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VonDoom
09-06-2015, 01:28 PM
Figured I'd start a thread for this. As of today (Monday, 9/7), all ten spots have been filled. They are:

RB Kapri Bibbs
OT Kyle Roberts
LB Zaire Anderson
C Dillon Day
WR Jordan Taylor
LB Danny Mason
CB Taurean Nixon
DL Chuka Ndulue
DE George Uko
TE Arthur Lynch

Eight of these players spent time in TC with the Broncos, while the other two were signed from elsewhere.

pnbronco
09-06-2015, 01:30 PM
Yeah....Zaire and Jordan......now I'm happy. :elefant: Plus I'm so glad that Steven got picked up so fast.....he's one kid I'll really miss but just so happy for him....

DenBronx
09-06-2015, 01:30 PM
Jordan Taylor will be on the 53 someday. Glad he's on the practice squad putting in the time necessary to develop. Maybe next year.

pnbronco
09-06-2015, 01:34 PM
Jordan Taylor will be on the 53 someday. Glad he's on the practice squad putting in the time necessary to develop. Maybe next year.

I was amazed how he went from awkward the first few days to really making some great catches by the end of camp. He didn't shine as much the last game, but if he had he may not have stayed with us. So I'm glad he's here and look forward to seeing him develop.

Al Wilson 4 Mayor
09-06-2015, 01:43 PM
Add.1.rb.

VonDoom
09-06-2015, 01:58 PM
Add.1.rb.

I would guess Bibbs makes it back. They can always put him on the 53 if anyone gets hurt

chazoe60
09-06-2015, 02:03 PM
Jordan Taylor will be on the 53 someday. Glad he's on the practice squad putting in the time necessary to develop. Maybe next year.

I wonder if he can put on some weight and be a JT type TE someday?

chazoe60
09-06-2015, 02:03 PM
I hope they put Louks on the PS, I like his potential.

dogfish
09-06-2015, 02:25 PM
I wonder if he can put on some weight and be a JT type TE someday?

nah, nah. . . he's going to lose some weight to be an easy ed type of receiver. . .

G_Money
09-06-2015, 02:37 PM
I hope Kapri comes back to the practice squad, but ya never know. We'll have to add a RB there for sure, just so someone is around and knows the offense in case of injury. Hillman has been beat up in his career, and CJ has missed games. Can't leave it all on fullbacks (Juwan).

pnbronco
09-06-2015, 03:04 PM
nah, nah. . . he's going to lose some weight to be an easy ed type of receiver. . .

With his height he has the Eddie body.....great attitude. I could be wrong but he looks like a super hard worker and will do whatever is needed to get to the next step....

pnbronco
09-06-2015, 03:05 PM
I thought I would see Kapi on there already....dang I'm hoping he comes back.

Spiritguy
09-06-2015, 03:05 PM
Figured I'd start a thread for this. As of this writing, four guys have been signed out of ten:

LB Zaire Anderson
C Dillon Day
WR Jordan Taylor
DT George Uko


Nicki Jhabvala ✔ @NickiJhabvala (https://twitter.com/NickiJhabvala)
add these guys to the list

OLB Danny Mason
CB Taurean Nixon
DL Chuka Ndulue

pnbronco
09-06-2015, 03:11 PM
A little OT but dang twitter has changed how we get this news. I remember when we use to wait and wait for the Broncos or one of the News stations to give out this information.....

Spiritguy
09-06-2015, 03:17 PM
Jon Heath @JonHeathNFL (https://twitter.com/JonHeathNFL)

Team's website says remaining spots are "expected to be filled in the next few days."

pnbronco
09-06-2015, 03:24 PM
Jon Heath @JonHeathNFL (https://twitter.com/JonHeathNFL)

Team's website says remaining spots are "expected to be filled in the next few days."


hmmmm OK except but shouldn't Bibbs be on this list already??? I'm confused....but I've said that more than once this season.

VonDoom
09-06-2015, 03:28 PM
FYI, most reports don't list Uko as officially on the PS as of now. So there's either three or four spots remaining, depending on who you believe.

Spiritguy
09-06-2015, 04:05 PM
Only place I've seen a reference to UKO is this. wonder what his "source" is?
Aaron Wilson
✔@AaronWilson_NFL (https://twitter.com/AaronWilson_NFL)

George Uko to Broncos practice squad, per a source
10:45 AM - 6 Sep 2015 (https://twitter.com/AaronWilson_NFL/status/640581634366898176)

Guessing from this that he is wrong. lol


Denver BroncosVerified account‏@Broncos (https://twitter.com/Broncos)

#Broncos (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Broncos?src=hash) start building practice squad, fill six of 10 spots http://j.mp/1i6fHmR (http://t.co/0hnIQYKJjl)

Denver Native (Carol)
09-06-2015, 04:14 PM
Troy Renck ‏@TroyRenck 35m

#broncos still planning on signing Bibbs to practice squad. Also have interest in keeping Garland on practice squad. But he has options

Denver Native (Carol)
09-06-2015, 04:23 PM
Jeff Legwold ‏@Jeff_Legwold 4m

#Broncos have four practice squad spots still open, Likely some of players they're pursuing considering some other options too.

Jeff Legwold ‏@Jeff_Legwold 4m

All six of the players #Broncos signed to practice squad Sunday -- Anderson, Day, Ndulue, Mason, Nixon and Taylor spent offseason w/ team.

G_Money
09-06-2015, 04:29 PM
Hoping Kapri decides to re-up with us for the practice squad, but I really thought he'd go somewhere else. After the Ball thing though he should see he's one injury from the active roster and getting reps. I definitely want an OT of some stripe on the PS though. We're just too thin there. Everybody else we want probably has a choice, Including Bibbs.

