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06-26-2008, 12:57 AM
The question has been bandied about all over the board, and not just this
board: How will the Broncos do this year? I am going to tell you how, and
I guarantee I will be 100% accurate. Next Febuary.
Meanwhile, I suppose I will have to make an educated guess . . . or maybe
an uneducated one.
Besides, I promised Wookiee an article this week. :D
So here goes:
From a sheer talent standpoint, the team is dramatically better.
Quarterback has improved. Cutler himself said that this year is different, in
that he can read defenses now and figure out where everybody is going,
instead of trying to figure out where he is supposed to go. Even Ramsey has
had a year to acclimate himself to the Denver offense. I believe we will see a
big difference at this position.
Running back has improved. Of course, question marks remain there. However,
the players there are not just hungry: They are famished to achieve. But
they have a great complement of speed and power, with Young, Hall, and
Alridge on the one hand, and Pittman and Torain on the other.
WR has improved, even if they are without Marshall for a while. Yes, he
was a beast. But all they had behind him was Stokely, who had to play out
of position much of the year and spent some of it hurt. With Colbert, D-Jack,
Fast Eddie, and Parker to go along with Stokely, Cutler should not have
trouble finding some open targets.
TE has improved. Scheffler is healthy. The one word I see from around the
league in referring to him is "dangerous." But it doesn't stop with him.
Jackson is healthy, and Graham and Mustard return. Two very good
receivers, two very good blockers.
The O-line has improved. The return of Nalen and Hamilton alone did that.
But Holland has another year at zone blocking, and he's no longer playing
on an island with Nails next to him. Of course, there's Clady, and Pears is
backing him at LT, where Pears was most effective. RT is a question mark,
but I see a good question mark. Harris is known for his footwork, and Kuper
has already vividly demonstrated his talent. Backing up the interior are
Gandy, Wiegmann, and Lichtensteiger, and Kuper can swing over if needed.
The O-line is dramatically better.
The D-line has improved. Thomas and Crowder are coming back with a year
under their respective belts, and Moss joins the fray (have you seen those
guns of his? :shocked:). Dumervil hits his third year, the typical breakout year.
Ekuban is healthy, and Engelberger is back. And Robertson joins the
group, along with young Powell. That is going to be a good line, folks.
LB has improved. A true Mike steps into the middle . . . well there are three
of them: Koutouvides, Webster, and Larsen. All true Mikes. A true Sam
takes over in the person of Boss Bailey. And D.J. assumes his natural
position . . . possibly the best athlete on the team, outside Champ, in his
natural position. Winborn, who could probably start for some teams, will be
backing up the OLBs. What single characteristic do I see from that group?
Speed. Bailey and D.J., who run sub-5's. Niko doesn't have a great 40, but
I have heard about his exceptional football speed. Same with Larsen. On
the other hand, Webster does have an exceptional 40 speed for a Mike.
Cornerback has improved. No, same people, same talent, which is the best
in the league, and not arguably, either. Both starters have been to Pro
Bowls . . . Champ eight times, and four straight All-Pros. This year, however,
Foxworth and Paymah are reputed to be pushing Bly, and they are pushing
each other. And then we have Jumping Jack Williams joining the group. (I
say "Jumping" . . . have you seen his Combine stats? :shocked: ) But that is not
the main reason the CBs are "improved." The reason is the front seven.
If the front seven plays up to its talent, then I will not die of shock if two
CBs go to the Pro Bowl this year.
Safety has improved. For one thing, it has gotten faster . . . blazingly faster,
with Barrett joining the group. (Yeh, he's going to make the squad.) McCree
comes over from a winner, and Manuel is experienced. I still believe Abdullah
can be good. And "old man" Lynch has still got it. You'll see.
STs will be improved. Speed is everywhere, and we have a bunch of starters
and potential starters who have already expressed their interest in playing.
And Fast Eddie and Alridge will do the honors in returning.
So there is the talent. How will they play together? That is what bothers
me at the moment. At the first, we may wonder if there is any talent. But
when they start jelling, they will again join the powerhouses of the league.
How long will that take? Well, let me put it this way: Before the bye, they
will be 3-4 . After the bye, they will be 7-2 for a 10-6 season. They may
make the playoffs, and they may not.
