Lonestar
10-10-2009, 12:56 PM
Relationship between hoodies and victories intrigues Peter from Denver
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
Posted: 10/06/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT
Denver Post sports writer Mike Klis posts his Broncos Mailbag on Tuesdays during the 2009 NFL season.
Pose a Broncos- or NFL-related question for the Broncos Mailbag.
Am I the only one who has noticed that Josh McDaniels is 0-3 with the hoodie (the first three preseason games) and 5-0 without (including the final preseason game)? I think you guys at The Denver Post should look into that.
-- Peter, Denver
Peter - Thanks to this mailbag, no trend is considered too meaningless for The Denver Post. Our research department has determined your numbers are a little off, Peter. McDaniels did not wear a hoodie in the first preseason loss against San Francisco. And he did wear a hoodie Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.
Thus, the correct numbers are 1-2 with the hoodie, 4-1 without -- counting preseason, which no one does. Regardless, whether it's about a disgruntled star quarterback who gets his wish to be traded, or a disgruntled star receiver who doesn't get his wish to be traded, or who to select in the draft, or what to wear on game day, it should be obvious by now that while McDaniels appreciates all advice, he's going to do things his way.
I noticed that the end-zone paint jobs didn't have the normal logo and Broncos wording in them but instead had just the stripes from the old AFL days. Is this how the end zone is going to be painted for the rest of the season or was it "special"?
-- Roushell, Amarillo, Texas
Roushell - If you're going to have a party, you've got to decorate. The "old school" end-zone looks are part of the team's 50th season anniversary celebration. Invesco Field end zones had single diagonal stripes in the first home game. There were crossing stripes added for the second game.
For the game Sunday against the New England Patriots, the Broncos will be wearing their 1960 uniforms -- brown helmets with the numerals on the side, mustard gold and brown jerseys, brown pants with white piping and vertical-striped, mustard and brown socks. The Patriots will be wearing their early 1960s, red, white and blue look with the Minuteman logo on their helmet. The Minuteman helmet, by the way, is the favorite of former Denver Post Broncos beat writer Bill Williamson.
Hey, Mike. Are there any Rockies fans on the Broncos? If so, who? Thanks.
-- Jeff R., Denver
Jeff R. - Now that Dre' Bly and Jay Cutler are no longer with the team, I would say Tony Scheffler is the biggest baseball fan among Broncos players, although he loves the Tigers. Scheffler hit .293 in three years at Western Michigan.
Ryan Harris is a big Minnesota Twins fan, having gone to the same high school as Joe Mauer. I'm guessing Scheffler and Harris will be paying attention to the Tigers-Twins' "play in" game today at the Metrodome before they start getting serious about the Rockies.
Broncos chief operating officer Joe Ellis got his professional start working concessions at Fenway Park. The biggest Yankees fan in Colorado is Broncos' media relations boss Jim Saccomano. Backup quarterback Chris Simms also loves the Yanks. They all follow the Rockies with interest.
Mark Thewes, Josh McDaniels' right-hand man, was a four-year starting shortstop at Miami (Ohio) University, and hopes to attend one of the Rockies' playoff games at Coors Field.
Submit a Question
Speak up by sending your Broncos- or NFL-related question to Mike Klis
Hey, Mike. Do you want to say, "I told you so," to those pundits who said you were crazy to predict more than four wins for the Broncos this season? They already have four!
-- Ian, Iowa
Hey, Ian - Want to have a catch?
Mike - Who has the advantage in the New England game -- the pupil or the master?
-- Matt, Pagosa Springs
Matt - In terms of putting together a game plan, I'm thinking Josh McDaniels knows more about Bill Belichick than Belichick knows about McDaniels. In theory, the teacher only knows what he knows. The pupil knows what the teacher knows, plus a few other lessons he's learned elsewhere.
On the flip side, it's the pupil who holds the teacher in reverence -- not the other way around. Consequently, any competition between mentor and protégé usually means more to the protégé. McDaniels has proven to be extremely smart, but he has to be careful he doesn't try to become overly intelligent this week.
Mike - I've been very impressed so far with our front seven. We knew our secondary would be good, but I'm shocked at how well we've tackled and held up at the line of scrimmage. Do you think, based on what you've seen, that we really have what it takes up front to hold up through this murderous next part of the schedule against some of the top offenses in the league?
-- Andy, Monterey, Calif.
Andy - You bring up a great point. More and more, the best teams aren't necessarily winning Super Bowls because the NFL season has increasingly become a battle of attrition. The Broncos are clearly stronger and better conditioned than in past seasons -- they have outscored opponents 46-7 in the second half this year.
