How The Broncos Offense Got Better......

The Denver Broncos only signed two free agents to the offense that are expected to make a real difference, but the Broncos are looking at some very tough decisions on the offensive side of the ball. The offensive line, and quarterback are the only two position groups on the offense where things are basically set for next year. John Elway, John Fox, and the rest of the player personnel department are going to have some very tough decisions to make everywhere else on the in regards to who stays on the team, and who starts. The wide receiver position has two guaranteed starters in Demaryius Thomas and Wes Welker, but as far as who takes Eric Decker's spot and who makes the team is anyones guess. Denver signed Emmanuel Sanders this offseason not as a potential replacement for Decker, and though he has the inside track for the position he will have some serious competition. Along with Sanders the Broncos have Andre 'Bubba' Caldwell, and Cody Latimer who was the Broncos 2nd round pick in the draft. Last year Bubba Caldwell showed signs that he is ready to move into a starters roll this season. He made some big catches last season, is sure handed, and is probably the fastest player at the position, and may be the fastest player on the Broncos entire roster. Cody Latimer is a player whose upside is limitless. He has the size that Demaryius Thomas has, is known for his ability to catch the ball, and put up an amazing time in the 40 going into the draft. The Broncos have said they do not expect Latmier to start this season, but I watched the kid play through college, and I wouldn't count him out of the conversation. My guess is that Sanders will probably win the starting roll going into the season, but I think Latimer is simply too talented to keep off the field and by mid season I think we could see him starting playing opposite of DT. Tight end is another position that even though the Broncos have one of the best in the game in Julius Thomas they also have Joel Dressen, Jacob Tamme, Virgil Green, and a name Bronco fans are not familiar with Gerell Robinson. The first four names on the list everyone in Denver probably knows. Joel Dressen is coming off an injury, but is solid, Jacob Tamme came here along with Manning and is one of the most consistent players on offense Denver has. He can also move out and play the slot receiver position. Virgil Green is more of a blocking tight end that Denver uses in goal line and short yardage situations. The wild card is Mr. Robinson. Gerell Robinson originally came to Denver as a wide receiver, but the offensive coaches have switched to him to tight end, and though he doesn't have the size that the others have he is probably the best athlete in the bunch. Should Robinson make the 53 man roster he will give opposing defenses a ton of problems. Linebackers will not be able to cover him due to his speed and route running ability that transfers over from his years at wide receiver. He and Julius Thomas would create nightmares for opposing defensive coordinators to deal with, and with teams being forced to treat both of them like wide receivers it should open up a lot of running lanes for Montee Ball. If I had to guess I think out of the group of tight ends Denver has Joel Dressen will end up being the odd man out. Obviously Julius Thomas isn't going anywhere, and Jacob Tamme's ability to play the slot as well as tight end makes him valuable. Neither Tamme or Thomas are the best blocking tight ends, and Denver has said they want to utilize the run more this year which would lead you to believe that Virgil Green will also make the team. I see Robinson making the team because he can also play wide receiver, and anytime you have a player that can play multiple position it makes his value go up. Finally that brings us to the running back position. Denver has named Montee Ball as the starter, and though he had problems holding on to the ball early in the year last season he showed he has the ability to be a very good back in the NFL. He has the vision to see the hole, explosiveness to hit the hole with authority, and while he isn't necessarily a home run threat he does possess decent speed, and the ability to make people miss in the open field. Behind Ball Denver has guys like CJ Anderson, Ronnie Hillman, Kapri Bibbs, Brennan Clay, Juwan Thompson, and Jerodis Williams. CJ Anderson showed flashes last season during the preseason, but an injury kept him from the field for most of the year. Ronnie Hillman would be the only home run/change of pace back Denver has, but has had problems holding onto the ball since he came into the league. With Ball as the starter, and CJ Anderson looking like his back up Denver will have to make the decision as to what to do with the rest of the players looking to make the team. I am not sure Denver is ready to give up on Hillman yet, so that leave basically one roster spot for four guys to fight over. The player that is intriguing is Kapri Bibbs. He has the ability to get the tough yards, as well as break a big run here and there. My guess is that if he plays well during training camp Denver could try and hide him on the the practice squad for the year, but he is another player I would not be surprised to see on the 53 man roster. THe moral of the story for the Broncos: So many weapons, so few roster spots. It will be exciting to see how things shake out.