VonDoom
09-06-2015, 04:36 PM
Only place I've seen a reference to UKO is this. wonder what his "source" is?
Aaron Wilson
✔@AaronWilson_NFL (https://twitter.com/AaronWilson_NFL)

George Uko to Broncos practice squad, per a source
10:45 AM - 6 Sep 2015 (https://twitter.com/AaronWilson_NFL/status/640581634366898176)

Guessing from this that he is wrong. lol


Denver BroncosVerified account‏@Broncos (https://twitter.com/Broncos)

#Broncos (https://twitter.com/hashtag/Broncos?src=hash) start building practice squad, fill six of 10 spots http://j.mp/1i6fHmR (http://t.co/0hnIQYKJjl)



Nicki Jhabvala reported it too, but gave credit to this guy, so I don't know. Every other report only lists six guys. I'm leaving him on the first post until further notice but maybe it's not happening.

DenBronx
09-06-2015, 04:49 PM
Jordan Taylor will be on the 53 someday. Glad he's on the practice squad putting in the time necessary to develop. Maybe next year.

I wonder if he can put on some weight and be a JT type TE someday?

I'm thinking more Jordy Nelson type WR. He has good hands and runs a solid route. Just buried in the depth chart right now. Good insurance and I think being on the PS will help him grow. But you never know...if he added weight he could play that JT role.

VonDoom
09-06-2015, 06:49 PM
Updated first post to list six members of the PS and two rumored to be signed, but not official.

Denver Native (Carol)
09-06-2015, 10:17 PM
KUSA - The Denver Broncos brought back six players they waived Saturday back to their practice squad Sunday.

The Broncos will try to fill the other four spots available on their practice squad this week. Former Colorado State running back Kapri Bibbs was exploring his options Sunday but was leaning towards re-signing with the Broncos' practice squad

The six players who were brought back to the locker room Sunday: Zaire Anderson, inside linebacker; Dillon Day, center; Chuka Ndulue, defensive lineman; Danny Mason, outside linebacker; Taurean Nixon, cornerback; Jordan Taylor, receiver.

Also not yet returning were Isaiah Burse, who spent his rookie season last year splitting time between the active roster as the Broncos' punt returner and practice squad, seventh-round rookie safety Josh Furman and linebacker Lamin Barrow, a fifth-round draft pick in 2014.

http://www.9news.com/story/sports/nfl/denver-broncos/mike-klis/2015/09/06/denver-broncos-kapri-bibbs/71818922/

LTC Pain
09-07-2015, 09:40 AM
According to this story at the Broncos website, 10 players are signed to the Practice Squad. Ben Garland IS NOT among them.

http://www.denverbroncos.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Kapri-Bibbs-among-four-added-to-the-practice-squad/9e8dc3e6-525d-4819-bc11-0feb42da97b8

Broncos' 2015 practice squad:

Zaire Anderson, ILB
Kapri Bibbs, RB
Dillon Day, C
Chuka Ndulue, DE
Arthur Lynch, TE
Danny Mason, OLB
Taurean Nixon, CB
Kyle Roberts, T
Jordan Taylor, WR
George Uko, DE

Denver Native (Carol)
09-07-2015, 10:08 AM
Troy Renck ‏@TroyRenck 13m

#Broncos uniform number update http://m.denverbroncos.com/news-and-blogs

Jsteve01
09-07-2015, 11:31 AM
Jordan Taylor will be on the 53 someday. Glad he's on the practice squad putting in the time necessary to develop. Maybe next year.

I wonder if he can put on some weight and be a JT type TE someday?

I'm thinking more Jordy Nelson type WR. He has good hands and runs a solid route. Just buried in the depth chart right now. Good insurance and I think being on the PS will help him grow. But you never know...if he added weight he could play that JT role.wow.... thats quite a leap...urfa who has sure hands but cant get separation to one of the top playmakers in the league? Come on bro. His ceiling is a poor mans decker noooot Jordy

VonDoom
09-07-2015, 11:32 AM
According to this story at the Broncos website, 10 players are signed to the Practice Squad. Ben Garland IS NOT among them.

http://www.denverbroncos.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Kapri-Bibbs-among-four-added-to-the-practice-squad/9e8dc3e6-525d-4819-bc11-0feb42da97b8

Broncos' 2015 practice squad:

Zaire Anderson, ILB
Kapri Bibbs, RB
Dillon Day, C
Chuka Ndulue, DE
Arthur Lynch, TE
Danny Mason, OLB
Taurean Nixon, CB
Kyle Roberts, T
Jordan Taylor, WR
George Uko, DE

Just got home and saw this as well. Will update the first post - thanks!

TXBRONC
09-07-2015, 12:33 PM
Troy Renck ‏@TroyRenck 13m

#Broncos uniform number update [url]http://m.denverbroncos.com/news


I looked at the roster on the official home page and showed that Barrett still has the number 48 but all the other players have been updated.

LTC Pain
09-07-2015, 12:53 PM
wow.... thats quite a leap...urfa who has sure hands but cant get separation to one of the top playmakers in the league? Come on bro. His ceiling is a poor mans decker noooot Jordy

Jordan Taylor has a ways to go to even be a poor mans Jordy Nelson. Hopefully he will get the coaching on the PS to be a decent playmaker.

