For Those of You Who Think Denver Has No Chance: This One Is For You

I am a bartender, so I get to watch ESPN all day at work and follow NFL Primetime, Live, and the whole nine yards. I see everything about all the teams.

All day I watch only to watch analyst give Denver zero credit. I understand they all made assumptions of how terrible we would be. I understand the tougher part of our schedule is coming up. Facts are facts though ladies and gentlemen and I am here to give you some.

Before I get to the facts, though, I read the Raiders articles. Raiders fans, just shut your mouth until you beat us again. Please just shut your mouth. You have a terrible QB and we dominated you in every aspect of the game.

The Baltimore Ravens are number one in power rankings, while Denver sits at 13: The only 3-0 team out of the top ten. Denver has won their games 62-16, so +46 in our favor against teams with a combined record of 3-6. Baltimore has won their games 103-53 so +50 in their favor against teams with a combined record of 2-7. Seems a little odd to me.

Have we played two weak teams?

Yes.

Wait though, weren’t we suppose to be one of those weak teams? A team that Cleveland, Oakland, and the Bengals could beat. The Bengals didn’t have things go their way, but lucky plays happen, just ask David Tyree.

Cincinnati scored 23 with 273 yards on the defending Super Bowl champs. We allowed 307 yards, but only seven points.

We held Cleveland to six points and only allowed 200 yards. Minnesota gave up 17 and 268 yards.

We held Oakland to a measly 137 yards and gave up three points. Chargers gave up 366 yards and 20 points.

We have the number one defense in the league. No one would have predicted that regardless of the teams we played before the season started. I’m tired of all analyst using our schedule as a scapegoat for their wrong predictions.

Just something to read and think about for a moment before you count Denver out.

Looking at our schedule coming up, it looked a lot scarier before the season than it does now. Cowboys without Felix, Patriots without Mayo, and Chargers with out Jamal Williams and maybe LT all look beatable to me. I’m not guaranteeing a win by any means, but they are games we can win.

Followed by that, we have the Ravens who look outstanding, but things may change by then. Steelers look beatable as well to me. Redskins we should beat if they keep at this pace.

With all the being said that still leaves two games against Kansas City and one more against Oakland in Denver.

I’m not saying were going 10-6 but we could and we very well may win the division. No we are not world beaters, but we do win.

“Denver rookie head coach Josh McDaniels doesn’t have a grasp on how to build a team,” said John Clayton, April 23rd, 2009.

I just want people like this to go back and say ‘maybe I was wrong.’ I’m not asking to pick us for the Super Bowl; just give us respect where we have earned it.

Denver fans, I leave you with this comment from recently signed veteran Vonnie Holliday.

“But when I was talking to some coaches on this staff, guys who were much older and much more experienced than Coach McDaniels, they said, ‘Don’t listen.’ They said some good things were happening here. They said Coach McDaniels was special … it didn’t take me long to realize they were right. There’s something about Josh McDaniels.”

Keep strong Bronco faithful as we shoot for 4-0.

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Kyle Orton Gets Booed: So What?

So Kyle Orton got booed during Denver’s night practice.

Oh no, it’s the end of the world.

Am I sold on Kyle Orton?

No.

Am I willing to give him a chance?

Yes.

Especially beyond a few days of training camp.

First of all, if he is going to throw any picks, let it be in training camp. I am perfectly fine with that. This is exactly what training camp is for: to get all of these kinks out. Now McDaniels has film Orton can go back and study, and show Orton what needs to be fixed and how to fix it so these types of plays won’t happen in a game.

Does anyone remember Matt Cassel’s first few games with the Patriots? No one was giving him the praise that he gets now. It is a new offense that Orton is learning and it is going to take a little time to completely learn it.

Brandon Stokley made the comment that he is impressed with Orton’s improvement from the beginning of camp to where they are now. Last time I checked Orton still has plenty of time to improve; Every day with McDaniels is a day that Orton will improve.

I know he may not be the long term answer, but give him time to develop in the system. Marshall wasn’t there tonight and we’re still waiting on Moreno; Two more weapons for Orton.

I wasn’t at the practice so if anyone who was there wants to leave a comment on how the interceptions and everything went down, that would be great.

Brian Dawkins: The Bronco We’ve Been Waiting For

I was one fan that was absolutely ecstatic to hear about the signing of Brian Dawkins.

