Chatting with The Rocky’s Sam Adams

Sam Adams is not a former Denver Broncos defensive lineman – he’s a columnist for the Rocky Mountain News who does a great job breaking down all things Broncos throughout the season. Every Sunday, Sam joins myself and John from Mile High Report for a Game Day Broncos chat – and welcome you to join us. Sam has been nice enough to agree to answer a few questions every week; here is this week’s installment.

BroncoTalk – Are you surprised the Broncos are sitting at 3-1 through four games?

Sam Adams – No, I’m not surprised the Broncos are 3-1. Actually, they’re on point with my preseason game-by-game forecast … Yes, on the day the NFL released the team schedule, I taped a “Sam-ulcast” video with predictions for each game. My scores have been off so far, but if you take a look at this video you’ll hear me say things like Kiffin’s on the hot seat before the first game, and the Broncos will get lucky and beat San Diego, and they won’t go 4-0 because they’ll lose in Kansas City … it’s all on video! (Ed Note: I am humbled by Adams’ mighty, mighty wisdom).

BT – How would you grade the Broncos through the first quarter of the season?

Sam – I give Denver a B-minus … The offense gets an A (A-plus for the O-line) … The defense gets a D-plus … Coaching gets an A-minus

BT – Should the Broncos make a move for a defensive playmaker midseason or stay the course?

Sam – The thing about making moves to acquire playmakers (offensive or defensive) before the deadline is, who wants to give up a real playmaker — especially on defense because they’re hard to find. You might find a guy who offers an upgrade — for example, a defensive lineman who is better at rushing the passer than John Engleberger. But playmaker, to me, means a younger guy with a motor who can move all over the field … When you’re talking D-line, that’s a Julius Peppers-type. People mention St. Louis’ Leonard Little. That guy probably has better pass-rush skills than we’ve seen from a Denver lineman this season. He’ll be 34 in mid-October — how much does he have left in the tank? I like Julius Peppers to come here and revive his career. I still would like to hear that Denver’s worked out pass-rush specialist Rosevelt Colvin. Can’t believe the guy hasn’t gotten a contract with anyone. Houston signed him to a 3-year deal, $1.3 for 2008 ($500,000 guaranteed). The Texans cut him, so Colvin really isn’t in a position to demand a big contract – though I hear he is doing just that. He’d better take the minimum with incentives.

BT – The Broncos pounced on their opportunity to go up two games on the Chargers. Now San Diego is already closing the gap. How do you see this race in the weeks ahead?

Sam – Well, look at the schedule. Denver plays three of its next four games at home, and the roadie is against New England (which always has trouble with the Broncos at home or away) without Tom Brady . . . San Diego’s next four games are: at Miami, host New England, at Buffalo and at New Orleans … If Denver takes care of business at home, it should be 6-2 at the halfway point. 7-1 would be a big boost for the Broncos’ confidence … If the Chargers are for real, they’ll go 3-1 … November will be a big month for both teams, ’cause Denver hits the road three times — all 1,500-miles plus trips east — while San Diego plays 3 of 4 at home.

BT – Where do you think the Bucs have an edge over the Broncos? Where do you think the Broncos can exploit the Bucs?

Sam – I think Tampa has better defensive talent. An aggressive unit with a very smart defensive coordinator in Monte Kiffin. The Broncos will have to pick and choose their spots to get greedy. I think this is a good week to use the running backs in the passing game — those short screens can be blitz-killers.

BT – Hold the press! The Broncos are a pass-first team? Will the coaches re-establish their commitment to running the football?

Sam – Will the Broncos re-establish their commitment to running? Well, I was looking at stats over the previous two seasons, to gauge how often Denver ran the ball 30 or more times in a game. Let’s just say it’s not like the old days any more, when Denver made sure to feed Terrell Davis. But Denver had nine games last season where they ran the ball 25 times or more, with 24 carries in two others … They average 121 yards rushing in ’08 — sixth in AFC, 14th in NFL. Definitely not the high standing we’re used to, but not bad for a pass-oriented team … I’ll use a baseball analogy — the Broncos running backs aren’t hitting home runs like we used to see around here. Granted, they’re splitting time and not getting enough at-bats. But when they do swing, they’re hitting bloop singles and sacrifice flies. Where are the long runs, the long touchdown runs? These guys need to make the most of the at-bats, er, carries they get — turn 5 or 10 yards into 40 or 50 — or longer . . . There’s been only one TD run of 21 yards or longer (by a Broncos running back) since the end of the 2005 season. T.D. had 5 TD runs of 35 or more yards in 1998.

Thanks again to Sam for taking the time! If you have a question you’d like me to ask Sam, be sure to leave it in the comments.