Thread: What to Expect of the Broncos in 2008: A Fool's Analysis

The question has been bandied about all over the board, and not just this
board: How will the Broncos do this year? I am going to tell you how, and
I guarantee I will be 100% accurate. Next Febuary.

Meanwhile, I suppose I will have to make an educated guess . . . or maybe
an uneducated one.

Besides, I promised Wookiee an article this week.

So here goes:


From a sheer talent standpoint, the team is dramatically better.

Quarterback has improved. Cutler himself said that this year is different, in
that he can read defenses now and figure out where everybody is going,
instead of trying to figure out where he is supposed to go. Even Ramsey has
had a year to acclimate himself to the Denver offense. I believe we will see a
big difference at this position.

Running back has improved. Of course, question marks remain there. However,
the players there are not just hungry: They are famished to achieve. But
they have a great complement of speed and power, with Young, Hall, and
Alridge on the one hand, and Pittman and Torain on the other.

WR has improved, even if they are without Marshall for a while. Yes, he
was a beast. But all they had behind him was Stokely, who had to play out
of position much of the year and spent some of it hurt. With Colbert, D-Jack,
Fast Eddie, and Parker to go along with Stokely, Cutler should not have
trouble finding some open targets.

TE has improved. Scheffler is healthy. The one word I see from around the
league in referring to him is "dangerous." But it doesn't stop with him.
Jackson is healthy, and Graham and Mustard return. Two very good
receivers, two very good blockers.

The O-line has improved. The return of Nalen and Hamilton alone did that.
But Holland has another year at zone blocking, and he's no longer playing
on an island with Nails next to him. Of course, there's Clady, and Pears is
backing him at LT, where Pears was most effective. RT is a question mark,
but I see a good question mark. Harris is known for his footwork, and Kuper
has already vividly demonstrated his talent. Backing up the interior are
Gandy, Wiegmann, and Lichtensteiger, and Kuper can swing over if needed.
The O-line is dramatically better.

The D-line has improved. Thomas and Crowder are coming back with a year
under their respective belts, and Moss joins the fray (have you seen those
guns of his? ). Dumervil hits his third year, the typical breakout year.
Ekuban is healthy, and Engelberger is back. And Robertson joins the
group, along with young Powell. That is going to be a good line, folks.

LB has improved. A true Mike steps into the middle . . . well there are three
of them: Koutouvides, Webster, and Larsen. All true Mikes. A true Sam
takes over in the person of Boss Bailey. And D.J. assumes his natural
position . . . possibly the best athlete on the team, outside Champ, in his
natural position. Winborn, who could probably start for some teams, will be
backing up the OLBs. What single characteristic do I see from that group?
Speed. Bailey and D.J., who run sub-5's. Niko doesn't have a great 40, but
I have heard about his exceptional football speed. Same with Larsen. On
the other hand, Webster does have an exceptional 40 speed for a Mike.

Cornerback has improved. No, same people, same talent, which is the best
in the league, and not arguably, either. Both starters have been to Pro
Bowls . . . Champ eight times, and four straight All-Pros. This year, however,
Foxworth and Paymah are reputed to be pushing Bly, and they are pushing
each other. And then we have Jumping Jack Williams joining the group. (I
say "Jumping" . . . have you seen his Combine stats? ) But that is not
the main reason the CBs are "improved." The reason is the front seven.
If the front seven plays up to its talent, then I will not die of shock if two
CBs go to the Pro Bowl this year.

Safety has improved. For one thing, it has gotten faster . . . blazingly faster,
with Barrett joining the group. (Yeh, he's going to make the squad.) McCree
comes over from a winner, and Manuel is experienced. I still believe Abdullah
can be good. And "old man" Lynch has still got it. You'll see.

STs will be improved. Speed is everywhere, and we have a bunch of starters
and potential starters who have already expressed their interest in playing.
And Fast Eddie and Alridge will do the honors in returning.


So there is the talent. How will they play together? That is what bothers
me at the moment. At the first, we may wonder if there is any talent. But
when they start jelling, they will again join the powerhouses of the league.

How long will that take? Well, let me put it this way: Before the bye, they
will be 3-4 . After the bye, they will be 7-2 for a 10-6 season. They may
make the playoffs, and they may not.

But we're going to have a lot more fun this year.

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The mark of a good article is that if someone who is not familiar with a team understands it and has learned a lot from it, you did well.

Topscribe, you did well.

I also think that Woodyard is in the mix where I'm not sure he is a true Safety made into a LB who if memory serves has blazing speed for either position..

As we speak, I do not quite see the same EOY results as you I think it is more like 1-6 at the bye and 6-3 from that point on.. for 7-9 maybe 8-8 if they start hitting on most cylinders earlier..

There is a lot of talent on the team providing they all stay healthy and the new schemes and personnel are working early it could even be better but I think it is going to take till after the bye week for them to all be on the same page in the playbook..

Certain areas may have improved, but that most certainly does not mean they are now "good enough". Take the Safety position for example. You say it has improved, but has it improved enough so that it would be acceptable for the Patriots? Or the Cowboys? Would they have had the same record with our current safeties, last season?

Here's another example. Runningback, yes it has improved slightly. But has it improved enough for a team like the Jaguars or Steelers to be happy with it? There are too many question marks on our team to label some positions improved.

I definitely agree with your article on the most part though Top. Especially about QB, WR, OL, DLo and TE. Very good article.

Originally Posted by Jrwiz

I also think that Woodyard is in the mix where I'm not sure he is a true Safety made into a LB who if memory serves has blazing speed for either position..

As we speak, I do not quite see the same EOY results as you I think it is more like 1-6 at the bye and 6-3 from that point on.. for 7-9 maybe 8-8 if they start hitting on most cylinders earlier..

