omac
03-29-2009, 02:50 AM
http://www.denverpost.com/krieger/ci_12020710
Krieger: Defense's woes front and center
By Dave Krieger
The Denver Post
Posted: 03/29/2009 12:30:00 AM MDT
Updated: 03/29/2009 01:38:54 AM MDT
On the bright side, no one's asking about the defense anymore.
Not saying Josh McDaniels triggered the Jay Cutler fiasco on purpose — that would be like blowing up your house to avoid cleaning the bathroom — but it's been a pretty effective distraction from his football team's biggest problem.
Twenty-seven days from the NFL draft, the Broncos' new coach has already turned over about a quarter of the roster, but he's done very little to improve one of the worst front sevens in football.
Whatever the young coach thinks of his incumbent Pro Bowl quarterback, his team's biggest problem, by far, is the defense, which was bad last year in pretty much every way imaginable.
Shortly after the free-agent market opened a month ago, McDaniels aggressively rebuilt the secondary. He replaced cornerback Dre Bly and safeties Marquand Manuel and Marlon McCree with free agents Andre Goodman, Renaldo Hill and Brian Dawkins, leaving only Champ Bailey as a holdover from last year. This looks like a net improvement, the biggest question being how much Dawkins has left at 35.
By comparison, the front seven has gotten almost no attention. Mc-Daniels signed a few backups, including linebacker Andra Davis, lineman Darrell Reid and a couple of nose tackle suspects, but he has not signed a single new starter.
Given that a stout defense starts up front, there was reason to think this would be McDaniels' first priority in free agency. It was widely assumed that monster defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth would be too expensive for the Broncos, but defensive ends Chris Canty and Igor Olshansky looked like good fits for Mike Nolan's 3-4 defense.
Seven hours into free agency, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder signed Haynesworth to a deal that could be worth $100 million. Three days later, the Giants signed Canty to a six-year, $42 million deal, a reported $17.5 million of it guaranteed. Four days after that, the Cowboys replaced Canty with Olshansky, who got a four-year deal worth $18 million, $8 million of it guaranteed.
Even these latter deals might seem too rich for the Broncos' blood, given their multiplicity of needs and Pat Bowlen's recent aversion to large signing bonuses. But Bowlen did approve a five-year deal worth $17 million for Dawkins, a reported $7.2 million of it guaranteed.
That's pretty close to the deal Olshansky got from Dallas. Choosing a 35-year-old safety over a 26-year-old defensive end might make sense as the final piece of the puzzle, but it's a little harder to figure as part of a reconstruction project.
Barring a major draft-day deal, McDaniels now seems compelled to use the draft to restock the front seven, which casts some doubt on his pitch to the veteran defensive backs he is looking to win right away.
According to the conventional wisdom, if Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji is available at No. 12, the Broncos will take him to play the nose in their evolving 3-4. If he's gone by No. 12, the most popular alternative in early mock drafts is defensive end Tyson Jackson of LSU.
Adding intrigue, the Lions, who own the first pick and have expressed interest in Cutler, had Raji in for a workout, raising all sorts of trade possibilities.
Another massive defensive tackle — Ron Brace of Boston College or Evander Hood of Missouri — might be available at No. 48, the Broncos' second pick. After that, if the Broncos get anyone ready to start in the NFL right away, they will be very lucky.
The problem with going for linemen at the top of the draft is the Broncos also need major upgrades at linebacker, where D.J. Williams is the only holdover from last year's starting group. The highest-rated inside backers in the draft — Rey Maualuga of USC and James Laurinaitis of Ohio State — are generally projected to be taken in between the Broncos' first two picks.
In short, a month into free agency, McDaniels' reconstruction of the NFL's 30th-ranked scoring defense is only one-third done. Cutler may be his biggest public relations problem, but he's nowhere near his biggest football problem.
Dave Krieger: 303-954-5297 or dkrieger@denverpost.com
Krieger: Defense's woes front and center
By Dave Krieger
The Denver Post
Posted: 03/29/2009 12:30:00 AM MDT
Updated: 03/29/2009 01:38:54 AM MDT
On the bright side, no one's asking about the defense anymore.
Not saying Josh McDaniels triggered the Jay Cutler fiasco on purpose — that would be like blowing up your house to avoid cleaning the bathroom — but it's been a pretty effective distraction from his football team's biggest problem.
Twenty-seven days from the NFL draft, the Broncos' new coach has already turned over about a quarter of the roster, but he's done very little to improve one of the worst front sevens in football.
Whatever the young coach thinks of his incumbent Pro Bowl quarterback, his team's biggest problem, by far, is the defense, which was bad last year in pretty much every way imaginable.
Shortly after the free-agent market opened a month ago, McDaniels aggressively rebuilt the secondary. He replaced cornerback Dre Bly and safeties Marquand Manuel and Marlon McCree with free agents Andre Goodman, Renaldo Hill and Brian Dawkins, leaving only Champ Bailey as a holdover from last year. This looks like a net improvement, the biggest question being how much Dawkins has left at 35.
By comparison, the front seven has gotten almost no attention. Mc-Daniels signed a few backups, including linebacker Andra Davis, lineman Darrell Reid and a couple of nose tackle suspects, but he has not signed a single new starter.
Given that a stout defense starts up front, there was reason to think this would be McDaniels' first priority in free agency. It was widely assumed that monster defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth would be too expensive for the Broncos, but defensive ends Chris Canty and Igor Olshansky looked like good fits for Mike Nolan's 3-4 defense.
Seven hours into free agency, Redskins owner Daniel Snyder signed Haynesworth to a deal that could be worth $100 million. Three days later, the Giants signed Canty to a six-year, $42 million deal, a reported $17.5 million of it guaranteed. Four days after that, the Cowboys replaced Canty with Olshansky, who got a four-year deal worth $18 million, $8 million of it guaranteed.
Even these latter deals might seem too rich for the Broncos' blood, given their multiplicity of needs and Pat Bowlen's recent aversion to large signing bonuses. But Bowlen did approve a five-year deal worth $17 million for Dawkins, a reported $7.2 million of it guaranteed.
That's pretty close to the deal Olshansky got from Dallas. Choosing a 35-year-old safety over a 26-year-old defensive end might make sense as the final piece of the puzzle, but it's a little harder to figure as part of a reconstruction project.
Barring a major draft-day deal, McDaniels now seems compelled to use the draft to restock the front seven, which casts some doubt on his pitch to the veteran defensive backs he is looking to win right away.
According to the conventional wisdom, if Boston College defensive tackle B.J. Raji is available at No. 12, the Broncos will take him to play the nose in their evolving 3-4. If he's gone by No. 12, the most popular alternative in early mock drafts is defensive end Tyson Jackson of LSU.
Adding intrigue, the Lions, who own the first pick and have expressed interest in Cutler, had Raji in for a workout, raising all sorts of trade possibilities.
Another massive defensive tackle — Ron Brace of Boston College or Evander Hood of Missouri — might be available at No. 48, the Broncos' second pick. After that, if the Broncos get anyone ready to start in the NFL right away, they will be very lucky.
The problem with going for linemen at the top of the draft is the Broncos also need major upgrades at linebacker, where D.J. Williams is the only holdover from last year's starting group. The highest-rated inside backers in the draft — Rey Maualuga of USC and James Laurinaitis of Ohio State — are generally projected to be taken in between the Broncos' first two picks.
In short, a month into free agency, McDaniels' reconstruction of the NFL's 30th-ranked scoring defense is only one-third done. Cutler may be his biggest public relations problem, but he's nowhere near his biggest football problem.
Dave Krieger: 303-954-5297 or dkrieger@denverpost.com