Free agent LB Eric Bakhtiari

The Denver Broncos have remained busy evaluating their lineup when needed, looking at potential candidates to add to their roster or practice squad. To date, no changes have been made since finalizing the 53-man roster and eight-man practice squad three weeks ago, but things could change.

The three players scheduled to visit Dove Valley Tuesday hope they do.

Free agent offensive tackle Chris Patrick, a third year undrafted player out of Nebraska, is scheduled to visit the Broncos, Adam Caplan of Scout.com reports. Joining Patrick in workouts Tuesday will be linebackers Johnny Williams and Eric Bakhtiari, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.

Patrick has been around the NFL a bit, but was most recently with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he ended the 2008 season on the active roster. Williams was waived by the Jacksonville Jaguars while Bakhtiari hails from San Diego, obviously a plus whenever you’re working out for a division rival.

More than likely, these players are working out for a potential spot on the team’s practice squad, not its active roster. We’ll keep you posted.

DENVER - SEPTEMBER 20: Running back Correll Buckhalter #28 of the Denver Broncos rushes for a 45 yard touchdown against the Cleveland Browns during NFL action at Invesco Field at Mile High on September 20, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. The Broncos defeated the Browns 27-6. (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

HEAD COACH JOSH McDANIELS

On the Browns’ defense

“They mixed a lot of things in terms of their coverage. They pressured us heavily sometimes and then they dropped and once or twice nine guys back into coverage. When you are mixing those kinds of dramatic—that is a dramatic swing, seven or eight coming at you or two—you have got to be real smart and selective with what you are going to try to do. Sometimes, you don’t have enough time to get the ball maybe down the field where you want to get it when they bring everybody. Then, you have got to be real smart when they drop out nine guys and you are going to throw it to somebody. In the second half, we caught them on some pressures there, picked up the blitz very well. We threw 37 passes and gave up no sacks. I thought (QB Kyle Orton) helped that out a lot in terms of his movement in the pocket. He bought some time on some plays where he needed to. He helped our protection out and was able to find some guys down the field, a couple of them on big third downs and one to (WR Jabar) Gaffney that we really needed there in the fourth quarter.”

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Denver Broncos head coach Josh McDaniels' decision to build the defense's 3-4 scheme from scratch is paying off. (REUTERS/Mark Leffingwell)

In what can easily be interpreted as the first jab from current Denver Broncos Head Coach to former, Josh McDaniels looked dumbfounded when asked why the team made the switch from the 4-3 to the 3-4 in one season instead of making a gradual change.

His response, simply: What 4-3?

“The 4-3 really wasn’t here,” McDaniels said in his Monday press conference. “The way that they had played, the style and the guys, we just felt like it wasn’t like we had a solid 4-3 defensive scheme in terms of our personnel to fit that scheme. In other words, why take a year and (transition gradually) when it really wasn’t in place to begin with?”

McDaniels has a point. The 2008 Broncos defense was historically bad, culminating in a three-game losing streak that allowed over 30 points per game and knocked the Broncos out of the playoffs.

When a defense is playing that poorly, can you really call it a defense at all?

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Former Denver Broncos defensive lineman Trevor Pryce is all class. After nine seasons with the Broncos from 1997-2005, Pryce signed with the Baltimore Ravens and has enjoyed plenty of success. He hasn’t forgotten where he came from, though – a week after being elected to the Broncos’ 50th Anniversary Team, Pryce took out this ad in the Denver Post, thanking the fans:

Dear Bronco fans,

You cheered for me and now I cheer for you. Thank you so much for this prestigious honor of naming me to the 50th anniversary team, one that I am humbled by and will cherish for the rest of my life.

Thank you all once again,
Trevor Pryce #93 and family

Pryce will be 35 when he becomes a free agent after 2010. Too soon to start the 2011 free agent wishlist?

