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WARHORSE
02-09-2008, 04:22 AM
Legends preach patience

Former stars: Better drafts are key

By Lee Rasizer (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/staff/lee-rasizer/), Rocky Mountain News (Contact (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/staff/lee-rasizer/contact/))

Saturday, February 9, 2008


http://media.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/content/img/photos/2008/02/08/436052082_t220.jpg (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/photos/2008/feb/08/38225/) Don Emmert / Afp/Getty Images
Former Super Bowl MVPs John Elway, right, and Terrell Davis agree that it will take some time for the Broncos to return to the NFL title game. Quick fixes haven't worked for Denver.


http://media.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/content/img/photos/2008/02/08/57989_t220.jpg (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/photos/2008/feb/08/38226/) The Rocky / 1998
Shannon Sharpe, left, likes the Patriots' strategy of stocking up on offensive and defensive linemen.


http://media.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/content/img/photos/2008/02/08/435818686_t220.jpg (http://www.rockymountainnews.com/photos/2008/feb/08/38227/) Barry Gutierrez / The Rocky
Brandon Marshall, right, and Jay Cutler are seen as key building blocks for the Broncos.

Elway. Davis. Sharpe.
They are names etched in Broncos lore; players who helped bring Denver two Super Bowl victories.
And last week in Phoenix, all around town, the three former stars were reminded of those glory days with pictures, shows and interviews about their shared past.
But the week in the desert did something else, too.
It helped shine some light on the heat that surrounds their former team coming off a 7-9 season, the franchise's worst since 1999.
Shannon Sharpe, the former Pro Bowl tight end, described the performance as "hard to watch," given that blue and orange remains in his blood.
And having seen the Broncos performances, while also dissecting those of the two Super Bowl combatants, the New York Giants and New England Patriots, all three local legends agreed it's likely going to take some time before they're standing at a championship site with their former team a participant.
"They've got their work cut out," said Terrell Davis, the former running back who was the Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XXXII.
The trio's advice for making the Broncos Super once again: Hold your horses.
"They've tried the quick fix, and that hasn't worked. It hasn't worked the last couple years," said Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway, the MVP of Super Bowl XXXIII. "You have to get the core together. There's been some things they've been missing, and they've missed on a couple free agents. To me, they've got to get it through the draft, and they're talking about that. But it's going to take some time."
Make patience pay off
It's one thing to talk about patience, another to practice it.
Knowing coach Mike Shanahan as they all do, none of the group could say with any certainty that their former sideline boss will be able to put his win- now mentality aside for a rebuilding project.
"I don't know," Elway said with a smile. "We'll see what happens. And there's such a fine line. It doesn't take too much."
The Giants, for one, proved that, rebounding from an 0-2 start to win an unprecedented 11 straight road games for an improbable title.
"Looking at it, I think Mike - and I don't want to say he's becoming impatient - but he's been there before," said Davis, now a studio host for the NFL Network. "And I don't know if he has the time to sit back and try to rebuild the team and be patient and see how things pan out. He wants to win now. . . . He's trying to make his team a competitive team now, not a team four or five years down the road."
Quick fixes have happened with regularity lately.
The Carolina Panthers in 2005, New Orleans Saints in '06 and Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past season are examples of teams that, to varying degrees, forged one-year turnarounds.
"You're not going to do it in the AFC East, with New England," Sharpe said. "But every other division is in play."
Yet in Sharpe's view, the Broncos will need to build around their core extensively before that can happen.
Add to building blocks
There are building blocks on the Broncos roster, the trio said.
Elway said Denver can build around quarterback Jay Cutler, while Sharpe labeled top receiver Brandon Marshall "unbelievable." Tight end Tony Scheffler also emerged as a potential playmaker deep into the future.
"They have some weapons offensively," Elway said. "They had some injuries on the offensive line and they'll get those guys back. It's just a matter of defensively staying with something and getting that continuity, because they weren't bad last year or two years ago, they just struggled."
In Sharpe's opinion, Shanahan's coaching acumen still is top-notch and can bring out the talent offensively, but "I just wish they had better players, because if Mike had the players to match his X's and O's . . . "
Sharpe, now a CBS studio analyst, thinks Denver needs to improve in the trenches on offense and get rid of disgruntled receiver Javon Walker to help reach offensive potential.
But Davis and Sharpe, in particular, believe the main problem lies along the front four on defense, which needs an infusion of talent and, most of all, stability.
"They've got to get the defensive line fixed," Davis said. "I don't know what's going on with that carousel. They've got to get four guys and stick with those guys, maybe six strong, but to have an entirely new defensive line every year, there's no continuity there."
One reason for a lack of sameness up front defensively from year to year is all the strikeouts on free-agent defensive linemen the past several years. Since 1997, Denver has drafted only one first-day defensive tackle, which is a particular position of weakness.
"You look at what the Patriots did, that's the gold standard," Sharpe said. "They stocked up on offensive and defensive linemen. You look at Jarvis Green, Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour. On the offensive line, there's Matt Light, Dan Koppen, (Logan) Mankins. That's their bread and butter."
Be consistent in draft
Denver has had better overall draft success the past two years after its widely panned efforts from 2001 to '04 and its slight bump in '05.
And even with those uneven results, until their 2007 plummet, the Broncos still were able to remain legitimate contenders in the AFC West. In 2005, they finished 13-3 and went to the AFC Championship Game.
But the accumulation of poor personnel moves sapped depth, and injuries, especially last year, finally caught up to the Broncos.
"They have to go through the draft, and don't get so enamored with a guy who can jump high and run fast," Sharpe said. "What has he done in his two, three, four years in college? Has he been consistent? Believe what your eyes tell you. The stopwatch is a good barometer, but teams get so enamored - not the Patriots. They don't get enamored with the guy running a 4.2 or having a 42-inch vertical. And the one thing, above anything else, they might not be flashy, the Patriots, but they are consistent. And that's what you look for in the draft. You don't look for the flyer or (a player who) 'had one year' - it's consistency."
Denver has taken a wide variety of draft picks.
Before joining Denver, Cutler, Scheffler and Marshall had successful careers for college teams that weren't powerhouses.
Young linemen such as Chris Myers, Marcus Thomas and Tim Crowder, who had a great degree of success for college heavyweights, played significantly. Selvin Young and Hamza Abdullah (acquired off waivers) were low-risk gambles that might prove sound.
All are young and all gained experience in 2007 that should prove valuable.
"I think that's how you've got to look at it, that there's upside to what they've got," Davis said.
But there's also more than logging playing time in getting to the point where the team's ready to win a ring.
"They've got to now find out how to take that talent, be mature with it, how to be professional to play in tight games and really try to take it to the next level," Davis said, adding he believes there's a veteran leadership void at many key positions on the Broncos roster.
An uncertain future
The Broncos will be dealing with much uncertainty during the coming months.
With Bob Slowik next season, they will be operating under their fifth defensive coordinator since 2001. John Lynch's future has to be resolved, as does Walker's. Dre Bly's hefty salary-cap number, and finding the right linebacking spot for D.J. Williams, are other priorities. Jason Elam is a free agent. Discovering whether Ryan Harris is ready to play left tackle is an open question.
Then again, Pittsburgh went from a No. 6 seed and the Giants a No. 5 seed to become improbable champions.
So it's possible for Denver to get some more parts, peak at the right time and, who knows, maybe have Elway, Davis and Sharpe talking about their former team live and in person in a Super Bowl city.
"Eventually, I think they will," Davis said of the prospects of a Broncos turnaround in the near future. "I don't think it will be next year. I think they'll improve. But I don't see them as a team that's going to be in the Super Bowl within the next year or two."

