Projected starting lineup for Broncos 2015 according to ESPN

[Northman]

http://espn.go.com/blog/denver-broncos/tag/_/name/2015-nfl-lineup-projection


Quarterback (Peyton Manning (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/1428/peyton-manning)): Manning is 38-10 as Broncos starter with 131 touchdowns and 36 interceptions over the past three seasons.

Running back (C.J. Anderson (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/16040/cj-anderson)): He ran for 648 yards over the last six regular-season games in 2014.

Receiver (Demaryius Thomas (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13216/demaryius-thomas)): The team's top wideout has at least 1,400 yards and 10 touchdowns in each of the last three seasons.

Receiver (Emmanuel Sanders (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13295/emmanuel-sanders)): His 1,404 yards in his breakout 2014 were more than his total in 2012 and '13 combined.

Tight end (Owen Daniels (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/9684/owen-daniels)): He has played for Broncos coach Gary Kubiak in each of his previous nine NFL seasons.

Tight end (Virgil Green (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14085/virgil-green)): Green has one career touchdown catch -- in the 2014 regular-season finale, from Brock Osweiler (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14879/brock-osweiler).

Left tackle (Ty Sambrailo (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/2514397/ty-sambrailo)): A rookie, he earned the promotion after Ryan Clady (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11246/ryan-clady)'s season-ending injury. The Broncos like his athleticism.

Left guard (Ben Garland (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13802/ben-garland)): The former defensive lineman has spent two years on the Broncos' practice squad after two years of active duty in the Air Force.

Center (Gino Gradkowski (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14999/gino-gradkowski)): He was acquired in an offseason trade and will have to hold off Matt Paradis (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/16847/matt-paradis) for the job.

Right guard (Louis Vasquez (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12744/louis-vasquez)): Back in his best spot, Vasquez was the only "given" of the starting offensive line throughout the offseason workouts.

Right tackle (Michael Schofield (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/16741/michael-schofield)): The starter could well be Chris Clark (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11689/chris-clark) here, but the Broncos want to get younger up front and develop the group together.



Defensive end (Derek Wolfe (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14964/derek-wolfe)): Wolfe said this offseason he is just now feeling like himself after a seizure cut short his 2013 season.

Defensive end (Malik Jackson (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/15047/malik-jackson)): Despite playing 52.7 percent of the snaps in 2013 and 52.3 percent in 2014, Jackson is always among the team leaders in sacks and tackles for loss.

Nose tackle (Sylvester Williams (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/15816/sylvester-williams)): Broncos will mix and match on a situational basis up front, but Williams should have the job in the base defense.

Outside linebacker (Von Miller (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13976/von-miller)): Miller said he wants to play at about 242 pounds and could put himself in the Defensive POY conversation in this new defense.

Inside linebacker (Brandon Marshall (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/15002/brandon-marshall)): He led the team in tackles in 2014, but questions remain about Marshall's readiness after he had offseason foot surgery.

Inside linebacker (Danny Trevathan (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/15074/danny-trevathan)): Durability is now a question mark for Trevathan after three injuries to his left leg in 2014, the third resulting in surgery to replace a kneecap.

Outside linebacker (DeMarcus Ware (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/8426/demarcus-ware)): Ware should flourish -- again -- in a Wade Phillips defense, but Broncos will use rookie Shane Ray (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/2577371/shane-ray) in this spot some.

Cornerback (Chris Harris Jr (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14398/chris-harris-jr).): He is one of the elite at his position and can match up on the opponent's top player both outside and in the slot.

Cornerback (Aqib Talib (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11254/aqib-talib)): Someday this will be Bradley Roby (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/16719/bradley-roby)'s spot, but the Broncos like Talib's aggressiveness and will play plenty of man coverage.

Safety (T.J. Ward (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13304/tj-ward)): Ward earned a Pro Bowl spot in 2014, and he showed himself to be a quick fit in Phillips' defense.

Safety (Darian Stewart (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/13645/darian-stewart)): As the only projected defensive starter not with the team last season, the Broncos see Stewart as a willing tackler in the run game who can also fill coverage needs.

