On Friday, April 3, the Broncos traded quarterback Jay Cutler to the Chicago Bears for two first-round draft picks, a third-rounder and quarterback Kyle Orton.
The day of the trade, Broncos’ head coach Josh McDaniels spoke with Dave Logan and Lois Melkonian on 850 KOA’s “The Ride Home.” Here is the second and final part of that interview. Again, 850 KOA tried to contact Jay Cutler but did not receive a response.
KOA: In Jay Cutler’s performance on the field or how he conducts himself off the field, did anything strike you after you took this job that caused you concern (so) you would say, “I’m not sure this is going to be the guy we go forward with?”
JM: Absolutely not. No. I’ll tell you this. There are a lot of things we need to do to improve our team. The perception is the offense has all the answers and the defense cost us a lot of games. The reality is the offense has significant improvement to go through. We had 17 two-minute drives last year and scored one field goal. (We) had 30 turnovers which was second-worst in the league. (There are) a number of things that aren’t necessarily as glowing as you might think they would be. We were last in the league in field position; we were 28th in kickoff return. So there are a number of reasons why we weren’t as successful as Denver and this community wanted it to be last year and our goal is to address all of them including the play of the offense. There’s significant improvement that needs to be made in order for us to compete at a high level but none of that was directed at the quarterback. There were a lot of other things that needed to be fixed. That’s what we were going to work hard to do.
KOA: One of the things Jay Cutler said (in his introductory press conference in Chicago) was if he had to do it all over again, both sides might do things a tad differently. Knowing now how he responded to word of a possible trade, is there anything you would have done differently?
JM: The one thing I wished we could have done differently throughout the last month is communicate better. We tried to do it and we wanted to have effective lines of communication to resolve the issue. We stated a number of times we were committed to him and committed to that and we wanted to get to a resolution. The only way to do that was to get in the same room as many times as we needed to do it to get to the point where we felt like we could move forward. That was something that was made impossible. At the point where they made (Broncos’ owner) Pat (Bowlen) very aware that it wasn’t ever going to work out, Pat felt it was best that we move forward and we agreed.
KOA: As you sit here today, can you make the case that your team is better than the team you inherited when you took the job?
JM: There are a lot of things that go into that. We’ve had a pretty drastic roster makeover. We have 15 or 16 new players and there’s going to be another eight, 10, 12 additional draft choices. The only answer for that is we’ll see in September. Winning is a production business. It’s all about winning and I know that. That’s what I care about. I’ve been used to doing that for eight years in New England and that’s what I’m going to try to bring here. I know this: There’s a million ways to win in this league. You don’t win the same way every week and it’s not one player that’s going to make or break one team. I’ve been on teams where we’ve scored 36 points a game and didn’t win the Super Bowl. And I’ve been on a team where we scored 19 points a game and we did win the Super Bowl. My big thing is we’re going to improve the TEAM. Like I mentioned, there’s a million things that we can address offensively, defensively and in the kicking game. To me, if we improve in those three phases, you have a chance to be a better team.
KOA: As you look at the upcoming draft, will defense be the area you focus on or is it still whatever player fits in, even an offensive player, you’d be willing to make the move?
JM: The best player we can acquire at a place where we need a player, that’ll be the choice. We know there are needs on defense, they’re still needs on offense and there are players we can add to help ourselves in the kicking game. At whatever point in the draft we feel like this is the best player for us because we need a player at this position and he’s the best one we have, then that will be the choice. (General manager) Brian (Xanders) and I and the scouts have been working diligently to make sure our board is set up the way we need it to be set up. There is not set pattern. It’s not going to be automatically two defensive players first or a defensive player and then an offensive player, a lineman. We’re going to try to upgrade our team with every selection we make.
KOA: Do you hope Broncos’ fans hear that to quell some of the panic they might be feeling right now?
JM: Our expectations have not changed. We talked with our team about that. We’re expecting to win. They’re not going to put the season on hold for us and we don’t want them to. We’re going to improve. We’re going to have a great off season; the players have already committed to that. They’re doing a great job of focusing on what they can to do help our team improve. We’re going to go through the spring and get better every day we’re out there. Then we’re going to head into training camp and have a heck of a training camp and go into the season ready to compete at a high level. That’s our goal and it’s never going to change. We want to win and we’re not going to wait to do it.
