I know there are two games left and the Broncos need to try to win them. But I’m taking a deep breath after the loss to Houston and starting to think about next year.
The Broncos aren’t mathematically eliminated from the playoffs but the way they are playing, and have played this year, they have showed they are not a playoff team.
But they have pieces in place that, to me, show they could be a playoff team again as early as next year.
Offensively, I love the way Jay Cutler has progressed. I wrote about this a week ago and even though he has had some ups and downs, I think he is going to be terrific. Given the fact he has started just over one season worth of games, I think he has made great progress. And he will get even better.
Brandon Marshall is showing he can be a without-a-doubt, legitimate, game-breaking number one wide receiver. He has been super, and yet because he is still so young, he is bound to get better as well, provided he keeps working hard.
Tight end Tony Scheffler continues to make plays. He’s big, strong and athletic. He gives the Broncos a downfield threat from the tight end position.
I like the way Selvin Young and Andre Hall have given the Broncos options at running back. I don’t really know if either one can be a featured back in the NFL but I know they have played pretty well as rookies this year. If nothing else, they’ll give the Broncos depth at the position. They could very well give more than that.
On defense, Champ Bailey is still amazing and Hamza Abdullah has shown an ability to make plays from the safety spot. Again, Abdullah is a young player and whether or not he is ready to be a full-time starter remains to be seen.
I think D.J. Williams is a good linebacker. I don’t know football well enough to know if he is best-suited for middle linebacker or not, but he’s a quality player.
As we mentioned a week ago, Elvis Dumervil has shown the ability to put pressure on the quarterback.
My biggest questions are found with the offensive and defensive lines. The Broncos have been inconsistent in running the ball and stopping the run all season long. Yes, there have been injuries and turnover in those units. But every team deals with these issues.
As I take my deep breath, I come to the realization that the Broncos have to get better up front. And I think it is possible for that to happen soon. If it does, I think the Broncos will be a playoff team again.
If it takes some time, then we’ll all have to be a little more patient.
What area would you like to see the Broncos address? Thanks in advance for taking the time to share your thoughts. And thanks for reading.
Best,
Mike
Tags: 2008, Andre Hall, Brandon Marshall, Champ Bailey, D.J. Williams, Elvis Dumervil, Hamza Abdullah, Jay Cutler, Selvin Young, Tony Scheffler
Mike,
I totally agree with you in all areas. Two areas that really frustrate me are first: Special Teams. Half the Defenses problem is there opponents are usually starting with a shorter field then they would like….and the biggest one that annoys me is our 3rd down problem on defense. 1st down? Hold em…..2nd down? Hold em……….3rd down? Offense gets up the field for a first down, the team really needs to work on 3rd down situations and I almost forgot…..RED ZONE OFFENSE!!!!!! They can move the chains and get it there….they just cant get it in!!!!!! I am a loyal Bronco fan that even though things look lost will be making a long drive to see my Broncos for the Vikings game. But I hope for the best!!! I am VERY excited about what our #6 can do now and for many years to come. My first action seeing him @ Mile High was the Bengals game last year……from then on out I was excited about what he will become…..a true franchise QB!!! GO BRONCOS!
Mike, I like you agree that the team at it’s core is ample and set to be a contender. However we have have to secure a good number of our own free agents this offseason. As a fan I would like to see Denver go after Demarrio Williams from Atlanta to come in at linebacker with D.J. and Webster, Gold’s play is suspect this season as it was last year as well. Also we need to draft a safety to get ready for Lynch’s departure, if not to compete right away. As far as the lines are concerned, I am not as worried. I think Denver needs to draft larger, equally athletic guards to compete and be able to form half stable pockets; the defensive line is in need really of that one line eating tackle, what we had a little bit of in Warren and hoped in Adams, Frank Okam may be the answer if we can get him in the draft.
I do not think we are that far off, the gloom and doom is that fans are impatient as they watch the Pats run away to what looks like another Super Bowl Championship, but I could never sell my orange and blue soul for a Championship, I much rather have a bad year now and then and be the team we are…
I agree completely as well… our team has a very bright future and shows alot of promise especially for next year. To alot of people it doesn’t seem like there’s even a glimmer of hope as of now after the Houston game but we have got to have some patience otherwise they, the players, won’t believen in themselves. We are their support system, they need us to be and stay strong; we’re not fans if we don’t have faith for their futures with this team. We need to work in all areas of our game: the offense, defense, special teams, coaching, how we play… I could go on and on about more specific things too. I know our Orange & Blue can bring themselves together as a team and be a GREAT football team someday, hopefully at the latest next season.
