Michael Lombardi: This is a talent problem

[El Minion]

FROM DAN SHAUGHNESSY OF THE BOSTON GLOBE (http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/2008/10/national-football-post-diner-news-43/)…The NFL in 2008 has no great teams and it has no hopeless teams (OK, maybe the Lions). You simply don’t know who is going to show up from week to week. This is a good thing for a Patriot team learning to live without Tom Brady. You can hang out in the Big Middle and still hope to make the playoffs, maybe more. Humbled in two of their previous three games, the Patriots last night annihilated the Denver Broncos, 41-7, on “Monday Night Football.” The Broncos entered the game with a 4-2 record and more confidence than Bill O’Reilly, but played one of the worst games in franchise history. The Patriots at times looked like the History Boys of 2007. It is the way of the world in NFL 2008. The late Pete Rozelle’s dreams have come true. Any Given Sunday is an absolute truth. Any Given Monday, too. Remember the Giants and Browns last week? Seriously. It’s great to say nice things about the Patriots when they play well, and they beat Denver every way you can beat a football team. They dominated the line of scrimmage. They enjoyed their best rushing game (257 yards) in 15 years. Matt Cassel threw three touchdown passes, two to Randy Moss. New England’s special teams were truly special. The Patriots literally knocked players out of the game. Bill Belichick was the king of schemes. But the Broncos were so bad it was difficult to get a read on New England’s strengths. Denver allowed 404 yards, turned the ball over five times, and committed 8 penalties for 87 yards. Ever-intense coach Mike Shanahan looked like he was ready for an orange jumpsuit and leg irons when he walked into the tunnel at the end.

I have been writing for some time about how bad the Broncos are in terms of defensive talent and last night it was clear to all of America. The one thing that struck me watching the game was the difference in the power and the strength of the two teams. One team, the Pats, was physical and looked like they could lift the entire weight room, as the other team looked weak and each time they tried to tackle they were carried for five yards. The Broncos have always been about quickness and speed when building their defense. But because the defense is not that quick, or fast, they get caught, have to anchor in, and are getting pushed around. There are no solutions for the Broncos, as witnessed last night. They played a 3 man front, a 4 man front, they have changed scheme and have tried to coach their way out of the problem, but there is no scheme that can help this defense. This is a talent problem. It was a talent problem last year when I was there and it is a talent problem now. The Broncos need to adjust how they draft and who they want to be when it comes to defense.

[Lonestar]

Hmmmmm I wonder why he was not retained last year.??.

OH I know mikey did not want hear the truth..

[El Minion]

IIRC, it was as an unpaid consultant, but with his career experience (notably working under the tutelage of Bill Walsh) he would have been a great FO addition. Maybe Shanahan didn't want someone to usurp his authority, to bad regardless.

[turftoad]

I agree.Not much talent on the "D" side of the ball.

[DenBronx]

i agree about the talent part. our guys are really too small. it's ok to have 1 or 2 hybrid players but when you have half a defense of all smaller hybrids then your going to get spanked. i would clean house with most of these guys. we passed on kerney, we passed on jenkins and passed on rogers ect. at some point mikey needs to spend the money in the key areas on defense and stop signing scrubs like lowry and mcree. keep the secondary fast but lets beef up the dline and get some maulers for linebackers.

stopping the run is essential. if we dont stop the run then were doomed.

:defense: wins championships!

[Slick]

Not really going out on a limb. The lack of talent on defense is obvious.

[Lonestar]

I agree.Not much talent on the "D" side of the ball.


actually not much "starting" talent on D.. Once you get past Champ, Robertson, maybe Thomas and DJ. Well it get thin at best unless some of these kids drafted or were UDFA's last year can get some playing time..

I think we need the entire draft this year going Defense and someone besides slowick and mikey making the picks..

[Ray Finkle]

Hmmmmm I wonder why he was not retained last year.??.

