Kyle Orton: Hope? Fully?

there stats really aren’t the same jay is a much better QB period
but im not bashing horton i have hope 4 him…

Go BRONCOS!!! =D

yeah Chicago might have been 16th in scoring defense but Denver was 30th. Lets see how he does when he has to score 30+ a game to win. Orton’s a bum, the guy threw for under 200 yards a game 9 times last year. He’s only 300 yard game in his career was against and 0-16 Lions team. Starting the season with this guy is about as brilliant as trying to start the season with Bubby Brister. I will give him props on the T-Shirt, he’s might not be a total douche.

It seems to me Orton has the markings of being a competent and intelligent QB. We are kidding ourselves if we think Orton is even close to as physically gifted as Cutler, and it doesn’t really matter which one is more successful next year. Orton is no savior, but he’s probably not the bum he is made out to be by disgruntled fans. Give him a shot, and let’s just enjoy some football.

In other QB thoughts… That guy they picked up late in the draft, Bradstander or Banister or Barister, whatever it really is. Does anyone know much about him? I’m not clinging to diamond-in-the-rough delusions, but I heard he got his BA and MA in five years and started three of those years. There has to be a story in a guy like that somewhere.

Well I got around to watching a Bears Packers OT Dec. 22nd game I had taped on NFL replay and Orton was okay. It is hard to tell his full potential with the O line always collapsing around him and terrible receivers (at least 4 drops, 1 tagging the WR right on the numbers). Orton had 2 INT’s one that was retarded that he threw right to the wrong guy. It was cold as shit.

Overall though I came away thinking that although he doesn’t have Cutler’s arm strength or competitive fire he did look poised, moved the ball around by eyeing the whole field and had some great plays in the 4th and OT to win the game.

Orton is our boy and I think he is in such a better situation to succeed we can really see what he is made of.

I’m not saying he’s going to be Jay Cutler reincarnate. I’m saying he’s looking like he won’t be a Dan Orlovsky. Orton’s first 7 games we’re good and hopefully with a better surrounding we’ll see some solid QB play.

It really is pointless to bitch about Orton at this point. The stats say he’s competent. Everything else is a variable.

I agree with DHB and Andpark, he’s our boy for now so let’s just enjoy some football. This offseason really is bringing out the most whiny Saturday morning armchair QBs.

i’m sorry theres no way we compare cutler and orton. I’m growing fond of orton although and i wish him the best. but i really would like to know who is tom bradstarter.

this has notin 2 do w/ anyting.. but john’s son (the one that quit football — yeah quit) looks like a party boy: http://twitter.com/Jelway1

yo BT somebody is pretending be me! :O i guess theres no way to tell that? i dont rly disagree w/ comment #8 but would u delete it? cuz that aint me!

Hopefully the Defense will be solid enough to support a game manager rather than a gunslinger.

let the kool-aid flow! i dont remember anyone saying “hey lets get Kyle Orton” when the Cutler trade was on, but after 3 months of kool-aid he is Peyton Manning. PPFFFFFTTTTT. it would a decent addition IF we had a defense that didnt resemble a block of swiss cheese. Orton wont be able to outscore an opponent for us and with our lovely pre-school defense that is gonna spell doom. better weapons around a QB doesnt mean that QB will be better. just ask Tarvaris Jackson. you put a wind up toy engine in a Ferrari the Ferrari may look nice, but its still a piece of shit that cant run.

at least Orton is wearing a cool shirt of the legend Jim Morrison. ill give him credit for that.

Orton is a stop gap, similar to what Plummer brought to the table. Hopefully he can produce like results, which were adequate, but certainly not pro-bowl caliber. Gotta find the long term answer. We need Cutler to have a horrendous season and end up with a top 5-10 pick.

I think the defense is going to be much better simply because they can’t possibly be worse than last year…can they? New DC, new coaches, new philosophy, new attitude and a bunch of new players. More than willing to give them a chance to find their identity as a defense. Hope like hell it works out. It sure beats Shanny’s plan, which was to keep Slowik and add the one player that was going to turn things around. That worked well.

All I have to say is that Jake Plummer didn’t even have half the talent that Jay Cutler did and neiher does Kyle Orton, but the difference is that those guys win games and when the pressure mounts they don’t let it get to them. How many times last year would we come flying out of the gates only to stall time and time again. Orton is going to be fine. He’s not going to put our defense in the awful situations that Cutler would he will protect the football. Orton won’t have to outscore everyone. We are going to control the clock with the next great NFL running back Knowshon Moreno.

You can all thank Mr. Shanahan for the defensive personnel that we have within our front seven, what a great evaluator of talent. Everyone criticized McDaniels for not drafting front seven players early in the draft. Look what happen in ’07 when Shanny reached for Moss, Crowder, and Marcus Thomas. That draft set us back 3 years.

Sidenote: If the twitter panel on the right sidebar look like crap, hit Shift+F5.