I’m not saying we’re rebuilding, but I am saying we are in the process of some growing pains… having the majority of the team come from almost fresh out of college guys. The young ones have to learn to get used to being in the NFL, they’re going to make mistakes like all young ones do – clearly we’ve all witnessed that part, we have to have patience with their inexperience professionally. I know its hard and frustrating, but if we can come out of this shell we’re in and break free real soon – the other 31 NFL teams will not know what hit them.
Cutler shows more promise for QB than anyone I’ve ever seen, post-Elway. I can’t express how much we need him and how awesome he is going to be once he starts to get into the groove of things. Now that he’s had a full season (almost) of being the starter QB, if he’s not used to it by now he better start. I’ve got more than plenty of faith in that kid and as long as he’s got amazing talent like Marshall, Young, Scheffler, Stokley, Hall, Walker and even Daniel Graham – he’s going to be just fine. I noticed he seemed a little jumpy or jittery in the Houston game, and as long as he can just calm himself down and his nerves, he’s going to be okay. He’s going to be one incredible sight to watch over the years and I can’t wait to see how much he’ll progress between now or the end of this season to the beginning of next season.
All of our young guys, are going to show great promise over the years and especially if they’ve got inspiring people like Rod Smith and John Lynch mentoring them and motivating them to great players. I’ll always believe in this team and love this team… we’ve got a ways to go to improve but it’ll be so worth it in the end.
GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!
am i the only 1 who is seeing way like letting go of certain high paid players who arnt performing like we thought they would to bring in BIG talent in the areas we are hurting? we have a few back up players i think could be our starter and the starters we have now could be let go to get help. cutler is great in my opinion if watch his 1st game last year and compare it to even the houston game you can see giant leaps in areas of his game. remember even elway didnt win the super bowl till he had the right supporting cast.
Mike – I agree with your bright spots. As far as next year is concerned, we need to make investments in our offensive line. After watching the Steelers a couple of years ago in the playoffs at Mile High rush 3 and drop back 8 and still pressure and sack Jake on numerous occasions, and then to watch the same thing happen last night at Houston, it is absolutely unacceptable if we don’t invest in the o-line. I’m still not sure about what adjustments need to be made on the defense – not sure how much is attributable to our d-line and how much to the d-coordinator – however, I do place all of the blame on the d-coordinator Jim Bates for taking our defense half a season before they started working as a unit. One other thing, I was surprised that Ian Gold was back in our lineup this year…hopefully his performance this year has finally secured his ticket to anywhere else but Denver in 2008. Finally, I trust that Shanahan and the offensive coordinator will take a serious look at the predictability of their play calling this year and make the proper adjustments in 2008. Seriously, what team doesn’t know that we will run a quick slant to the left on every 3rd and 5 or less?
Next Year?? We ned big Al back in the middle, DJ on the outside, after a year off #56 should be fied up again,the fans love him here. Get Bates the hell out of town. Shanahan should be right behind him, find a way t get Kubiack back, and take the patriots O-cord. He at least knows how to call an offense. Marshall is AWSOME!! This has been the worst season in a log time. We have very good players on D, DJ, Bailey, Elvis, even Marcus Tomas is developing, Bly needs to go back to where he came from, and AZ needs to learn how to tackle. But Bates makes them all look worthless.
So i am the biggest bronco fan in the world i am 14 and i live off football my grandapa taught me every thing i know!!!!!
in 2005 my grandpa died and i alwys like to think that they didn’t go 13-3 for no reason any way i know a lot about the broncos and John Elway i have this relly amazing orange jesy of his that is pretty kool!!!!!
