2009 Offseason: Be the Coach

Trade bly for a dozen pair of shoes and a bag of balls! The worst corner we have had since carter!

All i know is that i want Hillis to be our RB.

MVP’s
Offense: Jay Cutler (without him how many games would we have won…4?)
Defense: Woodyard? Who else inspired any hope?
Special Teams: Larsen

I hope we under value free agency and build through the draft, and I hope we switch to a 3-4.

Who should we cut?
every defensive player with 5 years experience except DJ & Champ
Special Teams: Praeter
Offense: Selvin Young, Ryan Torain, Jackson

so much to do, so little time to do it. the most important step has already been taken in getting rid of Shanahan and most of the staff.

step 1. rebuild the defense!!! cut Dewayne Robertson, Kenny Peterson, Carlton Powell, Nate Webster, Niko Koutouvides. redo Bly and Boss Baileys contract.

sign Terrell Suggs to play OLB in the 3-4, move Dj Williams inside to go with Larsen and move Moss outside to play OLB in the 3-4.

draft BJ Raji in the first round to play NT in the 3-4. draft Patrick Chung to play SS in the second round. draft Senderick Marks to play 3-4 DE in the 3rd round. my starting 3-4 alignment:

DL-Marcus Thomas, BJ Raji and Senderick Marks. (if these two were drafted)

LB- Suggs (if signed) DJ Williams, Larsen and Moss

secondary- Bly, Bailey, Barrett and Chung. (if chung is drafted)

thats just on the defensive side.

offense: teach Cutler the art of the checkdown pass.

keep Hillis as the fulltime RB. he can run as well as block and catch passes. another benefit of Cutler learning the checkdown play.

resign Marshall, Kuper and Harris to new longterm contracts. according to sources we are 30 million under the cap so there is money to go around. also resign Casey Weigmann to a one year deal to mentor Lichtensteiger for another year.

make Eddie Royal JUST the number 2 receiver and turn over all kick return duties to Aldridge when he comes back.

cut Ryan Torain, Hall, Young and Bell.

my starting offensive alignment:

QB- Cutler
RB- Hillis
WR- Marshall, Royal and Stokley
TE- Scheffler and Graham
OL- Clady, Hamilton, Weigmann (if resigned), Kuper and Harris.

ok now i know alot of you will whine about why i dont have Woodyard and Dumervil on my starting 3-4 defense. here is the reason. Dumervil is a situational guy and Woodyard is gonna be a ST teams player this year while coming in on certain situations.

Maybe kerry, I still think they look at Woodyard at safety. Whether he can make the traqnsition remains to be seen, but we will see.

Suggs is a great player, to be sure, but what about his shoulder? I think Scott would be a great signing, but he will probably be retained over Suggs.

As I have said, we need to upgrade our LB, and there are a few that could do so instantly. I do not agree with moving DJ, he has been screwed with enough. Keep him on the weak side. That is where he belongs.

We should also look to upgrade safety. Switching Woodyard would be a start, but there are a few FA that could come in. Jermaine Phillips, and Sean Jones come to mind. I also think James Butler is a free agent this year, but I am not sure. All are instant upgrades over M&M.

Why cut Carlton Powell, the poor guy hasn’t even had a shot.

Kerry, aside from my above question, I’d have to admit that I agree with most of what you said (and I got a great laugh about your comment about Cutler).

Well we obviously we need to rebuild the defense, so I would say with the 12th pick we should draft Ray Maualuga who would bring leadership and tremendous tackling to the defense. If we can somehow find a way to lure Julius Peppers to Denver Mike nolan can find ways to let him loose. Perhaps even a guy like Derrick Ward can come in and help solidify our RB corps as he would bring experience and big-game mentality to our offense. I say release Dre and use that money for Peppers. We need to target a safety maybe somebody like Nick Collins from Green Bay who can play deep while Barrett plays in the Box. Give jarvis an opportunity as a pass rush specialist in a 3-4. I think Dumervil would be a beast in a 3-4 his skill set and size are very similar to James Harrison’s from the steelers. Thankfully our offense is very solid and very young all around which is absolutely crucial. Remember we were 8-8 with the 30th ranked defense, all we really have to do is maybe move up to the 15th or 16th ranked defense and who knows that could give us a 10-6 record and we can challenge for the division. San Diego is good but they are not that good, they got hot late and we collapsed, we can win the division next year if we can put a couple playmakers on defense on the field and shore up our redzone offense with a solid running back. The biggest key is not to put all the pressure on Jay he cannot and will not do everything for us it is very similar to Elway in his early days when he was a one man show. Then we got TD and the Superbowls came. Honestly Bronco fans we have to try to shape ourselves like the Cardinals, beast offense with weapons all around and not a solid defense but a playmaking defense that causes turnovers and we would be able to beat anyone. The great thing about the NFL is that nobody knows what will happen so keep supporting the Broncos and hope that McDaniels and Co can continue to put a solid team on the field.

Long time reader…first post. At work so had to just hit the high points.

-Draft I would like best player available at NT, ILB or Safety. D has to get stronger up the middle.
-Free agency I would love Nnamdi Asomugha if we can get him. Champ & Bly are not getting any younger.
-Starting running back needs to be Hillis. We have Cutler and the passing game for the big play, we need a running back who can pick up the 3rd and short. Spec in the red zone. There are ample choices for speed\change of pace back. (Aldridge would be my first choice.)
-I’m happy it’s 70 out and that I’m not a raiders fan.

kerry, you are the second coming. its as if you you read my mind and then wrote it on the post.

i would add though that barrett may get replaced also, i was not overly impressed with him (he seems to shy away from contact)

bravo

oh i also forgot to mention the fact that once we get a defensive front that can put pressure on the QB, bailey and bly will look 10x better then they did this year

BJ Raji has been explosive so far at the senior bowl. I liked Rey M. from usc but we definitely need a nose tackle like BJ. NO RUNNING BACKS PLEASE

RAJI RAJI RAJIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

I want Ray Malaloga and to sign Suggs with a switch to the 3-4. Lets cut Bly and and sign a FA safety, there are a couple good ones this year.

I think Torian deserves a shot to compete in training camp and being in a two RB league he will make a great tandem with Hillis.

I have a really good feeling about this team. I think next year we will struggle making the transition to the 3-4 and finish in the 5-7 win range but give it 2 or 3 years and the Broncos will be dominate once again.

i think the starting RB should be peyton hillis, or Torain. Then I would like to draft either Ray Maulauga, or James Laurinitis(MLB Ohio State), or if Malcolm Jenkins somehow slips into our hands(CB Ohio State)

why is it that everybody wants a linebacker?

that is not our main problem, if we improve the D-Line, then the line backers we have there now will not be asked to do so much and thus will perform at a greatly improved level.

I for one will be disapointed if the broncos draft am LB or RB in the first round.

utterly disguisted

In the draft I skip on Rey Maualuga and trade down to about 20th. At that point we take Clint Sintim as an inside linebacker , even though some people are projecting him as a Sam in a 4-3 D. With our now first 2nd round choice we take tyson Jackson a 6’5″ 290 DE from LSU.
Our Second 2nd rounder is Ron Brace NT 6’3″ 325 from Boston College. Our third round choice is James Davis RB Clemson 5’11″ 210.

Haven’t figured out what to do in the 4th or beyond yet but one kid from Iowa has treaked my curiousity. His name is Mitch King a 6’3″ 280 DE who was big time productive for the Hawkeyes and started out as a LB. Reviews I’ve read about him compare him to Aaron Kampman and Jason Babineau. Could be a real terror as a pass rush LB. Definitely a big time depth guy for the front 7.

As far as free agency goes, one name that would help us would be Dunta Robinson CB Houston Texans. For about the same money, we can get younger, stonger, and most importantly we can GET RID OF BLY.

Our Dline becomes RDE the kid from LSU, NT Brace from BC, and LDE whomever survives at training camp(We got Ryan McBean 6’5″ 290 DE from OK St, that didn’t make it as a draft choice of the Steelers could be the guy). Our Linebackers become DJ and Winborn on the outside, with Larson and Sintim in the middle. Hell, even if we aren’t any better than last year we are at least much yonger,and bigger. What about safety? Josh Barrett for depth at Strong, Wesley Woodyard to start there, and a FA pickup and a rookie to be determined at Free.

