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Elevation inc
06-17-2010, 03:30 AM
http://www.denverpost.com/premium/broncos/ci_15312691

Good mailbag by Woody



I love the direction the Broncos are going. I love what coach Josh McDaniels is doing to bring character and a team concept back to the franchise. Jay Cutler was a negative Nancy and Brandon Marshall was a classless baby. Elvis Dumervil is a wait, Elvis is exactly what I think a Bronco should be. A consummate team player and an overachiever who even switched positions because the team needed him to do it. He oozes class and production. Why are we giving this guy a hard time? Does he like to hurt puppies or kittens? Does he trip old ladies or steal from the Salvation Army bucket during the Christmas season? Maybe he hangs out with his posse in college towns chasing things he shouldn't? One of those had better be the reason and if one of them isn't, I don't want to hear about it. This guy is a Bronco through and through. He embodies everything I want to see in a Bronco. So pay the man, Mr. Bowlen!

— Artie Mensing, San Antonio

Woodrow: Why are we playing games with Doom? Why don't we just pay the guy? We have let Reggie Hayward, Bertrand Berry and a still productive Trevor Pryce all walk away from the Broncos. Why do we hate to pay sack guys? We paid Chris Kuper, an injury-prone offensive lineman, but we can't pay a Pro Bowl linebacker who led the NFL in sacks last year? What's the mentality there? Speaking as a 34-year-old, New Jersey-based Denver fan for 24 years, we always let the sack guys walk. Can you explain that?

— Stavros, Mahwah, N.J.

Artie and Stavros: I'm getting more questions about Elvis than the quarterbacks. Let me tell you about him as a person. He is a class act. He won't get in trouble. He won't cause trouble. He's one of the good guys. As a player, you already know.

I personally wish the Broncos would get this thing over with so we could all move on to other important stuff — like who really is going to be the team's starting quarterback. I've been assured by somebody in power at the Broncos that it will get done this summer, that Elvis will get his money.

But if you look around the league, this is happening everywhere because of the NFL opting out of its labor agreement with the players. The Broncos aren't alone. People are waiting to see the lay of the land, and I'm sure the Broncos don't want to give Elvis a $40 million guarantee in uncertain times. But I believe the negotiations will go on for a while.

The Broncos should have kept Berry. Pryce had sort of worn out his welcome with Mike Shanahan, but went on to be a quality player elsewhere. Hayward wasn't that good here.

By the way, McDaniels is not doing the negotiating. Your ire should be directed at Broncos CEO Joe Ellis and general manager Brian Xanders. But the Broncos know Dumervil isn't going anywhere, and season-ticket holders and Broncos fans aren't going anywhere. But I'm keeping an eye on it and will start applying whatever heat I can very soon. As if that will do any good.

Hey, Woody: I was watching a quarterback competition on NFL Network over the weekend and saw Mark Brunell. Immediately I thought of Tim Tebow: questionable arm, but a pretty good runner. Brunell was never a great player, but always was pretty good. I would expect to see similar numbers from Tebow: 3,500 yards passing, 20 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions; 300 to 400 yards rushing, including five touchdowns. I think Tebow can be better, especially because of his leadership skills, but I don't think anyone else sees a similar connection. What is your input on my comparison, and do you think Tebow can put up numbers like that?

— Greg, New York

Greg: I'm certain the Broncos hope Tebow is a lot better than Brunell. He had a very good four-year run (beating the Broncos in the playoffs in the 1996 season, one of the biggest upsets in NFL postseason history) and has lasted a long time (he won a Super Bowl with New Orleans as a backup who never played) in the league.

But as a starter, he never could get his teams (Jacksonville, Washington) to the Super Bowl, and he had only that one special season in 1996, with about 4,300 yards passing (to go with 19 touchdown passes and 20 interceptions).

Since I first saw (and met) Tebow in the Bowl Championship Series title game in January 2009, when he passed, ran and willed Florida to a victory over Oklahoma at the end, I have always thought of Steve Young, another left-hander.

After that 1996 season, I spoke at the state of Florida athletic awards evening in Jacksonville and got to know Brunell (a lefty too) and I was surprised to discover that he is my height (6-1-1/2). He's an outstanding guy, but not an all-timer as a QB.

When I read your question, the first quarterback who came to mind was Donovan McNabb. Now, I'm taking a break to think about it. (Ten minutes later.) I just looked up some stats and heights and weights. McNabb is 6-2, 240 pounds. Tebow is listed at 6-3, 240.

When I stood next to Tebow at practice the other day, I got the feeling he's about 6-2-1/2. He's definitely 230 to 240. In his earlier days, McNabb would take off running at first sight. Later, he became more of a passer first — as John Elway did.

McNabb was a better passer coming out of college, but he's about as close to Tebow in size and dual abilities. I've heard comparisons of Tebow to Fran Tarkenton (6-0, 190) and Roger Staubach (6-3, 197). Tarkenton didn't have Tebow's height or weight, but he was a runner and a thrower.

Staubach was a very pure passer out of Navy who liked to run. Steve Young played at 6-2, 215, so he's not as big as Tebow. Having known Young on a personal basis (and having worked with him at ESPN) for a long time, I know he and Tebow have the same competitive nature.

