Lonestar
12-04-2007, 09:14 PM
http://www.denverpost.com/broncos/ci_7624725
Mike - Now that we have officially hit rock bottom by being embarrassed by the Lions and the Raiders in the same season, what does the team do in the offseason to rectify the glaring problems?
-- Shane Kryzsko, North Platte, Neb.
Shane - Long as this season seems, a full quarter remains. Losing to the Lions and Raiders isn't rock bottom. With a 5-7 record, true embarrassment would come if the Broncos finish 6-10. I don't see that happening, but the Broncos will have to play extremely well in the final quarter to wind up 8-8 and avoid the second losing season in the 13-year Mike Shanahan era.
For now, here's the realistic goal: Beat Kansas City at home Sunday and the Texans at Houston four days later. That would give the Broncos a 7-7 record going into their Christmas Eve game at San Diego. If the Chargers split their next two, they would be 8-6 going into that AFC West showdown. Then the season gets interesting again.
As for next year, there are many areas in need of repair, including tailback, one position they thought would be settled for at least two or three years. This assumes Travis Henry will be punished this week for a positive marijuana test. Other positions in need may be receiver (if Javon Walker doesn't return), linebacker (does D.J. Williams stay in the middle?), defensive line and maybe one more young safety to team with Hamza Abdullah.
But mostly, I believe a big part of the Broncos' problem this year was too much roster turnover. If this same group returns next year - an
It was yet another tough loss for Nate Webster and the Broncos to take after they fell to the Raiders on Sunday at McAfee Coliseum. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)impossibility in today's salary-cap/free-agent system - and avoided injuries, I think it could be a 10-6 club, 11-5 with a few breaks. Personnel improvements will be needed, particularly on defense, if the Broncos are to become 12-4, 13-3 caliber.
But the Broncos' primary downfall this year was too many injuries and lack of early season cohesion.
I watch these Broncos play and it seems to me that they only play for the money. Where is the heart? It just seems to me that some of them go through the motions when they get behind. Although, it was nice seeing Jay Cutler show some emotion at the end of the Raider debacle.
-- Jerry Sprinkel, Council Bluffs, Iowa
Jerry - One thing about football, a player can't afford to play only for the money. It's the most ruthless of all sports in terms of job security. There are so many great athletes trying to get your job and too many coaches with their necks on the line not to give it to them. Job insecurity pretty much assures all players give their all, whether a team is 8-4 or 4-8.
It's true human nature enters into the equation. Finishing off that route is easier for the Patriots' receivers than it is for the 49ers' receivers. But I thought the Broncos played hard Sunday. Have you ever zeroed in on John Lynch? I've never seen a guy who cared more about winning.
What you did see, though, Jerry, is a lack of assignment discipline. The defensive players missed too many gaps, and the
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offense missed too many blocks. The Broncos played with heart, but not focus.
I believe mental fatigue was the result of playing their fourth road game in five weeks, coupled with last week's demoralizing defeat at Chicago. I say this because I feel tired. With all this traveling, it's all I can do to put one foot in front of the other to show up to work. And all I do is sit and type. These guys not only play a physical game, but also must perform at a high level.
When looking at the Broncos' schedule this year, the stretch of six road games in eight weeks made a good start imperative. But with so many new faces on the roster and coaching staff, the team needed time to jell. By the time they began to play well, they hit the road. And hit the road again. And again.
I know. Excuses, excuses. But there were several factors conspiring against the Broncos having a successful season this year.
Did Denver buy too far into the Raiders' 32nd-ranked rush defense? The Broncos seemed so determined to run EVERY single down, and not once did it work.
-- Brad, Thompson, Conn.
Brad - The running game couldn't have been more efficient on the first drive, when Selvin Young would burst outside, followed by Travis Henry slashing his way inside. But neither back came into this game healthy. Young had a banged-up knee, and it didn't take long before he suffered an upper, right-arm injury. Henry said he was not quite 80 percent. Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said he had planned only to play Henry sparingly, but Young's injury left him no choice.