OH I know mikey did not want hear the truth..

or it could be the Lombardi has a habit of backstabbing....who do you think it was that leak Shell's firing to Sheffler a few years back. If he was that good, how come his best buddy (Gruden) would not hire him?

[G_Money]

If the guy's already by you and you're jumping on his back, you're gonna get dragged for extra yardage.

If you don't want to play your gaps and want to freelance while the other team sticks to scheme, you're gonna get knocked back.

We're not that outmuscled. We just have no technique and no scheme to go with our no heart selves.

Would I like better players? You bet.

Am I likely to get significantly better players? Probably not. I mean, replacing one of our safeties with an Atwater and swapping Webster with an Al Wilson would certainly help matters, but getting 2 safeties, an extra corner, 2 LBs and 4 DL in an offseason is asking for the moon and several planets besides - especially for a team that's never mastered drafting or FA on the defensive side of the ball.

Of the 11 starters on defense this year, how many are likely to be back next year as starters or with significant chunks of playing time?

- Champ
- DJ
- Boss (we're not cuttin' him...)
- Thomas (at least in some form of a DT rotation)
- Robertson (again, probably. Depends on his knee, but he's our best DT when he can play)
- Dumervil (he's our only pass-rusher)
- Bly (unless we can dump his salary, he's back - and who would take it?)

So we've got 2 safety spots up for grabs, cuz those guys are all atrocious. Mike would be a nice position to fill. There's another DE slot, and hopefully at least one DT for our rotation.

Assuming no serious scheme changes, how much "stronger" are we gonna get by adding better safeties? The Mike would help some, but not if we can't play our gaps.

Our scheme sucks. Our schemer sucks. Our players won't play any scheme they've seen in the last 2 years.

Keep in mind that very, VERY few DL contribute in their first years, and even the good ones don't always contribute at their true talent level even in their 2nd years.

If it was me I'd find a way to dump Bly, bring back Foxy to start and save some cash that way, keep JMFW as the nickel for now, sign Suggs as our DE, and then go looking for our LB and S needs in the draft. Those positions can come in and contribute immediately if they're the right guy. Ask Patrick Willis. We could see what Powell can do when he comes back from injury and add some DTs later in the draft or FA to try to get a decent middle-of-the-line rotation going.

But before anything, I'd fix the schemer, and therefore the scheme, that has us playing out of position, that allows us to be sorry-ass tacklers, that does not demand accountability from either himself or his players, and that puts us in position to fail far more often than he puts us in position to succeed.

Even WITH better players with more heart and leadership, this mish-mash scheme that changes every week and these coaches who never teach their players how to actually play their positions have to go.

Besides, if the schemer's an idiot why would I want him having any input on these next VERY IMPORTANT drafts to shore us up for a potential Super Bowl push? I mean, if we lock up our offensive players for a few years we should always be able to score some, right? Assuming our QB doesn't mash his hand on a helmet and some guys can stay healthy.

So getting the defense right before the offense busts up due to cost is imperative. If we have a young Peyton Manning/Marvin Harrison/Reggie Wayne/Dallas Clark set up, with some young OL talent that seems to be panning out in a big way, then we need to find a way to play enough defense to give those guys a chance to win the game.

I agree that adding talent is a large part of that.

Identifying the correct scheme and schemer would be another large part.

We need to do both things, SOON. We're on the clock now...

~G

[Broncolingus]

LOVE that article...

Certainly doesn't hit EVERYTHING that's wrong with the Bronc's, but something many/most of us have been saying in one way or another for years now...

[Devilspawn]

I've been saying this as smack one the other board, but it's not intended to be here. It's Champ + 10. There is potential on the defense, but when it consistently happens week in and week out, or happens more often than not, it's not just the coaching. A coach can't be so bad that 10 players are clueless for most of the game.

Much more talent at offense, but their potential for the remainder of the season was based on facing two HIGHLY overrated defenses with two hacks at corner.