East Coast Fan
02-09-2008, 09:30 AM
About a week ago, I was going through my soccer stuff (I coach youth soccer) and looking back on some of the teams that we've had over the years. We had one team "Delta Force" that was a very good team that went undefeated but with 2 ties. The following season we had a few kids leave for various reasons and the 3 players that replaced them just took the "Gladiators" to new heights; unbeaten (all wins). The reason was the Delta Force had a very good core of players that a few great additions helped put them over the top (see 1997 Denver Broncos). The 2007 Broncos didn't have that "core" of players to build on (plus the injuries depleted it further) and there weren't too many "great" additions-Bly might become the only one. The rest were cut or non-impact players. So yes, they need to build up that "core" first then add players on that will actually strengthen that core. Just my :2cents:

WARHORSE
02-09-2008, 04:35 PM
About a week ago, I was going through my soccer stuff (I coach youth soccer) and looking back on some of the teams that we've had over the years. We had one team "Delta Force" that was a very good team that went undefeated but with 2 ties. The following season we had a few kids leave for various reasons and the 3 players that replaced them just took the "Gladiators" to new heights; unbeaten (all wins). The reason was the Delta Force had a very good core of players that a few great additions helped put them over the top (see 1997 Denver Broncos). The 2007 Broncos didn't have that "core" of players to build on (plus the injuries depleted it further) and there weren't too many "great" additions-Bly might become the only one. The rest were cut or non-impact players. So yes, they need to build up that "core" first then add players on that will actually strengthen that core. Just my :2cents:

I think if we hit a good couple of Dlinemen in this draft and a real RB, our core will be in place.

mopatt24
02-09-2008, 05:41 PM
I think if we hit a good couple of Dlinemen in this draft and a real RB, our core will be in place.