Anthony:

the next great NFL RB?? put the kool-aid down ok. the guy hasnt taken a snap in the NFL so he isnt the next great anything.

Anyone else seen many games at Soldier Field? I’ve only been to one and that was about 6 years ago but I remember the wind was swirling around and I was thinking it def didnt seem like a passing friendly stadium. Not sure if it’s better since the stadium was redone.

hey just tossin this in there… i read on espn that former chief patrick surtain is really close 2 being a bronco. he seems a little washed up but can maybe add a spark 2 the secondary and work as coach 2 smith, bell, etc.

Ben:

why dont you post that link for the rest of us to read.

Cutler is a better qb than orton hands down. Cutler may be a much bigger whiner off the field but Orton still cannot compare when it comes to physical abilities or the field presence that is necessary to be a top qb in the NFL. Watch the video on nfl.com ( http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d810c7b09&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true ) (hopefully the link works) but they compare cutler and orton through game tape and its pretty clear who is the better qb they shit on orton the whole time. Im over losing cutler but orton is not, and never will be, the answer. just give the ball to knowmo this year and pray the bears loose enough games that we can get Bradford or Mccoy next year

brandocammando, with 2 clips from a gametape you can get any qb to look good, and any QB to look bad. with that said, i loved cutler everytime he booted and throw a TD to a recever in dubble cover, he did it outstanding. but that isnt what mcd is looking for in a QB at all.
sure, cutler could turn out to be a great pocket QB, but so could orton, so why not get some extra picks in the draft?
maybe McDs system will suck, but that wont be becouse of cutler not being here.

thats all i have to say, im not a football genius, im not even from the states, so maybe im totaly wrong here, but i cant se why the cutler move was that bad of a move, if you look at the outcome so far.

Wow, CBS Sports has the Broncos D ranked 28th… Nice, we beat out 4 teams. That’s improving…

http://sfb2003.football.cbssports.com/players/rankings

nisse-
I couldnt have put it better myself. McD was not looking to coach a young favre who throws into double coverage and tight windows. I still think McD didnt try that hard to keep Cutler because he didnt want him all that badly. McD wants a QB to believe in the system and play by the rules…Cutler has LOADS of talent but he is a gunslinger.
As Andpark stated Orton is our boy (atleast for this year) so might as well see what he’s got.
East-
I agree. I understand that 7 games is not an entire season but it is a good sample to show that he is capable of producing “solid” QB play. As stated in the article no one is going to argue that orton is better than cutler but if he can rely on surrounding players and keep his cool i think he can control enough and do enough to win games. Orton does not worry me as much as our defense. They go hand and hand because for orton to have any success the defense will have to be better. Orton will have much better talent around him this year to prove his case as a starting QB in this league. A month till preseason. July could not end soon enough!

Brandocommando_
NFL Network dude keeps talking about how much shorter Orton (6’4″) is then Brady (6’4″) Cassel (6’4″) and Bledsoe (6’5″)? He shows 3 throws by Cutler, 1 that is retarded double coverage that Marshall saves his ass on and one from Cutlers strong side. The Orton throws are off his weak side and shows how lazy and terrible Orton’s WR’s are.

Okay for sure Orton is not as physically gifted as Cutler, but Orton is not that bad. Got to be in area of Cassel. You watch all the Cassel highlights from last year and it runs like a Moss highlight reel. Marshall, Gaffney and Royal are far from who Orton dealt with last year.

Mark_
Your link doesn’t work but not that I give a shit what Prisco thinks of us anyways. Absolutely no way are we the 28th team in this league, give me a break. You see the Prisco top 50? Westbrook isn’t even on there? I think CBS NFL coverage and FF talk is run by 8 year old girls.

Does anyone think Cassel is going to be our QB next year? I do.

13 TO’s last year, that’s why Denver’s D is ranked 28th. They need to improve in that area or it will be a long season.

thats true Roshon…But that seems to be the main focus of Nolan’s defense this season. I don’t think that Denver’s D is going to be as bad as people are making them out to be. They will at very least be much more aggressive, and have a gameplan.

they have our defense ranked so low for a reason. if anyone actually does some breakdown as to why its ranked low then they would see the reason.

1.new scheme and new coaches. a reason why the defense was terrible under Shanahan because players had to change coaches every year. and guess what everybody a new coach AND a new scheme. yet NOW we are gonna just magically become better? PFFTT.

2. the lack of a talented D-line. i mean really, Ron Fields, Darrell Reid and Marcus Thomas inspire confidence that the run stuffing will be better? no. and not to mention we have no NT. Chris Baker is not gonna walk in and be some savior of the D-line this year and thinking so is just dillusional.

3. LB crew maybe solid but not dominant. Dumervil is gonna be a situational pass rusher with Ayers coming off the other side. i dont even think Dumervil will be starting. is Davis gonna get 90 tackles like he did with Cleveland? possibly. DJ is changing positions again. and everybody wonders why he hasnt become more then a decent LB. Moss isnt even running with the first or second team and he may not even be on this team come preseason. Crowder?? who knows.