Players to S*** Can are:

Engleberger – no place in a 3-4 and Nolan cut him once already.
Webster – let him walk in FA.
Boss Bailey – why did we sign him exactly? Big salary, no production
Karl Pamah – just another failed Shanahan CB.
Louis Greene – what has he done since he’s been here?
Dre Bly – because he’s expensive and he STINKS.
Niko – Certainly a monster Mike Backer. NOT!
Dewayne Robertson – He’s not worth the 4 mill bonus to stay.
Marquand Manual – doesn’t know where to stand in the mens romm or on the field
Marlon McCree – SD let him go for a reason. We should too.
Andre Hall – no place for him at the Inn.
Selvin Young – 2000 yard and all, pulled a Hammy on news of his release.
Nate Jackson – we now have Putzier back, and he can’t block either.

think about this 3-4 d line…..

marcus thomas DE bj raji NT and ricky jean-francois (2nd round out of LSU, 6’3″ 281 lbs)

I was watching the senior bowl practice yesterday and was blown away by Evander Hood. In a drill meant to showcase DL’s he was one of the best. Raji ended up on the ground more than a couple of times. I am not sold on Raji. In the clip that I watched of him he seemed inconsistant at times, and worse yet, his heart has been called in to question many times by various scouts.

I would rather take Hood in RD 2. At 298 he plays with a fire and constant motor. Trade down in 1 and take someone like Aaron Maybin from Penn State or Micheal Johnson from Georgia Tech. i am also looking at Nic Harris from OU in rd 3.

Either way, I am not sure we want to field someone with character or commitment issues on a rebuilding defense.

kerry did a great job of setting a general standard that we can all riff off of.

All of this assumes a 3-4 defense.

Easily cut McCree, Webster, Engleburger, Green, Nate Jackson, Darrell Jackson. Also cut Young, Hall, Robertson, and let Paymah go to free agency. Cut McCoy as offensive coordinator. Otherwise, he’d better be a smart guy that got overruled by dumb people a lot in Carolina. Who respects the Carolina passing game or any of their QB’s?! (Addendum: cut Bly. Explained below)

Keep Leech, Kern, and Prater. The bad aim from 40-49 was weird and fluky. I don’t expect it next year. Also keep Niko for special teams even though he’s now overpaid. Special teams cannot be overlooked.

Trade Daniel Graham for a 5th round pick because, like in the Pat’s system that he left, he no longer fits with McD calling plays.

As kerry said, sign Suggs (his shoulder will be fine and he’ll be cheaper because of it) or Julius Peppers, but don’t trade for either.

Peppers will reportedly cost the Panthers $17 million in 09 alone. As such, I don’t think that they will re-sign him. The only possible gamble that they might make is to sign him and then trade him for a QB or a high pick to get a QB, but I don’t think they they’ll roll the dice. Plus it’s still a cap hit for them. They will elect to spend the money on Jordon Gross instead to protect their new QB that they’ll get be some other means.

If the Ravens do re-sign Suggs, then they might let Bart Scott go. I think that the Broncos will only sign one big money free agent. However, if they could get both Scott and Peppers, I’d be happy to part with $40 or $50 million for the combination.

If the Broncos don’t land Scott, then sign Eric Barton for cheap from the Jets for ILB depth. He’s the only ILB free agent that can be signed for reasonable money that I believe will actually hit the market.

Also sign Nate Washington or Michael Clayton for relatively little money. If you’re running the spread offense over half of the time, you’re going to need more WR depth. These guys both have nice upside in my opinion. Plus, I’m worried about Marshall’s hand, Stokley’s head, and Royal’s ankles.

Sign Tony Curtis (TE) for depth since Nate Jackson and Daniel Graham are gone.

There’s a long shot that the Packers won’t re-sign Atari Bigby (SS). I love watching him play and I love his name. Sign him if if he’s available, but I’m pretty sure he won’t be.

My draft has similar priorities to kerry’s, but presently looks like this:

Trade picks 12 and 110 (4:14) to the Bucs for picks 19 and 50 (2:18). This evens out on the draft trade value chart almost exactly (1,200 to 1,199). The Bucs will want to make this trade because they’ll want to either take Sanchez (QB) ahead of the Jets or Moreno ahead of the Chargers if either drops that far.

The Broncos can trade down because no team needs a nose tackle before the Cardinals at pick 21.

1 BJ Raji (NT)
2 Victor Harris or Alphonso Smith (CB)
2 Sen’Derrick Marks (DT/DE) I’ll admit that kerry’s pick convinced me to do this.
3 Michael Hamlin (SS)
5 James Davis/Jeremiah Johnson (RB)
5 Scott McKillop/Daniel Holtclaw (ILB)
5 David Bruton (FS)
6 Dallas Reynolds/Brett Helms (Interior OL)
6 Antonio Dixon (NT)
7 Brandon Swain (DE/OLB)

Sign Rivera (MLB U of Kansas) as a undrafted free agent. Random, I know.

Some of these may be way off after the combine, but I think that this draft is reasonable given average draft estimates.

Not many will have a cornerback taken so high by the Broncos, but I don’t really like any CBs available further down except Mark Parson. Bailey’s going to need a replacement soon enough. Bly is no longer a number 2 cornerback. I think that he would make an excellent nickelback. However, agreed that he should restructure his contract. If he doesn’t want to, then I see Josh Bell as a similar player that played just as well and has upside to play nickel. So, since we’re being more exact, I don’t think Bly will want to restructure because other teams will pay him money that they shouldn’t. Cut Bly. Neither Josh Bell nor Jack Williams is ready to be a 2, but I think that they’ll be alright as nickel and dime backs, respectively. So, now the Broncos need a number 2 cornerback. Hence, draft Harris or Smith, whoever is available at pick 16 of the second round.

Other explanations – I like that Hamlin reportedly has good cover skills as opposed to all of the other SS possibilities in the draft. McKillop and Holtzclaw were both extremely productive tacklers in college. Bruton is reportedly a good leader and could be gem off of a bad college team. Antonio Dixon has major injury concerns (i.e. he got injured early in 08 and didn’t play the remainder of the season). If he will heal with time, it could be great value to have him as nose tackle depth (necessary). Brandon Swain will likely rise in the draft, but he was a productive small school player. I also like Reynolds and Helms both because they can play all three interior o-line positions, but I’m not sure how athletic they are for the zbs system. Either way, an o-linemen has to be taken in the late rounds. I’d even be okay with taking a guy like Luigs in round three if Wiegmann leaves.

But I really think that Wiegmann had so much fun that he’ll stay for another year or two. It might sound silly, but he was overshadowed be teammates in KC and never really had a good chance to win there. Now he does and he’s getting the spotlight. He’ll stay.

So, that being said – here’s my projected depth chart:

QB – Cutler Hackney
RB – Davis/Johnson Hillis(short and long 3rd down back) Bell Aldridge
FB – Hillis Larson
WR – Marshall Royal Stokley Washington Sheffler CJackson Aldridge Hillis
TE – Sheffler Hillis Curtis
OL – Same as Kerry has with depth (Helms, Polumbus, Liechtenstieger, Pears)

LDE – Thomas Peterson
NT – Raji Thomas Dixon
RDE – Marks Ekuban
LOLB – Bailey Swain
LILB – Scott Bailey Larson McKillop
RILB – Williams Rivera Woodyard
ROLB – Peppers Moss/Dumervil

CB – Bailey Harris Bell Williams
FS – Barrett Bruton
SS – Hamlin Woodyard Manual

09 AFC West – will be weird and confusing. Chargers in trasition/on the decline. Chiefs and Raiders will be better, but not competitive til 2010. That’s the really question – what will 2010 look like for the AFC West? The Bronco’s defense, with so many (projected) rookies starting, will need to bake next year. However, I think that 09 will again be a competition between the Charger and the Broncos. If the Raiders and Chiefs are coached well and develop next year, 2010 could be very, very competitive.