Thoughts on the Broncos 2014 Draft

Let me start by saying that this is the best I have felt after any of John Elways drafts. It was clear the Broncos had a solid board of players, and even managed to get lucky a couple times. With Bradley Roby, Denver got lucky. This is a kid who should have been a top 10 pick. He has the athletic ability, ball skills, size, and great speed that any corner would desire. His weakness is his ability to focus. He is a classic example of the guy who could be the best in the game, but will allow himself to become, or at least look unfocused, and that is what he needs to work on. Cody Latimer falling to Denver was a stroke of luck as well. Latimer could become another DT by the middle of next season. He is big 6'5, about 220lbs, runs in the low 4.4's, and catches everything thrown his direction. In fact of all the things I have heard about him the one I hear most is this guy can catch the ball. Michael Schofield was an interesting pick that some in the Denver media, and Denver fans criticized. It makes complete sense to me. Moving Orlando Franklin to left guard was the right idea. With him moving to the middle you could say that Denver has one of the most powerful interior offensive lines in the game. Ryan Clady is coming back, and due to the fact that Chris Clark had an amazing year at LT it isn't hard to believe that he will have just as much success, if not more at right tackles. Schofield fits in because he can play multiple positions, but his main position is right tackles. He is essentially taking a year to "study" under Clark and Clady before he gets his shot (unless someone gets hurt). He could also step in and play both guard positions. Matt Paradis is a center who is going to come in and try to push Manny Ramirez for the starting spot, but I think Manny will win this one for this year. Going forward it would not be surprising at all to see Paradis take over as center. He is fantastic at making line calls, and picking up blitzes. He will be given a shot to start, but I would be very surprised if Paradis was the starter going into the year. Lamin Barrow is a guy who is getting beat up pretty bad in the media here. I have watched film on this guy, and no while he isn't Vontaze Burfict, he can make all the necessary tackles, can get to the ball, and isn't a liability in coverage. I think he will go into next season as the starting middle linebacker for the Broncos next year. Corey Nelson is a linebacker they brought in because he is fast, and very good in coverage. Last year Denver had Trevathan and Woodyard running around on 3rd down, and probably were the best nickel linebacking pair in the league. Nelson should step right into a special teams role, and if he has a great camp and preseason maybe he could be a surprise for the Broncos next season.

Projected Bronco Starters As Of Right Now

During this time of year all the fans seem to focus on is who will be signed/traded/drafted next. Sometimes it's good to sit back and assess what you have, and that will better guide you with the direction to go for the draft, and next round of free agency. The offense: Manning at QB, Ball at RB, Clady at LT, Orlando Franklin at LG, Ramirez at Center, Vasquez at RG, Clark at RT, JT at TE, DT at WR, Bubba Caldwell at WR, and Wes Welker in the slot. Once again this offense will put up crazy numbers, but I for one hope that we lean on the running game a bit more this year. The defense: DeMarcus Ware at RE, Vickerson at DT, Knighton at DT, Malik Jackson at LE, Danny Trevathan at Will, Nate Irving at Mike, Von Miller at Sam, Talib at corner, Chris Harris at Corner, Rahim Moore at FS, and TJ Ward at SS. Question marks here are do they keep Chris Harris on the slot and play Kayvon Webster on the outside? Nate Irving has been given chance after chance to show he can handle the responsibilites of the Mike. If not they most certainly will look to the draft, or the next round of free agency which is set for June 1st. I am happy with those lineups and we still have the draft, and the June 1st free agency period. This is a team that is built to win a super bowl.

How To Help Manning? Use a Fullback

Fullback? I think you can hear a lot of Denver fans thinking fullback? We don't need a fullback. In my opinion I think it would seriously boost our running game, and that will take pressure off Manning. Will Manning put up a lot of points this year? Absolutely. Should he try and have another season like he did last year? No. He needs the running game to take pressure off of him. Using a fullback would help Montee Ball out immensely, and I do not think Denver has to look outside their roster to fill this position. I think the answer is Virgil Green. Julius Thomas took the NFL by storm this year and has solidified himself as the starting tight end in Denver. Virgil Green was more of a blocking tight end anyway. WHy not put him in the back field with Manning and Ball? If Manning see's something and wants to throw the ball instead of running it Green could be motioned out of the back field and into another tight end, or even a slot receiver. Any football coach has wants multiple players who can play multiple positions. Virgil Green provides just that with his ability as a tight end, but if John Fox, Adam Gase, and Payton Manning can figure a way to utilize Virgil Green more by putting him at fullback that could only benefit the team. If you think what I am saying is crazy I would point out that the only Denver Bronco teams to win the super had a guy named Howard Griffith leading the way for Terrell Davis, and they were able to take the pressure off of Elway so teams were constantly kept off balance. Denver will need to focus more on the running game next year if they hope to get back to the super bowl, and letting a guy like Virgil Green lead the way for Montee Ball it will make things easier on the entire offense.

After Free Agency What Should Denver Do In The Draft?