4. secondary seems improved. cant say it actually is until they play. Champ gonna stay healthy? Dawkins gonna stay healthy? both are old, especially Dawkins. Dawkins is not a ball hawking safety. Renaldo Hill?? Who?? Goodman may be a serviceable CB. Smith is a nickelback and a rookie. McBath, Bruton will be ST players. Barrett?? who knows. with all the drafting and signing of safeties he may not even make the team. im sure someone will come back with the old tired argument about Barrett being a “Physical Freak” well that doesnt mean he is a good FOOTBALL PLAYER. he may not even be there come the season. maybe a ST player.

the bottomline is this team is changing Scheme, coaches and has alot of question marks. no upgrades on the D-line in terms of actual talent. just an undrafted free agent and a couple of free agents who wouldnt even start for most other teams.

and everybody says, “oh were gonna focus on getting turnovers” well see theres a problem with that. saying we are gonna focus on getting turnovers and ACTUALLY getting them are two VERY different things. easier said then done. EVERY team focuses on getting sacks and turnovers yet every year most teams dont get them. saying it is easy, doing it…………..yeah not so easy.

so its pretty obvioius why this team is ranked so low in defense. and i still laugh at how people say, “oh we will be better because we cant get worse” well that still doesnt mean we are gonna be better. we could very well end up the same ranking this year as last year. and saying we will be better because we cant get worse is what Lions fans say. its a desperation claim to say the team will be better just because they cant get worse.

I think the scheme will be more aggressive than it was under Slowik. I don’t know if we have the talent to execute this pressure system effectively, but the talent sucked last year too. Just in the attitude change it’ll be better.

@Kerry, as usual the pessimist. Realist he will say. I have a optomistic view to every pessimist view you had.

New coaches and scheme, granted change is tough. BUT this change brings quality coaches that know how to coach and teach. Add a win just for that.

Talented DL. I believe that each player needs to find his position, coach and scheme. I do not know if Fields or Reid or Baker or Thomas or the rest will be good. Just like you do not know that they will be bad. BUT I do believe that GOOD coaches bring out the best in players. Add one win.

Oh the LB’s. DJ loves the idea of JACK. Gotcha there. Can Crowder or Moss or Dumervil drop in coverage, you and I REALLY do not know. BUT the jugs gun being used in the OTA’s says that their hands except the football, none seem to have stone hands. Even here.

DB’s is were you have a BIG problem because of age, right? Lets see what Brian has left first. Hill and Goodman made the Miami transition pretty great, right? Plus the Phonze may be ROY.
See your whole premise is “saying it does not make it so” BUT by practicing it does make you better. Add one game here.

So as you can see Kerry, a glass half full will always be accepted well before a glass half empty. LOL with your trolling.

Okay kids, Jay Cutler is ranked #5 of all QB in NFL! Above phillis rivers, and way above Orton, no more talk who’s better…

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-network-total-access/09000d5d8113d1c3/Top-5-Quarterbacks

Warren Sapp does know what he is talking about.

Orton has shown good decision making and accuracy. Before people get too worked up about his arm strength realize that cutler had 37 pass attempts last year of 30+ yards and out of those 37 he completed 4 of them.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/splits?playerId=9597
Orton is capable of producing a good mid range passing game which is what McD is looking for… Cassel last year under McD had 20 attempts of 30+ yards and completed 2 of them and thats with randy moss on the other end of those throws.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/splits?playerId=8644
I actually caught these stats on another forum. McD & co. were probably more concerned with Ortons accuracy more than his arm strength. I think that this system will fit ortons needs… Orton will be fine with short and mid range routes. Orton is going to love it in denver under McD.

With a career passing pct. of 55.3, i wouldn’t say Orton has shown good accuracy. With 30 tds, and 27 ints in his career i don’t think that falls under the good decision making category either. You know who has very similar numbers in their career? JP Losman and Patrick Ramsey, I don’t think anyone would say they’re QB’s who have shown good decision making and accuracy.

Warren Sapp doesnt know SH#T! He left out several QB’s that are much better than baby Jay. Start with maybe Big Ben , Kurt Warner, Farve, Rivers, to name a few. Everyone needs to wait and see how baby Jay does under someone other than Shanny.

You guys just need to chill. Why dont you just accept the fact that we have a mid range QB and just be happy that the season is right around the corner.

LOL to get back to defensive talk, have any of you guy read this? This made me man-chuckle. Bly is a b****.
http://blogs.nfl.com/2009/07/06/roundup-cb-bly-says-he-was-the-scapegoat-in-denver/

Dan – Kerry is pretty much on the money. Although I hope your glass half-full theory is more accurate, his response answers the question of why we are ranked 28. I see improvement as well but until the game is played we won’t know. And the fact that we mention Moss or Crowder in an argument is another reason we are ranked 28th. I won’t put them in anything besides the garbage can until they prove otherwise.

