TXBRONC
09-09-2009, 10:25 AM
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_13286694
Mailbag: Back is not the way to the future
Steven from the SLC wonders about the past
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
Posted: 09/08/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT
Updated: 09/08/2009 02:00:03 AM MDT
Do you think Brian Griese or Jake Plummer could come back to Denver?
---Steven, Salt Lake City
A: Steven, Not much chance of Plummer coming back as he's retired to Idaho. As for Griese, wise guys like Woody Paige will tell you he is back. Only he's changed his number from 14 to 8 and changed his name to Kyle Orton. Seriously, it appears Brian Griese is also retired. He was released by Tampa Bay prior to training camp in mid-July and hasn't caught on with any team since except for ESPN's college commentary crew. It wouldn't surprise me, though, if Griese got a few phone calls this fall if teams start losing a veteran quarterback to injury.
Do you think the Broncos will make a move for Tarvaris Jackson? I think it would be a great idea since our QBs are hurt and he is a great athlete.
---Bryan Heavey, Denver
A: Bryan -- Broncos quarterbacks' Kyle Orton and Chris Simms were hurt for the fourth preseason game against Arizona. Neither is hurt now, at least not enough to prevent them from practicing this week. One of them will start Sunday in Cincinnati.
In passing, McDaniels once complimented Jackson's ability as a quarterback. He thinks he's good. But I don't think Jackson fits the quarterback prototype for this offense. The Broncos want their quarterbacks standing tall in the shotgun and at 6-foot-2, Jackson is an inch or three short of the ideal height. He also isn't the most accurate of passers.
Besides, McDaniels probably could have acquired Jackson in the Jay Cutler trade. Minnesota was interested in Cutler, although not at the price the Broncos were commanding. McDaniels wanted Orton.
Does Chris Baker have a chance to be the starter over Ronnie Fields?
---Everett, Phoenix
A: Everett _ Not yet. Maybe, next year, but not yet. For now, Fields may be one of the most valuable players on the Broncos' defense. He knows how to play the all-important 3-4 nosetackle position and he played well in the preseason. But Fields is 314 pounds and in his fifth year and in the NFL business, there's always a young guy ready to take your job. Baker is that young guy and he's also 329 pounds.
Greetings from enemy Chief territory! So, Mike, explain something to me. Why is it a penalty when a defender grabs the facemask of a ball carrier, but an offensive ball carrier can shove his hand in the defender's facemask (like Larry Fitzgerald did to Alphonso Smith), when both are equally dangerous?
---Mike Winkle, Joplin, Mo.
A: Mike -- Fitzgerald got away with one. Supposedly, officials were always to call 15-yard, face-mask penalties against stiff-arming ballcarriers. But we all know they never did.
Enter Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber III, who got carried away with grabbing the facemasks of would-be tacklers. The stiff-arm facemask penalty is supposed to be a point of emphasis this season but apparently it's not yet second nature to officials.
They are calling it the Marion Barber rule, by the way.
What is your view on the NFL international series, and what is the view of others from the Broncos? Also, is there any chance that the Broncos would ever play in London?
---Matt, United Kingdom
A: Matt _ My view is playing abroad is a necessary inconvenience for the NFL. Domestically, it's almost incomprehensible to think the NFL can get much bigger than it already is. It may be a logistical pain to play over there, but the NFL must drill much deeper into Europe's untapped fan base. Why is this so important? At the risk of dehumanizing, uh, humans, more fans mean more revenue. Yes, the Broncos have a chance to play in London, as soon as next year. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently said he hopes to play two regular-season games in London next year.
Personally, I hope the Broncos get one of those games. I went to London once, for my honeymoon. I didn't care much for the Phantom of the Opera (honeymoon, remember), but I did get the hang of those afternoon teas and midnight fish-and-chip dinners (5 p.m. Colorado time).
What is with all the disgusting spitting on the NFL sidelines? Whenever the TV camera focuses on the sideline, either a player or coach is spitting. The worst offender is McDaniels; he even spit constantly on the tarp covering the sideline in the second preseason game. What happened to civilized society?