Valar Morghulis
09-07-2015, 12:56 PM
I don't think he ways comparing his ability to Nelson, more implying he could have a similar play style, if developed correctly - who knows

TXBRONC
09-07-2015, 12:57 PM
If Taylor develops I think he would be more like Ed McCaffery than Jordy Nelson.

G_Money
09-07-2015, 12:59 PM
wow.... thats quite a leap...urfa who has sure hands but cant get separation to one of the top playmakers in the league? Come on bro. His ceiling is a poor mans decker noooot Jordy

Except he has better hands than Decker. I'm sure Elway likes him because he's a Steve Watson type. If you need 8 yards over the middle, he'll go get that - especially once they refine his technique. Nothing wrong with a guy who moves the chains. For him it'll all be about improving his footwork and routes, and gaining strength. He's not gonna lose a lot of cover guys, but with hands like Taylor has he'll always give himself a chance to go up and get the ball. Much easier in a day and age where headhunting is illegal too.

I'm thinking poor man's Anquan Boldin is his upside, personally. That's okay with me as a #4-5 wideout. It's worth a shot to develop on the practice squad.

G_Money
09-07-2015, 01:09 PM
As for the squad itself: I'm glad we kept Kapri, Zaire and Jordan Taylor. Those guys all flashed a bit and could be useful pieces later. Lynch never struck me as much in college but backup TEs are a requirement in this offense so now we'll try to coach him up too. We apparently wanted Uko, and I trust Wade to know what he wants in a tweener DE, but Uko never really measured up to his early college hype either.

I said on draft day that Chuka was looking for a Mitch Unrein career, and he's still around to give that a shot. We apparently really like Day's potential and he has the right attitude (nasty) but needs that technique that hopefully we can give him as a PS guy. For the most part though it's about Bibbs, Zaire and Taylor for me on this particular practice squad. We have some other guys with a glimmer of potential.

Hey, it's the practice squad - if they were all great they'd be on the 53 man. :lol:

TXBRONC
09-07-2015, 01:25 PM
Except he has better hands than Decker. I'm sure Elway likes him because he's a Steve Watson type. If you need 8 yards over the middle, he'll go get that - especially once they refine his technique. Nothing wrong with a guy who moves the chains. For him it'll all be about improving his footwork and routes, and gaining strength. He's not gonna lose a lot of cover guys, but with hands like Taylor has he'll always give himself a chance to go up and get the ball. Much easier in a day and age where headhunting is illegal too.

I'm thinking poor man's Anquan Boldin is his upside, personally. That's okay with me as a #4-5 wideout. It's worth a shot to develop on the practice squad.

Not that Jordan got many opportunities in preseason I don't recall him catching any passes in preseason and I don't recall hearing his name being mentioned that much during camp itself. Nevertheless there is something about him that the team likes which is fine by me. He is tall like McCaffery in fact they nearly mirror images in height and weight.

G_Money
09-07-2015, 01:44 PM
Not that Jordan got many opportunities in preseason I don't recall him any passes in preseason and I don't recall hearing his name being mentioned that much during camp itself. Nevertheless there is something about him that the team likes which is fine by me. He is tall like McCaffery in fact they nearly mirror images in height and weight.

His name was actually mentioned quite a bit in camp. If Fowler doesn't have a big last pre-season game Taylor could have made the roster in his place. He's definitely got a bigger catch radius than Boldin, but that fighting-for-possession type of receiver is his gig. He plays like a long strider, so it takes him a minute to get rolling - which is why improving his routes is gonna be a big deal to him because he won't run away from people in most patterns. His ability to get to every throw sent his way and catch most of them is his best talent at the moment.

And of course to be a WR in this offense you have to block. With a year to polish him up, he could make the 53-man next year, and that's really what you want from a PS guy: someone who's going to push for an active roster spot, not just a body in case of injury. I think he can make that push, so I'm glad he stuck around.

TXBRONC
09-07-2015, 01:56 PM
Will seen what happens with him. If he can develop into player similar to Ed McCaffery then Denver has good one.

dogfish
09-07-2015, 02:04 PM
yus! stoked that we got bibbs back. . . and zaire anderson and JT were my other top picks, so good deal. . . where did garland end up?

TXBRONC
09-07-2015, 02:08 PM
yus! stoked that we got bibbs back. . . and zaire anderson and JT were my other top picks, so good deal. . . where did garland end up?

He's been called back to active duty. The Air Force is going strap a jet engine to him and use him as a transport plane.

Simple Jaded
09-07-2015, 02:11 PM
Why don't you guys wait to see if Taylor can be a Joe Jurivicous before we throw these other names around?

Broncos fans love their white boys. . .so does Kubiak, apparently.

Cugel
09-07-2015, 02:15 PM
Well, the moves are now all clear. They've signed backups for depth reasons at all the positions of concern, particularly running back:
Jordan Taylor at WR
ILB Zaire Anderson
C Dillon Day
DL Chuka Ndulue

1. Broncos cut Kapri Bibbs, prior to signing him to the practice squad. They kept Montee Ball, which was incomprehensible, since Bibbs clearly was better in the pre-season, but that was simply to try and force the Cowboys to offer something for him in trade. That ploy failed when the Cowboys traded a 7th rounder for a backup RB from the Seahawks. The Broncos then cut Ball.

Now, with Bibbs on the PS, they have 4 RBs in case of injury. I was hoping they would make that move, since RBs can so easily be injured that it's not unheard of to lose 3 RBs in one game. 4 or even 5 RBs available in case of emergency to fill in is a necessity.

This fills the biggest hole on the team. Kapri looked as good in the pre-season as Ball looked bad and it's too bad he couldn't crack the 53 man roster. I think he will be on the active roster at some point this season, but we'll see.