MVPs – Offense: Hillis, Defense: I refuse to choose anyone, Special Teams: Kern

I think that that covers everything.

Who do we draft? Rey Maualuga!!!!!!
Free Agency? Julius Peppers!!!!!!
Starting Lineups? Since we are moving to the 4-3 I want Woodyard to be that 4th Linebacker. Other than that I might want to see Josh Bell get the start at CB over Bly to spice things up a bit.
Kick to the Curb? Webster, and McCree!!!!
Running Back? I say we give it to Hillis and let him run with it.
Defense? Let’s shore it up in the draft, get some key players out there in the first and second rounds.

That’s 51 players with room to add another cornerback and another offensive linemen in free agency. I like the idea of Dunta Robinson if he’s not too expensive.

i agree with kerry 99.7% i wouldn’t cut tatum bell kenny petterson or carlton powell. Tatum bell was the only back that lasted without injury and isnt a horrible back. by no means i say we give a starting job just keep him around as a security back. kenny petterson would be a perfect DE in the 3-4 D. and we should cut carlton powell if we dont know what he brings to the table.

But kerry’s on que with everything else.

Jordan C The davis kid from clemson won’t last to the 5th round, but maybe 4th. I agree with Dunta Robinson, but Raji isn’t the guy and he will drop in the draft. I still prefer Ron Brace at NT and he’ll be available in the late 2nd or 3rd rnd.

And cut Ryan “Glass” Torrain and Patrick Ramsey.

Give Carlton Powell and chance to find a place on the roster in training camp.

I also sign Luke McCown or Kyle Boller, in that order, to compete with Hackney for the backup QB spot.

Richard – You’re probably right about Davis. I would still draft Jeremiah Johnson in round 5 over Davis in round 3 or 4.

I wouldn’t be upset if the Broncos took Brace, but he might be a reach at pick 48 or 50. If the Broncos trade down to 19 and the Chargers take BJ Raji, then sure, take Brace. That then means that the Chargers didn’t take Maualuga or a running back at 16 and we could Rey or Moreno at 19. There are better value options (CB, DE, RB, LB, Safety) for the Broncos at 19. That might make reaching for Brace in round 2 worth it.

I agree with most of you but why should we cut Dre Bly?? why dont we trade him for a late draft pick or if Carolina is going to trade peppers we have a lot of big name players that didnt really do anything for us and have big contracts. I think if we trade Dre Bly, Boss Bailey, and possibly one of our spare backs that cant stay healthy and we will have enough money earned towards our cap that Julius Peppers may have a hefty contract but it will help our slary cap.

Jordan C have you looked at this LB Clint Sintim Kid? I think he could be a real player for us indide? yor thoughts?

Roy
Todd Mcshay had this to say about Bj Raji
“On Monday, we said that Boston College DT B.J. Raji is the clear frontrunner to emerge as the top lineman, defensive or offensive, prospect in his class by the time we leave Mobile. After this morning’s practice, we now feel that he is one of the top two or three prospects here regardless of position. Raji continues to showcase his rare blend of size, burst and agility and he manhandled highly-touted Oregon C Max Unger on more than one occasion. In fact, he got under Unger’s pads, drove him back and then put him on his back on one snap during one-on-one pass rushing drills.

I admit that I didn’t watch the entire practice, maybe he was gassed when I watched him. Time will tell how well he does. Everyone will see his conditioning at the combine, as well as whether or not he has the “fire.” When I was watching he seemed to know that he was on top, and took reps off. That kid Hood looked like he had something to prove…..Look, we need guys who will come in and be competitive, guys that are not affraid to lay the wood down. We are missing that attitude on D. We need guys who refuse to take people’s sh-t, and who play every down TO THE WHISTLE. If Raji can bring that, great. Maybe I have been watching the wrong clips, but he has not impressed me that much.

from seeing raji in person this year… he’s pretty good. i’d be ok taking him at 12 if we are going to go to a 3-4 and looking for lb help later in the draft.

i’d get rid of bell, chances are if we needed him we could sign him out of the aurora mall again. especially if we do use a draft pick on a rb… i would think he goes, and maybe young too. we ‘should’ be ok with torain, hillis, hall, alridge and a draft pick rb…. but who knows.

someone mentioned getting rid of graham, i’d be ok with that… we gave him a bunch of money and he really cant catch… sure he had some good td catches late in the season, but he had a heck of a lot of dropped balls. NE let him walk because he couldnt catch in a passing offense, we have plenty of tight ends who can catch better than him- in fact i think that they all can.

If there is a category for “Best dance after a tackle that is most annoying” than I would go with Winborn. Other than that, I say get rid of Bly. Scott was right on with what we could trade for him.

playing a 3-4 usually needs you have better athletes at the LB position, that being said I want them to draft Rey M … Raji will be gone I think by 12 … Rey and DJ in the middle? Terrell Suggs and Woodyard on the outside … thats an improvement … Boss Bailey could work out stilll somehow

The draft is the middle of the defense: nose tackle, inside linebacker or two and free saftety.

Webster, Koutiouvides, Manuel, B Bailey, Green, the other 2 clowns they had at saftety. Moss. Robertson, Bly, Young and Hall all need to go.

RB’s: Keep Hillis, Torain and Aldridge.

Now for the general atmosphere and what needs to change at the stadium because as Bowlen said “it’s time to go in a new direction”.

So……
1) Stop that stupid “in-com-plete” chant
2) Stop that stupid “in-com-plete” chant
2) Stop that stupid “in-com-plete” chant

A Few ideas to start doing…
1) Start with everyone wearing orange to the game. We used to have orange Sunday’s, why not make every Sunday orange Sunday? Bowlen can’t seem to understand that is our root color, so let’s help him.

2) Turn our backs to field when the opponent is introduced and make not one sound

3) Something CU used to do. jangle your key chain on opponents third downs.

4) Good lyrics to good kick butt song to adopt.

5) Do not bring back ‘rock n roll part 2′ gary glitter.

6) They used to have a cool depiction of a horse with a lasso , sticking a qb in a bag whenever we got a sack…I remember that from years back and loved it.

7) Wear the orange jerseys at home if the form of the throwbacks with the huge blue stripe on the sleeve with the number in it. Best jerseys we have ever had.

flbronc Getting rid of graham would be a big mistake. Graham’s pass catching is very good, but his blocking is superior. We don’t have any other blocking tight ends. Putzier’s blocking is fair at best and sheffler’s blocking is non existant, Nate’s blocking, makes shef look good.. Did we pay too much for his services, maybe, maybe not. By the way the Patriots didn’t let him go as much as we outbid them for his services.

dee Think of Rey M in the middle with Spenser Larson, keep DJ outside, it’s where he belongs.

Looks like Jeb Fisch got a job in Minnesota:

http://buckbravo.com/?p=720

I agree with Richard. Graham left NE because he is from Denver and wanted to play for his home team. He was not ousted. He is also the BEST blocking TE in the league, and that is why he was signed. Anything else that we get from him above and beyond that is a bonus.

Sintim looks good. So does Cushing and even Matthews. I always hesitate to draft USC players since their value is sometimes inflated. Matthews, since he hasn’t gotten much playing time, may be better than his projected draft spot. DraftCountdown.com lists him as an “overachiever”. I like “overachievers”. Some of the Broncos best players in the teams history have been labeled that. I’d take either of the first two at 19 and Matthews at 48. However, from what we’re reading, maybe the Broncos should stay at 12 and hope that Raji falls to them there. He should, but if he rises on draft boards…you never know.

Richard … that might be good, but where does that leave Woodyard? FREE SAFETY?

Graham is a good blocker, no doubt. But, in reality, with McD’s offense, they will use him far less than it’s worth paying him for because he can’t catch as well as the others even if he’s gotten better. I’d argue that he got those TDs because the defense wasn’t as worried about him. Trade him and trade Bly, too, if you can.

Woodyard is not a starter, yet. Maybe as a situational ILB on passing downs.