Jon K – The end of that video says it all. Sapp put Cutler in there because of Eisen who smokes Cutler’s pole. Cutler is and will be a good qb in this league no doubt. We all know that. But come on. Rivers is hands down a better qb than Cutler so far. That could all change but right now it’s no question who gets it done in the 4th qtr and who manages a game better. Sapp knows that and just wants tv time so he allows Eisen to put Cutler in the conversation.

T-Money – Good point. Out.

Joe-
Some of the comments made by Bly I agree with. Slowik should have been fired. His system sucked, and very predictable. It will be interesting to see what kind of talent we have with our new coaching staff. As for Bly being the scap-goat, no one took more heat then Webster.

roshon
your correct… Orton’s career stats are not amazing. I was referring more to last season… specifically this 7 game stretch that this thread is about. He is cabable of being accurate (62% comp, 10 td, 4 int). I understand that this was only 7 games but he was able produce these numbers with less talent around him. As i stated before im sure accuracy was more of a concern than arm strenth.

BroncoNM – Good stat but I think he was actually 4 of 27. Not at all great and compared to Rivers – 10/24, Cassell – 2/20, Romo – 11/28, McNabb – 2/24, Roethlisberger – 7/24, Delhomme – 12/23 Rodgers – 11/28 and Manning – 7/28.

I posted all the players I looked up and he only bested Cassell and McNabb. Anyway, it doesn’t matter now because he isn’t our QB and Orton won’t take many shots downfield in this O.

Dan:

see i responded to the reason why our defense was ranked 28th. you just posted your Kool-aid speak about HOPING it will be better instead of discussing why its ranked 28th. you can hope it will be better. but that still doesnt change the fact about the 28th ranking. there isnt a headline that says “the Broncos are 28th in defensive rankings but we all think they can be better” oh and because DJ loves the idea of playing JACK LB, doesnt mean anything. im sure Nate Webster LOVED playing MLB last year, but did that make him better?? no. not even close.

but seriously “Talented D-line”?????!!!! dude what the hell are you looking at? Fields and Reid havent done jackshit in this league, Thomas has NEVER played the 3-4 and you call all of that talent??! PFFFFTTTTTT. stop being a blind follower. really. being optimistic is one thing, you are way beyond that all the way into the blind kool-aid drunken stupor where everything is so great and Kyle Orton is Peyton Manning.

If you ask me, Orton doesn’t quite stack up to Cutler’s level of talent, but he’s still a decent QB. And when you put a decent QB with recievers like Royal, Stokley, Marshall (hopefully), Scheffler, and Graham, as well as an offensive line containing players like Clady and Wieggman, you can still have a considerably good offense. And if the defense improves this year I think we’ll do really well. GO BRONCOS!!!

Kerry…I totally agree that the DL is better than they get credit for. Thomas is a very athletic, physically talented player, and with one of the best DL coaches in the NFL it isn’t unrealistic to say he could produce. I also have hope for Powell to be a contributor. He is a monster of a man. Yep i know he missed the whole year with an injury, but he is another talented guy that people overlook. I’m not saying they will be the most dominant line in the NFL, but they COULD be pretty good.

and…Did you really just compare DJ to Webster? Really Kerry? DJ is probably the most solid tackler on our entire defense. Webster isn’t in DJ’s league when it comes to making plays, and that comment just made you look even more ridiculous than usual.

fist let me start by stating that I have been enjoying this site for about 3 months. One thing that i would have to state for my first post here is we all became bronco fans for one reason or another. That being said in my own life experience 25+ years as a bronco fan and my interactions with other bronco fans has given me this insite to the main core or belief of the true fan. We like the good guys!!!

This is something i have seen being ripped away from us since the release of Plumber. We seemed to have gone away from what had drawn all of us to be fans. Cutler and Marshal are just the type of cancers the broncos need to rid them selfs of. I would be willing to tke a few less wins if it means i can injoy the wins we do get with hardworking, good guys.

This is finally something I see as a possibility with the people we are bringing in such as Horton and Sims. Might not have the arm of Cutler but have a mind set i and most bronco fans i have met can relate to.

In short, go broncos and go good guys!

Orton, sorry wont type on iphone again.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind this defense will be better for all the reasons I posted earlier. If you think all the changes will make them worse, then just give up now. Quit posting, quit reading and quit following. Time will tell.
Look at the enormous changes Atlanta, Baltimore and Miami made last year in terms of coaching staffs and players. One or two players stepping up are all it takes. The Bronco defense died the day Al Wilson left the field on a stretcher. One player, Dawkins, can add the type of leadership we have not had since Wilson. He will raise the level of play of those that surround him. Ayers, Williams, Dumerville, Woodyard and Bailey will all be better for it. I can’t wait for this season to begin.

kerry, how about this:
Denver’s Defense WILL be better than last year!
Denver’s Defense WILL have more sacks!
Denver’s Defense WILL have more int’s!
Denver’s Defense WILL have a better 3rd down percent!
Denver’s Defense WILL allow fewer yards!
Denver’s Defense WILL allow fewer points!

