting center in 2010? He has to be Maurkice Pouncey, the University of Florida prospect
SUBMIT A QUESTION
Pose your Broncos- or NFL-related question for Mike Klis.
Browse the Broncos Mailbag archive.
Read Mike Klis' most recent column.
who currently is waiting for his uniquely spelled name to be called in the draft.
Pouncey will go before the Broncos pick in the second round with the No. 45 overall selection. But do they dare take a center with their No. 11 overall pick in the first round? If so, Pouncey would be the highest-drafted center since 1968, when the Bengals used their No. 2 overall selection on Bob Johnson.
My draft projection for the Broncos is they trade down from No. 11 to, say, the 14th to 16th area, grab Pouncey there, and then pick up an extra second- or third-round pick. Easier said then done, but the No. 11 pick is a good trade-down slot. See 2006, when St. Louis traded its No. 11 pick to the Broncos, who jumped up from No. 15 to take Jay Cutler.
If the Broncos stay at No. 11, they could go with Alabama inside linebacker Rolando McClain.
I am glad Denver got Brady Quinn. Cleveland was ruining a potential starting NFL quarterback, and the Redskins were not a match (even with Mike Shanahan). I think they should come out and give Brady the vote of confidence and tell him and the fans: You will start and play the entire season; it's your position to lose. You have to stick with a quarterback, and Quinn has the smarts, size, arm and confidence to do the job. What about it?
-- R. Neville, Washington
R. - I agree with the smarts and size. Not yet sure about the arm and confidence because Quinn hasn't played enough to show enough about those qualities. He has the outward confidence, to be sure. True, inner confidence, though, can only be attained through consistent on-field success and as you pointed out, R., Quinn hasn't had that opportunity yet.
As for coming out and saying he's the man, that's not the way it's going to work. Kyle Orton is the Broncos' starting quarterback and deserves to be. Orton has 29 wins as an NFL starter. Quinn has three. Do you make Quinn the starter based on what you think he can be, even though Orton is the more proven player? Occasionally, this happens but not often. And not in this case.
If postseason games are worthy of a change in overtime rules, why not regular season? Couldn't a team miss the playoffs because of a loss in OT based on a coin toss? Seems if the OT rules are flawed for postseason, they're equally flawed for regular season.
-- Dan Nace, St. Louis
Dan - This has been the question since NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the competition committee powered the postseason overtime amendment past a sizeable group of disapproving coaches and general managers. The central concern with the new "two possession" rule is, first, extended playing time, and two, fairness.
Extended playing time increases the risk of player injury and a team's ability to bounce back for the following week's game. The fairness issue is about giving the "four down" advantage to the second-possession team.
The holdup for using the new overtime rule in the regular season is the extended playing time. The following week's game is a greater issue during the regular season, when there is one, than during the postseason, when defeat means there won't be. Thus, the one-step-at-a-time approach to adopting the new rule.
Hi, Mike. Do you believe there is a good chance a zone-blocking scheme team will come after Chris Kuper — or even Mike Shanahan's Redskins?
-- Stuart, Victoria, British Columbia
Stuart - Kuper is essentially off the market after he signed his tender two weeks ago. While he was on the restricted free agent market, he didn't receive an offer sheet, in large part because the Broncos wisely slapped him with a pricey, first-round tender. Had he been given a second-round tender, Kuper might have received offers. A first-round draft pick, though, is considered steep compensation for a guard.
Shanahan does consider Kuper a Pro Bowl-caliber guard. Then again, the Broncos demonstrated similar belief through their first-round tender.
As you suggest, Stuart, Kuper would be a good fit in Washington or with Gary Kubiak's Houston Texans or Alex Gibbs' Seattle Seahawks. But too bad. Kuper will be blocking for the Broncos in their new power-style scheme this season.
Mike - If you had to choose between the two former Notre Dame quarterbacks to lead our Broncos, who would you choose: Jimmy Clausen or Brady Quinn? Thanks.
-- Nick, Seattle
Nick - This sounds like a leading question. Leading right into trouble. No wonder players are paranoid of the media. Anyway, I'll take Quinn. He's here and has been around the NFL environment for three years, even if he remains unproven. Clausen is not here, although I do think he has the potential to be a great NFL quarterback. I know Notre Dame was only 6-6 last season, but check out Clausen's stats as a junior: 28 touchdown passes, four interceptions, 310.2 passing yards per game.
I know Navy, Washington and Stanford (combined 1,214 yards, 9 TDs, 2 INTs) aren't the Chargers, Colts and Cardinals (Aha! It's the Stanford Cardinal, not Cardinals). But I do see an NFL future with Clausen having big games against the Chargers, Colts and Arizona Cardinals.
Why would Josh McDaniels release Andra Davis? If not a quality starter, he would have made a solid backup. His salary was not that much. I'm concerned on the quality of backups we have this year as injuries can plague a team.
-- Dave, Elizabeth
Dave - Backup linebackers are the heart, soul, head, arms, legs, feet and chest cavities of special teams. And Andra Davis has long since graduated from special teams. With veterans like Davis, they either start, or they don't make the team.
As for deciding Davis was no longer a starter here, he (like everybody else on the Broncos' defense) played well early, not so well late. It was the Week 10 game against the Washington Redskins — whose injury ravaged offensive line nevertheless helped create a combined 155 yards rushing on 35 carries from Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright — that marked the beginning of the end for run-stopping defenders like Davis, Kenny Peterson and Ronnie Fields, who remains part of the defensive-line mix but had his starting job given to Jamal Williams.
Mike - I have been a Denver Broncos fan my whole life. I keep seeing all these mock drafts that have Denver taking Dez Bryant with its first pick. I just don't see McD and Co. doing this. What do you think?
-- Keith, New Jersey
Keith - I don't see it, either. The reason all these mockers have the Broncos taking Bryant is because the team will have an obvious need with the expected departure of Marshall. The star receiver is expected to be moved not because of talent and proven production — he has three 100-catch seasons and two Pro Bowl appearances the past three seasons — but because his attitude doesn't fit with the kind of locker-room chemistry McDaniels is trying to mold.
Bryant, to me, is the same type of player — incredibly talented, so much so that he's considered worthy of the No. 11 overall pick, but with character concerns. In short, it doesn't make sense to replace a Marshall with a younger version of Marshall.
Curious. How do one-day "retire with your old team" contracts such as the one Jason Elam recently received work out? Is there compensation written in which is never collected due to retiring? Team protections, in case of a change of heart? Is it a standard NFL contract or is there a specific retiree one?
-- Tim, Denver
Tim - Is there no piece of Broncos minutia that doesn't draw the interest from Broncos' Mailbaggers? Elam just signed where they told him to sign. It was a standard NFL contract. No tricks. No dollars, although by rule, the NFL minimum salary of $860,000 for players with more than 10 years of service was written into the contract. Elam was plenty gratified by the Broncos' willingness to give him a farewell press conference. Rarely are kickers so honored.
Mike Klis is entering his sixth season of covering the Broncos for The Denver Post. He previously covered the Rockies and Major League Baseball for 15 years. Pose a Broncos- or NFL-related question for the Broncos Mailbag.