The beat-up tailback position is perhaps the Broncos' most immediate problem. They better hope Andre Hall's high-ankle sprain heals quickly.
Mike - Who is Taylor Jacobs? Thanks.
-- Brandon, Denver
Brandon - Taylor Jacobs seems like a nice guy. Quiet but friendly. He's a fifth-year pro from the University of Florida. He was the Redskins' second-round pick in 2003, but never really broke their lineup. He was traded to San Francisco prior to last season. He caught three passes for the 49ers this year but was released after their fourth game. He signed with the Broncos a month later.
He was asked to return kickoffs for the first time in his career Sunday against Oakland and appeared tentative, averaging less than 12 yards on his three tries.
Every game that I watch, you hear an announcer say that this QB has the strongest arm in the league. I've heard that Jay Cutler has the strongest arm, or John Elway, or Brett Favre, or JaMarcus Russell. Who really does and how would you know?
-- Reid, Hawaii
Reid - I don't think anyone will ever top the arm strength of John Elway. Earlier this year, I sought the opinion of Javon Walker, who caught passes for Brett Favre in Green Bay and now Cutler. I asked Walker: If Favre throws 100 mph, how hard does Cutler throw? Walker said 95 mph. From where I sit in the press box, I think Walker might have been selling Cutler short a mph or two.
Using the same baseball-speedgun analogy, Elway probably clocked in at 108 mph. When it came to throwing fastballs, Elway was the Nolan Ryan of football quarterbacks.
The arms attached to the other guys you mentioned, though, are plenty strong. Cutler didn't have his best game Sunday at Oakland but he almost rallied his team back on those two, long, third-quarter, bee-bees to Brandon Stokley. I've seen 15-yard button hooks before. Maybe a 20-yard curl every now and then. But a 33-yard hook pattern into the receiver's gut? I don't think I had ever seen it.
Greetings, Mike, from the land of fire and ash. Since this season has gone quickly down the drain, is it too early to look to the offseason? I'm just curious who the sacrificial goat will be this time around. My money is on Mike Heimerdinger. Maybe Jim Bates, too. And Domonique Foxworth. Probably Brandon Marshall as well. Where do you buy goats? I want my pound of flesh, too.
-- Scott Painter, Long Beach, Calif.
Scott - You have a nice writing touch. But, if I may, an odd perspective. You want to dump Brandon Marshall? I know the kid has made some mistakes off the field. Most of these transgressions can probably be eliminated with maturity. But Marshall is a talent you build around, not scapegoat.
Domonique Foxworth? For a franchise that's had way too much off-field trouble, Foxworth should be the last player to go. First, Foxworth can play. He's a cornerback by trade but the team has been playing him at safety on passing downs. He's not the strongest. He may not be the fastest. But he could be the smartest.
He's also the Broncos' Walter Payton Man of the year.
I don't want to see the other guys sacrificed either. These are good men. Family men. I think Heimerdinger is on a roll with his play calling. He didn't fumble Sunday.
There's no denying the Broncos' defense deserves a poor overall grade this year. Bates is ultimately responsible for the defense's performance. He has stood before the cameras and notebooks and accepted responsibility. It would be fair to Bates if he got another year. His defensive system was a dramatic departure from what the Broncos used previously.
Shanahan may well make staff changes at year's end. But during this holiday season, why the rush to send these guys to the unemployment line?
As a TEAM, is this Broncos' unit one of the most underachieving in the NFL this year?
-- Aaron Smith, Lakewood
Aaron - Given the injuries, a young quarterback, a new defense and season-long distraction that was Travis Henry, a case can be made the Broncos overachieved. Put it this way: After they were drubbed in Detroit, did anybody think the Broncos would be tied for the AFC West lead two weeks later?