How can I justify this?

BECAUSE of the new HC!
BECAUSE of the new DC!
BECAUSE of the new coaches!
BECAUSE of the new players!
BECAUSE of the new scheme.

Don’t agree?
Who cares?

I bet my prognostication is just as good as yours….

…no, Strike that!

Mine is BETTER! :coffee:

I can’t believe that this defense will be the third in three years to give up 400+ pts, I just can’t. I have to think we’ve improved somewhat, even it that only means we now have safeties who can actually tackle. And in all honesty, its really not hard to improve on the defense of the last two years: heartless, undisciplined, under-sized, poor tackling skills. We know Dawkins won’t have any of that, and I think Champ will be way more vocal this year. We’ll see how the switch works, but I don’t care what anyone says, this defense will be improved this year

jchase:

if you actually could read you would see that i didnt comapare Webster to DJ. i was using the example in reference that DJ loves the idea of playing JACK LB yet that doesnt mean anything if someone loves the idea of playing a specific position. i said Webster loved to play MLB yet loving a certain position doesnt mean you can excel at it. learn to read what i actually say instead of twisting it like an idiot.

rcsodak:

no ill stick to my thoughts and opinions. thanks though. but hey if you say they will be better enough times then maybe they will. but who you trying to convince? me or yourself?

Damn it must suck to be you kerry. Do you really think our team is that bad? At least we aren’t lions fans or raider fans. They have had it bad.

DC,

Your right, at least we aren’t lions fans or raider fans, we’ve had it to good for 20+ years. The only thing is the last time Denver played Detriot and Oakland they lost. As a Broncos fan outside of Broncos country, this team has become more of a laughingstock this off season than Oakland or Detriot. I hate to say it but i think they both had better off seasons than Denver. Oakland actually showed their pro bowl players the money in Asomugha and Lechler and picked up key FA’s i wish the Broncos would have signed in Jeff Garcia, and Greg Ellis. Detroit not only added in the draft with Stafford, Pettigrew, and Delmas but again added FA’s i think would have been a good fit with Denver with Buchanon, Foote, Grady Jackson, Bryant Jackson, and Maurice Morris. I of course will watch every game and hopefully be wearing my B-Marsh jersey but i am prepared for this team to struggle. As much as I don’t want to, I agree with Kerry, this team is bad and I see no sign of that changing soon.

How do you know this team is bad? They haven’t played a down yet.

Craig,
Im sure its not too late to buy a stafford jersey and jump on the lions bandwagon… Im sure there is plenty of room. I refuse to believe this team is a “laughingstock” before one game has been played… start rooting for the lions and understand what a “laughingstock”team really looks like.

rcsodak, NICE

DC, broncoNM this team is bad. Games have been played, 28+ pts given up a game last year. The defense hasn’t been over hauled to the point it’s a completely new D. Maybe different coaches, different schemes but the same players. Yeah teams like Atlanta, Miami, and Baltimore can change things in one year, but their the exception. Remember before Parcells came to Miami, there was the trial and error that was Nick Saban and Cam Cameron. Atlanta, Jim Mora and Bobby Petrino, not to metion key acquisitions such as Matt Ryan, and Michael Turner and Joe Flacco with the Ravens. Those guys were an vast improvement over the previous years. Orton isn’t an improvement over Cutler and as much as I believe Moreno will be a good pro down the road, how much better will he be this year then say Peyton Hillis last year? The didn’t make any big trades or sign any big time FA’s. Dawkins might have been a good signing if they were a veteran safety away from the SB but they’re not, they’re in rebuilding mode. It stinks but like I said before, we’ve been spoiled as Broncos Fans for 20+ years. Feel free to disagree with me, but this team wasn’t good last year, with the way Pat Bowlen has handled things this off-season they have become a laughingstock and as a Broncos fan on the East Coast, Denver is being laughed at as if they were Detroit or Oakland.

DC:

how do in know the team is bad. downgrading the offense and failing to address the defensive front is a start. usually teams UPGRADE positions of importance like the QB position or the D-line not DOWNGRADE or ignore them. i mean seriously are you that much of a blind follower that it wont allow you to take a realistic look at this team?? downgrading the most important position on the field is not good. IGNORING the most important part of the defense (the d-line) isnt making the team better. and dont give me that “oh they havent played a game yet” this team was bad last year and DOWNGRADED the QB position while ignoring the defensive front.

and yeah we arent Lions or Raiders fans. but right now everyone else in the league laughs at the Broncos like they are the Lions. i mean seriously who the hell dumps a top flite Qb without even coaching him?? who the hell does stupid shit like that? oh thats right, McDaniels does. yeah so Cutler asked for a trade, well McDaniels could have exhibited TRUE coaching ability and leadership by NOT trading Cutler and working with him during camps. McDaniels dumps him instead of confronting and fixing the situation. and making a couple phone calls doesnt constitue fixing or addressing the problem.