SPECIALISTS

Kicker (Connor Barth (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/11737/connor-barth)): Barth made 15-of-16 field goals last season after the Broncos signed him in November.

Kickoff (Karl Schmitz (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/2316853/karl-schmitz)): The Broncos don't want to keep an extra kicker, but nobody showed in offseason workouts they can handle two of the jobs.

Punter (Britton Colquitt (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12773/britton-colquitt)): Colquitt doesn't kick off and did not play up to his usual standards in 2014. He has a big cap number and could be on the bubble if Schmitz settles down and has a quality preseason as a punter.

Long snapper (Aaron Brewer (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/15241/aaron-brewer)): He made the team as an undrafted rookie in 2012 and is simply one of the most consistent in the league.

Returners (Omar Bolden (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/14997/omar-bolden), Jordan Norwood (http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/12587/jordan-norwood)): Bolden is expected to handle kickoff returns, and Norwood is an educated guess at what is decidedly a work in progress at punt returner.

[MOtorboat]

That line. Woof.

[ShaneFalco]

Cut Colquitt already

[BroncoWave]

That line. Woof.

Yeah, reading that was a massive bummer. Manning is going to be running for his life this season unless some of those guys are big surprises.

[BroncoWave]

Also, that would be a colossal blunder if we go into the season again with 3 kickers given that we had an entire offseason to work that situation out. I get it for last year since we had to adjust on the fly and that was the best of a bunch of bad options, but you have to get that shit sorted out with an entire offseason to do it.

Cutting Colquitt seems like a no-brainer. There has to be someone out there who can punt and kickoff. Like, you know, Brandon McManus or something.

[ShaneFalco]

Karl does both and he is cheap.

Don't need mcanus

[BroncoWave]

Karl does both and he is cheap.

Don't need mcanus

Yeah, I don't really care who we get to do both. We just need someone to. Going into this year with 3 kickers again would just be a giant blunder by this front office.

[BroncoJoe]

We won't have three kickers.

Also, I'm more inclined to see how the line preforms before running up the white flag. I'm confident in this coaching staff, and Broncos leadership. They certainly know more than I do now, or ever will.

[Simple Jaded]

Paradis ftfw!

Btw, the rumor is the Raiders are set to release Menelik Watson, soon the Broncos could unite the single worst RT with the single worst C and G.

[Dapper Dan]

I like that defense.

[MOtorboat]

I like that defense.

I do too.

[dogfish]

That line. Woof.

just turrible. . .

[dogfish]

Also, I'm more inclined to see how the line preforms before running up the white flag. I'm confident in this coaching staff, and Broncos leadership. They certainly know more than I do now, or ever will.

thanks, carol. . .


:welcome:

[CrazyHorse]

The offensive line worries me a lot but if we go back to a zone blocking scheme we can get away with lesser talent. The weakness always was that it's good between the 20's but had issues in the redzone. With our current QB that won't be a problem.

[Dapper Dan]

The offensive line worries me a lot but if we go back to a zone blocking scheme we can get away with lesser talent. The weakness always was that it's good between the 20's but had issues in the redzone. With our current QB that won't be a problem.

Are you saying it will be easy to run until we get into the redzone, but then it will be easy to pass when we get there? It seems like the opposite would be true.

[MOtorboat]

The offensive line worries me a lot but if we go back to a zone blocking scheme we can get away with lesser talent. The weakness always was that it's good between the 20's but had issues in the redzone. With our current QB that won't be a problem.

Fifteen years ago Denver got away with having lesser talent. Kubiak's line last year in Baltimore certainly didn't have lesser talent. Manning will make up for a lot of the inefficiencies in the passing game because of his quick release and superior intellect, but not all. The running game is where the scheme helped Denver so much in the past, so hopefully it will again.

[CrazyHorse]

Are you saying it will be easy to run until we get into the redzone, but then it will be easy to pass when we get there? It seems like the opposite would be true.