Shanahan has never been afraid to say a major reason why the Broncos won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997-98 is because they didn't suffer any major injuries. They also stayed healthy in 2005, when they made their run to the AFC Championship Game.
The Broncos have not been healthy the past two years. They are flat-out injury riddled this year. Granted, the Broncos failed to seize leniency offered through a relatively soft schedule. Battered as they are, their season would have changed had they beat the Bears.
But in the end, the Broncos went too far down their depth chart at too many positions to make a sustained run.
Hi, Mike. Thanks for the mailbag. Can you explain why there are fewer camera angles available for challenged calls/replay at "lesser" games - to the networks, I guess, right? That is a situation that impacts the video-review process, and it seems unfair. Why should some teams have the benefit of three to five camera angles to help support the review, and a game like Sunday's has only one? Does not seem fair to me. What light can you shed?
-- Kathy, Colorado Springs
Kathy - There is not a nuance in the game that escapes the keen collection of mailbaggers. From what I was told, the Broncos-Raiders game was the only CBS regional telecast that wasn't shown through high-definition cameras. As if the Broncos' demise needed any more proof.
Plain and simple, the networks only have so many cameras. They'll put their best equipment at the games where they will draw the widest audience, and therefore greatest revenue. Fair? Business is business. Remember, it wasn't that long ago games were officiated without the use of instant replay.
Hey, Mike. I know it's a little early, but what position do you see the Broncos focusing on in the 2008 NFL draft?
-- Brian Davis, Oklahoma City
Brian - I'm the wrong guy to ask. The last two years, I thought the Broncos should have looked first at safety, because of the age on John Lynch and Nick Ferguson. My mistake was I figured a talented rookie would be broken in gradually. But the Broncos theory is they're not going to take a safety in the first round unless he starts right away. And because Lynch and Ferguson had something left, they went elsewhere in the draft.
But because I can't resist taking an educated guess, I think the Broncos will again look at either defensive line or linebacker early in the draft. Maybe a safety. Maybe a speed receiver.
Mike - Now that we have officially hit rock bottom by being embarrassed by the Lions and the Raiders in the same season, what does the team do in the offseason to rectify the glaring problems?
-- Shane Kryzsko, North Platte, Neb.
Shane - Long as this season seems, a full quarter remains. Losing to the Lions and Raiders isn't rock bottom. With a 5-7 record, true embarrassment would come if the Broncos finish 6-10. I don't see that happening, but the Broncos will have to play extremely well in the final quarter to wind up 8-8 and avoid the second losing season in the 13-year Mike Shanahan era.
For now, here's the realistic goal: Beat Kansas City at home Sunday and the Texans at Houston four days later. That would give the Broncos a 7-7 record going into their Christmas Eve game at San Diego. If the Chargers split their next two, they would be 8-6 going into that AFC West showdown. Then the season gets interesting again.
As for next year, there are many areas in need of repair, including tailback, one position they thought would be settled for at least two or three years. This assumes Travis Henry will be punished this week for a positive marijuana test. Other positions in need may be receiver (if Javon Walker doesn't return), linebacker (does D.J. Williams stay in the middle?), defensive line and maybe one more young safety to team with Hamza Abdullah.
But mostly, I believe a big part of the Broncos' problem this year was too much roster turnover. If this same group returns next year - an
It was yet another tough loss for Nate Webster and the Broncos to take after they fell to the Raiders on Sunday at McAfee Coliseum. (John Leyba, The Denver Post)impossibility in today's salary-cap/free-agent system - and avoided injuries, I think it could be a 10-6 club, 11-5 with a few breaks. Personnel improvements will be needed, particularly on defense, if the Broncos are to become 12-4, 13-3 caliber.
But the Broncos' primary downfall this year was too many injuries and lack of early season cohesion.
I watch these Broncos play and it seems to me that they only play for the money. Where is the heart? It just seems to me that some of them go through the motions when they get behind. Although, it was nice seeing Jay Cutler show some emotion at the end of the Raider debacle.
