It is time to get things going. Training camp started this week with rookies and selected veterans reporting to Dove Valley. Soon the rest of the players will be in; full squad practices begin on Friday.
It was an offseason of change for the Broncos. They have a new head coach and coaching staff, a new set of quarterbacks and a revamped roster.
Here are my choices for the top three moves the Broncos made in the offseason. Since I already wrote about the quarterback position in the last blog, I am not considering what happened with that position for this list.
1 – Signing free agent safety Brian Dawkins. I know, he’s 35 years old. By NFL standards, we all know that is getting up there. But I love the move.
First off, Dawkins is an upgrade to a position the Broncos needed to improve. Maybe he has lost a little speed but I can’t believe that the Broncos would make the financial commitment they made to him if they thought he had lost that much.
Secondly, Dawkins is a winner. I know, he never won a Super Bowl with the Eagles. But they were contenders seemingly every year and he has plenty of playoff experience. You can’t measure how important that is.
Finally, Dawkins, by many accounts, is a terrific locker room presence. He just doesn’t take any you-know-what. He is a consummate pro who keeps the atmosphere right in the locker room. The Broncos need that and I think Dawkins will prove to be a huge addition both on and off the field.
2 – Drafting running back Knowshon Moreno. The two sides will get a contract worked out; I don’t believe there will be a prolonged holdout. I absolutely loved it when the Broncos drafted this young man in the first round. He has speed and strength. It looks like he can make some things happen on the edge and yet doesn’t appear to be afraid to stick his nose inside and get tough yards there.
Plus, he showed himself to be a capable receiver out of the backfield in college. That’s just another weapon the Broncos could have and could be a way to get Moreno the ball in the open field.
I believe that, assuming he doesn’t miss too much training camp, Moreno will emerge as the No. 1 running back. Think of what that does for the Broncos’ depth at the position. The Broncos’ running game should be better than it was a year ago and that will only help Kyle Orton and Chris Simms. It will help time of possession, which then keeps the defense off the field. And it should help field position, too.
3 – Hiring Mike Nolan as defensive coordinator. This has been a merry-go-round of a position the last few years and while I can’t say I know X’s and O’s, I sure like this hire. He has experience in the job, having served in the same capacity with the Giants, Redskins, Jets, and Ravens.
He has also been a head coach so he knows what it is like to sit in that seat and have to make decisions. While I have confidence in Josh McDaniels’ ability to be a good head coach, it won’t hurt him to have a guy like Nolan right there to share ideas with.
More than that, though, and I don’t want to make this sound derogatory towards previous men who have held this position for the Broncos, but it seems like Nolan has a plan of what he wants to do and he is working towards implementing that plan. They want to be a 3-4 team and they’re taking the steps, based on the personnel they have, to run that scheme.
Yes, the Broncos’ defense has a lot of improving to do. I think under Nolan’s leadership, that unit will be better.
Not including the quarterback situation, what moves do you think were the best ones of the off-season for the Broncos? I would love to get your thoughts.
Thanks for reading. Later this week, I’ll look at the start of training camp.
Sincerely,
Mike
Tags: Roster Moves, Training Camp
I would say were very fortunate about signing B Dawk. Yeah he has a few seasons left in him, but the guy is a proven leader. Any team(with cap room) would love for this guy to be on there team.
Moreno is another guy I’m interested in seeing, we had no running game last season, would love to have a dominate RB like we did in the Clinton Portis days.
Mike Nolan will have his work cut out for him this season, but he at least has the tools to do it. That was the problem last year, we lacked the right combination on the line and we just got ran over on the line.
i think bringing in the miami secondary was pretty big. Goodman and Hill should give us more depth and experience. if we can prevent the big play this year, that alone will make us much better
I think Josh and his system are the two biggest additions I am excited about. No team will know what to expect from us. Our old offense was way to predictable and easily defensed in the red zone.
I liked most of the changes that happened this off season. It was time for a change in Broncoland, there have been too many season at being mediocre.
I too think that Mike Nolan running the defense is huge. We needed a defensive person that actually has a plan.
I cannot wait until the season. I want to see how the team looks with all the new pieces – ie Dawkins/Mareno/Orton. Should make the season interesting.