Yes. ZBS typically utilizes smaller more athletic linemen. That becomes a problem in goal to go and short yardage situations when size and power are more of a factor. We have the best redzone QB in the league.


Fifteen years ago Denver got away with having lesser talent. Kubiak's line last year in Baltimore certainly didn't have lesser talent. Manning will make up for a lot of the inefficiencies in the passing game because of his quick release and superior intellect, but not all. The running game is where the scheme helped Denver so much in the past, so hopefully it will again.

Hopefully the talent is there. It's too early to tell.

[Dapper Dan]

Yes. ZBS typically utilizes smaller more athletic linemen. That becomes a problem in goal to go and short yardage situations when size and power are more of a factor. We have the best redzone QB in the league.



Hopefully the talent is there. It's too early to tell.

I'd like to know the stats. Just going from memory, we threw it a lot inside the 10 and had to settle for fgs. There's a big difference between being at the 20 and being at the 10. I don't know that people bring in their big guys as soon as they hit the red zone.

[OrangeHoof]

The way Kubiak runs the ZBS, I think Crazy Horse is correct. They will run a lot between the 20s then expect Manning to throw a TD pass with all the receiving weapons he has. If CJ turns into Arian Foster, there may be more red zone balance.

I'm a bit queasy about all the new faces on the OL but if they happen to gel as a running unit, they'll take a lot of pressure off Peyton.

[Cugel]

This morning on 104.3 the Fan, they were talking about how horrible the OL is. "Hot mess" was the word they used to describe it. "The line was a problem in 2014. They had to change the entire line around in week eleven. This year the line is even worse."

The main problems are that instead of going out and getting proven veterans to replace the guys (Manny Ramirez and Orlando Franklin) that they lost, they did nothing in FA.

Then when Ryan Clady gets hurt, they're stuck with a ROOKIE LT? Beyond horrible. You've still got Chris Clark! He's a proven LT!


"Left tackle (Ty Sambrailo): A rookie, he earned the promotion after Ryan Clady's season-ending injury. The Broncos like his athleticism." Athleticism? That's what they're counting on?

Just imagine Robert Mathis circling November 8th on his calender, marking the day he expects to get 4 sacks on Manning.


Left guard (Ben Garland): The former defensive lineman has spent two years on the Broncos' practice squad after two years of active duty in the Air Force.

Never started a game.


Center (Gino Gradkowski): He was acquired in an offseason trade and will have to hold off Matt Paradis for the job.

Talk about setting the bar low. Paradis who was inactive all last season and an after-thought might beat out your proposed starting C? That is not encouraging at all.


Right guard (Louis Vasquez): Back in his best spot, Vasquez was the only "given" of the starting offensive line throughout the offseason workouts.

The only positive. They won't be playing Louis Vasquez at RT. He's a G.


Right tackle (Michael Schofield): The starter could well be Chris Clark here, but the Broncos want to get younger up front and develop the group together.

Who gives a flying crap about "developing the group together"? How about keeping Robert Mathis and Justin Houston from tearing your 39 year old statue of a QB's head off?!

What the flying Hell is wrong with this team? The Broncos got all the way to the SB with Chris Clark at LEFT tackle? So, why are they insisting on putting him on the right side AGAIN after last year's fiasco?

And as for Michael Schofield. He was tried at RT last year and was such a disaster that they had to move Louis Vasquez over to take his place.

Is he suddenly going to be a lot better because of this off-season?

Or is Elway just trying to prove he's a genius personnel manager by forcing "his guys" into the lineup, even though there's zero reason to suppose they can do the job?

I guess we'll find out whether Fox and Adam Gase were right about these guys or whether Elway was.

[OrangeHoof]

In Schofield's defense, the blocking system has got to be different this year than the year before. The linemen will need to be quicker in this offense than the last one which worries me only because Manning has zero escapability. I'd fear bull rushers more than speed rushers.

[tomjonesrocks]

I actually agree with Cugel for once. I do not understand for the life of me why Denver hasn't taken some of the opportunities made available to add talent to the line.

It seems like McDaniels-esque arrogance a bit.

We will just see if they were right.

