Q: “OK. How do the Broncos proceed now that they know Tony Romo is not in their plans?”
Mark Schlereth: “I think John Elway and the Broncos have to use all means necessary to secure a Left Tackle who can actually play.
Now if you think you’re going to draft one of these young guys, and you’re going to put him in at the left tackle and that kid is just going to produce, then I think you’re living a bit of a pipe dream. I think that is hard to do. I think that is really hard to come out of college into the NFL and play the toughest position in football next to quarterback . And that’s Left Tackle. It’s just a hard position to play.
And you’re insulated if you play on the inside [at guard] And that is why you see guys you see guys like Jonathan Ogden who is a Hall of Fame Left Tackle. You know where Jonathan Ogden started his career? He was a first round pick out of UCLA at the left tackle position. Where did he start? He started at left guard for a year. Because you’re insulated. You have a tackle on your outside and a center on your inside. You’re playing in a phone booth. And you can learn the game there at the guard position. We have seen this consistently.
Last year, Laremy Tunsil, #13 pick overall to the Miami Dolphins, where did he start? He started at left guard. So you insulate those guys, you teach them how to play the game. You keep a body presence on both sides of them, and you let them learn before you move them out and transition them to left tackle.
Well, the Broncos, take a look at them. They went out and got Ronald Leary to play left guard. It’s going to be really hard to sell anybody that you’re going to be OK there drafting a rookie left tackle and then sending them out saying ‘OK, go get ‘em Tiger!’ It just hasn’t worked.”
Q: “OK, so you’re not going to draft someone who can plug and play [step in and start his rookie year] and you’re certainly not going to sign anyone now. I mean it was a lousy left tackle market back when everybody was out there, let alone where you are right now. That leaves you with one option and one option alone. You’ve got to go make a trade. Well, who are we looking at? What’s the short list? Who are the couple, two or three guys who might be available out there?
Mark Schlereth: “I think you have to look at a couple of different things. I think there are three guys out there. Three guys where for the right price I think you could make a deal.
You take a look at Cleveland. Cleveland knows that they are a ways away from being competitive. You still have to go through Cincinnati, Baltimore and Pittsburgh in your own division. And you don’t have a quarterback, as your roster is currently constructed whom you believe can play. And you don’t think Cody Kessler is going to be the answer to a trivia question ‘who brought Cleveland out of the doldrums.’ Cause that guy’s not the answer.
You’re probably going to have to draft another guy. So, you’re in a rebuilding process. So could you trade some draft picks away. Package maybe a Shaquil Barrett whom them had some interest in at one time. So, you find a way to get yourself a left tackle, when, Cleveland, you know Joe Thomas has, what? Two, three good years left in him? And you know that you’re probably not, in two or three years going to be competitive with Pittsburgh, cause they still have Roethlisberger rolling. And I think that part could make sense. And the Broncos would have to put a package of picks and players together [to trade].
Just the contract that Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch signed in San Francisco, six years deals, says to you ‘we suck. And we know it.’ Joe Staley is a little bit longer in the tooth. I think he’s younger than Joe Thomas, but he’s been a pretty good tackle, an elite pro-bowl Left Tackle for quite some time in this league. Is that maybe a guy they could shift some picks to and maybe another position player?
I look at who they’ve drafted, and it looks like they are going to draft the kid out of Stanford who plays D-line. Solomon Thomas. They’re going to take him. And I think he could transition into a game-wrecking 3-techique nickel guy, but does he have the versatility to play a 5-technique defensive end in a 3-4 [DE plays outside the offensive tackle]and slide down in nickel situations. And one thing, and I called the S.F. 49ers game for ESPN Radio. They did not have an edge presence. They drafted a bunch of defensive linemen who in my mind are 5-technique slide down over the G guys. They don’t have an edge presence. So, could you put a Shaquil Barrett out there with a draft pick and get yourself a Joe Staley in return? That also makes sense to me.
And then the last one, and one that we’ve talked about here, and one that I really like is Jason Peters. In Philadelphia you’re going to have to pay Lane Johnson. He is an elite athlete. And you don’t want to pay an elite athlete big money at the right tackle position. That guy has got to play Left Tackle for you. And you were considering letting Jason Peters go as a cap casualty. Could you maybe put a couple of picks together and go get a Jason Peters, who is still one of the best guys in the league at that position? Maybe you don’t even have to give up a player. Maybe it’s just a couple of draft picks. Maybe it’s just a second and a third rounder. Here you go. To solidify that position.
So, those are the three options that in my mind would instantly, instantly, make me feel a ton better, not just about how this offense is, but about the quarterback going forward.”
Q: “Well then, there’s no excuse not to do that then. You’ve got 10 picks. Again for those of you who aren’t up to speed on what the Broncos have. You’ve got your first round pick at #20 overall. You have a second round pick, #51. You have two third round picks, #82 and #101. A 4th round pick, a 5th round pick and 3 seventh round picks. You’ve got the ammunition to move. “
Mark Schlereth: “Yeah. You can move around.”
Q: “So I gather this together: you feel it has to be a trade. That they have the assets to pull off a trade, and that if they pulled one of these guys on board, you’d feel infinitely better about the offensive line than you do right now. So, there’s no excuse not to get a deal done!”
