Obviously Jay has a comfort level with Schefler, I would hope that he can develop that with some of the other TE (Graham and Jackson) so that when Schefler is hurt, that portion of the game doesn’t drop off. While I agree Schefler is a talented pass catcher, I really think Graham is just as talented, but obviously he gets used more for his outstanding blocking than anything else, but having watched him at CU and New England, the guy is a great recieving TE that Jay needs to trust when Schefler isn’t available. That touchdown on Thursday night was a prime example of what Graham can do, basically catch and run over CB and S.

so lets cut the guy a little slack with the injury prone talk. (I know you used “issue” which I feel is the correct term at this stage). Broke his foot last year which probably led to his groin injury this year. So hopefully after this injury he should be healthy for the next few years.

All I can say is in that draft I so wanted Vernon, Man did I want Vernon to be on this team. I heard what Shanny had said about Sheft when we drafted him(Sheft), and I was like wow really. Now I am so sold on him,it is ridiculous. He is a must on every Fantasy team I have. With that said, He is huge part of our amazing offense when it is rolling. I love this young offense……

I voted, moderate, before reading the entire post. If I could, I would change my mind to Quick!

You have to be there more than 60 something percent of the time to be great! His tallent is great, but his (whatever it takes to stay in the game) conditionig program, or, whatever, IMO keeps him from getting the “big” contract.

If he cant stay healthy, then I believe that Denver will let another team pay the Big $’s and take the chance, and use annother player instead. Just my oppinion.

is the best of the group that Nick listed with Fasano coming on fast. I am interested to see what Vernon Davis would do in a system like Denver’s. I can’t call him a bust yet. Or is that what I just did?

But as far as being something special—remember the QB he was paired ‘and roomed’ with.

This could have a lot to do with the impressive stats.

Can we win without him?
yes

His ability to get vertical in the middle of the field forces the safeties to play further from the line of scrimmage, and practically guarantees he’ll see over-under coverage, because no linebacker or safety can handle him alone. That serves to open up the coverage on the outside guys, and also to loosen up the running game. Scheffler is really the Broncos’ best overall deep threat, which is a rare dimension for a TE.

Great comment.
We can out in 3 TE sets and who the hell is the defense going to cover.
You have 3 very fast TE’s, and 2 of them are beasts in DG and Sheff…..DG is going to be a big part of our late season charge.
Now out O line is dominating, defenses have to worry about DG as well as Sheff!

DG was SUCH a team player last year…basically an extra lineman who NEVER complained.
he is finally being rewarded for his patience and unselfishness!

Scheffler’s foot injury has affected his gait. It’s not uncommon for that to contribute to groin and hammy issues. He still had foot issues this training camp – I haven’t heard anything since then – but even if he’s pain free, the issue of rebalancing the body takes time. I wouldn’t be in a hurry to over-judge this one. If next year he’s still having injury issues, it may take a while or just be a fact of life. Gait and postural specific issues this year aren’t necessarily a negative tendency, just the reality of trying to recover from that nasty foot problem.

Just as an example, Eck has been good this year. It took a long time to recover from his achillies, but he’s gotten there. Scheffler should be fine, but that type of injury just takes a long time to rehab. We’re seeing this a lot in sports medicine – problems that once ended careers are getting better, but a lot take over a year and many take two. It’s a wait and see situation.

Don’t forget that Tony Gonzales in Kansas City was hearing the bust word well into his third year. Let’s don’t give up on our Tony.

Heath Miller is injured and I was shocked to see that Graham was available. It is a blast to watch a big TE like him run over DBs. I sure hope he gets a TD against the Falcons!

when we still had Plummer. I really liked what I saw of him in preseason and was amazed that once the season started he was nowhere to be found. Then once Cutler was named the starter in came Scheffler. He adds so much to our offense when he is on the field and he goes deep like a WR and the fact that he is big creates a mismatch totally in our favor. The guy also has great hands at catching the ball.

It’s been my impression for some time that Cutler plays better when Scheffler’s on the field. The difference in passer rating is a dramatic confirmation of that, and the startling difference in winning percentage even moreso. Both suggest how Cutler plays better. It’s not the 14 yards. Your original thought – Big deal! – was the right one. I’ve calculated passer ratings before and 14 more yards doesn’t make that big a difference. What will make that big a difference, and will also often be the difference between winning and losing, is throwing TDs rather than picks. I’ll bet you Jay has a much better TD to INT ratio when Scheffler is playing.

Broncoman and AZBroncosFan emphasize the psychological factor, and I think they’re probably right. Cutler is more comfortable and confident when he has Scheffler available. No doubt their friendship and offseason work has contributed to that, but there are undoubtedly also more technical reasons. He does in fact stretch the field to an unusual degree for a tight end, as TedBartlett905 suggests. But I’m not sure he gets a lot of over/under coverage (although I’m willing to be corrected on that), because the defense still has to worry about B-Marsh and Fast Eddie. If so, that might be a key, because there’s no one to pick it off if he overthrows. Also notable, and this might be related to the confidence factor and to working together, is he seems to have a better feel for Scheffler’s speed. Fast Eddie had to wait for the ball on his 93-yard jaunt, but it seems to me Cutler regularly hits Scheffler in stride, often dropping the ball nicely over the LB with touch on the deep routes. He just seems to throw a better ball when Scheffler’s his target.

Much of Scheffler’s “injury problem” traces back to his original foot injury, which got re-aggravated but appears to be a thing of the past now. His more recent injury – I forget if it was a groin or a hammy – might or might not be related to his foot injury, but is at any rate fairly common and not usually chronic among players. I’d say the jury is still out, but I think we’re going to see fewer missed games in the future.

At least I hope that’s the case, because I think what you’ve shown with Cutler’s QB rating and winning percentage with and without Scheffler is that he makes a big difference in the team’s offensive performance. Red Auerbach was especially good at seeing the nonobvious. It wasn’t obvious, statistically, what K.C. Jones contributed, but Auerbach noticed that the team had a better winning percentage when he played, and that’s why he kept him in there. You can’t see intangibles, but the guys (who the stats say) make a difference between winning and losing obviously have them.

With Tony Scheffler: 5-1
When TEs get 20% or more of the passes: 5-0
With 3 TEs having receptions: 3-0
With 2 or less TE having receptions: 1-4
Percentage of TE receptions against Cleveland: 40%
Now consider how much Brandon Marshall and Eddie Royal bring to the table. Their tenacity and drive help us get down the field but take a look at these stats:

When Marshall catches 60 yards or more: 3-3
When Royal catches for 60 yards or more: 2-3
When Scheffler catches for 60 yards or more: 4-0

Marvelous stats, and very telling. We need to get him healthy and keep him on the field – he makes us a very, very tough team.