I for one am GLAD to see the Cutler-Shanny era gone. The definition of insanity = doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Cutler was a “decent” QB in Shanny’s system……then again, that SAME system turned “Pickmeister Plummer” into one of the best QB’s in the league for a year or two. I was sick of Jay’s smug little attitude and acting like he was one of the greatest QB’s in the game when all he had to show for his “greatness” is 4 losses in the “big games” that would have got us to the playoffs (2006 vs San Fran and 3 straight losses to end the season last year) A “W” in ANY of those games = playoffs..
As for Shanny……we knew that our defense needed serious work for 3 straight years of getting smoked out by Indy. When Jake took the bullet for the team and got benched we KNEW that the defense was STILL the problem then too. His refusal to listen to Pat and bring in a MAN to coach the D verusus someone that would just nod their head in agreement with Shanny is what cost him his job. I’m still a closet Texans fan because of Kub’s and will probably be a closet fan of whoever Shanny ends up with, but I am NOT sad to see him go.
BTW…. time will show Plummer > Cutler
I hope Nolan does well, but is he waiting in the wings to be a head coach somewhere else??? or even here?? if coach mcd goes in the toilet….just a thought. BDawk is a BEAST!!!!! I wanted to draft a D player (pass rusher) for our 1st pick, but Moreno is the most talented (I’m not say’n he’s the best. He has to prove that 1st) RB we’ve had since Portis. Hopefully he’s not the pre-madonna Portis was…
I say let Doom run the ball in short yardage situations – he’ll be like the Fridge!
actually, I think bell MIGHT have been better than portis (only because his forty time was like 4.06) but couldnt break a tackle
ive been pretty happy with the moves so far this off season! i think its about time to get back to the dominant D we were in the orange crush days, and i believe nolan is a step in the right direction. we still need a monster of a nose tackle, which i believe will be addressed next off season…. hopefully. i love the pick of moreno. he should excel in this offense, plus that takes A LOT of pressure off of whom ever we have behind center. a qb’s best friend is a dominant run game! lets remember elway didnt win it all till we had davis! ayers should also be a great addition to our D. dawkins will be a great leader for us in the locker room as well as on the field. however i still think we need to find a force and leader in our LB crew. anyone else notice our D has never been the same since we lost al wilson? leaders in secondary are great, but i would like to see someone step up in our front 7. all that being said, i look for the broncos to have a surprising good season….. playoff contenders at least!
BRONCO FAN FOR LIFE!!!!!!!!
I think the best thing we did wasnt who we brought in but who we got rid of in Dre Bly he didnt help us at all in the few years he was their im happy he is gone. now I think Alphonso Smith is going to be a great pick up and he will help make are DBs better once he learns the system
I just barely realized that brian dawkins is on the front of story. wooooow.
i was so glad when we picked up dawkins….he is gonna help our young guys so much and he is a great leader…moreno will be a great all-around back. i just cant wait to see him play.
Oddly enough, I’m happiest about the thing that arguably made me the most upset this offseason. When Shanny was fired, I was upset to say the least, but that’s because I drank to much of the kool-aid Mike was pouring about our defense. Little changes here and there were not what we needed. A major overhaul and gutting of the depth (?) is just what the doctor ordered for us. We are now headed in the right direction. As a fan that pays attention to alot of small things in todays game, I wondered over the past couple of years why we didn’t transition sooner to a 3-4 alignment. If you look around the league, the top defenses have employed some type of it the past 5-10 years, and it’s becoming more and more popular with more teams making the transition. But back to my point, with Shanny, we as fans watched countless drafts go by and got excited about prospects that never panned out and probably wouldn’t even make the Lions practice squad. But after this draft, free agency, and the subsequent college free agents we picked up, I can’t help but to see that change IS happening to our organization, and I couldn’t be happier. We need depth. We’ve long lacked it, and I can see that we are building a team with heart, from the inside out, even if we didn’t land a big named DL this offseason. I see where we’re headed now and can safely say that in hindsight, this is one of the better offseasons we’ve had. Cutler or not. Change is good sometimes, and this year, it is excellent.