Classy gesture by Trevor Pryce [All Things Broncos]

• It was still a one-score game in the fourth quarter, but then the Broncos broke loose. [DenverBroncos.com]
• Thanks, Ray!  [Denver Post]
• Kansas City dominated statistically, but Oakland pulled out the win.  [DPO]
• Yes, it is ridiculously early, but the Broncos now sit alone atop the division.  [NFL.com]

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The Denver Broncos take the field to warm up prior to facing the Cleveland Browns during NFL action at Invesco Field at Mile High on September 20, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. (Doug Pensinger/Getty Images)

Postgame quotes from Josh McDaniels, Kyle Orton, Elvis Dumervil, Champ Bailey, Andre Goodman, Kenny Peterson, Andra Davis, Daniel Graham, and Correll Buckhalter, along with a host of Cleveland Browns, after the Denver Broncos‘ 27-6 victory over Cleveland. Enjoy!

DENVER BRONCOS HEAD COACH JOSH MCDANIELS

On the defensive effort

“We brought these guys here for a reason. We are far from perfect, but we are playing good enough defense right now to give ourselves a chance when we play like that. I thought we were physical up front today. We really did a nice job of containing the running game and make it more of a passing game for them. Any time you can do that, I think you give yourself a great chance to win.”

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Denver Broncos Darrell Reid celebrates recovering a fumble from Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn during their NFL football game in Denver, Colorado September 20, 2009. (REUTERS/Mark Leffingwell)

Denver showed why it continues to be a House o’ Horrors for the Cleveland Browns, as the Broncos‘ defense shut the Browns down en route to a 27-6 thumping of their longtime AFC rival.

While the offense produced over 400 yards and didn’t commit a turnover, the defense dominated an AFC opponent for the second week in a row. Elvis Dumervil tied a Broncos franchise record with four sacks, and Andra Davis tallied 10 tackles against his former team. A Darcel McBath interception clinched the game, and the Broncos moved to 2-0 on the season.

The Browns were hanging around, down only one touchdown in the fourth quarter, when the Broncos offense caught up to its defense. Kyle Orton was having another pedestrian outing before hitting Jabar Gaffney for a 49-yard gain in the fourth quarter. Peyton Hillis finished the drive with a two-yard touchdown run, and it was fair sailing from there. Click here to read the rest of this entry »

vs.
Broncos (1-0) vs. Browns (0-1)
Sunday, Sep. 20, 2009
INVESCO Field at Mile High
2:15 pm MT CBS
GameBlog starts at 1:45

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Shannon Sharpe will be inducted into the Denver Broncos Ring of Fame at halftime today. Never one to miss his chance to make an entrance, Sharpe will be skydiving – yes, skydiving – into the stadium before opening kickoff.

CLEVELAND - SEPTEMBER 13: Brady Quinn #10 of the Cleveland Browns scrambles during an NFL game against the Minnesota Vikings, September 13, 2009, at Cleveland Browns Stadium in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Tom Dahlin/Getty Images)

The Denver Broncos can beat the Cleveland Browns.

The Browns certainly shouldn’t be overlooked. They got handled fairly well against the Minnesota Vikings last week, losing 34-20, but the Browns really shot themselves in the foot. The Vikings had just enough going in the first half to gain a lead after some great field position, then rode behind AP’s legs to victory.

When the Vikings had success against the Browns, they were implementing a lot of the same things with which I think they would have had success against us. In other words, if the Broncos had played the Vikings last week, they’d be 0-1 too.

That’s because, believe it or not, the Broncos and Browns are very similar. Neither are stacked with talent defensively, especially in the front seven, but both can manufacture pressure through creative blitzes that overcome their personnel shortcomings. Both feature an All-Pro caliber left tackle and a big, athletic wide receiver. If things break down, neither team has a quarterback proficient enough to carry the team, a la Ben Roethlisberger/Tom Brady/Philip Rivers last week, but both passers have shown the potential for big games.

The Broncos have a bit more talent in some key areas, but certainly not enough to make this a shoo-in. If the Broncos follow and execute this plan, they’ll come away with a victory. Click here to read the rest of this entry »