But in general, championships are won by the good teams that stay the healthiest. This is why the proposal to expand the regular season to 18 games is a bad deal for the players. I understand the league wanting to reduce the number of preseason games -- everybody does. But too many players from the 12- and 14-game seasons are suffering senior citizens. Imagine the future pain a player from the 18-game era will endure.
Mike - If Brandon Marshall finishes the season without a new contract -- and provided there are no changes to the current CBA -- he becomes a restricted free agent, correct? If so, and assuming the Broncos keep him, how does the contract work? Is the current contract simply extended (if so, how much money for year four and five?), or do they then go to battle on reaching new terms?
-- Alex Adams, Burley, Idaho
Alex - A team can offer various, one-year tender levels to their restricted free agents. In Marshall's case, the Broncos would likely offer him the highest tender, which would pay him a $3.043 million salary for next year. Other teams can also bid on Marshall by submitting more lucrative offer sheets, but those teams would not only have to pay Marshall the larger contract, but also surrender their 2010 first-round and third-round draft picks to the Broncos.
The Broncos, in turn, would have the right to match any contract offer submitted by another club and keep Marshall (but not the draft picks).
Ultimately, the Broncos know restricted free agency won't be an option in retaining Marshall. Given his holdout during the past offseason, the Broncos will have to give him a more lucrative, long-term contract extension following this season, trade him, or let him leave via restricted free agency. There's no way he's coming back on a one-year, $3.043 million deal.
I read an article recently listing our beloved Elvis Dumervil as underpaid. Made it seem as if it were inevitable that he would leave Denver after his contract runs out after this season. Any word on any contract talks to keep him in a Broncos uniform?
-- Dante, Oklahoma City
Dante - No, but they're coming. What could Dumervil command on the open market? Let's compare him to two players -- Dwight Freeney (a smaller-sized defensive end in the 4-3) and Terrell Suggs (a pass-rushing outside linebacker in the 3-4). Freeney averages .706 sacks per game (75 1/2 in 107 games) and will have collected $37.72 million over the past three seasons. Suggs, who averages .555 sacks per game (55 1/2 in 100 games), is just starting a six-year deal with a $38 million guarantee. Dumervil averages .694 sacks per game (34 in 49 games).
By Mike Klis
The Denver Post
Posted: 10/06/2009 01:00:00 AM MDT
Denver Post sports writer Mike Klis posts his Broncos Mailbag on Tuesdays during the 2009 NFL season.
Pose a Broncos- or NFL-related question for the Broncos Mailbag.
Am I the only one who has noticed that Josh McDaniels is 0-3 with the hoodie (the first three preseason games) and 5-0 without (including the final preseason game)? I think you guys at The Denver Post should look into that.
-- Peter, Denver
Peter - Thanks to this mailbag, no trend is considered too meaningless for The Denver Post. Our research department has determined your numbers are a little off, Peter. McDaniels did not wear a hoodie in the first preseason loss against San Francisco. And he did wear a hoodie Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.
Thus, the correct numbers are 1-2 with the hoodie, 4-1 without -- counting preseason, which no one does. Regardless, whether it's about a disgruntled star quarterback who gets his wish to be traded, or a disgruntled star receiver who doesn't get his wish to be traded, or who to select in the draft, or what to wear on game day, it should be obvious by now that while McDaniels appreciates all advice, he's going to do things his way.
I noticed that the end-zone paint jobs didn't have the normal logo and Broncos wording in them but instead had just the stripes from the old AFL days. Is this how the end zone is going to be painted for the rest of the season or was it "special"?
-- Roushell, Amarillo, Texas
Roushell - If you're going to have a party, you've got to decorate. The "old school" end-zone looks are part of the team's 50th season anniversary celebration. Invesco Field end zones had single diagonal stripes in the first home game. There were crossing stripes added for the second game.
For the game Sunday against the New England Patriots, the Broncos will be wearing their 1960 uniforms -- brown helmets with the numerals on the side, mustard gold and brown jerseys, brown pants with white piping and vertical-striped, mustard and brown socks. The Patriots will be wearing their early 1960s, red, white and blue look with the Minuteman logo on their helmet. The Minuteman helmet, by the way, is the favorite of former Denver Post Broncos beat writer Bill Williamson.
Hey, Mike. Are there any Rockies fans on the Broncos? If so, who? Thanks.