Mark Schlereth: “Here’s what I know. We had Cecil Lammey on yesterday and we talked about the inability of 2nd and 3rd round picks to hit here. So, you’ve got a 2nd and you’ve got 2 3rd rounders. So, there’s the ammunition. And I also know from having watched this team for the last 5 or 6 years that they have not truly developed an offensive lineman. Well, you can make the excuse that Matt Paradis has turned out pretty well, and he has, so they’ve developed one. And how many have they taken?
Maybe you could make an argument that Schofield has developed at G, but come on! That’s a guy who should be a backup. So, you haven’t developed a guy. You haven’t made great picks with your second and third rounders . . . .”
Q: “Sorry to interrupt but do you want to know how bad their second round picks have been? If anything I would give away my second round pick rather than making a second round pick! Here’s their second round picks going back to 2011, John Elway’s first draft. Second round picks everybody! Second round picks: Orlando Franklin, Rahim Moore, Brock Osweiler, Derek Wolfe, Montee Ball, Cody Latimer, Ty Sambrailo and Adam Gotsis. Those are second round picks people!
Mark Schlereth: [low whistle]. And in today’s world of the draft you see a lot of people trade out of the first round after around pick 20, to get into the 2nd round, because the philosophy is that after around pick #20, there’s not a whole lot that separates pick number 20, from pick number 50. There’s just not enough of a discernable difference in terms of athletic ability/football acumen but there is a boatload of difference in the amount you pay him. So, you see some teams unable to get out of pick #25. Everybody’s like “Naw. No thanks. You can keep that pick. Good luck with that. Because you’ve got pick #25, and we’ve got pick #42 and we think we’re going to get basically the same exact player. Caliber wise.
So, if you could move that pick and get an asset who is a proven guy, why would you not do that? And especially given that track record Mike!”
Q: “Well, let’s start talking about 3rd round picks.”
Mark Schlereth: “Oh, no!”
Q: “A high value pick, right? In the eyes of NFL GMs, scouts, draft-niks, still a valuable pick. Right? Ton of value. Well, here’s who the Broncos have drafted in the 3rd round under Elway: Nate Irving, Ronnie Hillman, Kavyon Webster, Michael Schofield, Jeff Heurman, and Justin Simmons. Now Webster turned out to be a great special teams guy, and that was it. And Simmons, well he showed some things.”
Mark Schlereth: “Jury’s out but I think Simmons is going to be a good player.”
Q: “So, that’s it.”
Mark Schlereth: “Ooof!”
Q: “So, at the risk of getting myself knocked out of the circle, it kinda makes what the Patriots have been doing make sense. Trade unproven, crapshoot draft picks, for proven veterans that you know can play. And if you were the Broncos, why in the world would you be dead set on holding onto a 2nd our 3rd round pick, or both, at the expense of going out and trading for one of these Offensive Tackles that you’re talking about? If that is indeed the asking price.”
Mark Schlereth: “Yeah, it would be foolish not to make that move. Now, I don’t know what the asking price is, but I imagine that with one of those three guys, I think you could find a solution. There’s always a compromise out there, there’s always a solution if you are willing to work hard enough to make that a reality. Now if you buy into the pipe dream of ‘we’re going to draft a player’ or maybe, and I’ve heard this, one, [sarcastic voice] ‘all Sambrailo needs is some time in the weight room. You know with the injuries and all that time he’s missed, he just hasn’t had that time.’
Q: “So, you’ve seen enough from Ty Sambrailo. You’ve moved on. You’ve already seen everything you need to see about a 2nd round pick who was drafted with the idea that he would become a starting left tackle for this team for a long time. I mean, if you draft a tackle in the 2nd round, you’ve got a really good feeling that this guy could be a real stalwart for six or seven years or so. You’ve already seen enough. You’re labeling him a bust?”
Mark Schlereth: “OK. I agree with ‘he needs time in the weight room. He has been injured. That’s not the ideal way to start a career. All those things. But, do I believe that he’s ever going to be a better than average starting left tackle in this league? NO. I think he could be a good swing tackle for you. I think he’s the same thing as Michael Schofield. They’re swing tackles. They’re backup tackles. Now, that’s subject to change. I could be wrong, but that’s my impression. When he got the opportunity to start for Donald Stephenson last year, that was. . . . that was frankly one of those kind of games that sometimes you don’t recover from. I mean, that was ugly with a capital-U ! “
Q: “That was a nationally televised game, you know.”
Mark Schlereth: “Oh, my goodness!”
Q: “That was against the Chiefs, and I don’t remember who the announcers were, but they were saying on air ‘you have got to get him out of there.’
Mark Schlereth: “I think it was the Sunday Night crew with Chris Collinsworth.”
Q: “I think you’re right. I have never seen an offensive lineman put under a national spotlight that negatively, to the point where the announcers are saying ‘you’ve got to get him out of there.’
Mark Schlereth: “I’ll tell you how bad that game was for me watching that. I had nightmares. My goodness! I couldn’t even be critical. He was just so overmatched. And that was not just strength issues, ‘I haven’t been in the weight room’ it was pure technique issues, and it was just ugly! Just UGLY! And so, yet again, I’m not trying to bash the kid. And I know the kid probably hates my guts, and I understand. Sometimes I don’t even like myself. I just can’t quit me! I can’t quit me! [laughing] ”
Mark Schlereth Calls Out Elway To Make A Trade Happen!
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Originally Posted by Northman
#7 - JOHN - #44 - FLOYD - #80 - ROD