Jordan C said: Sign Rivera (MLB U of Kansas) as a undrafted free agent. I agree…. He is one of those cliche players. “A football player” Not gonna wow you with speed but that kid has heart and a want to that our D lacked big time….

I think every great defense has a team leader on the defense. Ravens Ray Lewis. Bears Brian Urlacher. Steelers Troy Ppolamalu. Denver doesnt have that defensive player. Is Rey Maualuga that guy?? if not Ray Lewis is likely to be a free agent??

Pat Bowlen has lost his mind, hes as bad as Al Davis.

how can you fire Shanny and replace him with Shanny lite?

McD better win( superbowls, not just games) or he will be just another Belichick wanna be who cant win anything without a video camera.

“trade xxxx”, “trade YYY”, “trade zzz” . Ya’ll think other teams are enamored about denver players, even though denver isn’t? C’mon! If they’re late in their careers, you CUT them! Nobody is going to trade for a longlipped CB!

Unger has looked horrible at the Senior Bowl practices, so don’t use him as a ‘gauge’. A Mack is looking much better.

Matthews Jr. is turning heads.

Ray M doesn’t sound like he’s very good in coverage.

Holati Ngota’s cuz is making waves. (Moala)

There’s a 6’1″ 235# rb that’s turning heads, small school-can’t remember his name. Jennings, from Liberty?

Brown or Orapko would be nice as OLB’s, if the 3-4 is finalized.
Brace or Raji would be nice as Dlinemen.
Duke Robinson for Oline.
Nic Harris will definitely put a hurt on a wr, but I’m not sure of his cover skills.

Another name out there is Connor Barwin, 6’3″ 250#, Cincinnati. He’s an athlete, avgd. 16/10 with the basketball team. He’s listed as a TE, but played DE last year and led the team in sacks with 11. He could easily be a 3-4 OLB, play #3TE, ST’s and DE in a 4-3. Keep his name handy. You heard it here.

One thing I hope people remember, is for the most part, NE usually drafted unsung players that were multi-dimensional. Overperformers that fit well in today’s cap. Don’t be alarmed if they don’t grab many big names.

All I want is some players that can demonstrate passion for the game . The coaches can teach new schemes but it is the players who are responsible for the end product. The Mile High Salute and soldier mentality that defined the Broncos during the Super Bowl years has been absent for way too long. I can only hope that the new changes in our coaching staff will ignite a fire under the butts of our players. With the exception of Royal, Woodyard, Clady and Hillis, everyone else could learn something about heart. Tough love for those who are cashing in those checks. I’d get fired if all I showed the effort that our defense did. Perfect example for unacceptable. Good luck Josh

Amen Brian.

If we do happen to somehow chose a running back in the first round, I would rather get Knowshon Moreno rather than Chris Wells. Wells is wayyy to fragile, and i like the way that knowshon runs, he fights for every yard.

Brian Couldn’t agree more about the passion. Passonless D is 29th ranked D. Leadreship has been a problem for us ever since Al Wilason was taken off the field on a stretcher in 2006. Accountability has been in short supply since Lynch was shown the door. And intensity has been missing for the last 5 years.

Rcsodak the guy from cinci, Connor Barwin, where do you see him getting drafted? 2nd day? 5th,6th round? I agree with your assessment of older players getting cut. Too many of us Broncophiles overvalue some of the players that aren’t cutting it here. Foxworth to Atlanta comes to mind. Of course I would like it if they resign him so we can get a 6th instead of a 7th. Then we can pick up your DE from cinci.

Barwin is currently projecting in rounds 2 and 3 according to walterfootball, draftcountdown, and cds draft.

i cannot believe what i just saw. Jason Peters isnt going to the pro bowl. who did they replace him with? not Ryan Clady but Jake Long!!!! are you FU**ING kidding me?!?!?!

i seriously would love to know why most are screaming for a RB when the D-line is the biggest problem on defense. we have alot of talent on the LB core as it is. a 3-4 setup could go alot of different ways but our current LB crew doesnt warrent spending a first round pick on. the D-line is the problem and has to be addressed in the first round. Moss and Dumervil possibly outside LB’s with DJ and Larsen in the middle. is that not a good LB crew to start with. we wont have a top defense this year no matter who we draft or sign, but right now is the time to build the defensive line for the future. a great defensive line can make an average secondary look good. so build the D-line.

BIGGEST NEEDS!!!

DT- Sign Haynsworth, Tank Johnson
Cut Robertson to much money

DE- Sign or trade for Peppers (he has ties in Denver)
Cut John Deer, Crowder

LB- Sign Vilma
Gone WEBSTER!!!

SS- Sign Leonard (Ravens) and Brown (Bears) via FA
Cut- everybody but Barret

Bly will be better in a 3-4 and draft the rest. Hillis should be the starter either in the HB or FB. I don’t see McDaniels using a FB much!

Just my two cents. Katch~

Kerry, I agree about our d-line. But couldn’t the case be made that our D hasn’t been the same since we lost Al Wilson? Sure the defense was only middle of the pack with Wilson, but even then our D-line was pathetic. All that to say that while I agree that our d-line needs major help, it seems like D-lineman take a long time to develop, and they’re risky picks in the 1st round. However, MLB seem a lot easier to draft, and they produce instantly (see Patrick Willis, DJ Williams, Jon Beason, etc.) With our offense, a middle of the pack D might be all it takes to compete next year, and a 1st round MLB has a lot more potential to get us there right away. How’s that sit?

Trust me Adam… an awesome d-line can make the rest of the defense look amazing. Willis is amazing but he hasn’t been to the playoffs because the rest of his D is atrocious, especially the line. Denver can’t exactly focus on right away, they need to fix that d-line or they will be doomed to repeat the same mistakes as before.

adam:

the D-line is where the whole defense begins. and the reason the defense suffered was becuase we lost Larry Coyer and his blitz packages. Al Wilson was great sure. but when you put small weak D-linemen on the D-line (Shanahan’s specialty) and refuse to blitz, the WHOLE defense suffers for it. it wasnt the loss of Al Wilson but the loss of the defensive scheme that worked for the defensive players we had. Al Wilson was a great field general. absolutely. when we blitzed we had a middle of the pack defense. we lost Al Wilson, stopped Blitzing and the whole defense went downhill. and really, how is a MLB any less risky then a DT?? i mean really. Willis produced so well being in the 3-4 but the entire defense was bad. DJ has been good but because Shanahan bounced him around so much he never could get to his full potential and may never at all. Beason is great but look who is on that D-line in Carolina. DT’s arent anymore risky then any other position on the defense.

my reasoning for this is: lets say we draft BJ Raji to place in the middle of the 3-4, if our run stuffing goes from 29th in the league to say, 20th, is that not being successful at DT?? the purpose of a DT isnt just to sack the QB but to stuff the run and eat up blockers. in fact DT’s arent getting to the QB alot anyway. unless they are the super talent like a Haynesworth or a Joe Greene from the Steelers.

but if we draft a MLB and the run defense remains the same, that isnt success regardless of how many tackles a MLB may have. its about the success of the team, not the individual. and a stout D-line will make the ENTIRE defense better. just look at the Giants, Steelers, Patriots, Ravens and Vikings. they all have great D-lines and that makes everybody else on the defense look better. its like on the DP alot of the whiners there think Nnamdi Asomugha would make the defense better. but when a QB has 10 seconds to throw, it doesnt matter how good the players in the back 7 are. they will get beat alot. as evidenced by the past 3 years. but a great D-line like the Giants had last year will make average guys look good and good CB’s look great.

another point i wanna make about the importance of the D-line. ill use the Patriots as an example. the 4 LB’s they had when they won werent first round picks. Ted Johnson, Willie McGinest, Mike Vrabel and Tedy Bruschi werent first round picks but were UTILIZED correctly and became solid to great LB’s. but what they did have in front of them are 3 ELITE D-linemen. Richard Seymour, Vince Wilfork and Ty Warren are ALL first round picks. all have been to the pro bowl at least once. they have an ELITE D-line that makes the somewhat average LB’s and secondary players good and great players. and this is what i do like about the McDaniels signing. he knows defense and how to build one. he was mentored by Belichick for years and has three rings of his own. he knows defense and is great at offense. ill bet anything D-line is where we go in the draft with not just the first but the second pick also. id like to see a top tier safety taken in the second round but it wouldnt surprise me if a DE was taken after Raji in the first. a guy like Senderick Marks or Ricky Jean-francois.

katch22:

so basically what you are saying is we should spend tons of money on overpriced free agents. Shanahan already tried to BUY a good team and it failed. putting all those guys on the team wont make the team any better. just look at the Jets this past year. all that money spent on free agency and trades made and they didnt make the playoffs at all. but teams like the Cardinals and Steelers, who build from within make it to SB’s teams cant buy championships. look at my New York Yankees. lol.