After getting major impact players in free agency the Denver Broncos still have the draft to improve as well. After this past year I think it would be fair to rate last years draft as a solid B-. Sylvester Williams was almost a non factor all year until Vickerson went down, and Williams really came in a played solid. Montee Ball had some fumbling problems at the beginning of the year, but he is poised to be the Broncos number 1 back next year. Kayvon Webster showed some flashes of being a solid NFL player, but played like a rookie for much of the playoffs. Quantarus Smith was injured, Tavares King was cut, Vincent Painter was a non factor, and finally Zac Dysert should push Brock Osweiler for the starting spot when Manning retires. So what does Denver this year with the 31st pick? As of today Denver still has a major hole at middle linebacker. With the 31st pick Denver can always "take the best player available" route, but I would like to see them address the needs they still have. To me there are 3 holes that still need to be filled for Denver. The 1st would be drafting another corner who can play in the slot. Chris Harris is moving to the outside to play opposite of Aqib Talib. That leaves Kayvon Webster, who in my opinion is best suited for an outside corner position to try and play the slot. Plus Denver doesn't really have many options at corner. I would look for them to take at least one corner in this draft and if they target anyone I would like to see Jason Verrett from TCU who would immediately be their #3 corner. He does not have the size that every team seems to want in the NFL, but he makes up for it with a absolutely tenacious mentality, speed, and quickness. He is the ideal slot corner. In the 2nd round drafting Chris Boreland out of Wisconsin could be a starter immediately for the Broncos. He has great instincts, and always manages to find his way to the ball. In the 3rd round Denver could address their need for some toughness up front by picking up Gabe Jackson, who is a 330lb guard from Mississippi State. Could he start next year? Maybe. Does he provide some depth and competition for either Orlando Franklin, or Manny Ramirez? Absolutely. For the rest of the draft I think Denver should target the best player available, and keep your eye on them drafting a running back as well.

How Will DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, and TJ Ward Upgrade The Broncos?

Going into free agency I think it is fair to say everyone in and around Denver had a pretty good idea about the positions, and type of players Denver needed to bring in. Bottom line is Denver needed to get "tougher". Not that they were not already tough, as you don't get to the super bowl without having some level of toughness. Well John Elway being John Elway went out and gave this team an even tougher mentality. As of today, March 13th, 2014 I still think Denver will make one or two moves, but even if they were to not make any more moves I think as a free agent class this may be the best one Denver has ever had. Yes, I know Manning was the biggest free agent pick up in the franchise's history, but this group of 3 players make up the best collective free agent class I can remember. Lets start off with TJ Ward as I have been singing his praises since this years free agency began. TJ Ward is a player who plays with such intensity that he makes the players around him better. What he gives Denver is that player who will intimidate opposing teams receivers from openly running across the middle of the field. He can come up into the box and help with run support, and is probably the best blitzing safety in the NFL. He immediately makes the Broncos tougher. The next two players came as extremely pleasant surprises. I will touch on Aqib Talib first. I think most people were under the assumption that Denver would bring Dominic Rodgers-Cromartie back and he would be our number 1 corner. I thought Talib would be out of our price range, but was so happy when I read he signed here that it was hard for me to hold in my excitement. He also fits the profile of getting the Broncos "tougher" in that he is a bigger corner, who possess the speed to cover any receiver, but isn't afraid to mix it up with anyone on the field. Since Denver signed him for 6 years they obviously brought him in to take over for Champ Bailey as the corner who will shut down opposing teams best wide receiver. Talib plays with a chip on his shoulder and while he is not exactly old himself he will provide a great example to our young defensive backs. Finally this brings me to DeMarcus Ware, or one of the best pass rushers in this generation of the NFL. He will be playing right defensive end here, and is as good or better than any defensive lineman the Broncos have ever had. With Ware and Miller chasing down opposing QBs guys like Talib, Ward, and Chris Harris will be able to create more turnovers. One thing is certain, and that is Denver will be an all around tougher team in the upcoming

Champ Bailey Released? Bittersweet Goodbye

The Champ has left Denver. He is a person that has lived up to his nickname in more ways than one. It is my opinion that Champ Bailey is the best corner to ever play the game. I know people will continue to day Deion Sanders is the best, but I would disagree simply because Champ is one of the best tackling corners to ever play. Upon hearing the news it felt like I was punched in the gut. After sleeping on it I have softened my position, but only on the condition Denver brings in some more big names on defense. On the business side of things this move makes sense, but when healthy Champ can still play, especially if he moves to safety. Denver is in a position where we can't afford to lose anymore quality players on defense, and in fact we need to bring in 3-5 new players to complete this defense. They are now 28 million under the cap, and maybe Peyton Manning would renegotiate his contract to give us even more cap space to bring in the players we need so he can be assured of winning another Super Bowl.