I am glad to see everyone on this blog is so optimistic. I am not. We all love the Broncos or we wouldn’t be here blogging. I think we can agree that this year is history. Where we differ is our future. I began doubting Bates after the Jacksonville game. I was part of the crowd who started calling for his head after San Diego and have been ever since. Now I am changing my mind. Our defense has been ineffective all year. The reason is we can’t stop the run at the line of scrimmage. Bates thought the solution was to bring in some wide bodies to fill the lanes. Sam Adams et al did not do the job. In order to salvage at least part of the season we were forced to bring Lynch up to play a fourth linebacker. This put TREMENDOUS pressure on our corners. I now believe Bates is right. The problem is personnel. We have to be able to stop the run at the line of scrimmage with seven men. It can be done. We are a pretty good running team and Houston stopped us all night with seven men on the line, leaving four to cover our receivers. We are not going to get any better until we have the talent at linebacker and defensive line to stop the run. Add to this the fact that Lynch is getting too old. We have a real defensive problem. (As a side note I say Lynch needs to teach Abdulla how to tackle. That shoulder thing Hamza tries looks more like a hockey check than a tackle!) Our defense will take more than one year to correct, but I think Bates is on the right track. Let’s give him some time. But we won’t be great right away. The same thing can be said on the offense. We will not be a contender until we can smash the ball in from the two. Our red zone offense remains anemic. We simply cannot push anyone off the line of scrimmage. This too will take more than one draft. The only ray of short term hope is our weakest link, special teams. Sauerbrun has got to be toast and anyone that can kick at all will be an improvement. We have made great strides by adding really good special team players who are adequate replacements for starters such as Winbron. In my humble opinion our short term future looks grim, but our long term future looks great.
The problem is RUN stopping and pressuring the QB. We neeed another draft for our defensive unit. Run stoppers is a must. Also an offseason transaction should be on the move. I’m sure Shanahan/Bates will do whatever they can to get their hands on Lance Briggs in free agency this year. Also, New England holds a low pick in the draft and would want to trade down. If we can get that, there will be major upgrade on defense and we will have a championship contender next year.
This was an excellent column. I agree with all of these points wholeheartedly. I honestly believe that special teams must become a bigger priority, (see the Bears-Broncos game) and if we improve in our average starting field position and can limit our opponents in that regard, all will be well in Broncos Country.
I agree with the everything said in this blog. The lines need improvement for sure. I also agree with BradJamesBroncoFan for special teams. PropaGandalf makes a good point about Lance Briggs also considering he is going into free agency, and his contract says he cant be tagged as a franchise player again this year, so it will be interesting to see what happens during off season and how things pan out.
Im super excited about Jay Cutler, Brandon Marshall, Tony Scheffler, and Elvis Dumervil. These young guns are bringing it every game and though there have been some problems they always comeback and they learn from them. Exceptional young players!
I have been thinking a lot about coaching this year. Mike Shanahan has really disappointed me this year with strange, rookie-like calls and boring offensive formations. The coaching choices he made in the Texans game were awful, as if he has never been here before? I wonder if his love of coaching has waned? He is the longest tenured coach in the league, perhaps it is time for him to find a new challenge? I have been a big fan of Shanahan as head coach in Denver from his first season, if he leaves I will miss him, but it might be a good time for such a change. These days when I think of good coaching I think of Jim Tressel at Ohio State. His teams are always in the top 5, seem to always been in the national championship hunt or game. Why? Tressel realizes how important defense and special teams are to win games. Tressel recruits players for special teams uniquely. Ohio State always has great kickers, punters and returners. When you pin the opposing team deep in their territory, then you bring on your stout, quick defense that can keep them there. 3 and out, and you get the ball for your offense in great field position. A couple of scores and you usually have another victory. It seems so simple and methodic and I just don’t understand why other coaches don’t do this. My mantra for coach Shanahan or any other Denver coach is this…what would Jim Tressel do?
I’m a die hard fan and until we are mathmatically eliminated, I won’t give up….if SD loses to DET, we still have a shot…
After that I will address what needs to be done for next year…there is plenty of time for that in the offseason..right now we still have 2 games to win and hope SD loses out….
hey, nobody thought SF would beat us last year and it happened..
Keep Believing Bronco Fans!!