THATS how i know the team is bad. our coach dumps a player at the first sign of adversity instead of working with and fixing the situation. if he would have worked with Cutler during the mandatory sessions and couldnt make it work THEN trade him. but dont trade a top notch QB before even coaching him.

Craig,

I agree, I think Jeff Garcia would have been a perfect fit here in McDaniels system. All the post where people say this team is going to be better because Orton is accurate, smart, and a winner, which I believe none of that to be true, Jeff Garcia is all of that. Other than a couple rough seasons in Detroit and Cleveland, he has won in SF, Philly and Tampa. Unlike Orton has actual playoff experience, and is a accurate and smart QB. I know he is up there an age and would not of been the QB of the future, i think must of us agree neither is Orton. I think he would have been the stop gap for a few years until McDaniels can find and groom his replacement. I think this system is very difficult to grasp and will take a few years before a QB can master it, alah Brady and Cassels. If they are to trade Brandon Marshall, I think they’ll trade him to a contender, like Baltimore, Washington, New York Giants, or Arizona, because I think they’ll give up more b/c B-Marsh might be the one missing piece. If so, they probably won’t trade an established player, alah Ngata. It will most likely be draft picks and i heard a first round would do it. If thats they case they should try to package someone like Troy Smith/John Beck/Colt Brennan, or Leinart. Hope dreams maybe, but none of those guys have had a full season to work with. Orton has a shot to start of strong but if he looks bad it could get real ugly looking at the schedule.

Kerry- How did the team down grade on offense? You cant judge Orton, until he plays a full season with the same players Baby Jay did. As for the Defense, Nolan must like what he see’s. PS- Cutler isnt a top flite QB. He was ranked 16th at 86%. Thats with a great line in front of him and great receivers.

DJ has played all three of the linebacker positions in the 43 defense, and done a great job in all me them. Remember the good seasons he had playing in positions that he was uncomfortable with. He is now in a position that he is comfortable with and excited to play in. i personally believe that he has earned some respect. I love how you play the “maybe he will” card when it suits you, but the FACT that we will suck this year is set in stone in your mind.

those of you who continue to say that the new staff has completely ignored the DL is either blind or stupid. They may not have gotten the people that you wanted, but really there is only so much that can be done in ONE offseason. They brought in guys like Fields who may not be your favorite, but Nolan thinks enough me him to sign him. He was set to be the starter in SF, but due to an injury found himself a rotational player. They got rid of the dead weight on the line, and brought in a few guys who may fit

continuing on…They drafted a versatile guy who can play DE or OLB. The fact that they went out and got guys that you might not have can in no way be translated into they IGNORED the DL.

jchase8410- Thanks for stating the facts. The Defense is going to be much better next year. Remember, San Fran had the 13th ranked defense last year. Nolan and staff will get the most out of our players.
Teams we played last year had our defensive game plan so figured out it was sick. Remember the Quote by Bly.

broncobob…I do remember the quote, but I honestly couldn’t even discern that there was ever a defensive game plan last year.

Craig, how is it that they “The defense hasn’t been over hauled to the point it’s a completely new D. Maybe different coaches, different schemes but the same players.” We have 2 new safeties. A new slot CB and starting CB. At least 2 new starting DL. 2 new starting LB. I don’t see your point. This D will be a hellofalot better than it was last year.

*the

jchase8410…. I think the game plan was to count to 5 mississippi, before they could cross the line of scrimage.

DC….. The only starters from last year, that will start for sure is Champ, DJ, and maybe Thomas.

Just because people on this site think our Broncs will suck next year doesn’t mean that they aren’t loyal fans. The fact is we may well suck. Realistically speaking with our schedule it could be a long year.

Hopefully our upgrade at the Running Back and Tight End make up for the trade of our QB. And HOPEFULLY, our new QB can manage a game in this system better than Cutler did last year. Hopefully. Because if not, we will be laughed at weekly for getting rid of him. But who cares? I don’t think he was a team player and I think our Coach showed balls and let everyone know there was a new sherriff in town (“and his name is Reggie Hammond. Ya all be cool”) and sent the message that this game is won by teams not individuals. I like the philosophy but we will have to see. Talent + Team + Coaching seems like an obvious winning combination to me.

Defensively we picked up some nice players and moving to this new scheme with better coaches will also HOPEFULLY make us better on Defense (which clearly has been overhauled). But NT is a glaring weakness right now. Could Powell be our savior? Possibly. I like him but he is a bit undersized and may not be our starter. But I like some of you find myself looking at guys who weren’t even drafted by 32 teams through 7 rounds like Baker, Pedesclaux and Davis hoping they can contribute. And that speaks volumes for the talent, or lack there of, that we have at this time.

I think doom will start, hopefully, he’s our only decent pass rusher.

Base 3-4
Powell, Feilds, Thomas?
Ayers, DJ, Andra, Doom

Nickel
Ayers, Feild, Thomas?, Doom
DJ, Woodyard

What do guys think?