[Simple Jaded]

I actually agree with Cugel for once. I do not understand for the life of me why Denver hasn't taken some of the opportunities made available to add talent to the line.

It seems like McDaniels-esque arrogance a bit.

We will just see if they were right.

Yeah but unlike McDaniels the Broncos ZBS actually works, they're arrogant and shortsighted but they get exactly what they want out of the god awful talent they target.

[Simple Jaded]

Yes. ZBS typically utilizes smaller more athletic linemen. That becomes a problem in goal to go and short yardage situations when size and power are more of a factor. We have the best redzone QB in the league.



Hopefully the talent is there. It's too early to tell.


Don't forget short yardage and pass pro, Denver's ZBS has huge issues there too.

[CrazyHorse]

The way Kubiak runs the ZBS, I think Crazy Horse is correct. They will run a lot between the 20s then expect Manning to throw a TD pass with all the receiving weapons he has. If CJ turns into Arian Foster, there may be more red zone balance.

I'm a bit queasy about all the new faces on the OL but if they happen to gel as a running unit, they'll take a lot of pressure off Peyton.

Yep. We had the best QB rating in the red zone last year. http://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/quarterback-rating-in-red-zone/2014/
Being able to run the ball will allow us to control and dictate the tempo of the game. I still hope we run it out of the hurry up to keep teams on their heels.


Don't forget short yardage and pass pro, Denver's ZBS has huge issues there too.

Hopefully masked by QB play.

[TXBRONC]

Yep. We had the best QB rating in the red zone last year. http://www.sportingcharts.com/nfl/stats/quarterback-rating-in-red-zone/2014/
Being able to run the ball will allow us to control and dictate the tempo of the game. I still hope we run it out of the hurry up to keep teams on their heels.

I would be surprised if didn't at some level.

[Simple Jaded]

Honestly, I don't think there's any doubt Manning balances the flaws in this ZBS (and the other way around too) plus, Kubiak and Dennison are extremely adept at masking the flaws inherent as well. I remember when Manning threw his 500th TD they showed a stat that 320 of those TD's were from the redzone.

The question is whether or not they can mesh well enough to win SB's, something this ZBS hasn't done in almost 2 decades.

[BroncoJoe]

Then when Ryan Clady gets hurt, they're stuck with a ROOKIE LT? Beyond horrible. You've still got Chris Clark! He's a proven LT!

Didn't Clady start as a rookie? Let's see what this kid has.


Or is Elway just trying to prove he's a genius personnel manager by forcing "his guys" into the lineup, even though there's zero reason to suppose they can do the job?

I guess we'll find out whether Fox and Adam Gase were right about these guys or whether Elway was.

Seems to me like you have a problem with Elway. Those comments don't make a lot of sense, unless you're not a fan of what he's done with this team since taking over.

[TXBRONC]

Honestly, I don't think there's any doubt Manning balances the flaws in this ZBS (and the other way around too) plus, Kubiak and Dennison are extremely adept at masking the flaws inherent as well. I remember when Manning threw his 500th TD they showed a stat that 320 of those TD's were from the redzone.

The question is whether or not they can mesh well enough to win SB's, something this ZBS hasn't done in almost 2 decades.

There are not very teams that use as their primary blocking scheme.

[MOtorboat]

Didn't Clady start as a rookie? Let's see what this kid has.



Seems to me like you have a problem with Elway. Those comments don't make a lot of sense, unless you're not a fan of what he's done with this team since taking over.

Couldn't agree more on the rookies. Rookies start all the time, but Sambrallo is not Clady.

Second part, the popular knock on Fox was that he was holding back young players who could play simply because they were young. By doing nothing in free agency and the left tackle getting injured, Denver now has a situation where several of those young players have to play. I hesitate to try and explain Cugel's comments, because half the time who knows what he's thinking, but to me, that's what he was getting at and it does seem a somewhat valid point.

[BroncoJoe]

Couldn't agree more on the rookies. Rookies start all the time, but Sambrallo is not Clady.