[spikerman]

I know it's blasphemy to say it on this site, but I think it's time to explore trading Champ for draft picks. Let's face it, this team (defense especially) is in need of serious rebuilding and Champ's talent is being wasted here. Maybe the Broncos should look at sending him to a team that's only a player or two away so he can get his ring and Denver can get better long term.

[DenBronx]

all i know is there is ALOT of work to be done this offseason on D.

[CrazyHorse]

I know it's blasphemy to say it on this site, but I think it's time to explore trading Champ for draft picks. Let's face it, this team (defense especially) is in need of serious rebuilding and Champ's talent is being wasted here. Maybe the Broncos should look at sending him to a team that's only a player or two away so he can get his ring and Denver can get better long term.

Hmmm... the Redskins look like they could use a little help.
I'm not sure they would offer enough though.

[Lonestar]

or it could be the Lombardi has a habit of backstabbing....who do you think it was that leak Shell's firing to Sheffler a few years back. If he was that good, how come his best buddy (Gruden) would not hire him?

well he is a damned site better on D than anyone we have.. I'd take him in heartbeat over slowick and company..

[Lonestar]

I know it's blasphemy to say it on this site, but I think it's time to explore trading Champ for draft picks. Let's face it, this team (defense especially) is in need of serious rebuilding and Champ's talent is being wasted here. Maybe the Broncos should look at sending him to a team that's only a player or two away so he can get his ring and Denver can get better long term.


Hmmm... the Redskins look like they could use a little help.
I'm not sure they would offer enough though.

Champ is not going anywhere so get the notion out of your head.. Unless he asks for a trade he is here for the long haul..

This has been hashed over in numerous other threads ad nauseam. let it go..

[scott.475]

I know it's blasphemy to say it on this site, but I think it's time to explore trading Champ for draft picks. Let's face it, this team (defense especially) is in need of serious rebuilding and Champ's talent is being wasted here. Maybe the Broncos should look at sending him to a team that's only a player or two away so he can get his ring and Denver can get better long term.

I don't know about that. He takes away half the field, and sadly, he is our best tackler. Truly, he is half our defense, I don't think we can trade that away. Not that things were going too well for us last night, but when he went out injured, the flood gates were opened. Before last nights game, the commentators said that Champ had only been thrown on 13 times, with 9 incompletions. I just don't think you trade Champ for unproven picks.

[spikerman]

Champ is not going anywhere so get the notion out of your head.. Unless he asks for a trade he is here for the long haul..

This has been hashed over in numerous other threads ad nauseam. let it go..
I realize it's been hashed over, but that doesn't mean it can't still be addressed. Right now, having the best CB in the game has resulted in the Broncos having the 32nd ranked defense against the pass in the NFL. Having him isn't helping the Broncos because they have so many other needs. He is without a doubt one of, if not the best, CBs in the game but his talent is wasted in Denver.

The reason I think they should look to trade him for picks is because this defense needs a complete overhaul and multiple picks would start that process. Of course, knowing this team, they would just draft another receiver, TE, or 285LB offensive lineman.

[Fan in Exile]

Lombardi is an idiot I'm glad he's not on the team and I wish people wouldn't post what he writes just because it agrees with what they think.

Seriously who on our D is undersized? Dumerville and Moss are I'll give you that. But apart from them Thomas and Robertson aren't for attacking DT who are supposed to get upfield. Ekuban is fine. DJ and Webster are good sized. Our secondary is just fine.

Lombardi is obssesed with size because it's an easy thing for a guy with little understanding to focus on.

What we need are good players who fill their gaps and wrap up, and somebody to come in and teach the d-line some technique.

[broncofaninfla]

If the guy's already by you and you're jumping on his back, you're gonna get dragged for extra yardage.

If you don't want to play your gaps and want to freelance while the other team sticks to scheme, you're gonna get knocked back.

We're not that outmuscled. We just have no technique and no scheme to go with our no heart selves.