2. Then the Broncos cut C Gradkowski who looked so bad as a backup during the pre-season:


In his place is James Ferentz, a 6-foot-2, 284-pound center from Iowa who earned all-Big Ten Conference second-team honors as a senior in 2012. In May 2014, he signed with the Texans as an undrafted free agent.

Although he has yet to play a regular-season snap in the NFL, Ferentz played 203 snaps for Houston this preseason, third-most on the team. He played a game-high 62 snaps when Houston hosted Denver on Aug. 22, giving the Broncos plenty of opportunities to evaluate his potential.

Another guy who really belongs on the practice squad, but who makes the active roster because he's claimed off waivers.

3. Needing another TE since there were only 2 on the roster, they signed former Packers TE Mitchell Henry, who is clearly another project. Once again, he's really practice squad material, but since he was claimed off waivers he had to be placed on the active roster:


Henry, a 6-4, 252-pound rookie from Western Kentucky, gives Kubiak another versatile tight end, which the coach is known to covet. In his four collegiate seasons, Henry had 78 receptions for 1,094 yards and 12 touchdowns and was used sparingly on special teams, averaging 9.3 yards on four kick returns.

Although he impressed NFL scouts with his athleticism — 4.69-second speed in the 40-yard dash and a 37-inch vertical leap — he still went undrafted. The Broncos were interested, but he turned down their offer in favor of signing with Green Bay, where he played with a fractured middle finger on his left hand for much of training camp and preseason.

Henry was waived by the Packers on Saturday in their final round of roster cuts.

In Denver he will spell veterans Owen Daniels and Virgil Green, the only two true tight ends retained on the Broncos' 53-man roster.

None of these moves were the kinds of veteran backups that would really be instant starters if one of the starters was injured. For instance they lost Chris Clark, and the only T backup available now is the horribly underachieving Michael Schofield who has shown exactly nothing good this off-season.

Why they hated Chris Clark so much is an endless mystery. He's clearly better than Schofield at this point. If Ryan Harris struggles or gets injured there's just nobody capable of playing RT and the same is true for Sambrailo.

The Broncos are 1 injury away from utter disaster at T this season.

TXBRONC
09-07-2015, 02:18 PM
Why don't you guys wait to see if Taylor can be a Joe Jurivicous before we throw these other names around?

Broncos fans love their white boys. . .so does Kubiak, apparently.

Back off white boy. :D

Ziggy
09-07-2015, 02:23 PM
Jordan Taylor is going down the exact same path as Rod Smith did right now. Too skinny, great hands and deceptive speed. Both came to camp desperately needing to put on strength but impressed enough to stick to the Broncos practice squad. Both ran a 4.5 40. Both have more speed than quickness. Rod spent his entire first season on the practice squad. I'm guessing Taylor will do the same.

TXBRONC
09-07-2015, 02:29 PM
Jordan Taylor is going down the exact same path as Rod Smith did right now. Too skinny, great hands and deceptive speed. Both came to camp desperately needing to put on strength but impressed enough to stick to the Broncos practice squad. Both ran a 4.5 40. Both have more speed than quickness. Rod spent his entire first season on the practice squad. I'm guessing Taylor will do the same.

IIRC Smith had actually gotten cut by another team before Denver took him. I think it was Seattle.

Simple Jaded
09-07-2015, 02:37 PM
I like Bibbs but how do we know he's clearly better than Ball? Ball played like shit but the 2nd team OL played even worse.

VonDoom
09-07-2015, 03:20 PM
I like Bibbs but how do we know he's clearly better than Ball? Ball played like shit but the 2nd team OL played even worse.

Bibbs looked better behind the same line. Small sample size but Bibbs made something out of nothing numerous times. Ball looked like he was running in molasses and went down at first contact

TXBRONC
09-07-2015, 03:29 PM
Bibbs looked better behind the same line. Small sample size but Bibbs made something out of nothing numerous times. Ball looked like he was running in molasses and went down at first contact

Small sample size is right. I would have to go back and look but I think only got play in 4th preseason of the year.

dogfish
09-07-2015, 03:50 PM
bibbs has quicker feet. . . he's a better fit in our scheme, and has special teams experience. . . i'll take him over montee. . .

Simple Jaded
09-07-2015, 03:59 PM
Ball got his behind the LOS on 9 of his 16 carries on Thursday, another one for good measure on a pass reception.

G_Money
09-07-2015, 04:25 PM
Ball got his behind the LOS on 9 of his 16 carries on Thursday, another one for good measure on a pass reception.

Yes, but Kapri sees daylight that Ball does not - or if Ball sees it, he cannot get there in time anymore. Kapri in the open field can do things, while Ball's juking ability is just sad at this point and he doesn't break tackles either. When Kapri hits a crease he goes. Ball has been reduced to being a trudger. It's sad for him, but true. And as dog said, Kapri can play special teams too if he ever gets promoted to the 53 man.

Basically there is no hole that Ball can hit that Kapri can't hit better, so with a better OL performance you should still see Bibbs doing better than Ball, since Kapri can motor in the open field. Ball has more experience blocking, since Kapri rarely had to do it in his college experience, certainly not in the way he needs to in order to keep Manning safe. But that's why he's on the practice squad.

With a ball in his hand, Kapri is just better. Will he be a fumbler with a bunch of carries per game, or be unable to get those carries because his blitz protection sucks? I dunno. But the choice to let Ball go was based in part on being able to get Kapri onto the practice squad (at least that's what Kubes said). Because if Ball was gonna be a game-day inactive then Bibbs brings more potential for the future while still being an emergency backup for this year.

