G_Money
11-16-2008, 11:02 PM
When an architect builds a house, his first concern is the foundation. Without a strong foundation, the most beautiful house in the world will slide off a hill during a rainstorm. Getting the windows and the vaulted ceiling and the view from the deck to be perfect doesn't matter if your design is a few raindrops from turning into kindling.
Since Elway's departure, the Broncos have had foundational difficulties. We signed the wrong quarterbacks, traded for the wrong receivers, and lost our leaders to injuries and Father Time.
The Griese House slid off into the muck, which was a shame because the architecture was remarkably similar to what had won us our Super Bowls. But our design cannot work without a strong-armed, risk-taking quarterback, and Griese was neither of those things - and a remarkably poor leader to boot.
The Plummer House had other issues that were cropping up, but again (among other things) the quarterback choice was wrong. We got a gambler, but again not a leader, and not someone who could be relied upon when the game was on the line. Our 13-3 season looked pretty, but the wood was still rotting on the insides of the walls, no matter what the coat of paint looked like.
So we've torn that down and started laying the foundations for Cutler House. We ripped out all the old foundations from the Super Bowl years, the plumbing, everything. No more attempts to rework what we had built - we've finally decided to rebuild from the ground up.
So how are we doing, 2 and a half years into the project?
Our offensive line turnover has been nearly complete, and the quality of the work appears to be stunning at first glance. 8 sacks in 10 games speaks for itself. Both new tackles excel at pass protection. Our new guard is quite the immovable force inside. old-Guard players still man center and guard (though the center isn't OUR old-guard) but we have a new one waiting in the wings for one of those positions as well.
Our wide receivers are in fine form. Wideouts, tight ends, pass-catching running backs...we should have an arsenal worthy of playoff glory assembled for a few years to come now.
Our quarterback has the arm and the daring, and he seems to be coming along on the leadership qualities. He hates to lose, and he doesn't mind letting people know it, but that can be a good thing. It's imperative that our coaching staff makes it a good thing.
Our running back woes are well-documented, but of all the positions that could require fixing on the offense, I would consider this the best possible hole left to fix.
Our defense is definitely still under construction. I would still like to see us rework some of the blueprints for that side of the ball, but there are hopeful signs. Rookie linebackers playing better than the veterans, Rookie corners holding their own, a defensive line that seems to have come around on short-yardage and running plays. Still, it's an injury mess and there are dollars spent here that are not reaping their proper rewards. There's work to do - a LOT of work to do - but as a work in progress goes, the materials we have on site don't look quite as deficient as they did to start the year.
But what would you consider the foundation of a team? Is it the offensive line? Defensive? Defensive backfield? Offensive backfield? Surely it's the offensive backfield, with the Quarterback, isn't it? After all, that was the problem in our last two houses, wasn't it?
The foundation of any winning team is its players' will to win. When Elway House finally won its Super Bowls, it wasn't just because we improved the talent, it was because those teams were filled with winners, players that refused to back down to anyone. Green Bay was thought to totally outmann us, that their defensive line would crush our diminutive offensive one. Late in the game they were the ones taking steps backward, and we were the ones stepping forward.
We handed them that game based on strength of will.
And strength of will has been a problem for the Broncos recently. Smith had it. Wilson had it. Lynch had it. Nalen had it. But as they were injured and replaced, our new players did not have it. Hamza was not Lynch. DJ and Nate were not Al. Javon was not Rod.
The most important things to add to Cutler House were leadership and heart. It's the reason we tore the foundation up in the first place, to root out the cowardice that was weakening our foundation. We failed miserably in the free agent market to add these qualities, save with a certain slot receiver.
But this year it has become clear that the draft is providing us with the heart and leadership of this new team. On offense, Cutler, Marshall, Royal, Scheffler, Clady, Harris, Kuper and Hillis are all products of the last 3 drafts. 8 starters from 3 drafts, all of whom have heart. Kuper is a mauler with a broken hand. Hillis won us at least one game just on force of will alone. Scheffler another, with his gutsy performance last week with his still-damaged groin. Royal makes an impact every time he touches the ball. Marshall's will is obvious, and Jay's determination should be.