I AGREE… OUR OFFENSE IS SHARP if the line was consistant WE’D BE A TOP FIVE OFFENSE redzone killed us also this year AS WELL AS SPEACIAL TEAMS AND DEFENSE
IT SEEMS ALL THE AREAS WE NEEDED TO WORK ON LAST YEAR DIDN’T GET RESOLVED THUS WE FIND OURSELFS IN THE FINAL GAMES OF A LOST SEASON
well if rod smith would stay and play or come back and teach that would help our young guys a lot cuz he can run the routes and show the kids how its done. if ed mccaffery could come and help rod show the kids how to play that would make our wrs outstanding. our dline is getting better with playing time. when moss is back we should be ok. our lbs got some playing time in and should know the system by next year. i think maybe in off season we can bring in some real talent on the offensive line and a kr/pr return guy and help us by getting some real yardage unlike any other guy we have.
1. DT Fran okam (texas)
2. LB Ali Highsmith (LSU)
3. OL John Grecko (toledo)
4. SS Wesely woodard (kentucky)
5. FB Jacob hester or FB owen schmidt (LSU and West virginia)
6. LB Jordan dizon (colorado)
this would help greatly towards filling our positions of need, I would also like to try and get bob sanders away from indianapolis, other than that i expect to see pretty much the same line-up as we see now with some changes to the line, i really dont think to many changes will happen because bottom line is we could take the best players in the nfl and put them on a team but if there is no chemistry or consistency then it really doesnt matter.
To the notably uninformed 20BroncoFan4life Says:
Denver is a top 5 OFFense you moron! Check the NFL stats. The only thing worse than our dismal season, are uniformed fans that come in here pontificating about our needs. Hey, I have a need for you… Grab your playbook, a Thesaurus, and some game. Come back when you can explainn to the class what “Gap Containment” means.
By the way, I hear Bates is holding Defense Awareness classes in Aurora on Thursday evenings…I suggest you go see him while he’s still in the area…
Thanks for keeping is REAL and please check your facts, then state your opinion. As you can clearly see, we all do read the blogs
2008/09 Defense
RE Elvis Dumerville
DT Marcus Thomas
DT 1st Pick
LE Tim Crowder
WLB Jarvis Moss
MLB D.J. Williams
SLB Ian Gold
CB Champ Bailey
CB Dominique Foxworth/ Dre’ Bly
FS 2nd Rnd Pick/ Hamzah Abdullah
SS John Lynch
2008/09 Offense
QB Jay Cutler
RB Selvin Young + 4th Rnd pick
FB Kyle Johnson/ Cecil Sapp
WR Brandon Marshall
WR Javon Walker
WR Brandon Stokley
TE Tony Scheffler
TE Daniel Graham
LT Matt Lepsis
LG Ben Hamilton
C Tom Nalen
RG Chris Kuper
RT Eric Pears/ 3rd Rnd Pick
Denver traded 3rd round pick for Jimmy Kennedy. Don’t worry, I don’t know who he is either.
Whoever is left by the time Denver picks
rd 1- Sedrick Ellis, Frank Okam, Kenny Phillups, James Laurainitas
Trade Henry for some draft picks!
Cant draft a d-coordinator can you? Ha Ha. How about drafting a new playbook?
Vinci, I think you might be pretty damn close. I love the idea of Jarvis Moss at WLB. Good comments. Unfortunately, I still don’t see us smashing the ball in from the two.
We had a crappy pass rush this year and both our supposed shut down corners couldn’t fight their way out of a paper bag. Lets get some decent defensive linemen in here and get rid of these two shut down boobs. We can take our average second year corners and make true corners out of them. They will be products of our system. Bailey and Bly have been resting on their laurels for years now. It took a bum D line to really show what they were worth. When the going gets tough the tough get going my Dad always said.
Bailey and Bly literally failed the test this year. Any decent corner should be able to stay on a guy when his QB has all day to throw the ball. So, enough said, let’s bring in some decent talent on the D line at the expense of some of our overrpaid players. Oh, don’t forget about Ernster in place of Sauerbum. And can we also get a replacement for Antonopolous the Geek. He is killing all of our players.
Oh, I forgot to give credit where it is due. We do have some real deals:
Marshall, can I say Brandon Barshall instead.
Selvin Young and Andre Hall
Stokely and Graham
Dumervil and DJ are monsters.