Bibbs may never be anything substantial, but he's worth the shot to find out. Ball had his shot with us, and just couldn't quite put it together. I wish him a nice second act somewhere else, but he was outclassed here by several undrafteds (and Hillman). Maybe that speaks well of the quality of our undrafteds, or maybe it's another mark against Ball.

Could be both, y'know?

Simple Jaded
09-07-2015, 04:36 PM
Ball looks wore out, if nothing else Bibbs has far less mileage.

LTC Pain
09-07-2015, 05:13 PM
His name was actually mentioned quite a bit in camp. If Fowler doesn't have a big last pre-season game Taylor could have made the roster in his place. He's definitely got a bigger catch radius than Boldin, but that fighting-for-possession type of receiver is his gig. He plays like a long strider, so it takes him a minute to get rolling - which is why improving his routes is gonna be a big deal to him because he won't run away from people in most patterns. His ability to get to every throw sent his way and catch most of them is his best talent at the moment.

And of course to be a WR in this offense you have to block. With a year to polish him up, he could make the 53-man next year, and that's really what you want from a PS guy: someone who's going to push for an active roster spot, not just a body in case of injury. I think he can make that push, so I'm glad he stuck around.

I believe Taylor was hot, catching everything early in camp without pads. When the team started wearing pads and got physical through preseason he cooled of quite a bit.

DenBronx
09-07-2015, 05:40 PM
His name was actually mentioned quite a bit in camp. If Fowler doesn't have a big last pre-season game Taylor could have made the roster in his place. He's definitely got a bigger catch radius than Boldin, but that fighting-for-possession type of receiver is his gig. He plays like a long strider, so it takes him a minute to get rolling - which is why improving his routes is gonna be a big deal to him because he won't run away from people in most patterns. His ability to get to every throw sent his way and catch most of them is his best talent at the moment.

And of course to be a WR in this offense you have to block. With a year to polish him up, he could make the 53-man next year, and that's really what you want from a PS guy: someone who's going to push for an active roster spot, not just a body in case of injury. I think he can make that push, so I'm glad he stuck around.

I believe Taylor was hot, catching everything early in camp without pads. When the team started wearing pads and got physical through preseason he cooled of quite a bit.

He was just buried in the depth chart I think. Practice squad is probably the best scenario for him.

Denver Native (Carol)
09-09-2015, 01:11 PM
Troy Renck ‏@TroyRenck 3m

#broncos Kenny Anunike at practice but not wearing helmet. He's racing against clock to be ready for Sunday following knee surgery

Al Wilson 4 Mayor
09-09-2015, 01:14 PM
Troy Renck ‏@TroyRenck 3m

#broncos Kenny Anunike at practice but not wearing helmet. He's racing against clock to be ready for Sunday following knee surgery

I hope they don't rush it. He's a young guy with a lot of upside

TXBRONC
09-09-2015, 01:22 PM
I hope they don't rush it. He's a young guy with a lot of upside

I bet Kubiak won't rush him back.

dogfish
09-11-2015, 07:40 PM
I hope they don't rush it. He's a young guy with a lot of upside

seriously, what's the hurry? we have plenty of pass rushers, let him take his time!

TXBRONC
09-11-2015, 07:54 PM
seriously, what's the hurry? we have plenty of pass rushers, let him take his time!

To say the least. Miller, Ware, Ray, and Barrett. Even creepy Uncle Antonio can provide some pass rush.

VonDoom
09-29-2015, 04:41 PM
Nicki Jhabvala ‏@NickiJhabvala 2m2 minutes ago

Broncos announce they've signed OL Antonio Johnson to their practice squad and released LB Danny Mason.

Joel
09-29-2015, 04:56 PM
Nicki Jhabvala ‏@NickiJhabvala 2m2 minutes ago

Broncos announce they've signed OL Antonio Johnson to their practice squad and released LB Danny Mason.
Tackle or guard? Hopefully the former; if Garcia's as good as advertised we're in better shape at guard than I any time I recall since the championships, but very thin at OT: Three on the 53, one on the PS. If memory serves, Schofield wasn't even active last week, so when Sambrailo dinged himself tackling CJ on a 2 yd sideline run I nervously wondered who'd guard Mannings blindside if Sambrailo no longer could.

VonDoom
09-29-2015, 07:37 PM
Tackle or guard? Hopefully the former; if Garcia's as good as advertised we're in better shape at guard than I any time I recall since the championships, but very thin at OT: Three on the 53, one on the PS. If memory serves, Schofield wasn't even active last week, so when Sambrailo dinged himself tackling CJ on a 2 yd sideline run I nervously wondered who'd guard Mannings blindside if Sambrailo no longer could.

I believe he's a tackle - at least that's what he was listed as when I looked up his college bio. I wouldn't count on a PS guy being the answer to our OL problems, though.

TXBRONC
09-29-2015, 09:25 PM
I believe he's a tackle - at least that's what he was listed as when I looked up his college bio. I wouldn't count on a PS guy being the answer to our OL problems, though.

Certainly not this year.

VonDoom
11-03-2015, 02:27 PM
Nicki Jhabvala ‏@NickiJhabvala 12m12 minutes ago

Broncos announce they've added rookie S Ryan Murphy to their practice squad and released NT Deandre Coleman.