The offense is a group of good players who badly want to win, for themselves and for each other. When they struggle, it doesn't last. It doesn't poison the foundation, splinter it. The Bengals have discovered what happens when you have great talent on offense, many of whom play only for individual glory. We appear to have enough men of character on the offensive side of the ball to prevent that from happening, at least in the early returns.
On defense, though, we began the year with more problems than solutions.
The blueprint was terrible, and there was open complaint. As recently as two weeks ago, there was dissent. And then more injuries happened, and a strange by-product was born: toughness.
Replacements at linebacker brought effort and tackling to the fore. Two men with winning backgrounds and incredible personal character from a young age decided not to be a party to any of the in-fighting. They had already turned around the losing character of the special teams unit, and were now doing the same to the starting defense. Corners began to step up. If they could not change the blueprint then they could at least make sure that their own personal work was as good as it could be. The defensive line started to apply pressure to the run game, which allowed the rest of the defense to play pass with a knowledge of what should be coming.
It's not a strong unit. It's not a good blueprint. But it's a tremendous start.
Because what I was worried about, what concerned me most, was that we hadn't properly leeched the cowardice from our roster. That we blustered and roared like a lion, but would break down crying if Dorothy punched us in the nose.
The defense quit in earlier games. They did. There was rebellion and dissent in the ranks, and a leadership vacuum. And rookies - ROOKIES - have quieted the mutiny. The defense I've seen in the last three weeks doesn't look like quitters. It may not be a good defense, but everything it CAN do it looks like it will TRY to do. And that calms some of my fears about cojones and leadership, assuming we're smart and value those who have been thrown into the fire and thrived.
Heart. Courage. Will.
We're gaining back the qualities of a champion, and building the proper foundation in the process. Now build up these men of character and determination, train them well, and let them do what it is they are capable of doing: imposing their wills on the opponents when the game is on the line.
If more talent and leadership follow, things look good for Cutler House. We might even get a championship view from out its windows.
But don't rest on your laurels, architects - more work awaits.
And remember to bury Slowik before you finish pouring the concrete. :coffee:
~G
Since Elway's departure, the Broncos have had foundational difficulties. We signed the wrong quarterbacks, traded for the wrong receivers, and lost our leaders to injuries and Father Time.
The Griese House slid off into the muck, which was a shame because the architecture was remarkably similar to what had won us our Super Bowls. But our design cannot work without a strong-armed, risk-taking quarterback, and Griese was neither of those things - and a remarkably poor leader to boot.
The Plummer House had other issues that were cropping up, but again (among other things) the quarterback choice was wrong. We got a gambler, but again not a leader, and not someone who could be relied upon when the game was on the line. Our 13-3 season looked pretty, but the wood was still rotting on the insides of the walls, no matter what the coat of paint looked like.
So we've torn that down and started laying the foundations for Cutler House. We ripped out all the old foundations from the Super Bowl years, the plumbing, everything. No more attempts to rework what we had built - we've finally decided to rebuild from the ground up.
So how are we doing, 2 and a half years into the project?
Our offensive line turnover has been nearly complete, and the quality of the work appears to be stunning at first glance. 8 sacks in 10 games speaks for itself. Both new tackles excel at pass protection. Our new guard is quite the immovable force inside. old-Guard players still man center and guard (though the center isn't OUR old-guard) but we have a new one waiting in the wings for one of those positions as well.
Our wide receivers are in fine form. Wideouts, tight ends, pass-catching running backs...we should have an arsenal worthy of playoff glory assembled for a few years to come now.
Our quarterback has the arm and the daring, and he seems to be coming along on the leadership qualities. He hates to lose, and he doesn't mind letting people know it, but that can be a good thing. It's imperative that our coaching staff makes it a good thing.
Our running back woes are well-documented, but of all the positions that could require fixing on the offense, I would consider this the best possible hole left to fix.