Couldnt agree more

Lonestar
02-10-2008, 02:14 AM
I think if we hit a good couple of Dlinemen in this draft and a real RB, our core will be in place.

But it still may take a couple of years playing to together and gaining Veteran leadership to get to the promised land..

I also note that the article pretty much confirmed the almost total lack of drafted players from 2001-2004 and was not overly kind with 2005 choices...

Much as I have been saying for years.. Glad to know someone in the know agrees..

WARHORSE
02-10-2008, 02:59 AM
But it still may take a couple of years playing to together and gaining Veteran leadership to get to the promised land..

True it could take a couple years. It could also pay off this year.

I also note that the article pretty much confirmed the almost total lack of drafted players from 2001-2004 and was not overly kind with 2005 choices...

Much as I have been saying for years.. Glad to know someone in the know agrees..


Lets see. 'pretty much confirmed the almost total lack of draft choices' - Your words.

' Denver has had better overall draft success the past two years after its widely panned efforts from 2001 to '04 and its slight bump in '05.'--Their words.

Not quite the match youre quoting.


'And even with those uneven results, until their 2007 plummet, the Broncos still were able to remain legitimate contenders in the AFC West. In 2005, they finished 13-3 and went to the AFC Championship Game.
But the accumulation of poor personnel moves sapped depth, and injuries, especially last year, finally caught up to the Broncos.'


'In Sharpe's opinion, Shanahan's coaching acumen still is top-notch and can bring out the talent offensively, but "I just wish they had better players, because if Mike had the players to match his X's and O's . . . "



Shanahans the best, and regardless of draft or free agency, no one else has done better in his time. Belichick has done better than Shanahan overall since 2001, but Shanny has still kicked Belichicks butt 5 out of the last 6 times. In fact, Belichick himself will tell you that Shanahan is the coach he least likes to face. If youre not Pat Bowlen, wouldnt you say that was a ringing endorsement towards your coach?

Some people think so.:coffee:

:D

haroldthebarrel
02-10-2008, 08:16 AM
IN my opinion there is one and one reason only that Bellichick is having better teams that Shanahan. That one thing is talent, and more specifically talent in the trenches.

If I was Shanahan I would keep Walker just for the talent and mismatches options it creates. Give Cutler the talent up front, especially at tackle and you have a ten year contending offense. Ironically it would only be Walker that would have to be replaced within that year.

However, we have been so eneamored with skill players that we have forgotten the talnet in the defensive trenches.
Id hope we do a draft like the 2k3 where we just loaded up on cbs as that was where the talent was in that draft. Trade down and rebuild the trenches.

MHCBill
02-10-2008, 10:59 AM
That was a great article!

Some wonderful input from the ex-Bronco champions.

Truly an accurate assessment. Much like many on this board have said.

The question is... does the Broncos brass see it basically the same way?

Continue to improve through the draft?

Don't waste picks on "flyers". Draft players that have been consistent and know how to win.

Fix the O-line and D-line.

Consistent coaching staff on the defensive side of the ball.

Find DJ Williams position at MLB or WLB.

Find a #2 WR that is a team-player.

Fix the safety position.

Tons of questions that need answered with this team. 2008 needs to be another season of retooling/rebuilding and look at 2009 as the year we begin to be perenial players in the NFL playoffs.

2008's draft as well as 2009's draft are very important. The last three rookie classes have been good to great. That must continue so that going into the next decade we will have a team that can compete with anybody.

mclark
02-11-2008, 01:43 PM
Core needs: DT, MLB, Safety. Offensive tackle (one or 2); runningback. Punter.

omac
02-14-2008, 04:31 AM
Heh, the trio is preaching patience and building through the draft ... that's easy after you've retired and won your superbowls. I'm pretty sure they weren't preaching patience while they were still trying to win their first one. :D Besides, majority of the OL and DL starters of Denver in their team weren't built through the draft.

LT Zimmerman NYG
LG Schlereth Washington
RG Habib Minnesota
RT Jones Cleveland(?)

FB Griffith Indy
WR McCaffrey NYG

LDE Smith KC
RDT Perry Cleveland
RDE Williams Cincy
LLB Romanowski SF
LCB Crockett Detroit
RCB Gordon SD

I'm pretty sure Elway didn't preach patience to Shanny at the time he was close to retiring without a superbowl win.

Npba900
02-14-2008, 10:32 PM
Great article. Question is, during this rebuilding thru the draft, how many Bronco fans are will to except and endure a 2008 season where the Denver goes 5-11 or 7-9????

Its a real possibility. Anyway by going 5-11 or 7-9 in 2008, this will allow Denver another high draft choice two years consecutively.

So it looks like 2010 is when we Bronco fans should see a SB contending team. These next few years will be interesting.