Thanks for reading,
Mike
He forgot to mention that we were still second in the league on offense, turning the ball over like crazy and not having long possessions.Second.
http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?archive=false&conference=null&role=TM&offensiveStatisticCategory=GAME_STATS&defensiveStatisticCategory=null&season=2008&seasonType=REG&tabSeq=2&qualified=true&Submit=Go
We need defense.A couple studs.We have a great O-line,Hills is gonna be a beast this year…just fix the defense…stop messing with the offense.You made enough mess on the offense already.
I bleed Orange and Blue.
Thank you Mr. Rice for the post, this is a great interview. I think it should clear up some of the speculation going around. Like the last question states some of The Broncos Fans are in a panic. People generally just fear change.
I especially liked the first Q&A on this page, and then Coach McDaniels answer about Their focus in The Draft.
Brazil4broncos, YES The TEAM was second in The League in YARDAGE lets make that clear NOT points. This TEAM needs wrok.
TIME OF POSSESSION ! ! !
GO BRONCOS ! ! !
The O-line was the only thing on the O that didn’t need tweaking…#2 offense is great only if that means points and productivity all around. Red Zone production was horrible turnovers killed, and if it wasn’t for a call going our way we would have been under .500. I agree the D is something we need to address and fix, but to make the leap from a .500 season the entire team needed to be tweaked. Lets stop being arm chair GM’s/coaches and be the great bronco fans we are and bleed true orange and blue.
GO BRONCOS
I think everyone just needs to be patient and wait for the season to start to judge what this team will bring to the table. Why they are already written off at this point is ludicrous. The most important ingredient in a championship calibre team is the sense of TEAM. Let’s give these guys a chance to see how they mesh and play as a unit…..they just might surprise a lot of critics. With the proper system and schemes, and players that buy into it whole heartedly, who knows how many games they can win. I can’t wait to find out!
GO BRONCOS!
I have a feeling we are going to make a move for a QB in the draft. We released our 3rd string QB and McD wants to do what is in great interest to the TEAM. Which I think if we can get a good QB in the draft do it there are a lot of “studs” out there in the draft this year. I cant wait to see what happens this year!!! GO BRONCOS
I bleed brown and mustard yellow!!
lol
if we do draft a QB in this up coming draft it will defiantly be in a late round. Tom Brady was drafted in the 6th round and Matt Cassel was drafted in the 7th, so look for us to do the exact same thing. Just like how Mike Shannahan made great running backs in late rounds (Terrel Davis) Coach McDaniels knows how to find the diamond in the rough when it comes to QBs.
angry bronco you are always so negative get out of bronco nation cuz no true fan talks so negatively about their team unless your detroit.. So why don’t you follow your little buddy Jay “the Cry Baby” Cutler to the bears.
really angrybronco why are you throwing away the season before it even start? Why are you even here? Have you ever heard of supporting your team? Why won’t you give the team a chance? Why do you think losing one player and gaining many others dooms the Broncos to the gutter? Exactly what has McD done that requires him to be fired? Do you realize that McD is undeafeted as the Broncos head coach? Why should Denver force someone like Jay Cutler to be on their team when he doesn’t want to be?
Angrybronco I totally get your frustration and fact is joshy boy did cause this mess. All of the fans that say the Broncos are not rebuilding now are not in reality.
Just because we are critical of the team doesn’t mean we don’t like them. I found this site to be theraputic.
I will never like Joshy boy and Mr. B lost alot of my respect.
I don’t think that JM is the sole cause for Cutler’s departure. In fact, I believe it was the firing of Shanny and the o-coordinator, who’s name I can’t seem to recall at the moment. Bowlen told him that he would be back, and when he was cut loose Cutler got all bent out of shape.
Have faith Denver faithful. No matter what happens at least we don’t have Griese at the helm………..
Lets see what happens………
No such thing as “Bronco Nation” , only “Raider Nation”. I don’t see why anyone would cop a name off the Raiders and paste it on to the Broncos. Give us a break on that one , will you . Gag’s me every time I read it.
