Worst and 10 – Things to Watch on Monday Night

I can’t even express how thrilled I am just to watch some live Broncos scrimmages in less than a week. It’s finally time for a little footbal – now I’ll tell you what to watch on Monday Night Football when we play the San Francisco 49ers. Ranking the worst to the first in my weekly segment that sounds like “First and 10″…

Worst

The Score

The one thing you shouldn’t watch as you’re enjoying the Broncos preseason game is the score – it doesn’t matter. It has no bearing. It may seem hard at times not to care that the Broncos are losing by 20, but it really bears no indication whatsoever on the team’s potential in the regular season. Last year the Oakland Raiders went 5-0 in the preseason… we all know how they did once real football was being played.

…and 10

10. Backup quarterbacks at work

Patrick Ramsey has finally showed something in training camp, and Preston Parsons and Darrell Hackney are fighting for a practice squad spot. Since these guys will be on the field more than Cutler, it’s worth watching who looks good and who doesn’t.

9. Dre Bly getting “picked” on

First teams won’t be on the field for long, but while they are, look for Niner QB Alex Smith to avoid Champ Bailey at all costs. I’m interested to see how newly acquired CB Dre Bly handles the focus he will garner simply by not being the best on the field.

8. Offensive line work

The news about Chris Kuper giving up 3 sacks has me worried – I plan on really watching the right guard position closely on both teams. Comparing how the first team and second team squads (ahem Montrae Holland) fare is one of the things I’m looking forward to most come Monday Night.

7. Which of our injured players pull through

Will Brandon Marshall or Tony Scheffler see the field? Is Ben Hamilton 100% after his concussion last week? Marcus Thomas and Sam Adams have also missed practice time with various nicks – will they be up to the scrimmage against San Fran? And the biggest news of late – will Jarvis Moss truly be ready to turn his knee and go after the quarterback. I must admit, I shuddered as I typed “turn his knee” – I hope he doesn’t push it and just gets healthy.

6. Special teams improvements

Scott O’Brien has had his work cut out for him – our new Special Teams Coordinator has his hands full with implementing a new system and working with our impressive new/old Punter. Todd Sauerbrun will win the job, Elam will return for another season – but the big news is the coverage and return teams. How will they fare against the 49ers – I’m really excited to watch the special teams on Monday Night. One of the few battles where the players will truly be giving it their all – everyone wants to prove they deserve a roster spot, and so the kickoff and punt coverage/return units will be playing at their most elite levels.

5. Who shines at SAM

Louis Green could be considered the surprise of the depth chart release yesterday – but the coaches have admitted that the position is still extremely fluid, and the competition during a preseason game will be fierce. Will D.D. Lewis perform up to the level that many fans, including myself, expect – enough for him to win the starting job? Will Warrick Holdman return from his spinal cord concussion?

4. Getting pressure on the quarterback

Our revamped defensive line will get its first chance to go after a quarterback not living in Denver – and I’ll be loving every minute of it. Sacks are allowed in preseason, but all the veterans have the understood rule not to hurt the opposing quarterback. That being said, I still want to see Jarvis Moss at work myself. I want to see how John Engelberger really fares as a starter. I don’t want Alex Smith or any of his backups to feel comfortable out there.

3. Which backup receiver will shine?

Last year, the big story of the preseason was Jay Cutler. Big story #2 was Mike Bell. If I had to pick a third biggest story from preseason, it would be the explosive plays David Kircus displayed on the field. With our receiver unit decimated with injury – even training camp star Brandon Stokley has been missing practice time lately – younger guys will get their shot to make the big plays. I expect big performances from the likes of Domenik Hixon and Brian Clark.

2. Which RB will win the second spot?

Cecil Sapp holds the spot now, with Mike Bell nipping at his heels and undrafted rookie Andre Hall pushing Bell closely as well. Fumble, and you have that much further to work. Break a big one, and you may just be among the next Broncos’ 1000-yard rushers down the line. It’s a lot of pressure for a Broncos running back, where nothing short of perfection is expected. Looking forward to seeing these guys share snaps and show their mettle.

1. How Jay Cutler performs

Since this is Week 1 of the preseason, our first team starters won’t be out for even a quarter – but I could see Cutler playing a bit more than, say, a Peyton Manning would. With only 5 starts under his belt, Cutler could see more game time with the second units out on the field – and that’s just another excuse to see this guy play. As much as I want to study the plays and see how he performs under pressure, it’s really just about watching this kid with the golden arm go to work, and amaze me over and over again.

Don’t forget to tune in to ESPN on Monday Night for the game… even though the score doesn’t mean anything, there’s still plenty of reasons to watch.