TXBRONC
12-29-2007, 11:06 PM
While it's things we already know I like Rasizer's take on it.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/dec/29/team-suffers-from-amnesia/
Team suffers from amnesia
Denver's mission during offseason: regain an identity
By Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Saturday, December 29, 2007
"They are who we thought they were!"
Dennis Green, former Arizona Cardinals coach, in a 2006 rant.
The Broncos are suffering through an identity crisis.
They don't know who they are.
They aren't a playoff team, that much is known.
But it wasn't long ago that the Broncos could be pigeonholed as a run-oriented team that lived off play-action, complemented by an aggressive, attacking defense.
Now? When the run fails to produce consistent results, it's often abandoned and the passing game takes over.
And don't even try to figure out what's going on defensively. It was the big fellas up front to start, replaced midstream by smaller, quicker players. It was seven in the box, then eight. They'd blitz one week, then back off and play eight men in coverage the next.
"You can't have an identity when you're so inconsistent," Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey said. "I mean, one week, we're smash-mouth, running the ball well, throwing well, not making mistakes, playing aggressive defense. The next week, we're not even close to that. I don't know what we are right now."
The Super Bowl-bound Chicago Bears left no doubt of their makeup last season, when Green went into his tirade after a particularly gut-wrenching defeat.
Say New England, Indianapolis, San Diego, Dallas or Green Bay these days, and even casual fans know what to expect from those teams in the upcoming postseason party.
Not so with these Broncos, who have to decide quickly what they want to be before they can fill in the roster this offseason and head aggressively in that direction.
"It's going to influence where they go in the draft and the offseason in terms of what type of personnel you try to acquire - knowing exactly who you are," said David Diaz-Infante, a former Broncos lineman and now game analyst for their flagship radio station, KOA-AM (850).
A spate of injuries has contributed to Denver's lack of identity.
Season-ending injuries to players such as Ebenezer Ekuban, Stephen Alexander, Tom Nalen and Ben Hamilton contributed to a fall to 6-9 heading into the season finale Sunday (2:15 p.m., Fox 31) at home against Minnesota.
The injuries forced roster changes. And having a slew of new coaches, particularly defensively, in conjunction with those switches added to the chaos of the Broncos' first losing season since 1999.
Safety John Lynch said an adjustment period was anticipated, but the thought was that the team would jell over time. Instead, the level of play, in many respects, has gotten worse.
"At times, I felt we were getting somewhere, and then, at other times, it leaves, so it's been fleeting," Lynch said. "That's still something we have to establish."
Patience hasn't been a virtue for the Broncos. The club has been aggressive to get perceived quick fixes to plug gaps to feed a Super Bowl-or-bust mentality. But with the number of issues the Broncos face, that attitude might have to be scaled back.
Change might have to be more organic to build the identity that can, in time, rival New England and Indianapolis, with the improvement of young players such as quarterback Jay Cutler, wide receiver Brandon Marshall and the three defensive linemen selected in April.
First, though, it boils down to what type of scheme best suits the Broncos on both sides of the ball and sticking to it.
"Mike's able to adapt his offense to whatever happens. And they're always going to run the football with the zone blocking, that's their identity now and in the future," ESPN analyst Steve Young said. "Defensively, the point is well-taken. How are we going to defend? Are we going to lean on the big boys? Are we going to be quick?
"It's all about opportunity and who you've got, the availability of players and who you're developing. And that's really where the challenge has been in Denver for some time now. They've always been able to score points. But their defensive line, they really don't have one right now. There's the identity - offensive and defensive lines. They don't get the notoriety, but they're the identity. They set the tone every week. And that's where, if the Broncos are going to compete next year, they have to solve those two things."
That fits into tight end Daniel Graham's vision of what he'd like to see from the offense, which has been unable to consistently get tough yards close to the goal line.
"It's important that you know, when you play us, it's going to be a physical offense," Graham said.
Slugging it out also is a component of Lynch's thinking.
"We need to become a defense that does the dirty work, plays the run, plays extremely physical and, when you get them in passing situations, get after the quarterback. We struggled to do that this year," he said.
Finding the right mix to accomplish those goals is a challenge, with more teams keeping their top-tier free agents.
Having some of the injured players back should help. But, in some respects, it's a quick-fix solution to what is a long-term problem.
Another solid draft along the lines of 2006 is critical, particularly with the team likely drafting higher than it ever has under Shanahan. And players such as Cutler, Marshall and defensive end Elvis Dumervil have to make strides again next year.
"The difficult thing with the Broncos is, they're caught somewhere in between, which might be the most difficult place to be," Diaz-Infante said. "Because you're not totally rebuilding. They're stuck right now at the point between, 'How old are we?' 'How old are we getting?' 'How good can we be, and can we be there next year?' "
Perhaps even more difficult in recapturing the swagger of successful Broncos teams is weeding out selfishness and getting back to what receiver Rod Smith dubbed a "professionalism" that's necessary for a unified charge toward a common goal.
It used to define the club but has gotten lost, Smith said.