-- Jeff R., Denver
Jeff R. - Now that Dre' Bly and Jay Cutler are no longer with the team, I would say Tony Scheffler is the biggest baseball fan among Broncos players, although he loves the Tigers. Scheffler hit .293 in three years at Western Michigan.
Ryan Harris is a big Minnesota Twins fan, having gone to the same high school as Joe Mauer. I'm guessing Scheffler and Harris will be paying attention to the Tigers-Twins' "play in" game today at the Metrodome before they start getting serious about the Rockies.
Broncos chief operating officer Joe Ellis got his professional start working concessions at Fenway Park. The biggest Yankees fan in Colorado is Broncos' media relations boss Jim Saccomano. Backup quarterback Chris Simms also loves the Yanks. They all follow the Rockies with interest.
Mark Thewes, Josh McDaniels' right-hand man, was a four-year starting shortstop at Miami (Ohio) University, and hopes to attend one of the Rockies' playoff games at Coors Field.
Submit a Question
Speak up by sending your Broncos- or NFL-related question to Mike Klis
Hey, Mike. Do you want to say, "I told you so," to those pundits who said you were crazy to predict more than four wins for the Broncos this season? They already have four!
-- Ian, Iowa
Hey, Ian - Want to have a catch?
Mike - Who has the advantage in the New England game -- the pupil or the master?
-- Matt, Pagosa Springs
Matt - In terms of putting together a game plan, I'm thinking Josh McDaniels knows more about Bill Belichick than Belichick knows about McDaniels. In theory, the teacher only knows what he knows. The pupil knows what the teacher knows, plus a few other lessons he's learned elsewhere.
On the flip side, it's the pupil who holds the teacher in reverence -- not the other way around. Consequently, any competition between mentor and protégé usually means more to the protégé. McDaniels has proven to be extremely smart, but he has to be careful he doesn't try to become overly intelligent this week.
Mike - I've been very impressed so far with our front seven. We knew our secondary would be good, but I'm shocked at how well we've tackled and held up at the line of scrimmage. Do you think, based on what you've seen, that we really have what it takes up front to hold up through this murderous next part of the schedule against some of the top offenses in the league?
-- Andy, Monterey, Calif.
Andy - You bring up a great point. More and more, the best teams aren't necessarily winning Super Bowls because the NFL season has increasingly become a battle of attrition. The Broncos are clearly stronger and better conditioned than in past seasons -- they have outscored opponents 46-7 in the second half this year.
But in general, championships are won by the good teams that stay the healthiest. This is why the proposal to expand the regular season to 18 games is a bad deal for the players. I understand the league wanting to reduce the number of preseason games -- everybody does. But too many players from the 12- and 14-game seasons are suffering senior citizens. Imagine the future pain a player from the 18-game era will endure.
Mike - If Brandon Marshall finishes the season without a new contract -- and provided there are no changes to the current CBA -- he becomes a restricted free agent, correct? If so, and assuming the Broncos keep him, how does the contract work? Is the current contract simply extended (if so, how much money for year four and five?), or do they then go to battle on reaching new terms?
-- Alex Adams, Burley, Idaho
Alex - A team can offer various, one-year tender levels to their restricted free agents. In Marshall's case, the Broncos would likely offer him the highest tender, which would pay him a $3.043 million salary for next year. Other teams can also bid on Marshall by submitting more lucrative offer sheets, but those teams would not only have to pay Marshall the larger contract, but also surrender their 2010 first-round and third-round draft picks to the Broncos.
The Broncos, in turn, would have the right to match any contract offer submitted by another club and keep Marshall (but not the draft picks).
Ultimately, the Broncos know restricted free agency won't be an option in retaining Marshall. Given his holdout during the past offseason, the Broncos will have to give him a more lucrative, long-term contract extension following this season, trade him, or let him leave via restricted free agency. There's no way he's coming back on a one-year, $3.043 million deal.
I read an article recently listing our beloved Elvis Dumervil as underpaid. Made it seem as if it were inevitable that he would leave Denver after his contract runs out after this season. Any word on any contract talks to keep him in a Broncos uniform?
-- Dante, Oklahoma City
Dante - No, but they're coming. What could Dumervil command on the open market? Let's compare him to two players -- Dwight Freeney (a smaller-sized defensive end in the 4-3) and Terrell Suggs (a pass-rushing outside linebacker in the 3-4). Freeney averages .706 sacks per game (75 1/2 in 107 games) and will have collected $37.72 million over the past three seasons. Suggs, who averages .555 sacks per game (55 1/2 in 100 games), is just starting a six-year deal with a $38 million guarantee. Dumervil averages .694 sacks per game (34 in 49 games).