Young was a very good passer, but he didn't have a stronger arm than Tebow. Young won, I think, six NFL passing titles and finished with the best passer rating ever, but played, and was very effective, in the West Coast offense. Young was a great runner (BYU wanted to make him a running back), but I don't think he had the moves or durability that Tebow possesses.

Young was, and is, one of the real All-American men, book smart, football smart, and he has strong religious convictions (as a great-great-great grandson of Brigham Young). His career was cut short by a series of concussions. In fact, he considered coming to the Broncos and playing again for Mike Shanahan, who was his offensive coordinator in San Francisco, before announcing his retirement. (I flew out to San Francisco to see if he might come here, and we talked after his news conference in his hotel room, and he really wanted to play for Shanahan again, but doctors advised that he quit.)

Tebow got a concussion in the Kentucky game last year, so that could be a problem in the future. If Tebow is a combination of Young and McNabb, you've got something. If he is a combination of Brunell and Jim Zorn, you've got a pretty good quarterback. If he's as bad as a lot of people predict (and hope), you've got a wasted first-round draft choice and Josh McDaniels' ticket out of Denver.

Hey, Woody: Why does everyone always despise dear Denver so much in preseason NFL picks? Last year people picked the Broncos to go as low as zero wins, and no one predicted much over four or five. They, of course, won eight games. This year Sporting News picks them to win four games. Did they really lose four wins by trading Brandon Marshall and Tony Scheffler? I may be getting senile in my young age, but I thought Denver lost the games that Marshall did his best in, like the one where he set a league record for catches. I think a 7-9 or 8-8 season is a better bet than 4-12 this year.

— Ian, Pueblo

Ian: I think Brandon set his record against Indianapolis. Marshall's three greatest games of the year were against Pittsburgh (112 yards), Washington (134) and Indianapolis (200). Guess what? The Broncos lost all three. So you are right, sir.

I thought he played well (and was a major reason for victory) against Dallas and New England. I picked the Broncos to win five games (maybe four, as if it matters) last season, so I was among the crowd you mentioned.

It didn't really matter that they won eight games because that was no better, without the playoffs, than the previous three seasons, when Marshall also was on the team.

I didn't think Kyle Orton would have that good a season. I thought the team was in transition, that the running game wouldn't be that good and the defense still had some holes.

The main thing, though, was what I thought was an extremely tough season — at Baltimore, at Philadelphia, at Indy, at an improving Cincy and, of course, at the three division teams.

The Broncos won on a miracle in Cincinnati. Cleveland and Oakland weren't real surprises (hello, Brady Quinn, and JaMarcus was no shocker). The game in San Diego was a genuine upset. I think most people felt the Broncos would lose to Dallas, New England and Pittsburgh. They got the Cowboys because Champ Bailey won it with two plays at the end. They got New England because I think that was the game of Josh's life, and it was overtime, so either could have won.

They got smoked by Pittsburgh. Then they looked awful at D.C. (injury to Orton, but he wouldn't have won it), horrendous in Baltimore and couldn't stop Peyton Manning in Indy or Donovan McNabb in Philly, which cost Mike Nolan his job as defensive coordinator. There are no excuses for the games at home against Oakland and K.C.

So, after telling you all you know, I think this year there's improvement in the defensive line, at linebacker and more depth in the secondary. The offensive line will be questionable, but the running game should be better, and the ball will be spread around to more wide receivers. I'm not as worried about the Broncos as a lot of people are.

I would have liked to see a replacement for Scheffler, a tight end who can stretch. And, as everybody has heard, I have no faith in Orton.

So, all that, and a schedule that looks almost as tough, when you consider another trip to Baltimore, an opener in Jacksonville (which should be improved), the San Diego trip, a better K.C. team and, you have to think, a stronger Raiders bunch with the draft and removal of Russell and the addition of quarterback Jason Campbell.

Indy is here, and you don't know what you will get with Arizona (although I'm not so sure Kurt Warner won't come out of retirement since he can't get a TV job, and he is getting antsy to do a Favre). The Jets are here. So, in June, it can look to Sporting News (an old boss of mine when it meant something) and "experts" as if the Broncos aren't going anywhere again.

Here, it looks like 8-8 again. But if the Broncos switch quarterbacks, get a full season out of the defense (with the change to coordinator Wink Martindale, who is a big-time defensive coach, and you will like him — he's a Rex Ryan type), Knowshon Moreno has a better season and the offensive line doesn't stink, the Broncos could win 10 games (three division teams here, at Jax, at Tennessee, St. Louis here, at Kansas City, at Oakland, Houston here and San Francisco in London).

I agree with you that 8-8 is a better bet than 4-12. But as people who note every prediction I make, I couldn't pick my mother out of a police lineup. Neither can anyone else.

Elevation inc
06-17-2010, 03:40 AM
that bolded part was key for all the people blaming josh for the Doom issue.....8-8 woody better than your 4-12 last year....so we did 4 better than your 4-12 last year maybe its our time to go 12-4 this year and suprise ya again....lol