It’s too early fro this, but i heard that Igor Ishanksy (DE from SD) will be a FA? If true get him, and vilma in FA. AND PLEZ DRAFT ONLY DEFENSE!!!

miabronco:

yeah im not impressed with Barrett either. i dont know where all the hype is coming from about the guy either. he was a combine warrior and nothing more. he didnt show anything toi say he will be a starter, or even on the team next year.

miabronco and kerry –

It might be very difficult to draft two great safeties after upgrading the D-line, so it’s more likely that the Broncos will only be able to significantly improve one of the safety positions this year.

If I had to choose between improving the FS or SS positions, I’d upgrade SS because Manual has reached his potential, which isn’t that great. Barrett at FS has way more upside.

That being said, I think that the Broncos will take either/or, whichever the best player is on the board when they pick in whatever round (likely 2 or 3).

We should have pics associated with our posts. katch22, you write like your eyes are popping out of your head.

Walterfootball has a great blog for info from the senior bowl and I think a few people on this thread (or whatever you call this) have read it or something similar.

A 3-4 DE to look out for is Robert Ayers. He’s projected in round 4 or so right now, but he’s playing well.

Kerry,

I think the Haynsworth or Peppers would be a great signing. The defense only plays as good as the line does and face it we have no anchor in place. At least with one of those two we can build off of that. Your right Mike S spent way to much for free agents but didn’t exactly pick any winners either. All I’m saying is the D-line has to be good or else everybody else suffers and we’ll have another bad defensive season again. But I think we are in luck with all the quality defensive players in the draft and free agency. I’m hoping MacD will take a good look at Leonard for safety though, kids a machine! What do ya’ll think about Robertson? Keep? Release?

Katch22 i’m with you on signing Leonard but the Ravens would be fools not to resign him. If available get him along with Igor Ishanksy. Barret play free safety. i do believe we have talented enough group of linebackers. Bobby Turner can make good out of 5 round back.

Robertson out or traded.

as for you cant buy a defense arguement, i somewhat agree… if we try to pull three or four premier defensive players i think we will have the same problems the dallas offense has….

having said that if we can get a haynesworth or a suggs i think we should do it. bringing in one superstar and plugging him in with champ and dj will work trying to bring in three is not only going to be pricey but wont work chemistry wise i dont think.

holy crap did anyone watch the senior bowl practice on the nfl network today? maualuga was unstoppable shedding blocks. granted he was being blocked by TEs (maybe a couple RBs?) but he was so fluid and powerful that they barely even slowed him down. i don’t watch college ball, so i haven’t seen him actually play. so big caveat. but still, the ease and consistency with which he ran through/past blockers was impressive.

From Siruis radio comments and scout.com witeups it sounds like Raji is really helping himself at the senior bow, maybe getting into the top 10. I really wanted him at NT at the 12 position but he may move higher

* Just a note dee (as is me ) and Dee (as in the other individual that posts on the site) are Not the same person. That being said I do enjoy “Dee’s” comments….

ssc- If you think he was a beast you should have seen Raji the day before, the guy was a freak, I watched him take some of the most highly touted lineman from this year and effortlessly drive them into the backfield, a couple of times knocking them flat on their backs and blowing by them in under 3 seconds. Truly amazing.

I have to say, even though I really don’t want to, that I almost totally agree with Kerry on the outlook for 2009, I wasn’t sure if I was going to post on this topic, but I guess I will so here goes.
This year’s draft is going to be the single most important thing in the post Shanahan year of 2009 for the Denver Broncos, with that in mind we must look at our largest areas of need, knowing full well that we have to many areas of need to cover all of them in one year. We must draft DL first, and we absolutely must go after BJ Raji, I think he will still be there at 12, Right now he is ranked in the late teens to early 20’s, but that number WILL improve, I’m thinking it will go up to about 10-12. Luckily for us there really isn’t anyone in that range or even higher that has a need for a guy like Raji so the only real threat I see of missing him there would be if someone trades up to grab him. The problem is that we have some other glaring needs on defense, and unfortunately some of them are still on the D line. With Raji in I think a guy like Thomas will become more effective so I would say he stays but in a 3-4 we would still need one more guy, this would be the first FA I would go after, and the ONLY big name I would seek to persuade to make the move to Denver. For the other side of Raji I would go get Julius Peppers, this guy has the fire and drive we need plus the leadership and proven effectiveness that few bring to the table. (plus, the nick name is already built in, “Orange Julius”, goes right along with all the calls for the reemergence of the Orange Crush) That would take care of the D-lain starters and I would keep Peterson and Powel through training camp and have them battle it out for a backup role, and I would also like to see one more guy drafted in the second or third round to be backup/protégé in training, maybe a guy like Tyson Jackson or Matt Shaughnessy from Wisconsin. From the D-line we move backwards to the LB core.

The LB core is probably the one position that should receive little or no attention on draft day prior to the fourth or fifth round, now I know a lot of people really want a LB in the draft, but hear me out on this, Linebackers are easily the deepest group in Free Agency this year, and a number of them won’t even be that expensive, Michael Boley and Leroy Hill will both be UFA this year and neither of them should cost a ton, I was really hoping for a guy like Karlos Dansby he is another LB I would love for the Broncos to pick up, but with the Cards in the Super Bowl he might get to pricey to handle. Aside from that, we have the talent to put 2-3 solid Linebackers on the field without making a single move. DJ is clearly still in, move J Moss to LB (where he should have been from the get-go) and get Larsen back into the action. We keep Winborn and Niko as backups (with renegotiated contracts) and let them tear it up on ST. Moving still further back our DB core will need some help in the draft.

Champ and Bly stay right where they are (for now) and we look to upgrade the Safety position in the Draft. A guy like Sean Smith (Utah) is a guy that I watched all year, and I think he has the intangibles to be a starter in the NFL from week one, if we could get him in the Second he would be a steel and clearly a guy we should take, if not, Louis Delmas out of Western Michigan or Emanuel Cook out of south Carolina would still be good picks in the 2nd (I don’t think Chung will be there for us at 48 or I would put him on this list as well). If we wait on Safety until the third a guy like Sherrod Martin would still be an upgrade over what we put on the field last year. We keep Barrett and move Woodyard to SS but make him fight for the starting position against the guy we draft in the second or third, and put the one that loses in as a back up and Special Teamer.

So in total the Starting Defense would look something like this

D-Line Peppers…. Raji…… Thomas

LB Moss….Larsen….Dansby (if we can get him, Williams if we can’t) and Williams stays outside (if we can’t pick up Dansby then we get Hill to put out there).

DB Corners stay put. FS…. Barrett (I’m not sold on him either but I think he has some great upside potential so who knows) SS…. Woodyard or Smith, (or any one of the guys mentioned above.)

I’m going to leave Offence alone for now, but this is where I think we should be headed on Defense.

Wow, these really have been some well thought out answers to the problem on defense. Honestly, I would be happy with a number of these responses. I think we need to keep woodyard as a spot player on defense, but mainly as a ST player. We should put Barrett at strong safety, and whoever we draft at free. I know that a bunch of you aren’t sold on Barrett yet, but he really hasn’t had much of a chance with such a horrible d-line. Nobody has shown much of anything in the defensive backfield for that matter.