There is a lot of talent on the team providing they all stay healthy and the new schemes and personnel are working early it could even be better but I think it is going to take till after the bye week for them to all be on the same page in the playbook..

I thought of Woodyard, and he is a good looking prospect in some respects.
I question, however, whether he can make the team. He is fast for a LB,
true, but so are D.J., Bailey, Winborne, Webster, and Beck. In fact, D.J. is
just as fast as Woodyard, and Bailey is faster.

One thing they all have that Woodyard does not: size. To me, he just looks
like another Gold there . . . except I would hope he's better at wrapping up.

Safety has candidates who are faster than Woodyard, including Rogers and
Barrett. Abdullah is just as fast.

Of course, speed isn't everything. Lynch shows that with every trip to the
Pro Bowl. But Woodyard is going to need more than his speed to stick to
the roster.

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Great article.

I think we will see a very explosive offense with Jay putting up Pro-Bowl numbers.

And the defense doesn't have to be the Ravens or the Bears. If they can just be a top 10 performer (which I think is very realistic), it should result in 3-4 more wins this season.

Originally Posted by broncos_mtnman

Great article.

I think we will see a very explosive offense with Jay putting up Pro-Bowl numbers.

And the defense doesn't have to be the Ravens or the Bears. If they can just be a top 10 performer (which I think is very realistic), it should result in 3-4 more wins this season.

Jay must call you uncle mountain man..


Lets see 3-4 sounds like a negative to me, three minus four.. Equals minus one or 6-9 next year.

I think they will most likely be 8-8. or 4-3 on the Mtn man scale..

One small addition: FB

Cecil Sapp has been a solid journeyman who Shanahan has seemed to really like. However, journeyman has been the word, and the addition of Hillis will be a shot in the arm for Denver, especially as the season goes on and he grasps the offense and his role in it. In 2007, Hillis played 13 games (9 starts) for the Razorbacks and led his team in receptions (49) and receiving yards (537). He blocked for two individual 1,000-yard rushers (McFadden and Felix Jones) for the second consecutive season and totaled 886 all-purpose yards - how's that for a recommendation If he can bring the kind of consistency and skill to nfl level, he can be a tremendous upgrade.

Rivals.com said,

"Hillis is the best athlete at this position this year with an interesting combination of size, speed, hands and intangibles"

. Scout.com had Hillis as the 78th ranked player in this year’s draft. Ironically, Eddie Royal ranked 78th. There were several picks in this eyars draft that may be great but for the value, our 227th pick may be the best of all!

Originally Posted by Jrwiz

Jay must call you uncle mountain man..


Lets see 3-4 sounds like a negative to me, three minus four.. Equals minus one or 6-9 next year.

I think they will most likely be 8-8. or 4-3 on the Mtn man scale..

I have to agree with Mtnman on Jay. When I saw that 65 yard (in the air)
pass to Walker on the money, then saw him repeat it by throwing the ball
50 yards to Marshall and laying it softly in his hands so he didn't even break
stride, it just blew me away.

When I saw Cutler make an Elway-type spin out of the would-be sacker's
arms, run to his right, then pass, across his body, to the other side of the
field, on a rope, on the money, my jaw hit the floor.

People say Cutler is a pocket passer. True. His howitzer arm, uncanny
accuracy, and Marino-type quick release makes that a no-brainer. But, for
some reason, that has seemed to cause some to discount his mobility.
When Cutler leaves the pocket, I believe it is going to cause DCs' hearts to
hit their throats. I just haven't gotten tired of watching Jay's highlights,
most that show his mobility and passing out of the pocket.

I'm telling you, I have seen glimpses of Plummer out of the pocket, Marino
in the pocket, and Elway all over the field in Cutler. We are watching
greatness in progress, folks.

IMHO.

-----

Originally Posted by topscribe

I have to agree with Mtnman on Jay. When I saw that 65 yard (in the air)
pass to Walker on the money, then saw him repeat it by throwing the ball
50 yards to Marshall and laying it softly in his hands so he didn't even break
stride, it just blew me away.

When I saw Cutler make an Elway-type spin out of the would-be sacker's
arms, run to his right, then pass, across his body, to the other side of the
field, on a rope, on the money, my jaw hit the floor.

People say Cutler is a pocket passer. True. His howitzer arm, uncanny
accuracy, and Marino-type quick release makes that a no-brainer. But, for
some reason, that has seemed to cause some to discount his mobility.
When Cutler leaves the pocket, I believe it is going to cause DCs' hearts to
hit their throats. I just haven't gotten tired of watching Jay's highlights,
most that show his mobility and passing out of the pocket.

I'm telling you, I have seen glimpses of Plummer out of the pocket, Marino
in the pocket, and Elway all over the field in Cutler. We are watching
greatness in progress, folks.

IMHO.

-----

Oh was just busting Mtn mans balls on that .. since he has no sense of humor unless it is in the politic threads..


I think Jay could be a great QB and am hoping it comes true.. This franchise over the past 3 drafts seem to have figured out how to pick talent again.. Talent that is not just on the squad filling a spot till the find another better player like in the past..

Now I do not know who is responsible for getting the choices for mikey to choose but they have been better each year and hoping that all of the spots they took this year can make the team and not step on their cranks..

If they do then in 2009 and beyond IF we can re-sign some of these kids this franchise should do well into the playoff and beyond...

We will need to add to the DT position next year for the eventual replacement of Robertson.. and perhaps a stud safety depending on the kids we picked up this year..

But the base team seems pretty well set and a few more backups and replacement parts in 2009 and 10 should keep us going for a long time.