Would I like better players? You bet.

Am I likely to get significantly better players? Probably not. I mean, replacing one of our safeties with an Atwater and swapping Webster with an Al Wilson would certainly help matters, but getting 2 safeties, an extra corner, 2 LBs and 4 DL in an offseason is asking for the moon and several planets besides - especially for a team that's never mastered drafting or FA on the defensive side of the ball.

Of the 11 starters on defense this year, how many are likely to be back next year as starters or with significant chunks of playing time?

- Champ
- DJ
- Boss (we're not cuttin' him...)
- Thomas (at least in some form of a DT rotation)
- Robertson (again, probably. Depends on his knee, but he's our best DT when he can play)
- Dumervil (he's our only pass-rusher)
- Bly (unless we can dump his salary, he's back - and who would take it?)

So we've got 2 safety spots up for grabs, cuz those guys are all atrocious. Mike would be a nice position to fill. There's another DE slot, and hopefully at least one DT for our rotation.

Assuming no serious scheme changes, how much "stronger" are we gonna get by adding better safeties? The Mike would help some, but not if we can't play our gaps.

Our scheme sucks. Our schemer sucks. Our players won't play any scheme they've seen in the last 2 years.

Keep in mind that very, VERY few DL contribute in their first years, and even the good ones don't always contribute at their true talent level even in their 2nd years.

If it was me I'd find a way to dump Bly, bring back Foxy to start and save some cash that way, keep JMFW as the nickel for now, sign Suggs as our DE, and then go looking for our LB and S needs in the draft. Those positions can come in and contribute immediately if they're the right guy. Ask Patrick Willis. We could see what Powell can do when he comes back from injury and add some DTs later in the draft or FA to try to get a decent middle-of-the-line rotation going.

But before anything, I'd fix the schemer, and therefore the scheme, that has us playing out of position, that allows us to be sorry-ass tacklers, that does not demand accountability from either himself or his players, and that puts us in position to fail far more often than he puts us in position to succeed.

Even WITH better players with more heart and leadership, this mish-mash scheme that changes every week and these coaches who never teach their players how to actually play their positions have to go.

Besides, if the schemer's an idiot why would I want him having any input on these next VERY IMPORTANT drafts to shore us up for a potential Super Bowl push? I mean, if we lock up our offensive players for a few years we should always be able to score some, right? Assuming our QB doesn't mash his hand on a helmet and some guys can stay healthy.

So getting the defense right before the offense busts up due to cost is imperative. If we have a young Peyton Manning/Marvin Harrison/Reggie Wayne/Dallas Clark set up, with some young OL talent that seems to be panning out in a big way, then we need to find a way to play enough defense to give those guys a chance to win the game.

I agree that adding talent is a large part of that.

Identifying the correct scheme and schemer would be another large part.

We need to do both things, SOON. We're on the clock now...

~G

I have to disagree with about us not being out muscled. Our D line is getting blown up on each and every snap. We allowed HUGE gains on short yardage situations. Even when our players luck out and get into the backfield they STILL seem to struggle to actually drag the player down during a tackle. Our defense is weak AND lacks talent. We don't scare anybody in the NFL and I look for more and more teams to go for it on 4th downs against us as odds are they'll get it.

[Medford Bronco]

i agree about the talent part. our guys are really too small. it's ok to have 1 or 2 hybrid players but when you have half a defense of all smaller hybrids then your going to get spanked. i would clean house with most of these guys. we passed on kerney, we passed on jenkins and passed on rogers ect. at some point mikey needs to spend the money in the key areas on defense and stop signing scrubs like lowry and mcree. keep the secondary fast but lets beef up the dline and get some maulers for linebackers.

stopping the run is essential. if we dont stop the run then were doomed.

:defense: wins championships!

Makes you kinda miss the Browncos. Those guys at least could stop the run. Unlike this pathetic bunch

[Medford Bronco]

Another thing. As much as a lot said (including me) that John Lynch could not play anymore. He could do no worse than the crap that is out there right now IMHO.