I think these above guys are all worthy of pro bowl status this year. Everyone else is sucking the hind tit so to speak. Not sure whether coaching is the problem or just personnel with motivational problems in general.
A few of these guys need to watch the travel channel more often. Maybe then they would catch an episode showcasing Colorado and all of its colorful glory (was on TV last nite). This state deserves better than what the broncos delivered to them this past year. Nobody has allowed more points than the donkeys have this year. That sucks.
You have done a great job of evaluating. Why is everyine afraid to admit that it may be time for a change at the top. Has Mike outstayed his effectivness as the head coach? Something to think about!
first off i would like to say buckeye bronco nice observation but theres one flaw in yourcomment. THIS IS NOT COLLEGE if you havnt noticed the game play is totally different so stick to college. Second, odoms fan i would hate for you to be the coach, how do you get rid of the best corner ever to play the game??? Last season he had a total of 5 passes caught against him and cause this year hes not shutting everyone down you doubt his talent? Well i have a news flash not everyones perfect and your the only one who says to get rid of bailey. For that matter this is bly’s first year with us so get off his case.
Now for my opinion I think special tems isnt so much the problem i think its the coach why kick to a guy who has returned kicks and punts for tds? If you notice look at the issue we had with dante hall we kicked to him to why?
Offense, in my eyes yes we cant score but how young are we, how hurt are we, and how many players do we have that are pro bowl material///// scheffler, marshall, walker, smith, graham, cutler, henry, thats just now how are we going to be when they all get in sinc?i think we are good on offense we just need different play calling.the o-line is weak but hey there also the smallest in the nfl what do you expect?
Defense, champ, bly, lynch i give you guys full credit with smith and cutler for what marshall is would he be as good without the best corner the best safety and the second best corner in the nfl to go up against? i dont think so. Also i agre with jwalkbmarsh bring al back we miss the hard hitting guy.
all i got to say is next year watch out for cutler, marshall, scheffler, walker, and henry because they will shine when on the same page.
vinci i think you are close on the lineup but the rb position is filled Travis henry won his case in court so he will be our back and selvin young will be our backup but other than that your pretty damn close.
Cutler/Elway I just like it when we draft rookies who rush for over 1,000 yards and pick up Rookie of the year honours. Good times
Mr. Bly sucks!!! Can anyone tell me what he has done this year?
TOAST sound s good. Champ and Lynch, what kind of leaders do we have?
I don’t want money on this team, I want heart, leadership, and the determination to succeed.
LMBFHAO!!!
Not mathematically eliminated…you have got to be kidding!!
Nice try, no cigar.
You all keep focusing on player performance but that is not your problem. Take off the orange colored sunglasses and you will see that its your 2X Mastermind Genius HC who cannot get anywhere without Elway in the playoffs, let alone Davis. There is a reason why Al Davis got rid of him and now you all know why. Deal the the problem head on and find your self another coach, otherwise you will all be in for another very long losing season. Too bad he’s inked in for 2008….so your basically stuck with him and nowhere else to turn. He’s washed up….and no draft picks are going to bale him out of this quagmire. Draft picks haven’t really helped him at all since Elway left and its not going to help in 2008. Its over. He’s done.. Good ridence,,,,,good night.
Bolt-Man…I wrote the blog on Friday morning after the Broncos-Texans game. At that time, the Broncos were not mathematically eliminated. They were officially knocked out of the playoff race on Sunday.
Mike
I am suprised no one thought to bring up the idead of paying bob sanders who will be FA. and let lynch retire he has done everything he can for us but he needs to spend the time with his family he wants and bob sanders is a good replacement
comment for Bolt-Man who ……i assume to be a charger fan. he talks about our coach being a bust and the raiders didnt want him. Last i checked i believe Norv Turner was a raiders head coach…….. and i believe norv Turner has lost more games then he has won…….As well i dont think Norv Turner has a ring out side the one his boyfriend Rivers gave him
Bly and Bailey were repeatedly “torched” this year because they were too busy shoring up our CRAPPY RUN-D to defend the pass. By the way, ANYONE who say’s Shannahan should go needs a re-hab, we clear?
I agree our defense certainly lacks any stability against the run. With some fire plugs to place walls in opposing runners paths is a key to our defensive dominance!!!