I’ve said that we could trade down and get Raji, and then I changed to staying at 12 to get Raji, but if he keeps rising, there are two problems in the way:

1. The Packers just hired Dom Capers as D-coordinator. They’ll be switching to a 3-4 most likely.

2. The Niners defense sucks all the way around. They may take the best player on the board and that may be Raji.

Hence, the Broncos may need to trade up if they want to get him.

Is it worth it?

No, trafing up is not worth it. If he is rising, that could mean that another player could fall into the Broncos lap. I wish I could say Curry, although I doubt it. Maybe Brown or Orapko? I would be happy if either falls to us and we can get a DT in rd 2.

Enjoy all the comments and insights listed above. I love football, but do not follow college close enough to get anywhere near the depth of who to draft much after round 1 at best. Man, where do you guys get this stuff?

I do know this, the game is won and lost at the line of scrimage. The Bronx have proven that on both sides of the ball. Get the defensive line fixed and you to fix the core of the defense. Add in a decent MLB and a decent free safety and they become much better if the d-line is stout. Works indentical on the other side of the ball too.

Draft, trade for, or aquire defensive lineman.

I don’t see the Packers taking him, they have more pressing needs on Defense, the Niners might be trouble, but I think they will be looking for pass rush over run stuffer, I could be wrong on all of this, but i think Denver has a real shot at Raji right were they are at 12.

Roy- Brown and Orakpo are both reaches for us at twelve with the 3-4 coming in to town, Raji is the guy we need, he is a beast and the anchor a 3-4 will need, honestly i dont see brown or Orakpo going before 12 either, but if all three are still there we take Raji, if not God help our D.

Bucky – I hope so. I just didn’t really think about it before now.

Anthony33 – If you want some good info, google “NFL Draft Database”. There are several sites that provide links to the many, many mock drafts on the web. Most of them aren’t useful, but a few, such as Walterfootball and DraftCountdown, provide brief scouting reports and rank players by position. Some even speculate as to where the player might be drafted.

bucky, thanks for your analysis, and i think i heard/read the same report(s) that mauibroncofan mentions re raji’s performance. i would go a little farther than you and say that, regardless of the current availability of quality FA LBs, i would as general policy always take an impact DL (esp at NT) over an impact LB. and unlike shanahan’s philosophy, i would always PAY for impact DLs over impact LBs or, in the case of the broncs, CBs. i would also pay for a ferocious, premier FS.

I agree with you ssc… and by agreeing with you I also agree with Jordan C and Bucky.

Denver is in dire need of a impact DL right now, especially with the 3-4 switch. I’m intrigued to see what will happen to the LB situation once training camp comes around.

yes. we are in DIRE need of a NT. we are in no way in DIRE need of a MLB. we need a safety MUCH more the another LB. if this team has any chance of competing this year they have up upgrade the D-line. no questions about it. with our offense and an improved defense then we can compete. sorry everybody but a MLB will in NO way make the D-line better. but a better D-line will make our current LB’s better. Maualuga isnt the guy. unless the D-line is upgraded in free agency then Raji HAS to be the pick. impact DT’s are hard to come by. and Raji is an impact DT with freakish ability. i think the love fest for Maualuga comes from some people watching the rose bowl game and not actually thinking about the most dire need for this team. same thing happened last year when everybody was screaming for Rashard Mendenhall.

As much as I hate to say it, I think its time to trade Champ and see what we can get. He is getting old and less effective as we have seen over the past few years. Granted he was hurt most of this year, but he still had zero picks in the games he played and he can’t even cover Tony Gonzalez anymore. Bly is no good, but trading Champ for a few draft picks to a team that needs a corner might not be a terrible idea because this defense needs more than a few picks to help it out.

i just watched ESPN and Mel Kiper had a mock draft going and he even predicts Denver will take BJ Raji at 12. i hope he is right.

I was just reading the walterfootball mock draft, and thought it was funny that they have us picking USC players in the first and second rounds. I figured that would get all of you Trojan haters going. I don’t see thAt actually happening, but it’s funny.

Did anyone read the DP article about McD’s latest coach hirings? Talk about the epitome of nepotism. He hired his little brother as an assistant of some sort. He was a POSITION COACH at a high school in Ohio last season. That is a he’ll of a jump. Not even a head coach of a high school, and be jumps up to an NFL paycheck.

one thing bothers me about all this. the Packers are switching to the 3-4. and they very well could select BJ Raji to be their NT. that bothers me because unless they CB (which they need very badly) we would have to move above them to number 8.

which for arguments sake, lets talk about the OTHER DT from Boston College. thats right im talking about Ron Brace. 6-3, 329 pounds. he is projected 2-3 round pick. could be a good pick in the second round at NT should Raji not be available and someone else is selected at number 12. (please not Maualuga for god sake. fill a position that we NEED)

Kerry, you have shot down everyone except raji. If he is gone at 12, why not go with Maualuga? Why are you so negative on him? He is the best defensive player available at that pick, plus in a 3-4 system, the linebackers are very important to stopping the run as well as the pass rush. He would be an instant emotional leader and bring attitude to a heartless defense. We could always pick up a safety, but aside from offensive line, the safety position is arguably the deepest in the draft class. I can’t see the Broncos passing up on a playmaker and emotional leader like Maualuga…all this could be a moot point of Raji is available when we pick at 12.

I disagree about Brown, he is the prototypical 3-4 DE. That said, with the Packers whitching to a 3-4 also, I see them grabbing Raji. Trading up may be to expensive. Brace looks to be a good prospect, as does, imo, Evander Hood. There could be talk of Moala in the middle rounds, but I am not sold on him. I think he may be another overhyped trojan (whoever said that before in a post nailed it right on the head!). Depending on his combine, and whether he can add a little more to his frame, there is also Peria Jerry. We could very easily trade down and still get him.

Kerry, what people see in Mauauausdlifkhads;ufhjluga (the LB from SoCal) is the hope for a Rocky Mountain Patrick Willis. The problem with that thinking is that he has no where near the talent of Willis.

Packers taking Raji is a huge concern.

Maualuga is overrated in the same way that Mays was overrated. a) he’s from USC b) he’s huge c) he’s fast. I grant you that he’s passionate and a great tackler. I really like that about him. But, I don’t think that he’s fluid and despite his pick 6 last year, I have questions about his pass coverage skills, which are also essential to a 3-4 ILB.

Channing Crowder, on the other hand, is going on the Market.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/other/sfl-flspdolphins22sbjan22,0,194729.story

He may not be player that Maualuga will eventually be, but he’ll be far far cheaper and knows how to work hard (Parcells player).

I would say don’t trade up for Raji. It pains me to say that because I’m definitely drinking the Raji koolaid. However, the Broncos have too many holes to be giving up picks. Instead, if he’s gone at 12, then trade down 10-15 picks where there are far more choices.

Brian – I hate the idea of giving up Champ, but you may be right. This team is moving towards youth and Champ is not helping with that. It’s about time for him to be asking for a new contract and I don’t see the Broncos giving him what he can get elsewhere. A preemptive strick in this regard might be the best, if painful, move.

That being said, if they do trade Champ, the Broncos have to then use one of their top 3 picks on a cornerback.

*preemptive strike*

In my mind, Champ is still the best, but being the best and on the sideline for half of the games isn’t doing anyone any good.

Roy:

Maualuga is WAY overrated. the guy is not even near the level as a Patrick Willis or even Jon Beason. even the draft experts have him going lower then pick 12. Maualuga isnt polished in Pass coverage. i mean he reminds me alot of Nate Webster. alot of fire and emotion and willingness to hit a guy. but bad in pass coverage. if ANYBODY should be selected at 12 besides BJ Raji, its William Moore out of Missouri.

and one other thing needs to be remembered. McDaniels is an offensive guy. i wouldnt be the least bit surprised if a franchise RB was taken at 12. it should defense with every pick in the first 4 rounds. but a guy like Knowshown Moreno could very well be selected with the notion of trying to wear down a defense with the running game.

