February 13, 2016
What might tip the scales to this Denver defense are the teams it beat in the postseason to win it all. The Broncos beat the Steelers, Patriots and Panthers. They were the first-, third- and fourth-best scoring teams in the league.
I’ve read thousands of words in the last week to soak in post championship revelry. This is the most common topic, and it’s hard to bypass this argument. Sure, the stats might support other teams of years past, but maybe for these three games, this was the best defensive playoff run if only because of who they did it against.
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December 8, 2015
Shane Ray wrote this piece for the Player’s Tribune about the benefits of learning from Von and DeMarcus:
I wasn’t supposed to be in Denver. I wasn’t supposed to fall to 23rd in the draft. But I made a mistake before the draft and paid the price. Now, all I can do is work my ass off to be the best player I can be on the field and the best teammate and person off it. Everything happens for a reason, and at the end of the day, I don’t think there’s a better place I could have landed than right here with the Broncos. I get Von and DeMarcus and the other guys to learn from and support me, and as a rookie, I get a chance to compete for the playoffs and for a Super Bowl.
He’s gotten healthy and he’s getting reps while DeMarcus is out. After a great game against the Chargers, I’m expecting to see him start to come in to his own in the last quarter of the season and playoffs.
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November 30, 2015
Osweiler got to the line, under center, and surveyed the New England front. He was going to run C.J. Anderson to the weak side (that was his first call in the huddle) but saw something he didn’t like there—maybe an unblocked Rob Ninkovich hovering on the quarterback’s right. Whatever, he switched to a strong-side sweep to the left. “KILL! KILL! KILL!” he called, arms stretched out parallel to the ground. To the left, tight end Vernon Davis and a strong blocking wide receiver, Bennie Fowler, got ready to seal the left side for Anderson.
I still lean in the direction that a healthy Peyton Manning gives the Broncos the best chance of winning. But I have to wonder if this audible to switch the run the other direction would be an option with a QB in pistol or shotgun rather than under center. Maybe a healthy Peyton is still a better QB, but maybe this offense overall is “healthier” with Brock under center.
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November 3, 2015
The updated depth chart shows Owen Daniels still as the #1 TE, with Vernon Davis sliding in at #2 ahead of Virgil Green. (Something I find a little surprising.) Virgil Green is still listed as #1 at FB, for whatever that might be worth in terms of playing time.
I imagine this is fluid since Vernon just showed up in Denver today, but I’m hoping we get to see a lot of two TE sets that have Virgil lining up on the other side from Vernon. He has never been a bad pass catcher and has continued to develop in that role. I think he still has a lot of upside, and hope we can see him continue to develop as a long term TE for Denver as a good receiver with great blocking skills.
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September 15, 2015
Can you imagine if, after throwing 125 touchdown passes his first three seasons in Denver, Manning becomes a complementary player and not the dominant one on his team? He just might be, as long as DeMarcus Ware and Von Miller hit the quarterback eight times, as they did against Flacco on Sunday.
Yes, it’s a story that no one is sure what we can expect out of Peyton at this point. But King here seems to be one of a scattered few who see the dominance and promise of the defense as something great than an afterthought.
They’re good.
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August 14, 2015
Miller has openly credited fellow outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware, an 11th-year pro with eight Pro Bowl appearances of his own, for helping with his transformation. Ware has long been one of the league’s good guys, and his character inspired Miller to do better. However, nobody grows up without consciously choosing to do so.
These words don’t appear until about halfway through the article. But I was thinking about Ware’s influence from the very first sentence.
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May 8, 2014
I grow weary of the hype when it comes to mock drafts and projected picks. It’s fun to imagine the what-ifs but with a later draft this year, it became an extended season of woulds, coulds, shoulds and blind stabs in the dark.
But we’re only hours away now, so here are some thoughts on potential scenarios in the first round for the Broncos tonight:
- Most Likely
The Broncos stand pat with the 31st pick and take the best player on their board. There is plenty of talent on the board and the Broncos should have a number of good choices for players who could come in and contribute right away.
- Very Possible
The Broncos trade out of the first round into the early second and add another pick or two. The myriad opinions on the QBs in this draft means that there will most likely be a couple of prospects who have dropped down to #31. I could see one of the teams in need of a QB that passed in the first round trading back into the Broncos spot to grab one of them.
- I Don’t Think So
The Broncos won’t trade up in the first round. They are in win now mode, but they don’t have glaring needs that they have to climb up to fill with a blue chipper. Elways has said before that they fill their immediate needs in free agency and build a long-term roster through the draft. Giving up extra picks to move up in the first round would be a break from that philosophy….and the wrong choice.
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August 24, 2013
Peyton Manning still is looking for a starting running back between Ronnie Hillman, Knowshon Moreno and rookie Montee Ball. Moreno might wind up with a bigger role than expected. The defense, currently struggling with injuries, will look for the right combination of starters against the Rams, with opening night less than two weeks away.
I like the patience Montee Ball has shown in following blockers but I’m looking for something from Knowshon tonight. I also think he has a chance to secure serious playing time for himself.
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A helpful season preview at times, and glaring holes at others. It’s as if he’s only read headlines out of Broncos training camp, without paying attention to any pre-season games or practice reports. First off, he says this about the first team D-Line — “Fortunately for Denver, any weaknesses at linebacker will be partially masked by a powerful front four.” — though San Francisco and Seattle ran right through them so far. Then, in the safeties, he mentions the Broncos’ “willingness to play Quinton Carter”, who hasn’t played at all in the preseason, and includes no mention of Duke Ihenacho. Oops.
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Five worthwhile questions. And I will continue to watch the safeties tonight – a position that might still see lots of change on the depth chart.
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