[broncofaninfla]

Our defense has slipped since Shannahan fired Coyer. since we've gotten new players and new schemes and now we flat out suck. Coyer's system wasn't aggressive but he put the players in position to make plays. Can't help but think if we had kept him and added some more talent on defense to help him out we wouldn't be in this mess.

[broncofaninfla]

Another thing. As much as a lot said (including me) that John Lynch could not play anymore. He could do no worse than the crap that is out there right now IMHO.

As aggresive as they hard Lowery TRYING to play I totally agree. Why not get Lynch back and have him line up in the box? He won't miss tackles and will be no worse than Lowery or who every the flavor of the week is at safety!

[topscribe]

I agree that adding talent is a large part of that.

Identifying the correct scheme and schemer would be another large part.

We need to do both things, SOON. We're on the clock now...

~G

You're always there to add some balance and reason, G. Thanks. :beer:

-----

[LRtagger]

What sad for Lynch is if he had actually stayed and committed to being a situational player, by now he would probably be seeing 80% of the games defensive snaps.

[broncofaninfla]

What sad for Lynch is if he had actually stayed and committed to being a situational player, by now he would probably be seeing 80% of the games defensive snaps.

Agreed. Lowery was in the box 90% of the game. Nobody can tell me Lynch wouldn't be better in that role.

[topscribe]

FROM DAN SHAUGHNESSY OF THE BOSTON GLOBE (http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/2008/10/national-football-post-diner-news-43/)…The NFL in 2008 has no great teams and it has no hopeless teams (OK, maybe the Lions). You simply don’t know who is going to show up from week to week. This is a good thing for a Patriot team learning to live without Tom Brady. You can hang out in the Big Middle and still hope to make the playoffs, maybe more. Humbled in two of their previous three games, the Patriots last night annihilated the Denver Broncos, 41-7, on “Monday Night Football.” The Broncos entered the game with a 4-2 record and more confidence than Bill O’Reilly, but played one of the worst games in franchise history. The Patriots at times looked like the History Boys of 2007. It is the way of the world in NFL 2008. The late Pete Rozelle’s dreams have come true. Any Given Sunday is an absolute truth. Any Given Monday, too. Remember the Giants and Browns last week? Seriously. It’s great to say nice things about the Patriots when they play well, and they beat Denver every way you can beat a football team. They dominated the line of scrimmage. They enjoyed their best rushing game (257 yards) in 15 years. Matt Cassel threw three touchdown passes, two to Randy Moss. New England’s special teams were truly special. The Patriots literally knocked players out of the game. Bill Belichick was the king of schemes. But the Broncos were so bad it was difficult to get a read on New England’s strengths. Denver allowed 404 yards, turned the ball over five times, and committed 8 penalties for 87 yards. Ever-intense coach Mike Shanahan looked like he was ready for an orange jumpsuit and leg irons when he walked into the tunnel at the end.

I have been writing for some time about how bad the Broncos are in terms of defensive talent and last night it was clear to all of America. The one thing that struck me watching the game was the difference in the power and the strength of the two teams. One team, the Pats, was physical and looked like they could lift the entire weight room, as the other team looked weak and each time they tried to tackle they were carried for five yards. The Broncos have always been about quickness and speed when building their defense. But because the defense is not that quick, or fast, they get caught, have to anchor in, and are getting pushed around. There are no solutions for the Broncos, as witnessed last night. They played a 3 man front, a 4 man front, they have changed scheme and have tried to coach their way out of the problem, but there is no scheme that can help this defense. This is a talent problem. It was a talent problem last year when I was there and it is a talent problem now. The Broncos need to adjust how they draft and who they want to be when it comes to defense.