But we're going to have a lot more fun this year. :nixon:
-----
board: How will the Broncos do this year? I am going to tell you how, and
I guarantee I will be 100% accurate. Next Febuary.
Meanwhile, I suppose I will have to make an educated guess . . . or maybe
an uneducated one.
Besides, I promised Wookiee an article this week. :D
So here goes:
From a sheer talent standpoint, the team is dramatically better.
Quarterback has improved. Cutler himself said that this year is different, in
that he can read defenses now and figure out where everybody is going,
instead of trying to figure out where he is supposed to go. Even Ramsey has
had a year to acclimate himself to the Denver offense. I believe we will see a
big difference at this position.
Running back has improved. Of course, question marks remain there. However,
the players there are not just hungry: They are famished to achieve. But
they have a great complement of speed and power, with Young, Hall, and
Alridge on the one hand, and Pittman and Torain on the other.
WR has improved, even if they are without Marshall for a while. Yes, he
was a beast. But all they had behind him was Stokely, who had to play out
of position much of the year and spent some of it hurt. With Colbert, D-Jack,
Fast Eddie, and Parker to go along with Stokely, Cutler should not have
trouble finding some open targets.
TE has improved. Scheffler is healthy. The one word I see from around the
league in referring to him is "dangerous." But it doesn't stop with him.
Jackson is healthy, and Graham and Mustard return. Two very good
receivers, two very good blockers.
The O-line has improved. The return of Nalen and Hamilton alone did that.
But Holland has another year at zone blocking, and he's no longer playing
on an island with Nails next to him. Of course, there's Clady, and Pears is
backing him at LT, where Pears was most effective. RT is a question mark,
but I see a good question mark. Harris is known for his footwork, and Kuper
has already vividly demonstrated his talent. Backing up the interior are
Gandy, Wiegmann, and Lichtensteiger, and Kuper can swing over if needed.
The O-line is dramatically better.
The D-line has improved. Thomas and Crowder are coming back with a year
under their respective belts, and Moss joins the fray (have you seen those
guns of his? :shocked:). Dumervil hits his third year, the typical breakout year.
Ekuban is healthy, and Engelberger is back. And Robertson joins the
group, along with young Powell. That is going to be a good line, folks.
LB has improved. A true Mike steps into the middle . . . well there are three
of them: Koutouvides, Webster, and Larsen. All true Mikes. A true Sam
takes over in the person of Boss Bailey. And D.J. assumes his natural
position . . . possibly the best athlete on the team, outside Champ, in his
natural position. Winborn, who could probably start for some teams, will be
backing up the OLBs. What single characteristic do I see from that group?
Speed. Bailey and D.J., who run sub-5's. Niko doesn't have a great 40, but
I have heard about his exceptional football speed. Same with Larsen. On
the other hand, Webster does have an exceptional 40 speed for a Mike.
Cornerback has improved. No, same people, same talent, which is the best
in the league, and not arguably, either. Both starters have been to Pro
Bowls . . . Champ eight times, and four straight All-Pros. This year, however,
Foxworth and Paymah are reputed to be pushing Bly, and they are pushing
each other. And then we have Jumping Jack Williams joining the group. (I
say "Jumping" . . . have you seen his Combine stats? :shocked: ) But that is not
the main reason the CBs are "improved." The reason is the front seven.
If the front seven plays up to its talent, then I will not die of shock if two
CBs go to the Pro Bowl this year.
Safety has improved. For one thing, it has gotten faster . . . blazingly faster,
with Barrett joining the group. (Yeh, he's going to make the squad.) McCree
comes over from a winner, and Manuel is experienced. I still believe Abdullah
can be good. And "old man" Lynch has still got it. You'll see.
STs will be improved. Speed is everywhere, and we have a bunch of starters
and potential starters who have already expressed their interest in playing.
And Fast Eddie and Alridge will do the honors in returning.
So there is the talent. How will they play together? That is what bothers
me at the moment. At the first, we may wonder if there is any talent. But
when they start jelling, they will again join the powerhouses of the league.
How long will that take? Well, let me put it this way: Before the bye, they
will be 3-4 . After the bye, they will be 7-2 for a 10-6 season. They may
make the playoffs, and they may not.
But we're going to have a lot more fun this year. :nixon:
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