---Judy, Denver
A: Judy, Not only do all those Broncos spit, I'm willing to bet many of them (cover your ears, Judy) cuss. And grunt. And snort. And burp, if they have to. You want the Broncos to act more civil? Judy. Judy. Judy. For 3 1/2 hours on Sunday, on football fields across the national landscape, there is no place for civilized behavior.
But I tell you what I'll do, Judy. I will pass on your complaint to McDaniels. I'm sure the Invesco Field tarp crew appreciates you calling attention to this potentially germ-spreading habit. Personally, I hadn't noticed McDaniels likes to spit. The press box can be a great place to watch a game, but you do occasionally miss a thing or two from up there.
Think of this way, Judy -- it could be worse. At least McDaniels doesn't dip.
Since you know some history about the Bears (being an Oswego native), do you think Jay Cutler could be the best quarterback of the Bears in the last five decades and lead them back to a Super Bowl?
---Tom Kaetzer, Klein, Texas
A: Tom _ Always did like that name, Tom Kaetzer. And it's always nice to hear from a '77 classmate. My pervailing thought on Cutler is he's a very good quarterback, but Chicago is expecting too much.
First, he will have to put together at least 1 ½ great years to be as good as Jim McMahon, who played only two decades ago. Check this out: In the five-year period from 1984-88, the Bears were 36-5 with McMahon as their starting quarterback. Granted 41 starts over five years speak to McMahon's brittle nature. And the Bears did have one of the best defenses of all-time during that period. But McMahon is too easily dismissed from the now common reference that Cutler is the best Bears quarterback since Sid Luckman.
I also wonder if one reason why the Bears haven't had their share of good quarterbacks is because Chicago isn't conducive for quarterbacks. All that lakefront cold and wind and moisture has manifested into a physical -- but offensively conservative -- brand of football.
Can Cutler lead the Bears back to the Super Bowl? The trick will be how effectively he plays in the brrr of November and December. He will have to learn how to win a game while only throwing for 150 yards.
Mike Klis has covered the Denver Broncos since the start of the 2005 season after previously covering the Colorado Rockies and Major League Baseball for 15 years. Drop a Broncos- or NFL-related question into the Broncos Mailbag, or visit The Denver Post's Broncos Page.
Mailbag: Back is not the way to the future
Steven from the SLC wonders about the past
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
Posted: 09/08/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT
Updated: 09/08/2009 02:00:03 AM MDT
Do you think Brian Griese or Jake Plummer could come back to Denver?
---Steven, Salt Lake City
A: Steven, Not much chance of Plummer coming back as he's retired to Idaho. As for Griese, wise guys like Woody Paige will tell you he is back. Only he's changed his number from 14 to 8 and changed his name to Kyle Orton. Seriously, it appears Brian Griese is also retired. He was released by Tampa Bay prior to training camp in mid-July and hasn't caught on with any team since except for ESPN's college commentary crew. It wouldn't surprise me, though, if Griese got a few phone calls this fall if teams start losing a veteran quarterback to injury.
Do you think the Broncos will make a move for Tarvaris Jackson? I think it would be a great idea since our QBs are hurt and he is a great athlete.
---Bryan Heavey, Denver
A: Bryan -- Broncos quarterbacks' Kyle Orton and Chris Simms were hurt for the fourth preseason game against Arizona. Neither is hurt now, at least not enough to prevent them from practicing this week. One of them will start Sunday in Cincinnati.
In passing, McDaniels once complimented Jackson's ability as a quarterback. He thinks he's good. But I don't think Jackson fits the quarterback prototype for this offense. The Broncos want their quarterbacks standing tall in the shotgun and at 6-foot-2, Jackson is an inch or three short of the ideal height. He also isn't the most accurate of passers.
Besides, McDaniels probably could have acquired Jackson in the Jay Cutler trade. Minnesota was interested in Cutler, although not at the price the Broncos were commanding. McDaniels wanted Orton.
Does Chris Baker have a chance to be the starter over Ronnie Fields?
---Everett, Phoenix
A: Everett _ Not yet. Maybe, next year, but not yet. For now, Fields may be one of the most valuable players on the Broncos' defense. He knows how to play the all-important 3-4 nosetackle position and he played well in the preseason. But Fields is 314 pounds and in his fifth year and in the NFL business, there's always a young guy ready to take your job. Baker is that young guy and he's also 329 pounds.