Joel
11-03-2015, 03:10 PM
Nicki Jhabvala ‏@NickiJhabvala 12m12 minutes ago

Broncos announce they've added rookie S Ryan Murphy to their practice squad and released NT Deandre Coleman.
LESS NTs?! What's the thinking here? Just TWO NTs on the active roster (one deactivated the last two games) and now just ONE on the PS. I trust everyone named Phillips, but:

We won't make it through a season expecting a SINGLE NT to force double teams and collapse the pocket all game, every game. Sly's punched above his weight so far, and Kilgo's great in rotation (when ACTIVATED) but what happens when one or BOTH is hurt badly enough to miss a few games? Ask Anderson and Hillman how much even a minor injury to BJ Raji weakened GBs 3-4. If it were a 4-3, with another starting DT helping out, it'd be different, but having just ONE on a THREE man line makes good depth critical.

Speaking of depth, a good David Bruton and adequate converted CB Omar Bolden backing a Pro Bowler and impressive FA acquisition leave our safety spots well stacked.

VonDoom
11-03-2015, 03:36 PM
LESS NTs?! What's the thinking here? Just TWO NTs on the active roster (one deactivated the last two games) and now just ONE on the PS. I trust everyone named Phillips, but:

We won't make it through a season expecting a SINGLE NT to force double teams and collapse the pocket all game, every game. Sly's punched above his weight so far, and Kilgo's great in rotation (when ACTIVATED) but what happens when one or BOTH is hurt badly enough to miss a few games? Ask Anderson and Hillman how much even a minor injury to BJ Raji weakened GBs 3-4. If it were a 4-3, with another starting DT helping out, it'd be different, but having just ONE on a THREE man line makes good depth critical.

Speaking of depth, a good David Bruton and adequate converted CB Omar Bolden backing a Pro Bowler and impressive FA acquisition leave our safety spots well stacked.

I believe they've lined up Vance Walker at NT in the last few games. I'd have to look back to confirm, though.

SR
11-03-2015, 04:09 PM
LESS NTs?! What's the thinking here? Just TWO NTs on the active roster (one deactivated the last two games) and now just ONE on the PS. I trust everyone named Phillips, but: We won't make it through a season expecting a SINGLE NT to force double teams and collapse the pocket all game, every game. Sly's punched above his weight so far, and Kilgo's great in rotation (when ACTIVATED) but what happens when one or BOTH is hurt badly enough to miss a few games? Ask Anderson and Hillman how much even a minor injury to BJ Raji weakened GBs 3-4. If it were a 4-3, with another starting DT helping out, it'd be different, but having just ONE on a THREE man line makes good depth critical. Speaking of depth, a good David Bruton and adequate converted CB Omar Bolden backing a Pro Bowler and impressive FA acquisition leave our safety spots well stacked.

I guess nose tackles are your bugaboo this year.

Simple Jaded
11-03-2015, 11:05 PM
That sucks, Coleman has legit talent.

Joel
11-03-2015, 11:44 PM
I believe they've lined up Vance Walker at NT in the last few games. I'd have to look back to confirm, though.
If you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you did, because I've been wondering about it ever since I saw Jhabvalas tweet about deactivating Kilgo for the Browns game. If so, fine, 'cause we're doing fine (we just smothered a team with the #3 rushing average, holding them to just 90 total rushing yds, a third of which were Rodgers.)

VonDoom
11-04-2015, 07:30 AM
If you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you did, because I've been wondering about it ever since I saw Jhabvalas tweet about deactivating Kilgo for the Browns game. If so, fine, 'cause we're doing fine (we just smothered a team with the #3 rushing average, holding them to just 90 total rushing yds, a third of which were Rodgers.)

I saw that same Tweet and actually questioned her about who our backup NT would be, and she responded that it would probably be Walker. So I do believe that's what we've been doing. Though I think Kilgo was active this week, no?

Joel
11-04-2015, 03:37 PM
I saw that same Tweet and actually questioned her about who our backup NT would be, and she responded that it would probably be Walker. So I do believe that's what we've been doing. Though I think Kilgo was active this week, no?
Not unless Carols Gameday Thread inactive list (http://www.broncosforums.com/forums/showthread.php/601755-Broncos-Gameday-Thread-Broncos-vs-Packers-11-01-15?p=2403256#post2403256) was accidentally recycled, which is pretty doubtful. I'm limited to live stream (i.e. no more review than instant replay provides) so haven't been able to see who subbed when Sly needed a break, but haven't noticed a drop in run D or pocket collapsing, WHOEVER it was. As long as we have a solid rotation to stay fresh and stout, with a decent #3 in case of injury, I'm content.

Guess the guy who's been coaching my teams since I was kid DOES know what he's doing, even if he doesn't always tell me. :tongue: I want a Ring for him more than for anyone else.

VonDoom
11-04-2015, 03:53 PM
Not unless Carols Gameday Thread inactive list (http://www.broncosforums.com/forums/showthread.php/601755-Broncos-Gameday-Thread-Broncos-vs-Packers-11-01-15?p=2403256#post2403256) was accidentally recycled, which is pretty doubtful. I'm limited to live stream (i.e. no more review than instant replay provides) so haven't been able to see who subbed when Sly needed a break, but haven't noticed a drop in run D or pocket collapsing, WHOEVER it was. As long as we have a solid rotation to stay fresh and stout, with a decent #3 in case of injury, I'm content.

Guess the guy who's been coaching my teams since I was kid DOES know what he's doing, even if he doesn't always tell me. :tongue: I want a Ring for him more than for anyone else.