Second part, the popular knock on Fox was that he was holding back young players who could play simply because they were young. By doing nothing in free agency and the left tackle getting injured, Denver now has a situation where several of those young players have to play. I hesitate to try and explain Cugel's comments, because half the time who knows what he's thinking, but to me, that's what he was getting at and it does seem a somewhat valid point.

So, we should have somehow anticipated Clady's injury and picked up a LT in free agency "just in case"? Isn't that what the draft is for? Isn't that what the Broncos did?

[MOtorboat]

So, we should have somehow anticipated Clady's injury and picked up a LT in free agency "just in case"? Isn't that what the draft is for? Isn't that what the Broncos did?

That's not what I was trying to say at all.

[BroncoJoe]

That's not what I was trying to say at all.

Enlighten me then, because it sure seems to me that's what you were getting at.

[MOtorboat]

Enlighten me then, because it sure seems to me that's what you were getting at.

Statement 1 and statement 2 were separate statements.

Part 1. Rookies start all the time, but I don't believe Sabrallo (sp?) is as good as Clady.

Part 2. We're going to have to wait and see (what you're always wanting everyone to do) whether Fox was holding back younger guys who could play simply because they were young, because those are the players Denver has. Sabrallo doesn't count here as he wasn't on the team last year.

[BroncoJoe]

Statement 1 and statement 2 were separate statements.

Part 1. Rookies start all the time, but I don't believe Sabrallo (sp?) is as good as Clady.

Part 2. We're going to have to wait and see (what you're always wanting everyone to do) whether Fox was holding back younger guys who could play simply because they were young, because those are the players Denver has. Sabrallo doesn't count here as he wasn't on the team last year.

Part 1. Clady hasn't been all that great lately.

Part 2. Is it bad I want to wait and see? Can you or I have any effect on the decisions the Broncos make? Seems counter-productive and a waste of time and energy to dwell on that which we cannot change. Sure we can speculate and state our opinions, but to simply "give up" when we haven't even had our first official practice seems dumb. To me, anyway.

[MOtorboat]

Part 1. Clady hasn't been all that great lately.

Part 2. Is it bad I want to wait and see? Can you or I have any effect on the decisions the Broncos make? Seems counter-productive and a waste of time and energy to dwell on that which we cannot change. Sure we can speculate and state our opinions, but to simply "give up" when we haven't even had our first official practice seems dumb. To me, anyway.

Good grief. I'm not disagreeing with you. Simply explaining what I thought Cugel's comment meant. We are going to find out, not now but later in the season, whether the knock on Fox about not playing young players was true. That's it.

[BroncoJoe]

Good grief. I'm not disagreeing with you. Simply explaining what I thought Cugel's comment meant. We are going to find out, not now but later in the season, whether the knock on Fox about not playing young players was true. That's it.

I cannot ever, repeat EVER agree with Cugel. :)

Plus, based on everything we know and have read about Fox, he does not like to play young players.

We will find out, and I see what you are saying now.

[Cugel]

Fifteen years ago Denver got away with having lesser talent. Kubiak's line last year in Baltimore certainly didn't have lesser talent. Manning will make up for a lot of the inefficiencies in the passing game because of his quick release and superior intellect, but not all. The running game is where the scheme helped Denver so much in the past, so hopefully it will again.

It isn't really a question of "lesser talent." Who knows? The Broncos are really high on Sambrailo and they could very well be right. He played in a ZBS at CSU, so he's familiar with the concepts, he's used to audibles at the line, such as Peyton Manning uses. They picked him because he seemed to fit their scheme as much as had the kind of talent they were looking for. Some analysts had him as a late first round pick who slipped to the second.

But, all this is what you might expect this guy to become in 2 or 3 years after he's had some time getting adjusted to life in the NFL, and has had time in the weight room and with the training staff to get physically prepared to be a starting LT.

It isn't that the kid has no talent. I liked the pick and I'm hopeful that he might even prove an adequate replacement for Ryan Clady, if Clady keeps underperforming his contract due to injury. Sambrailo could easily wind up being the Broncos LT for a long time to come.