Greetings from enemy Chief territory! So, Mike, explain something to me. Why is it a penalty when a defender grabs the facemask of a ball carrier, but an offensive ball carrier can shove his hand in the defender's facemask (like Larry Fitzgerald did to Alphonso Smith), when both are equally dangerous?
---Mike Winkle, Joplin, Mo.
A: Mike -- Fitzgerald got away with one. Supposedly, officials were always to call 15-yard, face-mask penalties against stiff-arming ballcarriers. But we all know they never did.
Enter Dallas Cowboys running back Marion Barber III, who got carried away with grabbing the facemasks of would-be tacklers. The stiff-arm facemask penalty is supposed to be a point of emphasis this season but apparently it's not yet second nature to officials.
They are calling it the Marion Barber rule, by the way.
What is your view on the NFL international series, and what is the view of others from the Broncos? Also, is there any chance that the Broncos would ever play in London?
---Matt, United Kingdom
A: Matt _ My view is playing abroad is a necessary inconvenience for the NFL. Domestically, it's almost incomprehensible to think the NFL can get much bigger than it already is. It may be a logistical pain to play over there, but the NFL must drill much deeper into Europe's untapped fan base. Why is this so important? At the risk of dehumanizing, uh, humans, more fans mean more revenue. Yes, the Broncos have a chance to play in London, as soon as next year. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell recently said he hopes to play two regular-season games in London next year.
Personally, I hope the Broncos get one of those games. I went to London once, for my honeymoon. I didn't care much for the Phantom of the Opera (honeymoon, remember), but I did get the hang of those afternoon teas and midnight fish-and-chip dinners (5 p.m. Colorado time).
What is with all the disgusting spitting on the NFL sidelines? Whenever the TV camera focuses on the sideline, either a player or coach is spitting. The worst offender is McDaniels; he even spit constantly on the tarp covering the sideline in the second preseason game. What happened to civilized society?
---Judy, Denver
A: Judy, Not only do all those Broncos spit, I'm willing to bet many of them (cover your ears, Judy) cuss. And grunt. And snort. And burp, if they have to. You want the Broncos to act more civil? Judy. Judy. Judy. For 3 1/2 hours on Sunday, on football fields across the national landscape, there is no place for civilized behavior.
But I tell you what I'll do, Judy. I will pass on your complaint to McDaniels. I'm sure the Invesco Field tarp crew appreciates you calling attention to this potentially germ-spreading habit. Personally, I hadn't noticed McDaniels likes to spit. The press box can be a great place to watch a game, but you do occasionally miss a thing or two from up there.
Think of this way, Judy -- it could be worse. At least McDaniels doesn't dip.
Since you know some history about the Bears (being an Oswego native), do you think Jay Cutler could be the best quarterback of the Bears in the last five decades and lead them back to a Super Bowl?
---Tom Kaetzer, Klein, Texas
A: Tom _ Always did like that name, Tom Kaetzer. And it's always nice to hear from a '77 classmate. My pervailing thought on Cutler is he's a very good quarterback, but Chicago is expecting too much.
First, he will have to put together at least 1 ½ great years to be as good as Jim McMahon, who played only two decades ago. Check this out: In the five-year period from 1984-88, the Bears were 36-5 with McMahon as their starting quarterback. Granted 41 starts over five years speak to McMahon's brittle nature. And the Bears did have one of the best defenses of all-time during that period. But McMahon is too easily dismissed from the now common reference that Cutler is the best Bears quarterback since Sid Luckman.
I also wonder if one reason why the Bears haven't had their share of good quarterbacks is because Chicago isn't conducive for quarterbacks. All that lakefront cold and wind and moisture has manifested into a physical -- but offensively conservative -- brand of football.
Can Cutler lead the Bears back to the Super Bowl? The trick will be how effectively he plays in the brrr of November and December. He will have to learn how to win a game while only throwing for 150 yards.
Mike Klis has covered the Denver Broncos since the start of the 2005 season after previously covering the Colorado Rockies and Major League Baseball for 15 years. Drop a Broncos- or NFL-related question into the Broncos Mailbag, or visit The Denver Post's Broncos Page.