Northman
08-07-2012, 05:24 AM
Didnt see this posted anywhere, if so the mods can merge it. Thought it had some interesting tidbits.
http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/46050/camp-confidential-denver-bronco (http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/46050/camp-confidential-denver-bronco)
Everything has changed for the Broncos.
With one phone call from Manning to Denver leader John Elway in March, the landscape of the organization changed. The Broncos are no longer a league curiosity caused by Tim Tebow (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13200/tim-tebow)-mania. They are now relevant because Manning, who missed last season with a neck injury, is the story in the NFL.
The Broncos, though, aren’t consumed by being a popular story. They are focused on the impact Manning, at age 36, will have on the team. In public and in private, the Broncos are not worried about Manning’s health. They are simply in awe that he is on their side.
REASON FOR OPTIMISM
The Broncos have a terrific head coach in Fox, whose presence and impact should not be discounted. He is an upper-echelon coach who has a firm grip on this program. His players love him and the overall spirit of the franchise is probably as high as it has been since the back-to-back Super Bowl-winning years in the late 1990s. Fox did a wonderful job last season turning a 4-12 weakling into an 8-8 team that won a playoff game. In Fox’s second season in Carolina, he led the team to the Super Bowl. Will it happen again in Denver? We’ll see, but his players fully believe in him, and that’s a huge head start.
REASON FOR PESSIMISM
We do not yet know if the Broncos are loaded enough with talent to make a long playoff run. There are a lot of questions.
Will the team be able to run the ball enough to help Manning now that the Broncos aren’t using the Tebow-led option? Are the youngsters on the offensive line ready to protect Manning? Will they be good enough at defensive tackle and safety?
This team is far from a finished product and it faces a brutal schedule. Still, expectations are high because of Manning. But the truth is, Denver must build itself around Manning very quickly -- the chief challenge of training camp.
OBSERVATION DECK:
Players rave about Del Rio. They love his toughness and the fact he is a former NFL player. Many players said Del Rio understands what they are going through and they feel they are on the same page with him already. The word around Denver’s camp is that the Fox-Del Rio relationship has taken up where it left off in Carolina.
The Broncos are high on undrafted rookie linebacker Steven Johnson. The Kansas product could get some looks at middle linebacker in the preseason.
The Broncos would like to see middle linebacker Joe Mays (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11434/joe-mays) shore up his tackling in camp. He is a solid player, but he whiffed too many times last season.
Defensive lineman Ben Garland (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13802/ben-garland) is making an impression. He is athletic and has great feet and could make the team.
http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/46050/camp-confidential-denver-bronco (http://espn.go.com/blog/afcwest/post/_/id/46050/camp-confidential-denver-bronco)
Everything has changed for the Broncos.
With one phone call from Manning to Denver leader John Elway in March, the landscape of the organization changed. The Broncos are no longer a league curiosity caused by Tim Tebow (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13200/tim-tebow)-mania. They are now relevant because Manning, who missed last season with a neck injury, is the story in the NFL.
The Broncos, though, aren’t consumed by being a popular story. They are focused on the impact Manning, at age 36, will have on the team. In public and in private, the Broncos are not worried about Manning’s health. They are simply in awe that he is on their side.
REASON FOR OPTIMISM
The Broncos have a terrific head coach in Fox, whose presence and impact should not be discounted. He is an upper-echelon coach who has a firm grip on this program. His players love him and the overall spirit of the franchise is probably as high as it has been since the back-to-back Super Bowl-winning years in the late 1990s. Fox did a wonderful job last season turning a 4-12 weakling into an 8-8 team that won a playoff game. In Fox’s second season in Carolina, he led the team to the Super Bowl. Will it happen again in Denver? We’ll see, but his players fully believe in him, and that’s a huge head start.
REASON FOR PESSIMISM
We do not yet know if the Broncos are loaded enough with talent to make a long playoff run. There are a lot of questions.
Will the team be able to run the ball enough to help Manning now that the Broncos aren’t using the Tebow-led option? Are the youngsters on the offensive line ready to protect Manning? Will they be good enough at defensive tackle and safety?
This team is far from a finished product and it faces a brutal schedule. Still, expectations are high because of Manning. But the truth is, Denver must build itself around Manning very quickly -- the chief challenge of training camp.
OBSERVATION DECK:
Players rave about Del Rio. They love his toughness and the fact he is a former NFL player. Many players said Del Rio understands what they are going through and they feel they are on the same page with him already. The word around Denver’s camp is that the Fox-Del Rio relationship has taken up where it left off in Carolina.
The Broncos are high on undrafted rookie linebacker Steven Johnson. The Kansas product could get some looks at middle linebacker in the preseason.
The Broncos would like to see middle linebacker Joe Mays (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11434/joe-mays) shore up his tackling in camp. He is a solid player, but he whiffed too many times last season.
Defensive lineman Ben Garland (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13802/ben-garland) is making an impression. He is athletic and has great feet and could make the team.