Our defense is definitely still under construction. I would still like to see us rework some of the blueprints for that side of the ball, but there are hopeful signs. Rookie linebackers playing better than the veterans, Rookie corners holding their own, a defensive line that seems to have come around on short-yardage and running plays. Still, it's an injury mess and there are dollars spent here that are not reaping their proper rewards. There's work to do - a LOT of work to do - but as a work in progress goes, the materials we have on site don't look quite as deficient as they did to start the year.
But what would you consider the foundation of a team? Is it the offensive line? Defensive? Defensive backfield? Offensive backfield? Surely it's the offensive backfield, with the Quarterback, isn't it? After all, that was the problem in our last two houses, wasn't it?
The foundation of any winning team is its players' will to win. When Elway House finally won its Super Bowls, it wasn't just because we improved the talent, it was because those teams were filled with winners, players that refused to back down to anyone. Green Bay was thought to totally outmann us, that their defensive line would crush our diminutive offensive one. Late in the game they were the ones taking steps backward, and we were the ones stepping forward.
We handed them that game based on strength of will.
And strength of will has been a problem for the Broncos recently. Smith had it. Wilson had it. Lynch had it. Nalen had it. But as they were injured and replaced, our new players did not have it. Hamza was not Lynch. DJ and Nate were not Al. Javon was not Rod.
The most important things to add to Cutler House were leadership and heart. It's the reason we tore the foundation up in the first place, to root out the cowardice that was weakening our foundation. We failed miserably in the free agent market to add these qualities, save with a certain slot receiver.
But this year it has become clear that the draft is providing us with the heart and leadership of this new team. On offense, Cutler, Marshall, Royal, Scheffler, Clady, Harris, Kuper and Hillis are all products of the last 3 drafts. 8 starters from 3 drafts, all of whom have heart. Kuper is a mauler with a broken hand. Hillis won us at least one game just on force of will alone. Scheffler another, with his gutsy performance last week with his still-damaged groin. Royal makes an impact every time he touches the ball. Marshall's will is obvious, and Jay's determination should be.
The offense is a group of good players who badly want to win, for themselves and for each other. When they struggle, it doesn't last. It doesn't poison the foundation, splinter it. The Bengals have discovered what happens when you have great talent on offense, many of whom play only for individual glory. We appear to have enough men of character on the offensive side of the ball to prevent that from happening, at least in the early returns.
On defense, though, we began the year with more problems than solutions.
The blueprint was terrible, and there was open complaint. As recently as two weeks ago, there was dissent. And then more injuries happened, and a strange by-product was born: toughness.
Replacements at linebacker brought effort and tackling to the fore. Two men with winning backgrounds and incredible personal character from a young age decided not to be a party to any of the in-fighting. They had already turned around the losing character of the special teams unit, and were now doing the same to the starting defense. Corners began to step up. If they could not change the blueprint then they could at least make sure that their own personal work was as good as it could be. The defensive line started to apply pressure to the run game, which allowed the rest of the defense to play pass with a knowledge of what should be coming.
It's not a strong unit. It's not a good blueprint. But it's a tremendous start.
Because what I was worried about, what concerned me most, was that we hadn't properly leeched the cowardice from our roster. That we blustered and roared like a lion, but would break down crying if Dorothy punched us in the nose.
The defense quit in earlier games. They did. There was rebellion and dissent in the ranks, and a leadership vacuum. And rookies - ROOKIES - have quieted the mutiny. The defense I've seen in the last three weeks doesn't look like quitters. It may not be a good defense, but everything it CAN do it looks like it will TRY to do. And that calms some of my fears about cojones and leadership, assuming we're smart and value those who have been thrown into the fire and thrived.
Heart. Courage. Will.
We're gaining back the qualities of a champion, and building the proper foundation in the process. Now build up these men of character and determination, train them well, and let them do what it is they are capable of doing: imposing their wills on the opponents when the game is on the line.
If more talent and leadership follow, things look good for Cutler House. We might even get a championship view from out its windows.
But don't rest on your laurels, architects - more work awaits.
And remember to bury Slowik before you finish pouring the concrete. :coffee:
~G