I do way anything into the propraganda either side of this issue has be spewing thru the media. It’s called damage control people. I hope we all move off this issue soon, it’s over and done with ,give it a rest.
Fear is the undermining of common sense. I’ll tell you guys something, when I was a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (a church for which Spencer Larsen is also a member) in Tucson and El Paso, I was English but I felt I could learn Spanish as well. Thus, I did and now I can speak effectively in Italian and Portuguese as well as Spanish. I was comfortable just knowing English and effective, kind of like we were comfortable and doing well with Cutler. However, if McDaniels feels this was a way to improve the team and since Cutler acted like a petulant child, we had to delve into the unknown just as I did. Let’s have a nice season and as always, GO BRONCOS!!! Kyle Orton will do a great job for us! Have faith, my friends.
What about the end of each half in the first chargers game. I specifically remember our offense scoring touchdowns in the two minutes drills of that game. I don’t know where he comes up with 17 two minute drills and only a field goal.
This is just my tought but how long is everyone going to naw on this bone of who is at fault,our team set back…ect. Just like in life, you have to go on. I know some of you are very upset but dwelling on this or any subject that effects you will drive you crazy, make other things seem messed up, anger increases. Try and just say…. I have no controll over what has happend, yes I’m mad but I will now carry on. If staying here a fan still upsets you…step away and cool offfor awhile or stay away. I had to make one of the hardest of these once. I had to change the people I hung around with and even my seroundings. It was very difficult, but my happiness and life depended on it. Yes, I even had to part ways, some what, with a friend I know for 30 years. He understood though, he was a true friend. Life is most important!
Oh, happiness as well! GO BRONCOS! Thats reality, having a good time cheering for the Broncos. Hoping that they have a good year. Trusting, for now, the changes that have occured. GO BRONCOS!
“ftball_player77 says:
April 10, 2009 at 4:38 am
What about the end of each half in the first chargers game. I specifically remember our offense scoring touchdowns in the two minutes drills of that game. I don’t know where he comes up with 17 two minute drills and only a field goal.”
The TD at the end of the first half was technically a 2:25 drive, though in spirit, they were in a 2 minute offense, so I think it should have been included. The TD at the end of the game came during a 4 minute drive, and the Chargers actually got the ball back with under a minute to play, so it doesn’t really fit the idea of a ’2-minute offense’. Also, out of the 17 drives that technically qualify as 2 minutes and under, a number of them were not worth analysis, including a couple of victory formation kneeldowns, and drives at the end of a couple of the blowout losses where there was no chance of winning on the final drive.
The whole stat is broken down here.
number 2 offense. number 12 scoring offense. first time in history that a top 5 offense wasn’t a top 10 scoring offense. there were problems on offense. we were great between the 20′s.
remember the raiders game at home and the bills game. those are two games this team should not have lost. it was not the defenses fault, only, those two games.
against the raiders…. .the offense forgot that there is a “middle” of the field, jay was throwing “outs” to bmarsh only (got locked on him), and they turned the ball over early in the game driving within the raiders 10 yard line and never recovered.
against the bills…..they were up by two scores. shanahan opts to have prater attempt a long field goal at the end of a very cold first half. the ball is a rock. he misses. buffalo scores at the end of the half. has the momentum. takes the lead. we get the ball at the end of the game for a “2 minute” drive…..jay can’t connect from the 15 to anyone. in and out of stokley’s hands.
with two different performances by our “vaunted” offense last year in those games…we win the division, shanahan is the coach, and jay is still around. as it is–we didn’t, and they don’t deserve to be.
finaly bronco sam. Someone points out that the only reason we had the number2 offence was because of the yards between the 20s. Jay would get to the red zone and staul then we either turn it over or have to settle for 3 instead of the 6 points. (7 w/ PAT) this was one of the biggest downfalls. No wonder our D was sucky they were on the feild all the time because of the turnovers. Jay had 25 interceptions and 28 TDS that doesn’t average out very well. its almost an int for every TD. plus we had fumbles from him as well and fumbels from WRs and RBs. The biggest thing we had goin for the O was the front line. Jay get sacked hardly at all (not positive on that stat, just know we protcted him GREATly) now how does Jay look?? arm that’ll get you to the End Zone just as much as he will throw an int. Now i can say his arm did great things for us n doubt but he still couldn win. like B Marshall said “you can have 4500 but and 28TDs but it soesn’t mean anything if you dan’t win.”