-- Jerry Sprinkel, Council Bluffs, Iowa
Jerry - One thing about football, a player can't afford to play only for the money. It's the most ruthless of all sports in terms of job security. There are so many great athletes trying to get your job and too many coaches with their necks on the line not to give it to them. Job insecurity pretty much assures all players give their all, whether a team is 8-4 or 4-8.
It's true human nature enters into the equation. Finishing off that route is easier for the Patriots' receivers than it is for the 49ers' receivers. But I thought the Broncos played hard Sunday. Have you ever zeroed in on John Lynch? I've never seen a guy who cared more about winning.
What you did see, though, Jerry, is a lack of assignment discipline. The defensive players missed too many gaps, and the
Submit a Question
Speak up by sending your Broncos- or NFL-related question to Mike Klis
offense missed too many blocks. The Broncos played with heart, but not focus.
I believe mental fatigue was the result of playing their fourth road game in five weeks, coupled with last week's demoralizing defeat at Chicago. I say this because I feel tired. With all this traveling, it's all I can do to put one foot in front of the other to show up to work. And all I do is sit and type. These guys not only play a physical game, but also must perform at a high level.
When looking at the Broncos' schedule this year, the stretch of six road games in eight weeks made a good start imperative. But with so many new faces on the roster and coaching staff, the team needed time to jell. By the time they began to play well, they hit the road. And hit the road again. And again.
I know. Excuses, excuses. But there were several factors conspiring against the Broncos having a successful season this year.
Did Denver buy too far into the Raiders' 32nd-ranked rush defense? The Broncos seemed so determined to run EVERY single down, and not once did it work.
-- Brad, Thompson, Conn.
Brad - The running game couldn't have been more efficient on the first drive, when Selvin Young would burst outside, followed by Travis Henry slashing his way inside. But neither back came into this game healthy. Young had a banged-up knee, and it didn't take long before he suffered an upper, right-arm injury. Henry said he was not quite 80 percent. Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said he had planned only to play Henry sparingly, but Young's injury left him no choice.
The beat-up tailback position is perhaps the Broncos' most immediate problem. They better hope Andre Hall's high-ankle sprain heals quickly.
Mike - Who is Taylor Jacobs? Thanks.
-- Brandon, Denver
Brandon - Taylor Jacobs seems like a nice guy. Quiet but friendly. He's a fifth-year pro from the University of Florida. He was the Redskins' second-round pick in 2003, but never really broke their lineup. He was traded to San Francisco prior to last season. He caught three passes for the 49ers this year but was released after their fourth game. He signed with the Broncos a month later.
He was asked to return kickoffs for the first time in his career Sunday against Oakland and appeared tentative, averaging less than 12 yards on his three tries.
Every game that I watch, you hear an announcer say that this QB has the strongest arm in the league. I've heard that Jay Cutler has the strongest arm, or John Elway, or Brett Favre, or JaMarcus Russell. Who really does and how would you know?
-- Reid, Hawaii
Reid - I don't think anyone will ever top the arm strength of John Elway. Earlier this year, I sought the opinion of Javon Walker, who caught passes for Brett Favre in Green Bay and now Cutler. I asked Walker: If Favre throws 100 mph, how hard does Cutler throw? Walker said 95 mph. From where I sit in the press box, I think Walker might have been selling Cutler short a mph or two.
Using the same baseball-speedgun analogy, Elway probably clocked in at 108 mph. When it came to throwing fastballs, Elway was the Nolan Ryan of football quarterbacks.
The arms attached to the other guys you mentioned, though, are plenty strong. Cutler didn't have his best game Sunday at Oakland but he almost rallied his team back on those two, long, third-quarter, bee-bees to Brandon Stokley. I've seen 15-yard button hooks before. Maybe a 20-yard curl every now and then. But a 33-yard hook pattern into the receiver's gut? I don't think I had ever seen it.