It wouldn’t surprise me to see Ev P or Rulon starting at DE’s. I hope they get a shot.

DC
Im real interested to see if any of our undrafted rookies pan out (davis, baker, robinson, Pedescleaux)… I hope powell has some inpact and makes the rotation but i would also like to see kenny peterson at DE. I love the idea of thomas at DE…He is a big body with great athletism.
If doom doesnt workout what about woodyard in the base. He is undersized but he makes plays.

34 base:
KP, Fields, Thomas
ayers, dj, andra, woodyard

If rulan davis and Pedescleaux make the roster they can rotate at DE and powell and baker can rotate with fields at DT.

Antonio Cromartie is eying travis henry’s record… the NFL may want to invest in some sex-ed classes.

“Coming off a disappointing season in 2008, Antonio Cromartie blames at least five paternity suits for keeping his head out of the game.

At this pace, he’s going to going to shatter the records of Travis Henry and Shawn Kemp. Cromartie, who is not married or engaged, has at least seven kids in five states. The 2007 Pro Bowler is now fully recovered from a fractured hip that hampered him throughout last season.”

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2009/jul/12/1s12chargers01169/?chargers

DC,

This team has switched some names around but are essentially the same team. The didn’t overhaul the D, just changed personel about as much as most teams do every year. Look at the stats on this team with who replaced them. Dawkins is a vast improvement and possibly Andra Davis though Nate Webster performed just as well last year. Ayers and Alphonso bring hope, but they’re only rooks. Just the simple fact that there is possible talk of undrafted FA’s possibly starting or getting decent playing time just shows where the team is… Guys like Fields, Reid, and McBean are guys you add for depth, not starters. Even Jarvis Moss is still on this team. Look at these stats and tell me how we overhauled this D with the guys they brought in…

FS Marlon McCree has 16 career INTS and 448 career tackles
Renaldo Hill has 15 career INTs and 474 career tackles
SS Brian Dawkins way better than no need to bring up stats here
Marquand Manuel
CB Dre Bly 40 career INTs and 390 career tackles
Andre Goodman 12 career INTs and 232 career tackles
MLB Nate Webster 319 career tackles and 4 career sacks (last year 76 tackles and 2 sacks in 13 games)
Andra Davis 641 career tackles and 8.5 career sacks(last year 90 tackles and 0 sacks in 16 games)
DT Dewayne Robertson 278 carrer tackles and 16 career sacks
Ronald Fields 75 career tackles and 1 career sack
DE Ebenezer Ekuban 224 career tackles and 36.5 career sacks
Darrell Reid 98 career tackles and 2.5 career sacks

I see where your coming from now. Lets hope Brian Dawkins can pump these guys up. He did an excellent job in philly.

rcsodak you’re right. coffee

Craig,

Wow someone actually brought some info to the table to back up their argument instead of wishful thinking. I think you’re completely right. Other than Dawkins most of these guys aren’t as good or worse than most of the players from last year. I also agree with Bly statement that he was the scapegoat. He never was or never will be as good as Champ or even a pro-bowler but he can hold his own. He thrives on the DL getting pressure in the face of the QB and didn’t have that here in Denver. Hopefully, this D can change just with Dawkins and the scheme. The key for me, will be Andra Davis. He really needs to step it up, this D has lacked an attitude in the middle since Wilson. I think it’s all for not this year, and hope next year the can bring in the next Atwater and Wilson on D and McDaniels finds a star QB in the making. It won’t undress the DL issue but i think once S & MLB are filled we be able to put together and bunch of washed up hand me downs, like their SB run of Neil Smith, Lodish, Michael Dean, and Alfred Williams.

hey, Darrell Reid is playing OLB.
http://www.denverbroncos.com/page.php?id=334&storyID=9141
So who is on our DL? Our DL is starting to look pretty anonymous with no names that makes you think “ohh, this will do”.
Im pretty scared of kerry being right about the importance of great DL members.
Will a lousy DL do alright with the right playcalling and talent on other positions?

guess im infected with the kerry flu :(
hope i get well soon :D

Nisse,

The last I heard are D-line was looking like…

LE Ryan McBean with Carlton Powell backing up
NT Ronnie Fields with Marcus Thomas backing up
RE Kenny Peterson with Darrell Reid backing up

This could all change with the FA’s rooks and a couple other no names in camp. I think a DL doesn’t have to be saturated with #1 picks to do well but this isn’t looking promising.

sorry *our* D-Line

bringing up career stats on guys who haven’t had the same length of careers does not prove any point. Plus, the guys wins one year stats you put up (2008 stats) actually performed better, thus gusting your point. The DL “starters” that someone refered to are just penciled in names. McD has stated that the defensive line will not be evaluated fully until training camp when they actually get pads on and start hitting. Don’t let Kerry get inside your heads, although he is pretty headstrong…He is respectable

hey BroncoBob:

Mike Singletary took over last year for San Fran and THATS the reason why the defense became better. Nolan was fired during the season and if you go and take a look, Nolans defense was a joke before Singletary took over last year.