Since we're still on the subject and I'm not near a copy of the game film, I did the next best thing - I went to FO to look at the snap counts for the week (you got me curious). Here were the stats for our D-line:

Player Team Position Started Total Snaps Off Snaps Off Snap Pct Def Snaps Def Snap Pct ST Snaps ST Snap Pct
97-M.Jackson DEN DL YES 40 0 0.0% 38 72.0% 2 8.0%
95-D.Wolfe DEN DL YES 32 0 0.0% 29 55.0% 3 12.0%
90-A.Smith DEN DL NO 26 0 0.0% 26 49.0% 0 0.0%
92-S.Williams DEN DL YES 28 0 0.0% 25 47.0% 3 12.0%
96-V.Walker DEN DL NO 23 0 0.0% 17 32.0% 6 24.0%
91-K.Anunike DEN DL NO 0 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0%
98-D.Kilgo DEN DL NO 0 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0%

Sorry about the formatting. Anyway, Kilgo was active but didn't play at all. Sly only played 47% of the defensive snaps. Walker played 32%. So I imagine that Wolfe (the likeliest choice) may have filled in that NT role, if they were lined up in a strict 3-4 (which I honestly don't know if they were). I don't know if this eases your mind about our depth, but our only "true" NT backup didn't even play a snap and our starter played less than half the snaps, but we managed to have others fill that role the rest of the time. As for the PS guy (which was the impetus for this discussion), I trust that Wade knows what he's doing - if he would rather have that safety there instead of the tackle, far be it from me to tell him otherwise.

Joel
11-04-2015, 04:44 PM
Since we're still on the subject and I'm not near a copy of the game film, I did the next best thing - I went to FO to look at the snap counts for the week (you got me curious). Here were the stats for our D-line:

Player Team Position Started Total Snaps Off Snaps Off Snap Pct Def Snaps Def Snap Pct ST Snaps ST Snap Pct
97-M.Jackson DEN DL YES 40 0 0.0% 38 72.0% 2 8.0%
95-D.Wolfe DEN DL YES 32 0 0.0% 29 55.0% 3 12.0%
90-A.Smith DEN DL NO 26 0 0.0% 26 49.0% 0 0.0%
92-S.Williams DEN DL YES 28 0 0.0% 25 47.0% 3 12.0%
96-V.Walker DEN DL NO 23 0 0.0% 17 32.0% 6 24.0%
91-K.Anunike DEN DL NO 0 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0%
98-D.Kilgo DEN DL NO 0 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0%

Sorry about the formatting. Anyway, Kilgo was active but didn't play at all. Sly only played 47% of the defensive snaps. Walker played 32%. So I imagine that Wolfe (the likeliest choice) may have filled in that NT role, if they were lined up in a strict 3-4 (which I honestly don't know if they were). I don't know if this eases your mind about our depth, but our only "true" NT backup didn't even play a snap and our starter played less than half the snaps, but we managed to have others fill that role the rest of the time. As for the PS guy (which was the impetus for this discussion), I trust that Wade knows what he's doing - if he would rather have that safety there instead of the tackle, far be it from me to tell him otherwise.
Thanks again, that helps, even while raising as many questions as it answers. Expecting them to break it down by position would be asking far too much, expecially since technical and actual "positions" are often in the eye of the beholder anyway.

I'm also interested in why you say Wolfe's "the likeliest" NT sub, and not just because his pass rushing's all one could hope for in a 3-4 DE: Walker's 3" shorter and 20 lbs. heavier (i.e. MUCH thicker; Wolfe's very svelte for a lineman) and (if I recall his bio correctly) has played (4-3) DT for other teams, so I'd have thought him or Smith better choices.

If Wolfe made Conference Defensive Player of the Week spelling Sly, it's safe to say he did a pretty good job, and we're in good shape there going forward; Walker/Smith have filled HIS spot before and well, so I'm not worried about losing much occasionally moving him inside.

Now I just wonder what Wade dislikes about Bruton and Bolden as safety depth behind Ward and Stewart. :tongue:

VonDoom
11-04-2015, 04:53 PM
Thanks again, that helps, even while raising as many questions as it answers. Expecting them to break it down by position would be asking far too much, expecially since technical and actual "positions" are often in the eye of the beholder anyway.

I'm also interested in why you say Wolfe's "the likeliest" NT sub, and not just because his pass rushing's all one could hope for in a 3-4 DE: Walker's 3" shorter and 20 lbs. heavier (i.e. MUCH thicker; Wolfe's very svelte for a lineman) and (if I recall his bio correctly) has played (4-3) DT for other teams, so I'd have thought him or Smith better choices.

If Wolfe made Conference Defensive Player of the Week spelling Sly, it's safe to say he did a pretty good job, and we're in good shape there going forward; Walker/Smith have filled HIS spot before and well, so I'm not worried about losing much occasionally moving him inside.

Now I just wonder what Wade dislikes about Bruton and Bolden as safety depth behind Ward and Stewart. :tongue:

I seem to remember some talk of potentially using Wolfe as a DT, so I kind of assumed. It certainly could have been Jackson. Smith got a fair amount of snaps, so I imagine they had to move someone around to make that happen.

And I agree, I wish we could see a breakdown by position but your point is valid that it's hard to tell exactly what position some guys are playing at times. Seems like it would take a large effort to do something like that.

As for our secondary (I haven't looked at the snap counts this week), it seems like our starters usually play most of the game, certainly more so than on the line (which makes sense). If there's someone with 100% of the defensive snaps, it's usually Harris. Bruton in general gets a fair amount of reps backing up (mostly) Ward - he's in on 46.8% of defensive snaps for the year, according to FO. Bolden on the other hand ...