I would be surprised if they took a RB in the first round. McD might be an offensive guy but he knows the D is what needs to be addressed. If he can’t get Raji at 12 then maybe they trades down to stock up on picks???

i dont see McDaniels trading down at all. in fact i could see him trading up to get Raji BECAUSE they have 9 picks. the further you move down in the draft the less talented players are available.

I don’t see him picking a RB in rd 1. I think they go after one in free agency. Ward or Sproles, imo. We also pick up LB’s in free agency. I love the idea of Crowder. He is passionate, a hard worker, can cover and tackle. I would would also say Dansby, but his price is going to sky rocket after the super bowl.

I still don’t think we trade up. They either trade down, or stay put and select the best defensive player available, regardless of position. With that said, here is an interesting thought. i would not be surprised to see a draft day trade involving Champ or one of the other older players. We could trade him and a rd 3 or 4 to get another 1st rd pick. Not saying it is going to happen, but nothing would suprise me at this point.

I would be shocked if anything happened to Champ. I see maybe Bly or as bad as I would hate to say DOOM getting traded on draft day….. Other than that I see alot of cuts coming soon. Also I think DEN already has their eye set on certain players. You have to remember that between senior bowl and the combine the media blows alot of players out of porportion for the draft. Alot of busts are due to the media overating some players, look at Vernon Golhston. He shot up the boards due to the media right before the draft. Now I’m not saying anybody mentioned above is going to be a bust but alot of guys fly under the radar and McD knows that from being with NE and if he can get a couple more picks maybe thats the way to go???

The reason they would trade down at 12 is there’s more pressure to take the one guy that they need and the best guy on the board at the same time. Plus the difference between pick 12 and pick 20 is probably $10-15 million. Of course the difference wouldn’t mean anything to me if I were an owner, but Bowlen is hard off and needs to save every penny.

But seriously, if they traded up, they’d likely have to give up a 2nd round pick to get into the top 10. If they trade down and get a pick or two, they can use that extra pick to trade into whichever 1st round spot that they want to get the best player at the best value.

FYI – William Moore is sucking it up at the Senior Bowl, apparently. He’s slower and stiffer than anyone expected. I’m liking Delmas, Johnson, and Hamlin more and more.

Another thought: With Asomugha and Robinson being the only legit CBs on the free agent market, Champs value in a trade may never be higher. Just sayin’.

I still don’t like, but you’ve got to consider stuff like this. We as fans tend to over value the players on our teams (e.g. Only a 7th round pick for Foxworth?! What the heck?). But I think that with Champ’s injuries, giving him up with a 3rd for a 1st is not unreasonable. Or getting two 2nds for him. We’ll see.

Your right about how we see our own players. I only real player I hated seeing on the field for us was Webster.

Everything the Broncos do will be based off this number: 15.2 million–our projected cap space. With that established, it must be noted that much of that money is all ready delegated. To wit: 25-30 percent of that will go to our 2009 draft class. A smaller percentage shall be paid to those we cut and owe. And more of that cap space will be lost to incentive bonuses reached. I don’t know how much free money that leaves us, but for arguments sake, lets call it 8 million. If someone has a better figure, please educate me.

If we pursue 1 free agent superstar ie. Peppers or Haynesworth, or even Suggs, I would say that ends our FA activity for 2009. We need more bodies than that. I would like to think our best FA effort should be directed at Suggs less known cohort, Bart Scott–I believe he is an underappreciated LB that would shine here, and we should still have money left for other needs.

Considering the quality depth of Day One picks this year, this may be an opportunity to trade the 12 overall down (1200 on the Value chart) for a One and a Two, with our goal being to get 2 impact defensive players, and the best skill-position offensive player available on Day One of the Draft. With the talent at OT in this draft, it is attractive to many teams to trade upward for this cornerstone position; we move down and end up with something like Cushing /Mayben/or Sintim , Marks/Raji/Jerry/or Hood, and Shady McCoy or S. Greene for example. If we were to sign Bart Scott, then safeties Chung/Delmas/Moore can be substituted for my LB examples above. And since its still January, lets recognize these names are quite fluid for the next few months…

A possible dance partner I would like to see would be New England, if for no other reason than to go after the 2nd round pick they secured from San Diego last year. FWIW, the trade value chart on this trade = NE #1 (760) and SD #2 (440)…VIOLA 1200! (I love it when a plan comes together). For added spite toward the chargers, the SD 2nd round pick would result in selections back to back, Jack, since the Broncos currently possess the 48 overall.

@Katch22: really, no hate for lowry? for me, lowry runs away with top prize for most screamed-at bronco in 2008.

I hear you on that but I was talking about current players, even though Webster is considered a free agent now……. But I def agree with you about Lowry. Funny how the post was blowing him up when we got him and look what happened!

Raji would be nice if hes still there, but either way its NT, LB, S, not necessarily in that order.

Okay, I will finally post my picks for the first few rounds of the draft. This is not considering trades that may or may not take place, just our picks we have as of right now.

1- BJ Raji NT/Rey Maualuga MLB
HB is my first choice here since he is a beast that will plug up the middle with bodies, but if he is gone to Green Bay I would have absolutely no problem with picking up Rey. As I said before, he is a playmaker and Emotional leader.

2- Shonn Greene RB/Ron Brace NT
Shonn Green is a great running back who has all the intangibles necessary to become a great NFL prospect. He could make our great offense unstoppable. If we get Raji in the first round, go with Shonn. In the case we can’t get BJ, here is where we pick up his rather large cohort.

3- Louis Delmas FS
Delmas has amazing range, and has the ability to help out in run support.

4-Keenan Lewis/Victor Harris CB
Keenan has great speed and really quick hips. He can change directions well and plays GREAT coverage on the deep ball. Victor has good speed, and breaks on the ball well. He has great ball skills, and hands like a wide receiver.

5- Mitch King DT
Although Mitch is undersized at 275 lbs, he may be the quickest DT out there, and he could be a solid DE in a 3-4.

After Rd. 5 I have no idea who to pick. I do know that I would like to see a major FA acquisition, more than likely Peppers. I would trade Dre Bly for some 2010 draft picks. some of you might argue that Bly was out defensive MVP this last season, and I would agree. The only problem is that he is mVP by default, which doesn’t count for much. I like the idea of trading Doom too. At least shop him around to see what we can get for him.

love the picks jchase….but looking back at the stats its amazing how uncanny they are on showing the truth about this team. One thing is for sure that on defense there is no scheme in this universe that could make our D with the personell we have work like a top notch D, but on O all we need is a solid RB it we would f^%$ people up. I feel bad for jay catching all the flack for pushin the envolope every play. If we had a good D he wouldn’t have to push it, thus all the INT’s he had. Just a thought.

Trade our rd 1 pick with detroit who hold the no 20 pick from a trade last year with the cowboys i think, with no 20 we will have a choice of Maualuga or Laurinitis, i think both are very good players both have been over hyped and will drop and 1 of them will be available. With that, we now have pick 33 (detroits 1st in 2nd rnd) and we can go for an old pass rusher, seems to alot in this draft, clint sintim maybe and with our own 2nd rounder, we get our NT- Ron Brace of Boston College. That would be 3 impact players in the front 7 of our new 3-4. Through free agency, i wouldn’t go mad and sign everybody but id go D again and the biggest acquistion would be Suggs for OLB and Jermaine Phillips FS of the Bucs. I would trade Dumervil and Moss, mid to low rounders and then group these to try and get another 3rd rounder where id get a rb and DL. Rest of draft picks used on solid character guys for Special teams and theres always 1 that surprises and get a starting position, use a 4th on Worrell Williams, 250lb monster backer, a younger brother of a Mr DJ Williams- worth a shot. My Defence lines out as follows: LE- Thomas/Peterson NT-Ron Brace RE- Powell/Ekuban
OLB-Suggs MLB-Maualuga/Laurinitis MLB- DJ OLB-Sintim CB- Bailey and Bly SS- Woodyard (has to get on the field) FS- Phillips. The offence wouldn’t change much, i keep hillis at rb and laursen at fb, get rid of all the dead weights- boss,webster, manuel,mccree, d jackson, engelberger etc, try and change the attitude of the D to stop them being pussies and have some n*ts and hit em hard and get back to respectability

Gymshoe- where did you get that number from, everything i have read has put us at 30mill cap space. are you forgetting the up in caps this year maybe?