I know he is a little bit older in age and isn’t the long term answer.  He brings something very important to a new defense looking for answers.

Leadership.

Ever since our beloved Al Wilson went down on December, 3 2006, we have not had a clear cut leader on defense.

In 2005, Denver went 13-3, had 258 PA/13.1 ppg (third in the league), a differential of 137 points (third in the league), and a takeaway differential of +20 (second in the league).

In 2006, they went 9-7.  The Broncos had 305 PA/19.1 ppg (8th), a differential of 14 points (14th), and their takeaway differential was 17th in the league

I know we didn’t make the playoffs in 2006, but our defense was a lot better than in ’08-’09.  In 2008, we didn’t rank in the top 25 in any of these categories except for differential.  The rest of the stats were 30th or above.

Needless to say, when we lost our leader in Wilson, we lost more than just a player.

Now with Brian Dawkins, Weapon X, stepping onto the field for the Broncos, we have that vocal leader back on the field.

When I read reports of Dawkins doing push-ups on the practice field because he “only” broke up a pass when he knew he could have intercepted it, I get excited about this defense.

We drafted a lot of young talent on defense.  Ayers, McBath, Smith and Bruton are all getting the role model they need in Dawkins.  Whether or not they play the same position, they are seeing what Dawkins does.

A player of Dawkins’s caliber is what Mike Nolan was looking for and definitely what I, as a fan, was looking for.  He will hold everyone accountable on the defense and we haven’t had that in awhile.

We finally have someone to bring back the hunger in the defense.  Dawkins is the type of player that, when you look across the field, you know they are going to give 100 percent every down on any given day.

With Bailey, Dawkins, Hill, Goodman, and Smith or Williams in the nickel, I like the secondary a lot, definitely a lot more than I did last year with Bly, John, and Doe playing safety.

Taking age into consideration, I am hoping Denver is able to stay healthy on both sides of the ball.  That is definitely key to our defense as it is every team.

Denver only had 23 sacks last year.  Demarcus Ware almost had more than that by himself.  Our defense should be able to get more pressure with Mike Nolan wanting to be physical and attack this year.

In our 4-3 defense of previous years, we relied on speed.  We have added some more bulk this year.  We have an average of 15 more pounds on the defensive line (302 lbs.) and the linebacking corps increased their average by 20 (256 lbs.).

I am not yet sold on our defense completely turning things around by any means, and we may not have a bunch of high profile names on our defense, but what we do have is a lot of people out to prove themselves.

As I stated previously, we were almost last in the league in several defensive categories and our offense was 16th in scoring.

Our defense can NOT get worse.  I don’t see how it could, so a small improvement in defense, say moving within the 15-24 in overall rankings, and some improvement in scoring, which should happen under McDaniels, is all we need.

I am excited about what this Broncos squad will bring to the table in 2009.

Making a Case For Kyle Orton

Orton is a system QB.

Coming out of Purdue, Kyle Orton played in a system much like the one McDaniels will use him in.

Orton completed 60 percent of his passes for over 3,000 yards, 31 touchdowns, and only five INTs in his year at Purdue. I know it’s college, but this isn’t the type of system the Bears used to help enhance Orton’s abilities.

We watched Pennington have his career year with the Dolphins last year. Sometimes a change of scenery can elevate a QB.

McDaniels helps to mold QB’s.

We’ve watched Tom Brady develop into three-time Super Bowl champion, QB for ESPN’s All-Decade team, and, well, we could go on and on.

Matt Cassel was in Brady’s shadow, coached and molded by McDaniels and watching Brady. Brady went down and Cassel comes into the spotlight and has a tremendous year. He got better and better every game.

I’m not saying McDaniels made both these guys what they were, but he obviously helped make them better.

Let us remember Brady was a sixth round pick and Cassel was a seventh round pick.
McDaniels watched film on all the QBs from the teams that offered trades for Cutler. He picked Orton from the pile.

I’m not saying the list was loaded with Pro Bowl quarterbacks. I just think McDaniels seen something maybe we can’t. He is an NFL coach.

I can easily see him improving Orton.

Talent and time.

The two big differences for Orton in Denver is more time to throw and more talent surrounding him.

In Orton’s two years as the Bears starter, he was sacked 27 times and 30 times. Denver gave up only 12 sacks last year.

Clady, who only gave up a half sack, will be protecting Orton’s backside.