Joel
11-04-2015, 05:39 PM
I seem to remember some talk of potentially using Wolfe as a DT, so I kind of assumed. It certainly could have been Jackson. Smith got a fair amount of snaps, so I imagine they had to move someone around to make that happen.
I remember Wolfe moving inside in our 4-3 nickel, so it wouldn't be completely foreign, but NT in a base 3-4 and DT in a 4-3 nickel are very different situations with very different duties, so I wouldn't have thought it exactly natural either. Maybe I oversimplify, but tend to think of 3-4 DEs as analogous to 4-3 UTs, and 3-4 NTs as heavier versions of 4-3 NTs (I realize gap philosophy affects that, too, just not really HOW.) From that perspective, Wolfe as UT, 4-3 LDE and 3-4 DE makes sense, but a skinny 3-4 NT scares me.

That's why I figured Walker or Smith for the #3 NT spot, but it's also another place I wish the stat sheets had more positional specifics: I don't know if their 4-3s used them as UTs or even HAD a NT (I've always felt 2 UTs=0 NTs, but some coaches seem to feel it means less slow bulk and an extra athletic pass rusher inside.)


And I agree, I wish we could see a breakdown by position but your point is valid that it's hard to tell exactly what position some guys are playing at times. Seems like it would take a large effort to do something like that.
Lotta play-by-plays and judgement calls, I imagine; if FO's not curious enough to invest that much effort for something so tentative, I doubt anyone else will unless a team's paying them, which means they're unlikely to give it away free, especially to the general e-public.


As for our secondary (I haven't looked at the snap counts this week), it seems like our starters usually play most of the game, certainly more so than on the line (which makes sense). If there's someone with 100% of the defensive snaps, it's usually Harris. Bruton in general gets a fair amount of reps backing up (mostly) Ward - he's in on 46.8% of defensive snaps for the year, according to FO. Bolden on the other hand ...
I actually like Bruton better than Ward in coverage; I wish someone would tell TJ he's not a Sam, and a clothesline isn't "coverage." Great run stuffing safety, and Stewart's proven a good centerfielder so far (at least we're not playing our SS as a FS and vice versa like a decade ago) but I believe in the coverage sack (after Sunday, so does Rodgers.) I dunno what the deal is with Bolden; as a converted CB, I'd expect him to excel in safety coverage, but I rarely see him apart from STs.

Main thing I worry about there (apart from safety injuries) is our dime depth against 2:00 Drills: I'm more than happy to see Talib, Harris, Roby and Webster in dime, but if ANY of them get hurt, who's next? Bruton? Bolden? Dime may not seem a big deal, but a lead's only as good as the ability to protect it.

Joel
11-06-2015, 05:29 PM
For what it's worth, verifying where we drafted Kilgo revealed this (http://www.denverbroncos.com/news-and-blogs/article-1/Darius-Kilgo-knows-he-cant-be-just-a-nose-tackle/82b114a0-030e-4cb4-9851-cf446f52271c) at the team site: Says he and Walker both practiced at all three line positions in camp, so maybe NT #2 and #3.

SR
11-06-2015, 08:47 PM
Get over your nose tackle obsession. You do this every year and it never amounts to anything.

Yashahla17
11-07-2015, 04:32 AM
Get over your nose tackle obsession. You do this every year and it never amounts to anything.

Lol.

Joel
11-07-2015, 06:16 AM
Get over your nose tackle obsession. You do this every year and it never amounts to anything.
Except for the DECADE Larry Johnson and LaDainian Tomlinson ran all over us at will because we had nothing but tissue paper in the middle of our line; they met more resistance running through cheerleader banners in HS. Ah, the aptly named Demetrin Veal: The cut of meat known as "veal" is from a baby cow beaten till soft.

Our big (probably sole) debt to Del Rio is bringing in DTs worthy of the name, guys like Kevin Vickerson (a stud starter till N* dislocated his hip midseason) and Terrance Knighton (who essentially ended N*s season that year with a 4th down sack in the AFCCG.) He may even be part of why we spent a 1st round pick on Sly. Regardless, all but ONE of those guys is gone now, and 3-4s are FAR more dependent on NTs than even the 4-3, and our 4-3s were routinely gashed up the gut until we filled that perennial hole.

So, like, it kinda matters. I like Wolfe and Jackson, and they're good run stuffers, but, especially in a 3-4, our defensive line stands or falls on the quality of the NT anchoring it. Sly's transitioned from 4-3 UT far better than I expected, but there's only one of him, and not only taking on but DOMINATING two guys every down can't help wearing him down and causing injuries, at which point all we have is a 6th round rookie who hasn't even been ACTIVATED the last two games. If Walker (or whoever) is filling that hole, great.

You know all this stuff, so why debate it? Because of who said it?

SR
11-07-2015, 09:24 AM
Best defense in the league NOW and you're still botching about LADANIAN TOMLINSON AND LARRY JOHNSON from ten years ago.

BroncoJoe
11-07-2015, 10:36 AM
Best defense in the league NOW and you're still botching about LADANIAN TOMLINSON AND LARRY JOHNSON from ten years ago.

Yep. And it was only against the Broncos teams that they had any success. :tsk:

TXBRONC
11-07-2015, 11:23 AM
Best defense in the league NOW and you're still botching about LADANIAN TOMLINSON AND LARRY JOHNSON from ten years ago.

Joel lives in the past.

SR
11-07-2015, 01:55 PM
Yep.

VonDoom
12-08-2015, 04:48 PM
Aaron Wilson ‏@AaronWilson_NFL 28m28 minutes ago

Broncos cut offensive tackle Antonio Johnson from practice squad, sign offensive lineman Cameron Jefferson to practice squad