hot sizzle, Teh offensive coordinator’s name was Jeremy Bates, and he didn’t get cut loose, He left onhis own,m as Coach McD will call the offense so he felt he was not needed. He asked permission to talk to other teams and the Broncos granted it. So he landed a job at USC. Either way Cutler hanlded this wrong, cant you see that, KOA cant even get ahold of him for an interview, why… cuz he wont answer the phone, same reason this mess didn’t get fixed, he didn’t answer his phone because he didn’t want to.
LETS GO BRONCOS!!!
Good luck to the new regime and I think we will surprise alot of people and teams.
LUV them Broncos!!!!
WGBRONCO
thanks WGBronco, i had forgotten that aboutBates. we sure put blame on ppl when we actually know nothing, or if you are old(like me) you forget.
Look they not tell ya the whole story one of my childhood friends Went to school with Jay. I seen him there at the UFC Event with Jay thats how I found out. so I gave him a call. Jay was mad about Jeremy leaving and being in a diferent offense that he would have to learn all ova again. He felt he would take a step back to Phillip and Eli in production because of it. So when a intern from New England told Josh what Matt ( Cassel) was going for he opted out and said no. Tampa was also in on it Because they were tryin to aquire Matt to Trade for Jay. Why Jeremy Bates was thing of being there. Jeremy told Jay that Josh was trying to trade him. Jay want Peyton type money so he figured if they would pay Matt 14 mil and even bring Chris (Simms) 3mil a year give or take. He should get the same so he let his agent be the bad guy and try to sweat a new dael out of it. Think in his mind if your gonna trade me now and didnt whos to say you wont try next year. So he was tryna pull a Chad(Johnson) type of power play but it didnt work. He wanted Josh to kiss his you know what and that was not gonna happen. Jay was schedule to make a lil ova a million this yr now look at the other QBs on the roster and check there contracts. Now he with the Bear and they talking about giving him a new contract but it wasnt about the money. lol
Now Phillips(Rivers) and Eli(manning)s agent are waiting to see what Jay gets to Scale what to get there clients. Josh did the right thing. Jay he good but its like having a gun and not know how to aim it. Your more distructive than protective. Look at some of the game some place he just threw it up for grabs. For intense the play that got Peton(hillis) hurt he just threw it up for grabs. WE CAN HAVE THAT AND WIN. He took that critisim and felt they didnt believe in him so he did what he wanted. He on NFLNetwork ,Rich tells him he gonna call him when he gets to Chicago. Jay say dont worry I’ll answer your phone calls, but ya’ll think we (and I mean we cause if your a real fan when the team make a move your fill part of it not separate) the move to trade its everyone elses fault but his. lol GET OVA IT THE TEAM NEEDS OUR SUPPORT! So give it to them.
AT the end of the day. If your mad at your boss and you dont wanna talk fine. But when the OWNER calls and you still wont talk YOur gonna get fired so WHY not A QB. THINK ABOUT IT!
nice gratness
Sorry for some of the mistake in typing but all true. That’s why I’m not mad. He wasn’t thinking of the fans or his teammates when he did what he did. When you put your house, your parents house on the market and you WON”T TALK TO THE OWNER WHEN HE CALLS AND YOU SEE THE # ON YOUR CELL AND PUT YOUR PHONE ON IGNORE(FACT THAT REALLY HAPPENED!) You wanted it to get that far!
Hey greatness, Thanks. I kinda thought along the same lines. So all that makes sence. Either way, we are the Broncos and we are ready to play! So dont cry about Cutlers good bye. Get proud, go to a game and scream out loud. Soon we will all be riding a blue and orange cloud!
Cutler looks great on paper, but add up the Int’s and the fumbles and the poor decisions. Its easy to be second in offense in the NFL when your QB throws for 4500 yards, but passing yards mean nothing look at Dan Marino all those years, all those records, great Hall of Fame QB, he is the man but never got a Superbowl ring. Cutler, like Drew Brees had very inflated numbers last year, both of them had to throw the ball a lot due to being behind in games and trying to catch up and injuries to their RB’s. Also, look at when Cutler’s indiscretions took place, how many red zone int’s he threw. He doesnt throw those, we maintain a solid lead and probably would have been 11-5. How many times did Jay try to force the ball to Brandon Marshall it was ridiculous, you got Scheffler, Royal, Stokley, spread the ball around take a page out of Brady and Manning’s book. He has an arm but he can’t manage the game effectively on the field. How is he gonna do in Chicago when he gets sacked 45-60 times compared to 11. Its hard to throw the ball on your back !! We need to draft a solid running back already, i was so sick of Shanahan and his beliefs that he could turn all the undrafted bums into the next Terrell Davis, get a solid guy back there to run behind Hillis, so we can grind these games out and give the defense a rest. With 30 turnover on offense last year and no respectable ground game, our poor defense was on the field far too much. I think even the Titans defense would have been winded by the second half. Why do you think our defense fell apart in the second half of every game, they were exhausted.
One more thing, how is Cutler gonna play without the playbook that was designed around Cutler’s ability ? Please Kyle Orton’s winning pct may also look good on paper, but look at why he won those games, it wasnt off his arm. It was Devin Hester giving awesome field position or returning the kicks for TD’s it was a defense that was among the best in the league and gave up close to the fewest points. It was a solid ground game. Orton is also a first half QB, his rating in the first half is 92.2, and 66.1 in the second half !! And when he is playing from behind only a 65.3 compared to 81.2 when he is ahead. And in the 4th Qtr when bhind by 7 or less 62.2 with 2 TD’s and 4 Int’s. Here is some interesting things on Cutler last year, how do you expect your defense to help you when you threw 13 int’s in your own territory !! that means less than 50yd’s for the opposing team to travel to score. 6 of those int’s were from less than our own 20yd line, and int right into field goal range !! How can you expect to get anywhere when you throw 12 int’s when you are behing in the ballgame. So please McDaniels go get Brady Quinn since he is a perfect fit for the new system or draft Sanchez or Stafford save us now before its too late !!
why Brady Quinn?
Cassel has not thrown a pass for KC yet and they might want to do something. looking at what Josh wanted to do was a two part thing.
1) he is a new head coach, that is all going to be mind bogling at first. it will make his head spin trying to teach the new coaches and players the new system.
2) he is also the QB coach. and 90% of his time will be trying to teach the QB (new or old) the playbook.
his best shot was and still could be to get CASSEL. then he could spend more time as a HEADCOACH and not just with a QB. and Cassel has only been under center 1 year so he is not taken a lot of big hits. so i say give KC simms or ortan and the #18 to get CASSEL. we come out with a #3 and a #1 next year.
i am so much behind Mac that i say give him whatever he wants to make denver great again. and he wanted cassel.
Cassel would be great but i doubt the Chiefs would allow that to happen now, even if they would consider the price would probably be to high. I say Quinn because he played under the Charlie Weis system at Notre Dame, which is the exact same system that Josh McDaniels uses, so that would mean a lot less time spent teaching the system and he could focus on the team. Plus i think the Browns would let Quinn go for considerably less than the Chiefs will want for Cassel. I’d be happy with Cassel, Quinn, Sanchez, or Stafford. I just don’t think Orton is the long term answer, i’ve seen a lot of his game footage he cracks to easily, he is only comfortable in the first half and if he is ahead. I know its tough to be a Qb in Chicago but when is the last time you heard a QB leave Chicago and be sucessful ? Only one Jim Harbaugh who had one pro bowl season with the Colts in 95 and faded into the sunset. 42 Qb’s since 1992 for the Bears and not one has been released traded or signed with another team to have a sucessful career. So if Orton is our man i just pray he is an anomoly from all this. Regardless I’m a die hard Bronco fan and as long as he is our QB go Orton !!!
Orton had no WRs He’s better than what ya’ll think. He’s very accurate and knows how to throw touch passes coming ova the middle .Not bullets from 5 yards away and getting mad at the WRs for not Catching it like SLIM. lol (Cutler)
Im all about supporting my team but lets get real we have a guy who hasnt played in what 3yrs. And Orton did nothing special to impress me in chicago. Fact is Cutler gone is gona hurt our team, & i dont think either one of the 2 we got will last. I hope 4 the best 4 our broncos but i think we will struggle @ the q.b spot. Im not hatein on my team, but since Elway retired iv ben waiting 4 a great q.b we had 1 & lost him. No matter who 2 blame we will have 2 deal wit it & hope 4 the best. I will be there rooting till the end no matter what LIKE ALWAYZ! GO BRONCOS!!!!!!!!!
Monodono,
I respect what you saying.you’ve been around football much longer than me,but don’t you think that before macdaniels came to Denver, as offense we were doing fine?Ou runners got hurt a lot last season and they need to stop dropping the ball…besides that.Our defense sucked.I just don’t think we need huge adjustments on the offense as much as we need on defense.
I bleed orange and blue
Honestly the numbers were inflated, when you constantly have to throw the ball because you have no running game you will tend to rack up huge numbers. Thats why we may have been 2nd in total offense but like 13th in scoring. Which makes no sense if your offense is truly that good. I blame the lack of a running game last year on Shanahan, he was set on Selvin Young, who showed his rookie year he was injury prone, Instead of sucking it up and drafting a solid back and thinking every late round or undrafted running back is gonna be the next TD. Look at the 3 games when Hillis was healthy and was running over defenses. Our defense stayed on the sidelines and we gave up few tards and few points. Our defense overall was good and solid, but spending as much time on the field as they did they started getting hurt, and the second half of every game they became exhausted and lost the game for us. Had we had a ground game those leads we took into the second half could have been maintained by gaining some first downs on the ground. But instead you had Cutler throwing twice and 1 running play, usually a 1 yd gain followed up with a 5 yd pass. You can tell by B-Marsh yards per catch a miseable 12.2, that right there tells you they werent driving down the field, and how bout Eddie Royal 90 catches and didnt break 1000yds, and how many long catches did he have mixed in with that. Take out those long gainers and he averaged about 6 yards a catch. You give us a solid back last year, and not some undrafted never has been and never will be. Hillis although a late round pick, was in good company he blocked for McFadden and Jones, he had to know what he was doing to get them both a 1000 yds in their final season. Our defense is already better this year though Brian Dawkins is like having a general in the backfield, we havent had that since Lynch left. Renaldo Hill, Andre Coleman, Champ Bailey, Boss Bailey, DJ Williams, Andra Davis, Wesely Woodard, Elvis Dumervil…. Jarvis Moss showed flashes last year, Marcus Thomas is gonna be solid, Crowder needed more playing time, but i do agree we need some insurance on the line. If we cant get a QB in the draft we at least need a solid RB, a solid DL, and a solid CB for the nickel package. Please get us a back, Lamont Jordan and Selvin young are injury prone, or maybe we will get lucky if Hillis can stay healthy all year he could be a top back in the NFL.
There is a diamond back out there we should go for, Shonn Greene out of Iowa. 5’11 235 pounds, Bruising back rushed for over 100 yds in every game last year. 20 rushing TD’s he knows how to score… his stock fell due to a poor performance at the combine so he should be available in round 2 and maybe even round 3. Look him up i think he could be our answer to the ground game for years to come.
To thehurt2k8….You should write a book.
Good info though. I think its just time to move on from the Cutler situation. Its done like it or not and when it comes time to play we will all put on our blue and orange and do our best to cheer the Broncs to a win. I thought we had something with Cutler, yeah he made mistakes but after2.5 years of starting he had better numbers than most QB’s ever in the NFL. It didn’t work out and I agree with what someone posted earlier. Orton is better than we think and should give him a chance. At the end of the day, I hope the new system works. BO BRONCOS!
Most of the offensive woes last season stemmed from the inconsistency at the running back position. It was also the main reason we were so dismal in the red zone. Shany’s system was predicated on the run, and when you take it away, we have problems in the red zone. I don’t know if it was a twist of fate, but losing 5 or 6 backs on IR really hurt us down the stretch. If Hillis avoids getting injured, we win the division. You can’t really blame Cutler, or Shanahan for that. Its one of them ugly things that just happens. Despite the problems with the D and the running game, our boys came out and competed in most games. That last game against the Chargers was very hard to swollow for anyone though, and thats what most people remember. I am hoping we have a decent season, but I am not holding my breath for it!
brazil4broncos says:
April 11, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Monodono,
I respect what you saying.you’ve been around football much longer than me,but don’t you think that before macdaniels came to Denver, as offense we were doing fine?Ou runners got hurt a lot last season and they need to stop dropping the ball
In response to this I say:
Brazil4broncos, I have nothing but respect for your opinion and want to hear more of what you feel needs to be done about The D.
In my opinion I don’t think The Offense was perfect at all, They certainly were not bad either. The TEAM over all needs work. Look at the turnovers Cutler had 18 INT’s. and 2 Fumbles that led to 78 points given up. In fact here is the break down on fumbles:
Marshall 3 fumbles lost
Cutler 2 fumbles lost
Royal 1 fumble lost
Ramsey 1 fumble lost
Scheffler 1 fumble lost
Thomas the RT 1 fumble lost @ Tampa
Young 1 fumble lost
Hall 2 fumbles lost
As you can see the RB’s only lost the ball 3 times out of 12.
And your argument that all the RB’s were hurt is true but there was always some one who could carry the ball IF they called the plays. The truth is J. Bates didn’t call enough running plays at the right time. The last three games The Broncos still had Cory Boyd, Tatum Bell, Steve Baylark, Andrew Pinnock, PJ Pope, and Spencer Larsen. They had some backs but Bates chose to pass more than run. The Broncos called 53 run plays to 135 pass plays in the last three games, that’s not balanced.
No one can argue The D was good because they weren’t. But that’s not the only place that needs improvement. The TEAM needs work.
TIME OF POSSESSION ! ! !
GO BRONCOS ! ! !
Most coaches think that in football that there are 3 aspects of the game. Offense, Defense, and Special Teams. Most coaches say that if you win 2 out of 3 of those aspects, chances are you’re going to win the game.
Last year we didn’t win on the Defensive aspect, it was down right embarrassing to watch running backs take the rock 50+ yards for a TD, or see the long ball thrown with confidence on our cornerbacks. The D-line had almost no pressure as some QB’s had plenty of time to tear up the secondary or scramble for 3rd down conversions.
On Special teams there were a few opponents that took a kick off/punt return for a TD. Prater was 25/34 on field goals – that’s 73.5% – not very intimidating. Eddie Royal did his share of punt returns making for some great field position, but Royal was probably the only bright light on Special Teams.
When you’re down 2 out of 3 on those aspects of the game, your offense is going to have to carry the load. Add the fact that this is a VERY YOUNG offense, to see the numbers that they put up was impressive. Even more impressive is that they shouldered the load without even thinking twice about it.
That all started with the QB and his leadership. The way he carried himself on the field with confidence carried over to everyone that surrounded him. O-line’s play for QB’s that have their respect, hence the 11 sacks. Wide outs run extra hard and run better routes if they believe the guy throwing the rock will get it to them. And because of such a dismal Defense and Special teams, some players are going to try harder to gain those extra yards (hence fumbles.)
I look at the films on NFL Network and see a jubilant bunch of young kids excited about playing with each other. From the O-line & Tight Ends, to the wide outs, RB’s and QB.
Kyle Orton should be excited to work with these offensive guys. I hope they are willing to give him the same chance. Most importantly I hope they don’t have to carry the team like they did last year. And wishful thinking, I hope they become the #1 rated Offense.
Uau.Ok Monodono.You got a very good point and facts to back it up what you saying,And the fact that we called a lot more passing plays towards the end of the season it’s kinda scary too.Teams ended up seeing that,and doubling on marshall,royal…That explains a lot why we sucked last three games…i did not have those numbers before.
So I totally agree with your facts,but still man…our offense is very very young (the youngest in the league if Im not wrong)You see the potential?
I gonna have to say that ,yes,I’ll give in and say the we need work overall,but our offense needs to be more polished then fixed,and our defense….needs a total do over.Just like Mc is doing it…I think…
Later.Thanks for the patience.
Just a though. In 2008 when he was with the Patriots he said Tebow was Brady like in the since of how the college sees him and how NFL sees Brady. I do think they will draft a DE. Now LB i dont know. they have Boss, Larsen,Woodyard, and DJ. Now if your saying Boss is not good then why keep him on the team getting paid like 4 mil a or ore a year. Spencer and DJ can play inside and Woodyard can play outside. they need a big DE and NT to let them run free to the ball. Worst case let doom play that LT or Freeny position and just rush the QB. Run D is were we lack. Stop the leaks then everything else will fall in place. I know if I was running the team and had to draft a LB someone either DJ or Boss would had to take a pay cut. We spend wisely were not the Redskins or Cowboys. lol
brazil4broncos, brother or sister which ever, yes the O is young and I’m excited for this coming year and can’t wait for The Draft. Who do you think The Broncos should take in the first three rounds? We have 5 picks, #’s 12, 18, 48, 79, & 84. What do you think The Broncos should do?
I would like to see:
12 CB Malcolm Jenkins 6-1/201/ SR- Ohio State
18 RB Chris Wells 6-1/237/ JR- Ohio State
48 DT Ron Brace 6-3/329/ SR- Boston College
79 CB Victor Harris 5-11/186/ SR- Virginia Tech
84 S David Bruton 6-2/210/ SR- Notre Dame
What do you think?
TIME OF POSSESSION ! ! !
GO BRONCOS ! ! !
Jenkins is the only player imo to be a sure fire starter in the nfl. # 12 if he is still there.
Raji is to fat and only a 2 down back in the nfl- not worthy of top 20.
P Jerry would be my pick at #18 just to make sure we get a big NT.
At #48 we need another safty R Johnson will be off the board so i would like to see Moore or Delmas.
L/Bs and D/Es, but do we need one more??
that leaves #79, everyone is saying we need a R/B. idk, a W/R would be my pick. mac brought in one before BMarsh got in his mess, he may be still wanting to find one that can play every game in a year.
#84 i would go back to the best of either a s/s or c/b. Byrd out of Oregon looks good.
we will need a 3rd QB to go into traing camp, let him please bring back Hackney, i liked the little guy! why waist a draft pick on one if we already have one?
P S
I don’t care if THE POPE falls to us in the 7 round, if his agant is BUS COOK ….. don’t pick him.
starting back field: back up:
s dawkins age 35 j barrett
s r hill age 30 fox
cb goodman age 30 j williams
cb bailey age 30 rashod or j bell
we will need to draft some good d/b this year or next year.
on the same note Stokley is 32. the WR pick may be more important than i thought.
after the f/a pickups (8 are 30 years old and up) we now have 15 players from 30 to 35. 20 from 26 to 29 and we have 29 players 25 and below.
monodono still praying, need an update.
texark-fan, Loved the bus cook (lower case intended)comment, HeHe!
The Grand Daughter is doing great! Wish I had an avatar to show the pics I took on the 18th. My Grand Mother and Mothers Birthday. Had five Generations together. Awesome!
Made some changes to my Mock Draft check it out.
My Mock Draft
#12 CB Malcolm Jenkins 6-1/201/ SR- Ohio State
#18 RB Chris Wells 6-1/237/ JR- Ohio State
#48 DT Ron Brace 6-3/329/ SR- Boston College
#79 FS Rashad Johnson 6-0/195/ SR- Alabama
#84 S David Bruton 6-2/210/ SR- Notre Dame ran a 4.43 40 @ combine.
#114 QB Graham Harrell 6-2/217/ SR- Texas Tech
#149 DT Terrance Taylor 6-0/319/ SR- Michigan BEAST!
#185 TE Bear Pascoe 6-6/260/ SR- Fresno State
#225 K David Buehler 6-2/225/ SR- USC
#235 OG Travis Bright 6-5/329/ SR- BYU
What do you think? I cant wait till saturday!
TIME OF POSSESSION ! ! !
GO BRONCOS ! ! !
Mr. Rice will you be covering The Draft sat? I’m going to Steamboat to do a little fishing and want to be able to keep up to date on the Draft.
new comp. seeing if it works