With or without Brandon Marshall, Denver has better talent all around. Eddie Royal is better than any Chicago receiver and was a rookie last year.

Here is a quick list of weapons for Denver:

Brandon Marshall, Eddie Royal, Brandon Stokley, Tony Scheffler, Daniel Graham, Knowshon Moreno, Jabar Gaffney, Chad Jackson, Peyton Hillis, and rookie Kenny McKinley.

A small note about McKinley is that Steve Spurrier said he was the best receiver he ever coached. That should account for something.

Orton can only get better.

Orton has a 21-12 record as a starting QB and that isn’t bad at all. He is still young. Orton and Cutler are separated by less than a year in age.

Up until this year, Orton has only had mediocre years, but has never been labeled as a bad QB. When he left Chicago in the trade, Urlacher said he was someone the team trusted and could gather around. That is a very important attribute for the QB position.

I’m looking forward to seeing what Orton can do.

Tom Brady: Super Bowl Champions Rests On His Knee

There is no doubt in my mind when you look at the 2009/2010 Patriots were looking at a dominant team.

I know everyone is saying this is a completely different division and I understand the other teams got better. Let us not forget this is the New England Patriots were talking about.

First off lets talk about the division getting better.

If I remember correctly two years ago when the Patriots were bashing opponents every Sunday didn’t everyone say they had weak competition? I’m not saying the Patriots are going to go undefeated, I’m just saying I think they will win the Super Bowl.

Super Bowl champions have to take some bumps in the road to get ready for that. When you win 19 straight games its hard to be a little over confident.

This time I don’t think they will go undefeated, so I believe the division improving will only help them.

Also, didn’t the Patriots go 11-5 last year without Tom Brady.

How much better did this division get in the offseason?

Buffalo lost left tackle Jason Peters and gained Terrell Owens. So you gain a dynamic receiver “that supposedly causes problems everywhere he goes” and you lose back side protection for a quarterback that is yet to be proven. They did draft Aaron Maybin to offer more pass rush, but he is still a rookie.

The Miami Dolphins still have the wildcat but they did lose some veterans in the secondary. I’m going to give the Dolphins a push and keep them about what they were last year. Let’s not forget they did have one win just a year ago though. I do think Pennington is the second best QB in the division though.

The New York Jets are kind of in a spot were not sure about. They have a new coach, new players on defense, and no Brett Favre. I don’t think losing Favre will hurt them, but they still don’t have a proven QB. We all know sometimes coaching changes don’t go as well as we would like them to.

How much better are the New England Patriots?

This is what I have been waiting for.

So Buffalo got T.O. well the Patriots got Shawn Springs who has experience against Owens. They also signed Leigh Bodden for veteran minimum which is a steal.

Jerod Mayo now has another year of experience under his belt. Welker and Moss are now entering their third year in the New England offense.

With the addition of Joey Galloway the Patriots can really stretch the field. Galloway’s age won’t be an issue, Welker will play the No. 2 most of the time. This will allow Galloway to stay constantly fresh and put his speed to use. They have three solid veteran receivers all with proven hands, speed, and knowledge of the game.

Fred Taylor—WOW—a huge addition for the Patriots. Taylor is a workhorse who won’t have to handle a heavy load in New England.

Maroney is also coming back from a banged up year with a broken shoulder. Kevin Faulk is always productive and very underrated in my opinion.

According to analysts they also had one of the best drafts. I did mention earlier that the jury is always out on rookies until they play.

The Patriots did lose veteran Rodney Harrison, but they are the best about replacing players.

As the title eludes to, this all rest on the knee of Tom Brady.

I don’t believe they have another Cassell backing him up, but still Cassell is no Brady. Tom Brady just has the “IT” factor we all like to call it. If Brady’s knee holds up were looking a brutally talented team.

The offensive line will be doing whatever it takes to make sure Brady stays protected.

Brady hasn’t played in a year so you know he is ready to get back out there and prove he still has it.

NFL Sport Channel Latest

• Just How Far Would You Go?
• Sorry Rex, But It Isn’t Happening
• Super Bowl Predictions: Five Stat-Free Reasons Why the Eagles Will Reach The Super Bowl
• Seahawks Attempt to Turn Corner With Heavy Pursuit of Pete Carroll
• Bill Cowher Unlikely to Coach in 2010