"It's not a matter of not playing hard, but it's a certain way of conducting business," he said. "Everybody's an individual, and you've got to respect their individuality and their talents and all that. But if you're going to work in this organization, I think there's a certain standard in this organization that you have to abide by - or you don't need to be here."
rasizerl@RockyMountain News.com
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/dec/29/team-suffers-from-amnesia/
Team suffers from amnesia
Denver's mission during offseason: regain an identity
By Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Saturday, December 29, 2007
"They are who we thought they were!"
Dennis Green, former Arizona Cardinals coach, in a 2006 rant.
The Broncos are suffering through an identity crisis.
They don't know who they are.
They aren't a playoff team, that much is known.
But it wasn't long ago that the Broncos could be pigeonholed as a run-oriented team that lived off play-action, complemented by an aggressive, attacking defense.
Now? When the run fails to produce consistent results, it's often abandoned and the passing game takes over.
And don't even try to figure out what's going on defensively. It was the big fellas up front to start, replaced midstream by smaller, quicker players. It was seven in the box, then eight. They'd blitz one week, then back off and play eight men in coverage the next.
"You can't have an identity when you're so inconsistent," Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey said. "I mean, one week, we're smash-mouth, running the ball well, throwing well, not making mistakes, playing aggressive defense. The next week, we're not even close to that. I don't know what we are right now."
The Super Bowl-bound Chicago Bears left no doubt of their makeup last season, when Green went into his tirade after a particularly gut-wrenching defeat.
Say New England, Indianapolis, San Diego, Dallas or Green Bay these days, and even casual fans know what to expect from those teams in the upcoming postseason party.
Not so with these Broncos, who have to decide quickly what they want to be before they can fill in the roster this offseason and head aggressively in that direction.
"It's going to influence where they go in the draft and the offseason in terms of what type of personnel you try to acquire - knowing exactly who you are," said David Diaz-Infante, a former Broncos lineman and now game analyst for their flagship radio station, KOA-AM (850).
A spate of injuries has contributed to Denver's lack of identity.
Season-ending injuries to players such as Ebenezer Ekuban, Stephen Alexander, Tom Nalen and Ben Hamilton contributed to a fall to 6-9 heading into the season finale Sunday (2:15 p.m., Fox 31) at home against Minnesota.
The injuries forced roster changes. And having a slew of new coaches, particularly defensively, in conjunction with those switches added to the chaos of the Broncos' first losing season since 1999.
Safety John Lynch said an adjustment period was anticipated, but the thought was that the team would jell over time. Instead, the level of play, in many respects, has gotten worse.
"At times, I felt we were getting somewhere, and then, at other times, it leaves, so it's been fleeting," Lynch said. "That's still something we have to establish."
Patience hasn't been a virtue for the Broncos. The club has been aggressive to get perceived quick fixes to plug gaps to feed a Super Bowl-or-bust mentality. But with the number of issues the Broncos face, that attitude might have to be scaled back.
Change might have to be more organic to build the identity that can, in time, rival New England and Indianapolis, with the improvement of young players such as quarterback Jay Cutler, wide receiver Brandon Marshall and the three defensive linemen selected in April.
First, though, it boils down to what type of scheme best suits the Broncos on both sides of the ball and sticking to it.
"Mike's able to adapt his offense to whatever happens. And they're always going to run the football with the zone blocking, that's their identity now and in the future," ESPN analyst Steve Young said. "Defensively, the point is well-taken. How are we going to defend? Are we going to lean on the big boys? Are we going to be quick?
"It's all about opportunity and who you've got, the availability of players and who you're developing. And that's really where the challenge has been in Denver for some time now. They've always been able to score points. But their defensive line, they really don't have one right now. There's the identity - offensive and defensive lines. They don't get the notoriety, but they're the identity. They set the tone every week. And that's where, if the Broncos are going to compete next year, they have to solve those two things."
That fits into tight end Daniel Graham's vision of what he'd like to see from the offense, which has been unable to consistently get tough yards close to the goal line.
"It's important that you know, when you play us, it's going to be a physical offense," Graham said.
Slugging it out also is a component of Lynch's thinking.
"We need to become a defense that does the dirty work, plays the run, plays extremely physical and, when you get them in passing situations, get after the quarterback. We struggled to do that this year," he said.
Finding the right mix to accomplish those goals is a challenge, with more teams keeping their top-tier free agents.
Having some of the injured players back should help. But, in some respects, it's a quick-fix solution to what is a long-term problem.
Another solid draft along the lines of 2006 is critical, particularly with the team likely drafting higher than it ever has under Shanahan. And players such as Cutler, Marshall and defensive end Elvis Dumervil have to make strides again next year.
"The difficult thing with the Broncos is, they're caught somewhere in between, which might be the most difficult place to be," Diaz-Infante said. "Because you're not totally rebuilding. They're stuck right now at the point between, 'How old are we?' 'How old are we getting?' 'How good can we be, and can we be there next year?' "
Perhaps even more difficult in recapturing the swagger of successful Broncos teams is weeding out selfishness and getting back to what receiver Rod Smith dubbed a "professionalism" that's necessary for a unified charge toward a common goal.
It used to define the club but has gotten lost, Smith said.
"It's not a matter of not playing hard, but it's a certain way of conducting business," he said. "Everybody's an individual, and you've got to respect their individuality and their talents and all that. But if you're going to work in this organization, I think there's a certain standard in this organization that you have to abide by - or you don't need to be here."
rasizerl@RockyMountain News.com