It's just that you already have a proven veteran LT in Chris Clark. He wasn't great by any stretch of the imagination, but he was adequate until the Super Bowl when the entire OL was completely overmatched. Why in the name of all that's holy would you consider starting a ROOKIE??? I'm sorry, but that just makes zero sense to me.

And after they lost Orlando Franklin to FA, they're going with Ben Garland. Dude spent 2 seasons on the practice squad. ZERO NFL starts. He wasn't exactly tearing it up out there, he's by all appearances a marginal player. Possibly he has some skills that will allow him to be successful, but is he the kind of STUD LG you need on a Superbowl contender? As essentially a rookie?

This was the off-season move I questioned most. Orlando certainly wasn't great, but he was the ONE Bronco who seemed most broken up about the playoff game loss. He was a guy who went out "kicking and screaming" to quote Elway.

OK, they decided to spend their money elsewhere. What then is the plan? A rookie at both LT and LG? Arrrrrggggh!

I've got nothing to add about C and RT that I haven't already said.

Just look at the incredible talent at all the skill positions!

Peyton and D.T. and Emanuel Sanders, a very underrated Virgil Green and a wily veteran in Owen Daniels at TE, plus perhaps the NFLs best runner in the last 1/2 of 2014 in C.J. Anderson who is a total baller! Remember that run around left end in the playoffs? He might have sprung for a TD if Demaryius bothered to block on that play instead of letting his man come up and make the potential game-saving tackle.

That's some serious talent! They're absolutely loaded at the skill positions. Possibly the most potent set of offensive skill players in the entire NFL. There are better players perhaps at every individual skill position (e.g. Adrian Peterson is a better runner than C.J. and Megatron is probably a better WR than D.T.), but is there a better roster of offensive skill players anywhere in the NFL? I seriously doubt it.

And yet they are starting the season with an offensive line made up of band-aids and duct tape? :confused:

[Simple Jaded]

Sambrailo is nowhere near the player Clady is but the Broncos have clearly lowered their standards, they're not going to ask their T's to hold in pass pro like they have recently.

Sambrailo is a borderline RT in any other system.

[Al Wilson 4 Mayor]

This thread makes me want to drink cheap whiskey

[Cugel]

Sambrailo is nowhere near the player Clady is but the Broncos have clearly lowered their standards, they're not going to ask their T's to hold in pass pro like they have recently.

Sambrailo is a borderline RT in any other system.

That's not what I heard. Some analysts had him as a late 1st round pick - as a RT, not as a LT.

But, the question is not whether he could eventually become a decent LT, but whether it makes any remote kind of sense to start him as a rookie.

[Simple Jaded]

That's not what I heard. Some analysts had him as a late 1st round pick - as a RT, not as a LT.

But, the question is not whether he could eventually become a decent LT, but whether it makes any remote kind of sense to start him as a rookie.

Yeah I keep hearing about what a great athlete he is, I don't see it. The reports I've read, the ones I trust, mentions him as a candidate to move to G, that's borderline RT. He's a 2-3 round talent, a Sam Baker you hope can be a Riley Rieff.

But again, being in this system is another story.

[Cugel]

Yeah I keep hearing about what a great athlete he is, I don't see it. The reports I've read, the ones I trust, mentions him as a candidate to move to G, that's borderline RT. He's a 2-3 round talent, a Sam Baker you hope can be a Riley Rieff.

But again, being in this system is another story.

Well, obviously the system makes a huge difference. Ex: Tom Nalen and Mark Schlereth would not have been nearly as good in a traditional power-blocking system. In the ZBS they were great. Sambrailo has quick feet by all reports. His upper body strength on the other hand is not at all that well developed. He's been working out and trying to develop his physique but still.

It's just that starting him as a raw rookie in week 2 of the season against a guy like Justin Houston who had 22 sacks last year is just asking for Peyton to get killed.

[Simple Jaded]

Stink did well with The Hogs, Air Coryell system, iirc.

[TXBRONC]

This thread makes me want to drink cheap whiskey

I don't drink but could be convinced to join you. :cheers: