ESPN Broncos on the Clock Video

Well, let’s be honest.

Koutovides was a backup. He’s an unknown quantity. I think they totally skipped over DJ Williams, who did fantastic with a difficult situation last year, but it’s ok; *we* know.

I think they’re right — we’re missing run-stoppers on the d-line. Our best d-line guys right now are pass rushers who are generally considered situational. Dumervil needs to try and make the transition to an every down end, but so far he has not proven to be Dwight Freeney. Moss didn’t get to play enough to really let us know where he’s going to go. Thomas came on at the end of the season. Can he make the leap to being a great player as a sophomore? There’s hope. But that’s all it is. Hope.

I worried about Marlon McCree when he was acquired — on the Chargers’ defense, he was the guy we targeted to try and take advantage of. That does not tell me he’s going to be a better player for us. At best I think McCree is there to provide insurance for Lynch. I read that we are in danger of losing Abdullah at the end of the season; he’s playing a contract year here, and that’s good for us this year but it means we may not be able to keep him. If he plays really well, he’s going to want a big contract.

I’m intrigued by Boss Bailey. I’d like to believe that playing on the same field as his brother will make him go 110% all the time, because you can’t let your brother show you up. They can motivate each other the way no other players can. That said, he was mediocre in Detroit, so there’s a big question mark there.

The media is pretty hard on Harris, I think, because the Broncos are clearly not ready to say he’s the guy. Shanahan came out and said Kuper will get the nod ahead of him? Kuper who plays guard, at LT? That’s a big ding on Harris. If he doesn’t end up starting this year, I don’t see him staying with the team.

Keary Colbert is also a big question mark. He was a disappointment at Carolina, but a lot is going to depend on the kind of rapport he and Cutler can put together.

I can say things to make any of these decisions look good, but the reality is that every free agent we brought on board this year is a big question mark. On the plus side, we have a lot of draft picks this year, and given the way our team looks right now, I suspect we’re going to get a bunch of guys who will see valuable playing time next year.

I think they’re basically right. It’s painful, but we’re going to be very, very dependent upon having a good draft for this season to be anything but mediocre. We have a pretty good offense, but I’m worried about the running back situation (I seem to be alone there) and definitely think we need another receiver. But we have Sheffler, Marshall and Stokley out there to catch balls; we just need Colbert to be average enough that they can’t completely ignore him out there and we’re good there.

But with our line looking questionable (is Pears really the answer on the right side?) and health issues with running back, I have a feeling we’re going to see a lot of Jay scrambling (and some more remarkable catches from Marshall and Sheffler)

On defense? I dunno. I have no feeling as to whether or not last year’s draft class is going to make that big leap that it needs to make. Even if Koutovides and Bailey are acceptable starters at LB, I don’t see a great deal of depth there. And safety? We need Abdullah to have a big year.

But most importantly, I think we need Thomas, Crowder, Moss and Dumervil to all take that next step and become outstanding players, so that our line can be dominant. And to do that, they’re going to need a lot of help, to keep the line fresh so they can play a complete game.