Jchase,

Marlon McCree and Renaldo Hill each are entering their 9th Season.
Dry Bly is entering his 11th season and Andre Goodman his 8th, I don’t think he’ll make up the 28 career ints in 3 years. I think we can all agree Dawkins’ career will/is better then Manuels even though he has only played 8 seasons and Dawkins 14. But for those who’s career aren’t the same don’t want to compare career numbers just go back to last years.

Brian Dawkins 75 tackles 1 ints
Marquand Manuel 83 tackles 0 ints

Andre Goodman 39 tackles 5 ints
Dre Bly 62 tackles 2ints

Nate Webster 76 tackles 2 sacks
Andra Davis 90 tackles 0 sacks

Dewayne Robertson 22 tackles 1.5 sacks
Ronnie Fields 19 tackles 0 sacks

Ebeneze Ekuban 38 tackles 5 sacks
Darrell Reid 30 tackles 2 sacks

This team was horrible last year, and in my judgement the guys they brought in aren’t any better than who they replaced. New coaches and schemes might help but not with this crew. Besides if the gameplan was all it took to win, then Nolan scheme in San Fran would of worked.

jchase:

so you are confident in Fields Reid and Thomas?? we have one of the worst D-lines in football. and saying Fields was gonna start for San Fran is like saying he is the best player with down syndrome. starting for a shitty team doesnt mean you become better when maybe starting for another shitty team.

Craig.

very nice breakdown of the players brought in. the stat comparison really shows that we didnt upgrade at all, just brought in different players with the same or even worse stats then the previous year.

of course you will get the whole “oh well you cant compare last years stats because we havent played a game this year” bullshit from most but it shows quite accurately the players we brought in arent some upgrade. we definetly dont have any players except Dawkins that defenses have to gameplan around.

Jchase, We know the DL is just penciled in for now, one being they don’t have one standout player. There’s no speculation on the O-line. But it’s not like Denver is going to pickup someone like Casey Hampton b/t now and opening week.

The DL roster could be mistaken for an Arena Team Roster..

Marcus Thomas
Darrell Reid
Carlton Powell
Everette Pedescleaux
J’vonne Parker
Ronnie Fields
Matthais Askew
Kenny Peterson
Ryan McBean
Rulon Davis
Chris Baker
Nic Clemons

Half these guys weren’t even good enough to get drafted.

roshon,

Neither was
DT: Ed Johnson
DE: Paul Spicer
LB: Antonio Pierce
LB: Gary Brackett
LB: James Harrison
CB: Nick Harper

I guess no one should look into UDFA huh?

Also several quality DTs are low rounders. Jason Ferguson was a 7th rounder.

Marcus Thomas by the way might finally be used the way he should have been. Thomas is a quality DT who’s been switching from system to system ever since he’s breathed the Rocky Mountain Air.

East,

Congratulations you named 6 undrafted FA’s out of the hundreds signed over the past couple years. I didn’t say being UDFA means you can’t make the team or even become a starter. But there is a reason 1st round picks are more cherished than a 7th round picks. Tony Romo was UDFA, should we just sign someone off the street to QB this team or trade all our early round picks for 6th rounders because TD was picked in the 6th? One of these guys might play 10 years or even make a pro bowl or two. But the odds are against that…

Also, I still do hold out hope for Marcus Thomas, he has potential and has kept his nose clean but he is probably our best DL and thats pretty sad.

I’m not saying some or even any of those guys will be probowlers. I’m just saying you can’t speculate on them at all. This is why I hate the offseason, I’m not one for guessing around. I like to see the action and dodge the BS. The reeks of BS.

East,

Come on, you just said Marcus Thomas is a quality DT. Isn’t that speculation? I’m sure his 37 tackles and zero sacks can’t be the sign that he’s a quality DT. What about your last two postings, Orton and Fields, the offseason all speculation, if you want to dodge the BS then don’t post until the season starts. You just don’t like negative speculation.

guys, good luck with orton. chicago hates QB’s. jay cutler will soon be on the list. rex made it after he lost the SB – which has only been 20+ years. kyle – chicago never liked him. he played last year because the fans hated rex. we have no recievers, they drop balls, and yet its the QB’s fault – never the DFense, never the coaches.
Kyle is a decent QB, he has shown signs of being good. i think jay is naturally better, but it seems the teams traded players to get a fresh start at QB. time will tell

As a Bears fan, I can attest to the team not properly grooming their quarterbacks. I wanted him to stay in Chicago but he will not become a good quarterback in the Bears system. Give Kyle some time. He’s a competent and hard working quarterback that will earn his keep. He showed composure and patience. He has potential and I wish him the best (which is why I found this article).

Thanks for the comments Mark. A lot of Bears fans have shown Orton support since the move. Gives us Broncos fans hope. Best of luck this season!