Greetings, Mike, from the land of fire and ash. Since this season has gone quickly down the drain, is it too early to look to the offseason? I'm just curious who the sacrificial goat will be this time around. My money is on Mike Heimerdinger. Maybe Jim Bates, too. And Domonique Foxworth. Probably Brandon Marshall as well. Where do you buy goats? I want my pound of flesh, too.
-- Scott Painter, Long Beach, Calif.
Scott - You have a nice writing touch. But, if I may, an odd perspective. You want to dump Brandon Marshall? I know the kid has made some mistakes off the field. Most of these transgressions can probably be eliminated with maturity. But Marshall is a talent you build around, not scapegoat.
Domonique Foxworth? For a franchise that's had way too much off-field trouble, Foxworth should be the last player to go. First, Foxworth can play. He's a cornerback by trade but the team has been playing him at safety on passing downs. He's not the strongest. He may not be the fastest. But he could be the smartest.
He's also the Broncos' Walter Payton Man of the year.
I don't want to see the other guys sacrificed either. These are good men. Family men. I think Heimerdinger is on a roll with his play calling. He didn't fumble Sunday.
There's no denying the Broncos' defense deserves a poor overall grade this year. Bates is ultimately responsible for the defense's performance. He has stood before the cameras and notebooks and accepted responsibility. It would be fair to Bates if he got another year. His defensive system was a dramatic departure from what the Broncos used previously.
Shanahan may well make staff changes at year's end. But during this holiday season, why the rush to send these guys to the unemployment line?
As a TEAM, is this Broncos' unit one of the most underachieving in the NFL this year?
-- Aaron Smith, Lakewood
Aaron - Given the injuries, a young quarterback, a new defense and season-long distraction that was Travis Henry, a case can be made the Broncos overachieved. Put it this way: After they were drubbed in Detroit, did anybody think the Broncos would be tied for the AFC West lead two weeks later?
Shanahan has never been afraid to say a major reason why the Broncos won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997-98 is because they didn't suffer any major injuries. They also stayed healthy in 2005, when they made their run to the AFC Championship Game.
The Broncos have not been healthy the past two years. They are flat-out injury riddled this year. Granted, the Broncos failed to seize leniency offered through a relatively soft schedule. Battered as they are, their season would have changed had they beat the Bears.
But in the end, the Broncos went too far down their depth chart at too many positions to make a sustained run.
Hi, Mike. Thanks for the mailbag. Can you explain why there are fewer camera angles available for challenged calls/replay at "lesser" games - to the networks, I guess, right? That is a situation that impacts the video-review process, and it seems unfair. Why should some teams have the benefit of three to five camera angles to help support the review, and a game like Sunday's has only one? Does not seem fair to me. What light can you shed?
-- Kathy, Colorado Springs
Kathy - There is not a nuance in the game that escapes the keen collection of mailbaggers. From what I was told, the Broncos-Raiders game was the only CBS regional telecast that wasn't shown through high-definition cameras. As if the Broncos' demise needed any more proof.
Plain and simple, the networks only have so many cameras. They'll put their best equipment at the games where they will draw the widest audience, and therefore greatest revenue. Fair? Business is business. Remember, it wasn't that long ago games were officiated without the use of instant replay.
Hey, Mike. I know it's a little early, but what position do you see the Broncos focusing on in the 2008 NFL draft?
-- Brian Davis, Oklahoma City
Brian - I'm the wrong guy to ask. The last two years, I thought the Broncos should have looked first at safety, because of the age on John Lynch and Nick Ferguson. My mistake was I figured a talented rookie would be broken in gradually. But the Broncos theory is they're not going to take a safety in the first round unless he starts right away. And because Lynch and Ferguson had something left, they went elsewhere in the draft.
But because I can't resist taking an educated guess, I think the Broncos will again look at either defensive line or linebacker early in the draft. Maybe a safety. Maybe a speed receiver.