Lombardi does make some sense, but I believe he is not totally objective
for obvious reasons. Who is not quick and fast? The Broncos have one of
the fastest LB corps in the league. The CBs have plenty of speed, and
Champ is one of the fastest players, period. Dumervil, Ekuban, Crowder,
Robertson, Thomas, and Moss can all run for DLs.

And the players aren't the midgets he make them out to be. Robertson and
Thomas are very good sized, and so are the LDEs. Doom has been tabbed
as a bit undersized, yet he packs 260 pounds on a 5-11 frame, so he is
powerful. At LB, Boss and D.J. are a good size, although Webster is too
small, IMO, at MLB.

I believe the Broncos are lacking at MLB, safety, DT (depth) and DC. We
saw how quickly they fixed all the holes in the offense. They can do the
same thing on defense, starting with a new DC. There are a couple good
candidates floating around right now. Take applications.

-----

[broncofaninfla]

Denver is the sole NFL team that has a winning record and has also been outscored.

[Lonestar]

Lombardi does make some sense, but I believe he is not totally objective
for obvious reasons. Who is not quick and fast? The Broncos have one of
the fastest LB corps in the league. The CBs have plenty of speed, and
Champ is one of the fastest players, period. Dumervil, Ekuban, Crowder,
Robertson, Thomas, and Moss can all run for DLs.

And the players aren't the midgets he make them out to be. Robertson and
Thomas are very good sized, and so are the LDEs. Doom has been tabbed
as a bit undersized, yet he packs 260 pounds on a 5-11 frame, so he is
powerful. At LB, Boss and D.J. are a good size, although Webster is too
small, IMO, at MLB.

I believe the Broncos are lacking at MLB, safety, DT (depth) and DC. We
saw how quickly they fixed all the holes in the offense. They can do the
same thing on defense, starting with a new DC. There are a couple good
candidates floating around right now. Take applications.

-----

our DT's are hugely undersized for trying to run a 3-4 lacking in 25-40 pounds IMO..

Yes our LBS are fast but also to small per see to run the 3-4..

and doom while being as heavy as he is IS undersized to play DE.. (short) yes I know he has long arms but he has to have the first step or he is pardon the pun doomed..

And which qualified candidate in the right mind would apply for this position it has failure written all over it under current management..

[topscribe]

our DT's are hugely undersized for trying to run a 3-4 lacking in 25-40 pounds IMO..

Yes our LBS are fast but also to small per see to run the 3-4..

and doom while being as heavy as he is IS undersized to play DE.. (short) yes I know he has long arms but he has to have the first step or he is pardon the pun doomed..

And which qualified candidate in the right mind would apply for this position it has failure written all over it under current management..

The 3-4 is only a part-time change-off as an added tool to confuse offenses.
I would be concerned from a 3-4 perspective, were it full-time, but it's not.

I believe if the Broncos got in a good DC, he would recognize the personnel
for what it is and scheme accordingly. G is right there: It begins with DC.

-----

[Lonestar]

The 3-4 is only a part-time change-off as an added tool to confuse offenses.
I would be concerned from a 3-4 perspective, were it full-time, but it's not.

I believe if the Broncos got in a good DC, he would recognize the personnel
for what it is and scheme accordingly. G is right there: It begins with DC.

-----


While the 3-4 is a stop gap, it is not working and until you have the talent to run it it is a JOKE to try.. and Lombardi is correct in his assessment overall out DL is featherweight as compared to a NYG for example.. not only in size but talent and skill.. when your talking 15-20 pounds per man the for the most part in 85% of the weight in pure strength muscle and hat is what is happening on good teams one of more guys have to be double teamed if memory serves correct in some cases our DLINE is being half teamed by good OLINES. That means one OT or OG may be tying up two of our guys at times...

We are DOOMED pardon the pun to having a mediocre defense, until such time as PAT steps in and says enough..

I have zero faith in mikey making rational decisions concerning anything BUT offense..