we replaced an old mastermind with a young exciting off-cor, traded away a selfish, me first, losing qb with a team first winning strarting qb in the NFl. Brought in players who speak of team first,. who also play at a high level in the NFL. The way they are handling B-Marsh, should serve as an example to the NFL on how to not deeal with a spoiled player under contract. Replacing a horrible def-cor with a tie wearing Nolan who at the least has a plan and brings a new attitude, did we read attack? and of course the DRAFT bringing in play-makers at rb,lb/de, ands db’s with team first attitudes who talk of helping the Broncos anyway they can. Good luck new staff and players alike, I love the Broncos and to am a Bronco for life!!!!!!!!!
The best move for me was Nolan. Like many had said the defensive problem was aparent for a while now with the exception of the 2005 season when they were good enough and we made it to the AFC championship. Woulda been happy if shanny was still around and Nolan was the def coordinator. But shanny was too stubborn and got fired. Its happened so we move on.
Think this is the first season in a long time that I am looking foward to the defense more than I am to the offense. With the addition of Nolan, switch to hybrid 3-4/4-3 and the free agents and Draft picks on defense. Our D has potential.
~Heres Hoping We Shock The NFL
GO BRONCOS!!!
I don’t think Shanny and Nolan would have gotten along very well. Shanny liked the 4-3 and Nolan obviously likes the 3-4. Shanny never did try and get a D-coordinator to make the transistion to the 3-4.
actually didnt we try to go to a 3-4 last year for about 6 games? not for sure, but i know we tried it recently. we just didnt have the right guys plugged in i think! not sure that the coordinator was prepared at that time to make that transition. i think we have addressed many of those probs now however. defense is on the rise folks!!
lets resurrect that orange crush!!
GO BRONCOS
- I particularly liked trading ‘up’ to get Alphonso Smith.
I have a feeling with his background and level of play – he will easily make himself an asset of Our defense!
Other than that standout – it would be a much shorter list for me to point out the things I DIDN’T/DON’T like, as there are so many things we did better than anyone could have expected in.
Thanks Mike! good post
Hopeful all the moves that they have made will pay off and this team has a good season.
Best moves;
1 – coaches that know what they are doing and can teach.
2 – leadership veterans, Davis, Dawkins, and Fields.
3 – did not reach for veteran FA or in the draft. Seems like every player was plugged into the plan, yes even JJ Arington.
I’m elated to have Dawk with us, and I love the draft this year as well. I want to see just how Spencer Larsen fits into McDaniels’ scheme as he has numerous talents that will serve us well. Of course, I want to see my favorite players like Eddie Royal and Elvis Dumerville excel as I’m sure they will. In short, I expect a magnificent season. GO BRONCOS!!!
To me, the best move we made was getting a solid secondary and adding veteran linebacker depth. A lot of people like to hate on our D-line last year, but one reason that we didn’t get as many sacks was because our secondary couldn’t cover the receivers for long. The linemen simply didn’t have time to get there. Now, with better secondary and a solid linebacker backbone, we will have good coverage, and as a result better sack production (if our linemen perform well- I believe they have the potential, the question is if they’ll reach it), and probably better run defense as well, since we won’t have to pull extra guys into coverage. The leadership that the veterans bring will help, too.
I don’t think its going to fully happen this year and go deep into the playoffs…but good pieces were put in place…next year I hope we get
Taylor Mays!
I don’t think we need safety… we have Dawkins for a decent amount of years, and we need to see how Hill, Barret, McBath, and Bruton all pan out for us because there is GREAT potential there for in the future (in my opinion)…
We need DL…
Best move was Brian Dawkins hands down. After that, Knowshon, after that Andra Davis! We haven’t had a MLB presence since Al Wilson. The D will be much improved. Probably in the middle of the league, but it’s a work in progress. The offense didn’t lose to much and we gained in possession of the ball. Gotta control that clock to win games. Goodman was solid in Miami, and I liked him watching for fantasy football. I know I’m biased, but don’t be surprised when we win the division and go to the playoffs. If McD fails, we can always bring a fresh Shanahan back. And Gaffney is solid third or fourth option with Stokley. We can do somethings with this personnel.