[...] Bronco Talk>> 2009 Offseason: Be the Coach [...]

Gymshoe- according to this article we are at 50 mill in cap space, i no we are at way more than 15mill, i have heard ESPN talk about the fact that we have about the second or third most cap space in the NFL, or maybe just the AFC, but i know we have a ton.

Sorry here is the article.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/108679-denver-broncos-wishlist-for-2009-offseason

$15.2 mil – http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=jc-underthecap031008&prov=yhoo&type=lgns from last March.

$31.5 mil – http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=67&f=1913&t=3807714 as of this week. Not the best source, but a source.

Bucky – we are not yet at $50 mil. That article assumes a lot of players will be cut and guesses at the number. I think the more accurate number right now is $31.5 mil. It is a good point though, that that number will grow at least some. Then again, those players will have to be replaced as well.

Great post, by the way, Gymshoe. Nobody had mentioned cap space, yet, I think. While having more cap space allows the broncos to pursue maybe two high priced free agents, based on your calculations, I agree that they will likely still only go after one with the economy as it is.

yeah just confirmed it, we have the sixth lowest payroll in the NFL which gives us about 41 mill for FA signings this year, I guess that doesn’t mean we will spend ALL of that money, but i sure hope we do.

http://content.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/salaries/totalpayroll.aspx?year=2008

Another note to add to this, green bay is just below us at the fifth lowest, i would not be surprised at all to see them go after Haynesworth, thereby canceling their need for Raji. and keeping him right in our sights.

If we pick Worrell Williams, monster MLB out of Cal, that would be my 6th round pick. Like big brother DJ, he is a pure tackler, He has good size, and is great in pusuit. He will fall to the 6th round because like DJ his football IQ is questionable, as well as his instincts. He would be a good guy for depth, and certain situations.

Garrett Barnes is right on, only thing is I’d make Jarvis Moss our 4th LB, and maybe let Jack Williams get some playing time, and draft a CB and QB too, we are toast if Jay goes down

The yahoo page cited by Jordan C was my source…I admit, I did limited research to get the number; thanks to those with the updated info.

Bucky –

Still not sure where you’re getting the $41 million. The cap in 09 is expected to be $123 million. Denver is listed as having a 2008 Team Salary in that USA Today article of $ 95,599,778. The difference, according to my desktop calculator, is $27,400,222. Factor in expiring contracts, and that number is likely closer to $30 million.

Don’t get me wrong, I want it to be $41 million. I just don’t see it.

Can Haynesworth play nose tackle? I’ll bet he can manage, but will he be good at it?

Speaking of nose tackles, I have a question for you guys: Do the Falcons play a 3-4 or 4-3 base defense? I could have sworn they played a 4-3, but I’ve gotten limited indications that they play a 3-4. I would just like to know while considering their picks in my mock draft. Thanks.

Also, looking at that USA Today article, I can’t believe that the Ravens, the Pats, and the Colts are among the lowest five payrolls for 2008! Maybe the Ravens will keep all of their potential free agents.

i think we gotta take Rey Maulauga, if he’s still there. Free agency a big name like a Albert Haynesworth, or a Julius Peppers (who said he wants to be in a 3-4 scheme next year) would be a major improvement. The biggest change needs to be attitude! Thats the difference between a #1 defense and a #29 defense. Ray Lewis becomes availiable we need to sign him! He’ll bring an attitude to Denver that we haven’t seen since Al Wilson was there in the middle

i really like what JChase8410 sees 4 the nation in the draft. i’ve heard B.J. Raji has a rising draft stock. but Rey MAulauga will allow D.J. Williams to stay at OLB and we need a guy like Haynesworth because of his size and intensity he can bring to our defense

” Free Agency, and the draft. In free agency Al Davis is dumb enough to lets Nnamdi Asomugha go free to be a happy man. Asomugha wants even with the Raiders for what he had to go through, so he signs with the Denver Broncos. He, along with Champ, become the best dual corners in the NFL.

While Dre’ still sees good playing time; the Broncos start getting Jack Williams more action. Albert Haynesworth gets in a HUGE fight with the Titans (over money) and finally they let the DT out of Tennessee. He ends up in Denver. Then in the draft the Broncos trade up for (this is not our first pick) and grab Brian Orakpo as DE. With our first pick we select William Moore, then with our second we grab Taylor Mays to play safety on the other side of the field. Also in the draft we get Rey Maualuga to replace Nate Webster.

When camp starts Mike Nolan our D-Coordinator, we decide to make a switch to a 3-4 defence.”

You can see a photo of that “Dream ‘D’ here: http://broncomadness.com/2009/01/10/saturdays-horsing-around-with-jon-krause-16/

Jordan C james davis of clemson is a first round pick

@ krause.. Taylor Mays is staying at USC

I’m going to watch she senior bowl tonight, and watch my guys tear it up. Then I look forward to another draft article for us to comment on

just throwing this out there what if we drafted BJ raji in the 1st AND ron brace in the second and stayed in the 4-3 i think those 2 teamed with marcus thomas could make quite the DT rotation and if they end up being good players they should take some pressure off of poor lil dumervil and he will actually be able to get the sacks that he gets held away from all the time

it would be sweet to have 660 lbs in the middle of a 4-3

No that anyone is reading the comments on this post any more, but I’ve revised my offseason moves:

Won’t worry about cuts. The writing is on the wall for most of the obvious ones.

Again, assumes 3-4 D.

Trade:

D Graham to the Panthers for Round 4, Pick 28.
C Bailey to the Browns for Round 2, Pick 4.

Sign:

Only one big money signing.

OLB Terrell Suggs – to start opposite Dumervil/Moss.
ILB Andra Davis – for depth or to start next to Williams
WR Michael Clayton – has the talent, will be the 4th receiver for spread
TE – Tony Curtis – Depth only since Graham is gone (I’m cutting Jackson)
DE – Mike Wright – has filled in for all three spots of the Pats front three

Draft:

1:12 Trade to the Eagles for 1:21, 2:21, and 5:21 if one of the better OTs drops to 12

1:21 Tyson Jackson, DE
2:4 Patrick Chung, SS
2:16 Ron Brace, NT
2:21 Alphonso Smith, CB
3:15 Jeremiah Johnson, RB
4:14 Pat White, QB/WR/KR
4:28 Travis Beckam, TE
5:4 Cody Brown, DE/OLB
5:13 Kyle Moore, DE
6:12 Antonio Dixon, NT
6:23 John Cooper, OC
7:16 Travis McCall, FB/TE

That draft would be a coup.

Don’t worry Jordan I’m always reading these… it’s like crack to me

Just throwing this out to see if anyone would agree but I would love to see Ray Lewis in a Broncos uniform come the 2009 season. He’s only 33 years old (same as John Lynch when he became a Bronco). This man is still capable of being a force on the field, always around the ball and most importantly, he plays with passion. He is a leader and will not tolerate his teammates to not give 100 percent. Draft Raji at NT but the Broncos need to address the biggest hole in the defense. That hole is heart, something the Broncos defense hasn’t played with since Al Wilson left the on a stretcher. Put Ray Lewis on the same team as Champ Bailey and the Broncos defense could be very scary for our opponents instead of our fans. We can address other spots on defense through the draft but lets get someone that will bring the leadership we have lacked in the past.

If they stay in a 4-3 set, Lewis in the middle could be really good. However, if they switch to a full time 3-4, I’m not sure is would work. If he took a huge pay cut, then sign him up either way.

All I Would Like to say to our fellow Broncos and LOYAL fans is although we did not make it to the superbowl this year there will be others. and I am not ashamed to be a fan of the Broncos. and Dear Broncos, Great Season Played, Good Luck Next Year! Im always rootin for ya!

The Primary Thing for the Broncos is to work on the throwing, passing and catching the long throws which that should get us closer to the end zone. and send some protection perhaps with a catcher too just in case