[LRtagger]

Unfortunately, like I have said, I think the only way this defense is ever going to amount to anything is if Pat brings in somebody to take complete control of defensive operations. SOMEBODY WITH LEGITAMITE EXPERIENCE AND A GOOD TRACK RECORD to hire his own staff, evaluate existing players, cut or trade the ones that dont fit, scout new talent and FAs and take all of the defensive decision making away from Shanny.

Not to mention this will probably be the only way to even get a good DC in here is if we promise him the world. No good DC in their right mind is going to ruin their career and reputation by coming to Denver.

Unfortunately I do not ever seeing that happening. Pat is scared of Mike not being happy, so IMO while Mike is here (unless Mike finally figures out and admits that he doesnt know defense very well) we will never have a legit defense.

If we are TRULY commited to building through the draft, then the first thing we need to do is bring in a defensive minded talent evaluator. I think we were on the right track with Bates, just didnt give it enough time to pan out.

[Lonestar]

Unfortunately, like I have said, I think the only way this defense is ever going to amount to anything is if Pat brings in somebody to take complete control of defensive operations. SOMEBODY WITH LEGITAMITE EXPERIENCE AND A GOOD TRACK RECORD to hire his own staff, evaluate existing players, cut or trade the ones that dont fit, scout new talent and FAs and take all of the defensive decision making away from Shanny.

Not to mention this will probably be the only way to even get a good DC in here is if we promise him the world. No good DC in their right mind is going to ruin their career and reputation by coming to Denver.

Unfortunately I do not ever seeing that happening. Pat is scared of Mike not being happy, so IMO while Mike is here (unless Mike finally figures out and admits that he doesnt know defense very well) we will never have a legit defense.

If we are TRULY commited to building through the draft, then the first thing we need to do is bring in a defensive minded talent evaluator. I think we were on the right track with Bates, just didnt give it enough time to pan out.


truer words will never be spoken,,

This post needs to be sent to PAT..

[Slick]

I know it's blasphemy to say it on this site, but I think it's time to explore trading Champ for draft picks. Let's face it, this team (defense especially) is in need of serious rebuilding and Champ's talent is being wasted here. Maybe the Broncos should look at sending him to a team that's only a player or two away so he can get his ring and Denver can get better long term.

I hate to agree with you here but I do. Either that or let him play FS. He would have 10 times the chances to make a play on the ball. Yea he takes away his side of the field for the most part at corner, and that in itself is extremely valuable, but sometimes I feel like his talent is being wasted. He shuts down TE's when he's matched up on one. We know he can cover any WR (ex: Randy Moss' numbers while Champ was in vs. a field day on Bly) and he's a better tackler than any safety on our roster.

[lex]

Yeah, it is a matter of talent and unfortunately Slowik has a 98 lb acumen as a defenive coordinator in a league where the other coordinators have 250 lb acumens. And as a result he and we are getting shoved around.

[Hobe]

I have to go and stand with the guys pointing at the coaching staff. There are defensive linemen around the league that we discarded that are playing much better with their new teams then they did in Denver. We are a lot better at developing offensive linemen, then defensive linemen. We simply don’t develop talent very well on defense.

Champ doesn’t need much coaching, but the rest of the backfield does, and they are not getting it. Bly is no Bailey, but he’s not that bad. He needs a coach to help him prepare and keep him on his toes. The same goes for the safeties. They are so often out of position.

We are a lot better at blocking schemes, then gap protection schemes. We flip-flop on defensive strategy all the time. We have better personal for the 4-3, because we really don’t have nose tackle or a pass rushing linebacker. Flip-flopping back and forth from the 3-4 to 4-3 means we are not getting good at either.

We spent training camp putting in a bunch of flashy defensive schemes that obviously are not working. What we needed was a fundament, well defined defensive scheme where everyone had well defined responsibilities. All this happy horse shit is confusing our defense more then the opposing offensives!

Oh, yeah. Trading Champ for a bunch of unproven draft picks is nuts. We can’t develop the rookies. Keep Champ! He is the best there is!!!